Los Gatos

Venue Review | Testarossa Winery, Los Gatos, CA

Jen Good Photography Testarossa Winery is nestled above the hustle and bustle of downtown Los Gatos in a serene and peaceful setting in the historic Novitiate. Testarossa combines a romantic and incredibly unique venue with unbelievable service. Their staff proudly performs as the icing on the cake. Nothing is too much to ask and everyone is very personable.

As you enter the winery, you walk through a grand double doorway into the long stone cave. The brick imprints, arching ceiling, and esoteric design bestows an unparalleled romantic atmosphere. During a wedding, this space is used for the ceremony or the cocktail/reception. Regardless of the event, the cave provides a dramatic, romantic, and unparalleled space.

Ceremony's can also take place outdoors on the patio, which is decorated with wooden wine barrels, clear globe lights, and sandy gravel. It has a modern farm-like feel combining nature with simple elegance.

Jen Good Photography

The Castello Room is used for dinner and can accommodate up to 150ppl. Instead of a standard square or rectangle room, the Castello room has wide pillars (perfect for pin spot lighting), sconces, and an elegant ceiling canopy. Due to the shape and pillars, 60" round tables (seat 7 - 9 people) are best suited for this room. However, there is ample space for a long double-sided head table or family table.

The tasting room, also known as the Palazzio Room, is warm and inviting with a long wooden bar, a glowing wine barrel wall, and tall wooden pillars. The dance floor is long and narrow, but is sufficient for a party of 120 or less. A large wooden antique table, sitting next to the wooden door, is perfect for a guest book or dessert station. But, this table comes with Testarossa accesories and a charge is incurred to remove the items.

Jen Good Photography

Ratings:

Price per person  · $100 - $150

Rental Fees  · $4000 - $6500

Items Included  · 60" rounds, fruitwood chivari chairs, cream floor length linens, 6' and 8' banquet tables, tall and short cocktail tables, white wooden ceremony chairs, votives in square and round vases, hurricane vases, sound system in the Castello room (not equipped with microphone), dinnerware, glassware, dressing room for the band, and room for the catering company.

Food  · Catering company required, which is limited to companies noted on Testarossa's vendor list.

Bar  · Per person packaged pricing for bottled beer and wine.

Timing  · Dinner setup can begin as early as 3pm; ceremony and reception setup begins at 5pm, allowing the event to start as early as 6pm. Events are contracted for 5 hours.

Staff  · Impeccable! Fabulous, friendly, and very easy to work with.

Setup  ·  Easy load in and load out areas with ramp access.

Power  ·  Ample power for bands, dj's, and lighting.

Lighting  · Provided lighting is subtle with dimming options in the dining room and reception room. Hiring a lighting company to up-light the pillars provides a glowing ambiance.

Liability Insurance  · $1,000,000 special event liability coverage is required.

Overall Cost  ·  Pricing is very reasonable. The rental fees include most, if not all of the furniture you will need. There are no hidden fees - all prices are noted in the contract.

James Randall Restaurant

This past weekend I enjoyed a lovely dinner at James Randall Restaurant in Los Gatos, CA. It is a small restaurant located in the heart of downtown Los Gatos. The outdoor dining tables are eloquently placed in romantic settings; one of which is stooped on a patio with beautiful lighting hanging from above.  The interior is glowing with deep reds and silvers. Stain glass lamps and glass candles light the restaurant creating a cherry glow, while peacock feathers and a black fireplace complete the ensemble. I absolutely loved the design. My experience with dark reds and blacks has been overly gothic and drab, but James Randall's play on silver, red, and black was perfectly applied. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a tasty bite in a romantic setting, as well as those looking for modern, unique decor ideas for their event.