El Cortez Don Room

Our ceremony in The Don Room was pretty amazing. The room decorates itself and the shape of the space makes it feel both intimate and spacious at the same time. The cocktail hour was fun on the Terrace, the lighting and lounge options that were setup gave it that extra sparkle, especially as the sun set. Jessica did a great job at coordinating day of both her crew and managing the vendors. You could feel that she was eager to help and make our vision come to life. We flipped the room during cocktail hour for the reception and on our sneak peek, everything looked beautiful and just the way we wanted it. We loved that there was both inside/​outside and our out of town family could enjoy the fantastic San Diego weather and see a bit of downtown. We planned the wedding from another coast and it was great to have Jessica’s insight and coordination throughout the planning and especially day of. The venue is amazing with an even more fantastic staff. If we could choose again we would totally choose El Cortez.

Jessica and the team at El Cortez were amazing! Our wedding this past Sunday was absolutely perfect. We had more than a few personal touches we wanted to add to our wedding and everything went off without a hitch. Jessica and the team were so attentive to our needs and well as our guests, we can’t thank them enough for a truly spectacular wedding day!

Got married there last weekend and I couldn’t have been more pleased! Jessica Beiringer did such a great job laying out the room and assisting in the décor. On top of the room itself being beautiful from top to bottom, the up-​lighting and fixtures helped create a romantic ambiance.
The outdoor patio was perfect for our ceremony, and our guests loved that during the reception they were able to step out for some fresh air. Plus, we were able to put the photo booth and the bar outside as well, which kept the dance floor and the dinner tables from getting too cramped.
The staff was polite, professional and gracious. We were all treated with nothing but respect and they all took the time to wish us well on our union!
Best place ever.

Very simple and elegant layout. We had our destination wedding here (we’re from Seattle) and one of the things we loved about this place was the not having to put up a lot of decorations. We loved everything about it! The venue speaks for itself! We would HIGHLY recommend using Jessica to help with your day of activities. She was the best money we spent on our entire wedding to help be our D.O.C.

Horrible experience here. There was a private party that my friend paid for and they wouldn’t let us use the LOBBY bathroom. Completely illegal and ridiculous.

Jessica and Joe from El Cortez are amazing! We started this journey a year ago and every step of the way was fantastic right up to and including the wedding day. The venue is amazing and the people you work with there are wonderful! I highly recommend El Cortez for a wedding! Thank you Jessica & Joe! MOG

Here is my honest opinion of the El Cortez Terrace and Don Room.
If you are looking for a historic, spanish, vintage venue for your event, this place is great. The El Cortez is great for Weddings, Holiday Parties and all Private events. The Don Room is Gorgeous and there is also a 10,000 square foot terrace available if you want some outdoor space. There are so many beautiful places to have an event in San Diego, so when it comes to narrowing it down to your top choices, you have to look at the overall picture of what will work best for your event.
Our final decision came down to Customer Service. We have nothing but positive things to say about Jessica who works in Sales for the Don Room. She is FABULOUS! She was able to answer all of our questions, she was always prompt in responding to emails, she remained patient while making decisions and coming up with ideas for the event. Jessica was always sure to communicate any additional costs or any concerns or suggestions she might have. Jessica is also very personable and kind throughout the whole process and we adored her.
This venue does have some preferred vendors that they work directly with. Chairs and Tables must be booked through Tavolo Chaise and any Alcoholic Beverages are booked through Best Beverage Catering. We had no complaints about either of these vendors. They have different vendor options for Entrees/​Appetizers and you have the opportunity to chose one of the vendors that works best for you.
There are a few things to consider before booking this venue:
*This venue is downtown and they do not have a parking garage. There is an option to set up valet parking which can easily fix any parking issues if its in your budget.
*This is a Historic Landmark and the upkeeping of the venue is important. There are venue rules to ensure the gold ceiling and hardwood floors and overall look of the building remains classy. (You can’t be upset about that).
*This building has been converted into Condos so there are people living in the building and the noise level and traffic around the building should be kept respectful.
* You get what you pay for. If you are on a tight budget, this may not be the venue for you.
If you are fine with these few things I’ve mentioned, you’ll have a great event. We were very happy with our choice and we will be forever greatful to the El Cortez and Jessica for all of her help.

My fiancé and I scheduled a tour of the Don Room for our upcoming wedding. The space was really beautiful, and could have been a great spot for the big event!
However, the events team forgot about our meeting. They definitely did their best to recover – they were very friendly and welcoming – but the tour felt pretty scattered. Both of us understand that mistakes and schedule issues happen, but we were left feeling a little uncomfortable at the thought of trusting the event team with our wedding.
But again… it’s a pretty space!

Let me start off by mentioning we are not having our wedding here… However, we did have a date set for next year, but ended up canceling. (Not because El Cortez isn’t awesome, but because we ended at another venue for the ocean views).
Jessica B was our contact for the Don Room, and see is great at what she does. When I initially started looking for venues earlier this year, I was working full time and also a full time student. Basically I had NO time to run around after vendors. After doing some online research I found the Don Room and emailed them for more info, as I did with several other vendors. I gave her, and about 10 other places, our info and what we wanted for more info via email or phone call. Jessica was the only person that responded with actual information which made the process easy and personal. (Other vendors sent emails basically stating only their min $$ and a link to their website or that we needed to set an appointment in order to get a quote).
So after a few emails we set an appointment to check out The Don Room. It’s much more impressive in person! The photos online do little justice to this beautiful building. The terrace alone is amazing!
Basically, I would recommend this venue! Even though we ended up forfeiting our deposit, Jessica was extremely helpful, genuine and professional the entire time.

We did not choose this space as our wedding venue, but it is definitely worth checking out to see if it will work for you.
First of all, El Cortez knows how to make you feel special. We arrived at the building for a walk-​thru and we were greeting by a sign at the parking space with our names on it. We met with Jessica who was extremely sweet and professional. She gave us some sparkling juice and chocolates to take home, along with a comprehensive folder of information.
Second, I asked Jessica about some of the complaints people had about the venue (the fact that it is in fact a condo complex, and people are not allowed to just mill around anywhere. People were getting «yelled at»). She was straightforward with me about the issue, and we talked about ways to prevent that from happening.
We did not choose this venue because we would like to invite 200 guests. Our quote for 175 guests, for plated dinner, moderate alcohol package, dessert, tables, chairs, linens, plates, cutlery, some lounge furniture, and use of the space, with tax gratuity, and service charge, was about $ 25,000.00. This is a little more than we wanted to spend.
We also did not choose this venue because, while it is nice, it is not our style. The terrace area did not have the downtown skyline views that we were interested in seeing, and the ballroom was a little too formal for us. We wanted to have a fun indian/​middle eastern themed wedding, and our theme would definitely compete with the space. We needed more of a blank space.
However, I have full confidence in Jessica, and the rest of the team that if this venue fits your desires, they will make your dreams come true.

We had both our ceremony and reception at the El Cortez in Feb. 2014 and from what I am aware of… everything went off without a hitch!
We worked directly with Jessica B. throughout the year prior and she was so helpful with a process I knew very little about. Thankfully I didn’t scare her out with my 100s of questions and updates.
We were lucky enough to have Joe on the day of and he was just beyond amazing. He, along with really every single one of our vendors, really took the time to make sure that we were okay and happy with how everything was going throughout the day.
I cannot recommend the team at the El Cortez enough. They definitely made this experience as simple as possible!

I love the don room and I have nothing but amazing things to say about Jessica! When I went in to the Don Room for the first time I knew it was my dream room made in to reality. My wedding was nothing short of being perfect. We had the perfect weather at our Friday October 11, 2013 4:00pm wedding. Everything went as close to as the detailed timeline (that Jessica made for me and I only modified for specific details) as it possibly could. Jessica has a work ethic that amazed me. The room looked amazing and many of my family members will talk about this for years to come. We had our wedding in the terrace performed by our pastor and then cocktail hour on the terrace. Dinner was held in the don room. Ranch events did our catering, flowers and linen… I did have a few bumps in the road with them but in the end they came thought. I will do a separate review for ranch only giving them 4 starts because of the mishaps with them but as I said before the day of the event went amazing with all of my venders. If I had a chance to do it all again I would still use the don room and ranch I would just not do so many of the upgrades. The room is amazing in itself do not get caught up in the wedding bliss and go over budget like we did. Our budget was $ 30 000 for a group of 200 but we ended up spending about $ 40 000 because of all of my upgrades and extras… and because I have too many family members in San Diego Lol. In the end it was worth every penny! My advice for brides: relax– plan everything you can then the day of let it all go, stay organized, take pics before the wedding so that you can enjoy your wedding and cocktail hour, and remember that this is a celebration of BOTH of you loving each other.

I have nothing but great things to say about the venue and everyone I worked with. As the other reviews have already raved about, Jessica and Joe are wonderful to work with. They make sure that the evening is as flawless as it possibly can be.
It is definitely not a cheap venue, but needs so little in terms of décor because of its already so unique appearance. The venue speaks for itself with the ornate features and vintage feel.
Two things I suggest to future brides is
1)definitely use the up-​lighting on the terrace. People love the terrace and will be out there all night (especially since that is where the bar is set up)
2)i would suggest opting to go with one of the caterers on the preferred list. The evening goes much smoother when the biggest vendor is one who works with the venue on a regular basis.

We recently got married at the El Cortez. We could not have been happier. Jessica was amazing to work with!!! Joe with Tavolo is also amazing. We had a hard time choosing a caterer, but in the end chose Ranch. We had some issues with them, but Jessica saw to it that these issues were quickly resolved. The day of service was outstanding by ALL! The only thing I would have changed if we would have had space was to have the bar, or an additional bar inside the Don Room. Our families love to drink, and we had such great lounge areas set up outside that I felt the dance floor and music inside was lacking a little attention. The reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 were due to Ranchs’ mishaps– Not the El Cortez itself.

Joe was the most helpful person I’ve ever met. He was so genuine & truly tried to make our experience the very best. He made sure that he directed the guest into the right room he cleaned up nice & always had a smile on. He made sure he had everything in order. We want to thank him for making our wedding so beautiful. (Monique & Anthony)

I have only great things to say about this place.!! Loved, loved, loved having my wedding here! I worked with Jessica Beirger for the entire year prior to my wedding, and she was very responsive and patient the entire time. On the «day of» the door attendants, especially Joe, were fantastic and met all of our needs. The Don Room is truly classic and elegant with it’s gold ceilings and octagonal shape, and the outside terrace is spacious and lovely as well. I noticed that a lot of Unilocalers have complaints about all of the terrible rules here, but I don’t agree: – if you can’t deal with rules, then you should have your event in your own backyard… seriously, I don’t understand your sense of entitlement. I highly recommend the El Cortez as a wedding venue!

NN’s review is somewhat similar to our experience with the Don Room.
Our wedding was on July 21, 2013. All in all, we had a beautiful wedding and had a fantastic time. Would I do it again with El Cortez? Not sure.
We initially decided on the venue because after we met with Jessica, the location’s planner, we were under the impression that this wedding would be much easier and less expensive than what we it turned out to be. It was made to sound that they offer an all inclusive package. For our initial meeting Jessica created a package for us with a caterer, bar services, florist, etc. The entire price was so incredibly reasonable, how could we refuse? Well, this being our first (and hopefully only) marriage/​wedding we didn’t know all the details that go into a wedding. We felt a little misled because Jessica puts herself as a planner that will help guide you through the entire process– she is here to help you. Trusting her to have our best interest we felt like she just wanted to make a sale. After all, if someone came to me with help or had questions in regards to planning a wedding I would tell them the whole truth, good and bad, so they know what to expect. We also felt incredibly deceived when we found out (about 3 months before the wedding date) that our wedding fell onto Comicon weekend! OH MY GAWSH! We don’t live in San Diego, and we had a lot of family coming in from out of town. This made the price for our hotels and flight tickets sky rocket. We absolutely, 100% felt that Jessica should have warned us that the weekend we chose is a very very busy weekend in downtown San Diego.
Back to the initial package that was created for us… It was pretty shitty. The caterer that she wanted us to go with is Ranch Events. Yes they are cheaper, and yes they do offer all the floral arrangements, but they are very subpar. The woman we met with was incredibly nice but the food was just not good. We felt a little embarrassed having our families fly across the country for our wedding and making them eat cafeteria food. SO, that fell off the package! Now, we had to go with a different caterer AND florist, making our price significantly change. The caterer we landed on was also recommended by El Cortez, Continental Catering. Although a little difficult to get a hold of at times the food was delicious! We got a lot of compliments on the food served as well as the wait staff. Also, for our florist we went with Flora Linda Design, she did a fantastic job and was very helpful every step of the way. Great choices with those two vendors– but the price was much more than what we thought we were getting into.
Another vendor on their list to choose from was our DJ, we went with Patrick from Avant Garde (mainly because of his price), and he truly was the only piece of the day that really messed up. Constantly getting our names wrong in announcements and not being able to start a short film that was scheduled to play. I would avoid him from their list. Tavalo chairs (they force you to go with them for all seating) are way overpriced but there is nothing you can do about that. They do offer complimentary uplighting inside the Don Room which is very nice. And for the outdoor up lighting, you really only need the smallest package. That’s what we got and it was plenty. Best Beverage is the only bar service you can go with, they were nice, nothing to write home about. You are not allowed to do a grand exit, so forget about that. And yes, a lot of restrictions. One thing that REALLY irked us the day of the wedding is the patrolling the hall/​lobby leading from the front entrance to the Don Room. I get they are doing what their told, so I suppose our gripe isn’t with them but with the management. We weren’t allowed to take a single picture in the lobby! SO, the only photos we could really take were on the terrace. When we rented the venue we rented it for the beauty of the venue thinking we could actually use it all. It does briefly mention in the contract that the hall is to be used as a thoroughfare. But come on, let us take a couple photos, it would have taken a total of 5 minutes!
This is probably the longest review I have ever, and will ever write. But I really wanted to be detailed so that future couples and families are aware of what they are getting into. Be very detailed BEFORE making a commitment with them or anyone for that matter, do your homework. Our quoted package rate for 75 people was $ 12,000.00 we thought with little other expenses it would be more like $ 15,000.00. Nope. Our wedding was $ 27,000.00 when ALL is said and done. Now it was a beautiful wedding, but also keep in mind that we did not do anything abnormally lavish. Also, with that price we got great deals on gown and photography as we have connections in both areas. Also, remember that it is NOT all inclusive, nothing is inclusive. And be aware that Jessica is there to answer questions you have and nothing more. Good luck! :)

Beautiful place to have a wedding. This is one of those places that you don’t have to decorate much because it’s already so beautiful. Just outside the Don Room, there’s a patio area that can be converted into a ceremony and cocktail area.
My two gripes about the Don Room is that some of your guests’ view will be blocked due to the pillars. Also, the room is circular so I’m not sure where someone would put up a screen if they wanted to show a slideshow. Other than that, beautiful venue.
Oh, and I don’t think this venue provides its own parking.

I had my wedding reception here April 2012 and met with Jessica. The Don Room is gorgeous on its own and Jessica didn’t help sell the venue. In fact, when we were discussing our possible entertainment for the day she kept saying «oh yeah we can’t allow that b/​c of our floors. oh yeah we don’t allow that here» and so on. It’s not like we wanted a circus to perform… just belly dancers. If it wasn’t noted on my contract then I can do it!
You must use their list of vendors for chairs, food, and beverages and Jessica really pushed her liking to Ranch Events. Ranch pretty much has a permanent setup on the patio for the kitchen. We later learned that using Ranch wasn’t the best choice. You can read about Ranch in their separate Unilocal review. Tavalo for chairs is required and is way overpriced for the quality and padding of a chair they provide. Best Beverages is the only beverage vendor you can use and they were by far the nicest and easiest to work with. Actually, the best workers of the night!
El Cortez has their own team of 3 (or 4) helpers on the event night supposedly making sure the Don Room doors are closed, directing guests down the hall and out to the patio, etc. Well, they were not watching the doors too closely as guests found their way in during the cocktail hour to snoop around. They should have also been looking out for common residents of El Cortez and we did notice 1 «wedding crashing» Asian couple on the dance during our opening dance session.
Jessica said that a door greeter in costume will be there on the event day but funny that wasn’t listed in their initial contract. I made her revise the contract to detail a few items she said El Cortez will provide.
Other sad stipulations are that guests cannot sit in the foyer, pictures of any kind cannot be taken in the foyer (This is b/​c it belongs to the HOA and the residents of El Cortez condos), the party must end and guests out of the room by 11pm, and El Cortez and Tavolo only accept payment by cash or check. At least let you clients get some points on their credit card for dropping all those G’s!
Overall, El Cortez Don Room is a beautiful venue with a high price tag and many stipulations/​regulations. It is very beautiful venue and I wish they were easier to work with.

We had our October 2011 wedding here. Our ceremony was on the terrace and our reception in the Don Room. There is no doubt, the Don Room sells it. The moment we saw it, we loved it. It is historical and glamorous without the stuffy hotel atmosphere. Yet, if I were to plan a wedding all over again, I don’t think I would get married here. There were too many hidden «rules» that weren’t spelled out in the contract. Regulations that were specified in the contract were constantly changing during the planning process. It was always a cluster of information and seemed that they were making up the rules as we went along.
The final straw for me was when I was told a week before the wedding that I HAD to rent ceremony chairs from a specific company (Tavolo) and to the tune of $ 700+. Never mind I had already paid for ceremony chairs to be brought in and for about half that price. Again this was not specified in the contract and staff members couldn’t offer an explanation for it. They admitted that it was a «new rule» but refused to discuss it further. Another bride told me later that the woman who owns the Don Room is married to the owner of Tavolo which explains that relationship.
While this location in unique and beautiful, I cannot recommend this venue. There was just too much unnecessary grief and hassle.