As an Orange County wedding photographer, I want to be a resource for OC brides and grooms by sharing some of the areas MUST SEE venues. At the top of the list is Rancho Las Lomas! SO, that means it’s time for a virtual tour and blog feature to highlight this incredibly stunning wedding venue in Orange Country, California! Rancho Las Lomas has so much to offer for a unique, memorable, and perfectly picturesque wedding day experience!
This venue hosts only one wedding per day, and has so much flexibility in different locations around the property that you can mix and match to use for your ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. You can truly customize the look and feel to your wedding day at Rancho Las Lomas. We’re about to dive into a little virtual venue tour highlighting some of the key parts of the property! But first, I think it’s important to know a little bit of this venue’s unique & special history!
Rancho Las Lomas, Orange County
Wedding Venue: The History
I always have extra appreciation for venues with a compelling history and Rancho Las Lomas does not disappoint! Read on for a little back story from their website before we dive into all the details!
“Rancho Las Lomas is rich in history even before Rick and Jeannie Lawrence purchased it nearly 40 years ago. The story begins with this land originally bequeathed to a prominent family via a Mexican land grant and that it once belonged to the coastal Indians. Folklore even suggests that the Lawrence family acquired the property by betting on a horse race. Even now, the story continues …
Today, mature oak and sycamore trees hide the private estate and the many charming bungalows nestled around the grounds. Over the years, the Lawrence’s renovated and enhanced the Rancho’s many original buildings. Avid collectors, they used recycled salvage materials such as old doors, windows, bricks and lumber, filling the property’s buildings with unexpected surprises including hand-painted tile murals collected during a trip to Portugal. Wood beams adorned with hand painted figures, custom stained glass windows, 100-year-old Pasadena street lamps, are some of the collectibles found detailing the Rancho.
We are so proud that Rancho Las Lomas has become Southern California’s most spectacular private estate and special event location. Hidden away in the foothills of Orange County, this lovely zoological garden is used for events that reach beyond the ordinary.” – Rancho Las Lomas
Now that you know some of the story behind Rancho Las Lomas, let’s dive into a photo walkthrough of the property!
The Bridal Suite
The bridal suite at Rancho Las Lomas is GORGEOUS! I love this cozy space that is perfect for getting ready with your girls on your wedding day! There is plenty of hangout space inside, and a secluded area right off the back of the bridal suite. This makes for so many great spots for getting ready photos!
The Groom’s Suite
I love that Rancho Las Lomas has an equally awesome groom’s suite on the property, too! This space is separated a good distance from the bridal suite and has great indoor/outdoor space as well! In particular I love the fenced-in, covered back patio area! So fun to hang with the guys while getting wedding ready!
El Teatro
One thing I love about Rancho Las Lomas, is that there are so many different areas to choose from to host your ceremony, cocktail hour, & reception. It’s truly a build your own wedding day kind of custom experience! One of the most iconic spots on the property is El Teatro. El Teatro is the most magical open air ceremony/reception space! Surrounded by large oak and sycamore trees and beautiful gardens create the most picturesque space! This area seats up to 375 guests, and it can be used for both a ceremony & reception (converted during cocktail hour). You could also choose to utilize a different area for either the ceremony or reception to mix and match. Every inch of this venue has thoughtfully curated details. One of my favorites in El Teatro is the blue and white hand painted tile, that serves as a focal point on the marble stage!
La Terraza
La Terraza is a large open ceremony space with towering oak trees, antique lighting, a whimsical wooden staircase, and native cacti! The open space in this area readily lends itself large guest counts (375+) and customized design! I love when couples can get creative with their ceremony space and do something unique, and La Terraza is perfect for that!
As a bonus at the top of the stairs, there is a clearing that would be a stunning, tucked-away portrait location!!
Grand Salon
The Grand Salon offers an indoor reception space option with tons of French doors. The thoughtfully curated details like hand-picked stones on the fire place, and a fountain outside make it extra special!
I love that Rancho Las Lomas offers both indoor and open-air reception spaces to accommodate so many different wedding & event plans!
Rick’s Cafe
This building has got to be one of the COOLEST structures on the property! This space is awesome for cocktail hour, with a dynamic space for your guests to mingle and hang out! There are several seating nooks, small balconies, and windows throughout the building, each one unique! The quadruple doors that open up to the bar area create an awesome entrance to this detail-rich building. I’m sure this goes without saying, but all these areas within the building make for such fun portrait spots too!! 🙂
When I asked the venue manager, Sarah, about any favorite areas of the property she told me, “We love the entire property but the most favorite is view from the Teatro looking up at Rick’s Café. This property holds a lot of history and the Lawrence family is so proud.” The first photo in this section shows that view!
Zoological Inhabitants!
A super fun and unique aspect to Rancho Las Lomas is their wildlife on site! They’ve got Zebras, a tiger, a Cockatoo named Fiji, and many more animals on site! The zebras are located in an easy-to-visit area near El Teatro. If you’re an animal lover like me, you’ll love that your guests have an opportunity to enjoy the zebras during cocktail hour!
Learn more about all of the Rancho Las Lomas wildlife here!
Additional Areas & Portrait Locations
Quite literally, every inch of this venue’s grounds are picturesque and beautiful! While I toured the grounds and explored I captured some of my favorite scenic nooks! These various vignettes would make for great portrait locations, including the orange groves, stairways, & architecture.
Rancho Las Lomas is an Orange County wedding venue gem! There is truly so much to love about this place! From the rich history and carefully curated property details, to the beautiful grounds and customizability for every wedding. If you are looking for a wedding venue in the Orange County area, Rancho Las Lomas is a must see!!!
