The only thing my honey and I were set on was a beach wedding, and in LA, Malibu is kind of the only option. After spending several weeks searching through all the venues that charge $15,000 just to step in the door, we found Rev. Fred Pierson. He performed our beach ceremony, and owns the Malibu Phoenix Retreat just up the hill where we did our reception. For $20 a head to rent the Retreat (a private ranch-style home with a pool), you can't beat the price or the level of kind, professional service the Rev. offered. Rev. Fred was all the things you hope for in both an officiant and venue owner--organized, friendly, and entertaining with the guests, cool and collected whenever things got a little crazy, and laid-back and straightforward when it came down to final payments. To have the venue be the least stressful part of the day is a blessing. Plenty of parking. Rev. Fred recommended local vendors and handled calls to the Fire Marshall so we could have our beloved fire dancers (yay). Everyone had a great time, and several guests even want to use the Malibu Phoenix Retreat now for their own events. Highly recommended. read more

Malibu Phoenix - A great spot for our recent luau wedding. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Malibu, California

My husband and I got married last month 9/13/14 at the Malibu Phoenix Retreat. It was a magical day, and we could not have picked a more beautiful and serene location! Fred Pierson and his daughter Jenna were amazing to work with! They answered any and all questions and they made themselves available for all the times we wanted to stop by the Ranch (which was a lot!) The Pierson's are very hands on and truly knowledgeable about weddings, and extremely honest. Paul and I could not have asked for better guidance and support! The Malibu Phoenix Retreat is located in the Malibu Canyons. Being from Hawaii I originally wanted to have my ceremony on the sand at Westward beach and have my ceremony on Malibu Phoenix retreat grounds. Though Westward beach ceremonies and receptions at the MP Retreats has been done before (Fred would be more than happy to talk to you about logistics), my wedding was very DIY, and my husband and I decided it would be a lot easier for us not to have to coordinate our 175 guests. We decided to do a beach reveal before the ceremony and took pictures with our bridal party at the beach. We had our ceremony and reception at the Ranch and could not be more pleased! Our family and friends were raving about the location! Hidden in the mountains, and the lush gardens and trees make for a beautiful setting. Our theme: "Where the mountains meet our Beach!" A little cheesy, but we decided to have a beach themed wedding in the mountains! We had tons of shell décor and the Pierson's were gracious to let me have my wish come true, which was to stand on sand for the ceremony! Fred and Jenna are super cool people and they're really accommodating for whatever your vision is, and will help you do whatever it takes to make your wedding day special! My husband and I wanted a taco cart and Fred Pierson made a great recommendation for catering, El Gringo taco cart known as El Guac! Amazing! They allowed us to have a tabletop assembly line s'mores bar in addition to our cupcakes, and they allowed me to bring in my own home-brewed beer. If you would like to have top-notch service, the freedom of vendors so make your wedding cost-friendly, unique and special set in a beautiful serene location, the Malibu Phoenix Retreat is my recommendation for you! read more

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I am writing this right now while on my honeymoon as I can't wait to give these guys the props they deserve. Our wedding on 5/30/15 was about as perfect as we could have asked for. Fred and Jenna went above and beyond to make it perfect including several site walkthroughs, hosting rentals be delivered Friday and picked up on Monday (and checking in everything off the list we provided), same with the booze, and they even allowed us to plant a lilac bush near where our ceremony was in honor of my mother. Fred and I dug the hole and planted it! On our wedding day, we ran out of ice (400 lbs!) and they went to get more. Someone there even ran to the store to get eyelash glue when we had an emergency. I have to take exception with the negative reviews I have seen here. Clearly the wedding Jason T and Roxanne T are reviewing is the same one and it sounds to me like the reason it was bad experience is that they didn't have a great coordinator like we did for one (check out Day Of Gal, the absolute best). It's all in the planning people. Ours was flawless (check out the pics). We were looking for a venue that was relaxed, laid back and would let us do what we envisioned with our own vendors. This was certainly the right place for us. Obviously not the for everyone. read more

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Malibu Phoenix was exactly what I was looking for and it was priced just right. I wanted to be able to choose my own vendors and have our wedding reflect us. Everything I had found before required me to use their own caterers, etc. The property is beautiful, and there are endless ways to set it up. Fred and Jenna were great along the planning process. I planned everything from CO so it was very helpful that they were always available to contact. I changed my mind about everything about 100 times and they reminded me it was our day and we could have what we wanted. They even painted and did extra work to the property that I didn't even expect! My husband and I got married on the beach 9/20/2014 and rev Fred made a great officiant for us. He was calm and professional and made us feel at ease. We took most of our photos on the beach, but I also wanted to take advantage of the hidden "forest" area about 1/4 mile from the property. Instead of having to hike in my wedding dress, Jenna offered to drive us there and back. That was much appreciated! Everyone had so much fun, it was hard to tell them it was time to go. Fred and Jenna were understanding and did not get upset about stragglers on the property. Thank you so much for rolling with the punches and allowing us to have such a beautiful day. read more

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Love You Fred and Jenna ! Thank you for all you did to make our daughter's wedding awesome! Beautiful property, over and above service, tons of exceptions made to satisfy the bride :) ...wonderful experience ... would do it all over again. Read review of 9/24/14 by Sarah D., the Bride, my Daughter... I concur with her review!!! That was easy...she already got it done :) Not much else I can add, except that we didn't even have to clean up after ourselves. It was done for us at a very reasonable price. Also, several of us were allowed to leave our cars overnight, needed to call a cab. Stress was minimal and that is a big Plus on your special day! read more

We had our wedding here June 25 2016. It went off perfectly. Jenna and Fred could not have been easier to deal with. They know their stuff backwards and forwards. Virtually every thing they said came true. From what time our guests would actually arrive to the absolute perfect exact spot for the ceremony to how much ice and beverages would be needed to having a great fire pit and more. Jenna made us feel so solid and comfortable. She took care of so many things behind the scenes that this was one aspect we totally didn't have to worry about. This place has been doing weddings for many years and they have a ton of experience and wisdom. If you have your wedding and/or reception here you will be in good hands. There was a lot of moving parts to our day and everything went off without a hitch. Jenna has a ton of energy to be able to keep all the spinning plates going, as well as her and Fred having a bunch of great connections in the area. They definitely kept both the groom and bride relaxed and stress free on the wedding day too...no easy feat lol. The price is def reasonable, (especially for Malibu) the views are spectacular driving up and down the canyon, and I would strongly recomend for your wedding site. read more

My wife and I had our wedding at Malibu Phoenix this past March. What was supposed to be the happiest day of our lives was sadly overshadowed by the tremendous disappointment that Malibu Phoenix was. I could go on for days about the unprofessional behavior and unfulfilled verbal agreements that ruined my wedding day, but the point is that this company is full of empty promises and once you have paid them, they couldn't care less about you, your guests, or what they promised you they would provide and do. I will say that it has been over a month since our wedding day, and we are still in shock at some of the behavior that took place that day. I won't exhaust you with every detail, but I will give an example of just one of the many issues that we encountered that day. For one, the person supposed to be in charge of the location didn't even bother to show up until the evening. She did drugs on the premises (my reception was suddenly filled with the stench of marijuana shortly after she showed up looking completely disheveled and hurried into her room which is attached to the reception area). After she came out of her room, she began the harassment; following around my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law, who she continued mistaking for the bride even after being told several times that she was not the bride.This is only a glimpse into the mortifying behavior that took place from these subprofessionals at Malibu Phoenix. Yes this location is absolutely gorgeous, but to be honest, while looking at several venues before deciding on this one for our special day, we saw so many beautiful and breathtaking locations! Save yourself the embarrassment of having to explain these peoples actions on your own wedding day, go anywhere else! read more

We just had a wedding there for my daughter. Our experience was pretty much identical to Peg R. (see below) Nothing has change since 2013. The place is still dirty and falling apart. Walkway to the reception area was broken and people were tripping over a huge cracked limestone, bathrooms were dirty without soap, Old chairs and junk all over. Fred is still rude and obnoxious. The only difference is that we had to deal with his daughter Jenna who is taking over her dad's business. Yikes! Jenna was supposed to be at the venue from set-up to tear down. However, she did not stroll in there till about 6pm. (set up was suppose to be done by 1pm.) When she finally showed up around 6pm in her sweats and sweatshirt, she apologized and proceeded to go in her house and take drugs and smoke marijuana. How would I know this you may ask;the whole reception area smelled like marijuana. Everyone was asking me what was the smell and what was going on with her. It was just really rude and unprofessional. Then she decided to come out of her house and start harassing me and my son-in-law and my daughter, or any guest that would give her the time of day. It was just awful to say the least. It's like having a belligerent drunk at your party that you did not invite. That was just part of our nightmare, they were to suppose to set up signs for our guest to get to the venue. They forgot to put them up. I believe during the last minute Fred decided to make one paper sign with neon green paper and a marker! Needless to say it look like a sad yard sale sign and all the vendors and guest got lost. (They had promise me wooden signs) We rented the forest area for the actual ceremony and when the guest started arriving, Fred did not let them drive to the area. The guest walked about a half mile. We also had to set-up our own chairs in the forest area and with him following us around and harassing us. To top this off, we paid him 250 dollars for set-up, which would include setting up chairs. I came to find out that the forest area does not belong to him but to the state park, and that he is sneaking people up there for weddings. The park ranger even showed up and I believe gave him a citation. Nightmare!! We live in one of the most beautiful places in the world; you as the customer have many choices here in Los Angeles, or Orange County for venues. Please take note from our awful experience and find a reputable place with professionalism and respect for their customers. All this to say STAY AWAY!!!! read more

Loved it Pastor Fred is super easy to talk to and work with. He's got tons of experience and keeps everything simple and economic. We love him, and the venue is far more beautiful in person. read more

My husband and I had our dream wedding at Malibu Phoenix! Our hearts were set on a Malibu wedding, but got very disheartened when looking at venue prices in the area... so many were looking for $10,000 min + per person head cost + had to use their caterers + had to share venue with other events. Then we found Malibu Phoenix- a family owned and operated beautiful wedding venue with acres in Latigo Canyon. Rev. Fred Pierson, the owner, acted as my advocate, my best friend, my wedding planner, my coordinator, my hard-liner and best of all, our ceremony leader- he is everything wrapped up in one to help you plan a wedding. He has so much experience and an accepting, compassionate demeanor. Plus, he is always there when you have questions. We had his lovely daughters do our photography, and they could not have been sweeter or given us better pictures! We had the ceremony and reception on the property, where there is a pool, a gazebo (where the ladies changed), a forest (where we had the ceremony) and large lawns for dancing, seating, eating. All light up and with minimal decorations needed, this place looks just gorgeous. We had 60 people there for 8 hours and didn't hear one complaint. The road there is a canyon road, so we bussed all guests in from a hotel so no one had to drive, but there is a lot of room for parking. We really enjoyed that the venue is secluded - no other outsiders could come and no other event to compete with. If you are looking for a beautiful, affordable Malibu wedding with kind, professional, experienced people, Malibu Phoenix could give you your dream wedding too! read more

We had a beach wedding and a reception at Malibu Phoenix and I have to say, my daughter had the day she always imagined thanks to Rev. Fred and Jenna! From when we booked the site 9 months earlier to our interim logistics visits and to the actual wedding and reception day, Fred treated us gently, diplomatically, and reminded us along the way of the details, details and more details that go with the territory of such a big event. Our costs were not out of range, thanks to Fred keeping the pricing reasonable, and he and Jenna covered our last minute emergencies (such as needing more ice at the reception) very graciously and truly taking the emergency down to a manageable logistic! Thank you again, Fred and Jenna!!! You guys are amazing AND affordable! read more

Originally my wife and I had decided to make Malibu Phoenix the choice for our wedding because the price just couldn't be beat for having a beach ceremony and reception in the hills. With that being said, our expectations were beyond past. We're from Phoenix, Arizona so communication was key and Jenna and Fred were there for us the whole ride. They kept everything in budget and were very helpful. The beach was beautiful as well as the Malibu Phoenix Retreat. Everything was clean and well taken care of. Fred was as calm as could be on the beach, wedding day, and had everything going smooth. Once we all got up to the retreat Jenna took care of everything we needed. It got really cold at night and she even started a fire for us. Since the photographer was over an hour late and pushed everything back, Jenna even pulled out a little stereo for us to keep the party going after the DJ was done. I highly recommend Malibu Phoenix for your wedding! You will not be disappointed! read more

We had our wedding here 9/26. It turned out to be so beautiful and exactly what we wanted. When we were searching for a location, we wanted something that felt special and not like a wedding factory. If you are looking for a beautiful setting that feels like you are in your own backyard then this is the place. You are able to use any vendors you'd like and really make it your own. The most special part of this property is the forest where most ceremonies take place. It was the most magical moment of my life walking down this long windy aisle covered with oak trees with the sun shining through. The property at night is twinkling and stunning. All of our guests had the best time! This is a really beautiful, charming and special place to get married. Jenna and Fred who own and run the property were so accommodating in everything we wanted to do. Their goal is to give you the wedding of your dreams, which is exactly what they did! read more

Wow, there's so much BS and wild over exaggeration in some of these reviews I feel compelled to set things straight. First off the parking lot is at best 50-70 yards away. The drive up from the lot is narrow and there is only room for one car so if you were to park there it would be a mess. It's no different than if you were at a country club and parked in the lot and walked to the venue. It's a beautiful walk surrounded by trees, plants and flowers. Some people do things like that for fun, or exercise. I would not recommend doing that in heels. It's not that kind of place anyway. Bring your boots. There is no State Park land adjacent to the property. Therefore I doubt there are Rangers writing citations. The surrounding land is all privately owned. Fred owns a special parcel in the middle of one section and manages the other property for the owners. Fred is like a lovable puppy if you treat him with kindness, dignity and respect. He's a grizzly bear if you try to cheat him, don't follow directions or treat him poorly. I call that emotionally honest. It may be harsh to some weaker folks, but I prefer that to those that are fake. It's a beautiful, very rare eden. There are giant redwood trees, avocado, persimmon, peppermint, grapefruit, anise, mustard, palm and tons of others plants one would never expect in the Santa Monica Mountains. It's not a posh 5 star resort. The lodge and cabana are old classic California style. The pool and hot tub are super. It was once a surf camp decades ago. It was also where Brides of Destruction recorded their last album. In fact Tracii Guns lived there for a stretch. This place has an exciting history. It's surrounded by hundreds of acres of wilderness. It's like a ranch. That means there is dirt. If you are a princess and fear dirt, book something downtown where there's nothing but concrete and steel. If you love nature, book there. You'll likely see deer, bobcats, coyotes, owls and other wildlife. It has a wild peace and serenity you will not find anywhere else near LA. I know all this because I lived on the property years ago, just up the hill from where they do weddings. This place is awesome and one day I'd like to have my wedding there! read more

My husband and I got married at the Malibu Phoenix earlier this month. As a bride, I was so stressed out about every detail, leading up to my big day. I couldn't have dreamed of a better experience than the one I had here. From the time we booked our wedding last summer, up to the day of, I must have asked a million questions, sent a hundred emails, and visited to venue multiple times. Fred and Jenna walked me through every step, and always made themselves available to me through every detail and calmed my crazy bride nerves. They are true professionals when it comes to their guidance and execution of their events. Not only is their property absolutely stunning, but their love and support really took our day and whole experience, to a whole other level. We will remember our wedding day for the rest of our lives, and I would recommend Fred and Jenna and the Malibu Phoenix to anyone! They are truly there for you and between their professionalism, their beautiful venue, and the rates, it really can't be beat !!!! read more

Malibu Phoenix - Our first visit with Fred and Jenna!! - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Malibu, California

This was the first venue we visited and we signed up straight away. We didn't need to look any further. This is such a special place,a hidden gem tucked away in Latigo Canyon. The grounds are beautiful with continuous improvements being made all the time. It is has the basis for you to create a completely unique wedding or event of your dreams, encapturing whatever theme, style, and colour scheme you desire. We chose to have the ceremony in the forest area which is just gorgeous and has a really magical and spiritual essence. What also makes this such a special place is the people. We really cannot say enough good things about Rev Fred (owner) and Jenna (onsite co-ordinator) who were both so warm and friendly from the start. They fully allow you to explore your creativity and are always there to input their professional expertise, offer suggestions or make recommendations along the way. I personally had a couple of moments where I felt a little overwhelmed by the whole planning process, and every little detail you need to think about. I mainly interacted with Jenna for most of the planning and she is a real sweetheart. She was always there to re-assure me and continuously put my mind at ease. We ended up visiting the venue multiple times throughout the planning process and both Jenna and Fred were always so flexible and accommodating. They both genuinely care and want to ensure everything goes perfectly for your it day. The day itself was perfect. It's cliched but it really was the best day of our lives, there were a few small glitches, as can be expected, but overall it couldn't have gone better. Jenna and Fred were such a special and integral part in making it all happen. We thoroughly recommend and just wish we could do it all again! read more

We just held a wedding with 150 guests at this venue. When we reserved the site, over a year ago, we were told that the area would be clean, all old debris would be cleared, that the "yoga studio" where the bride and her party would dress would be clean. We were to have the site for the party until midnight and also were told that the "live band" would not be a problem. The morning of the wedding, our team showed up to the venue and it was a mess! The boys spent a good deal of time hauling junk to the far end of the venue that our guests would not be using. During the setup, he harassed the setup crew about his "check" and even called the bride at her hotel!! If he had just been patient, the person with the check was there and had it for him.The "yoga studio" which the owner had provided for the bride to dress, had dirty floors, the chairs and sofas were covered with dirt and pet hair. We had to cover the surface with plastic to prevent the wedding gown from being ruined. There was no place to hang the gowns/dresses in the studio. The lights, provided by the venue on the gazebo area where our head table was situated did not work. No effort was made to correct this by Rev Fred. The owner, Rev Fred, rode around on his segue and was very rude to many of our guests. Once the ceremony was over and the music began, he began to complain that the music was too loud. He then proceeded to help himself to food, alcohol and cake without even being invited to do so. After helping himself to the food etc. he was overheard making unprofessional and derogatory remarks about the fact that it was the groom's family that was primarily handling the set up of the event. To quote, "it is a shame that the grooms family had to shoulder all of the work for this." He further informed the listener that it was usually the brides family that should have been doing this. (The brides mother has M.S. and was not able to do as much as perhaps Rev Fred was "used to"). The grooms sister was acting as a wedding planner for the event and so his family WAS more involved that perhaps Rev Fred was accustomed to. Little did he know that it was one of the sisters of the bride who overheard this unprofessional behavior. These remarks were uncalled for. To top off the night, at 10:00 pm, two hours before we were scheduled to end, he brought his dogs into the area! They ran all over the party site and were totally out of his control.This unnerved several guests who had issues with animals. The price is good, no doubt, however, the lack of professional behavior was disappointing. He had his daughter taking pictures of the event, which I am sure will end up on his website. I cannot say that I would recommend this as a party site. Fred does not provide the service that he promises. The area that we used for the ceremony was beautiful but it was a bit of a hike for some of our elders. We were allowed to drive them up most of the way but the walk was still substantial. If your guests are healthy and able to make 1/4 mile hike to the site, it is beautiful. I would not EVER recommend this venue for a party unless you plan on it being a quiet affair. If you don't mind having "the dogs released" on your party, this is the place for you. read more

this is my honest review. I'm going to start positive . So i was searching for affordable beach wedding venues also gay friendly. and when i contacted them they were nice through email. they told me yes they are gay friendly and that my date was available i was so happy. it would be a destination wedding for me. when we visit i told them it was a very small imitate wedding. they answered all my questions. his daughter was so sweet and gave me ideas. and they recommended a restaurant to have our reception. i knew about the price and i thought it was a good price at the time. $700 for a beach wedding not bad right. so our wedding was november 6 2014. rev fred emailed us an outline of what the ceremony will be. and we went over it for a short while to change some things cause we wanted to write our own vows. the day of the wedding he did provide chairs. but we had to set it up ourselves. now the only bad thing i can say about them is they charge too much. in my opinion if you have a very small party of 15 or less it should be only about $300 $350 the max thats a fair price. they didn't have to pull permits at all . anyone can walk on the beach and watch your ceremony. we visited the location so many times and had a photo shoot. i truly felt i was over charged and i am upset about it. but can't do anything about it. they already received and cash the check. for $700 for about 15mins was a lot. at least they could have set the chairs up for us. but other than that the ceremony was very lovely and they are sweet people. and i will always remember our special day. so i had to take off two stars cause for people with small parties. the price is really high. so maybe in the future they can change it for those people. i wish i can do 3 and half stars though. he restaurant they recommended was really good. and luckily it wasn't busy so we had the patio all to ourselves . read more

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We celebrating 50th wedding anniversary, we decided to do something very different, it was very family-friendly. We decided to have a carnival atmosphere. We had balloon maker, face painter, kids and adult pinata, and of course a volleyball tournament. We were allowed to bring in our own caterer and our own alcohol. Jenna and her father Fred we're constantly walking around the property to ensure everything was going well. Our guests could not stop talking about how perfect the property was how did I ever find this place? Jenna said this was the first time we've ever hosted an event with this many activities. One thing when you first talk to Jenna you'll note she gets very excited but it's in a very positive way she's happy when people enjoy what they have to offer. My only comment is, Jenna Slowdown. We hope to have more events in the future. This is not just a place to plan a wedding. You could plan a company event or a family picnic anything you can think of just about can be planned at this location. read more