Casino San Clemente

We were so excited to use the Casino San Clemente on Dec 23^rd for our Christmas Eve Eve gathering and it did not disappoint! As we got closer to our date, Micki Marlow was always available to answer questions and offer us opportunities to walk through the venue so that we could plan all our details. The venue itself was gorgeous and Micki remained on the property the entire time helping us with last minute details and providing excellent service. We will definitely be using this facility for future events and hopefully we will be getting to work specifically with Micki again. Thanks for a beautiful experience!

I had the pleasure of photographing a wedding here and the venue is absolutely gorgeous, the food was awesome too!

My husband and I were recently married at the Casino San Clemente. We fell in love with the venue the first day we took a tour and met with Micki (venue manager), she was so professional and sweet. We knew we were going to be in great hands and decided to book it that same day. Micki and all the venue staff were very professional and pleasant. The venue is just beautiful, our ceremony was in the Rock Gardens, cocktail hour in the Patio of the Stars and reception in the Ballroom. Every single space in the venue is full of history and the patio of the stars is my favorite with a beautiful ocean view. Also, I truly loved that the bridal room and has its own spacious restroom, everything was so clean and beautiful we couldn’t ask for a better venue!!! Another factor that was very important, they worked very close with my wedding coordinator (Pricilla from At Your Service) which made everything run even smoother. Thanks Micki for everything!

I wish I could give negative stars. I never had the opportunity to host my wedding at this venue as I chose not to because of the u professionalism of the staff. Micki is the venue manager… I called her and emailed her over and over and received no calls back or emails. Instead I received a text one day from her a few weeks later… A text? I hadn’t even ever spoken to her! In addition… My fiancé made an appointment to meet with one of the other ladies and we drove all the way down to San Clemente from Orange County, and she wasn’t even there! So the girl who was there couldn’t give us an pricing or talk about dates or anything. I wasn’t able to get information via phone or email, and then not even when I went to visit the property!
Such a frustrating experience I gave up and would not recommend this venue to anyone.

We attended a wedding here. What a beautiful venue. The garden where the ceremony was held was beautiful. The patio where the guests had appetizers is lovely and makes it easy to mingle. The interior ball room was spacious, yet intimate. The lighting setup was fantastic.
The wedding party really enjoyed the short walk to the beach to take photos after the ceremony.
Highly recommend for an event.

Thank you Linda and Mickey for providing the absolute best backdrop for an intimate boutique wedding. From the time we got there until the time we left, it was spectacular! Our guests were so amazed and most had never been there or heard of having an event there. The secret is out and I wish you many many more great occasions in the future. We will never forget it!

I wish I could say that the customer service was as excellent as others have experienced here. Being a long distance bride, we were relying on clear communication from the Casino’s coordinators.
In starting to plan to book, there was miscommunication from the start between how the venue worded things to family members and how it was worded to me on the phone. We ended up having to change our wedding date to accommodate their Saturday Buy-​Out policy. When we booked in March 2014, I had high hopes after personally visiting the venue and signing the papers. We started working with one coordinator who told us a lot of things about when we could access the venue before the wedding day, how we could adapt our contract, extend hours, etc.
Mid-​way through our wedding planning, the coordinator stopped responding and it was well over a month before I heard back from a new coordinator responding to my non-​urgent question. This change in management led to even more miscommunication as to what was promised by the previous coordinator. Even with the new coordinator, our contract was not carefully reviewed for which rooms we had reserved. I was even told that the room I had chosen was supposed to have a construction project going on. These are not issues that a confirmed bride should even have to deal with. Most items seemed to be blamed on the previous coordinator, but not really rectified. It just felt like a lot of butting heads towards the end.
I’m a very DIY person and a DIY bride. Getting the coordinator to understand that sometimes seemed challenging. The week of the wedding, yet another coordinator stood in, and luckily she was SUPER easy to work with. I wish she had been involved since day 1.
My advice is get everything you say in writing, ask for a contingency plan, work out as many details as possible and get it confirmed ahead of time. Great venue, but still has some customer service to work on.

We got married here in July of 2014. This venue is absolutely gorgeous! I knew right upon walking in this was where I wanted my husband and I to get married. What’s great about the Casino is that it already has such beautiful structure, so you don’t need to spend that much on décor. The venue was a perfect design for our ceremony (Rock Garden), cocktail hour (Patio of the Stars), and reception (Grand Ballroom). We even rented out the West Wing in order to accommodate our buffet line and Photo Booth area. The parking is free (after 6pm) and its location is beachside so it made for some amazing photos. Our wedding was on a Friday so we were able to bring in an outside caterer, which worked out perfectly for our Persian buffet. Working with the venue manager Micki Marlow was a pleasure as well. She responds quickly to email inquiries and makes great budget-​friendly recommendations. You really feel she wants the best for you on your wedding day. We are so happy with the decision we made to get married here.

Got married here and the areas to do photos is amazing. Train tracks to the garden area it was beautiful.

Came here for friends’ wedding and what a pleasant surprise. Nestled in San Clemente, about a 5-​minute walk from the beach, Casino San Clemente is a very adorable wedding venue that exhibits all things California: photos of old Hollywood actors on the walls, Spanish-​influenced architecture with red-​tiled roof resembling California missions, and an outside patio with a beautiful view of the ocean.
The ceremony took place in the back garden and comfortably seated about 80 people, with room for more. Cocktail hour was on the front patio, which was perfect for watching the sunset. The reception was in the Grand Ballroom, which has a dance floor and is very spacious. Sound system in the Ballroom was decent.
The only downside to this venue is that it doesn’t have its own parking lot. There is only street parking, which is metered daily.
Overall, a very quaint wedding venue that made my friends’ wedding even more memorable.

Even though my fiancé and I decided not to have our wedding at this lovely venue, Micki (venue manager) was so pleasant to work with. Talk about great accommodations and genuine interactions! This woman is passionate about making any couple’s day the most special event.

The hubs and I were invited to a gorgeous wedding at the Casino San Clemente. The setting for the wedding was just absolutely romantic!
The ceremony was held outdoors in the romantically lit courtyard with chairs facing the fireplace and heated lamps surrounding the guests on a somewhat cold November night.
Appetizers were located in the front of the building in an enclosed garden type setting with a fireplace and more heating lamps.
The reception was held indoors and the lighting, chandeliers, flowers, etc. all combined to make the ambiance of the room feel intimate, warm, and welcoming.
Such a beautiful ceremony/​reception for two beautiful friends.

My husband and I were married here just a few weeks ago. I honestly can’t believe we almost passed on this place because I thought it was an actual gambling casino! (I’ve since learned that the term «casino» just means a place for social entertainment — and the Casino San Clemente has gone through a lot of social venue incarnations over its 80 year lifetime!)
We had a Sunday wedding with a reception in the evening: Rock Garden for the ceremony, Patio of the Stars for cocktail hour and the West Wing for our reception. We went back-​and-​forth between renting the WW or the ballroom but for 90 people the ballroom was just too… spacey and big, we loved the idea of a more intimate environment — and the WW is just that. It may not be for everyone, but it felt cozy to us and it has these beautiful exposed, rustic beams and white washed walls (which were uplit with amber lights during the reception — stunning).
Our dancefloor was the Patio, and it was perfect for an August evening. Dancing under the stars? Come ON! It did start to rain on us toward the end of the evening, but it was so warm that most everyone stayed out to dance in the drizzle (hey, they say it’s good luck!) — and only when it started to come down a little hard did our DJ have to pack up his equipment. But it was a Sunday evening wedding, and by 9/9:30pm people are starting to leave anyway — particularly if they have a commute back to LA.
This place is perfect for a couple looking for something with some character and history — it has that California-​vintage quality, and the views from the Patio are stunning. The bridal suite here is so charming and great for pictures (we took some pre-​ceremony shots here), and it has a private, BIG bathroom, a rolling rack for clothes and a private, back entrance with first-​come, first-​served parking spots (this was really useful for unloading). It’s fairly roomy in the bridal suite too — there were about 12 people in that room milling around at one point! There is also a quaint groom’s room (complete with mini-​fridge) that’s right off the ballroom. Bonus: Ellie’s Table is a coffee shop that is attached to the Casino, on it’s back side. It was perfect for coffee and gatorade runs throughout the morning. (The pastries there are delicious also.) I also appreciated that the Casino only does one event a day. I had been to other venues where the rooms of a venue were available for rent by multiple couples for the same day.
The staff here on-​site are great and very professional. The only thing I would bear in mind here is that in the event of inclement weather, the options at the Casino are limited to exactly what it says in the foul-​weather clause of the contract — there is no wiggle or negotiating room here at all (unless you want to pay to wiggle ;)). We had to consider changing venue rooms the night before due to thunderstorms (who could have predicted thunderstorms in California in August?!), and per contract we could move into the ballroom for the ceremony at no-​charge, but if we wanted to continue using the ballroom for the cocktail hour (also outdoors) & reception (outdoor dancing), we would have to pay $ 500 (which we were informed was a discount from $ 800, I believe). At the time we vaguely understood the logic but it seemed a rather odd, dare I say grabby, response given the circumstance and given the fact that the room was no-​charge one moment and then suddenly $ 500 just an hour later. Eh. Who knows. In the end we just stuck to our original game plan, and as it turned out things worked out great for us. Like most couples we still coo over how wonderful and perfect our wedding was. The inclement-​weather «experience» with the Casino owners certainly wasn’t the highlight of our experience there, but it definitely didn’t sully the day (or evening prior, in fact) and it didn’t affect our impression of the Casino at all — it’s just something others should keep in mind when reading contracts, or working with vendors. And in spite of that roadbump, I would recommend the Casino for events — it’s just so beautiful and the owners have done a beautiful job renovating it.

My wife and I enjoyed ourselves here for our friend’s daughter’s wedding. This place was the perfect venue from the ceremony, cocktails on the patio to the ballroom for the reception. it has it all. It was nice to not have to travel from one venue to another for ceremony then reception. The staff was top-​notch and very professional. As guest of the wedding party, we were very impressed and had a great time. Thank you Rob and Judy for inviting us.

Casino San Clemente, what a spectacular find!
We are hoping to secure this as our wedding venue, after a fantastic experience with Micki this last weekend!
Had I only interviewed venue managers/​coordinators in the many stops we have made at venues, Micki would be by far the person I would choose to help me with such an event. Incredibly kind and accomidating!
The Casino itself is a fantastic work of art, from what I read, diligently and delicately restored by the Sadeghi couple who actually sought out pictures and decriptions of the location with the desire to bring it back to its intended beauty.
San Clemente has always had a place in our hearts, and hopefully have a place in our lives!
Also, a big thank you to Nickie with Jay’s catering for being hand-​in-​hand as awesome as Micki!
So happy to have found this place!

good location, and great venue for wedding’s, etc. My friend got married here and it’s simply a beauitful establishment.

Friend and I were planning on securing this location for his wedding. Staff, including the owner were the greediest, unprofessional staff I’ve ever encountered. Stay away from these money hungry moguls!!!

Perfect place for a «Vintage Chic» or «Southern California Beach» Wedding! Ocean and sunset views from the wood burning fireplace Patio. There’s really nothing like it left in Orange County. (And No, it’s not a casino, no bingo either! Just a name, sorry gamblers!)
It’s not for everyone though… If you’re looking for glossy opulence, marble statues and gold leafing– then cross this off your list! The Casino San Clemente is for the «edgy, non-​conformative, subdued elegance» type Bride! Complete privacy too. No sharing your space with golfers or tourists (like at my wedding, Uggh!)

We had our wedding here recently, and overall it was a really positive experience and I really recommend this lovely site for couples looking for someplace a little unique and off the beaten path. I think that it’s likely up and coming in the wedding world, so I bet it’ll be hard to book before too long if it isn’t already!
Anyhow, advantages are that they provide chairs (with seats available in both black and cream) and tables for the event, and they offer a kitchen, buffet area, bar area and a bridal room. You book the spaces (Rock Garden, Ballroom, Patio of the Stars and West Wing) individually, and we had the Rock Garden for the ceremony and the Ballroom for the reception. The Patio of the Stars is a wonderful spot for cocktail hour. They also have basic lighting and sound equipment available for a small fee. You’ll still need to hire someone for lighting, unless what you want is very simple or understated, but it’s worth checking in house first to see what they have. :)
Everything went so smoothly-​and I agree that there is little that you need here for decoration because it’s a great space all on its own. We liked it for its retro, California feel that lent itself to elegant formality without getting too fussy. The staff are very experienced and they know what they are doing in terms of getting an event off the ground. Public parking is available on the street and also in the lot across the way for a small fee. We didn’t need any permits or anything and our event was on a Sunday so we didn’t run into problems with a full parking lot.
Great spot, we’re really happy to have found it.

Wow! This place was so perfect! We were looking for a venue that screamed San Clemente… Spanish Village by the Sea. This place hit everything we needed. We had a Sunday wedding in the eve. We rented the Rock Garden for our ceremony, the patio of the stars for Cocktail hour, and the ballroom for the reception. It was soooo nice to not have to leave the entire time. The venue is large and beautiful. We didn’t have to do much in way of décor because it already had the old charm and sophistication. We had the ballroom columns lit up blue and the dome of the ballroom lit up lavender. It was truly unbelievable.
Aside from how perfect the venue is, the general manager Kelly was incredible. She was on top of everything. She handle so much for us with out us expecting it or asking. She knew exactly what was on my mind before I said it, came up with ideas before I thought it… she was great! She was such a superstar that day, that so many people complimented how great she was. She isn’t a wedding coordinator folks, she is the general manager who I felt was so invested in making the day beautiful, smooth, and memorable. I can’t even tell you how impressed I was with her.
With the Casino of San Clemente you get two major things, the amazing venue and awesome staff. It was a hit with all of guests. They were impressed with every step of the evening. Thank goodness!
It was a stressless night for me knowing we were in a solid location with a staff that was professional, courteous, and friendly.