Los Willows

530 Stewart Canyon Road
Fallbrook California 92028

Phone: (760) 731-9400
Fax: (800) 731-9400

www.loswillows.com

Overview

When first arriving at Los Willows, several thoughts may come to mind. Breathtaking, serene, beautiful, peaceful. It's hard to find just one word to describe this hidden oasis of natural beauty, a romantic site for weddings, receptions and other celebrations for nearly two decades.

Surveying the property, you will enjoy a feast for the senses. With no intrusions from the world outside, the trickling of the Tuscan courtyard fountain is all that is heard. Nestled between rolling hills, large oaks and fragrant gardens, your gaze takes in the lush green manicured lawns leading to the sparkling blue lake, gracefully framed by weeping willow trees. As Los Willows' Crowning Jewel, The flawless lake often sets the stage for the Bride's Grand Entrance. Floating across the lake in a chauffeured wedding boat, the Bride's arrival is truly dramatic as she begins her walk down the aisle to the tree-shaded wedding gazebo where her Groom and honored guests await.

Following the outdoor gazebo ceremony, friends and family will enjoy an elegant cocktail hour on the bar patio, accompanied by a beautiful cascading fruit and vegetable display and tray passed horderves if desired. Because Los Willows only holds one event per day, your event is assured total privacy. You and your guests are free to stroll around the grounds or enjoy a quiet moment by the lake. Your party is welcome to completely enjoy the property, which is transformed after sunset into a paradise of Ambient colorful Illumination. Even your wedding Cake will be given the royal treatment in Los Willows' Cake Gazebo, beautifully lit and complemented by warm candlelight.

No detail is left overlooked at Los Willows, whose staff does whatever possible to make your event a resounding success! The Los Willows Planning Team is in the office 7 days a week during the planning process, and your on-site coordinator will make sure your ceremony and reception are smooth and effortless. Full Catering, along with an elegant food tasting, is provided in your generous wedding package. As your convenience and satisfaction are Los Willows' first priority, they offer a variety of services on-site; massage, facials, and estate overnight accommodations to name a few.

As a Los Willows Bride and Groom, your honored guests, friends and family can be an even bigger part of your special day through Los Willows' exciting Bridal Registry. Through your own complimentary wedding web page on Los Willows' website, your wedding guests are able to view a personal message from you along with a personal photo of your choice. Guests can then choose wedding gifts for the bride and groom from a variety of wedding services such as floral design and linens. This innovative idea is just one more reason Los Willows stands apart and is a coveted wedding site in San Diego County!

Owners Al and Cathie Ransom have created a unique 44 acres of romance and natural elegance. Make an appointment to view this site. It is not to be missed!

What Type Of Bridal Couple Would Like This Place?

This place either hits you like a ton of bricks, or it won't excite you.  It's pretty much black and white.  It either works with your concept or it doesn't.  I do have to say that one of it's strengths is that it very different than many other wedding venues.  If for example you run from golf course to golf course and can't recall  one place from another, this place won't fall into that league.  It's not too far off the main path of the 15 freeway, and after going down some narrow canyon roads your expectations just get lower and lower as to what you hope to find.   When you pull into the driveway and get a look at this lovely hillside with a small lake and extremely manicured grounds you will be impressed.     It's so clean and pristine that it transcends itself into something much grander.    Though I'm sure they do this, I don't see the point of only having a reception at this facility.    To show up here at nighttime would be to miss the real beauty of this place.

Photographic Potential

It wouldn't surprise me if a wedding photographer had some say into the design of this place.   Its extremely well laid out for wedding photography.  The lake and the grounds are perfect for just about any time of day.  From the photography that I've seen others do at this place, and by judging on their website it seems obvious that people can figure out the nicest parts of the lake to take pictures.  However, there are other nice parts of the grounds as well that aren't as obvious.   There are some hidden gems on this property.

Possible Distractions/ Work Around

A few things I do need to mention about this place.    The first thing is that most the clients I deal with are out of the Los Angeles, Orange County and Inland Empire areas.  If you're in San Diego this won't be a concern.  During the last housing boom they built a ton of homes along the 15 near the 91 freeway.  This portion of Corona is very much congested.  Thus if you take the 15 south from the 91 you can plan on hitting significant traffic at this junction.  It's bad until Lake Elsinor.     Then it can bunch up again around the Temecula area.    The second thing is that if you don't own a GPS, this may be a good time to buy one.    This place isn't impossible to find, but it can be difficult.  If you get directions printed out by Google Maps or Yahoo! Maps then be sure to pay close attention the exit you need to get off of from the 15.  Follow the directions completely.    Another thing you need to be aware of is that this place closes down no later than 10:00 PM.   If you want an all night party kinda place, there is no way it will happen here.  And it goes without saying that it can get warm in Fallbrook in the summertime.

Overall Evaluation

I really liked the staff, the food was good, the place was beautiful.   If you are looking into a Temecula Valley winery wedding this place may be worth looking into.  It's not much further than a lot of the wineries and it certainly does have potential.  The other question that people will have is how this place compares to the Grand Tradition which is also in Fallbrook.    Los Willows is much smaller.  The Grand Tradition has a much larger lake, a more expansive layout and an building instead of a tent for a reception.   Grand Tradition and Los Willows are very different looking places.   Grand Tradition is large and clean, and looks like it could be part of the Disney Resort property, not in a goof way (pardon the pun) but because its large and clean and somewhat generic.  Los Willows is more of an upscale outdoor wedding venue.  More of the focus seems to be on the outside than on the inside.  For example, if you want to go to the bar, it's outside.  Grand Tradition has everything you need for a reception on the inside, including the bar.  There really is no reason to go wandering around on the property after dark. 

if you are going to make a day of it, the three places to see are Los Willows, then Pala Mesa Resort, and the Grand Tradition.    These are three very different style places, yet each one offering an outdoor wedding venue.  If you can make it work for, Los Willows is a very good choice!

I wrote this page within a week of doing my first wedding at Los Willows.  I was so excited about this place when I saw it that I couldn't wait to share it with everybody.   The staff is busy, yet at the same time they do little things to seem to show they care.  They called me the week of the event to make sure that I knew to find the place.  They remembered my name, and they didn't try to serve me a box lunch by the lake in the evening like so many other places do. 

There is something about this place that struck my fancy.  It's so different than other places that I've been that I wanted to show it on here.  This place is different in a good way.   Some people may look at the place and feel that it needs a terracotta remodel to look more like a palm springs golf resort.  I wouldn't agree.  If you take it at face value, it's a great place.  If you need a new, fashionable hotel  with more fabrics and ornaments, yes there are plenty of places.  This place is just perfect the way it is.   Because it's unique and not trying to follow the look of many other wedding venues, I like it.  Do yourself a favor, go see it for yourself.

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The Venue Reviews is portion of the Lifetime Images website is a subjective  review of  great Southern California wedding venues by a guy who's spent the past decade checking  out all the best venues.  The list of reviews will grow over time,  In the meantime, is the information in the article useful?  What else would you like covered?   Are any of the facts wrong? Any broken links?  Are there spelling and grammar errors?  Would you like to share some of your latest poetry?   If you have anything to share, drop us a note or send us an e-mail to Steve@LifetimeImages.com.   Be sure to mention which venue/page you are referring to in your message. 

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