Loma Vista Gardens — Attraction in Gonzales

Owner Blaise Lipman will quickly turn your dream wedding into a NIGHTMARE.

Buyer beware. We contracted with Vista Del Sur Inc. in December of 2021 for our June 2023 wedding. We were very excited, thinking we had found the perfect venue for our big day. Slowly, however, our excitement eroded and was replaced with anxiety as we met with communication breakdowns and hidden prices that eventually culminated in the venue (not us) cancelling the contract and refusing to give us back our deposit. We’re now out almost $7000 with absolutely nothing to show for it and have to start over somewhere else with a significantly-reduced budget and not enough time. The problems started early on. Vista Del Sur requires you to choose your wedding coordinator, musician, photographer, flowers, caterer, etc. from their list of approved vendors. Naturally, we had some questions about the process, but every time we contacted owner Blaise Lipman, he became more aggravated, argumentative, and frankly annoyed that we (his clients!) were bothering him. Problems came to a head when we chose a caterer and passed the contract on to Blaise’s team for their signature. When the contract came back to us, the price had nearly tripled due to hidden “service fees.” Quite understandably, we contacted Vista Del Sur to have them explain these fees. The explanation they gave us wasn’t satisfactory, as their fees were a good 10% higher than their competitors’, so we asked for more clarification. Then we waited … and waited. Keep in mind that the caterer had told us someone else was looking at our same date, so we felt the matter was urgent, as we wanted to get this vendor locked down. When, after almost a week, we still hadn’t heard back, I sent Blaise an email letting him know that I was unhappy with the lack of communication. His response? Among other things, he said, “Your question 5 days ago … is not a pressing matter, at all.” Translation: “It’s not important to ME; therefore, it’s not important at all,” which, to us, meant WE weren’t important. A string of email exchanges followed, in which he became more defensive and belligerent, finally calling us “entitled” and threatening to cancel our contract and keep our deposit. I responded by apologizing for all the strife and misunderstandings and telling him that we did not want to cancel the contract but that we would do so if that’s what he wanted, providing he refund our deposit, since he hadn’t provided us any services. We never heard back. The next thing we knew, he was advertising our wedding date as “available” on his website, and despite our attempts to recoup it, he refused to give us back our deposit for services he never rendered. I have tried to keep this review rational and simply relay the facts. However, I feel it’s only fair to say that Vista Del Sur’s treatment has left my fiancé and me heartbroken, significantly poorer, and bitterly...

I recently had the pleasure of hosting my wedding at this absolutely stunning venue in Big Sur, and I cannot recommend it enough! The garden setting is beyond breathtaking—lush greenery, towering trees, and the thoughtful design of the different terraces make the entire experience feel like a dream. It’s truly a hidden gem.

The venue’s flexible policies made the planning process so much easier. From custom ceremony options to tailored reception layouts, they worked with us to create a day that reflected our unique vision. Whether it was about timing, layout, or design choices, they were accommodating and genuinely supportive in making sure everything went smoothly.

The entire staff was incredibly kind and attentive, making us feel valued every step of the way. But I have to give a special shout-out to Amanda, the manager. She is an absolute gem! She went above and beyond in ensuring that everything was perfect. She was always quick to answer all of our questions (which were admittedly countless) and handled some big last-minute changes with grace and efficiency. Amanda made us feel completely at ease. Her attention to detail and warm demeanor helped make our wedding day stress-free and magical.

If you’re looking for a wedding venue in Big Sur that combines beauty, flexibility, and exceptional service, this is the place! Thank you so much to Amanda and the whole team for making our day...

My daughter and new son in law got married at Loma Vista last month and it could not have been a more beautiful event. I had the pleasure of getting to be involved in the planning process with my daughter and attended the initial tour. We met with the venue manager, Amanda, who ended up being our main point of contact all the way to through the wedding day. She was wonderfully warm, helpful, and knowledgable, qualities that continued throughout the year of planning. The venue was incredibly responsive and attentive to all of our questions and needs through out our entire planning experience.

The wedding day could not have been more perfect. The garden was gorgeous and all of our guests were in awe. We had the ceremony on the highest level of the garden near their bar area, cocktail hour on the lawn, and dinner in the lowest level of the garden. All 150 of our guests flowed through the space effortlessly. We just got sneak peaks of their wedding photos, and we especially loved the photos of my daughter and her husband seated in the pergola at dinner with lush grapevines cascading down around them. It was a once in a lifetime evening for my family and we are so grateful to Loma Vista and couldn’t be happier with our...