The venue is beautiful, but do not have your event on a holiday or weekend during the day because the parking is awful and the picnicking public is on the front steps and lawn and continually comes to the door asking to use the restrooms. A weekday or evening would be better, and if possible, bring your own caterer. read more

The Venue and Food: RBH is a beautiful location, and their customer service is truly outstanding. During the preparation process, they always responded within a couple of days. The only issue we ran into was with the guests that had special food requests (gluten free, allergies, etc.)---there was a slight mix-up and some of them didn't get their food until much much later on in the night. The food though, was great overall! People kept talking about the chicken and the salmon. I remember the guests commenting on how delicious the food was. I remember that my husband and my sister (she went to the food tasting, since I couldn't make it from Northern California), said that they weren't too impressed during the tasting, but they really blew it out of the water for the day of! Kathy: Kathy is so sweet, friendly, and professional--very extroverted! She made sure that all the details were taken care of and the night went rather smoothly. We were a bit scared because I was checking the weather and it read: sunny, sunny, sunny, sunny, BLUSTERY, sunny, sunny. That blustery day? Wedding day. Ugh, right? But fear not, Kathy made sure it all worked out, and we were still able to do the ceremony outside! DJ Lance: GREAT guy. Super sweet, friendly, and he played such great songs. We gave him a list of songs we'd like, and he rolled with the punches and went for it. He also led our guests in a jeopardy game about my husband and me, in order to dismiss the tables for the buffet food. He projected a powerpoint of us as a couple, growing up, in our respective towns. The guests absolutely LOVED him, as did we. We are quite happy that we chose RBH. After about 10 in-person interviews of other locations, we do not regret our decision. read more

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I was in a wedding at this venue. Fantastic setting with the ocean in the background. The old library building was constructed in 1930 with three levels. Basically you can have your ceremony on the lawn area outside with the reception inside the library part. Just a note, if you are ever in a wedding here in the fall, make sure you get a wrap! Otherwise, with that ocean breeze it can get pretty darn cold. It won't matter what you're wearing because you'll be covered in goosebumps! If you have a wedding here, the venue has select caterers, photographers, DJ, etc. that they work with. I found the coordinator very easy to work with. There is even a changing room on the bottom floor. The kitchen is on the bottom floor along with the restrooms (these were remodeled and tastefully done). The main dining/dancing area is on the second floor and the mezzanine (3rd floor) isn't really used for anything, but if there are kids attending, they'll soon discover this space and take the elevator up and down and run around. What's also great about this location is that it is walking distance to the beach -- so fantastic for that romantic bride and groom shot. Parking is valet or there is 24-hour enforced parking meters. read more

Redondo Beach Historic Library - View from the dining area looking towards ocean - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

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We are looking at wedding venues and happen to stumble upon the Redondo Beach historic library one day online, immediately the pictures of the view drew us in. I reached out and the venue was really great about following up with me, sending me pricing and mock contracts before our initial meeting for a tour of the facility. Mina took us on the tour and was very helpful, she answered all of our questions and gave us tons of hints on how to save money(not common in this industry). At the end of our meeting her next appointment got there early but she didn't rush us out, on the contrary she said they would have to wait until their appointment time! The venue was beautiful and the views are to die for. It sits on a little hill on the water, and we are told that the sunsets are gorgeous. Their pricing includes food, open bar(beer/wine), cake, Valet parking, DJ, and all linens (over 30 colors). Not to mention they only do one event per day so that's nice! We will be making our venue decision soon but this is definitely a high contender! read more

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Choosing the Redondo Beach Historic Library for our wedding venue was the easiest/clearest decision we made for our wedding! It was the first location we toured. We went to see one more venue afterwards, then cancelled all other tours because we knew RBHL was it. Andrea: Andrea was our initial contact and tour guide. She gave us zero pressure, was completely honest, relaxed, and was always quick to respond to emails and phone calls. When we wanted to come by the venue to take measurements or give our families a tour, she was always willing to work with our schedule. Kathy: Kathy oversaw the final details of our event, billing, and day of management. She was always so understanding of last minute detail changes and questions. Her welcoming and comforting presence at our wedding made the day even more special. DJ Lance: DJ Lance is AMAZING. We provided him with multiple detailed playlists, not realizing that our families would create a queue of song requests. He completely read the room and the vibe, and kept people dancing the entire time! When things fell through and our mariachi didn't know how to play the song for the father/daughter dance, DJ Lance saved the day and had the track ready to go as back up. Chef and kitchen staff: The food was delicious! There was something for everyone, including those with dietary restrictions. Waitstaff / Bartenders: Our families had nothing but great things to say! Loved seeing the bartenders dancing too. We can't say thank you enough to everyone at the Redondo Beach Historic Library. It's a beautiful location with an amazing team. read more

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Came here on a date. Picnic. Chilled Wine. Some rest and relaxation. Walked around. Saw things and people. Had ice cream. French fries. And sandwiches. The grass was soft. Shade was dark cool. No bugs or flies noticeably. No fishy smell here. Secluded spot. Blanket. Shades. Lotion. Sleep nap in the sun. Blue water. Lots of sailing boats. Two paddle boarders. A jet ski. I'm too beautiful to not be liked. If you dont like me. You dont know me well enough, yet! I'm just saying. I'm a generous guy. But bad service is bad service. Just making up stuff at this point... It was great tho. Come here for a date. read more

Redondo Beach Historic Library - The library of course. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

Can't recommend getting married here especially if you're an out of town bride or incompetence stresses you out. My husband and I both lived in LA for years and met in LA, so we wanted to have our wedding in the LA area even though I live in Chicago and while we were planning he was living in FL for work. This seemed like a good option because it's right at the beach and most things are included in the package, so there are fewer choices to make which seemed easiest given our short timetable for planning and the fact that we would not be local while planning. Communication is extremely poor. There are multiple email addresses that communication comes from. I would just copy all of them to make sure it was landing in someone's inbox. And yet still I would have to follow up a week later repeating my question. Then Kathy would send me snarky emails with all-caps subject lines demanding information I had already given her. When I would forward the email or tell her the date that I had sent her the information, she would make an excuse like "oh, well I couldn't open the attachment so that's why I didn't see it." When Kathy did respond to me, the email would be riddled with incorrect information or information that contradicted what had been said previously. A month before our event she was still referring to it as starting at 5:30 pm when I had told her 100 times that the ceremony started at 5 pm. Read your email Kathy. Or hire someone to read your email for you if you can't. They won't guarantee you a rehearsal. What? That's right! They may get a last second FUNERAL right before your wedding and in that case, you aren't allowed on the property and don't get to have a rehearsal. But they won't tell you if you're having a rehearsal or not until the week before. Right, that's what I want to be dealing with 7 days before my wedding. At my insistence, our rehearsal was confirmed 30 days in advance, but only because I pushed the issue. So good luck with that. You don't get to taste your food. They have once a month tastings where they just serve you (and a bunch of other couples) some of the most popular items. Kathy told us it "wasn't really meant to be a tasting but more of a fun night out for the couple." What??? No.... I've had my fun nights out... now I want to taste the food that I'm paying for and that I'll be serving my guests at my wedding. Our "tasting" date was assigned to us early on in the process (in the middle of the week, of course). We both requested off work and bought plane tickets to come out to LA for the tasting. The week before, Kathy emailed us and said the tasting was getting moved to a different date. That obviously didn't work for us since we had planned so far in advance based on what we had been told. She didn't budge. So, we ended up not being able to go at all and didn't do a tasting. (She "helpfully" offered to put us in a tasting that was happening the day after our final details meeting. Why would I take more time off work to go to a tasting when I've already selected my food options and I can't make any changes at that point? Why, Kathy?) You are both required to be at a final details meeting with Kathy and the DJ. This meeting took approximately 15 minutes and could've easily been a conference call or email. She opened the meeting by saying, "Well, I don't really have any questions"! So again, another wasted trip all the way to LA with days off work and plane tickets purchased. Unfortunately Kathy isn't organized enough to do these meetings remotely with out of town couples. Leading up to our wedding on 3/14/20 the whole world was being brought to its knees by coronavirus. I was getting emails 24/7 from every company ever describing how they were making safety a priority and dealing with the crisis. Did I hear a word from Kathy about the precautions she or her staff were taking to make sure no one at our event got sick? No. I did not. When my maid of honor reached out on my behalf for information on how this was being handled, whoever she spoke with said, this is something Kathy can talk to you about, I'll have her call you back. I'll let you guess as to whether we ever heard from Kathy. The cake that's included was good. Tasted great and looked OK. Luckily we had a very talented florist who made it look way better with the flowers. My expectations regarding the DJ weren't exactly met, but it wasn't a detriment to the day. Stars are for the fact that it did end up being beautiful, and none of the incompetence described above affected my guests (only my sanity), but the whole wedding would've been a total dumpster fire had I not had an amazing outside wedding coordinator to intervene and keep everything and everyone in line. Brides and grooms beware. I'm not sure it's worth it. read more

Attended my nephew's wedding here. Amazing! 5 pm wedding start meant sun setting during ceremony, with a stunning ocean view and sound of waves. Cocktails at sunset. Beautiful facility, with wonderful reminders of this library where I grew up and used often in childhood and through high school. Lovely space, plenty of room on the dance floor. Super convenient valet parking. read more

As a stylist, I work with a lot of venues. We took guests back to the streets of Paris for a very special Bat Mitzvah a few weeks ago. Redondo Beach Historic Library has a wonderful staff, a beautiful event space and that warm aesthetic feel you want to celebrate all of those milestones. Kathy, Andrea and Jason, all took part in preparing and managing the event. It was a night to remember. Thank you for helping me transport our guests to Paris! read more

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And now, a place dear to my heart for my 300th review. Got married in March 2015 and it was absolutely perfect. I really enjoyed working with Kathy and she was responsive, professional and willing to spend extra time going over every possible detail of my wedding. I really liked that so much was included. We had a fairly large wedding, over 200 and I appreciated the price break which happens per person after you hit 200. The ceremony was picturesque. A beautiful late afternoon ceremony just before the sunset. We had a string quartet, and they allowed us to use two of our personal bookshelves in place of a traditional portico. The food was really good. Their prime rib really is good (mind you not Lawry's good, but still very good for being served in mass quantities to a large party). We had a seated dinner and everything went as planned. My guests enjoyed the appetizers, and the food, but the cake from Kings Hawaiian really took the cake We had the chocolate chiffon and the paradise cake. It was so good that people had seconds and besides the cake top, there was no leftovers. We opted for the premium bar package and if open bar is needed at your wedding then this is really a good deal. We really liked that we could create our own signature cocktails. I liked that they have different size tables, so if you have some tables of 10 and some tables of 6, they will not have uniform tables so that your guests don't feel like they are missing people. I think one of the best things about the venue is the second story. We turned it into a kids floor and had babysitters let kids run around. Parents could have fun eating and dancing downstairs, and if they missed their kids go and visit them. Lance was a fantastic DJ, he nailed everything. We gave him a list of songs and he was able to gauge the mood and switch between oldies, new stuff, salsa and even instigated several soul trains. All in all a wonderful experience. I recommend a day of coordinator so you can sit back, and relax on your special day. The only thing to note, make sure you tell your guests to use the directions card Kathy gives you, otherwise your GPS will get you lost. read more

We just toured this venue to see if it's suitable for our wedding next year. We haven't picked a venue yet but based on the experience of the tour this place is a strong contender. Fast response time to the enquiry and answered all our questions, very polite and informative. Will definitely consider choosing this venue, although still looking. read more

I've given an oral version of this review to anyone who would listen for the last year and a half, but finally remembered to write it. This was my first choice for my sister's wedding venue and after a pretty exhaustive search, it ended being the perfect choice for the wedding. You cannot find a better value for your budget: (delicious) food, (good variety) beverage, (amazing) cake, table, linens, DJ and valet all for one reasonable price. 200 guests filled the space without feeling too crowded. And it makes for some spectacular photos! If you're looking for an unforgettable, unique, and classically beautiful venue, this is the place for you. My sister and her husband had no connection to a golf course or random hotels but one of the connecting threads of the wedding was the my sister and her husband met in medical school with many of their dates in the library, so it was the perfect venue to tie that element into their romantic and heritage celebrating ceremony. The staff was spectacular to work with, so helpful with any questions we had, very responsive to our specific requests. We went a little off-book, with an indoor ceremony, outdoor cocktail hour and indoor reception to accommodate the sofreh, Persian Wedding spread, I designed. The team was so helpful in allowing us set-up an unorthodox arrangement, with coffee, tea and cake. But the most wonderful surprise was DJ Lance. He was really the highlight of the professional staff. Music was an integral part of bringing the two families together, honoring both cultures, and he did it marvelously! I can't thank him enough! Highly recommend, seriously I've looked at the other options in the South Bay and LA and no where matched the flow and the architectural beauty of this place. read more

Wedding Reception Information Location: So freaken adorable on top of a hill overlooking the beach. I immediately fell in love with the place. I loved that it used to be a library. I love that's it overlooks the beach but not on the beach cause I can't handle the cheesy beachy theme. Pros: Location Gold Chiavari chairs included No service fees Cons: Parking ..valet only Wind Tunnel (It was pretty nippy in May so I can only imagine other months) Price: $$$$ Neutral: Only fits 300 people All inclusive meaning catering, alcohol, wedding planner, etc...which is great for the busy couple but I did not like that at all. I spoke to the wedding planner through email and over the phone and she was okay. Not very personable read more

We had our wedding at the Redondo Beach Historic Library on 9/18/2016, and it was everything we hoped for. We researched almost every wedding venue in LA and visited many, and RBHL was the only venue that felt just right. It's a beautiful venue that offers so much to couples and guests! THE GREAT: That gorgeous view. The elegant classy indoor space that requires minimal additional decor. Outdoor cocktail reception--so worth the extra cost to allow your guests to relax outside and enjoy more of that view! The location which makes it easy for guests to enjoy the surrounding area. Efficient valet services. Extremely responsive to messages. Lance Bork the DJ--he is amazing--knows how to keep the party flowing and really listens to your priorities! THE GOOD: Lots of compliments on the food. The alcohol packages were good value. read more

Disclaimer: super long detailed review ahead! We chose The Redondo Beach Historic Library primarily because of three things: great view, location and size. It's nice that it's located relatively close to LAX because we had a lot of out-of-town guests and it comfortably accommodated all of them (160 in total). There were 8 tables on each side of the dance floor and they were spaced out pretty nicely so the room didn't feel cramped. One of the best things about this venue is that they only host one event per day, as opposed to a hotel or country club where multiple events are going on at the same time. Another plus that is their base package includes a lot of wedding vendors (a cake, dj, parking, food and beer and wine) so it really helps people who are planning their own weddings. The RBHL would have been a great deal if you don't pay for any add-ons. However, a lot of add-ons were necessary to help personalize the wedding and fit our style. Some of the add-ons (upgrades?) we paid for that weren't part of the base: *48 adult guests @ $75/head; 14 kids meals @ $37.50/head *3 vendor meals for our photographers and photo booth attendant (you don't have to pay for DJ Lance's dinner) *$500 for 2 additional hours of set-up time (because only 2 hours are included in your base package even though there is only one event per day) *$1,200 for an outside ceremony on the grass. (Our ceremony was less than 20 minutes long, though so this comes out to about $60 per minute!) *$460 for 12 cases of slightly better beer (Stella, Modelo and Newcastle) because their house beers that were included were AWFUL (Bud Light, MGD and Coors Light).... I don't serve these crappy beers to my guests at my house when I am having a little party or even a BBQ, so I definitely can't serve them to my closest friends and family. *$462 for 3 cases of wine (a Malbec, a Rose and a Sauvingon blanc) because their house wine (a terrible Chardonnay and an even more terrible Cabernet which were served at the tasting) were unpalatable. *$1,134 ($7/person) for a S'more station. This one was worth it. There was someone manning the station almost the whole night and the set up was REALLY nice. Way nicer than I envisioned. *$200 for uplighting near the cake and the sweetheart table (I didn't think these were necessary but my husband did so we got them). Food: Tasting: the food at the tasting was not very good, and you don't get to choose what you taste. Instead once a month (on a Wednesday), they serve their "most popular" appetizers and entrees. I was so disappointed after the tasting that I almost regretted choosing this venue. The food on the day of was SHOCKINGLY GOOD! I had the prime rib, which was rare, warm and tender. My groom had the herbed chicken, which was also seasoned and cooked perfectly. I didn't eat any of the sides (not enough time) but a lot of my friends and family members licked their plates clean so I guess they liked it. One note about the passed appetizers. There either weren't enough apps, or the servers weren't working the entire room. Some of my guests told me after the wedding that they didn't even know there were any appetizers, and even my mom told me the few times she did see a server with an appetizer tray, it was always empty! Communication: Mina is really friendly, helpful and easy to work with. Kathy is friendly when you talk to her in person, but she doesn't email you back for a few days (she is probably super busy) and is not very friendly on the phone. However, on the day of the event, she is sweet and helpful. Other Vendors (that are included in your package): Kings Hawaiian Bakery: personally I have eaten their cakes several times and I didn't think they were anything special but they were very easy to work with and our guests loved it so that worked well for me DJ Lance: We really liked DJ Lance. He was very enthusiastic about our song list and he helped us figure our "order of events" (ie. do the cake cutting before the bouquet toss). He also helped set up the mic/speakers outdoors for our ceremony. Valet Service: I don't remember the name of this company, but they hit a rusty gate while parking one of my guests cars. They also didn't mention this and my guest didn't see it until the next morning since it was dark when she got her car back at the end of the night :( Knowing that this sort of thing happens, I would park my car at the pier if I were ever to come to another event here. read more

My wife and I just got married at the Historic Library a couple of months ago in September 2013 and all we can say is that we were extremely happy with our choice. We picked the library after passing by it many times because we live in the South Bay and the amenities they provided. This was a perfect venue for us because it had everything we wanted and needed. Kathy, the general manager of Spectrum Catering, was very helpful and accommodating with our wedding planning. The main selling point for the library was the "one-stop-shop" plan they offered to us. The venue not only offered the venue, they had the caterer, linen, valet service, contracted bakery, and a DJ/MC. I know this isn't only our preference, but one less item for the groom and bride to think of on the wedding day is godsend. Our guests enjoyed the great food of good portions (Kathy will work with you to make a great menu), beautiful wedding cake from the local South Bay bakery, King's Hawaiian Bakery (yes, the makers of the King's Hawaiian Sweet bread) and DJ/MC Lance. DJ Lance has years of experience, works with the couple, and MCs the entire wedding night. Lastly, who wouldn't want a gorgeous location to finish off the epic night? As the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean the library overlooks the pier and the water. A sense of tranquility and wonder overwhelms you as you enjoy the evening with friends and family. We're not going to say that the night went without a hitch, but the staff at Spectrum Catering helped out as much as possible. All in all we had a memorable night that my wife and I would cherish forever. Thanks Spectrum. read more

Redondo Beach Historic Library - Our wedding day! - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

It's a beautiful setting for a wedding. It's nice and classy without being self-important and ostentatious. Kind of like people used to be. read more

Just had my wedding here. A perfect balance of not having to deal with the nuts and bolts, and having the nuts and bolts all seen to perfectly. DJ Lance Bork was terrific, good timing and knowledge of a party's "flow." Beautiful venue, really just an amazing day and the staff is so good. 10/10 would get married here again. read more

My husband and I got married at the RBHL this past July and highly recommend this location for a wedding venue. Kathy and the team were wonderful to work with and helped make planning our wedding so easy. The fact that so many services are included really made planning a breeze! We really appreciated how responsive they were and all their suggestions along the way. Our guests loved the location (beautiful views), the venue, and the food :) The venue is so pretty on its own it doesn't need much at all in the way of decorations for it to feel really special. Lance, our DJ did a great job with the music and keeping things moving throughout the evening. We had an outdoor ceremony, cocktail hour with dinner/dancing indoors. We were so happy with our choice, we had an amazing wedding! read more

OH MY GOODNESS! I had my wedding here and I have nothing but good things to say about this place. Let me begin by saying that I was skeptical all the way through until the day of. I definitely felt like the manager and DJ thought I was a total wierdo but they were nice all the way through. Also, they wouldn't be the first ones to think that either so they're not to blame. I was mostly in contact with Kathy who was absolutely the most supportive through dozens of exchanged emails. From changing the color of the linens to adding people to the venue. It was plain madness but I could not have done it without someone like her. Her experience really shined in moments like this. I moved out of state about 6 months before the wedding and I don't know that the planning would have gone as smoothly had I chosen any of the other venues I looked at. In the last few weeks before out wedding my husband and I were introduced to Lance, the DJ. He was very helpful and made it really simple to come up with a timeline and songs to use through the wedding. Because it was a multi-cultural wedding I really was dreading the task of having to come up with two sets of songs for him to play. Instead I just provided him with one list of songs to choose from and he mixed the both English and Spanish songs beautifully. Everyone felt included and everyone danced to at least on song. Mission Accomplished! If you have already booked your event and you thought the food sucked, FEAR NOT! I had the same fear and had already accepted that the food was going to suck butt and I was wrong. The food was on point the day of and let me tell you: Boy, is that a nice surprise, or what?! Thank you for a beautiful wedding, RBHL! read more

Amazing place for a wedding! One stop shopping...venue ( beautiful)can handle food, bar, valet, cake, rentals etc. You may bring in own cake if you prefer. The staff is incredible! Kathy, Mina and Andrea managed everything perfectly from beginning to end. So appreciate you guys. Thanks again! read more

Myself and my team absolutely love shooting here! The staff is always very nice and super helpful with us and really cares that their couples get the best photos! Lance even lets me know he will entertain the crowd while I take the bride and groom out for sunset photos! As a photography team, we can't ask for more! The big tree on the side makes for some amazing pictures as well, and you have the beach just a few steps away! read more

Cool location for a wedding with the sunset over the beach and ocean. Nice venue inside, decent sized dance floor, clean bathrooms (they're downstairs on Level 1). Food was ok too. Not sure on packages or pricing since I attended the wedding only. Only thing is that lots of people had trouble finding it and the valet was a bit confusing. Overall, if you want a beach wedding that's not on the sand I'd recommend this place. read more

Redondo Beach Historic Library - Wedding set up - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

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We had our wedding here on April 22, 2017 and it was the time of my life! All of our wedding guests were blown away by the views outdoors for our ceremony and the ambience indoors for our reception. Kathy, Andrea, and Lance were beyond easy, supportive, and attentive. We would make the choice to have our wedding here again in a heartbeat! The valet parking made attending our wedding easy for all our guests. What matters the most??? The food!!! The food was delicious. For our cocktail hour we chose appetizers of shrimp skewers, flat breads, and an open bar. After we took our pictures, I retreated to bridal suite for a moment to myself and it was a godsend. Kathy actually checked on me- which was so unexpected but so lovely. When I went back upstairs to start dinner and the party, the room was full Love and laughter. For a clueless bride like me who never envisioned her wedding, I have to say that the library was a dream come true. Also-- the cake from King's Hawaiian was a dream. All I have to say is a big thank to the staff for helping us create our memories! Ryan and Jason read more

This venue was absolutely perfect for my wedding. Everything went so smoothly and the staff were incredible.

Absolutely stunning! We got married there about a month ago and it was EVERYTHING we wanted and then some. The staff was great and the DJ was fun to work with. They gave us guidance on how things should flow during our reception and they were right on the money. The food? Oh man - it was fantastic! My wife and I couldn't be happier. The location is cool too. It's right on the water! Our wedding pictures are gorgeous. It's totally worth the money. read more

Got married here at the beginning of August and it was a great experience. Kathy and her assistant Mina were easy and accommodating to work with and always answered our questions quickly. The big upside here is that it's as close to one stop shopping as it gets for weddings. All you have to bring is an officiant.. (and florist and photographer). Our floral budget was limited but the venue is gorgeous and classic so you really do not need to go overboard on the flowers. Pricing - we shopped around quite a bit, I think we had 50 venues on our spreadsheet and of the 12-15 we visited, RBHL was very price competitive. Their base package covers 100 guests, cake, bar, DJ. Extra charge for number of guests over 100, having your ceremony onsite, upgrading your bar offering and hosting your cocktail hour outdoors. There is no service charge or gratuity, so you would need to factor that in on your own at the conclusion of your event if you choose to do so. I appreciated the fact that there wasn't a flat 20% charge on top of the entire cost of the wedding, but at the same time, trying to figure out how much to tip was a bit stressful. Included items/services: Catering - I was a bit worried about this as there weren't a ton of online reviews about Spectrum Catering and RBHL isn't on everyone's radar in terms of SoCal wedding venues, but the food was great. It was definitely better than what you would typically expect for wedding food. The apps were good as well - though I felt like the entrees were a little better. The food came out quickly and was hot, there were plenty of apps to go around during cocktail hour. Also - there were plenty of options in terms of linen colors and inside chairs are chiavari. The service staff and bartenders were all friendly and professional. They gave us some to-go containers of food which was awesome since we really didn't get to eat that much. DJ - DJ Lance works exclusively through RBHL and was easy to work with. We gave him an extensive play and no-play list and he stuck with it. He helped keep us on schedule, served as our emcee, and made it a point to remind us when it was time to go outside to capture photos during sunset. We had some technical difficulty with a mic at the start of the ceremony but he resolved it quickly. Cake - Kings Hawaiian. The cake tasting at Kings Hawaiian was easily the best part about wedding planning. You can bring a couple people with you as well to help taste. Everyone loved the cake - my recommendation would be to stick with the chiffon cakes, as they are lighter and less dense/heavy. We dropped off cake toppers and decor at Kings the Friday before the wedding and they were incorporated without issue. Bar - They offer several levels of bar package, from the basic beer & wine which is included with the base contract and upgradable from there on a per person basis if you want to opt for better beer/wine, liquor, better liquor, etc. The bartenders aren't allowed to pour shots - so they're served on the rocks. Ceremony site - If you decide to have your ceremony onsite, the two options are either the adjacent grassy area within Veteran's Park or inside the Library. We had our ceremony outdoors and there were no issues with strangers wandering behind the officiant or anything like that. Some of the people that were at the park definitely took note of our wedding, but observed from a distance. No one tried to sit in my mom's seat in the front row of anything like that lol. They say you don't need a coordinator but we had a day-of coordinator and she was invaluable. Kathy and Mina were helpful in matters pertaining to the venue and catering, but for everything else that's going on, I'd highly recommend hiring a day-of coordinator. Other thoughts: So everything noted above was great. The not so great? It was a warm day (about 85 in Redondo) and the AC in the building got overwhelmed with 150 guests going in and out. It got pretty warm inside. Some of their rules can be bit inflexible - from rehearsal times (which might get rescheduled if they book an event) to set up times (2 hours before your contracted start time, though you can buy extra time). You can't drop off stuff the night before or morning of and everything must be cleared that night. Be clear with your guests with directions. Our experience was that Waze was the only GPS that brought people to the correct spot for the valet. Others directed people to the wrong side of the park. They were very specific that the valet would only open 30 minutes before the contracted start time. With a large number of guests arriving during such a short timeframe, the valet got backed up and not all cars were cleared from the turnaround before the ceremony. So, there were a few negatives, but RBHL is still a 5* in my book and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a great SoCal venue. read more

My wife and I selected this venue for our wedding reception based on the venue's beauty and its beach-adjacent locale. On our wedding day, the venue/beach were great but the staff & catering team (Spectrum Catering*) didn't live up to our expectations. Issues ranged from poor etiquette to poor preparation to poor communication. Some things should never have happened and were unforgivable, which is why we wouldn't recommend the venue to anyone. *Spectrum provides management of the facilities so that their own staff and any external vendors can access the facility and perform their respective functions for the wedding/event. They do not coordinate the wedding/event itself on your behalf. POOR ETIQUETTE: We were really let down by a lack of common sense and courtesy shown to us by Spectrum. During our final dance, a waiter noticed a small alcohol spill on the floor from a guest's drink and decided to clean it during the song with a wet mop, creating a larger, slippery spot on the floor that caused me to fall on my elbow. At the time, we couldn't understand why the waiter couldn't use napkins / dry mop or clean this after the final song. Additionally, we were offended to learn that Kathy (the venue manager) accepted a meeting with another couple during the end of our reception. When we tried to find Kathy at the end of the night to address our concerns, she was in her office with a couple that was planning their own wedding. It was insulting that Kathy was not overseeing the close of our event, which did not go smoothly, and that she was already onto the next. It was especially frustrating because we (paying clients) were denied the chance to preview the space with a few of our helpers the night before our wedding. POOR PREPARATION: The catering team's poor preparation also compromised the planned schedule for our wedding. The reception itself was delayed because of unfinished prep by the venue staff. At the scheduled start time, a staff member was still dressed in causal clothing scooping ice from a plastic bucket into the water glasses on the tables. The image of ongoing prep by informally dressed staff was inappropriate for our guests, so we were forced to wait until they completed setup, creating a 15-20 minute delay that forced us to sacrifice photo time for sunset shots. Additionally, food prep was poorly planned. Salads weren't ready for our guests after the blessing of our meal, even with all the scheduling delays. When the main entrees were finally served, we estimated a 30-minute span between the time that our first and last guests received their dishes. A large number of guests were already finished with their entrees before other guests received theirs. POOR COMMUNICATION: We had issues with communication from Spectrum throughout the process. For example, different parties @ Spectrum gave inconsistent messages RE: ideal table headcounts that led us to base table placement decisions on wrong information. Additionally, Spectrum did not honor certain requests they agreed to during planning. For instance, the wait staff was supposed to provide the bride & groom with our salads & entrees at the same time upfront, allowing us to eat in one sitting and have more time to mingle. On our wedding day, the kitchen staff flat out refused to serve both dishes together. After our wedding, Kathy attributed it to a separate, incorrect decision by kitchen staff. But whether it was her fault or the kitchen staff's, her team didn't deliver what she had promised us and we lost out on time with our guests. Ultimately, we felt that the staff was ill-prepared and ill-attentive to provide what we needed and what we expected on our wedding day. The venue looked nice and we had a great wedding but we still would not recommend it to anyone. read more

My family held my Mom's Celebration of Life at the Library on May 21st 2017. Kathy, Jason, and Andrea made our event so special and gave us all the time and attention we needed to achieve an extraordinary event. The food, service, and setup for our event was executed perfectly and in a timely manner. No anxiety levels were reached on my part because everything was taken care of exactly as we had discussed. We needed AV for our event and Jason recommended the use of I Visual Solutions. Also, another wonderful experience working with Jose Cruz and his team. True professionals. All in All the Redondo Beach Historical Library is a great space for any event and the staff truly care to make your event a special one. read more

Pros: The venue is beautiful. If you choose to have an outdoor wedding, you have the ceremony at the park next door. It faces the beach so you get the ocean backdrop in your photos. There is a historic tree next to the library where you can take photos. The pier and sandy beach is within walking distance so you can walk over for great photos. Everything is pretty much all inclusive so there isn't that much work for you to do. The coordinator, caterers, DJ/MC, valet for parking, cake, chairs, photographer and arch are all included. The cake is coordinated with King's Hawaiian Bakery so I get a free tasting and work with a baker to design your cake. My husband and I had drawn a sketch of what we wanted and they were very accommodating. Another things that I liked about working with King's Hawaiian was that if you bring your own décor that you want added to your cake, they don't charge you any extra fees. The bridal room also works as a safe. There is only one key to the bridal room so if you need to keep cards and gift somewhere, that is a good option. There is a storage room. Since I had to transport most of my décor, there were a ton of boxes that I needed to store so that I could repack everything at the end of the night. We were able to easily fit the ladder in there too. Food is good. I heard from many people that the tasting is good but that the food at the wedding is nowhere near as good. The food was actually very close to what I had at the tasting. Some of my friends even had seconds. Most bride and grooms don't get to eat a lot during their wedding but the caterers took our food away whenever we had to leave our table and put them on heating plates. Then whenever we came back to the table, they brought them back out so we got to eat. Cons: Parking is terrible for early arrivers. I had a set up crew of 8 people that needed to arrive 2 hours early to help with the décor set up. Plus, the wedding party and family members had to come 2 hours early for photos but there were only 4 parking spaces available. Valet only arrives half an hour before the wedding so if you need a large group of people to come to the venue before that, you have to organize this huge carpool process. There is no A/C. I did not know this until the day of the wedding. I was sweating bullets. DJ Lance is this worst DJ ever! I was furious with his unprofessionalism. My set up crew complained that he was ruin to them. He played the wrong version of our first dance song. Unacceptable. My husband and I were doing long distance before the wedding and I had purposely flown up 3 weeks before the wedding so that we had a couple weeks to choreograph and practice our dance and DJ Lance ruined it. I had hired a videographer to capture our precious first dance moment and DJ Lance ruined it. Its been 2 months since our wedding took place and I'm still sad about it. I sent a final schedule to the DJ a few weeks before the wedding. It had a list of all the songs that he had to play in the order he had to play them for both the ceremony and reception. I really could not have made his job any easier. He even asked me which version of the first dance song he should play so I told him and also sent him the YouTube clip of it so that there would be no mistakes. I should have given him a CD. During the ceremony, the wedding party was waiting for the music to play and were all ready to go, but DJ Lance was not ready so my wedding party had to awkwardly stand around and wait on him. I had asked him to play a different song when the flower girls and ring bearers walked down the aisle but he just continued to play the same song my bridesmaids walked down to. Also, when it was time for the father daughter dance, I saw him frantically flipping through his notes trying to figure out what song he was supposed to play. There was also a time when everyone was on the dance floor and the music was building to the climax but then the music just stopped, and several members of our guests and my groom heard him curse aloud. I know that the DJ comes with the venue but I would advise to spend the extra money and get yourself a DJ that know how to review songs ahead of time before the day of the wedding. It will be worth it. Emails do not get answered in a timely manner. I am very detail oriented and like to be ahead of schedule. Every time I sent an email to Kathy, our coordinator, it would not be answered for at least 3-4 days. And most of the time not all my questions would be addresses so then I would have to resend emails with the same questions. I figured that as the day of the wedding got closer, my emails would have priority and be answered more quickly but that was not the case. Even just a mere week before my wedding, I was not getting my emails answered and it was quite frustrating as I had a lot of things I was trying to juggle. read more

I just got married here on Saturday and it was the even better than my wife and I could have hoped for. The venue was great, Kathy (the event manager) was patient and accommodating, Lance (the DJ) was a blast, and the food and beverage manager (name?) was awesome. I just wish I could do it again. read more

We just got married at the Redondo Beach HIstoric Library on 11/3/2012. We fell in love with the location because it is so close to the beach (we love the beach) and the pier (we wanted an after party location within walking distance). The best parts of this venue are that you can have a sunset cocktail hour, the place is cozy and not pretentious, and its proximity to the beach. The supplied DJ Lance was good and the wait staff was very helpful. They also let me replace their standard cake with a vegan wedding cake instead and made some special vegan dishes for my eating needs. Kathy, the wedding coordinator, was really good and helpful. The less appealing aspects of this venue are that the food was just so-so and they are a bit inflexible about certain things such as moving certain items around within the library, etc. However, that being said, our wedding was wonderful!!!! If they could bring the food quality, presentation and taste up a few notches, it would be the BEST place to get married. Food is important to me though, so that is why it only gets four stars. read more

Hi I have worked with Kathy Villa of Spectrum Catering a couple of times now. She and her team are nothing but professional and easy to be with. They work with a smile intentionality and professionalism. I will continue to recommend brides to Redondo Beach Historical Library for a fantastic yet affordable wedding. It is a pleasure to coordinate there. Natalie of Natalie Sofer Weddings and Events. read more

So let's break this down by section because this placed covered a lot... Communication - First, we thought we'd be able to do an outdoor ceremony here. When we asked about that, they said worst case scenario they could move it inside. It was only at the next meeting they explained that they would have to have everyone sit at the reception tables, and we would be married in the center of the dancefloor. Hardly romantic. Not an option. This is one example, but the basics is this - they'll give you an answer, but you have to ask the right questions. They won't come to you so much as you have to come to them. We had a large lapse in communication regarding several different parts going closer to the day of, so if you pick this place, make sure you stay on the ball and ahead of the curve, for you'll be putting in the real legwork. Food - Great food. We had buffet style with turkey and pasta bar, which was a hit with adults and kids alike. That said, we were under the impression there would be a separate kids meal, but it took until the actual event when I saw the coordinator (Kathy) for her to tell us that a separate kids meal only comes if you get seated meals. Whoops. Good thing we got a kid-friendly option, right? Staff - Mina, Kathy's assistant, is amazing. When we went to our tasting, she sat and talked with us while Kathy went to nearly every other table to talk with them. She truly was a gem in the experience. As for the wait staff, that's why they don't take the cake for professionalism. They went up to the Father of the Bride at the wedding and asked him for a tip. Who has the gall to do that? Truly sad. Other than that, they were on point, but what a real shock to the system there. DJ - DJ Lance provided special lighting and DJ'd the event. He managed to mix her tradition's (like the Money Dance) with my own (the Hora) seamlessly. He even had a great song guessing game to dismiss tables for food which is WAY more fun than just "Tables X, Y, & Z go get your food!" Bar - Great! We had 4 signature drinks (Something Old, New, Borrowed, Blue) and they handled it great! They served drinks fast, and even if they made them a little weaker as time went on, it could've been far worse! Overall - It's a beautiful location. Everything is above average. For all of its flaws, it's worth it to stick through it. I would recommend this place, definitely. read more

Catering and venue directors Mina and Michelle are unbelievably helpful! They always answered my emails asap and returned my phone calls with class. I've always felt like a priority and the venue is beautiful. I highly recommend this venue. read more

Redondo Beach Historic Library is a great venue for a wedding! I had an outdoor ceremony and lovely reception inside. I worked a lot with Kathy, who is a delight, responsive and patient. Mina, her colleague was also very helpful and responsive along the planning process. Their DJ, Lance, was great to work with and was thankfully open to my endless list of song requests. He's a very experienced MC and will make the celebration run smoothly. Thank you all for helping me make my wedding smooth and lovely. I have received so many compliments from my guests that the evening flowed nicely, the food and cake were delicious, and the venue was beautiful. read more

I had my wedding reception here last November. Kathy did such a wonderful job! Lance the DJ got our music down perfectly. The library itself is beautiful as well. The food is so delicious, the staff is proffesional, AND the price is right. I would recomend (and I have), this place to anyone and everyone for a wedding reception. Thank you all at the RBHL for all you did for me and Eric. read more

Got married here at the beginning of August. It was by far the most beautiful wedding venue we could have picked! DETAILS: STAFF - Kathy and the rest of the staff at the Library were so wonderful! I e-mailed Kathy a lot with various questions, and she always got back to me within a few hours. She was so helpful and genuinely wanted to make our wedding as good as it could be. The waiters were so attentive and accommodating. Many guests commented on how great everyone was. CEREMONY - We had our ceremony outside on the grass area right next to the Library, overlooking the ocean. My husband and I really wanted a waterside ceremony and this was the most perfect place to have it. COCKTAIL HOUR - Our cocktail hour was also outside, at the back of the building, even closer to the ocean than the ceremony. Most of our guests were from out of state so getting to experience a truly classic California beachside wedding was a highlight for them. RECEPTION - I can't say enough how beautiful the inside of the library is! The huge floor to ceiling windows on the sides and back of the building are gorgeous, as well as the electric candles and empty bookcases (which leaves a lot of room for decorating). We had about 150 people at our wedding and it did not feel to crowded or to big, it was literally the perfect size! FOOD - Included in the cost is the food, provided by Spectrum Catering and cooked in-house. The portions and the quality were INCREDIBLE. So many of our guests commented on how great the food was. DJ - Lance is their contracted dj and is also included in the price. He was wonderful! We asked him to do a specific dance where he leads all the guys in crazy dance moves. He had never done it before but was more than willing to try it. It ended up being a success and that really got the party going. Lance was great at keeping the music and energy high, and encouraged everyone to get up on the dance floor! CAKE - The cake is also contracted through the Library and is created by King's Hawaiian Bakery. My husband and I were so excited that this was who was making our cake, since we love their breads and rolls so much. We got to go to the bakery in Torrance and do the cake tasting and then worked with the baker to create the cake we wanted. The cake came out BEAUTIFUL, it was far better than anything we could have imagined. My husband and I have no regrets about our wedding and that is due in large part to the Redondo Beach Historic Library! read more

We had our wedding ceremony and reception at the RBHL. We were thrilled with how everything turned out!!! What appealed to us most was that it was all inclusive (food, drinks, service, valet, DJ, cake, tables, chairs, linens, setup, teardown, etc), so we didn't have to run around to find these things. The only thing not included was flowers and photo/videographers. That really appealed to us. And if you think that means all-inclusive means limited choices - that is far from the truth. We were able to get 6 foot sub sandwiches served during the reception, hot cocoa for the ceremony (it was Feb and really chilly outside), and the setup and flow of the tables was perfect for us. It was great working with Kathy and Lance (the DJ). They were open to our ideas and responsive throughout the planning and day-of. We got so many compliments on the location - the ceremony was overlooking the ocean at sunset and you could hear the waves crashing on the shore. The inside venue was beautiful and setup perfectly for our 200 guests. We were inspired with the library theme and made it part of our save-the-dates and invitiations. It helped get everyone excited about the event! And we had a lot of out-of-town guests, so nearby hotels were within walking distance to the venue and the RB Pier & Marina, so they all had a fabulous weekend without needing to rent a car! We love love love RBHL. read more

Beautiful historic building. Wonderful to stand in it and imagine what it would have looked like in it's original state.