Top Three Wedding Venues in Simi Valley

Planning a wedding is a lot of fun, but it can also be a lot of hard work. When I was planning my wedding, my mother sort of went insane and took me on a tour of so many wedding venues in Simi Valley that it made my head spin. Since I happen to be at that stage in life where you go to a wedding practically every other weekend, I can also confidently say that I have first-hand experience as a guest at many venues. Here are some of the pros and cons of three very different types of wedding venues in Simi Valley:

Grand Vista Hotel

By far, this is the best, most flexible wedding venue in Simi Valley. (Hence, it ended up being our choice.) They will help you custom-design the wedding package to fit your needs. It’s not just a location; it includes delicious catering and as many other details as you would like. If you would like to have the ceremony there, they can arrange everything you need. If you just want to hold the reception there, that is fine too. They have rooms to fit almost any size reception, up to 400 guests. All of their packages include a wedding cake in the package (You still get to decide what kind of cake and the design, and it’s from the best bakery in Simi Valley too!). The packages also include a room at the hotel for the bride and groom on the night of the wedding, and it’s usually the honeymoon suite or another suite, set up romantically with balloons and champagne.

What the Grand Vista is good for:
– Any size party
– Saving time on planning
– People with a lot of out of town guests (discounted rooms for wedding guests)

What the Grand Vista is NOT good for:
– Anyone on a really tight budget. (The per person price is reasonable, but not the cheapest)
– A ceremony with over 100 guests (The max seating for ceremonies is 100 people)
– A ceremony in winter or rainy season (Ceremonies are outdoors)

For more information, check out the website: http://www.grandvistasimi.com/wedding.htm

Paul’s Italian Villa

This is a great choice if you want a more intimate, romantic setting for your wedding reception. The banquet room is separate from the restaurant, and has a quaint Italian flair. Receptions at Paul’s Italian Villa offer a buffet-style meal, with delicious favorites from the Paul’s menu, and appetizer options available as well. They do have a dance floor, if you decide to use it. Although Paul’s Italian Villa can accommodate parties of a few hundred people, I do not recommend choosing this venue if you have more than 100 people, especially is you want to use the dance floor. I attended a reception at Paul’s that had about 250 people, and it was so crowded that you pretty much didn’t want to move. Plus, the buffet-style eating does not really work well for that many people. We were the second to last table dismissed, and we had waited over an hour by the time we got to get in line for the buffet. Again, I highly recommend that you limit your guest list if you choose this venue.

What Paul’s Italian Villa is good for:
– Atmosphere
– A reasonably priced buffet dinner
– Smaller parties

What Paul’s Italian Villa is NOT good for:
– Very large parties
– Table service (They don’t really have the staff. Buffet is there thing.)
– Ceremony and reception in the same location. (No room for ceremonies really.)

For more information, check out the website: http://www.paulsitalianvilla.com/banquetmain.htm

Rancho Santa Susana Community Center

The Rancho Santa Susana Community Center is one of the cheaper wedding venues in Simi Valley. It is not a “one-stop shop,” like some other places. This can be great for a couple who wants to shop for each of their wedding services individually, making sure to get the best value for the price. The Rancho Santa Susana Community Center has two fairly large multipurpose rooms and a full-service kitchen, so it will certainly work for a variety of different types of weddings, from small parties to large. While it may seem too informal a location to host a wedding reception, I attended a wedding reception there that was absolutely beautiful. The nice thing about just renting a facility, such as The Rancho Santa Susana Community Center, is that it allows you to decorate everything just as you please. You pick the colors; you pick the theme.

What Rancho Santa Susana Community Center is good for:
– Keeping costs down
– Picking each of your services yourself
– A more casual atmosphere
– Parties with lots of young children as guests. (A playground is right outside.)

What Rancho Santa Susana Community Center is NOT good for:
– Those who do not want to handle set up and clean up themselves
– Very formal affairs. (It just really does not have a formal feeling.)
– Brides who don’t want to put a lot of time into planning.

For more information, check out the website:
http://www.rsrpd.org/Rancho%20Simi%20Brochure/2006winter/2006winterrsscp.pdf

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