Chateau La Joye

I attended for Château La Joye for a wedding a few weeks ago and I’m sure everyone else that attended would say that the wedding was whimsical.
I met the owners and they are super nice people. Definitely check this place out if want a magical, yet unkown venue.

Dishonest!!! She will do anything to get the business. When my wife asked her how late we can party, Joanne told her «as late as you want». Then during the wedding she started turning off lights around 11:30pm, and her excuse was the party was too loud and disturbing the neighbors… If you have been to the site you will know the only neighbors may be disturbed are horses and cows…

So where to begin… My fiancé and I wanted a nice outdoor rustic wedding with a barn. We had inquired at at least a dozen venues, visiting the properties, reading reviews, and so on. Then we stumbled across Château La Joye. It looked like the perfect place for us and was a frontrunner in the search as we heard nothing but glowing reviews about the property. We definitely wanted to check this place out ASAP.
My fiancé contacted Joann last Saturday. We heard back from her this morning. I was pretty impressed considering that it was the day after Christmas. However, after reading her email, we were absolutely appalled by her response… or lack thereof. It was a mere two or three sentences simply saying — «Thank you for your interest. We are currently booked. Have a fantastic day.» That’s it. There was no greeting, no professionalism — nothing. She didn’t even address the specific dates we inquired about. I immediately responded back and asked her to clarify what she meant by being «currently booked» and if her property wasn’t available to rent, to let us know. I had no clue based on her lackluster response. Joann replied back by saying — «I believe you asked about October. We are booked. We are closed April 2014. Have a fantastic day.» That’s it! AGAIN! That is a completely unacceptable way to talk to potential brides/​grooms. She didn’t sound like she even cared about The Château, much less helping us book her venue and didn’t even have customer service skill. Totally sucky experience. But that is just our experience. And I know this review is a little late but yea. Here it is.

Does anyone know if Château la Joye has gone out of business? Website is down and phone number disconnected. Is there new contact info? Appreciate your help.

Château La Joye is a unique and special venue. It’s a beautiful spot and I was especially attracted to the fact that each of the areas (ceremony, dining, bar, dance floor) are in one open space. The natural foliage, homey feel, and lack of pretentiousness make this a great destination for a fun, easygoing wedding.
The setting allows for great photos, like a barn wall, bridge, beautiful trees – the owner even let us take some fun photos with her farming equipment.
Owner Joanne was great about providing input when I didn’t have a preference. I love when the professionals are gracious with their expert advice!
There are a few drawbacks to consider:
My friends and I experienced some rudeness when rehearsing and setting up. Communication in general was very spotty… there was a significant policy change after we booked the venue, but no one notified us.
The owner allowed her dog to walk around in front of the gazebo during the ceremony, which was very distracting.
There were some items we asked to have brought out that never made an appearance, and no one was told beforehand.
The in-​house caterer was not good to work with, though the food itself was amazing (e.g., they provided a total amount due that was $ 1k over… thankfully I checked the math myself).
Overall, the venue has some positive things that are very hard to find elsewhere, and the downsides I experienced are certainly things that could have been avoided.

We were married at CLJ on Sept 29^th and it was the perfect venue for my vision. I wanted outdoors sort of rustic feeling. My entire bridal party wore cowboy and cowgirl boots to cap off the theme. Everything went off without a hitch on our special day. The best part here is there are no corkage or cake cutting fees like other places. Also you are allowed to bring in your own alcohol which saves a ton of money. The preferred venue list was exceptional. Everyone I worked with at Joanne’s reference was laid back and easy to communicate with. Our day was perfect!
My only small issue is there were sometimes during the process of planning when I wouldn’t get an email back as quickly as I would have hoped. Being a bride you want answers right away. Other than that I still give the venue and Joanne 5 stars!

We were married at the Château La Joye almost two months ago and we are still receiving comments about how great our wedding was. Joanne was extremely easy to work with, up for anything, and pretty much let us have our wedding any way we wanted. Since the venue is her place of residence, we were very surprised about how laid back she was. The location is perfect for an outdoor wedding in that it is close to the ocean so you get a nice coastal breeze, but far enough away so that you don’t get the fog. The grounds are well maintained and are extremely open, giving you plenty of options of how and where you want things to go. As mentioned before, Joanne was awesome the days before the wedding and especially the day of, she made sure the whole day ran like a well oiled machine, she was on the ball. She takes a ton of stress off of the bride and groom and allows them to enjoy their day! We were allowed to bring many of our wedding day items to the venue the week before, which really helped out since we don’t live in the area.
Things to be aware of: Joanne hosts many weddings at her home during the summer months sometimes having weddings every weekend– So there were times that she seemed to get things «mixed up» with other couples details. She can be a little scattered at times. In the beginning of our planning, we sent several emails to her regarding the same issues each time and occasionally received an email back that did not address the question at hand. And we will never forget the morning we received and email from Joanne stating that our event had been cancelled (after the deposit was made!) Apparently she was switching some system on her computer and it was a mistake but oh my!!!
We would definitely recommend the Château for anyone looking for an outdoor wedding venue!
One highlight of our wedding, thanks to CLJ was that our Great Dane got to be our ring bearer! You can’t find many venues that will allow dogs on the premises: D

Went to a wedding there this weekend and it was lovely. If the owner of the house hadnt let her dogs roam around this would be a 5 star but sadly she did and my allergies got the best of me. The food was great and the house was very pretty. Im glad my friends found a wonderful place to get married and that we got to celebrate with them.

Château La Joye is a diamond in the rough. My husband and I loved this venue the moment we set foot on the premises. We visited about 10 venues before making our final decision. A few reasons why we loved this place:
1. It’s different from all the hotels and winery weddings we’ve attended. We wanted something a little more low key but still have a certain charm. It feels like a destination location even it is only 30 – 40 minutes from the hustle and bustle.
2. You can bring your alcohol! Cost savings!
3. Joanne is great and responded to my emails and voicemails to a worry-​wart bride like myself. She is more responsive to emails and is harder to get a hold of via phone. I guess I wouldn’t blame her otherwise she would be dealing with brides all day.
4. Overall pricing is reasonable you are charged per person (per chair) to be ordered. The more people the more expensive. There are up-​charges, however, for decoration.
My only «gripe» would be the bridal cottage requiring a little more TLC. We had to request the kitchen and bathroom to be cleaned up during rehearsal day. I got a little nervous and had our day of coordinator ask her to make sure it was tidy. On the day of the wedding, it was a little cleaner but still needed a deep cleaning.
Nevertheless, I would recommend CLJ for your wedding or any function for that matter :)
One last thing, I got married here in October 2011 — it’s absolutely gorgeous. They will provide heat-​lamps and the firepit helps to keep your guests warm.

Our overall experience with Château La Joye was quite positive. We were married there in late August 2011 among about 100 friends and family.
From the start, the owner Joanne was very helpful and accommodating. She allowed us to visit the property a couple of times to check it out. She took the time to go over what was included and really impressed us on that note– there are almost no upcharges for anything, except for draping the front breezeway in pretty fabric. Her prices and payment requirements were very reasonable. We knew from the start we wanted to be married at Château La Joye and the fact that Joanne was so wonderful really helped us finalize our decision.
Throughout the planning process, she was very prompt at returning our emails and addressing all of our questions. She allowed us to bring our photographer along for our final walk through, which was extremely helpful. She constantly reassured us that we would have a beautiful day– it was sweet and very comforting.
However, we weren’t as impressed with her list of preferred vendors, namely, the caterer. I wouldn’t ordinarily include this in a review, but this caterer came highly recommended by Joanne– to the point where she flat out said she does not allow any other caterers access to her kitchen (they must bring mobile kitchens or do otherwise). Joanne even came with us on our tasting. It seemed as though they worked as a team, but when we had some communication issues and concerns about the caterer not returning calls or emails after we booked them, Joanne did little more than forward my emails to the caterer, which only proved to worsen the issue. It was somewhat disheartening. I understood that Joanne couldn’t take responsibility for the caterer, but I expected her involvement would remain consistent beyond the initial sell. We eventually worked things out with the caterer and had a good experience with them, but sadly, without Joanne’s help.
Joanne’s day of coordination was very good. She made sure everyone was where they needed to be at all times. She also helped with little things like folding place cards and putting down table markers. When we told her we had guests with dog allergies, she was very kind to keep her two large dogs in the house during the wedding (typically they stay out and mingle with the guests). We enjoyed her spirit the day of– she really was a joy to be around. There were a few things that didn’t go exactly as planned, but Joanne was quick to correct them.
Château La Joye is definitely your choice for a laid back, charming, rustic-​with-​a-​hint-​of-​elegance wedding. The whole place has the feel of a stress-​free zone and Joanne definitely helps keep it that way. This is not the place for people who are afraid of dirt or bugs, or anybody scared of an overcast wedding day, as the weather is very unpredictable. Your guests will have a long drive ahead of them as the closest hotels are 15 minutes away, but in the end they will be so thoroughly charmed by the venue that it won’t seem to matter. It will feel like an exclusive destination wedding without the added cost. Definitely worth checking out.

My husband and I did quite a bit of research when it came to finding our perfect wedding venue, and when we stumbled upon this hidden gem, we knew we had found exactly what we were looking for and more. Joanne puts together a complete package when it comes to weddings, and turns the stress of planning such a big and important event into excitement and fun. It starts with a gorgeous property — an intimate setting for family and friends to celebrate, yet big enough to handle large events; down-​to-​earth, but with a classic elegance that you simply have to see in person to appreciate. It is a photographer’s delight, with fountains, a rustic barn, a weeping willow tree, a winding staircase leading to a balcony, gorgeous bridal suite, a creek bed, and the main attraction: a beautiful ceremony site with acres of rolling hills as a backdrop. Top that off with Joanne’s incredible ability to orchestrate a smooth and flawless event, and you have a recipe for a killer wedding (or whatever event you are planning). Not only do Joanne and her team have it down to a science, but it is incredibly well priced for what you get (we looked at about a dozen places before coming here, some which were twice as expensive and were riddled with hidden fees). There are absolutely no hidden fees at Château La Joye — everything is included in the price, from outdoor heaters, set-​up/​break-​down, the bridal suite, tables/​chairs with four choices of color/​wood, even blankets for guests after the sun went down! There is only one event each weekend, so there are no time pressures to worry about. Whether you go with outside vendors or with ones from her recommended list, Joanne will coordinate everything with them so you can focus on other details. We were even comfortable moving our wedding date up 8 months because we knew Joanne would help us make sure everything was taken care of. Joanne is such a joy to work with, really takes the time to get to know you, is open to out of the box ideas, and makes everything so much fun that I wish we could do it all over again. I am absolutely convinced that we found the best place in the Bay Area for an outdoor event. You simply cannot go wrong at Château La Joye.

Bow down to Château La Joye.
I got married here just last Saturday and I couldn’t wait to write a review. We LOVED how everything went – as did all of our guests.
We looked at many venues, and Château La Joye was the last one we looked at on a list of about 10. Each one was missing something, had too strict rules, or was waaaay too expensive. Château La Joye was exquisitely beautiful, intimately private, open to everything we wanted to do, and had the ever talented Joanne Joye to coordinate it all.
Our wedding wasn’t far from «normal», but it wasn’t super cookie cutter. My sister is incredibly crafty so she and I did our own decorations. Joanne let us come the day before to do crazy things to her site. We wanted to have our ceremony in front of the barn instead of the traditional gazebo, so Joanne leveled the dirt in front of the barn, laid out straw, and installed pavers leading from the cottage just for my wedding. We had two fire dancers come to our reception, and Joanne didn’t mind at all that they were throwing open flames around her home! I had to laugh when one of them asked Joanne if he could light her ground on fire and her only question was if the ash would wash off.
We used an outside caterer, which added a few extra dollars to the total. Their food was DELICIOUS, but we did run into some problems. We saved some $ using them, so not sure if its worth it to use the caterer the Château recommends, but I could tell the caterers caused a few issues. But delicious food = happy guests = happy wedding so what are you gonna do.
We are still receiving compliments on our wedding. People are asking how we found this hidden gem. Everyone definitely appreciated its beauty and laid-​back feel. The layout of the place is great – kids can run around, adults can roam away from the crowd if need be, and the rolling hills provide the perfect backdrop. Everyone loved it.
The worst/​most stressful thing about the evening was that my dress ripped and I had to hold the train for most of the night… but the Château had nothing to do with that other than maybe having a little too much fun…
HIGHLY recommended.

I will be getting married at Château La Joye on October 3, 2009. So far my experience with Joanne has been great. She is super helpful and patient. She has recommended great caters and the site is beautiful. I will post another review after my wedding. Wish me luck!

My husband and I had our wedding at Château La Joye last summer and loved it. We are both very easygoing people and didn’t want to get swept up in all of the wedding craziness. We were able to have a quaint, beautiful wedding, without all of the hype or ridiculous costs associated with weddings these days.
Joanne was great to work with and was okay with us bringing in our own photographer, cupcakes, iPod sound system, pre-​wedding snacks for guests, wine, champagne, and beer. There weren’t any strict time limits and we had a great time partying with our close friends and family.
When it got cold after the sun went down, Joanne had heaters and blankets for the guests. She even had coffee for my grandpa when he started complaining about how cold he was (I think he even went into her house for a bit to warm up).
Many of our friends and family have commented on how great the site was, and they enjoyed the food too (Special Events Caterers).
There were a few things that I should have stayed on top of better (I think some miscommunications about the cupcake placement and some floral placement), but at the end of the day, I was incredibly pleased with the way Joanne worked with us and with the whole event!
And who can beat the price? Truly a wonderful bay area wedding site!

Of course, everyone wants their wedding day to be perfect. I was married here last month, and the best way to describe the experience was, well… just about *perfect*. Yes, I’m talking five Unilocaler-​Stars perfect.
First of all, as has been mentioned here already, Joane (the proprietor) was a tremendous help. She really makes an effort to be sure you (especially the bride) are completely prepared. We were a modestly-​sized party, which wasn’t a problem for them, and my then-​fiancé and I never had anything to stress about leading up to the big day. Then, when the day finally arrived, Joane took care of absolutely everything. She made sure everyone was where they needed to be. She kept the festivities moving along at the perfect pace. When we had a question, she had the answer. We even got extremely lucky with the weather that day, but as things went on I started to suspect that Joane had something to do with that, too…
Our guests couldn’t say enough about the place. People loved it. They raved about the setting, the food (from their preferred caterer), the preparations, and on and on. The camera loves it too, with plenty of unique nooks & crannies for your photos. True, it is a little far out there along a windy road, but if you ask me, that’s part of its charm. Mobile phones don’t work there, so your salesman uncle and annoying teenage cousin will actually put down their iPhones for a while, stop talking and/​or texting, and enjoy the scenery.
And best of all, people can really relax. The place isn’t yours from 12:30 — 3:30 before you’re hustled outta there so they can set up for a corporate meeting or bar mitzvah… Your day is your day. The bride can show up early and relax in the «bridal cottage» with her girls. If you choose, you can take photos well before the guest start to arrive. If it’s a nice evening, people can just hang out by the fire pits catching up. And if things really go well, the party can always move to Applejacks, just up the road.
There are a couple of things to consider: It won’t accommodate enormous wedding parties, there aren’t full kitchen facilities, it’s quite a drive from even the nearest hotel, and most of all, it’s strictly outdoors, so you’re taking a gamble on the weather. But again, these things can be seen as advantages as well as drawbacks. In our case, the payoff for the gamble we took on the weather was a big one.
My wife and I couldn’t have imagined our wedding day being any better than it was, and Château La Joye was a huge part of that. It’s not for everyone, but for us it was five-​star perfect.

An exquisite and magical place to have your wedding.. .
I cannot say enough about Joanne and the Château. My husband and I got married this May and it was certainly the wedding of my dreams. This is a beautiful, well cared for property. The personal service that Joanne provides is second to none.
What I loved about this venue, aside from the personal service Joanne provides, is the freedom you are allowed to have. This is not a stuffy, formal hotel banquet room. The outdoor setting provides so much ambiance, you will save on your flowers and other decorations. Also, unlike many other outdoor locations, there is no noise/​time restrictions (within reason). We were even able to include our dog in the ceremony!
This is not the wedding venue for everyone. Everything is outside… ceremony site and reception. Evenings can get very chilly (especially in May), but they provide several heat lamps, blankets and even have a fire pit to keep your guests warm. The location is tough, both for vendors and guests. I would definitely recommend staying overnight in Half Moon Bay.
Despite the few drawbacks, this is definitely worth a look at. You will not be disappointed.

Rustic, secluded and very open to whatever you want to do!!!
The site is a private residence that sits on acres. The husband and wife duo who own the property to recognize the beauty of their rustic land and add special touches that make it great to host a large event here. However, this is still in it’s first few years, so remember, follow up on everything and be on your game. No offense to the owner, I say this to anybody doing-​it-​themselves.
This is the site to pick if you would like a more down to earth wedding. A Four Seasons it is NOT. However, it also is not trying to be.
There is a large lawn area with a gazebo. Great ceremony site.
A bungalow is also on the property. Perfect spot for the bride to get ready in.
Several fire-​pits are strategically placed around the property for the cooler evenings.
The beauty of this site is that you make it and mold it into what you want it to be. You add the custom touches. Joanne, the owner, has vendors she has grown comfortable with who are not outrageous in price in Bay area standards.
The only downfall is that this is a bit «out there».
Having flown into Oakland, going to the rehearsal there, driving back at night, driving the wedding cake over the next day — it was a bit much.
Don’t take the route I did though. The actual Half Moon Bay area is 10 minutes away. Stay at the Half Moon Bay Inn. it’s adorable OR go all the way at the Four Seasons!!!