Angele Sent on 05/31/2015

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We got married at The Victorian and it was amazing!

We primarily worked with Holly and she was phenomenal from start to finish. She answered all my questions and more. She made the entire experience wonderful and was so flexible and accommodating.

The food was phenomenal, the service was great, the bar is the best around (everyone LOOOOVED the bar)! They make great specialty drinks!

The venue itself is a historical home and beautiful - very intimate feel; it's two stories and has space inside and outside. You don't need to decorate very much because it's so beautiful just the way it is.

The lighting is set up beautifully, the votive candles are included, a beautiful chandelier... makes for stunning photos.

The groomsmen got ready at "The Basement", which is their bar downstairs. They offered the guys drinks while they got ready and took photos. The ambiance there is really cool.

The guests were greeted with champagne and well attended to. As the bride and groom, we had a server attend to us all night, making sure we were well fed and always had water and/or a drink in hand. That was REALLY nice, as it's hard to make time to even grab an appetizer!

The venue is only 2 blocks from the beach, so we were able to break away for 10 minutes and get beautiful beach photos.

Overall, phenomenal experience!

Vanessa Sent on 05/28/2015

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The Victorian staff were absolutely wonderful to work with. From Holly in sales/coordination to the catering/wait staff...they were dreams! The night of our wedding the servers made sure to always keep me and my husband happy at all times. The food was phenomenal as well! We had multiple stationary appetizers which had anything from a huge delicious baked Brie and charcuterie to a delicious Mediterranean spread. For dinner we opted for the prime rib (the hit of the night), chicken with wild rice or polenta cake for the vegetarians. All were sooo good. We didn't hear one complaint from any of our 185 guests about any of it! All of the above plus a gorgeous vintage venue... You can't beat that!

Jill Sent on 01/17/2015

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So happy we chose The Victorian as our wedding venue. It was the perfect intimate setting and in my opinion truly unique to other places we had looked at. The wedding coordinators that work there are such a delight to work with...so nice and helpful! And the food was amazing! Countless people had told us after that it was some of the best food they'd had at a wedding. To top it off free valet- what else can you ask for?! Can't go wrong with this place.

Drew Sent on 10/01/2014

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What an amazing venue. Perfect in every sense of the word. Our planners, Holly and Aisha, delivered everything they said they would plus so much more. Our guests marvelled at our choice of venue - and we could not be happier. (The only sad thing is not seeing Holly and Aisha as much, but, we have two new friends -- yay!)

As for the food, the salmon was moist and perfectly cooked. The appetizer platters won high praise from our friends and family.

We also loved how the event moved from outdoors to upstairs, with the downstairs patio and dining room in between. The wait staff was extremely friendly, courteous and attentive. Is it too soon to start planning our vow renewal here?

User1433149 Sent on 07/25/2014

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Everything about the Victorian was perfect for my ceremony and wedding! The location, the decor, the staff, the food... everything! All my guests gushed about my wedding and I thank the Victorian for making it just perfect!

Samir Sent on 06/13/2014

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The Victorian--where do I begin? It has the vintage charm that I love in a location that my husband could enjoy (he's more of a city guy). Not to mention, the prospect of him and his boys getting ready in the basement speakeasy helped get him pumped to go for this venue.

Once we decided on the Victorian, we were helped by Ashia and she couldn't have been more knowledgeable, more available and more understanding of all of our needs. She is a superstar at this wedding stuff! From the first day we toured the Victorian to when we were sat down to have our first dinner as husband and wife, Ashia was there for us every step of the way (and always with smile on her face, to boot!). Holly, who works alongside Ashia, was also extremely helpful at answering any questions during our months of planning.

We got married on the lawn. We were kind of concerned about the noise, but when we were up there for our ceremony, the noise from the street seemed so distant to me. And I think the guests felt the same way. The Victorian provided a microphone so that my uncle (our officiant) was audible for everyone to hear what was being said.

Every guest I spoke with said the food was amazing--from the appetizers (cheese & meat platter, samosas, vegetarian dip) to the main course. The bartenders and wait staff were equally amazing. Ali and the parking staff, as well as security personnel, were wonderful, too.

Overall, my husband and I are SO happy we chose the Victorian as our wedding venue. From the beautiful home and the attentiveness of Ashia to the helpful day-of staff and intimate ambiance, it truly was a wonderful place to celebrate our marriage. We already have recommended the Victorian to others and will continue to do so. And we will definitely visit whenever we're in the neighborhood. The home will always have a special place in our hearts.

Kelly Sent on 11/13/2013

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My husband and are so happy we got married at The Victorian! Ashia, the events director, and everyone else at The Victorian went above and beyond to make our day stress-free and wonderful. We deeply appreciated their attention to detail and their work to meet our needs/requests. Everything on the day of our wedding was on time, and the service was exceptional and the food was delicious during the reception. We highly recommend The Victorian for couples looking for a place to get married!

User1300313 Sent on 08/24/2013

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The Victorian was the first wedding venue we looked at, and we knew it was perfect immediately. We checked out several others to feel like we did our due diligence, but we were so drawn to the Victorian yet city vibe of the place, along with the nearly all-inclusive package, that it was really a no brainer. The great thing about this venue is that all of the catering is done in house (aside from the cake, which you provide), so it's very manageable--and the food is FANTASTIC. Our guests said it was the best they had ever had at a wedding (the prime rib was a favorite). Really more than anything though, Ashia was the reason our wedding was so amazing. She should get a gold medal. We emailed her several times a day, visited constantly, had no idea how to plan a wedding or what we were doing, and she was always responsive and, most importantly, super stoked about the event. I feel like this note isn't doing her justice--she is just so good, you have to go meet her now.

We decided to have our ceremony indoors upstairs rather than outside due to the size of our wedding and our desire for a more intimate ceremony (outside is beautiful, but you're right on Main Street--and our wedding was at 5 pm--though I know couples who have loved the outdoor space for their ceremonies as well). It was perfect for our vibe.

The one thing that ended up being a bit tricky for us is that we had some trouble meeting the minimum price because our guest count was small (45). However, we got so much value for our buck that it was actually insane. We got to serve everyone a side of lobster with their entree, a signature cocktail custom designed by the venue's bartender, incorporate their amazing candelabras into our table centerpieces, have a five-hour full premium open bar, champagne to greet guests before the ceremony, more passed appetizers than we could try, and so much more while coming just shy of the minimum. The value couldn't be beat.

Brita Sent on 06/22/2013

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5 stars for Ashia Taylor and The Victorian in Santa Monica!

Just celebrated my wedding at this beautiful and quaint venue, and I couldn't be happier with my experience. It was truly a magical evening and the year of preparation leading up to it was wonderfully attended to by the lovely, in house, event planner Ashia!

She was warm and welcoming every time I stopped by and/or called, which was often. She was genuinely excited for my husband and I and really went above and beyond to give us the best possible experience with the best service.

The in house caterer (Duck Duck Mousse) provided delicious food! All my guests complimented the abundance of appetizers at cocktail hour, the generous portions and perfectly prepared entrees at dinner, and even the beautiful spread of desserts! The prime rib was heavenly, the sea bass was like butter, and the polenta was (as my vegetarian friends exclaimed) the BEST vegetarian entree (they've ever had offered at a wedding). Seriously, this was not just sub par wedding fare! We had an exquisite sit down dinner complete with excellent service by a proper wait staff and captain.

The house itself is so beautiful that you don't need to over think decor. A few personal items (e.g. photos), flowers, and uplighting (a worth while addition!), are really all you need.

Honestly I can gush over my wedding forever because it was absolutely perfect! The most beautiful and seemingly smooth event I've ever attended. If there were any issues I was completely unaware, and that's the way it should have been!

If you're looking for a romantic and intimate place for your wedding, this is it!

Alissa Sent on 01/21/2012

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We had a fairytale wedding at this incredibly wonderful, classy location. It was SO NICE to have both the ceremony & reception in one location. The areas to get ready ahead of time were another selling point for us; my husband was thrilled to have a space, since most places were only offering this for the bride.

Kimberly Sent on 10/29/2010

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Every detail that we worked with Mia & Ashia to create our Wedding Reception worked out to absolute perfection! Not only is the house absolutely beautiful, every aspect of our reception was carried out exactly as we dreamed it! Careful attention to every detail was given to our event! The service staff was phenomenal. The venue looked beautiful! The food was delicious! The drinks were outstanding. The absolute most amazing and personalized experience a bride and groom could wish for!

Mike Sent on 06/16/2010

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Gorgeous warm venue. Really gets across a sense of family while adding grandeur and grace. Ashia was so terrific and the food was great.

Elizabeth Sent on 01/22/2010

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My wedding experience at The Victorian was amazing. It was everything I could have asked for and more. When looking at venues to hold my reception there were a lot of factors that I considered, price, parking, look, wedding coordinators and The Victorian topped the list out of every venue I looked at. From day one the staff was responsive, got back to me on all my needs and helped me step by step to create the perfect reception that I always had wanted. The food was amazing, the location was ideal and the look was exactly what I wanted. The lights, candles and décor added so much character that I saved so much money on bringing in useless decorations that I didn’t need. The venue is so beautiful by itself; it has such a charming comfortable feel. What made my wedding perfect was the staff, from the wedding coordinators, the catering staff and all the waiters. The day of my wedding I had everyone accommodating to all my needs so I felt totally content that everything was being taken care of and my guests were all enjoying themselves. I wouldn’t have done anything different and my husband and I are so happy we chose The Victorian for our special day.

Amy L. Sent on 08/10/2007

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VERY unique and genuine vintage house approx. 15,000 square feet. Staff is fabulous, food is quite good, decor is lovely. Highly recommend for someone looking for a "different" and more personal venue.

Linda Sent on 08/09/2007

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We had a short three weeks to plan this wedding and it was extraordinary. Our event coordinator, Deb Feldman, was exceptional. The setting wa beautiful and a wonderful ceremony and reception were put together so smoothly that one would have thought we would have had the traditional year and not a rush due to the best man being re-deployed to Iraq for the next 15 months. Every guest came up to me and raved about the location, the food, the service. I would recommend The Victorian to anyone for a wedding or any important event in their life. For those services not provided (such as officiant, DJ (although they do have a sound system) they give you a list of exceptional vendors that they have worked with and feel comfortable recommending. They made this experience a resounding success!. I cannot thank them enough for all their assistance. The bride and groom are both estatic. Thank you again. Linda Ulrich, mother of the bride.

Thresa Sent on 10/29/2013

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We wanted our guests to feel "at home" - but not our home (where more than 25 bodies would be too snug for comfort). The Victorian was the perfect venue for putting everyone at ease, making it the creative/eclectic, yet warm and loving event we were hoping for (not a cookie-cutter, anywhere U.S.A. nuptials). Our guests raved about the location, crowed about the quality of the food and cheered our choice of venue. Overall, it was a magical evening and everything was perfect from start to finish, right up until the very moment we departed. I have to say, it was also a wonderful planning experience and I never felt stressed or pressured at any time considering how the "soup to nuts" details for a wedding can be a VERY stressful time, when you're just working to get everything together to fit your vision. The Victorian made the process comfortable and FUN.

Laura Sent on 08/19/2013

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beautiful, professional, and extremely willing to do everything in their power to make our day and dreams fall together as perfectly as possible.
my favorite thing that everyone kept saying is "its your day, you tell us what your dream is, and we will do anything we can to make it happen!"
all the staff was so friendly and worked promptly and efficiently with our busy schedules to make everything happen on time and in the right way.
amazing communication and an awesome answering service when the coordinators were unavailable.
over all, perfect! (:

Alex Sent on 12/29/2015

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My wife and I had our wedding there recently and were completely satisfied with everything. The venue worked with us from beginning to end. The food, space, decorations, merchant referrals, drinks, and whole process was great.
For our food we were invited to tastings and were offered all possible options from cheese plates, walking appetizers, desserts, drinks, and so on. We elected for the poke ahi, cheese plates, ricotta stuffed peppers as appetizers and had no complaints. For dinner we had the filet mignon and seabass and although most elected the filet mignon, I was in love with the fish. Everything was clean, professional, pristine, elegant, and timely. Both my wife and I were looking for something classy, intimate, literary, and vintage and this venue met our every need. The aesthetics and options of rooms was worth it. Overall, our only tidbit was timely responses to communication (which weren't bad but could've been improved) they usually got back to us within 3-4 days, but other than that we enjoyed every second :) Thank you to everyone at The Victorian, we will definitely be back whether it is for another occasion or even for the speak easy bar downstairs :)

User2113249 Sent on 04/29/2015

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I was looking for a vintage venue for my wedding this past February, and immediately fell in love with the Victorian. The building is beautiful, a Victorian house from the late 1800s. As a wedding venue, you get a lot of bang for your buck: the per head price includes dinner (buffet or sit down at the same price), 3 hours beer/wine/champagne, cake cutting included, tables, chairs, linens, valet parking, security, and a bunch of other little things that are necessary for hosting weddings and other fancy parties. We had the ceremony upstairs in the evening in the beautiful library, backlit by the lights in the willow trees outside. Our reception was downstairs in their dining room, with the most amazing wedding food ever! Seriously, I have never had wedding food that good, our guests could not stop raving about it! Our guests also kept mentioning how our venue fit us as a couple perfectly. It really is the perfect place for a vintage themed wedding like ours. Most importantly, the people who are working there are phenomenal. Holly the events manager is the best, always going above and beyond to help me with any little questions or problems that arose. She even helped coordinate our rehearsal the night before and helped us figure out our entrance order, and let us store some things overnight in her office so we would have less crap to bring the morning of. She was there the entire day to assist in every way possible, and our wedding set up and ceremony ran so smoothly because of her. If you are thinking of having an event here, request her as your liason! For our reception our wait captain Kelly was amazing as well, making sure that we actually ate during our wedding! The entire wait staff and bartenders were superb. I could not have asked for a better wedding venue.

Rachel Sent on 12/07/2014

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A beautiful space for wedding photos, ceremony, and reception. There are a ton a different configurations to plan with including indoor and outdoor options. The staff is professional and enthusiastic. The site is clean and parking is convenient. The only major con is that it isn't wheel chair accessible.

User1914665 Sent on 11/10/2014

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beautiful venue, lovely staff, and amazing service! Holly and Aisha were some of the most helpful and pleasant people that i've ever worked with during the wedding planning process. our guests were thoroughly impressed by the venue and the food!

Jessica Sent on 06/19/2013

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Everyone should get married at the Victorian- because they know how to put on an amazing wedding. I can't say enough good things about Ashia & the staff there.From the first time I toured the venue I knew i had to have my wedding there- the house/patio/lawn/upstairs are unique fun spaces to have an event- I made sure to use the whole house so guests were never "stuck" in one area and were able to see how awesome/fun the house was.

I always looked forward to chatting with them about my event, & visiting, they kept making beautiful upgrades to the house (new carpet, new chandelier)... the day of the event they surpassed my expectations. I had the ceremony on the lawn which was amazing (do not worry about the street being close- it didn't cause too much distruption & you don't really even notice bc you are so in the moment) cocktail hour on the patio/bar area- plenty of space & the hanging lights & old house are a great backdrop. :) buffet dinner downstairs was THE BEST FOOD.. nobody left hungry or had a bad thing to say about the food... amazing prime rib, amazing pasta, AMAZING mashed potatoes...the food was warm & all of my guests were very impressed. The premium bar was fantastic- amazing lemon drops, there weren't very many sober guests at the end of the night.
The staff at the Victorian were PROFESSIONALS and made our event run smoothly... the bartenders were loved by my guests & the waitstaff was just fantastic.
Ashia/Holly know what their doing & everyone had a fantastic time there!

Stacy-Colleen Sent on 05/11/2009

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This was a beautiful venue, with wonderful staff. My guests truly enjoyed the setting, the ambiance, the food, the ceremony, and the wonderful service. The only thing lacking in the entire event, sadly, was the taste of the wedding cake. We ordered a red velvet cake after tasting the red velvet cupcakes at the tasting and the cake turned out to be very dry. Sadly, the Victorian is famous for their bakery! However, every other aspect of the wedding was exceptional and I wouldn't change any other factor. We have wonderful memories of the venue and our wedding.

Kelley Sent on 12/01/2008

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My husband and I were married at the Victorian and it was amazing! The food was amazing. I recommend the mashed potato martini bar. There are yummy and fun for the guests to do and talk about. The goat cheese ravioli is delicious as well. Mandy & Janell made sure that every detail went off without a hitch! We did not have to worry about a thing. The destination is great. Its right by the beach so its great for out-of-towners to visit. I have to say the Victorian's ambiance is romantic and quaint, we could not have done anything different to make it a better day! We were married on the front patio and even though it was 6:30pm on a Friday, the noise from the nearby traffic was not too bad. I would not recommend unless your party is smaller and you are going for that carefree feel. We had 120 and it was just perfect! Thank you for making our day the greatest!

Amaree Sent on 10/22/2008

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The Victorian was the perfect place for our wedding. The staff was responsive throughout our planning process and on the day of our wedding, everyone complimented us on choosing a venue with such great food and service.

User1778818 Sent on 08/24/2014

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We got married at the Victorian in August 2014 and we loved it. All of our guests also loved it. This place is magical and we really didn't have to add any decoration to make it beautiful.
Also it's not that pricey compared to a lot of other places in the area. We worked with Holly and she was really sweet and professional. We really loved working with her and she was really helpful all the time.

I would really recommend this place, you and your guests would love it!!

Danielle Sent on 07/06/2013

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We knew we wanted to have our reception at a place which was not "cookie cutter" (i.e. a hotel ballroom with a dance floor in the middle) and when we walked into The Victorian, we knew it was the place for us almost immediately. We loved that the place had various rooms and floors so that we could have dinner downstairs and dancing upstairs (our guests said they loved that, it felt like going up to "the party" and built anticipation during the meal). Note we did not have our ceremony at The Victorian. Another huge reason we decided on The Victorian (and were so happy with our decision!) was that although it had it's own character and beautiful fixtures/fittings - we still had LOTS of independence to put our own stamp on the venue. All the surfaces, rooms and outdoor spaces could easily be customized to match our theme and style within the context of a lovely vintage/victorian setting. We also loved that the place felt comfortable and didn't worry about kids running around which was important to us. With regards to food - our guests were very complimentary of the meals (especially that the portions were good) and also loved the nibbles at the cocktail hour. The staff surprised us by setting up an area upstairs before the party started where my new husband and I could have our own nibbles + champagne + water so that we could relax for a few minutes before spending more time with guests. We loved the pricing option to have beer/wine/cava for a fixed price per head per hour and optional cash bar - it was perfect for our budget and our guests really felt taken care of. Another huge reason we decided to go with The Victorian is because of event coordinator Ashia! She was so warm, welcoming and sweet when we were first visiting and all our communication with her was pleasant, laid back but also to the point so no time was wasted.

Would absolutely recommend The Victorian for couples in the Santa Monica area!

Nikki Sent on 07/20/2009

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The Victorian was an amazing place to have our wedding. We live in Santa Monica and really wanted to be able to get married and have our friends and family enjoy Santa Monica and what it has to offer. We decided to get married on a Sunday which made The Victorian a very reasonably priced venue. I loved that everything was done in house (the cake, catering, tables, chairs etc...) They also provide you with a coordinator who is also there the day of. Our coordinator Deb was amazing. She had everything organized leading up to the event and always got back to me right away. The day/night went flawlessly and she took care of everything. All I had to think about that day was enjoying myself. The place itself is beautiful with a lot of character. Not only did my husband and I have a great time, but all of our guests could not stop talking about how great of a time they had. They gave rave reviews to the food and the atmosphere. We could not have asked for a better wedding.

Madelaine Sent on 09/19/2008

4.7 out of 5 rating

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My daughter just had her reception at the Victorian.
I would have to say that I also enjoyed the taste testing even if I had to pay and extra 100.00 for me to attend. The cost of the package included my daughter and fiance but it was good that I was there to make the final choices . We chose to have a sit down dinner rather than the buffet. The choices we made were the tenderloin, salmon and the eggplant for the vegetarians. We received great reviews from everyone on the food, which was wonderful. We also had the appetizers which were all wonderful as well during the cocktail hour which was held in the courtyard and the upstairs.
They Victorian also offers passed appetizers and a martini mashed potato bar, but we could not afford to add those ( I wish we could have)
Our family came from Omaha so we only had a couple of dozen out of town guest from our side.
We ended up with close to two hundred guests. ( I thought we were only going to have 159 but my daughters fiance had other ideas)
The service was excellent. We had both the rehearsal dinner ( which was buffet and the fiance's parents paid for) and the reception after the ceremony at the Victorian. The wedding ceremony took place at St. Monica's Catholic chuch. Janelle from the Victorian was there anytime I had questions or to help me with locating storage for the cakes I made. She was helpful both on Friday night and on Saturday. I also had Brian help me carry things in.
I would say that 150 guests would have been about the right amount. It did seem a little full in the dining room and also made the dance floor upstairs too small for dancing so if dancing is a must then fewer guests would make for more room on the dance floor!
Having a parking lot is great. The Victorian is a beautiful place. It is pricey but the food is great and consistent.

Charles Sent on 01/06/2015

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The team at the Victorian was incredibly helpful coordinating pre-Wedding remotely which was very helpful. The venue was great in that there are multiple places in the venue for different phases of the event. We had the ceremony upstairs, the dinner downstairs and our post wedding reception and post party were held outside in the courtyard. A very nice venue and the catering is solid. We received great comments from our guests.

Amy Sent on 02/27/2011

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5 out of 5 rating

When we were first looking for venues, I wasn’t sure what I wanted, but knew we had a very limited budget and we were looking at the possibility of a January or February wedding. So we needed a venue that could accommodate our budget, and would work for us with any kind of weather. I did a lot of research online and via e-mail before we actually went in person. As a result of my research, we only visited a few venues in person.
From the minute we walked in, I knew it was where we had to get married. We loved the charm and beauty of this old home; but the wonderful staff was really what put us over the edge. It’s not that other places weren’t nice, but there was just something extra special and magical about The Victorian and Mia, whom we first met with. Unfortunately Mia had a personal issue that caused her to have to go on leave for several months, but Ashia quickly and easily stepped in. She was also genuinely enthusiastic and excited for us, and about helping us plan our wedding. At the rehearsal and on the day of, she was professional and able to help make sure everything went smoothly and beautifully.
They have a large and comfortable bridal suite, as well as a separate area for the groom.
We knew we loved the food, but have been told over and over that it was delicious—even from people who have worked in the hotel industry and have tried a lot of “wedding food”. One of my guests also said that she wanted to re-do her own wedding to have it at The Victorian because it was so beautiful. We also loved that they only do one event so you and your guests aren’t lost with multiple events. And were really happy about the fact that they had parking.
They didn’t get 5 stars for a few little things. However we still recommend them.
Although we were well taken care of, when our original coordinator had a personal emergency we wish we’d been contacted in advance to let us know we were being handed over to someone else. It wasn’t a huge issue as the new coordinator stepped in and took excellent care of us. It just would’ve been nice for us to know. Also, a few times it took a little longer than we wanted to get a response to an e-mail or a call back.
We ordered a cupcake tower. We didn’t know that we should’ve asked how the cupcakes would be served to our guests (they ended up helping themselves). So it was a little awkward when, after we cut our cake, we were sort of standing around staring at our guests. We wish that was a little more cohesive…or that we knew how that would be handled.
We were on a limited budget and were told multiple times that the preferred vendors would work with us. We had to ask for the preferred list and then some were good about working with us, others seemed not to be aware that they were supposed to work with us. Not really the fault of The Victorian, but they probably shouldn't push the "they'll work with you".
All of that said..if you have your wedding at The Victorian, you will have a unique and beautiful event that you and your guests will remember. You will also be well taken care of by their planners as well as the service staff on the day of. If you like cheese--get the brie appetizer...and make sure you leave some for your guests.

Gerri Sent on 01/21/2009

4.6 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
5 out of 5 rating
Value
4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

The "most beautiful wedding I've ever been to".. "The best salmon I've ever eaten" just a couple of the rave reviews from my guests. We had 150 people for sit down dinner on a cold Sat. evening. Despite having to seat some guests on a covered patio, everyone stayed warm and comfortable. We had an open bar, and were pleased to find they staffed enough bartenders so that everyone who wanted a drink could quickly get one. The whole wedding from arrivals thru the ceremony, cocktail hour dinner, and cake cutting/serving ran like clockwork. Very Very impressive.

Lack of flexibility has to do with the scheduling of planning meetings. They have a very limited schedule for tastings etc.. and we found this difficult to work with our work schedules. But it all turned out magnificently. Not cheap-- roughly $150 per person including appetizers and premium alcohol... plus whatever you spend on the cake, the favors, flowers, music, invites, etc. But still well worth it. It's been almost 2 weeks and my tough to please guests are still raving about the wedding.

Free and easy parking was a HUGE plus... linens are also included, and the the decor is quite nice even before you bring in flowers.

Children as young as a year are charged about $50 per person -- something to keep in mind if you're inviting a lot of kids. And for groups as large as mine its hard for everyone to see/hear the toast makers, and keep up with what's going on.. The design of the room prevents it.

For us, this was the perfect venue. We loved our wedding!

Kathryn Sent on 01/17/2008

4.6 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4.5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
5 out of 5 rating
Value
4.5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

The Victorian made the whole process a million times easier for me. They took care of everything and they would help with every little detail if it was requested of them.
The only negative of the entire experience was the fact that some of my guests could not see the table where my husband and I were sitting during the reception.

Shannon Sent on 08/09/2007

4.6 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
5 out of 5 rating
Value
3.5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4.5 out of 5 rating

I just recently had my wedding at The Victorian. The staff there is very professional and helpful. They made the planning very easy and the actual wedding beautiful and enjoyable. The food was wonderful. I would highly recomond this place. It has a very cozy and sophisticated feel. I could not imagine having my wedding at any other place.

Roxy Sent on 08/22/2007

4.5 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4.5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4.5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4.5 out of 5 rating
Value
4.5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4.5 out of 5 rating

We had our ceremony at The Victorian at Heritage Square. It is such an amazing place! It's a huge, vintage house which was was perfect for our special occasion. The staff and coordinators were very helpful and we were very pleased with how they took care of everything, even our special last minute requests. A great atmosphere and the beautiful decor made for a very memorable day. I was very happy, and would recommend this place highly.

Sarah Sent on 10/04/2008

4.4 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
5 out of 5 rating
Value
4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

Wedding coordination (Deb) was fabulous to work with. Once I came in to learn more (before I even booked) she never forgot who I was. It was a great experience and all expectations were met.

Elizabeth Sent on 03/07/2008

4.3 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
5 out of 5 rating
Value
2.5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

The first time I walked into the Victorian I knew it was were I wanted to have my reception! It is beautifully charming and elegant without being to fancy or uptight. The decor is Victorian chic with a flair of beachy simplicity that is hard to describe but was just perfect for me. With antique looking bookcases and candles and flowers everywhere the Victorian has such a romantic feel about it. The price is alittle on the high side, especially if you rent out both the top and bottom part (we had around 50 guests and just opted for the downstairs) but the food is absolutely delicious (with many options--don't miss out on your tasting it was one of my favorite experiences!)and the staff was so warm and helpful and made me feel like I was the only bride they were dealing with (I worked with Mandy). I love the Victorian b/c other than my centerpieces I didn't need to decorate the venue at all. They provide beautiful linens with your choice of color, the whole inside and out is covered with shimmering twinkle lights and they also put tea lights everywhere! They also have a separate room for the cake cutting that is so beautiful with a fireplace and mantle and windows all around. We got so many compliaments from our guests for choosing the Victorian and my husband and I couldn't be happier with the way things turned out. Oh and they have a parking lot for you and your guests with a valet that is included! In the busy Santa Monica area parking can be a problem, but not at the Victorian! I would recommend The Victorian to anyone!

Joe Sent on 12/30/2009

4.2 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4 out of 5 rating
Value
4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

I have to give The Victorian four stars rather than five because, although our event was a fairytale in the making, it was sometimes frustrating to work out details. Everything was lovely, the food was fantastic and our coordinator, Ashia, made our evening so special. One of the feedbacks that I have is that they do not have enough food tastings. We didn't get to taste our entree selections at all prior to the wedding, although we knew the chef had been the same for many years, and we had been to a wedding there before, so we were okay with that in the end. But, keep in mind that the tastings are only every 8 months or so, so plan accordingly. (We only had 6 months to plan our wedding.) Also, there are a lot of little extra costs that pop up along the planning process. It seemed every time I called, we had to add another couple hundred bucks to our bottom line total....or delete a line item to try to keep within budget. But, on the flipside, we complained about the wine and champagne choices (we are, admittedly, wine snobs) and they changed their house wines just in time for our wedding. A definite plus! And the actual wedding night was perfect. They worked so well with our other vendors. And the bridal room where my bridesmaids and I got ready was devine....even serving us champagne to take the edge off before we all walked down the aisle. All of the frustrations of the planning process were tossed out the window the day of the wedding. I credit The Victorian for having such a big part to play in our storybook wedding.

Yvette Sent on 01/18/2016

4 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4 out of 5 rating
Value
4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

The Victorian is a beautiful venue! It has a lovely intimate and vintage feel with a beautiful patio and cool bar. The food is very good and the staff were attentive. The venue is best suited for a smaller wedding and for cooler temperatures. Despite the air conditioning being on, the reception area became very warm as the evening progressed, making for sweaty guests and a sweaty bride- even in October. Aside from this, I was truly happy with this choice for our wedding!

Angela Sent on 04/06/2009

3 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
2 out of 5 rating
Average response time
2 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
2 out of 5 rating
Value
4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
5 out of 5 rating

The Victorian is an original beautiful historical Victorian home. Despite being on a busy street, the outdoor setting with its many twinkle lit trees, candles lining the stars and brick patio, it is very charming. With the many candles inside, the ambience is classic and romantic. The food and all the accessories provided are good quality. They are very accommodating in the usage of the venue for your outside vendors to come early, as well as coming early to take photos with your wedding party. Joe our original contact (sales person) is great and worked with very well with our budget. But our number one complaint is the poor staffing and with the one owner of the Victorian whom we worked, with Aleta Slayton. The venue was going through some changes about 3 weeks before our wedding. They shut down their cafe/bakery and are now only a venue to rent for events. This means they no longer provide the wedding cake as part of their service, but they do still provide the catering. We started with one wedding planner, and then were told she was no longer with them after we had met with her for 2 hours and discussed our plans in detail. We were then told we would be working with one of the owners Aleta (the Victorian and Calamigos Ranch in Malibu are owned by Aleta and her husband Ray), by the day of our wedding we working with her and some other woman, whom we met that day. We were very nervous when we first spoke to Aleta as it was apparent that she knew none of our details and we were told that everything we had discussed was not going to work as the original wedding planner did not understand the venue. So we had to take time out of our busy schedules to have a second meeting with Aleta. After the meeting we felt better for as she told us she has owned the Victorian for years and no one knows the place better than her. We took this to mean that she knew what she was talking about. Our cocktail hour was to be 1 hour, it ended up being 1 1/2 hours as they started dinner late. Dinner finally started, which was a buffet and the food was good, but instead of having multiple servings available, there were only small servings of each item being offered and one staff member serving. This resulted in a very slow buffet line. They continued to bring out food, but it also was done very slowly. At the end of dinner, when there were only a few people left to eat, they brought out a large pan of fresh asparagus, an item that should have been out all along, but that was the first time it was brought out. Dinner ran so long that our dancing could not start until 8:45 p.m.; it was to have started at 8:00 p.m. After cutting the cake, no one served it to our guests; it sat on the table unless our guests found it and got a piece for themselves. We had to cut out the Father/Daughter dance and other planned activities as we were running so behind; in fact many guests said they loved the wedding, but felt that the party had to end just when it was getting started (we had the venue until 10:30 p.m.). At the end of the night, our "wedding coordinator" was suppose to be there to help us prepare to leave (i.e. get our things together and direct people where to go), sadly this person whoever it was suppose to be were nowhere to be found, neither was the owner, Aleta. Overall, we were promised and paid for a certain number of wait staff and there were not enough to take care of our 167 person wedding. The worst part is that after the wedding we called and spoke with the owner Aleta and told her the things we were very happy with and also discussed all the aforementioned problems. We did this as we have been too many events at the Victorian and have many friends who would consider using the Victorian in the future; we would like to have seen this happen. But after speaking with Aleta, we would not recommend the Victorian as a place to hold your event. She told us that the reason dinner went askew was due to our guests not going to the buffet correctly. When we asked her how many wait staffs were on hand she said that "she was not sure". When we told her how unhappy we were with the way the food was served and that the cake was not served she had no apology or explanation for either. This conversation took place prior to our honeymoon and we had hoped that when we returned we would hear back from someone at the Victorian with at least an apology, but none has ever been provided, let alone some kind of compensation for not providing for what we paid for. This is just bad customer service and very bad business, particularly in an area where ourselves and our guests are long time residents (and many also work in the area); this is poor business practice, for word of mouth and internet reviews now make such an impact on a persons business reputation.

Margaret Sent on 06/18/2009

1.7 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
1.5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
0 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
0 out of 5 rating
Value
3 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

I would like to preface my review with the fact that I have been coming to the Victorian since 2006 and have always loved their atmosphere, food, and service. When I first got engaged, they were the first place that I called and booked my event right away. I am living in Dallas and was a little nervous about planning a wedding long distance, but I was so please with the deal I was getting ($110 per person) because it was the Sunday of Memorial Weekend. I felt completely at ease with having my wedding there and couldn't wait for the day to arrive.....

I first was given Mandy as my wedding coordinator, I spoke to her several times via phone and email and set up a date to meet when I was home for Christmas visiting my family. Mandy was great, walked me through the place, explained where everything would be, answered all of my questions, etc. That was December....

Come February, my sister attended the tasting because I could not fly in from Dallas mid-week for a Thursday evening tasting. She said the food was great, helped me pick my dinner choices, and I excitedly waited until my phone meeting to go over the food that was scheduled for the following week.....

The phone call never came, I called and emailed for the next three weeks, never hearing a response from Mandy or ANYONE at the Victorian. Finally, about a month after my scheduled meeting, I received a phone call from Aleta. She stated that she was the owner of The Victorian and would take over my account from that point on. She didn't seem moved by my frustration that no one had contact me to let me know that Mandy was no longer working there, she simply said that I didn't need to worry, that everything would be great. I got over and decided that since I still had three months until my wedding, that it wouldn't be a big deal. I went over the food plans with her and set up a meeting during my trip home for Easter....

It was now April, about a month and a half til my wedding day. I went to go meet with Aleta at the Victorian. Much to my horror, the place was remodled and rearranged. My original cake room was now their working office, my ceremony was moved to their upstairs lounge, and the dance floor was no longer in the main reception area but off in front of the bar! I didn't understand AGAIN why no one called to inform me that my lay out was being rearranged. More so, what kind of a wedding reception place decides to put their dance floor in another room? Were my guests supposed to "imagine" what we looked like as we did our first dance?? Again, I let this go and decided to contact my florist and order more arrangements for the upstairs location.

It is now May, my wedding is in three weeks....I receive a phone call from a girl names Aishia that says that my credit card was declined for the third payment installment. I call back and learn that now all of sudden, they don't take Discover- as they had two months prior when the second payment went through. I asked her to send me my updated invoice.....it was completely inaccurate! There was NO NOTATION of the food I had ordered, no appetizers, nothing! In addition to this, they had me down for a different rehearsal time, I had a SATURDAY fee on my account, um my wedding was on a Sunday, and they added a 20% service charge that I was originally quoted as being waived. It was then brought to my attention that Aleta was no longer in charge of my account, but now it was Aisha!!!!

Two weeks from the day.....I receive another call from Aisha asking if the payment can be run, I told her that I didn't have the updated invoice and she says....but I sent it to you last week!!! THAT WAS THE INCORRECT ONE!!! Did she not remember the countless emails and phone calls that it took to get it all corrected???

Then, she asks for my seating chart, I told her that I don't know what they lay out was so how could I tell her where people were sitting. She said she would send me a blank layout and to draw in tables- how on earth could I draw in tables when I don't know how big they are, where they can and can't be placed.....etc, etc, etc. During this phone call, I asked her to confirm what both Mandy and Aleta has stated that YES they have a cake stand and an aisle runner. She then says, NO! They don't have either!!! So two weeks til the big day, I have to rush order an aisle runner and cake stand!

Rehearsal day....two days before the wedding. I bring all of the neccessary items to the Victorian, except for the ailse runner. I tell Cindy- yes a NEW GIRL because Aisha wasn't going to be available on my wedding day- that my mom and sister are going to bring the aisle runner Sunday morning. She says, oh okay OR WE CAN USE OURS!!!!

Furious, I tell her just to use theirs because that will alleviate some time my mom and sister would have to spend driving it over. At this point, I am just going to eat the cost of the runner I bought and use theirs that magically appeared!

WEDDING DAY......appetizers are placed in the wrong location-downstairs right where we are taking pictures, instead of uptstairs as we had agreed.....the table settings are incorrect, I asked for a black cloth to be placed in the center of the table, this was never done.

And LASTLY......the aisle runner that they had put down WAS BUTCHER PAPER!!!!!!! No joke, I walked down the aisle to crunching paper under my feet! My wedding video needs to played in silent mode because you can't hear the music over the crunching of butcher paper!!!!!

While the wedding was great because it was filled with laughs, love, friends, and family. I would NEVER, EVER recommend The Victorian to ANYONE, friend or foe!

Rhemir Sent on 05/18/2024

1 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
1 out of 5 rating
Average response time
1 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
1 out of 5 rating
Value
1 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
1 out of 5 rating

Wow, Terrible Ownership

Horrible place, expensive, too many fights. Rude employees. I had to stop coming here. Rif Raff

Riley Sent on 03/16/2019

1 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
1 out of 5 rating
Average response time
1 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
1 out of 5 rating
Value
1 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
1 out of 5 rating

Awful awful awful

Two friends were verbally harassed by multiple Victorian staff members last night. When they raised this behavior with the manager, the manager simply walked away (the staff that was verbally abusing them were dong this IN FRONT of the manager). I've seen lots of other reviews of the Victorian that cites unsafe behavior by staff and security.

There are plenty of other bars in Santa Monica that offer the same things the Victorian does without the harassment and unsafe behavior from workers. Don't go here if you can help it.

Never Sent on 01/28/2018

0.5 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
0.5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
0.5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
0.5 out of 5 rating
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0.5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
0.5 out of 5 rating

Terrible I lost my wallet there it was stolen and they would not let me back in I called the police it's a terrible venue as far as management goes music is good but the management sucks my bloody cunt. If you want your stuff stolen go there otherwise it's beautiful but being there is ugly as hell because they don't treat people kindly they treat people like s*** and they are s*** the management can f*** themselves

Ahoo Sent on 11/13/2017

0.5 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
0.5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
0.5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
0.5 out of 5 rating
Value
0.5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
0.5 out of 5 rating

I absolutely regret hiring this venue for my wedding after party. Everything was roses and ice cream until the actual day of the event. I paid over $4,000 for an upgraded drink package for 100 guests and they still charged my guests for the first two hours of the night. To add insult to injury, their response to the situation afterwards has been incredibly poor and unprofessional. I would not book here again. FYI, the individuals who run the Victorian also run Los Calamigos Ranch, so you'll likely get the same horrible customer service there. There are way better options out there. I'm so sad I wasted my money here.

The Victorian Reviews

Reviews

The Victorian