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Hakone Estate and Gardens Reviews

Hakone Estate and Gardens

Hakone Estate and Gardens

Saratoga, CA
4.5 out of 5 rating, 18 Reviews
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Reviews

4.5 out of 5 rating
18 Reviews
  • Quality of service
    4.6 out of 5 rating
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    4.6 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    4.6 out of 5 rating
  • Value
    4.5 out of 5 rating
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    4.5 out of 5 rating
94% Recommended by couples

Awards

18
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2011 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2010 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2009 Winner
  • S
    Steve W. Sent on 10/27/2023
    5 out of 5 rating
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    Beautiful Ceremony Venue!

    We hosted our October 2023 Wedding Ceremony at Hakone and we were so happy with the beautiful gardens and overall experience.

    The staff at Hakone (Tony and Melia) were extremely helpful, friendly, and easy to work with and they went above and beyond to make sure our rehearsal and ceremony went smoothly. We requested a unique setup with two aisles and we had a large decoration to attach to an arch we rented through a vendor, and they worked with both us and our vendors to make sure that everything was set up just right with plenty of time to spare. They also helped us work through all the important details of the ceremony without being overwhelming, and they did a perfect job executing on the actual ceremony, queuing our party to walk and managing the music and sound system.

    The garden itself is beautiful in any season. We visited multiple times throughout the year leading up to our wedding and enjoyed different plants in bloom every time. In October, the garden was still lush and green with redwoods, bamboo, and the Koi pond providing amazing variety. Our guests had a great time strolling through the gardens before and after the ceremony, and there were tons of amazing backdrops for our wedding photos. They even gave us a complimentary year-long membership following our wedding so we could come back to relive the memories!

    In summary, we highly recommend Hakone whether for a wedding ceremony or just a visit!
  • Cassidy
    Cassidy L. Sent on 04/25/2023
    5 out of 5 rating
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    Beautiful venue & a perfect wedding!

    We had our wedding here and could not have asked for a more perfect venue. The wisteria were blooming in April and we had the entire garden to ourselves. We were told by multiple people that it was the most beautiful wedding and venue they had been to. Tony & Melia worked with us every step of the way to ensure it was a perfect day and it definitely was! Plus we now have a year membership to the garden to visit and enjoy the place in which we made such special memories. :)
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  • Laiya
    Laiya Sent on 08/22/2021
    5 out of 5 rating
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    Last minute change to this venue due to evacuation from the CZU fires and temporary closure of our original venue. Wedding was Zoomed due to COVID..

    Beautiful gardens and excellent bridal room. Choices of places on the premises to have the ceremony and plenty of gorgeous photo locations. A lot of time allotted for set up and clean up and private time in the gardens. Was the perfect COVID wedding.
  • Brinika
    Brinika J. Sent on 12/06/2019
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    Beautiful everything

    Tony and Christina were very professional and accommodating to what we wanted and needed. We got married on November 23rd and we were able to take advantage of the off peak price. But the normal price for a morning wedding on a moon bridge was pretty reasonable too. The gardens are beautiful and you get set up in the houses on the estate as your bride and groom quarters for set up. A sign is outside stating that you are getting married. You and your guests have the grounds to yourselves for three hours. Then it opens to the public at 11 and you have one more hour to enjoy the gardens. It was a beautiful experience.
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    Thu T. Sent on 08/05/2019
    5 out of 5 rating
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    Picture-esque wedding venue

    I highly recommend this venue! It's so beautiful and literally every spot is a perfect picture. My family and friends were all amazed and dazzled by the beauty of this Japanese garden. Also, Tony was amazing to work with. He was patient, kind, and really understanding. He knows exactly how weddings normally run and he can help with any questions you might have. Overall, I recommend it!!
  • K
    Kristine Sent on 01/21/2016
    5 out of 5 rating
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    Hakone Gardens was where my husband and I started dating. We thought what better place to get married at than the exact location our relationship became official. We held our wedding ceremony at Hakone this past November 2015. It was perfect for our 60 guests. Tony, the event coordinator, was great. He helped make our ceremony run smoothly. This location is truly a hidden gem of the South Bay. Our guests felt as if our ceremony was a destination wedding. It will feel as if you are actually in Hakone, Japan.
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    Victoria Sent on 07/09/2014
    5 out of 5 rating
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    If you're thinking of having this be your venue for your reception, I highly recommend you follow through. We met with them ~10 months before our reception, and from that first meeting until our last email and the day-of everything was perfect. Yes, PERFECT!!!! They are very professional which is shown by their responsiveness in their email, and with the clarity of their contract. They also did not talk us down, something I feared as it is quite the nice venue, which I appreciated. They didn't find it was odd that our reception was about half a year following our actual marriage ceremony nor did they mind working with us to use a halal catering company, something that was off the list.

    Flexibility? I changed my mind on some decorations the month of and they were able to accommodate. Paying with X on one card and Y on another card? They can do it. Meeting with your catering company? They do this too, and this is something I didn't think of at all so I'm glad they did.

    Now for value... this is the true reason why they deserve 5 stars. It's an estate. A full estate that you're renting out for hours, and it's only for you and your guests plus vendors. I got a big building for everyone to eat in, a bamboo forest, a koi pond, and wonderful backdrops all over. My bridal suite was actually a small traditional Japanese building. My bridesmaid didn't have to fit into one small room, they got a huge area with sliding paper doors to dress up in. If they stepped into the hallway they'd see a rock garden. Oh, and the rock garden area had been renovated from the time I signed the contract to when my reception took place. You don't just get awesome, you get even more awesome as they seem to be continuing working on improving the gardens et all.

    Seriously the worst part of our wedding was having to go home... I wish we could have spent like 5 more hours chilling there with our guests. So stress-free. I can't wait to go back there, if only we didn't live so far from them.
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    Travis Sent on 08/20/2010
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    Great place to have a wedding! Perfect for outdoor events. The staff is very helpful and it's a great value for the money!
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    Michele Sent on 12/10/2008
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    I searched high and low from San Diego all the way to Sacramento for my wedding location. I live in Los Angeles and had a plethora of beautiful choices for my ceremony, but when I came across Hakone Gardens, I KNEW it would be THE PLACE for my ceremony. Kyongmi, the event coordinator at the Gardens was more than helpful. She was extremely knowledgable, warm, thoughtful, and made me actually feel like a "real person" and not just another bride. She took the time to chat with me about my family, our cultural values, and the things we'd be incorporating into my wedding ceremony that reflected my heritage and my fiance's heritage. She answered every single email from me (and there were a LOT) promptly and efficiently. The Gardens themselves were absolutely breathtaking! I visited Hakone Gardens in the springtime when everything was in full bloom, and I was worried it wouldn't be as beautiful in the winter (when my ceremony took place). I was completely blown away by all the colors of the foliage. Even though there weren't any flower blossoms, the colors of the fall leaves were absolutely amazing!!!!!! I HIGHLY recommend Hakone Gardens! All my guests absolutely LOVED it!
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    Amanda Sent on 08/19/2008
    5 out of 5 rating
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    Hakone Gardens is a beautiful Japanese garden set in the hills above Saratoga, and it's really stunning. The attention to detail is amazing, I guess that's why Memoirs of a Geisha was partly filmed there. The service and staff are first rate, and I highly recommend it for your ceremony.
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    Debbie Sent on 09/17/2014
    4.8 out of 5 rating
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    We wanted the Hawaii feel for our wedding and were only having 8 guests (immediate family) attending. We wanted something beautiful and memorable in our budget. This was a great venue. The gardens are breathtaking, The only con is where we were married ( The Wisteria Pavillion) There were lots of flies. I was glad I had provided raffia fans for my guest, and the officiant was fanning them away from us the entire time.
    The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was we had orchid blossoms shipped from Hawaii to put around the table and bench during our ceremony. Before it started, the lady overseeing our event came and gave my fiance a broom and dustpan and told him to clean them up because they might get in the koi pond. I am hearing about this before I walked in from my son. We should have been told no loose flowers and they could have discussed this with us when we set up over an hour prior, not during the ceremony.
    But, other than that set back, the venue is gorgeous and affordable.
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    Lisa Sent on 09/06/2009
    4.8 out of 5 rating
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    A great place to have a very intimate wedding. Very accommodating
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    Alex Sent on 11/11/2006
    4.4 out of 5 rating
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    Very beautiful and intimate Japanese garden surrounded by redwods and overlooking the Bay Area. The movie Memoirs of a Geisha filmed part of it there. Because its a non-profit foundation open to the public, the times available for ceremony there are limited. Part of the fee can qualify for a tax deduction due to contribution to charity.
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    Flo Sent on 12/02/2008
    4.2 out of 5 rating
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    The garden is beautiful and peaceful. All natural beauty. We fell in love as soon as we saw it. We had heard of Hakone but never visited until it was recommended to us for our wedding. We now plan on returning again and again.
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    Ne Sent on 11/24/2008
    4.1 out of 5 rating
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    Nice park. Felt a little misled, so when you book your venue, make sure everything is clear. I was told that I got the whole park to myself, but as the day came near, other visitors were welcomed to the park. On the day of, guest were looking at the tea house, there was no control who could or could not go through. My guest had to tell the visitors that there was a wedding going on.
  • Natasha
    Natasha Sent on 05/13/2013
    4 out of 5 rating
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    Beautiful location!! I had my wedding March 30, 2013 and although it slightly sprinkled, the flowers were all blooming and it was breath taking. They were flexible with the amount of guests I had, and my different vendors.
  • N
    N Sent on 06/08/2017
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    I did not go through with booking Hakone Gardens for reasons that will become clear: my first tour, the guide Christine did not tell us where to meet and didn't show up on time. There is a gift shop in front of the gardens, so we asked the cashier to call her. It was probably 15 minutes later that she came, and it was awkward waiting there in the gift shop. The tour was unprofessional and brisk. I asked to come see an event with specialty lighting. Christine put me in touch with someone named Sandra. Sandra was supposed to meet us at 8:00 at an event (note: they never mentioned how to dress, but I assumed it was a wedding so put on a dress). From 8 to 8:30 we were calling Sandra's cell, the office phone, and emailing. No one responded. Sandra eventually called at 9 when we were on our way home. One hour after the meeting time... We left and never looked back. Take your money and run. Utterly unprofessional.
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