I recently officiated a wedding at the Martin Johnson House in La Jolla and what a beautiful venue. The ceremony area overlooks the ocean - what more could you ask for? The reception area is on a deck that also overlooks the ocean and it is just a spectacular wedding venue. Looking forward to returning in the future! read more

After photographing several weddings here, I can honestly say this is one of my favorite wedding venues. It has a charming cottage and deck with a backyard feel. Your guests will love taking in the breathtaking ocean views during your ceremony and enjoying the sunset at cocktail hour. There are cypress trees and cute little bunnies hopping around the lawn. I love that there are so many photo ops here and best of all, it's really affordable! Highly recommend this venue! Can't wait for the next wedding at MJH. Linda M. with Jalea Photography read more

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Recent came here for a work event. The view is amazing! Probably not much else that beats it. The venue as a whole is very old, no updates and quite small. The parking is very difficult. Be prepared to walk up a steep hill to get to the venue. For a work event it is nice but not sure I would consider having a wedding here. There would be a lot of logistics to figure out for guests. If having an event in the spring/summer maybe better since the beauty of the venue is outside. read more

My cousin works for the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, so he got an enviable discount for his wedding earlier this month at Martin Johnson House. The place was absolutely gorgeous, a lovely cottage nestled among lush greenery, with panoramic ocean views. Both the ceremony and reception were held on house grounds, mostly outdoors. We were warned that it would be cold, and that we should bring coats and blankets. Good advice, though there were plenty of space heaters, and I thought it was as warm as could be expected for an outdoor wedding in January. The ceremony looked out over the water, and there was a cocktail hour followed by a seated dinner. There were probably between 120 and 150 guests, and the venue was nicely sized for the wedding. I don't know how planning and all that went, but I can say from a guest's perspective that Martin Johnson House was a beautiful wedding venue. It's worth checking out if you're looking for a seaside event space, whether or not you can get an employee discount. read more

This is a beautiful spot to have a wedding. I can't speak to the planning of it but the location as a guest was stunning for a small wedding. Location really can't be beat. Parking was easy enough if you give your guests passes. Very romantic and intimate. read more

I enjoyed this place,it overlooks the ocean,it's peaceful,& one can photograph the entirety. It's a great walk with an incredible view.

The Martin Johnson House was a perfect venue for our August wedding. It's absolutely all about the nature. The venue is mostly outdoor, shaded by trees, and there's so many quiet spots to get a great ocean view and lots of variation in scenery for pictures (cacti, eucalyptus, torrey pines, lavender, the ocean, a great big SIO wooden building). For context, my husband and I had a wedding with 100 attendees, a $30k budget. We wanted our wedding to have a backyard wedding feel, with emphasis on delicious food and drinks, plus some typical modern wedding things like a photo booth, lawn games, and a DJ/dancefloor outside on the lower deck. We rented 11 farm tables + 1 sweetheart table for everyone to sit at on the decks. All except 2 of the tables + the sweetheart table were on the upper deck. The inside of the house was used only for a buffet and dessert, and our photo booth, bar, a lounge set were scattered around the lawn area. Booking: Because we knew that many venues are booked 1-2 years in advance during peak season (May-August) in San Diego, booking our venue was the first item on our list. We were looking in March 2018, and the Martin Johnson House had just a couple dates open in the summer of 2019 at that time (we really didn't want to get rained on, since the venue is mostly outdoor). So we ended up booking 1.5 years in advance, which seemed like too long but now I'm really glad we had all that time. What's provided: The only thing that I can think of that's provided by the venue is the space, bathrooms, and a contact who gives you all the initial info that you need, helps you submit your permits and makes sure that you don't have any decorations that aren't allowed. Our contact Romie was great. The venue put out signs at all the entrances that we were holding a private event. You can also optionally buy parking permits and a parking attendant for the day of. You are responsible for having everything else brought to the venue, and it must be set up and removed that day. Officially we had the venue from 2PM - 10PM (with an hour clean up at the end), but because they didn't have anything else scheduled that morning, Romie said we could start setting up earlier (this really can't be guaranteed though, or confirmed until pretty close to the date). I really highly recommend hiring a coordinator to help manage all these details, I don't know what we would have done without ours. Food and drinks: You must choose from an approved list of caterers. We chose MIHO Catering and they did an awesome job, everyone raved about the food. Drinks were also served by them, and we had a full bar with alcohol we provided. A list of the alcohol you plan to bring must be submitted to UC San Diego for approval. Capacity: Technically the venue's max capacity is 130, but I think it would be difficult to fit more than we did on if you want the dance floor to be on the lower deck, with farm tables, with no tables on the grass. Maybe you can fit more if you have round tables. Parking: Parking requires a permit at SIO, even on weekends (unlike main campus). For the wedding day, we hired a parking attendant to hand out permits for an hour before the wedding, and let our guests know where they could park (there's a bunch of small scattered lots, so it can be a bit confusing). No regrets there. Day of surprises: Many of our guests were delighted by the bunnies hopping around the venue, and paragliders floating by during the ceremony. To sum it all up, the Martin Johnson House is a beautiful venue for an outdoor wedding with less than 100 people. If the wedding you're looking to have fits roughly in the parameters above, I highly recommend it. read more

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Beautiful place to rent out for a wedding. Our friends were married there and the views of the ocean and the little house cottage with all of the trees made the wedding venue absolutely gorgeous. Parking is limited so Uber was the right choice. Not much area inside the house for hanging out only because it was used by the staff to get everything for the wedding done. The restrooms were a big problem for everyone because there was only two unisex individual restrooms to use. The deck patio is where we ate and danced. Basically the entire out door area for the wedding was perfect and spacious, it was just the house itself was rather too small. read more

We got married here in February, and it was lovely! My husband and I met at UCSD so it was special for us to get married here, and honestly the views cannot be beat. Truly one of the most beautiful spots on the west coast. As a wedding venue, there were a lot of limitations to work with: preferred caterers only, decor restrictions, very little parking (which you have to pay for), strict cut-off time, no tables/chairs provided, etc. However, that's why the venue fee is so low, and if you can work within those bounds it will be magical!! We thought we'd be saving $ but in the end the rentals were significantly more than we expected. Still worth it though, for such a special setting. I'd recommend hiring a Day-Of Coordinator who has worked here before, so they are familiar with all the restrictions. Don't let the rules scare you away! read more

Obviously the views and ambiance of this venue speak for itself...I fell in love with this spot while doing a survey for work on USCD's campus. As soon as my husband proposed, I knew just where we'd be married. We did have to wait one year as the venue is SO booked. The staff can be difficult to get a hold of and on the day of our wedding, their sales team had scheduled a 'walk through' for another bride and groom......a little strange for someone who's booked out the place. But you definitely can't beat the price, that's for sure! On the day of the wedding, we paid to have a UCSD staff member hand out parking permits so our guests wouldn't get a $50.00 parking ticket. There are limited spaces, and this venue is totally designed for a more intimate wedding. We brought in all of our vendors (they had to be approved) and we didn't have any issues..in fact, on the day of the wedding, the school provided a Security gentleman who protected our event from passers by! That was a nice feature. All in all, this place will forever hold a super special place in our hearts. I would like to recommend it, so you too can share a special memory! read more

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We had a fabulous wedding under the large trees and glittering stars in July 2010. Pros: The venue is breathtaking, the views are extraordinary, and the building and decks and lawns were the perfect setting. A heavy dose of white cloth "walls" around the inside of the building created a less "clubby" atmosphere (as the walls are heavy wood and the photos are dated), but that was the extent of interior decorating needed. The views were enough decoration for the outside spaces! The set up was perfect for 110 people, with spaces for eating, dancing, and room for those so inclined to take a moonlit stroll (or for the 10 year olds to twirl crazily on the lawn). Cons: The parking situation could be better - a pain to give permits to all of the guests as they arrived (wish we could have given them out at the rehearsal dinner or earlier). You can't hang anything from the trees, so if you want those romantic lights spanning the deck, you have to put in poles to hold 'em up. You're restricted to their list of caterers, but since Crown Point Catering was on the list, we had no problem with this. Overall - I'm practically a professional bridesmaid, and yes, I could be a bit biased, but this is my FAVORITE venue of all of the 25 weddings I've attended in the past 10 years. Oh, and the coordinator's name is Donna, so they may have changed people since Lisa B's review. We didn't have any problems with her (although it was crazy getting all the insurance requirements taken care of, but she worked with us to get it done). read more

Martin Johnson House - view from the MJ House deck - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - La Jolla, California

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Pros: stunning location overlooking the ocean, reasonably priced, great outdoor space, an abundance of great spots for photo ops, and flexible alcohol policy is nice. Cons: dealing with university bureaucracy, unreliable UCSD contacts through the events office (for example, at our rehearsal we needed parking passes, and the UCSD contact came 15 min late, delaying our rehearsal), and minor upkeep needed: broken benches and fences. At the end of the day, the amazing location subsumes the negative aspects and we are glad we went with Martin Johnson house. We didn't mind the limited list of approved caterers because we ended up loving Buckboard so much and are happy the list led us to them. read more

We just had our wedding here on Sunday. My husband is affiliated with UCSD so we got a discount from the normal price. The price is generally very affordable, but this place books up well over a year in advance, so book early! Also, almost nothing is included, so you have to rent all tables, chairs, linens, silverware, dishware, glasses, overhead lighting. Worth it for the amazing view and scenery, though! The venue does have some restrictions, like we were not able to have Sensational Treats make donuts on the deck with the guests. So, don't get your heart set on having a fry station on the decks after you book the venue! read more

What a spectacular venue! All of our photographers here at Spotlight Studios, love working events here. The views, sweeping landscape, and atmosphere are breathtaking and the staff is attentive and really makes everyone feel welcomed and taken care of. Thank you for the great memories! read more

Martin Johnson House - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - La Jolla, California

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The only reason I gave the Martin Johnson House a 4 is because of some of the catering companies on their 'Preferred list' are HORRIBLE! This place is otherwise spectacular and beautiful, I couldn't rave more about it. BUT I am getting married here next year and I have never come across caterers that have been so rude or at least half of the companies don't call you back. I guess they dont care because either way they are guarenteed business through the Martin Johnson House but BEWARE, especially of UCSD CATERING. ***this is a review on UCSD CATERING- MARTIN JOHNSON GETS A 5 ON MY BOOK, BEST LOCATION EVER......ESPECIALLY IF THEY DROP UCSD FROM THEIR CATERING LIST" I first met with the head of UCSD Catering while looking at the venue, Ms. Meola seemed nice and accommodating and we decided to schedule an appointment with her. She seemed wonderful at our appointment and she wrote down everything we wanted. We agreed on a pasta, a salad and a meat entrée. When I got her proposal it was a lot different and almost 2 thousand dollars over the budget we asked her to stay within, which she said was no problem. I wasn't worried and I thought that the food still looked good though it was different than we had originally planned so I asked to change a few things. Those things were changed and I asked for a tasting.....after a little over a week of not hearing back I emailed the catering company and asked if they received my email about scheduling a tasting and they said Ms. Meola went on vacation and would be back in 5 days but they would give her the message. 3 weeks later I still hadn't heard back from the company and needed to move forward with choosing someone, wedding planning is too stressful not to be contacted back after a month of trying to reach a company or someone that could help me. I have emails back and forth from UCSD Catering As soon as I sent an email complaining Ms. Meola called me and said "I don't understand your email, I don't understand where you are coming from" and I told her I wanted to move forward In which she responded "Well what do you want to do? You know you need 1k to move forward, so do you have the money? Do you have the thousand dollars needed to move forward" I told her that I assumed that we usually schedule a tasting before signing up with a company to make sure its the company we want to go with and she responded with "WELL DID YOU EVER TELL ME YOU WANTED A TASTING? BECAUSE I NEVER RECEIVED THAT REQUEST FROM YOU"....I have never been treated in such a condescending manner and I gladly pulled up the email where I asked for a tasting (I assume this is what other companies do when they want someone to sign up for their catering services, without the client literally having to BEG them) After I pulled out the email, she quickly changed her tone. She said "Im so sorry, its just that ive been on vacation and so busy" I don't care how busy you are, you don't treat clients this way.....so I don't know why but I scheduled an appointment for a tasting with her that weekend. Since my mom is paying for our catering service and since we went to the appointment together, I told her about the horrible service Ms. Meola was providing. She was outraged and unknown to me, wrote her and email telling her that she should really never treat clients or talk to clients in the manner she did to me and so on and said that we would not be going to a tasting or continuing services with UCSD Catering. Julie quickly called me and said "WHAT ARE YOU DOING" "Your mom just wrote me a really mean email" I had no idea my mother wrote an email to her and I was surprised by the tone of her voice and at her question. I spoke to my mother and I agreed with what she said in her email, it was not rude, it was simply matter of fact and I have the emails to show that. Julie in all desperation called me back to see if I had spoken to my mother and when I said I had and we weren't going to continue services she said she would do what she could to make it up to us. "PLEASE GIVE ME ANOTHER CHANCE" I told her we wouldn't and I thought that was the end of it. The next day we received another email from Julie begging us to give the company another chance, she would do anything....it was too little, too late.. I don't know if she was having a nervous breakdown or what but I would recommend NEVER going to UCSD Catering. HORRIBLE SERVICE, HORRIBLE TREATMENT. I just am glad I can warn others now. read more

This house is a little known area at UCSD- SIO. One of my dear friends got married there. They recently opened up rentals to the public! Likely a fuction of funding cutbacks and now the school is pimping out their facilities. Luckily my friend worked at scripps so was able to get to use the facility at a cheaper rate (like fraction). So if you have the foresight to want to get married there- work at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography- I heard you need to be there about a year or two to get in with the keeper of the place. (Or I have heard if you worked/volunteered at the Birch aquarium that would work too). Anyways this house is a cute little cottage that is situated in la jolla over looking the scripps pier. There are lots of trees and a gigantic patio. This place is facility only so it has its list of annoyances, you have to rent the table and chairs, they list of preferred vendors you pretty much have to work with for catering. A draw back is that the place is on the smallish side, and I think the hours are fairly early- so you may need to plan an after party (so there can actually be some dancing)! The plus is obviously the location and the proximity to the beach for pictures. The view is amazing. They also provide parking passes so you can have private parking since that area is always crowded. Overall a pretty good option to check out. read more

We recently had our wedding here and it is an absolutely great venue. Beautiful outdoor location which is more unique than most oceanside wedding locations in San Diego. There are two decks, plus a medium sized room and surrounding grass for you to hold your event on. Minus one star for the number of restrictions on vendors and how late the event can go, plus Ioana was difficult to work with close to the event, after initially being very friendly and cooperative. She went back on several things that she had already agreed to, but we worked around it. Don't let this keep you from using the Martin Johnson House, just a heads up. read more

Amazing views and quaint ambience! Perfect and well worth it for the price. We were really not in the market for a La Jolla wedding but the views and the trees persuaded us this was it. Working with the venue team was effortless and they really took the time to walk us through and made the catering bit easy. read more

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My sweetheart's sister got married here! I don't know anything about it in terms of getting it rented or working with vendors, I just know that it's pretty and right on the ocean and parking is weird and you have to do your own cleanup afterwards (my sweetheart says this is typical but I say "surprise!"). But yay for happy weddings! read more

I used to crash happy hours here at SIO when I was working as a Masters student at UCSD, so of course it was the obvious choice for our wedding venue... right? (guests asking: so you met the groom at a bar? and you used to come to happy hours here? hmmm.... no comment). The venue is beautiful: ocean-views from cliffs above La Jolla Shores, ocean breeze, a large, double-tiered deck for ample seating, and shade from giant pines around the venue. We ended up with about 90 guests at our event, and everything went very smoothly- insurance for the event is cheap and straightforward, especially as we were hanging our own lights, doing our own music, and our caterer was doing our bartending for us. You need to start clean-up at 10pm, but even with overhead lights and provided lighting on the cottage, things are pretty dark by then so you'd probably want to get going anyways. The only point that got me (and this just on principle) was that, although I'm starting graduate school at UCSD this fall, they wouldn't give me a student discount since I would start my classes AFTER the summer- boo! I guess if you're a poor grad student who wants to get married here you'll have to do it while doing your practicum at the same time. Another downfall is the ride to La Jolla from the south is horrible on the weekend, and it seems (at least in our case) that by the time the guests got to the reception they were too frustrated with the traffic jam to search out the lots we had marked and ended up parking just anywhere. I'm not sure how to avoid that mess, but an open bar sure seemed to help alleviate the memory of La Jolla traffic for most of our guests... I would definitely recommend this venue to any groom or bride, especially considering the price of most oceanside venues in SD. In spite of not getting my student discount, I do consider myself very lucky to have snagged this venue for our event. read more

We had our 120 person wedding here on a Saturday at the end of July 2017. The venue capacity maximum is 130. We had to reserve about a year in advance. The venue cost $2,500 and comes with 50 parking spaces - if you need more you can buy more. The one thing you can share with a wedding the same weekend is lighting, so UCSD was able to forward my contact info to the other wedding party and we were able to reduce the cost of lighting. There is a set list of caterers - we tasted Buckboard, French Gourmet, and Continental, and ended up going with Continental Catering, which I highly recommend. We set up as many tables as we could on the upper deck, the remaining tables on the lawn, and reserved the lower deck for the band and dance floor, which I think worked out nicely. I loved the views of the ocean and La Jolla coastline. It can get a bit chilly with ocean breeze, so make sure to rent a few heaters. The reason why it only gets 4 stars is the ugly chain link fence in the background - UCSD really should upgrade it to a more visually aesthetically pleasing fence (post and cable). Also, I scheduled a run through with UCSD staff and our planner, and UCSD staff never showed up to open up the Martin Johnson House, so we had to reschedule. Finally, they have only two restrooms, although I did see that another wedding party rented additional portable restrooms - the fancy kind. read more

This venue is incredible, a hidden gem. I hadn't even heard of it until my mom stumbled upon the scripps seaside forum and asked for a tour. I am so glad we chose this venue over the La Jolla Women's House. It is quiet, private, and very intimate and relaxing. Our guests were so impressed and can't stop talking about how beautiful it is! The view from the wedding was incredible. Working with Bibiana couldn't have been easier. She was extremely organized and supportive, always one step ahead of us at all times. She was always available and easy to get a hold of, and very sweet in answering ALL of our questions, which over a year and half of planning was a lot! We hired continental catering on their list of approved vendors and would recommend them 100%! Their experience and knowledge was stellar and their food couldn't have been better. Couldn't have been happier! read more

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Was there for my cousin's wedding/reception and I gotta say it's a gorgeous venue! The google maps route fails to take into account that the road leading directly to the house is closed on weekends and an alternate route will need to be taken. I do recommend, a throw or light sweater if you end up being there late afternoon/early evening because of the ocean breeze. Overall, great place for a wedding, and the facilities are great as well. =) read more

We had a great wedding here last month! We went with UCSD Catering and I also used Julie Meola as my "day of" coordinator. She could not have been more helpful and the food could not have been better. She was always willing to answer every question I had and was very sweet about it even though I was asking her WAY too many questions that I don't think even think came under her jurisdiction. We chose the station set up - build your own risotto, salad bar, short ribs - everyone commented on how good the food was. All the employees there that night were great and I'm so happy we went with them! I hope you all have as wonderful an experience as we did. read more

wonderful Venue to work at as a photographer, beautiful hidden gems all over makes for amazing photographs here ! Always had a great experience as a vendor http://www.byamylynnphotography.com/ read more

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we had our daughters wedding at MJH 7/7/16 - can not imagine a more perfect spot!! staff super helpful and responsive - parking might be ONLY draw back but even that went smooth on wedding day!! THE VIEW, the weather, the privacy of the spot- beyond perfection!! we used Terra catering, DJ Matt Phipps and Abbey rents - we were sooo happy with ALL vendors!! read more

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Such a rad venue! How can you beat having an outdoor ceremony over the cliffs? Super friendly staff as well! Here are some photos to give you an idea of the space! http://www.cjthomasphotos.com/martin-johnson-house-wedding-photography-lauren-thomas-la-jolla-ca/ read more

I filmed a wedding reception here. This hidden venue has unique ocean-views from cliffs above La Jolla Shores, ocean breeze, a large, double-tiered deck for ample seating, and shade from giant pines around the venue. The staff was extremely polite and helpful. jfvideography read more

As a vendor setting up floral decor througout SD county, the Martin Johnson House is one of my all time favorite venues. I am totally touched by its beauty - simple, clean, coastal aesthetic...and the best, its true sense of privacy. Easy for us to get in, set up - a great experience all around! read more

Love this house on the cliffs overlooking Scripps. You have to stroll by and see it if you are considering an event venue.

A view unlike almost any other in San Diego unless you live in a La Jolla Mansion. Really breathtaking and unforgettable. A fair variety of caterers you can go with here. The view gets 5 stars, as does the service of the staff. As a meeting venue, I'd give the Martin Johnson house 3 stars, sort of dilapidated inside, like a summer camp conference room more than anything outfitted for academic conferences. read more

You can't beat this venue for the price, view, and lovely staff you work with! We saw this venue first, and knew right away it was perfect for the intimate and natural wedding we wanted. It also allowed us to customize the theme (no preset packages other than listed of caterers to work with). Many guests were asking us about the venue details who lived in the same city because they were amazed about this spot they never knew existed. It was absolutely the perfect place. HIGHLY recommend it. read more

I truly think this is the most beautiful venue to get married in all of San Diego. A 180 degree view of the ocean, beautiful cyprus trees, and an unforgettable sunset made for such a beautiful and perfect wedding. When we were searching for venues, we peaked in on weddings happening both here and down the hill at the more expensive/modern Seaside Forum. We instantly knew which one we wanted. Seaside Forum was beautiful and impressive, but the MJH has that very intimate, beautiful, outdoor setting that we knew we wanted. The folks made the panning easy too. Always great communication. Not sure if Im allowed to recommend other vendors here, but we used Buckboard Catering, Shaun Baker Photography, and Social Lights (lights are important for this venue) and would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone getting married here. Biggest piece of advice, book as soon as you get engage (or even before:)! This venue books early. read more