The 1909 Reviews

My husband and I had our wedding here on February 28th and it could not have been more perfect. We toured here back in June of 2019 with Ilsie and Zenobia. Ilsie showed us around the entire venue, let us know about all of the amenities, and broke down all of the pricing for us. The venue is absolutely breathtaking and pictures do not do it justice! There were no hidden fees, ridiculous charges, etc. It was all pretty straightforward and definitely within our budget! Not to mention both Ilsie and Zenobia worked with us so that we wouldn't go over our budget but we still got everything we wanted! Throughout the entire process, Zenobia kept in touch with us and answered about 500,000 questions that we had along the way. She was extremely patient, kind and understanding and we are both so thankful for that since planning a wedding can be (definitely is) such a stressful process. Fast forward to a month before the wedding when Ilsie took over and helped us with all the final details! Ilsie is also one of the most patient and kind people I've ever encountered! We asked her a thousand questions and she never once made us feel like a burden. She made sure every single detail was perfect, everything was in order and she kept up with our timeline so that the day would run smoothly! We could not have done any of this without Ilsie, Zenobia and all the 1909 staff. I'm so thankful for all of them and I will remember my wedding day for the rest of my life!

My husband and I really wanted to be married somewhere with trees and nature, but local to where we are in LA. We thought it would be impossible, until we found The 1909! The ambiance of the place is just gorgeous, you can almost feel the love and romance in the air. We had Ilsie as our day of coordinator, and she was so sweet and truly did put her whole heart into making our wedding day spectacular. She was incredibly flexible, patient, and kind, which we very much appreciated. You also have the entire wedding venue to yourself for the day of the wedding, which is really wonderful to just be fully immersed in your own wedding. Our guests really loved it. The 1909 was also very handicap-accessible for a few of our older relatives who had trouble with stairs. One thing I wish I would have known earlier, you cannot store anything there the day before or after the wedding, so make sure that you plan for that (we ended up just storing everything in the hotel, which worked out just fine). But the staff is really wonderful about the set up and the clean up, we didn't have to worry about a thing! The food is also great, you work with caterers with The 1909 and everyone thought everything was delicious. All in all, this was absolutely the best wedding venue that we could have asked for in LA, and we had a wonderful, beautiful experience. I would definitely recommend!

If you are looking for both outdoor/indoor venue, this is the perfect place to get married. This is a hidden gem :) the management was great, very prompt with responding to questions. The on-site supervisor was really helpful and great to work with.

Oh my goodness, how have I NOT reviewed our amazing wedding venue yet? We were married at the beautiful 1909 on October 12, 2018! I could not imagine a better venue for our special day. I’ve driven past this place a million times, yet never knew what it was (I assumed it was someone’s gorgeous house), I never would have known it would someday be my dreamy wedding venue!

Immediately, Zenobia was extremely responsive, answering every question my husband and I had, as well as my parents questions. She let us tour the property as many times as we wanted so we were sure we loved the space. Amir, the owner, was very attentive the day of our wedding, making sure everything ran smoothly and we all (including staff) had a terrific time. Their professionalism and friendliness is unmatched!

The venue itself is gorgeous! When you book The 1909, you have the entire property to yourself from 11:00am - 11:00pm, although you are allowed to arrive to the venue early (we got there at 9:00am), but it is open to the public until 11:00am, which includes other rehearsals and venue tours. The 1909 had the perfect blend of indoor and outdoor space that really appealed to us. The building is two stories with a large and gorgeous dance floor & bar on the top floor and downstairs there was a beautiful bridal suite, restrooms, kitchen, small bar, and space large enough for a photo booth and a few tables. The outdoor spaces were amazing! There are small courtyards off the main stairway, a big beautiful deck with built-in seating, where you can be married under the most magical oak tree, complete with twinkle lights in the tree, and a big fairytale-like grassy meadow with string lights above, which was perfect for cocktail hour and dinner! The photo opportunities at this venue were endless! We received so many gorgeous photos of our day.

I am still in love with The 1909! It was perfect for our wedding ❤️

The 1909 is a beautiful outdoor woodsy venue just like we had envisioned. They were easy to work with and able to meet our budget needs. They also provide catering from their restaurant The Topanga Table. We were worried about the event taking place at different levels of the property, but it flowed beautifully.
All in all the food was delicious, the service was seamless, and the venue is breathtaking. Thank you to The 1909 for the wonderful memories!

Amazing Venue, and amazing people to work with. We loved that their view on weddings, isn't about the day, its about the marriage!
Amazing value for what you get with this venue team. They truly made our special day, a day better than what we could ever imagine!

Scott and I LOVED The 1909! The outdoor plus indoor combo was great for a January wedding. It had a beautiful layout. Hardly any decorations needed. Communication between my venue contacts and I was easy, either through text or email. You can visit as often as you wish, just tell them what time you'll be there. And during your wedding, the venue is yours the whole day! The best parts about The 1909 was that it was affordable (within our budget, which was the most important) and that you were allowed to bring in your own vendors. So if you're a creative, do-it-all, enjoy planning kind of bride, this is your venue! (Unless you hire a wedding planner.) You can play around with ideas and they will do their best to accommodate. Also, we were very blessed that it did not rain on our wedding! We were able to utilize all parts of the venue.

This place is so gorgeous. It is a blank canvas in which you can let your creative mind go wild. Amir is amazing and super accommodating. His team does amazing work.

My husband and I got married here on March 11, 2016.....and it poured much of the day. Leading up to the wedding, we saw the weather was looking pretty iffy, so we had to create about 4 weather plans - finally deciding on one the MORNING of our wedding. Amir and William bent over backwards to ensure the day was spectacular despite our bad luck in weather. In the end - it was more spectacular than I could have imagined. For cocktail hour (we had ours start the event off as we waited for rain to subside) guests were ushered to the first floor area which extended to a large balcony covered by a clear awning they installed to allow our guests to experience the outdoor charm of the venue while it rained. When rain cleared we managed to have the ceremony outside, and it was SPECTACULAR. The trees and landscape are truly breathtaking. We enjoyed dinner and dancing upstairs, where we could fit 115 guests quite comfortably. All we did was swap out their string lights for cafe lights........The intimacy of the indoor space was truly phenomenal and much more comfortable for guests given the cold evening. Amir ensured that we had ample staff so that everything ran smoothly and any last minute changes (of which we had a few) could be done seamlessly. As a designer of hotels and restaurants, I can attest to the quality of the space. Compared to a number of other similar venues we visited, this place is PRISTINE. The quality of the space is evident and it feels bright and fresh - a testament to the care the owners and staff take in the venue's continued maintenance. Cannot recommend highly enough.

My husband and I got married at the 1909 in December of last year, 2015. It was the first venue we looked at for our wedding, and even though we had planned on looking at another venue the following weekend, we just knew this was the place. It is so incredibly beautiful, allowing for different types of activities for whatever your event calls for – from the lawn area, the amphitheater, the two levels of the romantic building and not to mention the whole thing is nestled in an array of trees in the hillside of Topanga Canyon. Every guest loved the location. Every guest. The romance and the peacefulness of the place envelopes all those who attend.
And part of that is due not only to the physical beauty of the location, but to the kindness and care that is taken by Amir and his team. They were so incredibly accommodating and so wonderful to work with. What should be a stressful time, was made more peaceful by Amir and his equally kind and helpful staff.
And now the food. Yum. Elegant and tasty not to mention, what ever you choose for your event, they can make. Anything. And whatever anything is, it is always and every time good. To be able to count on quality food at an event of any size, that is a formidable quality. And every guest, every guest again, loved the food.
So between the physical beauty of the location, the kind and caring staff and owner, and the amazing food, we highly recommend the 1909 for whatever event you should chose to have there. But don’t forget to come back again for your next event.
My husband and I are so very grateful for having the chance to have our wedding at this wonderful location. Thank you again to Amir and his staff. You are greatly appreciated.

From the moment we saw The 1909 we knew this was our place. Will was a pleasure to work with for the entire process- immediately responsive, great energy, and a very warm, evolved person. By the end of it my husband and I felt like we made a friend. His team on the day of was equally fantastic. The venue itself was stellar, as was the rustic package. Our guests were as enchanted with the 1909 as we were- from the outdoor theater for the ceremony to dinner in the field to dancing under twinkly lights. We can't think of any other place more perfect for the kind of day that we wanted. I highly recommend this place- it's a wonderful find and becoming more popular with every passing day. It's a wonderful space to do with as you will with it-bring in your own vendors, dress everything up, do something casual and simple, etc. (Although with all the natural beauty the place doesn't need much). Thank you, 1909! And we had rehearsal brunch at the Topanga Table (owned by Will)- and that was delicious, too!

The 1909 is a magical place to get married. You really have to see this gem in person. You get the whole place for the entire day. The best part is they don't lock you into any catering or any other vendors. This means you can shop around and have the best people give you quotes. The owner is a lovely person, I worked with Amir and he made the process so painless and easy. I'm so happy we went with this place.

The most beautiful location! The 1909 had exactly the atmosphere I hoped for: rustic, elegant, and magical. The spaces and light are all stunningly beautiful. Unlike some other venues, it has equally lovely indoor spaces as well, so if the weather had not cooperated we would still have been able to go ahead. And while the initial price is more than some other venues, it also includes more services (e.g. parking attendants) which you would wind up paying for anyway, elsewhere.

Vanessa, William, and everyone else who helped us were lovely and responsive. Do ask lots of questions, though, as like every venue it has its quirks. The kitchen doesn't permit cooking; certain lights cost extra; and amplified music is not permitted outdoors. But I found these easy to deal with (ask me about our fantastic fiddle band!) or worth the money (of course I wanted bistro lights over the meadow in the evening).

So happy we chose The 1909!

The owners of the 1909 in Topanga, CA are William and Amir, and they are awesome!!! We were so blessed to have found The 1909 and work with such flexible and caring people. They really do love what they do, and they are not going to compromise their standards for money. They were extremely flexible with us - they even fit us in between two other weddings that weekend, and allowed us to come for a rehearsal right before the other wedding began setting up the day before. They have various packages that you can use for rentals - everything from tables and flowers, to food and a friend with a sound system! But besides the beauty of the grounds and the decor, the energy there is overwhelmingly peaceful and positive. It was the best place for the value, grounds, service, everything!!

Wow, what a beautiful place to have as the backdrop for your big day. I feel blessed to have experienced this property as the setting for our wedding this October. The ambience, energy and landscaping made this place a photogenic opportunity. The great care that Amir provided for me and my husband was personal and attentive. I highly recommend this venue as an intimate wedding choice that you can cherish in years to come. Thank you.

The 1909 is such a beautiful and unique place to have a wedding, the vibe is so warm and comfortable. We had the pleasure of working with William and he was so helpful and understanding to all of our requests. The venue offers so many possibility for a wedding, our wedding was absolutely amazing.

A beautiful setting owned by amazing people. The 1909 was further than I wanted to be from home, but from the moment I walked on the property, I knew it was the spot I HAD to have for our wedding day.

The space is huge & a perfect combination of natural surroundings with modern amenities. The building is gorgeous, with Irish knot inlaid on the stone & wood, high ceilings, built in bar, clean luxurious bathrooms, and a kitchen with an enormous fridge! We used the building for pre-cermony cocktail hour and post food dance party. And yes, there is A/C.

The amphitheater allowed us to be married under an ancient oak tree without risking grandma falling in the dirt like some of the other rustic venues we looked at. The built in amphitheater also has the advantage of not renting or moving chairs. The view across the wooden deck is all trees and it made for amazing photographs with little effort needed on decoration. The setting was our decoration allowing for easy set up and break down.

Lastly, there is a huge grass area, larger than many parks! We had picnic blankets and tables and a bar and two grills and we still had an entire half of the grass dedicated to games! There is also a secret table nestled amongst the trees where the newly married couple can hide & eat! (Do it!)

Then there is the owner, Will. He is so genuine and kind hearted that i really think being a part of a wedding makes him happy. He is constantly upgrading the 1909. When we signed the contract there was no sound system, but by the time our wedding happened there was -not only in the building but also in the amphitheater and the grassy area! He responds quickly to inquiries and he is easy going while still being professional.

If you are a couple looking for a natural setting, but don't want to rent a dance floor AND are willing to give up high heels, this is the place for you. Trust me- you will hear "best wedding ever" multiple times throughout the night.

What a serendipitous discovery! After searching the entirety of LA County (not an exaggeration - I was a type A bride with a vision and a background in event production) we were thrilled to find The 1909 for our wedding ceremony. It's the hidden gem of LA wedding venues. We wanted something that could serve as a gorgeous natural backdrop for a highly customizable event - understated elegance with modern convenience that was accessible and legitimately affordable. We found that and more in The 1909. We chose the amphitheater for our wedding ceremony, brought in minimal decor and let the natural beauty of the venue do the rest. The grounds are beautifully landscaped & well-maintained. The staff is professional, courteous & highly amenable to making it work for you. The amenities were luxurious. Though we only did our ceremony there, the indoor/outdoor venue has ample space, and diverse areas as well as a bar & a pro kitchen to do just about anything you'd need. High on this bride's list in addition to having its own distinct and lovely 'vibe' is the fact that since it's a new venue, it hasn't been done a million times & featured on every industry-related site out there. In fact, it's still pretty underground. Get in before it gets discovered by the masses. You won't be sorry.

Our wedding celebration was a BLAST! It was everything we hoped for from the huge ballroom with a live swing band, to the outdoor and intimate ceremony in the amphitheater, to the outdoor barbeque with evening mood lights, lawn games, and a Gatsby-ish picnic.

We worked primarily with Amir, who was insanely helpful and flexible with all our requests, but everyone we worked with associated with the venue was equally heplful and great to work with! I would suggest this to anyone and everyone. The process was easy, and the end result was as if it was out of a dream. 5 stars.

My wife and I were married at The 1909 on April 27, 2013. We can't say enough about this venue. Our friends and family all agreed that they were blown away by the sheer beauty and atmosphere. We started with our ceremony in the amphitheater, our dinner in the meadow and dancing upstairs. It worked perfectly as a roving party. The sunlight shined down, little seeds pods floated through the air and the environment was magical. William went above and beyond to help us coordinate our big day, giving referrals and answering questions, setting up lights and rigging an incredible sound system outdoors. The place is fantastic, the service is impeccable and it's the perfect location for an outdoor, country rustic dream wedding. We have absolutely no complaints. All we can say is Thank You 1909!

Hi our names are Vanessa, and Andre Brown, we recently had our wedding at The 1909 on March 30th 2013. One word that would describe this venue is AMAZING! Breaking down the five categories from quality to flexibility well go by each one. The "Quality of Service" that the 1909 provided was above average. Although the owner/s are not a wedding planner/coordinator they are there the day of to make sure that things are in order. From tables and chairs and even valet service nothing was missing. "Responsiveness"; The 1909 response to answering phones, and returning calls is great. Never had a communication problem, by phone or in person. The "Professionalism" is 100%. You will get your money worth from this place, from contracts to agreements of that day he will abide by them. The Value of the 1909 was priceless. The look on your families faces as they arrive will never be forgotten. Our ceremony was outside on the deck as our family sat on a small greek stadium. We also sat 120 people comfortably upstairs in the main room. The entire night was flawless, not a single problem occurred with this venue. The Flexibility of the 1909 was present. They are open to any suggestions you would have about your wedding.

We would recommend this venue to everyone. The 1909 has a lot of great places were you can take amazing pictures. At night the owners turn on the lights that are hidden in the shrubs and trees, christmas lights make the back a lot more intimate. The 1909 gave us a night we would never forget. You must see this place, and once you do, you will automatically see your wedding there.

The 1909 located in Topanga Canyon is absolutely stunning. Every inch of the place is gorgeous. We were married this past December and it was simply a dream. The guys over there were so flexible, helpful and kind to our wishes. I couldn't speak more highly of the place and there staff.

My fiancé and I really wanted to get married here. But we would have had to remove a large amount of our guest list. It is so beautiful!

We got married at the 1909 on April 9, 2016. It was awesome!! We met Amir at the food tasting in August of 2015. He was just starting to offer his catering (Seven Dreams Catering) as a vendor choice. Our guests raved about the food and how it didn't taste like "wedding food". Definitely try his food and menu!
We had 100 guests. One week before the wedding there was a chance of scattered showers in the forecast . My tip to you is to have a tent in your budget. We got a clear tent from Town and Country and Amir and William did everything to ensure the day would go smoothly...and it did.
We had the ceremony out under the huge trees and had dinner on the grassy area with the tent showcasing the beautiful landscape. The Topanga Creek runs through the property so you will hear frogs , grasshoppers, and other little critters in the evening. I highly suggest the PIZZA HEARTH OVEN for appetizers. It was beyond spectacular. We cut the cake and danced all night upstairs.
The 1909 is a hidden gem and truly has a unique personality and look to it. We are forever grateful to Amir, William, the staff, and our wedding coordinator who knew of the venue to begin with.

As a ballet teacher, I am always looking for clean, comfortable spaces full of light and warmth to hold classes, and The 1909 provided just that! My students love dancing in such a beautiful setting, and really enjoy getting to escape the typical studio location in return for such a peaceful environment. While the management team is small, they’ve been quick to respond to my suggestions and requests, and work hard to ensure all I have to worry about is my teaching. I would highly recommend this site to anyone interested in holding an event, session, or wedding at a truly special venue for a memorable evening.

-Cecilie