Muckenthaler Cultural Center

Food from the «mandatory use» catering company was dry and tasteless. Since Unilocal won’t let me post a one star rating I gave it two stars to see it lets me post that. THE FOOD STILL SUCKS AS WAS NOTED BY PERVIOUS REVIEWERS.

This place is a «wanna be» but it does not know what it wants to be. We saw a show there and it was so disorganized and felt «cheap» (I can’t think of better word to describe the vibe and overall feel. If someone gives you a free ticket and you don’t need to wash your cat that night then go ahead and check it out.

We had our wedding on May 10, 2015.
We initially came to look at The Muck in the Spring of 2014 and thought that the venue was beautiful and unique. Duane was very enthusiastic and kind. We wanted to do a food tasting prior to booking to make sure that we likde Colette’s Catering since that is the only caterer that The Muck uses. Duane set that up for us and we met at their office in Fullerton (not The Muck). We did have to pay $ 100 for the tasting but if we booked our wedding, the cost would be deducted from our bill. The variety of food was a nice display of the range of cuisine offered and everything tasted great so we decided to book our wedding. We booked June 2014.
Throughout the planning process, I had a lot of questions and would email Duane what I referred to as my «list of question» emails. He would respond to the emails clearly and quickly.
We were under the impression that Duane would be there the day of the wedding since we had been working with him the entire time and it was in our contract that we wanted a coordinator there that day. A few weeks before the wedding, we found out that Sara would be our coordinator and handling everything at the rehearsal and the day of. I would email her and not hear from her and the communication was not as good as with Duane. I was also the one who had to ask when we could meet to choose linen colors and all those details and the availability was very limited – only during business hours which is difficult since my husband and I both work full time. She never initiated these conversations, waited days to respond, and was inflexible about when we could meet.
At the rehearsal on Saturday, we did not have any chairs. Sara did explain that The Muck changed the locks on the storage unit and she did not have the new key to access the chairs but it was inconvenient. Our guests (including my handicapped Father) had to stand the whole time and the ring bearer and flower girls had a hard time practicing because they could not visualize where the chairs would be and where they needed to walk.
On the day of our wedding, Sara was not very helpful. Our cake forks that were a gift from a friend went missing and she said that one of our guests stole them. We had a smaller wedding of less than 100 guests and we know each and every person VERY well. We asked everybody and nobody saw them or took them for safekeeping or accidentally or something. We were told that the wait staff would visit Mark and I during the photos to make sure we had drinks and hors d’oeuvres but in the hour + of photos, we had one person come with hors d’oeuvres and no drinks.
Sara also spent over 15 minutes talking to my Mother about when Sara lived in Japan. It got to the point where my Mother excused herself to the restroom so she could go mingle with our family and friends. During this time, Sara should have been making sure the wait staff was taking care of us and that the wedding party was getting ready for the grand entrance. She also appears in NUMEROUS of our professional photos and humorously enough, in many of our family and friend’s photos, she is in the background taking selfies of herself. She did decorate the fireplace area beautifully and she has the selfies to show it.
The Muck is beautiful and overall we are happy with our choice of venue. The year of planning went smoothly but about a month prior to the day after was a completely different story. Duane had told us to use a staple gun to put lights up on a wall but Sara would not let our friend do that. We thought the Day-​Of Coordinator (which we paid extra for) would be more helpful. Be sure that if you bring your own items to decorate, that you plan on designating a person to double check everything. Sara did not pack up everything (as we thought was part of her job) so we ended up with missing items when we were able to meet her a few days later at The Muck to retrieve them. Even the place settings for the guest (s) who did not attend were not returned to us. They were a votive with a succulent plant in them so it would have been nice to get it returned.
We intentionally waited a while to post this review to see if Duane and/​or Sara would ever follow up with us about our missing items. I emailed Duane and Sara about all of the concerns we had and all of our items that went missing and we NEVER heard back from them.

I think I’ve been Muck’d.
I used to drive by here each day on my way to work, never realizing the treasures inside. It took a magic show to get me in some 30 years later. Shame on me.
The Muckenthaler, with its small museum and ever changing art gallery, is a distinctive, early 20^th Century Mediterranean style mansion (circa 1924) that is now owned by the City of Fullerton. It is perched on a hill, with well kept grounds and a grand view that overlooks greater LA and OC. Surrounded by smaller but equally charming old homes in a quiet, stable neighborhood, it is the perfect venue for intimate weddings, festivals, and stimulating cultural events throughout the year. Well managed, they also provide arts and crafts education for youth and adults alike, and have an great line up of live musical performances, theater, dance, films, etc., which are priced very reasonably. They have a permanent outdoor theater as well as space for more intimate venues inside the lovely mansion. Each season they feature a wide variety of interesting entertainers:
It took Goldstar to make me really pay attention. I just happened to recently see some very reasonably priced tickets on their website, and felt the urge to see what it was all about. This evening Joe Monti, the magician, was the attraction. After overhearing a regular patron’s conversation, apparently he performs for them each year, and each show is new, fresh, exceedingly funny, and appropriate for all ages. He performed for us in a small drawing room inside the mansion, a perfect setting. Our first-​come-​first-​served seats were so close he had to be really good to deceive. And he was. Quite inexpensive, it was some very well spent $$ for a great night out. I now know I would love to see his performance again and would highly recommend it to others.
The Muck has me impressed and hooked. I think I might need to become a patron so I can enjoy it more often.

I think the outdoor theater is nice. It’s like a mini Hollywood Bowl. Everything is clean and well kept. The cars driving along Malvern is a bit distracting but otherwise the location is a great spot for outdoor entertainment.

What a fantastic venue space! We hosted our annual awards dinner and Gala at The Muck and it turned out to be one of the best years the event has ever had. Everyone loved this hidden gem and couldn’t believe they had never been there. The grounds are beautiful, well kept and the inside is just as charming with changing art shows & exhibits. For our event we choose to do our cocktail hour inside, move to the amphitheater for our new board announcements and then have dinner and awards on the patio. Moving from location to location throughout the evening made it so much fun. The patio in the evening was the perfect place for dinner and the slide show. We sat 115 comfortably and the buffet dinner worked perfectly. The staff is outstanding and super helpful to create an event that fits you. We look forward to coming back!

So i had my wedding there memorial day weekend, and let me say, it was AMAZING!!! first off, i was a bride that was coming from the east coast and Duane and Sara made it so easy and smooth. seriously planning a wedding a bajillion miles away is way stressful, but Duane and Sara were great to work with and we were able to squeeze everything on the weekends i was actually in town.
I had my wedding in the garden. it was so beautiful, and of course reception on the lawn with dancing in the courtyard. So i was a bit hesitant to separate my dance floor from my reception area, but Duane again was so right. there was a great flow! I also absolutely love the bistro lights look and Duane/​Sara were able to work with me and my tight budget so i could get that out on the lawn. Everyone tells me how fun and classic my wedding was so i have to thank Duane, Sara and Colette’s Catering… everything was perfect! thank-​you guys!!!

Our wedding was New Years Eve!
From the moment I walked into the Mansion I knew that this was where I wanted to marry my best friend. Then I got to meet Duane and from there I was completely sold! Duane has such a passion for love and weddings that it makes the whole planning experience very fun. He told me to explain what I was dreaming for my wedding and then at the end of the conversation said, «We can do it!». He is truly an amazing man inside and out and I couldn’t be happier with everything he did to bring my vision to life.
Now Colette’s Catering is AMAZING. For the most part I went through Duane to schedule my tastings and most of the details of the wedding. I decided on the day of coordinator and I could not have made a better choice. Sara Parrell knows exactly how to make your big day perfect. She makes sure that you do not lift a finger and that every little detail is where you wanted it. She kept us on schedule and made sure we ate when we finally got a free moment. We decided on a buffet for our reception and again Sara went above and beyond to make sure we have food already set on the table with a hot tea and coffee for my husband and I (New Years Eve was just a bit chilly). And of course when our guest distracted us for photos, Sara got us another plate which was full of nice and hot food! The staff was just as wonderful as she was too! The night just went flawlessly and I honestly believe it was because of the staff at Colette’s, Sara and Duane.
There was not a moment in the whole process that I regret. Our wedding was everything we could have dreamed of and more. I recommend this beautiful Mansion and Colette’s catering to anyone!

My previous review was flagged down for some reason so I had to re-​write my review.
I had the enormous pleasure in DJing for a wonderful couple on 11÷30÷14 #MuckenthalerMansion. I’m giving this venue a 2 star rating only because Duane’s Team Sarah and a few other members of their staff stepped up their game and apologized on behalf of Duane. They were extremely helpful and accommodating to my needs so I wanted to thank them for that.
First of all at the wedding rehearsal I was informed that Duane would be my point of contact and he would assist me in answering any questions about their speaker system since I was not allowed to bring mine on the day of the Wedding. He was rude and always had something sarcastic to say. He practically told me to bore someone else with my speaker dilemma as he didn’t have time to discuss it with me. I didn’t have a lot of time to waste since I needed to be in Burbank at Castaway for a Wedding that evening. So I took iniative and asked around and finally someone was nice enough to help me out and answered all my questions.
On the day of the Wedding the Bride & Groom decided to change their floor plan which was not an issue. I was ok with the changes. So I needed to ask Duane to fill me in with the new game plan. He wasn’t very helpful and again he refused to assist me. he told me to «figure it out and make it work». Those were his exact words. My rule as a DJ is to NEVER EVER, under any circumstances go to the Bride or Groom for ANYTHING on the most important day of their LIVES. The last thing I want is to stress them out over something that can be handled by a Wedding Planner or Coordinator. That’s the reason they have Duane but he was useless. He was running around like a chicken without a head.
I was promised 4 speakers but there were only 2 for the ceremony. I questioned Duane about the additonal speakers I was promised for cocktail hour and dinner reception. He told me as soon as they conclude the ceremony, he’ll have one of his staff transfer the speaker and carry it over to the courtyard during «cocktail hour». Are you kidding me!!! Really??? So basically his staff will set up while guests are walking into the courtyard during cocktail hour.
I’m so glad I had a Plan B. I brought an extra speaker with me. I hooked up my system and by the time they concluded ceremony, my music was already playing as guests walked into the courtyard.
Here’s my advice to ALL THE POTENTIAL BRIDES & GROOM including Wedding Planners and DJs. Make sure you are fully aware and informed that DJs cannot bring their own speakers due to the noise ordinance. The speakers do not function well, so DJs be aware and bring a back up system. The venue will not provide power cables so make sure you familiarize yourself with their speaker system. The speaker they carry are called «Bose L1 PS1 W/​B1 BASS MODULE Powered Speaker».
If you’re having a Ceremony, Cocktail and Dinner set up. They only provide 2 speakers which means there would be a lot of moving around, tearing down setting up, doing sound checks in front of the guests. Please ask as many questions as you possibly can before booking this venue. In my opinion Duane is very unprofessional, rude and not helpful with vendors. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful venue you should check it out but just be aware of Duane. He’ll appear friendly in the beginning. Once you’ve become a client everything changes. at least in my opinion.

SERVICE ISN’T UP TO PAR.
Earlier this summer I scheduled an appointment with Duane, he was extremely attentive and professional over the phone. My fiancé and I were looking forward to meet him and see the mansion in person.
I booked our appointment with Duane at 12:30 PM, had an 8 AM in Trabucco Canyon and a 2:30 PM in Temecula to view other venues. It didn’t take us very long to get from our morning appointment to Duanes so we got there exactly an hour early. As we walked thru the grounds we ran into Duane, he was meeting with a couple so we didn’t want to intrude and left. We went to grab a quick bite and came back to our appointment right on schedule.
When we returned we met with Duane in his office he asked us for the number of guest and if we wanted buffet style or plated (I think that was it) and if we wanted his team to set up… jotted down some numbers and printed prices on recycled paper from another appointment — ONE SHEET! We decided to overlook it because we thought he was maybe all about recycling and saving the planet. What we DIDN’T appreciate was the lack of detail such as: type of food options, linen, chairs — options and prices, bar no bar… Etc Our ONE paper had a couple numbers and we didn’t know what we would be paying for. He said he preferred to emails wedding packets rather than to give them out, but I never received it.
After he gave us this paper we did a quick walk thru came across a lady who works inside the mansion he never introduced us I mean that’s just proper etiquette. We felt rushed thru the appointment, he was sweating profusely the whole time. It was HOT maybe wear appropriate attire. You can still look professional doing so — just a thought.
The grass area where they had already set up a wedding reception for that day was extremely DRY! I mean there were HUGE patches of NO GRASS. He blamed it on the drought. Pleeeeease maybe hire a landscaping company who can keep your grass nice and GREEN — I know I don’t have that problem at my home. Who in the right mind would want to pay $ 20,000 for an outdoor venue and have their wedding set up on dirt? NOT ME!
At this point I thought «maybe we can take up his offer and set up on the driveway that would be nice too (still hopeful).» I asked something along the lines of the surrounding homes and the effect that would have on music levels. He answered my question, looked at his watch, told us he looked forward to hear from us and LEFT!
Our appointment lasted EXACTLY 15 minutes! His next appointment was walking down as we were leaving. If people are paying thousands of $$$ to book at least give them time they deserve, answer all questions, BE DETAILED! Don’t book every 15 min!
It’s been several months since our appointment and Duane still emails me. Ugh…
Thank God we found our ideal venue on our next appointment.
Bride-to-be’s I highly recommend you KEEP LOOKING…

I was here for a wedding this last weekend. It was very lovely.
The dining area became even more lovely in the evening, with the strings of lights and the cute nook for the couple to sit in.
The outdoor seating area becomes shaded as evening draws near, and was very pretty.
The inside is interesting, with stuff to look at while you wait for all the photographs to be done.
Lovely venue.

We just got married here this past March. When looking for wedding venues I had never heard of the Muckenthaler and I grew up in Diamond Bar. When my husband and I visited this location we just knew it was for us. The beautiful home and the artsy feel of the gallery inside was perfect.
They use Colette’s Catering & Events as their exclusive catering company — you deal with them for your entire wedding plans. Wow… such amazing staff. They made my wedding planning much easier and were there to help with all our questions/​concerns.
Overall we are so happy with our experience here and I can’t wait to see all the amazing pictures from our wedding. They have so many amazing photo sports from the brick gazebo to the balcony and the green land surrounding the home.
This is a great wedding venue! The best part is they only do one event a day so there is no rush to get in/​out. Also, the price was by far the cheapest I found when hunting for venues — although we did get married during the «off’ season so we had special prices for that.

For years I passed by the Muckenthaler Cultural Center with nary a glance. Then one day I noticed the sign. What an interesting name! I was intrigued.
Google to the rescue. Type it in and get a response… this time it was the right response and I was able to get an e-bird’s eye overview of what is casually called «The Muck.»
Sign me up! They have a great mailing list and I started to receive their offerings. Wow. This place has it going on. Concerts, art exhibits, Gatsby parties, oh my!
From there, life took over and it was over a year before I made the time to suggest to the family that we stop by to view the traditional Hanji Korean paper art exhibit.
As we entered the grounds, we looked around at the charming, old neighborhood surrounding the Muck. We want one of these houses! We continued on past a walled garden where an intimate wedding was being set up. We turned left past a just-​right-​sized outdoor amphitheater to finally arrive at the magnificent front door.
Talk about friendly. The docents are cheery and seem genuinely happy to greet visitors. They were sure to point out where to find the entire exhibit, since it was located in two parts of the house.
The exhibit was very interesting. We greatly enjoyed the Hanji as well as the house itself.
After a leisurely stroll through the house viewing art and history, we were sure to pick up a program of upcoming events.
Now we are ‘in the know’ with ‘The Muck. You should be in the know, too.

I grew up in Fullerton and took many field trips to the Muckenthaler Center. It is a beautiful venue and of course I wanted to check it out as one of the venues for my upcoming wedding to Brian D.
Duane is extremely helpful and answered all the questions I had. When I toured the place, the Great Gatsby had just come out so there had been lots of interest in this venue as it has that Gatsby/​20s vibe.
While we did not end up choosing this place, it is totally worth checking out if you are looking to get married Fullerton or the Orange County area.

Just had my wedding here and it was beautiful!!! The food was amazing! And everyone was soo great to work with! Especially the coordinator there Duane! He really loves his job and was a great help! Im sooo great full we found this place! :)

My husband and I recently had our wedding ceremony and reception here. Our experience from Day 1 working with the staff at The Muck, was fun and memorable.
It was always easy to get in touch with Duane Greenleaf, and communication was consistent. Anytime I had questions, Duane was readily available to answer them all. When I became a bit stressed as we approached the big moment, Duane was very reassuring about everything falling into place just fine.
Our wedding was very DIY (do-​it-​yourself) from head to toe, so I was extremely exhausted by the time our big day came around. My husband and I had decided that we would hire the day-​of wedding coordinator, to help us with the ceremony and reception coordination. This was such a great decision, because Kristen Wilson took so much weight off of our shoulders. She guided us through the rehearsal, structured our ceremony and grand entrance, and made sure our experience was wonderful. I highly, highly, highly, recommend that you at least hire a day-​of coordinator!
The Muck and Colette’s Catering staff went above and beyond, when they accommodated my wishes to have a lovely lunch on-​site after our daytime wedding rehearsal. The venue does not allow any outside vendors onto the property (I originally wanted to have a Taco Man come and cook for us there), but the kitchen staff and Duane worked diligently to plan a taco bar lunch for myself and my rehearsal guests. The food and experience were fantastic!
Needless to say, my husband and I had a fabulous experience with our wedding at The Muck. We recommend the venue 100%. Best wishes!

I found this venue online about two years ago due to the fact there’s plenty of free parking (no one has to pay valet, etc.), it’s one event per venue (no need to fight over space with another wedding), and it’s much more unique than a hotel in the area. You can really make it your own especially with the large spacious grass. We also got to customize our tenting (think «I Love You Man») for both our ceremony and reception. Duane was the first person we met and he was so great. He got exactly what our vision is.
We later worked with Rick for all the logistics. He was quick in handling the emails. We even asked that he help with day-​of-​coordination instead of getting a best man to do so. Especially since no one other than myself and my sister had any event coordination experience with over 50 people. They were so helpful and always asking how we’re doing. We only had a few hiccups when I could tell Rick was a bit annoyed during our rehearsal because the ring bearers aka sign holders were a bit rowdy. My cousin made sure they practiced that night to get it right! Also, there was a bit of a snafu with the escort cards and the wind as well as a seating confusion but it was all sorted out before the reception. Quickly too.
The banquet staff was so wonderful too! I asked for a glass of wine at the end of the night once I knew it was too dark to get pictures of me red-​faced. The banquet manager actually hunted me down at the ice cream truck and handed me my drink. Talk about service! I was only expecting him to put it by my plate!
The cake — an almond cake with green tea powder and hazelnut butter cream with a customized design– was a HIT! Even the ice cream man we hired tried some and said he never had a cake this moist at a wedding! They saved the top layer for us and after a week in the fridge, it was still so moist! It goes great with coffee. We also got to bring our own coffee and wine too. They really are cake goddesses!

I don’t even know where to begin with this review.
On March 15^th, 2012, my fiancé proposed. On March 17^th, 2012, we went to The Muck. Within an hour of being there, it all felt so right and we booked the venue right away for June 9^th, 2012… just 11 weeks away! During that hour, we toured the venue and spoke with Duane about our vision, our budget and who we are as a couple. Duane understood all that I wanted and had envisioned my whole life and he said he could make it happen.
Within the next few weeks, we worked with Duane and Rick closely. Our menu tasting and cake tasting appointment went perfectly. We chose a dual entrée, a mixed green salad and wild rice pilaf and green beans. We chose their sun dried tomato cream sauce chicken and their slow roasted pot roast. We chose their marble cake and hazelnut filling and another option, which escapes my memory right now. After we got home, my then fiancé and I changed our mind about the pot roast and put our faith into Duane and went with another option sight unseen (I’ll tell you more about that shortly).
After that visit, we added a tent for our reception and they accomodated that request wonderfully. We also added paper lanterns with pendant lighting to light up the area. Rick and Duane were very honest with us about what we needed and what we didn’t really need. They also recommended a great lounge furniture company (Modern Chair Rental) that had amazing prices and the exact furniture we wanted.
We made the decision to pay the extra fee to use Rick as our wedding coordinator, and it was a decision that I am so thankful we made. He was amazing to work with, which is exactly what a bride with an 11 week engagement needs.
Cut to last Saturday, our wedding day. When we arrived at the venue, things were already being set up and it was so beautiful that I found myself getting emotional. Rick had set up all my details just as I wanted, and somehow managed to make things I worked so hard on even more beautiful than I had imagined. He helped to bring together my vision and my DIY projects. He kept commenting on how he loved all my details and that all the other vendors did too, just what EVERY DIY bride wants to hear. He even told me they want to use my wedding for Ceremony Magazine, which is amazing to a girl who loves all things wedding.
The ceremony space was beautiful, the cocktail hour was amazing and the tented reception was every brides dream. The cocktail hour apps we added to our menu were crispy bacon mac and cheese, mini cocktail weenies in puff pastry and shot glasses of tomato soup and mini grilled cheese. We were going with a comfort food theme and all of our guests have told us how great it all was. The dinner menu was amazing and the change in our beef choice was SPOT ON. It was so tender and flavorful, everyone said it wasnt typical wedding food. They gave us our food ASAP so that we could eat fast and mingle. Included in the package was our cake and it took my breath away. Colettes went above and beyond and gave me the wedding cake of my dreams. It was almost as flavorful as it was beautiful. It hurt my heart to have to cut into it. They kept us to our schedule and helped to make the day flow smoothly.
Everything about last Saturday was so far and beyond what I had dreamed of my entire life. There aren’t enough words to describe how happy we were in choosing the Muck. I highly recommend this venue to anyone and everyone who want an amazing outdoor wedding at a venue that is so beautiful it needs no decorations! Don’t believe me? Go see for yourself!
Thank you Duane and Rick!!!

I couldn’t have been happier than choosing The Muck as our venue for our ceremony and reception. It was in September and perfect weather. Kristen and Rick (wedding coordinators) went above and beyond. Colette’s Catering (food and cake) was sooo goood. I can’t rave about this place enough. My wedding was absolutely perfect.
It has everything you would need in a venue. Location, accomodates small and large weddings. amazing catering and gorgeous for pictures. What’s great is they only do 1 wedding a day, so you have the whole mansion to yourselves, which is great! You will not be disappointed in choosing The Muck as your venue.
**Note: They also have amazing art shows, classes and car shows throughout the year too.

Venue Search 1
Talked to Duane and he was SO lovely. Very professional and has been in the business for years. He knew his stuff. I adored the museum portion where the cocktail hour would be. The lighting indoors and the space indoors would be great for the cocktail hour while they set up.
Ceremony Area:
Very pretty. I could imagine them doing more in the Spring time. They were actually setting up for a wedding when I got there for my tour. The chairs would be provided as well as the arch/​canopy. We would have to provide the décor of course. They give you a table for the gifts as well.
Bridal Room:
Spacious. I liked the bridal room because they actually had room for bridesmaid and mom to be there to get ready. Own bathroom too.
Groom Room:
I love the fact they have their own room! It’s near the ceremony site too. That was a plus.
Cocktail area:
Indoors in the museum.
They had the artwork and chairs.
We can touch the chairs and it was very romantic with the fireplace and such. So you don’t ‘t really need to decorate the indoors.
Reception:
Outdoors. They have their street lights and the tables would be set up and the dance floor could be installed OR you could use the cement area to dance and do the festivities. There are lights over the reception area as well. Very pretty.
The only problem I had is that there aren’t any hanging lights in the grass area (only the street lights) and he said it would work but I really love the look of hanging lights which the cement area had.
Catering:
Provided by Colette Catering Service. They have some good promotions right now.
Coordinator:
Duane was awesome to talk to and I did feel comfortable talking to him about my concerns.
Pros:
* TONS of parking… FREE parking. If the place gets full, then street parking available (neighborhood).
* Safe neighborhood
* In the OC (in between my OC fam and my LA fam)
* It’s a mansion! — outside décor is gorgeous
Cons:
* In a neighborhood — out in the open — although he said that they are respectful, I just have some concerns with people crashing — paranoid.
* Lighting
**********************
I’m still looking around but this is definitely a contender.