Lassen Gardens opens its doors just in time for wedding season

The Northstate's Newest Venue: Lassen Gardens

If you’re recently engaged, or know someone who is, you’ve likely heard how significantly different the wedding industry is now than it was two years ago. Costs have risen, availability has all but disappeared, and the once possible year-long engagement seems to be a total impossibility, assuming you have any specific wants for the big day. Hearing that a caterer is booked solid for the next two years or a venue having only mid-week reservations available would have drawn doubt two years ago, but these days, it seems to be the norm. It should come as no surprise either, considering how much every industry has changed due to the pandemic, though it does seem that the wedding industry was hit rather disproportionately.

Between the loss of venues in the Camp Fire, the delayed weddings due to the fires in years that followed, and the pandemic, a bottleneck has occurred and the local wedding industry has been impacted on all levels. Luckily, new venues like Lassen Gardens are emerging and slowly but surely easing some of the burden on the wedding industry. Perhaps more importantly, at a time when costs are at an all time high, it is also providing an affordable alternative.

Set on 2.3 acres of beautiful lush landscaping, Lassen Gardens provides rustic charm and a rich history dating back to 1928. Conveniently located off of Highway 99 in Vina, the location provides year-round opportunities for just about any event, and with a capacity of up to 200 people, it is truly able to accommodate most. Best of all, it provides an atmosphere that exemplifies the region, and now more than ever, there are few available venues quite like it.

“When we started thinking about purchasing Lassen Steakhouse, we had no idea what the area was like aside from the restaurant itself,” said new owner Joni Samples. “We stopped by for our first tour of the property, and we were just blown away by the grounds—they were unbelievable! The restaurant itself was beautiful, but once we walked the rest of the property, we knew it would be perfect for what we wanted to do.”

Though Joni’s daughter, Jenn, and her husband Wes were both excited to open a restaurant together, this particular property granted Joni and Jenn the additional opportunity to open an event venue. The two loved nothing more than throwing a memorable party, and both had experience with coordinating, logistics, and management. Just like the property, the opportunity was the perfect fit.

“Over the past two years, we kept hearing from friends and family about how difficult it was to reserve a venue—small or large; indoor or out,” Jenn said. “Once we saw the property, we started calling around to confirm, and they weren’t kidding, nearly every venue we called was already totally booked for 2022, and this was in the fall of 2021! Some were even booked well into 2023. We talked it over and quickly realized it was exactly what the area needed. We decided we would launch the venue once we got the steakhouse off the ground and humming along.”

It didn’t take them long to do just that. Officially opened on January 8th, the restaurant quickly made a name for itself due to their focus on quality ingredients, exemplary customer service, and affordability. With wedding season right around the corner, and the restaurant firing on all cylinders, they’ve decided to launch the next phase of their business and open their venue to reservations starting this month.

“We’ve just seen so much support from our community over the last few months,” Jenn beamed. “It’s truly been more than we could have ever imagined. We’re hoping to return some of that support by bringing the same focus on quality, service, and affordability to the wedding venue industry, and alleviate some of the bottleneck couples have been experiencing when trying to set a date to get married.”

Affordability is not something most of us would expect to find these days, especially at a wedding venue—much less, one that looks like this. Beautifully landscaped, the grounds appear to be straight out of a Pinterest board, offering plenty of minilocales perfect for photo ops, and each with its own utility. Order a drink at the rustic outside bar and enjoy it on their expansive patio or go for a stroll alongside the stream that traverses the property. When in full bloom, a long arbor tunnel covered in wisteria offers a stunning alternative to the usual wedding aisle. Crossing the bridge to their main stage, you’ll find a picture-perfect setting for capturing photos of friends and family alike, and of course the grounds have plenty of space to mingle after the ceremony—even horseshoe pits to keep guests entertained. their to-do list, it’s important to note that the venue is not only beautiful, but provides full onsite catering by Lassen Steakhouse. Celebrating life’s most cherished moments, whether weddings, rehearsal dinners, baby showers, anniversaries, retirements, and corporate parties couldn’t be easier with their all-inclusive packages that range from mostly do-it-yourself to completely turnkey.

“We couldn’t be more excited to launch this next step in the business,” Jenn smiled. “It’s the perfect addition to the restaurant, and we’re already working with a number of local wedding and event planners to make this first wedding season one to remember. Our wedding and event packages are now ready, and we feel we have options to fit most budgets. If someone is interested in booking our venue, all they have to do is give us a call to schedule a tour and go over what we have available. We want it to be as convenient and straightforward as possible.”

Step out of the city lights and treat your guests to a getaway that feels a world away while being only minutes from town. Whether hosting a meeting at the restaurant or an evening of dancing and celebration under the stars, visitors will be sure to love an escape from the usual. Not only are Lassen Steakhouse and its venue, Lassen Gardens, conveniently located, the property also offers ample parking and space for RVs, making it easy for visitors to spend the night if need be.

Give Jenn a call at (530) 839-2838 and schedule your tour of Lassen Steakhouse and Lassen Gardens today. We have no doubt you’ll quickly realize why it’s one of our favorite venues in Northern California.