The Villa San Juan Capistrano

I am a wedding photographer and I have shot at The Villa San Juan Capistrano a couple times. It’s a venue full of charm and character! Staff is very friendly too. There are so many places to take great photos, if you are a bride look no further!

We had our wedding ceremony and reception here this past weekend, and it was magical. This is the perfect place to have an intimate, beautiful, outdoor wedding with all the amenities needed. The restaurant/​catering that they work with is absolutely delicious. The staff is wonderful. Such a great place to take photos too. My favorite place is the arch walkway.
The bar is super cute as well! :)

My wife and I got married here in August last year and it was a wonderful experience. Now, as the groom, I probably took the more practical approach towards wedding planning and had my concerns with the Villa when we were choosing a venue.
–Cost: When comparing venue costs, the Villa turned out about $ 1000-​$ 2000 more than other nearby respective venues. However, there are some inclusions that extra cost gets you. The biggest and most important thing you get is Michelle. She is the coordinator that comes with the Villa and will help you plan your day and will act as your day-​of coordinator as well. She’s super energetic and personable and really made us feel so comfortable putting our big day in her hands. Most other venues at least require you to hire your own day-​of coordinator, so there’s some money saved right there. Additionally, the Villa itself already looks great and feels charming. You shouldn’t need to get a whole lot of decorations besides some flowers to make the place feel awesome.
–Exclusive vendors: I’m the type of person that likes to comparison shop and allow myself to make what I «think» is the best option. So when it came to vendors that you’re pretty much required to use at the Villa (catering, DJ, valet), I had my reservations. I mean, they can overcharge and do a crappy job and what can you do about it, right? Well, in the end my worries were unfounded. In fact, I realized it’s probably a benefit now. Because since this team & Michelle work together so much, they can make your day run like a well oiled machine. We definitely got comments on how smoothly our ceremony and reception went. Save yourself the headache of vendor shopping and just go with it!
–Size: The Villa definitely is an intimate space. They say their max is 150, but I personally wouldn’t try to push it. I’d say 120 is a comfortable max. While intimate, everything is well located. The DJ right next to the ceremony/​dance area. The bar is right next to the dance floor. Have you been to a wedding where you didn’t even realize the bride/​groom cut the cake? It probably won’t happen here cause the space is small I feel that everyone will feel a part of all the events. Lastly, a very small but important feature that is key for pictures. In the late afternoon, the sun will generally always be behind the building so you don’t have to worry about the sun beating on your face during the ceremony, which can make for harsh pictures.
In the end, I think the Villa provides is a truly unique wedding venue in OC that you shouldn’t be disappointed with if your wedding size allows it.

We got married here 4 years ago and still could not have imagined a better venue. The staff was truly amazing and every aspect of the planning to the execution of the wedding was perfect. We were one of the first weddings to get rained on and they were able to tent, rearrange, and make everything look amazing. We were so happy with the wedding even though it rained! Thank you Villa staff!

This place is seriously amazing! We rented the Villa for our wedding and could not be happier with how everything turned out. The venue coordinator, Michelle, is AMAZING. She works with you every step of the way to get all the details just right so you are not stressed on the big day. During the wedding Michelle made sure we stayed on time, brought us water to make sure we weren’t dehydrated, and at the end of the night she packed up all of our stuff and even loaded it into the car! Seriously can you get better service than that? We even made a bunch of our own decorations and she was able to set them out for us before the ceremony. Michelle seriously made everything run so smooth that we were able to just relax and enjoy our friends and family.
The Villa comes with catering (Iva Lee’s) and a DJ (DJ Divel). At first we were a little hesitant about being locked into a caterer because we were scared the food might not be good and then we wouldn’t be able to change. The owner of Iva Lee’s also owns a restaurant so we had our family try the restaurant before we booked, and they said the food was just «ok.» We went ahead and booked anyway because we loved the venue so much. When we went for our tasting with Iva Lee’s the food was actually really good — the catering menu is different than the restaurant menu. After the wedding everyone told us the food was amazing! Our photographer even told us it was the best wedding food she had ever had! I do have to say that they have changed their catering menu, so they no longer offer what we ordered, but I would definitely cater from them again. The bartenders and servers were all super polite and attentive and they always had smiles on their faces!
DJ Divel was really good too. He is super nice and easy to work with. My wife has some eclectic tastes in music but he had all the songs she wanted! We had a bit of an older crowd so for dancing he played some of the older classics that our guest could really relate to. He was pretty good at reading the crowd and keeping music going that got people up and dancing!
Going with the Villa was the best decision we made. The place is beautiful and it includes catering and DJ which is less things to worry about picking out! Since these people all work together regularly they make the process seamless. Go with the Villa, you will not be disappointed!

The Villa is a magical place! I got married there 1997 loved it then and love it now!
Last night I was hired to stage the venue for my friends daughters wedding, it was great spending the day there putting all the personal touches on it for the Bride and Groom.
I got there at 10am and worked till 6:00 then I got to enjoy the wedding and celebrate.
Michelle the coordinator was AMAZING!!! Her assistant and the caterer and team!
You worked so heard and had a beautiful smile on your face the whole time, Michelle you have a gift and it shows!
When the wedding was over at 10 I changed back into my work cloths and started braking everything down, Michelle was right there with me, helping me, still with a beautiful smile and gracious attitude.
I don’t know how you work those long hours every weekend, you make people feel important, you are connected, that is a gift!!!

From Wedding photographer!
I have shot at the venue and attend as a guest and finally got a little break to write a review!
Dear Brides, yes maybe compare to some other places you looked at this place is a little more expansive, but let me tell you, it’s very well worth it, stuff are amazing, they make you feel really great, worry free and take care of you, your guest and vendors very well, food is so good (and I would know, can compare to many other places)
Now my job as photographer there is very easy as location offers so many beautiful, rustic, vintage spots, so many options to get creative. And no matter what time of the day your wedding is at, there is a plenty of shade! I completely recommend this venue, it’s a dream and you and your guest will be talking about it!
I just really hope wisteria will come back next year, this drought sucks:(

This place is amazing! If you really want a special place, this is the place to have your wedding. Not only are the grounds and venue amazing, but the staff is over the top awesome! Michelle is as good of coordinator as you will find, pleasant, patient and a joy to be around. Mike is great at the bar, what an awesome package!

Having our wedding at the Villa was hands down the best decision my husband and I made. While not the cheapest of venues, the quality of service and the stunning beauty of the venue were absolutely worth every penny we spent.
The Villa is a well oiled machine. They are partnered with Iva Lee’s as their exclusive caterer. Many people will say that you shouldn’t expect much from your wedding food, but Iva Lee’s brought their A game. Every single guest raved about the food and how delicious it was. Not only that but their serving staff is phenomenal.
Michelle, the in-​house wedding coordinator, is incredible. From the moment we signed the contract, she was accessible at all times. There are a lot of little details that go into planning a wedding, and Michelle was on point any time I needed a clarification or an opinion about where we were taking our vision for the day. The month before the wedding she took over and handled the communication and organization with all our vendors. And the day of the wedding… where do I even begin? Her energy is infectious. She literally took care of EVERYTHING. From organizing and setting up the desserts, to finding decorative hangars for my photographer to use, to setting up a last minute cake cutting table complete with votives and some decorations, Michelle was on top of it. I had zero stress the day of because Michelle is that good at what she does. I cannot stress how invaluable that was as it allowed for me and my husband to relax and just enjoy every minute of our day.
Keith, the dj, literally kept the party going. As an emcee, he is top notch. The flow of the evening was so smooth. His song selections for the reception were amazing. I had so many guests tell me that there were times they thought they were ready to take a break from dancing but another great song would come on and they just had to stay out on the dance floor. There was never a lull.
It was extremely important to us that our wedding felt intimate, unique and relaxed. The Villa gave us that and more. For anyone looking for an outdoor venue that doesn’t feel like a cookie cutter ballroom, this is the place for you.

The Villa SJC is an absolutely incredible wedding venue! The space itself is extremely special with an intimate feel, natural beauty and sweet details everywhere. The staff is amazing (especially Rachel and Michelle) and will help bring your vision to life. The backdrop for every photograph will be perfect. Your guests will rave about the food well after the event is over and you will want to go back and do it all over again… just like I do! After scouring socal venues, I am so happy we chose this hidden gem in the adorable town of San Juan Capistrano. That lovely night is now etched in my mind forever!

Came to a beautiful wedding here in October of last year!
This is by far the most breathtaking wedding venue I’ve seen. The place has everything you could ask for if you are going for an outdoor spanish romantic feel. Let the pictures speak for themselves.

Getting married at The Villa SJC was seriously a dream! From the moment I walked in to tour the venue I knew that it was the right place for us. It has such a romantic and intimate atmosphere, it’s almost like you’re in another country. The venue itself it so beautiful with so many hidden gems, our pictures turned out absolutely breathtaking.
And the staff here… there are just not enough nice words to encompass how amazing they are. Rachel is such a gem and a joy to work with. We used her as our day of coordinator and she made wedding planning fun and enjoyable. I am such a type A person and like to have everything in my control but Rachel is so organized and professional that on my wedding day I didnt worry about a single thing because I knew that she had everything under control. Our wedding day was the best day of my life and so much why was because we decided to get married at the Villa SJC.

Came here for a wedding and it is as charming as other reviewers say; it has a very intimate, quaint, feel that transcends you to another time, another place (although in reality you are just a few miles from a freeway).
The food, I think, is all catered by the establishment, which in this case is really tasty; appetizers like crab cakes, stuffed mushrooms … all yummy.
Dinner was a buffet that included au gratin potatoes, risotto, a vegetable medley, salmon, and roast beef. All very flavorful, very fresh, and very good!
Bartenders were very social and hospitable; all good things. They offered up wine, bottled beer, and sodas.
One note on service:
During appetizer time, the servers didn’t roam around to all the guests; you had to be in the middle or walk to them to fight for one of the 8 – 10 bites each server had. If you roamed indoors to the little rooms, forget appetizers. Also, during dinner, it didn’t seem they had designated servers for each table, which made it hard to flag one down if they aren’t looking at your table. Not deal breakers, but something that keeps me from adding that 5^th star.

I cannot say enough amazing things about The Villa and the staff there!!! Michelle and Rachel are absolutely wonderful and make you feel so special! They helped me so incredibly much and my wedding went absolutely perfect! The venue itself is breathtaking, just walking in I knew that was where I HAD to get married. It was everything I ever dreamed of, had the perfect amount of vintage detail and had beautiful landscaping which just added to the charm. It really is an amazing hidden gem in Orange County! The caterer you’re required to use, Iva Lee’s was amazing. My guests keep telling me how delicious the food was and how beautiful and perfect The Villa was. Everyone was raving about how beautiful it was and how everything flowed perfectly. The DJ they recommend using, Keith Divel, was so great too! Don’t look else where they have everything!!! All the décor is there for you to use, the have items you can rent such as a chalkboard, chandelier, tea light votives, etc. that add a little extra décor for a very reasonable price! I honestly have nothing negative to say about The Villa, they made planning a wedding a absolute breeze.

Beautiful wedding space. There isn’t much near by. If you’re driving here from out of town for an event it may be hard to find a place to stay or something to do in the area because everything closes so early and it’s such a small town so there’s not a ton to do. But the place itself is really really nice. The outside area is great for the ceremony and for the eating area during the reception. There’s also a cute little room where the bride and groom can spend the night or where they can just get ready for the ceremony with their bridesmaids and groomsmen. The bathroom (which is kind of irrelevant) is really adorable. It’s old fashioned and very cute. The space looks small but is quite large and accommodates a lot of people. They do free valet and don’t mind bringing your car back if you need anything which is really great.

My husband and I married at The Villa on November 9^th and could not have been more pleased. What a beautiful setting for a wedding! Rachel and Michelle have to be just about the nicest people we’ve ever met. The entire staff was on point and helped make our day truly special.
The DJ and caterer they work with (Keith Divel and Iva Lee’s) were outstanding!
We highly recommend The Villa!

Loved this place! I was in a wedding here in September and it was absolutely fabulous!
Michelle, the event coordinator and Eric (sound guy?), were amazing, because of them, the day of the wedding was absolutely stress free for my bride! I only have great things to say about them. Both extremely nice, helpful and accommodating. The staff throughout the ceremony and reception are all very attentive and sweet; my bf who was coming 2 hours after dinner being served, was served his food with no problems.
Which I think is pretty awesome.
I highly suggest this place, although I was not the one getting married, this place, especially the staff, is outstanding when it comes to service.

My husband and I got married here a couple weekends ago and could not be happier! Everything was absolutely perfect!
Let me just start off by saying Michelle, the on-​site coordinator, is absolutely amazing! I cannot say enough good things about her. She is organized, such a sweetheart, and will leave you totally stress free on your wedding day. Eric also helps the day of to get everything set up and he is great too! He constantly checked on my girls and I to make sure we had everything we needed and also set up music for us while we were getting ready. The getting ready room is perfect and we had plenty of space for me, my 5 bridesmaids, 2 hair, and 2 makeup artists. It has AC so no worries there, and right next to the kitchen so bring some champs and they will set it up for you along with water and any snacks you bring or food you have delivered. Have fun getting ready with the girls there so you don’t have to stress about arriving on time for photos.
When we started the wedding planning process I looked at about a dozen different venues but didn’t fall in love with anything. We weren’t going to look at The Villa because initially thought it would be out of our budget however they include SO much. The moment we stepped foot in The Villa we both knew it was the perfect place and booked our date that day! If you want a Saturday book it fast because this venue fills up quick and there are only so many Saturdays :)
If you want an outdoor, intimate wedding, then this is the place! They can only fit 150? guests I believe, which was perfect for our 100 guests. We used Keith Divel, their recommended DJ who was also great, and you must use Iva Lee’s catering (AMAZING!!). I actually liked that they had certain vendors that we had to use so I didn’t have to spend time finding them.
It was so great to see all of the hard work we spent on details all come together with the help of Michelle and her team. All of our guests had such a great time and we have received so many compliments on everything from the food (best wedding food ever btw!!), to the staff, location, everything.
I highly recommend: D

My husband and I got married at The Villa in July of 2011 and it was perfect. I could not have asked for a more beautiful venue, better food, or more helpful staff. My friends and family still compliment us on our wedding!
Some other reviewers have stated the venue is pricey, and while the fees do look expensive on paper, this place truly is an instance of «you get what you pay for». I have been to tons of other weddings in Orange County and nothing else even compares.

I was in a wedding at the villa and I thought it was absolutely beautiful.
There are so many things that make this venue truly fabulous for an intimate vintage wedding that I’m going to have a hard time not making this lengthy!
Things I love about this place:
1. Only ONE wedding per day.
The entire venue (front historical house, back chapel, man cave, courtyard) is quite compact (maybe about a half an acre in total) but it is ALL YOURS on your wedding day so it makes it all the more special that you don’t have to share. Plus your wedding can start whenever you’d like and you get 6hrs from there. love it!
2. You can arrive as early as the staff (10AM)
Because the venue is yours all day, you can bring all your little details and décor there in the morning, set everything up with your bridal entourage and then retreat to the bridal suite inside the chapel to have your hair/​make up done and relax. No stress about someone arriving on time, no worries about things not being set up to your standards. You are there with Michelle (and another nice, coordinator guy who I cannot remember the name of) by your side. They will alert you when your florist or baker or DJ arrives and you can make sure to give everything an eye over while they are still around to fix/​change it to your taste.
3. The vintage charm is adorable and everywhere.
I don’t know how they manage to keep it so well intact with events there every weekend but the house & chapel is filled with amazing old books, furniture, fireplace and other charming elements and guests are actually allowed to roam and explore through the quaint home at their leisure — a dream for anyone who wants to avoid the dance floor. Its the best vintage wedding location in OC by far.
4. There are designated suites for both sides of the bridal party.
There is a really cool man cave in the back corner of the property that has a pool table and walls decorated with pin ups and etc. A must-​have photo op and definitely vital in making sure the groom doesn’t see the bride too soon. There is also a bridal suite inside the chapel (just off the kitchen) that looks out into the courtyard so it was perfect for the semi-​OCD bride to keep watch on her vendors. lol Both were great size and well ventilated so it did not get too hot.
5. The location is in a prime area of SJC.
The villa is across from the beautiful MIssion San Juan and just 100 yards or so from the main drag of SJC so you are walking distance from Starbucks or a few bars for the boys or even the train tracks for some beautiful photo ops!
6. The sound system is impressive!
I have no idea where the sound was actually coming from, and I really did my best to look around, but I loved that it came at your from all angles in the courtyard. It was perfect for the ceremony and prime for the dinner/​dance floor. Very nice!
7. The food is delicious!
It could just be my BFF’s discerning/​expensive taste that made this a plus, but the food was top notch — lobster mac & cheese at cocktail hour, juicy steak for main, my plate was fully cleared.
Things I didn’t love:
1. Unacceptable rain plan.
If I were having a wedding with even the slightest chance it could rain, I would probably not pick the villa. I know we live in sunny So Cal. I know no one can control the weather. BUT I also know that a big white tent blocking out all the beautiful elements of the venue would be my absolute worst nightmare. We saw it happen to one girl when we were visiting — it was barely misting the morning we were there and yet they already had the tent up as a precaution. Poor dear.
2. Shade but no air conditioning in the .
Although they have AC inside the buildings and fans som the areas most used for wedding purposes get VERY HOT in summer. The bride was very lucky to change into a cooler reception dress after the ceremony but I would still caution all SUMMER brides. It WILL BE HOT/​SUNNY outside during your ceremony and possibly dinner so just have ice water, personal fans or SOMETHING for your guests to cool themselves with as the sun will be coming through the trees and they will be boiling…
3. Valet ONLY.
Once again, its on a prime strip of SJC so there of course is no real opportunity for self parking unless you’re incredibly lucky. The valet isn’t really the guest’s problem, its more a warning for the bride. Leave $ in your budget for this cost because its unavoidable.
4.Yes, you get the venue all day — no, its not cheap.
Vintage weddings are all the rage! A lot of girls DIY to cut away much of the vendor expense but I wouldn’t expect to have a summer wedding here if your budget was less than $ 30,000 for 150 guests but don’t quote me on that — If you love what you see, have a consultation with them to get an exact number for your specifications.
These guys are sweet and fabulous at what they do.
I loved my BFF’s wedding and it was a great night for everyone!
If you have a generous budget for a little vintage wedding — DO IT!