The Brazilian Room was the perfect venue for our wedding. Obviously it's a gorgeous space surrounded by natural beauty, and it has a lot of other perks which made it ideal for anyone who is trying to stick to a budget or just likes including lots of DIY elements in their big day. Feel free to reach out if you're planning a Brazilian Room wedding and you have any questions about the logistics of doing certain things yourself! Also I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend Jasmine Catering and Katharina Stuart for floral design. Jason from Quantum Party Productions also did an awesome job transforming the venue with lighting. -We brewed the beer for the wedding and also made our own desserts which our awesome caterer accommodated no problem! -We picked up the flowers the morning of the wedding and set up all decorations ourselves with the help of family, friends, and the catering staff. -Since we brought so much ourselves, we stayed at an airbnb near the venue and used a moving service to transfer everything over the morning of the wedding. -Instead of hiring a DJ we made a playlist and brought our own sound equipment and our own wireless microphone. This worked pretty well but did require a bit of in-the-moment troubleshooting to get things loud enough! -We did photos before the wedding in the botanic garden just down the hill from the Brazilian Room - note that you need to get a permit to do this in advance. -The Brazilian Room building managers are so nice and answered lots of questions throughout the planning process! read more

They did a terrible job for my family members Wedding. So many things were subpar. And I know Weddings well. First of all, their alternate plan for possible rain was non existent. It rained before the Wedding ceremony started. As guests were arriving, it was very unclear where to even stand while waiting for the "rain". I asked... multiple employees, and nobody knew. Elders were left standing in a crammed space just inside, waiting, not knowing. Chairs outside were wet. Rain was on and off. We couldn't sit at our tables yet. Some elders clearly needed, at the very least, a chair. Very soon after eating they took our tables down for dancing. Where were we all expected to sit? Our entire row of tables gone. Several long tables. Lots of people were misplaced. Including dome that needed a chair more than others. Yet, there was plenty of space for the few people that did dance before they rudely made us give up our seats. The DJ was unprofessional. He didn't announce anything adequately, nor did he "work the crowd" in any way. So, few people joined the Bride & Groom in the traditional fun stuff. read more

Experience is from a private event. Parking is very scarce within the parking lot. Not many handicap spots. There is additional parking along side the road. The view is nice of the green hills, the event space is quaint, but plenty photo opportunities. The event I attended one of the vendors was not prepared for the crowd and actually ran out of tapas. There was a D. J. indoors and a live band outside. Overall a good time. read more

Brazilian Room - Live band set up with the view - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I'm Mitra and I love my own business with "MitraArtCake" I was the vendor for my wedding cake and I delivery my cake there. My cake was 4 tiers cake. The venue is absolutely stunning -- the nature and weather were just perfect. You can truly have an unforgettable wedding there. I had the pleasure of delivering a wedding cake to this beautiful location, and everything about it was magical. Please visit my IG page My Instagram: https://instagram.com/mitraartcake My Yelp: https://yelp.to/OFLRLjwBSN read more

Really nice location and very private/ secluded. I would say my one concern was how foggy it was when we left and how winding the road was. It was kind of scary! Hopefully everyone has a designated driver since it seems difficult to hail an uber to that location and was so so foggy. read more

Came here again for another wedding this past weekend and felt like I had to update mine from 2018 to keep things accurate. So this wedding was ~80 people which I felt made the venue MUCH more spacious than when it was 150 people (~10 tables instead of 15 like last time!) Started at 3:30pm and ended around 9pm. All the weddings I've been to did a ceremony outdoors and a reception indoors Pros: - GORGEOUS venue - great view of the trees, super grassy, the sky against the grass and trees - Tons of places for the bride and groom to take photos - because of the great background - Great indoor space - good audio, a video projector if needed for slideshow/video - Parking is adequate - A decent hallway for the wedding party to hide in before they walk out into the reception - It's nice to have the ceremony and reception area so close to each other - Staff was all very kind - Clean bathrooms Cons: - VERY winding road up to the venue since it's in Tilden Park, there's some signage that will point at "Brazil Room" but trust your GPS. Apple maps has been updated so now if you type in Brazilian Room Berkeley it actually takes you to the right place! Also no lights so if your guests are drinking or if it's night time, the drive back out of the venue is tough - Not a great space if you have more than 150 people - I actually think 80-100 might be the best. The couple this weekend had rows of 5 on each side of the aisle and it was the perfect amount of space - Not really space for a bar inside, so if people want to get alc they'll go outside - Outdoor area can be SUPER HOT if it's an afternoon wedding in the summer - not a lot of shade in the area where guests will sit - and we hid in the shaded tree areas during the cocktail hour Overall though, gorgeous wedding venue, beautiful photos. Slightly inconvenient but could be worth the view read more

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This was a gorgeous wedding venue, and apparently well-prices too. Especially for Berkeley residents. It would be nice if they had a slightly larger room for the bride to get ready in, but overall, it was sufficient. The grounds were stunning and I'm sure it will make for gorgeous wedding photos. I was in the bridal party and we loved seeing the beautiful grounds while we were taking pictures - I do wish I had more time to explore. The venue hall itself was very nice and worked well for the wedding size. But seriously, it's the outdoors that made this venue totally worth it. Even our cell phone pictures were fab. I do wish the wi-fi had just been open though. It was silly that we had to figure it out. (Our bride put it on her website, but none of us had enough service to get to the website when we were up there.) read more

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A beautiful wedding venue with nature as your backdrop. Make sure to do your research and cost estimates in advance as vendors do add up.

It's a beautiful venue but my kids and my nephew were stung by yellow jackets. My son was stung 8 times and my daughter once and my nephew once as well. They had a small sign by the parking lot that no one could even see. Very disappointed in the venue because the caterers at the venue said they didn't have a first aid kit and no one at the venue blocked off the tree. I spoke with the supervisor and she didn't even know there were yellow jackets there and had no clue who put the sign up. All I got was I'm sorry. That was very disappointing. read more

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We held our wedding at the Brazilian Room earlier this year, on a Saturday in March. It was magical! We were looking for a place with plenty of natural beauty that we didn't need to decorate much, and where we didn't have to worry about bringing in rentals. The Brazilian Room fit that to a T! Parking was easy for guests (plenty of spots on Wildcat Canyon in addition to the lot in front of the Brazilian Room). The indoors space was very comfortable for our ~100 guests + 10 vendor staff. We also HIGHLY recommend working with Jasmine Catering from the Brazilian Room's approved caterers list. Oded and his team are fantastic at what they do, and made everything so easy and smooth. We're so happy with how our day turned out! Here are the other vendors we loved: - Photographer: Erin Prado for Vivian Chen Photography - DJ: DJ Christie with Heart of Gold DJs - Flowers: Momo's Flowers & More read more

Brazilian Room - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Berkeley, California

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We had a fantastic experience working in the Brazilian Room. The staff is attentive and helpful, making the setup process seamless. The venue's ambiance adds an extra touch of elegance to any event. Highly recommend! read more

We couldn't have picked a better venue for our September wedding & reception. Our views were phenomenal, the indoor space was elegant without being stuffy, and even in a light fog the pictures came out looking great. We feel very lucky to have found a space on a weekend nine months out, so book early! read more

The venue is beautiful and the fees are affordable. From a value perspective it's probably the best venue in the east bay. Pros: beautiful facility and gorgeous views. Indoor and outdoor space. A variety of approved catering vendors. Many other vendor suggestions but not required. Able to bring own beer and wine. Pleasant staff on the phone.. No need for extravagant decorations because it is already so beautiful. Cons: Alot of restrictions regarding decorations, no rice, flower petals... You need to stay on top of communication with the facility read more

I recently attended a wedding at Brazilian Room and oh my goooossshhhh! It was SO beautiful! I can hardly imagine a dreamier setting for a wedding reception. The outdoor area was beautiful for a cocktail hour, and the interior was the perfect space for dinner, and, later, dancing. I loved that the dining area transformed into a dance floor. The drive up here is a bit terrifying and it twisty and steep but it is absolutely worth the drive. The fog rolled it and it got pretty chilly on a July evening, but it didn't stop the space from being drop dead gorgeous. I would definitely recommend this spot to anyone looking for an awesome venue! read more

My husband and I are so happy that we had our wedding at the Brazilian Room, it was absolutely perfect!!! We will always be able to look back on our day and remember how fantastic it was. We had the ceremony outside and the reception inside, simply magical. Because our wedding was early on a Friday (7/21/17 8am-4pm) we were required to use one of their suggested caterers, that was fine though because we decided to go with Serves You Right and they worked out fine, plus the food was great! The BR recommendation list was very helpful too, we hired Ian Martin as our photographer, Katharina Stuart as our Florist & Masse's Pastries for our cake and desserts. Didn't use their in house A/V system though, we hired a DJ who had his own sound equipment. Then went with the SYR suggestion to hire Mills Wine Group for the wine & beer. All were great!! I will be adding photos soon too! read more

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Pros: - The most obvious is that it's beautiful. We got married in March, crossed our fingers it wouldn't rain, and it was a perfect sunny day. - Relatively affordable compared to other options in the area - Indoor option for ceremony in case it rains - Plenty of parking - Staff was helpful in answering our questions during their open house times Cons: - We rented lights for the walkway leading to the entrance, but the parking lot itself has no lights. My uncle tripped in the parking lot and face planted on the concrete. This should really get this addressed, as it is a liability and safety concern. - Dressing room is tiny, and no extra room for the grooms/groomsmen - They can't guarantee your preferred rehearsal time is available until closer to your wedding date Our vendors: - Carrie Dove: HIGHLY recommend, if your budget allows. They were amazing in every way. We chose them after researching all the preferred vendors, because we found they had the best customer service and food compared to others in a similar price range. It was all the little touches that made them totally worth it - whether it was packing the bridal room with snacks, packing leftover food for us to take home, saving appetizers for us during cocktail hour, and even wrapping fragile items I took home individually with ceranwrap to make sure it didn't get scratched. So thoughtful. - Katharina Stuart: also highly recommend! She is so sweet and calm, and did a wonderful job with our bouquets and centerpieces! - Quantum: experienced and professional, though it was a bummer we rented 3 heat lamps that ended up being totally unnecessary since it was such a warm day. $90x3... this is why weddings drain your bank account (end rant) - Night Owl Photobooth: thought they were professional and I liked their B&W option read more

Brazilian Room - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I planned my wedding from Chicago so I was nervous and at the mercy of Yelp reviews for everything. I had guests flying in from all over and we were looking for a venue that was beautiful and fit into our "Fall" theme without spending an Arm and a leg. We rented the Brazilian room after researching for weeks. I recommend renting the entire day to avoid any issues. I rented the entire day for $900. We got married on a Thursday so our guests who flew in could spend the weekend going to wine country or hitting the nightlife in SF. It worked perfectly and we got major discounts because of it. The pictures don't do it justice. I was worried when I saw a review that said it looked like someone's backyard-but I have no clue what that person is talking about now that we had our wedding. It is extremely gorgeous-we got married in October and everything looked perfect. I would recommend this place over the other places that were quoting me $4-5,000 just to rent the place and weren't nearly as beautiful! Everyone said they couldn't believe how amazing this venue was-you feel like you're in a fairytale in the woods. The building is gorgeous inside and or, the stones on the patio where we had the ceremony are lovely and make everything more elegant. I was going to rent something as a backdrop but my caterer said I should reconsider wasting money because the view is gorgeous and I should t block it and she was right. This place is Perfect and because you book with hem a lot of the vendors give you discounts! (My DJ was half price because of the Brazil room). My vendors: Caterer-Serves you Right Catering (amazing) DJ and up lighting- Quantum Music Event Planners (the best!) Cake/Cupcakes-Indie Cakes (the best I've ever had) Photo booth- Sybex Booths (low prices-great quality) Rentals-Piedmont Rentals (I rented dark wood chairs, navy linens,and a couple cocktail tables-great service) Flowers-Whole Foods Market on Telegraph Rd in Berkeley-I never thought to use them until someone recommended them. I had 20 center pieces, 7 bridesmaids bouquets, my bouquet, 9 boutonnières and 4 corsages for $1400! And those were the most beautiful and big orange roses, orange lilies....the more expensive flowers. Everyone raves about them! Photographer-Sweetbay Photography (they were fantastic and kept me calm when getting ready. They have a way with getting the kids to focus and sit still). Makeup/Hair- Lynn Yee Makeup -cannot recommend her enough! And she was half the price of other artists that were not nearly as good. Alcohol-Mills Wine-I was worried about how cheap they were but they were amazing! High end beers and wines for Costco prices. Feel free to reach out to me if you need help or have questions. I know how stressful it can be but this place and all my vendors were perfect! read more

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As the road was winding, the rain pouring, flashbacks of every in-the-woods slasher flick I've ever seen ran through my brain. Once I arrived, I couldn't focus on the surroundings or interior of the Brazilian Room, it was still pouring. Once settled with all the wedding materials, the fireplace roared in the back of the room, the staff working furiously to bring out appetizers and cheese plates while guests drank beer, wine, and champagne, waiting for the 2nd shuttle to bring the rest of the immediate family. And then the sun came out. I have stayed in cabins in the middle of Lakehead, north of Lake Shasta, with views that span the forest for 100 miles. Here in Tilden Park,the view of the surrounding trees and escape from the rat race of the Bay Area are breathtaking, one-of-a-kind, and give you that same vacation/ " I've escaped" feeling. Rent a big ride and have the straight edge member of your crew drive. Enjoy this beautiful landmark, while sipping various drank and dancing to the Black Eyed Peas and Lady Gaga. It's a wedding, c'mon... quit sitting down. This chick wants to meet you.... read more

After visiting 11 venues, we chose the Brazilian Room as The Place. Here's why: It's super gorgeous. The ceremony can be held outside on the patio which overlooks a large grassy field surrounded by redwoods and pine trees. Then the reception is inside this arts and crafts-y lodge like building (which has a slight fairy tale-like stone facade) with a soaring ceiling and a fireplace. The price can't be beat. It's one of the cheapest venues we looked at. I think that's because it's run by the Parks Department. Since there's so much demand for the Brazilian Room, I think they could get away with charging $2000 more than what they do (not that I'm suggesting it). It's 20% cheaper if you live in Alameda or Contra Costa Counties. (Why must I live in Santa Clara County?) Downside: The bridal changing area is a public restroom. You use the tiny lounge adjacent to it to get ready. There are a lot of policies on the space such as no flower petals or rice and no hanging anything from the ceiling; plus there are candle regulations. In order to sign a contract, you must visit the Brazilian Room during weekday business hours or during their Tuesday night wedding fairs. This is fine if you live nearby, but is nightmare-ish if you live an hour away since you have to drive there during commute hours. read more

I just have to say in a day and age where nobody picks up the phone anymore and everything has to be done online, the Brazilian room staff is fabulous. You get to actually speak to a live person! With that said, I cannot think Josue enough for assisting me today. He followed up with his supervisor to make sure that he was answering all my questions and giving me the right answers. Just so I didn't have to wait on hold, he was polite and asked me for my information and called me back to confirm the answers to my questions. A big shout out to Josue! Thank you soooo much! Brazilian room, please make sure to take care of Josue as he provided the best customer service I have received from someone in a very long time! Thank you again! read more

We just had our wedding at the Brazilian Room this last Saturday and it was a dream! The venue is absolutely gorgeous without any decoration, feels intimate while still being spacious for our wedding of 105 people, and is close to many accommodations in Berkeley, but driving up the hill into Tilden Park makes you feel like you are in a world of your own. Pros: -Affordable (for this area)-- we did venue buyout which gives you sole access to the property for 12 hours and it was MUCH more affordable than any other venue we looked at, which we would have had access to for 5-6 hours. -BEAUTIFUL! We got SO many compliments on how gorgeous it was. We saved tons on decorations because we needed only minimal decorations and flowers because both the view and the interior room are gorgeous on their own. -Well known venue, that many wedding vendors are familiar with and enjoy working at. This makes it easier to coordinate (as easy as it can be a venue where you bring in all your own vendors) and our wedding ran very smoothly. Cons: -You need to book FAR ahead! We didn't know this going in and just got lucky as we had a fairly long engagement. Booking opens January 2 for the entire NEXT year, and they go FAST! I called January 2 2018 at 8:15 AM (phone lines opened at 8 AM), was 12th in line and had to go to our THIRD back up date for our wedding. So just be warned. -1/2 of a con: you can use preferred caterers only. We adored our caterers (Cafe Soleil), but it does limit your selection, and all are fairly pricey, if you were thinking of trying to save on food by doing BBQ or food trucks or something like that. But this is just personal preference. Overall amazing venue, affordable, beautiful, and if you live in the bay area, pretty easily accessible, especially if you're in the east bay. read more

Oh the Brazilian Room...I got married here last April so here's my take... Pros: Unique venue (the windows are great) Beautiful setting Great spots for photos nearby The fireplace makes a great focal point in the room Long list of caterers to chose from Can purchase your own wine/ beer/ champagne and just have your caterer serve Great price Cons: We brought in lighting: from my understanding it's doesn't photograph very well unless you bring in additional lighting (the overhead lights are a bit "stark") The bathrooms are not up to par (this was my least favorite aspect of the venue) It is park---if you want perfect landscaping with not a leaf in a flower bed, you might get frustrated No hard liquor Insane waiting list I can't imagine having my wedding any other place and I highly recommend the venue. I personally think the pros are far more important than the cons. However, make sure you can navigate/ accept any "cons" that come up. read more

Brazilian Room - April 28, 2012 wedding at the Brazilian Room. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Berkeley, California

The Brazilian Room is a gorgeous venue inside and out. The scenic outdoor patio (with the surrounding field and redwoods) would be a great place for a ceremony or reception. The inside has a comfortable, yet elegant and intimate lodge feel, with lots of nice arts and crafts and other wood touches. Gayle and I attended a wedding here a while back that featured the best friend of the bride as the officiant. It was heartfelt and touching and provided a perfect symbiosis with the Brazilian Room itself. I have also been here during my stepdaughter's Bat Mitzvah "season" and lets just say that this event has a different combination of solemn and joyful energy that raised the roof to the heavens. Gayle and I will be having our wedding at a beautiful private venue within the Napa Valley. Otherwise, the Brazilian Room (or the wee elegance of the Lake Temescal Beach House) was very high on our list. For the combination of price, beauty, location, and attention to detail, this East Bay Regional Park District facility is hard to beat for almost any special event. read more

I'm delighted to be able to attend functions in the Brazilian Room up at Tilden Park. It is as close to perfection As one can get if one does not have their own place that will easily have 125 people in it, and the surround is also Without a parallel ..Warm and inviting, collegial, familial and nourishing, it is the ideal gathering spot for whatever one might need . Celebrations, departures, meaningful moments in ones lives are well cared for in this spectacular space. Weddings, memorials, anniversaries any and all celebrations are made even more meaningful and memorable, bathed in the light and the memories of others who have gathered there. 5 stars, plus at least 5 more!!! read more

If you read just a few of the reviews, you will find consensus: the Brazilian room can't be beat for price, seclusion, and beauty in the Bay Area. Although you are forced to use preferred vendors, I know people who used three other vendors besides ours, and everyone was very happy with them. In other words, you can't go wrong. (That said, I strongly recommend Cafe Soleil and D.J. Jeremy productions after our experience with them.) I loved the one-venue for everything advantage of the Brazilian Room. It was so easy to walk down the hill and through the back gate to the Tilden Park Botanical Gardens to take photos in the redwood grove before the wedding. The mountains behind the patio serve as a perfect backdrop for the ceremony, making a bower unnecessary. Cocktail hour on the patio with family photos happening just around the bushes made it easy to collect the necessary people for each photo. Having our wedding in the summer was amazing because our photos include both sunny shots from the afternoon and foggy shots from the evening. Also, we were happy to save money by not renting any extra lighting given that dinner was over and everyone was dancing by the time it got dark. We particularly liked having our wedding on a Thursday because it was half the price of Friday and Sunday and a quarter the price of Saturday and because it allowed or many out-of-town guests to turn their trip into a long weekend exploring wine country, Alcatraz, Berkeley museums, and other Bay Area attractions. Booking far in advance is important, but if you are flexible enough to have your wedding on a weekday, it opens up a lot of dates and will save you lots of money. If you live in the Bay Area and can find a date that works, you should definitely get married at the Brazilian room. read more

This place is gorgeous! One of my very dear friends had her wedding here early this morning and luckily we were blessed with sunshine. My husband and I didn't know what to expect at first because the Brazilian room is in the middle of Tilden Regional park in Berkeley. We were blown away by the luscious view of the park (tall trees and lush green fields). While the couple exchanged their vows, we were able to enjoy the beautiful view of the background. This is a great place for you to have your wedding if you're planning to have one with 150 people or less. One other tip, it's also great to have your wedding early in the AM so the weather is better. My friends started at 10:00 AM (ceremony) until 3:30 PM (reception). It started to get a bit chilly towards the end so it was great we had an early start. One nice touch was that they had chocolates in the women's restroom. We had such a great time! This is definitely a good place to have your wedding for a great price. For 2008, the price to rent out the space is only $300 and this is definitely a steal. read more

I just had my wedding here this past Friday. After all those hours scouring Yelp and other bridal forums, I ended up choosing this venue. However, I am sorely regretful that I did. My entire night would have been nearly perfect, except for one major detail gone wrong. The AV system that I had rented from the Brazil Room was broken, which caused the emcee, DJ, and videographer (with AMAZING SDE footage - Imperial Video Productions) to not be able to do their job to their full capability. I can honestly say that even though the weather was beyond crappy, the horrible sound system at Brazil Room RUINED my wedding. Not only will I never be able to recreate this special day, but I have also lost out financially. I experienced a gut wrenching and dizzying feeling that still hasn't subsided. My videographer (worth EVERY penny and more) was unable to show my SDE which cost me a chunk of change. Also my emcee and DJ was unable to plug in their computer with all my preloaded song requests causing them to have to resort to their backup iPod. Even the iPod plug-in was broken and caused the feed to stall over the speakers. My first dance was ruined (I had to stop less than half way through) because the music kept cutting out. I couldn't even do my bouquet and garter toss. The projector couldn't even lower down for me to play my SDE. Luckily my videographer brought his screen. But to my dismay the video was unable to play because of the bad feedback from the AV system. The second thing, behind actually getting married, I was excited about from the week after I was engaged until the day of the wedding. To top it off, I was told by my videographer that my caterer (Miraglia) was not being helpful at all with the sound problem. The caterers kept pointing fingers at my videographer and my emcee saying that this was their problem, not the venue. This could not be further from the truth since my videographer (who has worked at many venues), my emcee, AND my DJ all had problems and ALL tried their hand at trouble shooting the issue - they were from different companies!!! My videographer was also told that he was not allowed to plug directly into the sound board because it was in the kitchen. After all, the sound board wasn't even in the kitchen. My sound may have been saved, but the lack of cooperation by my caterer made that impossible. At the end of the night I felt disgusted and horribly embarrassed. I kept trying to explain to my guests that I hired reliable people and that it was the venue that was to blame. This not only made ME look bad, but my VENDORS as well. I am lucky to have such understanding and PATIENT friends and family who were able to bear with me through this horrific experience. I am EXTREMELY disappointed and mortified. Another warning: Brides who expect to be able to use the bathroom (and NOT ruin their dress) should NOT book here. The stalls are incredibly small and the doors open into the stall making it impossible to close unless you squeeze right up against the toilet - totally gross. read more

Our wedding venue :) My husband and I were looking to cut corners at every turn we could and got married on a Monday. Because of this, most of the venues we looked at had the availability we needed. Brazilian Room, however, had the BEST price. Also, since we spent quite a few of our early dates taking leisurely drives around the hills in both Berkeley AND Oakland, it made choosing this location quite meaningful. Correspondence with the staff was always pretty easy and I liked that they had Open Houses on Tuesdays so that we were able to check out both the venue as well as meet potential caterers. My only qualm was the lack of Wi-Fi / phone signal up there, but maybe in this day and age that's a good thing after all - our wedding guests were actually present in the moment instead of doing distracting shit like checking in (really, who the fuck checks in at a wedding?) and being on social media, which kept the focus where it belonged... on ME. (just kidding, i mean the great food, the music, the company, and yes - husband and me). I had very minimal involvement and need for communication, the majority of it was done between my vendors, my coordinator and the venue, so it was nice to feel totally hands-off yet taken care of, which is hard when you're a control freak like me. Loved this for my wedding venue, highly recommended if you have classy tastes but are on a budget! read more

We first chose this as our venue and got fed up enough to switch. Pros: 1. it's a picturesque location and the room is nice 2. relatively inexpensive Cons: You have to follow all of their rules, and there are quite a few. 1. you want to have your vendors set up a bit early? nope 2. you want to let your rental company pick up early the next am? nope 3. you want a fire pit on the patio (covered and plenty far from danger)? nope 4. you want to wrap up your entire event (completely done and evacuated) a few minutes past 12 midnight? nope 5. you want to hang something on a wall or any place at all inside? nope 6. you want to put the bar in some place OTHER than the 2 places they designate? nope 7. you want to serve hard alcohol? nope 8. you want friendly and helpful service? nope read more

We got married here a few years ago. If things don't work out, I hope to have my next wedding here too. just kidding. It's absolutely beautiful! The place reminds me of something you'd find in an english countryside. Love the grounds which is perfectly landscaped. Love the building with original Brazilian wood panels throughout and the giant stone fireplace. BUT.... The place comes with many rules and regulations enforced by always hippy rarely happy park ranger ladies who just don't seem to get excited about weddings. On the day of my wedding, one of my bridesmaid got so frustrated with the park ranger in charge that the c*** word was heard echoing through Tilden Park. I was surprised to get my deposit back. Anyhoo, it was still a lovely wedding on the hottest day of the year where everyone including the bride (me) were sweating like pigs through the entire ceremony. We were rewarded, however with a balmy evening where we partied for hours on the lovely patio. Tip: My sister is a caterer not on their approved list so we used the "potluck" option to get around their in-house caterer rule. Shhhh... don't tell the park ranger ladies... read more

The Brazilian room is similar to being in Yosemite without Half Dome, but it is set in Tilden Park in the Berkeley Hills.The pavillion is set in a meadow surrounding by big trees. Imagine this setting.... a slate patio lined with white chairs, a warm day with the bride in white and the groom in a black suit under full sun. Kinda warm but still a beautiful setting. The main room has ample room for 100 to 125 occupants. Room for a dinner buffet and dancing. The main room is set with rich dark woods with a big fireplace. Ample parking space, driving to the location can be kinda tricky and since this was an evening wedding leaving in the dark was even more trickier. Great place to hold a wedding or banquet. read more

I am very happy with our decision to have our wedding at the Brazilian Room. Despite the windy, dark roads I love this venue. It is beautiful and fairly effortless to make it look wedding ready. There are only a few drawbacks I see to this location, one is you have to chose a preferred caterer, and from my experience they all seem to price shadow each other. It would also be beneficial if the Brazil Room had a wedding coordinator on their staff to help with all the details and nuances of the venue because there are several. I found it difficult that the preferred caterers do this instead. Some items were not straight forward up front, such as you can't really fit 150 guests inside comfortably. The other situational drawback we had, is we did a first look and we were rudely interrupted by the Brazil Room onsite employee in the middle of our first look. She yelled something out about a black car right near us, and of course we have a black car so thought something was wrong when it was not even our car. I recommend this venue, but be prepared to wait a while to get a date, the cost savings is not really there overall once you look at what the preferred catering will cost in addition to the affordable cost of the venue. I would not change my decision to have the wedding at the Brazil Room knowing what I know now, I just would have been a bit more savvy to certain details I learned about during the planning process. read more

We had our wedding at the Brazilian room in September 2011 and it was a wonderful experience! It was a beautiful location and extremely affordable for a Bay Area location. We had our wedding ceremony and reception at the Brazilian room on a Friday, and it came out to $2400 for a 12 hour timeslot, which by far is the best value for this venue, and I think compared to other locations in general. For Saturday and Sunday weddings, you can either choose a morning or afternoon time slot, or a full day, which I think was in the mid $3000 range. It is an East Bay parks location so the prices I am quoting are for East Bay residents. I worked with Elaine, who I would definitely recommend. She was extremely nice and willing to spend so much time looking for available time slots for us. This place does get booked very quickly so you want to book as soon as you can. Also there are several documents that are due over the next months, such as catering information, rental fees, damage deposits, etc., so it takes some organization. However the East Bay Parks will email and mail updates, so it's not really an issue. The Brazilian room only works with certain caterers, which for us was great because it limited the number of vendors we had to look at. We went with Carrie Dove Catering, who were great and basically ran the wedding for us (see my review for them). The AV system was not that great for anything other than mic use, so definitely look into having your DJ bring their own sound system and speakers. Also provide your guests with driving directions that go through the Buchanan Marin route (take the Albany/Buchanan exit on 80) so that they don't need to go through the park, which is very twisty and windy. The venue has its own parking lot, a beautiful courtyard with trees and rolling hills in the background, and a reception hall with a great beamed ceiling and a cozy feel. The only minor drawbacks is that the bathrooms are kind of small--I used the disabled persons bathroom because I wouldn't have been able to fit my wedding dress in the women's bathroom. Also it can get very chilly, even in early September, so tell your guests to bring a shawl or light coat. Other than that, perfect and affordable location for one of the most special days of your life! read more

We LOVED this venue!!!! We are so happy we chose BR. Great value (especially if you are an East bay resident) and a beautiful setting for our Nov 2013 wedding. We held our ceremony outside (lucked out with perfect weather) and the reception indoors, which worked out perfectly. The phone staff is very nice and easy to work with, and the ground staff is very helpful. BR wants to retain that 'rustic' feel, but they have done many great upgrades since we first looked at the venue back in early 2013. They renovated the bathrooms before our wedding and now support wifi. (Ask for the password. Otherwise, there is little to no cell reception in Tilden Park). They also have easy outlet/hookups for DJ/laptop connections. They also have a remote-control pull-down screen that can be rented out for videos. That was extremely convenient and useful for us. There are many great spots to take wedding photos, especially at sunset. The building's wood beams, large windows, and dim lighting makes it a photographers' dream. Give good directions to your guests and tell them to allow extra time to get there. Many will get lost. But once you're there, you will feel like you've escaped urban Berkeley and entered into a nature haven. You won't regret booking this venue for your wedding! You must use a caterer from their approved list. We used Royal Raspberry and could not be happier with them. See my RR review. read more

We had an evening wedding (ceremony & reception) here in November, 2009, and it was pretty much everything we had hoped for and more. The location is pretty spectacular. Even in November, at night, when you can't exactly enjoy the breathtaking views, it's still insanely cozy and remote, and it feels like an adventure just getting out there. So secluded! We kept the fireplace roaring throughout the evening and actually ended up saying our vows right in front of it. We had about 80 people attend and only received positive feedback about the location. Especially I'd say from out-of-towners who may have had somewhat misguided misconceptions about the general Berkeley/Oakland area. I know people have a hard time with the approved caterer requirement, however we found it actually made things easier. Not being originally from the Bay area, neither my husband nor I would have had the slightest idea of where to start with choosing who would provide the food for our big day. What's more, because the BR has the same 20 companies catering the weddings there, week after week, year after year, they really know their stuff. They're familiar with the setup and they basically organize the day for you from providing you a time-line of activities (toasts, first dance, etc.) to taking care of the cleanup so you and/your friends & family don't have to! It truly takes A LOT off your plate. We also found the catering options to be extremely high quality, offering mainly local organic cuisine and super accommodating to our somewhat tight budget (see my review for SYR)! Downsides: Yes, it's part of a public park so dealing with the paperwork, deposits, etc. was a bit of a hassle and we found the BR to be slightly unorganized. We had to fax a couple things several times before they were accounted for and had a couple of frustrating moments with trying to figure out whether or not they could provide a sound system, etc. (apparently they just started offering sound for an additional $100 but it basically only includes speakers to hook an iPod up to, and a microphone). Still, it really wasn't a big deal when all was said and done. The price was right, the location was ideal, and it really was the coziest spot we could have ever imagined our winter wedding taking place at. We have absolutely no regrets with our location selection and are so happy we chose to show off the city we currently call home by staying local. read more

Gorgeous venue. You could seriously plan any event with the space given. Birthdays, baby showers, weddings, graduation. You name it, you got it. The website is definitely helpful. It spells everything out for you. Upon looking for a wedding venue I heard countless high reviews for Brazilian Room. But the small capacity worried me. I'm not a fan of having to move tables for dancing. I'd prefer not to have a big ol housekeeping change during my event. However I wanted to keep my options open and check the spot out. If you've never been to Brazilian Room before, be prepared to get lost! I used my GPS from the yelp address on my phone and I ended up at the swimming lake! I was completely lost and had no idea where to go. However it must've been a blessing in the skies bc I was able to roam aimlessly around the beautiful Tilden Park. Finally after getting lost I had found The Brazilian Rm. I was taken back at how small the parking lot was! It looks like it could fit about 30 cars. Pretty small. It worried me since I could only imagine all my guests having to fight for parking. We had come on an open house day and was shocked at the low turn out. They had 3 caterers present, however no one really fought to get our attention. We scoped the spot, checked out the restrooms and small bridal room and we were out of there. Definitely the views were amazing. I could see a wonderful ceremony outside and gorgeous reception inside. However, if you're interested be sure to contact the office and check if your date is available. Unfortunately I was mislead and believed the dates opened up 1 yr from your interested date. Wrong... It opens up at the beginning of Jan 1 for the following yr. With that said, dates were booked up the wazoo! It obviously wasn't meant to be. The parking situation didn't sit well with us and the restrooms are also another big deciding factor. They just weren't up to par for us. But definitely check it out if you need venue space! read more

Ok, I know I'm going to be in the minority here but my so called "affordable" experience with using the Brazil Room for my wedding was not so much. Sure the venue fee is "affordable" by itself, but then you must also add onto that the "caterer's fee", which not only includes your food but also: the bartender, the alcohol/beverages, the servers (waiters), the plates, the silverware, the linens, the buffet, the tables, the set up, the clean up, and the delivery fees and any other hidden fees that you need for an event. After I added all of that onto the venue fee I was spending over $120 per person for a wedding of 60 guests! This didn't even include the cake, flowers, or the DJ! none of that stuff! I was agast and immediately started looking elsewhere. I don't know, maybe it's because we were only having 60 guests....maybe the cost per person goes down when you're having more people...the flat fee for the venue might make it more worth while with more people. This is probably an affordable venue if you're having over 120 people, but then, is this venue big enough for that many people comfortably? I've heard maybe no. And then there was the issue of guests driving on those windy roads.....especially my elderly guests.....getting lost.....yikes..... In any case I got my $100 back from the deposit (I'm considering the rest a "donation" to EBRPD) and most of the deposit back from the caterer. If you're having less that 70 people I suggest looking at other venues. We ended up going with Scott's Restaurant in Walnut Creek, their "Scott's Garden". read more

I still think the Brazillian room is a fabulous place to get married, but if you want to use the fireplace you need to make a big fuss about it. We wanted to use the fireplace and we paid the fee and when we called to confirm we made sure that they knew we wanted the fire built, but when we got there on the day there was no fire, and worse, no wood to build one ourselves! It was a minor detail, but when you pay for something you kind of expect to get it. They did refund our $30 'fireplace fee' when we kicked up a stink. Also, I wanted to let anyone thinking of booking the Brazilian Room know that it is way cheaper to get your event insurance through your renters or home owners insurance. The East Bay Parks wanted $150 for insurance, but State Farm wrote me a one day policy upgrade (I already have renters insurance with them) for only $50. So that is a good way to save yourself $100. read more

Just got a call from the woman that runs the Brazilian Room to accuse me of changing an appt time. I had her on my speakerphone while I was driving and I was shocked along with my passangers on how rude and mean she was. I booked with Fern Cottage but she said I changed our meeting time. Then she kept blaming me for changing the time when she originally gave me the set time. Wow. Incredible how customer service or just common sence is no longer needed at a place of business. Not good business practice. read more

Now that the dust has settled a little from all the wedding hoopla, I can give my candid review! I had my wedding here and I do not have enough GOOD things to say about The Brazilian Room! 1st- the Look- I had the ceremony out in the courtyard and reception indoors. This place is truly gorgeous! Outdoors, the rock walls and greenery created the look of a special intimate garden so very close to the heart of downtown Berkeley! Inside, the high ceiling, beautiful wooden floors, and windows overlooking the garden outside. Seriously, when searching for wedding venue, I looked everywhere- I knew I didn't want a hotel and I wanted a space where I could have the ceremony in one area and reception in another but be in the same location. The Brazilian Room satisfied both accounts. Pricing- Very Affordable Vendors- we checked out every caterer and tasted everyone's food on the list and went with Serves You Right Catering hands down. Not only do they have the best food but we really liked that they cater one wedding at a time so they pay lots of attention to you. They also have catered more events at the Brazilian Room than any of the other companies on the list. We went with Torino baking for the cake and it was GREAT! We did our own flowers. The People- the staff at the Park District where very helpful and answered all of our questions. In summary- a wedding day is nothing to play with- too much money, time, and effort goes into it. You want to be confident that it will go right and it starts by having the right people in your corner. At the Brazilian Room, you get just that and you don't have to be a millionaire to have such class, beauty, professionalism, and quality. Thanks guys from the bottom of my heart! read more