Richard Nixon Library

18001 Yorba Linda Blvd.
Yorba Linda, CA 92886

(714) 993-5075

Website

Overview

The Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum, one of Southern California’s most exciting venues, a stunning replica of the historic White House East Room, is now available for private functions.  Whether you’re holding a corporate event, wedding, non-profit fund-raiser or association meeting, the Nixon Library offers your guests an unparalleled experience.

Your event will begin with a cocktail reception in the First Lady’s Rose Garden before moving into the magnificent White House East Room.  Watch eyes light up as guests enter America’s Grand Ballroom for candlelight dining and dancing beneath magnificent crystal chandeliers, surrounded by golden silk draperies and imported marble fireplaces. Additionally, your guests will also enjoy Orange County's largest public rose garden and reflecting pool.

Our full-service catering kitchen plays host to the area’s finest caterers who often re-create White House state dinners and build Presidential menus featuring the favorite cuisines of our nation’s first families.

When you book your event at the Nixon Library, our event specialists will help you choose local florists, caterers and entertainers to make your event an occasion your guests will never forget. Call us today to schedule a consultation or a walk-through: 714.364.1181

What Type Of Bridal Couple Would Like This Place?

We've been covering events at this venue for years.  With the remodeling that it underwent a few years back this place has transitioned from good to great for a wedding venue location.  Some things you should keep in mind is that this place is available for rent for wedding ceremony only (go elsewhere for your reception),  wedding ceremony and reception, reception only, or you can simply rent the grounds for a couple of hours for photographs only. 

Located in Yorba Linda this facility is very much eye catching!  It has water, greenery, incredible interiors, overall, it has a lot going for it!   The wedding receptions used to be held in the lobby of the Library and for some strange reason they didn't air condition the place in the evening and thus I have some great images of brides sitting on top of fans to cool themselves off.  Today, with the new White House East Room that is all a thing of the past.  This room is gorgeous, and will compete with any four star hotel ballroom you can find. 

I'll bring up the next point simply because many of the brides today were born in the 80's.  It's time to step back a few years.  To put Richard Nixon in perspective you need to go back two previous to presidents to JFK.   When JFK  was assassinated in Texas in 1963, something in the American spirit died along with him. It was almost a signal of 20 years of troubled times.  His VP, Lyndon B. Johnson took office and had big plans and good ideas.  He wanted to combat racism and poverty with his agenda known as the "Great Society."   The dreams were big but another problem arose. The Vietnam war.  The increased war effort to contain communism resulted in money and attention being withdrawn for the social causes.  As American youth were drafter and far too many dying in Vietnam this war became the focal point of the Johnson presidency.  There was a major mistrust of American government.    Richard Nixon was the Republican president that replaced Johnson.  Many people to this day downplay his accomplishments as president.  Unfortunately his most notable legacy is Watergate.    People close to his administration were caught breaking into the  Democratic  National Committee headquarters located in the Watergate Hotel Complex in Washington DC.. .  An eventual scandal followed, and Nixon resigned.   Ironically, much larger scandals followed later  presidents and yet none of them have resigned.      There was a period of a lot of high emotions that started with JFK's death, the Vietnam war, and then climaxed with  the Watergate scandal.  To some extent you had to be there to understand the context of how things were presented, interpreted and digested.   The youth of the era are now the parents and grand parents of our current generation.  The feelings and energy floating around the nation, and the context in which they  lived have been mostly forgotten, we've moved on   Some people in the older generation now feel sad that their energy and beliefs in their youth have been trivialized to a few pages in a history book. To some of them, it wasn't so much an opinion but a way of life at that time.  It shaped who who they were and influenced who they now are.   Don't bother debating their views with, simply respect their right to think and feel the way they do.   But, go to the library, see for yourself, there is no stigma that hangs around.  Nixon admitted his wrong doing, again and again. In the end, he was our president during a very, very important time in our nation's history.   This facility commemorates this era, beautifully.

There is another Richard Nixon story.  If you study national politics you can often feel that California is the red headed step child at a family picnic.  It's often east coast centric in nature and California is a die hard blue state that is often the butt of jokes about our people and culture.   Nearly every American kid says at one time or another that they would like to be president when they grow up.  You may agree but do you really believe it?  When you visit the Nixon Library and see the home he was born in, well, maybe it is true, any American born child  can grow up to  be president.    His first home looks like it was a tool shed in the back of library.   Small is not the word.   Nixon was a Quaker, you remember that they fled England and came to America on the Mayflowe?.  Nixon's parents helped start a Quaker church now know as Friends Church in Yorba Linda (no longer Quaker). Nixon was educated locally and practiced law locally.  He was a lieutenant commander in the US Navy in WWII..  As president, along with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger they had an amazing foreign policy program that we continue to benefit from.  When the two largest communist super-powers, the Soviet Union and China split on differences in 1969, these men seized  the opportunity to normalize relations with China.  This was huge win.  Nixon established a peace treaty with Vietnam, thus ending the war.  We had space programs, a little communication with the Russians, Roe Vs Wade (Pat Nixon, Richard's wife was an outspoken supporter of legalized abortion, though Republican), support for Israel, integration in schools and so many other things. This was a very busy time for the United States.  Above anything, Nixon's Quaker views caused him to believe that racism was American's greatest moral failure.  Many of the liberal democratic programs started under Johnson's presidency were continued and expanded under the Nixon administration.  .    More information about Richard Nixon can be found here.  

So when you think of the names Richard Nixon Library what do you think of?  Retired former Whitehouse aides dressed in white serving lemonade to senior citizens in a slightly nicer version of a public library?   Or perhaps a shrine to him that never mentions Watergate?  It's actually a lovely place, just short of amazingly beautiful.   It's not so much of a shrine to Nixon as it is a place to really look back and reflect upon the times.  What has impressed me were letters hand written or typed with words  crudely crossed out. It's just a reminder how simple the times were back then.  Even the legendary helicopter where he made the famous V pose while getting off just doesn't look as majestic when you see it in person   It's not to say it's underwhelming, it just gives you a feeling that they United States has continued to evolve, and we as Americans have grown more sophisticated.

The net/net of this Library is that if you have your wedding here you don't have to be a staunch republican, nor does it say anything about your views of Richard Nixon.    The Mission Inn in Riverside is also much sought after for weddings,.  Would you believe the owner is a huge supporter of the Republican National Committee?  Does it matter?  How about the Disneyland Hotel for another example.   Disney was the first major corporation to extend health benefits to partners of it's gay employees.  Some people are still furious about this.  While, for the majority of the public, it's the happiest place on earth.  Does holding a wedding at The Disneyland Hotel have anything to do with your views of gay rights?  Does it need to?  In the same perspective, the Nixon Library is a beautiful place to have a wedding reception.  For me, I would be delighted to have my wedding and reception at the Nixon Library. Many, many, many other people feel the same way.  It's not about politics, it's about a wedding day vision.

Photographic Potential

I've been photographing weddings at the Nixon Library for years.   I love this place.  Modern Bride magazine  used one of my images of  a couple in front of the reflecting pond  and ran it in their "Picturesque places in Southern California."  It was supposed to run once, it ran a few times.  This place has such  a distinct look.  It's mostly on one story, and yet photographically we can get so many different looks.  There are so many different areas to use. There is this incredible lawn the is simply amazing for outdoor ceremonies.  I would love to use it if I were to get married out doors. The one thing that for me took this from a good to an exceptional place to hold a wedding reception is the East Room.   One of our groom's had an uncle that was in the secret service, and had been to the real East Room at the White House.  He said it was an exact replica.  I've been in some of the nicest rooms in the nicest hotels. this one is the very best you'll find.  It's what many presidents have used to entertain foreign dignitaries.  it has to be a tad bit opulent, yet refined.  

One of the things that I think about is that our average bride really can't move around as much as she would like in her wedding dress.  When you show up to a venue in shorts and a t-shirt and a nice comfortable pair of shoes, sure you can walk around all day long all over the property.  When you're in that wedding dress on a summer day, it's a different story.  Things that once seem close are not longer that close.  Thus, when you have a property like the Nixon Library, one that is flat, not too large, and easy to walk around, and best of all different and lovely at each turn, what's not to like about this place?

Possible Distractions/ Work Around

The library is open to the public at times when portraits may be taken, and thus you may have to be patient as people move out of backgrounds.  Since it's inland it can get very hot on hot summer days. 

Overall Evaluation

It's not a golf course wedding venue, and it's not a hotel wedding.  venue.  This place falls into a category all by itself.  The staff is really wonderful to work with, and their preffered coordinator Ashley Powell is the hardest working, best organized coordinator I've ever seen.  The Nixon Library is truly and asset to Orange County.  Some of the very nicest wedding venues in the world are located in Orange County, there is some very stiff competition.  The Nixon Library is yet another place that helps drive Orange County to the top of the list of nicest places in the United States to get married. You can really have a distinct and memorable wedding at the Nixon Library.  It's near the 91 and 55 Freeways, and easy to find.   It's location makes it ideal for weddings bringing people in from Los Angeles to San Diego.   You can take the 15 up from San Diego cutting off much of the coastal traffic.   Coming out of the valley you can take the 210  east and avoid the 5 all together.    If you are looking into venues in Orange County, do yourself a favor and check this place out!  Two big thumbs up for the Nixon Library!

Hey, since you're still reading, let me throw some plugs at ya! 

Ashley Powell, Wedding Coordinator,  her I like!

 If I ever wrote a book about being a wedding photographer I would have to devote an entire chapter to wedding coordinators.  Though I've been fortunate to work with some very good ones, I've worked with some bad ones as well.  I mean downright awful.   I've had to work around their incompetence and try to do my job while trying not to bruise their fragile little egos.  One was an overweight elderly woman who had her own favorite vendors.  She would line them up with jobs, and sit on a chair  at the venue and yell at her staff.  They all hated her but knew if they stood up for themselves they would be replaced.   Most coordinators are better than this yet seem better at handling problems as they arise instead of anticipating them and preventing them.

A good portion of the weddings I do simply don't have coordinators.  So, to some extent I have to coordinate part of the day to keep things on track.   In the past timelines never bothered me.  If we showed up to the reception 30 minutes late or more that was a small price to pay for me to do my art.  But then I started wondering why the food tasted so bad. It was because it was held an hour longer than it should been.  And I was wondering why everybody was giving me hard stares as we finally showed up to the reception?  Now I see that the entire wedding day experience is about as important as the resulting images.  Thus  I became more about the entire experience being pleasant, and staying on schedule.    I do a lot of advance planning now, and know how to pick up some lost time due to a makeup artist making the bride late.    Its a horrible feeling to be running late on a wedding day.  The makeup artist wants to do her best, a photographer wants to do his/her best, but regardless, when you're a bride running behind it's a sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach.

My approach to weddings it to be pragmatic, methodical, systematic in planning.   The first e-mails I get from wedding coordinators typically tell me all I need to know.  Generic time schedule agendas that more or less assure problems will arise on the wedding day because generic agendas don't take into account the unique needs of the wedding day.    My first e-mail from Ashley Powell caught my attention..  An agenda that was complete, thorough, and well thought out.  I had  two small issues with it that I discussed with her.   It was at the Nixon Library and I knew at sunset in January I wanted the couple to be available for a few shots at a certain location.  She wrote back right away, and it was done.  This potential problem was resolved two weeks before the wedding.   On the wedding day, it was like a ballet the day was so smooth and flawless.  I was so impressed.  I saw this high energy lady known as Ashley Powell pumping away behind the scenes at a frantic pace.  This lady is just a dynamo!

Ashley Powell is a preferred wedding coordinator at the Nixon Library. She's not the only one, and to be fair I don't know of or have worked with the others.  I see how hard Ashley works, and all I can say is if you are fortunate enough to hire her you will be in great hands.  She is an exceptional wedding planner, she comes up with a unique plan for her brides and works the plan.   I respect people who work hard for their money.   

Ashley Powell

Agape Planning LLC

Making Your Plans Come Together

Office (949) 457-0412

Mobile (760) 963-7562

www.AgapePlanning.com

Dan Douglass, Plug Video, may as well stop by to see him if you're in the area.

Typically photographers and videographers have been known to mix like oil and water.  Back in the early 2000's I went through this timeframe where everybody was hiring videographers for their weddings.  Mostly it was an afterthought, a gift that someone bought the bridal couple last minute.   They usually all had two things in common, they were cheap and horrible.   I had high school football coaches who bought nice gear to tape the games and suddenly they were asked to video a wedding.  Yes, things were that unsophisticated.  I started looking into adding video to our core product offering.  I spent weeks looking into the gear. My goal was simple, I would have a college student do the video so that I could instruct them to stay out of my way.  After i got to $10,000 worth of gear I would need I gave up the idea.  I was on step ten.  When I met Dan at PlugVideo he was on step 80.  I instantly recognized all the cool gear I couldn't afford to buy.  His work was amazing.  I have enthusiastically referred Dan ever since.   Over time he's gotten even better winning some national awards for his work and being featured in magazines.

Let me tell you about the time someone didn't hire Dan.  It was an unsophisticated wedding coordinator who needed to hire someone  for a small wedding.  Dan gave him a quote, and the coordinator told him it wasn't good enough. Someone at his church would do more, and give an even  better deal.  So, Dan was out and these two jokers show up to the wedding.    I noticed throughout the day that they were standing in horrible spots  for video.  Sure they were out of everybody's way, but they were missing shots right and left.  These guys were super nice, incompetent, but nice.  They had interesting stories.  One came to town the week before and always wanted to be a videographer, the other was, well, questionable.  Long story short, a few weeks later  they showed up to the coordinator with a couple DVD's and came to get their check.  The DVD's were unedited, had horrible footage of the ground and other major problems.   The questionable guy said "Oh my gosh, i am so sorry, I grabbed the wrong DVD.  Let me mail you the right one.  BTW, can I have my check now?"  The coordinator paid these guys and they were never to found again.  The moral of the story is if you pay peanuts you get monkeys.

Dan is a mature, responsible business owner, loves what he does, works hard, and creates beautiful work.  I believe memories are important on the wedding day.  So much is said during the ceremony, and the toasts that you'll want to go back and revisit.   Dan also offers HD 1080P video which has incredible  clarity.  It really brings a new dimension to video.   If you don't have an HD TV now soon enough you may and you'll want to see your wedding in high definition. 

Dan works from home like I do, and he's located about two miles from the Nixon Library.  If you are gong out to see the Nixon Library and are considering hiring a videographer, call for an appointment.    If you're on the fence about having video, just go by anyway and check him out.  He won't hound you to sign up.  It's a no obligation consultation.

Dan Douglass

Plug Video Productions

www.PlugVideo.com

714-777-9958

Our  own shameless plug

My name is Steve Schlesinger, I  run Lifetime Images Photography along with my wife Lecia.  We've been in business since 1997.   I've got a lot of very positive feedback about my venue reviews.  People often don't get that we run a wedding photography company.   Thus if you're looking for a wedding photographer we'd appreciate if you would check us out.  There are two words that describe our company, Affordable Excellence.  I'm not going to ramble on and on about our company    All I'm going to say is thank you for reading this review.  There are more reviews on this website, please read them when you get a chance..  I write reviews on places I've visited while photographing  weddings.    We've been fortunate to have great bridal couples who have scoped out and found some incredible venues, thus we're adding more all the time.  I really want to thank our clients for taking us to new and exciting places.  If you are looking for a wedding photographer or know of someone who is seeking one, please keep us in mind.

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