LA RIVER CENTER & GARDENS

Visiting the Los Angeles River Center and Gardens is like getting an unexpected gift. Only minutes from downtown Los Angeles and just over the Los Angeles River, this gorgeous event facility will fit many a bride’s idea of the dream wedding location. The Center is a hidden jewel, sequestered behind thick, ivy covered walls. A wide, circular brick driveway with a spreading ficus tree in the center marks the entrance, and through the arched, wrought-iron gate you get your first glimpse of the fountains, flowers and serenity inside.The small courtyard at the entry is a charming introduction to the Center, but before long the carved wooden doors at the back beckon you into the Main Courtyard, the ideal spot for a special event. The expansive multi-level patio is enclosed on three sides by the arcaded terraces of the Center’s buildings. Pepper trees rustle in the breeze, and beds of roses, agapanthus, and daylilies soak up the sun. A three-tiered fountain stands in the center of a tiled reflecting pool, hugged at its four corners by a multitude of flower-filled terra cotta pots.