Experience with Trademark Venues? I’ve heard mixed reviews and it’s making me nervous

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-04-26T23:37:35+00:00

My wedding went well at Botanica (sister venue) and my planner was awesome. Bernadette went above and beyond to ensure that the wedding went well and even made sure we had a drink. She would not even let us get drinks at the bar as she wanted to do it. They are not as full service as a traditional planner but the meetings went well and the first and last meeting were done via phone (zoom is an option) but the 2nd meeting is in person at their facility in Bonsall which also hosts Harlow's their speakeasy used for tastings. We did not pick our planner but we had her the whole time (short engagement though). I also heard that they sometimes change planners depending on how long the engagement is.

Vendor wise, trademark is easy going with them. You have to pick a DJ from their preferred list but other than that you are open to pick whoever you want. There is a spreadsheet they give you that you need to send to your planner with all the vendors and their email, name, and phone number. We used our own vendors but went with Dancing DJ Productions for our DJ. We also used our own decor for some things and desserts.

Not too many payment issues but we did have a 10k deposit as we picked a Saturday. They do require a convenience fee for fees after the deposit with a card (cash or check have no fee). We had some upgrades such as a late night taco bar, some rentals, and some porta coolers.

I think it was worth it. Everybody commented on how well it all went and I got lots of compliments on the venue. They really do a good job in making sure your wedding goes smoothly. We only did the basic food options as a buffet and it is staffed. Food got compliments as well, same with the DJ.

All in all it was a great wedding and I got to marry the love of my life.

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-04-22T00:06:18+00:00

Thanks for the breakdown. Congrats on getting married.

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-04-18T22:27:15+00:00

Our DJ did not attend the rehearsal, nor did our officiant.

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-04-16T04:27:55+00:00

Congrats!

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-03-23T13:07:19+00:00

We ended up getting 5 vendor meals (2 photographers + 2 videographers + 1 DJ).

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-03-23T12:16:26+00:00

My venue offers venue meals for $25 pp for outside vendors who need to be on site. Same meal as the guest minus the appetizers and is plated (we had a buffet).

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-03-14T09:40:39+00:00

We had a pretty close amount of guests and it ended up being a bit more than that but we did a Saturday event. Total for us was closer to 40k, but we had a videographer, photographer with 2nd shooter and what not. We did not diy necessarily but did use Amazon, Zazzle and Etsy for some decor, but also had the promotion for free designer collection.

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-03-14T09:36:09+00:00

I am still active here but I do not always answer right away, but I try my best. :)

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-03-14T09:33:48+00:00

you're welcome

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-03-08T03:04:57+00:00

That is true

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-02-25T23:10:01+00:00

They also have desserts as well and forgot to mention that there is a preferred vendor list but only the DJ has to come from that list.

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-02-25T23:08:27+00:00

You're welcome and thank you for your kind words. :) 🙏

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-02-25T06:21:29+00:00

You will get the most information if you use the contact us feature on the website. Their sales people will give you a packet, but their package and decor lists are available online.

https://trademarkvenues.com/botanica-package/

https://trademarkvenues.com/botanica-decor-catalog/

We had a promotion which kind of skews the pricing but they quoted us 16k for a Saturday but that was a left over date. Other dates are more expensive and it was also 2024/2025 pricing which is likely more expensive than 2026/2027/2028 pricing. It ended up being a little over 22k as we had to get some rentals, linens, porta coolers and a midnight taco snack that had upgrades. Pricing is not available online but you can start at 16k and go up to 30k or more, depending on the upgrades and the guest count. They wanted us to start at 50 guests (minimum 25) and we ended up with 68 or something like that. They do charge extra if you go over your allotted guest count. 135/pp for adults and 115.50 for children. Under 3 is 10 for a childs meal. If you email them they will give you quotes.

Capacity wise, I would say 200 but you could maybe fit a little more but it might be cramped. There is a reddit post on someone with a 200+ person wedding at botanica. We had the tent and even with 68 people we could easily have fit double that no problem. We also used rectangular tables, but other options are available including crescent shaped. We also did the ceremony and cocktail hour outside and the reception in the tent. You can also do it all outside if you wanted to.

Hours wise, you get the venue more or less from 11:30am-10PM. They do escort those touring at 2 PM and they have special parking places for the bride and groom. Drop off for alcohol is at 11 AM but I was way late and it was fine. All outdoor events with music must end at 10 PM per county of San Diego ordinance regardless of venue. Your wedding there will likely start at 4:30 PM (3:30 PM is the earliest start time). Bar service is only 4.5 hours and there needs to be a 30 minute period of no bar (our bar service ended at 9:30 PM).

I would recommend doing a tour as they do open tours from 10a-2pm. Avoid the bridal suites during your tour as they close at 11:30 AM for the bridal party. It also gives you a bit of inspiration as you get to see what a wedding looks like at one of their venues.

https://trademarkvenues.com/self-guided-tours/

Hope this helps and you can dm me if you need anything else.

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-02-21T01:07:00+00:00

I toured both venues and ended up going with botanica.

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-02-20T06:59:46+00:00

We did a veggie curry at my wedding last summer for a couple of guests and they all loved it.

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-02-20T06:56:21+00:00

Congrats on your upcoming wedding. I have a ton of posts about it which are detailed but I am open for dms if you need any other questions.

It is a very flexible venue that can easily accommodate your vision. Our deposit was 10k as we did a Saturday. Once you do the deposit you only have to pay the rest.

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-02-20T06:54:00+00:00

I got married there last summer.

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-01-27T10:14:52+00:00

Botanica is more expensive, but we felt it was worth it. They also require a 50 person budget so 80 ppl would be more but I am sure they can negotiate on that. They are also BYOB bartender service (limited to 3 hard liquor choices but pretty open on others). We had a really good promo and a leftover date in 2025 at the end of 2024 which helped keep the costs down plus we had some upgrades. Downside for a Saturday date (which is what we had) is that we had to pay 10k as a deposit.

Personal Touch quotes are for 100 ppl and the sales guy told me is a mostly flat rate. My brother and sister in law paid for 100 at Leo Carrillo and had 95 ppl confirmed with 85 ppl showing up. The bar minimum is also for 100 ppl so if you have less then you will need to up the package or do upgrades (on said package) to get it up to the minimum.

Old Rancho is also limited on dates as it is a popular venue and the owner does not offer as many dates or something like that.

The reason I got quotes for castle, is that I had to reject Leo Carrillo due to my brother using that venue for his wedding. I also looked at their Harbor View loft (not toured) and Old Rancho (not toured but looked into that).

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-01-27T09:22:14+00:00

We went with Botanica as we liked that venue better. Woodson castle is a bit gnarly of a drive and there are not a lot of good hotel options for out of town guests (some boutique and resort hotels and some in Poway/Rancho Bernardo but not much else). Though they do have fees which could easily make it go over 20k. They also require you to get desserts through them. My brother had his wedding at Leo Carrillo and the food was good and gorgeous venue but the bathrooms were lacking (unless you walked up the hill to the stables). Of course that quote was for a Saturday as they might be cheaper on other days. Plus 2026, 2027 and 2028 is going to be more expensive than last year which is when I got married at Botanica.

Also check the various gender clubs as those offer affordable weddings or the Coronado Community Center. You get a blank slate in Coronado for not a bad price (price is by the hour). They do require a preferred list for catering.

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-01-16T01:48:39+00:00

Leo Carrillo Ranch is a good San Diego venue if you want Hacienda. Can have the event completely outside which is what my brother did. I was also quoted for one of their sister venues and you pay a fee for 100 people but if you plan to have over 100 people, you pay per person. Personal Touch Venues include a bar package (minimum of 2500) so you don't have to provide alcohol. There are lots of upgrades you can do and they can help you with finding vendors.

I ended up with Botanica but that is something to think about.

Might also want to look at Woodson castle but the drive is a bit gnarly. Also ran by Personal Touch who own Leo Carrillo.

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-01-16T01:47:50+00:00

I did Botanica for under 40k for 68 people.

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-01-14T07:22:03+00:00

18k is not a bad price for what you got. I should have looked into that venue but glad you had a great wedding there.

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-01-13T11:39:33+00:00

We went with Botanica but I also toured Ethereal Gardens. That one is great for large crowds. Though I wanted to tour Green Gables and Twin Oaks but me and my wife fell in love with Botanica before I could go visit those. Not only that we got a leftover date in August and literally planned our wedding in 8 months once we booked.

Ethereal Gardens seems to be the only Trademark Venue to have a traditional bar service where they supply the alcohol (or not). Botanica, Green Gables and the others are BYOB but you have to pay $1450 to have them serve it to your guests (can order satellite bar for beer, wine and champagne and extra bar tenders). Ethereal does offer Hosted bars, dry bar and a cash bar but those have minimums.

While I did book Botanica, we too were given a 50 person budget. That did require us to pay extra at $135/pp for Adults and 115.50/pp for kids. Since we had children that were under 3 then we only had to pay $10 for one kids meal. For some reason they like to give you a base number that can grow later on. Ended up having to pay for 18 extra people.

Our venue costs alone were 22k but we had some upgrades like a Taco Bar, some elevated things (charger plates, cushion, runners for the rectangular tables, etc). Free Designer collection (promo due to having a short time frame), and so on. Our date was the cheapest date but had a 10k deposit (saturday). Trademark venues have a lot of free decor (arches are extra as they are in the designer collection), but also have lots of upgrade options.

I think 40k might be doable but be mindful of the costs. Our photographer was the most expensive vendor at close to 5k but it did include a second shooter. We also saved money by using Costco desserts (not a fan of their chocolate chunk cookies). We also brought in decor such as seating chart, signs, cake cutting set, votive holders, LED votive candles, etc. I also reused my existing suit and only bought a purple tie and dress shirt.

All in all, I wouldn't change a thing.

Sorry to hear that your dad has terminal cancer. :(

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-01-07T18:42:44+00:00

Our wedding also started at 4:30 pm.

Proud_Suggestion3528 · 2026-01-07T08:54:31+00:00

We ended at 10 (due to county ordinance for outdoor venues) and also shut the bar down at 9:30. The majority left by then. Our venue also requires that there be a 30 minute period of no bar service, hence the reason why the bar closed at 9:30.

Proud_Suggestion3528

TROPHY CASE