The French Estate — Attraction in Orange

My husband and I could not be happier to have had our wedding (ceremony and reception) at The French Estate in October 2024. If you like simple elegance, a place with a story, and something unique that your guests will remember for a lifetime, this is the perfect place for you! I was never one for an all-inclusive venue..where you are pressured into using pre-selected vendors from a short list. I went into the planning knowing (and preferring) a more hands on approach and being able to individualize my vision. But in addition to it's bespoke atmosphere, I was happily surprised to discover all that's included when you book your event at The French Estate. Knowing ahead of time that you can get an a la carte wedding and bring in your own vendors at a price that is upfront and acceptable means everything these days! We brought in an amazing barbecue place from Corona (Badlands Barbecue) and even had the happy hour catered by Claro's Italian Deli. We had originally toured the property with the previous owner (back in the fall of 2023) and loved how the entire grounds become the landscape of your inspirational dreams. It was on our tour that we first met Alyssa! We knew from that day that if we were able to secure a date we wanted to request that she be our day of coordinator. Fast forward 8 months and the sale of the property went through. To say the French Estate got a much needed glow up is an understatement. The unique touches that Priya and Sean put into the estate elevated what we had originally pictured for the wedding day. Attention to details like renovating the bridal and grooms suites transformed the getting ready experience to a level of luxury. Even when it came down to the living room and entryway, they incorporated modern chic while maintaining the esthetics of vintage elegance. We also really appreciated their organization and accessibility. Coming back to the day of coordinator, you should know that this is a perk that not all venues provide. Though it's not a full service wedding coordinator, Alyssa is so organized, approachable, hard-working and genuinely cares. You really can feel peaceful and dare I say, pampered, amidst the chaos on your wedding day. She is trustworthy, professional, reliable and super fun. It was as if one of my girlfriends was making sure the essentials were handled so my day went smoothly. She certainly was the icing on the proverbial wedding cake. Take a look at our wedding photos and get excited about what your special...

From my experience, it was false advertising from the website to meeting in person. There are people that live in the house, that is NOT presented at the meeting when booking the event nor is it stated in the contract.Those residents were walking into our photo shoot, watching our ceremony and walking around with their dog as we were trying to clean up. Our rehearsal was "overlooked" and was disregarded to have another event booked at our rehearsal time. On our wedding day, The hostess allowed a couple to walk around the property even though we paid in full to have our wedding private. Those individuals, walked in on my Maid of honor and 11 year old daughter getting dressed in the bridal suite. That all could have been avoided if the wedding hostess Alyssa guided the " much needed tour " and let us know out of courtesy that strangers were allowed to roam a private event! When we found out about this, I immediately contacted Sarah Pearson with the list of mishaps, the concerns of my daughter and MOH being exposed . Sarah was very insensitive, put down my wedding, guests, decorative pieces, vendors we hired and said we were trying to compensate not for the situations that arose, but to regain money off of a " lack" of attendance . Sarah is unprofessional, does not care about the well being of her clients. The property is pretty, but our day is tarnished due to those mishaps. Beware, she offers $200.00 "good faith and sympathy " check as she accuses you & your vendors of being " creepy " and out for money. Please don't book here. Our day when we look back was ruined, by the way she conducts her business, its false advertising and when things happen, she trashes & disregards you...

I think I should start with the positive stuff. The staff is incredible. Stacey is the bartender and man she is good. She is a pro and I know our guests loved her. Melissa was also a pro, and I would recommend asking for her if you choose to use The French Estate. She took calls while she was on her vacation, which I really appreciated. The set up crew was incredible and they made the whole venue look beautiful. With all that being said, the owner really placed a grey cloud over the day. To summarize my feelings, I think she probably enjoyed helping people at one point, but I think that time is over. She can be abrasive, and I didn't like the way she treated our DJ. Our DJ, Rachel, showed up to make sure her equipment worked and was greeted by a hostile owner. She questioned why Rachel was there even though Rachel was given the go-ahead by Melissa. On the day of the wedding, Rachel showed up to set everything up, but her one of her batteries ended up being stolen at some point in the morning. When Rachel began asking questions, the owner could have rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders because that was essentially how Rachel was treated. Another negative was, as we were preparing for the ceremony, people kept walking up from the street to see the venue. If I have booked the space and people's time, why are other people walking around to see if they'd like to use the space? It's bad business practice, and the owner should place a sign in front that states no entrance without booking a consultation. All a long worded review to say, the people and the venue are both incredible, but I'm not sure it's worth dealing...