With its fascinating mountain views, the Summit House Fullerton is probably one of the most enchanting wedding venues in Southern California. The building in English countryside style and calm green grounds of the adjoining Vista Park make it perfect for a romantic, classic, or bohemian wedding.
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Location & History of the Summit House Fullerton
Summit House is a wedding venue located in Fullerton, California, approximately 22 miles from L.A. It’s an English-style house surrounded by 12 acres of Fullerton’s Vista Park. The estate is nestled on one of the highest points in North Orange County and has a grandiose panoramic mountain view: the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains on the north and the Santa Anas on the east.
The property is famous for the Summit House Restaurant Fullerton restaurant & its excellent cuisine and beloved as a romantic wedding and anniversary venue.
As a dining place and event venue, it was firstly opened in 1991. The concept of the business was to provide the “Old World” English food accented with a fine wine program. The Summit House owner Gary Parkinson built the house from scratch inspired by English Inns with their cozy rooms, fireplaces, and abundant meals. The house was built in the style of an English country manor with its clear classic architecture. Groves of sycamores and rose bushes surround the building, reminding calm English gardens.
The location in itself was well chosen: on the top of hills, with spectacular views and not far from big cities. So, it immediately became a popular destination for romantic dinners, anniversary celebrations, and garden weddings up to 250 persons. In 2018, Gary Parkinson received the Fullerton College 2018 President’s Award for outstanding service in the business.
Summit House Restaurant, Weddings & Events is located at 2000 E Bastanchury Road. The venue can accommodate up to 250 persons. There is a large parking lot in the area. So, it’s a great place in Orange County with a nice panoramic view to have any kind of celebration or just enjoy delicious food and drinks.
Amenities of Summit House Fullerton
Summit House offers planning options to choose from as well as an all-inclusive package. It will provide you with the food and beverage catering from Executive Chef Timothy Plumb team.
What you will get at your Summit House Fullerton wedding:
- 6 hours of event time for your ceremony & reception, 5 hours for reception only,
- bridal dressing area 5 hours prior to your ceremony,
- rentals for the ceremony like chairs and decor, use of the gazebo for a fee,
- catering,
- hosted bar service and cash bar service to choose or combine,
- florist, DJ and/or entertainment, and wedding cake provided by the venue,
- complimentary valet parking.
The great thing is that you can bring your own wine (for a fee per bottle). Also, they have a list of preferred vendors if needed and will help you with the coordination of your rehearsal or ceremony. Another perk is the venue’s curfew, it’s a late-night venue working from 11 a.m. until midnight.
If you need all-in-one and to be free from any headache, you can choose their ‘Everything but the Ring’ package for your wedding ceremony and reception. In this case, the Summit House Fullerton wedding cost will be $24,200 on Fridays and Sundays up to 75 guests, and $38,400 on Saturdays up to 135 guests. There are also other packages where you can customize your options. ,
Events Sites of Summit House Fullerton
Summit House offers both indoor and outdoor event spots.
- The ceremony is organized in the Terraced Amphitheater and Gazebo in Vista Park which can hold up to 250 seated or 500 standing guests.
- In the Grand Summit Ballroom, couples usually host receptions of up to 250 guests.
- The Queens room with its own adjoining patio is perfect for cocktails or intimate celebrations for up to 60 guests.
You can make only a ceremony or only a reception at the venue. The use of the gazebo will cost additional.
Bridal & Groom Preparation Areas of Summit House
You will have the Summit House dressing area 5 hours before the ceremony at your service. Moreover, you can use it also throughout your reception.
The room is nice yet not large, with cozy plush upholstered sofas, silk pillows, and, most importantly, a big make-up & hair stylist’s station with mirrors. Another nice perk is a private entrance of the room opening to Vista Park and a wedding gazebo. The room has even a password-safe door, so you will enjoy total privacy. There is a big balcony, the windows are big as well and let in plenty of light.
Still, if you need more space for your wedding accessories, you can hang your wedding dress in the Grand Room right next to its giant Palladian window. For more expressive and fun photos with your bridal party, you can take some shots outdoors under the tree canopy: just take out some chairs to sit on and enjoy the surrounding beauty. These small tricks will help you to get more interesting getting ready shots.
In his turn, the groom will have a groom’s area with all the necessary facilities, like in any standard hotel room. Also, you can take lots of great pictures with the groom’s wedding party in the Tavern bar of the Summit House. It’s a big bar next to the Grand Summit Ballroom: a spacious area with a traditional bar ambiance and a nice spot to take some groom’s getting ready pictures.
First Look & Couple Shots at Summit House Fullerton
For your First Look, there is the most convenient and obvious place: the main entrance of your bridal room opens to the green lawns of Vista Park. There are green shaded grounds under the trees protecting you from direct sun. You will have a panoramic view of the San Bernardino Mountains as your First Look backdrop.
Also, you can take your First Look photos right in front of the house, so the vintage architecture of the building will be your photo backdrop. Exteriors of this English-style manor with white walls, a tile roof, garden paths, and benches look very picturesque in the photos.
As for the couple’s golden hour photos, we walked up and down the hill and took many sunset pictures. The location of Summit House concerning lighting is perfect. It is very moderate in the afternoon and very flattering when the sun goes down. Don’t forget that in the late evening you can take beautiful couple pictures under the starry night sky with a panoramic view of city lights.
Wedding Party & Family Photos at Summit House Fullerton
The name of the green area surrounding the Summit House restaurant Fullerton from the eastern side is Vista Park. It offers this spectacular view of Orange County and the mountains. The whole area is 8 acres and it was open to the public in 1992. So, you can take many shots on garden walkways walking up to the flowery hillside and around the gazebo. The gazebo is a very big one in comparison to others I have seen: it seats 25 persons. So, you can easily place there big groups and take family shots before or after the ceremony.
If you are ready to walk a bit far from the venue, at the western side of the Summit House parking lot there is another green area called Panorama Nature Preserve. It’s a small nature reserve with paved & gravel walking paths. Going through the parking lot, you immediately reach one of its gravel walkways. In summer, this area is also very bushy and flowery. It’s a nice place to walk or hike, a golf court (Coyouts Hill) is not far away so keep in mind that you can meet some passers-by.
Both places offer great views of nearby mountains and houses. So, at the Summit House, you have areas where you can take a short walk for a photoshoot as well as the place for a long walk if you have time and mood.
Ceremony site of Summit House Fullerton
Just a short walk from the bridal room and Grand Summit Room, there is a terraced amphitheater and a gazebo for your ceremony. It’s a very spacious (up to 250 guests) spot ringed by trees.
The bride will enter the path leading to the ceremony spot right from her bridal suite. When all the guests are seated, she will walk down the aisle between the trees to the gazebo. The simple classic construction of the gazebo allows you to decorate your ceremony spot with any decorations you wish. Some decor ideas you can see also on the Facebook page of the Summit house. The gazebo itself looks out upon rows of white chairs. The nicest thing at this place is that people seating in rows don’t disturb each other because the amphitheater is terraced. So, when the couple exchange vows they can look over all their guests, and guests in their turn will see every detail of the ceremony.
After the ceremony, it’s time for family shots in the park and cocktails. The cocktails are usually served on one of the outdoor patios. You can also arrange drinks in the Queen’s room indoors.
In your ceremony package, you’ll get a ceremony coordinator, plus white wooden padded chairs from the venue, and post-ceremony cleanup.
Reception site of the Summit House Fullerton
The Grand Summit Ballroom is a very beautiful and spacious indoor area for the reception. It has its special English ambiance: cream-colored walls, a carved high beam ceiling with decor pipings, and cozy fireplaces.
Vintage pewter chandeliers and grandiose bay windows with French doors work perfectly for lighting. You will enjoy the daylight until deep dusk because the floor-to-ceiling windows let every small ray of sun come inside and bathe the room in light.
The couple will have their sweetheart table right next to these windows with a panoramic view of the mountains. In the middle of the room, there is a large raised tile dance floor. There is enough space between guest tables to move freely, celebrate and socialize. In general, the room can seat up to 250 guests. However, if you need more space, the staff will move wall rolls aside and you can also use the Queen’s Room and the adjoining patio.
From my experience with the Summit house, I always find their service & overall organization perfect. The staff knows what and how to do every second of the celebration. There is no unnecessary hurry and fuss. It’s one of the big advantages of the venues with all-inclusive packages: vendors know the venue, know each other and work together as a well-coordinated team. Not to mention that the food from the chef Timothy Plumb having 25 years of restaurant experience is really great.
All advantages of your Summit House Fullerton wedding
Summit House offers you everything you want in a wedding venue, it’s one of the most popular places in the area. In comparison to other nearby venues, they give you the venue space for the entire day plus the venue coordinator & staff will be always there for you, from the wedding rehearsal to the final wedding day.
The venue is close to big cities yet feels secluded. It’s a perfect choice if most of your guests are from Orange County or LA. They will find lots of parking lots: Summit House offers complimentary valet & self-parking.
The property has a romantic rustic vibe and at the same time is great for classic & elegant celebrations. It offers both outdoor & indoor options. The outdoor ceremony site is a very convenient place with the gazebo & the guest seats on the hill from which your guests will witness the ceremony without any obstruction.
Aside from the spectacular views and a vintage-styled building, you will get amazing food. If food for you or your soulmate is one of the important highlights of the wedding, Summit House restaurant Fullerton CA will fit you best. In addition, the wedding packages are reasonably priced, and to manage your price, you can choose between different packages.
There are other wedding venues in Orange County to compare:
Rancho Las Lomas in Orange County of Southern California in the foothills of Mission Viejo, and
Serra Plaza is an outdoor event venue located in the historic downtown of San Juan Capistrano city in Orange County.