The Grand Tradition

Settled in the cozy town of Fallbrook, one of San Diego County’s oldest and most charmining communities, the Grand Tradition lies tucked away in a peaceful valley surrounded by gently rolling hills. Here is a place embodying the timeless charm of a bygone era, when romance, joy and beauty were the center focus of your idyllic wedding day. Spending the day here, your wedding guests will truly leave their cares behind and enjoy some much needed serenity and peaceful relaxation.   

The Grand Tradition - Lovely Garden Wedding Ceremony

If your heart is set on the perfect outdoor wedding location, look no further. The Arbor Terrace garden offers the ultimate setting for a beautiful garden wedding. Embellish your wedding ceremony with gently swaying palms, fragrant Plumeria, Champaca blossoms and cascading waterfalls. Beautiful bridges, expansive lawns, whimsical water fountains, and statuaries mingle to create a peaceful, yet elegant décor. Graceful swans adorn the lake and are delighted to be a part of your wedding festivities. If you have always dreamed of a fairytale wedding, make your entrance in a timelessly elegant carriage, drawn by a pair of magnificent Arabian horses. Sound like a dream wedding? The Grand Tradition brings it to life……

The Grand Tradition has options for lovely indoor as well as outdoor wedding receptions.

The Beverly Mansion at the Grand Tradition: The centerpiece of the Grand Tradition Estate is the lovely Beverly Mansion. Invite guests to your wedding reception in the Crystal Ballroom and carry them back into time, to the romance and charm of the Victorian era. Swarovski Crystal Chandeliers adorn the ceilings, while panoramic windows offer a spectacular view of the peaceful lake with its waterfall, graceful swans and ornate gazebo. Enjoy refreshing beverages or engage in stimulating fireside conversation in the Mansion’s English Style Pub and covered veranda. Ascending the Grand Staircase you will find full private men’s and women’s dressing suites. Perfect accommodations for the bride and groom and their attendants to prepare for the big event.

The Grand Tradition - Romantic San Diego County Wedding Ceremony Location

Arbor Terrace Pavilion at the Grand Tradition: The Arbor Terrace Pavilion and its surrounding waterfalls and gardens are the newest addition to the Grand Tradition Estate. A casual, relaxing atmosphere, tranquil beauty and open air are just a few of the amenities which set the Arbor Terrace Pavilion apart as a breathtaking reception venue. French style windows, fabric draped ceilings and airy floral draped arbors create an ambiance of serenity and beauty. A leisurely walk off the beaten path will take you to private men’s and women’s dressing accommodations. Wedding guests are sure to enjoy the well stocked garden bar and beverage area, and will take pleasure in the decadent buffet menus prepared for each event. The Arbor Terrace is the perfect option when an informal yet beautiful ambiance is what you desire for your wedding reception.

The chefs at the Grand Tradition offer a selection of amazing menus for your wedding reception and are second to none! Fine cuisine is prepared fresh daily by a staff of talented chefs and pastry cooks, and assisted by a professional and courteous banquet staff.

Whether you are looking for timeless and traditional or upscale and elegant, the Grand Tradition is the perfect venue for your San Diego County wedding reception. Please visit the Grand Tradition’s listing on The Wedding Source.com for ratings and reviews from previous brides and grooms.

The Grand Tradition - Horse and Carriage

The Grand Tradition - Wedding Reception Venue Cozy Fireplace Setting

The Grand Tradition - Exceptional Cuisine

 I first spoke with the owner of The French Gourmet, Michel Malecot, a few months before our son’s wedding. Scheduled for Saturday, July 18^th, we had originally intended to prepare the food ourselves (yes, I am blond and half crazy) for what we anticipated would be about 150 people. As the date approached I realized the great amount of work, not to mention stress, this would cause leading up to and on the day of the wedding. I began my search for the best San Diego wedding caterer I could find.

The French Gourmet - Catering to San Diego County

When I first called the French Gourmet, the voice directing me to the catering department was very French. I was pleasantly surprised and remember thinking, “wow, maybe they do know a thing or two about French cuisine”. Many of the management and catering staff of the French Gourmet are indeed from France.

Michel spent some time with me on the phone to determine what we were looking for in the way of cuisine for our wedding reception. When we were contemplating doing the catering ourselves, we had decided upon croissant sandwiches and cool, refreshing salads. I asked if he would be able to do the same. He assured me they would create something lovely and had the proposed menu to me the same day.

Within minutes he had transformed my vision of our San Diego wedding event from of a bunch of ladies from our church sweating over turkey sandwiches and mixing fruit salad in Tupperware to an exquisite presentation of exceptionally fine and delicious cuisine. And he made it seem effortless. When I read the menu, I began to relax and developed a feeling of confidence about the outcome of this special day. 

The French Gourmet - Catering to San Diego County

We then received a call from our catering manager, who would be overseeing the preparation and presentation of our food on the day of the wedding. The moment I spoke with Edith (she also has a lovely French accent) I knew our event was in extremely good hands. I had the opportunity to speak with Edith a few times on the phone, finalizing details. She was always available to take my calls and always assured me everything would be lovely. When planning a wedding all of the details can be overwhelming and finding a good wedding caterer is one of the biggest concerns. She would continually offer assurance and say “Don’t worry, this is what we do…It will be lovely, I promise”.

Edity met me at the reception site a few days before the wedding and knew exactly what she needed to do within minutes to create the perfect wedding reception cuisine, buffet and ambiance we desired. She configured her plans to set up the display and buffet tables and even came up with a few helpful ideas for our reception. She was kind enough to offer to bring large umbrellas to cover the food and our guests, which had not occurred to me.   

The day of the wedding large coolers arrived at the reception venue. Edith and her staff arrived as planned at about 3:00 p.m. and immediately set about creating fresh and beautiful trays of fruit, delicious salads and delectable appetizers. The wedding ceremony would begin at 5:30 p.m. Edith had arranged for the display table to be ready with drinks and appetizers at the conclusion of the ceremony. Dinner would be served at 7 p.m.

The French Gourmet - Fresh Fruit Platter

 I cannot tell you what a wonderful feeling it is to pass by your caterers in the kitchen and see that they are creating cuisine for your wedding reception which is not only going to be tasty – as it smelled delicious, but so beautiful. Everything was prepared fresh on site. While I was focused on last minute details throughout the afternoon, I would pass through the kitchen often and watch as amazing platters of fresh fruit, beautiful varieties of croissant sandwiches, the most amazing green bean salad parmentier (very French), and spinach salad with strawberry vinaigrette were being skillfully prepared by Edith and her fine staff from The French Gourmet…all exquisitely delicious. We had guests who, admittedly, stood at the buffet table for 10 minutes sampling the artichoke fondue – while their small children ran unattended. And they didn’t care! The food was not only delicious, but the presentation was lovely. Our guests thoroughly enjoyed everything!

 We highly recommend The French Gourmet to cater any San Diego event you may have.  They not only cater wedding receptions, but are also available for holiday catering, corporate catering and all types of social events. These San Diego catering experts worked with us to create a menu and style which complimented our event and stayed within our budget. As a local catering company, they are able to provide china, glassware, place settings, skirted tables, party equipment rentals, waiters and bartenders, and references for many of San Diego’s top event specialists.

Here are a few of our favorites from our reception menu:

Artichoke Fondue: Artichoke hearts in a cheese fondue, lightly seasoned with pepper and garlic and garnished with fresh chopped chives ~ exquisite!

Assorted Mini Croissant Sandwiches: Freshly baked Croissants filled with a choice of: smoked ham and Swiss cheese; Turkey and Avocado; Roast Beef, Vegetarian, Chicken Salad and Seafood Salad ~ I think I tried them all!!!!

Green Bean Salad Parmentier: Tender, steamed Blue Lake green beans mixed with julienne of Swiss cheese, new steamed potato, purple onion and whole grain mustard vinaigrette ~ fabulous!

Fruit trays: The fruit they prepared was all fresh, sweet and delicious. Lovely melons, sweet pineapple, huge ripe strawberries and unbelievable sweet, bing cherries ~ amazing! 

The French Gourmet - Fine French Bakery

These San Diego catering experts worked with us to create a menu and style to compliment our event and stayed within our budget. As a local catering company, they can provide china, glassware, place settings, skirted tables, party equipment rentals, waiters and bartenders, and refer you to many of San Diego’s top event specialists.

Keep in mind The French Gourmet also creates amazing wedding cakes. We hired another fine bakery, but with what we experienced with the French Gourmet’s savory catering talents, I am sure their cake bakery must create the most perfect wedding cakes, as well!

We highly recommend The French Gourmet for any event requiring amazing cuisine prepared by an excellent staff! Many thanks Michel, Edith and the talented French Gourmet staff!

The French Gourmet Restaurant in La Jolla California

The French Gourmet - Sea Shell Wedding Cake