Garden Grove Event Center Reviews

Absolutely beautiful venue and experience. The staff was so amazing and made sure everything went perfectly.

We loved almost everything about this place; however, we decided it would not have been a good fit for us because we were a bit far from this location and a lot more of our family and friends would have needed to find accommodations for the night. Still, they were extremely responsive and helpful in answering our questions and provided a lot of information to help us decide what is offered for their services. And, for those of you interested, we would have spent around $3,500 for 63 people, including the ceremony being outdoor on the Loft Terrace, service fees (e.g., setup and teardown, staff members, etc.), a coordinator, a reception time of 5 hours, and food and bar services. 100% would recommend for those closer to the event site!

Having our wedding at The Wedding Garden was one of the best choice we made throughout the entire process. Everyone was so wonderful and professional, but yet so caring. Our day couldn’t have been anymore perfect. I would absolutely recommend anyone to get married here.

This venue is absolutely amazing as well as the staff there! There was a hiccup with the music and speakers during the ceremony but they were right on it and eventually everything was back to normal! I wouldn’t have wanted to have my day anywhere else. The food is delicious, Melissa is a fantastic wedding coordinator, and the entire place is beautiful.

I had a great experience here! Planning a wedding at home after moving away was a concern, but they made it effortless. They had everything prepared and we’re great to work with. Every person we came in contact with was attentive and so sweet. Could not have asked for a better experience!

My husband and I got married October 15, 2016. I had the wedding of my dreams at the Wedding Garden. It was perfect! They did everything for us and made the day completely stress free. It was beautiful and everything flowed so smoothly. The staff at the Wedding Garden were wonderful to work with! Highly recommend it to anyone for any kind of event! They do it all!!

Thank you The Wedding Garden!!

Melissa and the staff at The Wedding Garden were truly a blesssing for me and my husband in the months leading up to our wedding and especially on our wedding day! She helped me all the way through with planning and deciding on tiny details and made sure I was never stressed. I was so impressed with all the services conveniently offered through them. And the food.... the food was AMAZING! You hear all the time how terrible some wedding food is, but this is definitely not the case here! It was so delicious! You really can't ask for more in a wedding venue. It's gorgeous inside and out. I could go on about everything the staff did for me but simply put... best place to have a wedding hands down!!

The Wedding Garden was awesome! Our wedding was beautiful and went smoothly thanks to Melissa (who was our Ceremony coordinator) and all of the other employees. I want to give extra props to the ones who served at the buffet (the line went quickly) and the chefs who cook the amazing food (we had the parmesan chicken and stuffed pork). Melissa was great though the planning process. I felt a renewed joy of planning our wedding after every conversation.
The only thing that keeps my review from being five stars was the flowers. We got a great price through them, but the way they were handle left much to be desired. The flowers were received by Melissa and then put in the fridge. Once I saw the bouts (pink roses) the most were sad looking and wilted. The corsages where never given to our mothers or grandmother (i'm not sure who should have brought this up but it is upsetting that they sat in the fridge and they did not get to wear them.) My bouquet though was absolutely lovely and exactly what I wanted.
I would give wedding garden and employees a 5 star. Flowers 4 out of 5 stars.
Update:Melissa contacted me and resolved the issue. I appreciate the care and professionalism of the Wedding Garden and Mellissa, even though we cant go back in time our mothers and grandmothers will be happy to receive flowers from the wedding garden.

To definitely have your wedding day here we had the loft absolutely breathtaking

If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't choose another venue or a different staff. Melissa was absolutely amazing the whole way. She has a solution or an answer to any concern or question you could ever have. It's an amazing venue to have the wedding of your dreams.

The Wedding Garden is an AMAZING place for a wedding and celebration. Melissa is a wonderful lady and totally takes care of things from the initial visit to the end of the evening on the wedding night. She and her staff worked all evening from serving dinner (which was so delicious) to keeping tables cleared to just being so nice and professional. My daughter had the wedding she always dreamed of due to Melissa. In closing as her father, all I can say is, "Don't count the pennies, only count the smiles, as the pennies will go but the smiles will last forever!"

I would not consider any other venue. Melissa and her team were fantastic. We have not stopped smiling. Thank you so much.

I loved every second of our wedding here. Our specific venue was The Loft and Terrace, and it was just perfect for us. The prices may have jumped a little too high for my comfort, but it was well worth it in the end. If you`re wanting a smaller intimate wedding, the Terrace is the place for you, but it might get a little cramped if your guest list is exceeding 150. The other venue The Wedding Garden is made for bigger weddings. All in all, if I could do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. Thanks for making our wedding so memorable!

This is a world class business that is there for you every step of the way. They work with you to stay within a budget and don't pressure you into something that you aren't interested in. On the day of the wedding, the staff is there for you the minute you arrive to assist with anything be it big or small. A 5 star rating is well deserved.

Our day was absolutely perfect, thanks to Melissa and her entire crew. Even though we procrastinated on a few things, and changed our minds at the last minute on some details, Melissa and team handled it with grace and ease. We are still in awe of our day, and are still getting compliments on how great everything was at the Wedding Garden. The food was OUTSTANDING, the venue was GORGEOUS and the Staff is TOP NOTCH. All of our worries were calmed by Melissa and there is no doubt she is the best at what she does. Thank you Garden Grove Event Center for making our day so incredibly special.

Could not be happier with the service that I received. Everyone was great from the planning stage all the way to the clean up. Staff was extremely helpful and had smiles on their faces the whole day. No worries for me which made me smile all day long.

I was blown away at how Melissa was able to take my small ideas and make them into a beautiful wedding. I am beyond thankful for the way everything turned out and would definitely recommend this place to friends. Thank you again for an amazing wedding!!

This venue is absolutely breath taking for an evening
Wedding. From the string lite pagoda, to the
Lighted water features and fire pit on the outside
To the color lite reception area inside. The wedding
Coordinator Melissa Ray gives you her undivided attention.
She was fabulous!!!! Her attentiveness to both my
Daughter(the Bride) and myself throughout
the event was above all expectations. Checking closely
With us to make sure every want or need was
Taken care of!!! THE FOOD was FABULOUS!!! We have
Received so many compliments on the venue and
Food!!!! The staff were all so friendly and and
Professional!! So if you want the BEST forget the rest
And book with MELISSA and her STAFF at The Wedding Garden!!

Melissa and company did everything I asked and MORE!!! Everyone there went above and beyond my expectations. I had random thoughts and Melissa turned those into an elegant, cohesive evening. The dreams I had were blown away with Melissa's reality. We got so many compliments about how personalized our wedding was.

The entire staff at The Wedding Garden was FANTASTIC! Every single guest said it was the best wedding they had ever been to!! Melissa was always quick to respond and helped guide us through what we needed to do and when we needed to do it every step of the way. They were very professional and still fun to work with, which is very rare. I would recommend everyone get married here!! Thank you for making our day so special and for making us feel like family!

Our wedding would not have been the dream come true it was without Melissa Ray and the staff at The Loft at Garden Grove Event Center. We had people all night ling RAVE about how gorgeous it was and how fabulous the food was (we did stuffed pork loin and chicken--both phenomenal along with the sides!). The chef came around to each table to ask how the food was and to offer seconds! Set up was an absolute breeze with everything they have available at your fingertips décor rentals to china and flatware! The music system (we did our own) was top notch and the addition of the new lights made the dance floor feel like a swanky club! The bar and bartender were awesome and courteous. The outside deck was transformed into a place to hang out and sit with friends after the ceremony, I think most of my guests sat out there and enjoyed the beautiful weather and lights. I could go on all day about how awesome this place is. I will be telling everyone I hear is planning a wedding to use Garden Grove Event Center!!!

I was the wedding coordinator for a wedding held at the Wedding Garden in May, 2015. I was really impressed with (and grateful for) the flexibility and patience shown by the staff in dealing with our indecision, on the wedding day, about whether or not to have the ceremony inside or outside. Because of the rainy weather, we went back and forth with the decision. The staff, led by Melissa Ray, dried the chairs off several times before we finally decided to have it outside. Also, Melissa had precision radar tracking of the rain storm on her phone! She told us, "We can do it, but it has to be right now!" We went for it and the ceremony ended just before the next rain storm started. The staff was so kind with us. I really appreciated their help and support. They made a difficult situation and decision much easier for the couple and I to deal with! I highly recommend the Wedding Garden.

Linda Greene, Chicago, IL

I was planning an out of state wedding, I came across The Wedding Garden when I saw pictures of a former brides wedding. Melissa and her staff did everything and more to help me coordinate my wedding from out of state. The day of the wedding the only "issue" we came across was the fact I forgot my garder and we had to have someone leave 20 before the wedding to buy one. The staff was super unstanding and they pushed back the ceremony. During the reception they made sure I had everything I needed they went above and beyond to make sure EVERYONE was having fun

Being from southern Illinois, there were only a limited number of places to have your wedding, until NOW! I never would have imagined a place like The Wedding Garden coming to Carbondale! You always hear how stressful it is to plan a wedding, and how mean and stressed the brides are, but I couldn't imagine Having a wedding anywhere else! Melissa is literally a saint! She always kept her composure, never seemed stressed, and always had a smile on her face! Of course when the big day came, I was worried about a couple things, but Melissa calmed my nerves, and made sure everything went EXACTLY as planned!! Not only that, but the venue is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!! There are multiple different areas to take photos, the ceremony space is beautiful even without decorations, and so is the reception space! If your looking for a one stop shop, with beautiful scenery, AND a stress free, layed back environment, THIS IS THE PLACE!!! 5 stars all around!

Melissa and her staff are great to work with. This is our second year of having them cater our event. The food has been tasty and beautifully displayed both times. The staff is very professional. It takes so much pressure off of me when doing this event to work with people I know are going to get things done and done right….and that is what Melissa and her staff do.