Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden

Average Cost: $23,000

*Average cost for THIS venue is calculated by figuring a 125-person guest list for a Saturday night wedding using Jay’s catering food/beverage costs, facility rental fees for a 6 hour event, tax and gratuity. Transportation to venue, entertainment, decorations, flowers, tents, tables, etc. are not included. Price is rounded up to the nearest thousand.

How it breaks down:

Facility Rental Fee (pricing based on 4 1/2 hour event): 

Friday: $3,500

Saturday: $4,500

Sunday: $3,900

What this includes: Parking, sound system, coordinator and staff for setup/breakdown, white garden resin chairs, guest book table, bridal cabana, ivory umbrellas, decorative lighting, one hour rehearsal. 

Additional Info: Receive $200 off if you become a member. Additional hours may be purchased at $350/hour. $50 late fee for rehearsal that run 15 minutes late.

Food:  You must use either of their approved caterers, Jay’s Catering or Choura’s. Below is a sample list of prices from Jay’s Catering includes (all prices based on 6 hours for 100+ people):

Buffet (appetizers, main courses, and desserts): $4/per person

The Small Plate Station (appetizers, main courses, and desserts): $53/per person

Plated: $68/per person, plus if you want appetizers (selection of 2): $4/per person

Each option includes: Wait staff, linens and napkins, china, water and coffee mugs, bread, wedding cake, lemonade, iced tea, and coffee.

Additional Dessert Station: $7/per person

Premium bar (not very premium…includes Jose Cuervo and Jack Daniels…but neither are the prices): $20/per person

Upgraded Beverage Glasses: $.50-$1

Total for plated,additional desserts, upgraded glasses, premium bar, and appetizers plus standard 20% gratuity and tax for 125 guests: $17,120 (or $136/per person).

To see their menu options click the link here: Jays Catering Menu

More Stats:

Space Type: Outside

Bridal Suite: Yes, there is a bridal “cabana”

Size: 165 for wedding and reception

Food Service Type: Depends on selected caterer

Parking: Complimentary

How Will Grandma Get There? Long Beach has plenty of hotel options, including The Hyatt and Residence Inn by Marriott.

Extras: Tables and other decor needs to be brought in from an approved vendor.

Party On!: Events must end by 11 p.m. Children between the ages of 2-10 have to be out of the garden by dusk.

 The Report:

Located on the campus of California State University in Long Beach, the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden is situated on 1.3 acres. The landscape architect, Ed Lovell, took inspiration from the Imperial Gardens in Tokyo before designing it. The garden was built in 1981 with money donated by Loraine Miller Collins, who dedicated it to the memory of her husband, Earl. It serves as an outdoor study area for students as well as student mentoring. When it was built, Mrs. Collins wrote about her inspiration for the garden. She said:

“I have a dream for this garden. When a person is tired, or anxious, or in a quest of beauty, may they enter and come forth refreshed to meet the problems of the day. There will be music of the wind through the pines, music from the waterfalls and the birds. There will be serenity as you walk around the lake, and joy, I hope, in the beauty of the reflections in that lake. There will be iris and azaleas in the Spring. Flowering magnolia in Summer. In the Fall, chrysanthemums and the gold of the liquid amber trees. There will be strength and solidity in the rocks and the wooden bridges. And, of course, there will be bamboo, a favorite wood of the Japanese because it is so useful and beautiful. There is an old proverb that says, ‘Bamboo bends but never breaks.’ It is my hope that as you leave your tour of the garden, you will find in your heart that proverb, and the day will be filled with joy.” – Loraine Miller Collins

Woman Getting Married Says:

With a koi pond and bridge connecting either side, the garden looks like a mix between Monet’s garden at Giverny and the architect’s Japanese inspiration (well, maybe just a little). While it’s gorgeous, it’s not necessarily built with weddings in mind. The space can be choppy and there are no indoor options, which I’m not a fan of. Couples typically get married on the bridge with a microphone, and guests are seated in various locations around it. There is not one big space for all the guests to sit and eat, so things will be a bit broken up which can be less than ideal for the flow of a wedding, especially one on the larger side. There also seem to be a set of strict rules which can be a pain in the butt, such as the $50 fee if your bridal party is late to the rehearsal and the “children must be gone by dusk” rule. While it’s beautiful, I think you still might need to spend some money to make it look a bit more unique and add to the design (such as different chairs). However, the rental fee is not insane and the outdoor setting can be beautiful if the weather is nice.