The Jones Victorian Estate

The Jones Victorian Estate
349 North Renee Street
Orange, CA 92869
(714) 744-1608

http://www.thejonesvictorianestate.com

Overview

Behind a black wrought-iron gate, a 972-foot drive lined with bougainvillea, holly trees and more than 100 rose bushes leads to the Jones Victorian Estate in Orange.

A sense of peace, family tradition and hospitality make the vintage house an ideal venue for weddings and receptions.

Through vintage Vienna Gates, the Estate, built in 1881, nestled in between ancient trees and flowering shrubs sits proudly and gracefully.

A cherub fountain adds charm to the courtyard's focal point in its circular reception area. The adjacent water tower building, an historical treat, also houses the private Bridal Quarters and Groom's room. The wine cellar, peaking out of a picturesque hillside, is a wonderful backdrop for our refreshment bar area.

Then take a delightful stroll around a palm and fern lined walkway, leading to the back courtyard where the ceremonies take place. A perfect wedding is created with the waterfalls flowing, the birds singing, the flowers blooming and the trees
standing in reverence.

What Type Of Bridal Couple Would Like This Place?

The Victorian style of old mansion are prevalent in Southern California.    There is for example Edward's mansion, the Lindly Scott House, and to some extent the Muckenthaler Museum.  There is also Thatcher Manner which I cannot recommend as a good venue for a wedding.    Each of these places has it's little things that make it unique. The Jones Victorian estate has a few selling points such as the 972 foot drive lined with bougainvilleas, a nice pond in the back, and the owner of the venue who is so involved in the entire process that you probably won't need a day of event wedding coordinator.  In the packages it states that her coordinating services are included in the price for the Estate's inclusive packages. If you are looking for an outdoor ceremony and reception, this place is a good choice.  The  Ceremony takes place in the back of the estate, the dinner in the front, and the rest of the reception in the back.     You will need a DJ that can move back and forth easily.  For this reason you may want to select someone from their referral list.

Photographic Potential

There are enough different areas to utilize to make different and interesting images.  In the front there is the he 972 foot drive lined with bougainvilleas, a grass area with a swing, the house itself as a prop.  You can go inside and take romantics in some parts of the house, but for the most part it's off limits.  The backyard has a gazebo, a pond, and a small waterfall, as well as a lot of greenery.   Photographically speaking, this place is great.

Possible Distractions/ Work Around

The reason you've probably never heard of this place before is because it's very well hidden behind a neighborhood in the city of Orange.  Though I found the directions to this place to be very simple to find it, it has the potential to be a challenge to find since it is so well hidden.  Of course the other big thing to keep in mind is that you are exposing your guests to the elements of whatever weather conditions are occurring on your wedding day.  Heat and rain can be a problem.   The other thing that you have to keep in mind when booking a venue like this or the Red Rock Château for example is that you are hosting your wedding at someone's home.  Every time I've done an event at what turns out to be someone's home they can get touchy about the strangest things.  For example, there was an owner of a bed and breakfast who had a wedding that spent around $25,000 at her facility.  One of the guest ruined a light fixture that was around $40 to repair, and she asked me if I think it would be wrong to make the couple pay for it.  Of course it was!

The one limiting factor that I feel I need to bring up was that the wedding coordinator/owner I found to be a type A personality, a bit of a micro-manger.  The thing about wedding photography is this, an alarming percentage of people you will find who claim to be wedding photographers are really just warm bodies with cameras.  These hack wannabees are out to fake weddings and try to cover their mistakes with Photoshop.  If you are having a friend or someone you are very suspect of photograph your wedding then having this coordinator is invaluable.  Chances are they are going to mess up your photos, but at least this woman will heard them in the right places where there may be some successful images.    Of course, if you are planning to have an experienced wedding photographer  who knows what they are doing and really doesn't need the help, having someone who micro-manages them is really annoying.

Overall Evaluation

The place photographs well, the food is good, the service is on the ball.  If you want to look at outdoor venues for receptions you can also check out wineries, and even places like the Pasadena Historical Society.  When it comes to this style of wedding, one held at a historical estate, this place has some things going for it  It has a look that is very unique.  The other big selling point is that if you are too busy to really plan a full wedding and want your wedding to run like a Swiss watch this place is certainly for you.   They can help you fill in the gaps and run a smooth successful wedding.  You will have to be willing to give up control.   Taking into all the considerations everything mentioned thus far having witnessed out of control weddings that lacked structure and schedule there is certainly something to be said for that.  If you are too busy to effectively plan your wedding, or if you are an out of town bride, this place would be perfect for you. 

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The Venue Reviews is an 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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