Betty H. Reckas Cultural Center

1000 percent happy with the Betty Reckas Cultural Center. It is definitely a well priced hidden gem in Long Beach. You can bring in your own booze (liquor too!) Jeremy Smith was our catering manager and he was great. We also had Loren as our banquet server, make sure to ask for him specifically as he was so incredibly attentive and kind. The Betty is so beautiful on the inside, you’d never know it was over in the area it is located in. Every time we told someone, no one had heard of it. Our guests were so impressed with it’s beauty. They also just redid the bathrooms and they look amazing as well.
The food was incredible. We didn’t give the guests a choice of dish, we went with the balsamic roasted chicken/​mashed potatoes/​baby carrots. I cannot even tell you how many compliments we had on the entire dish, how moist the chicken was, how the baby carrots were amazing. We also opted to serve buttercake and mini donuts as a dessert. Obviously as the bride I didn’t get to try it haha, but my guests raved about it the entire weekend.
The only thing I would mention (and I’m not even mad about it) is that you should have a conversation with the bar about making sure the drinks are not overpoured. We ran out at the end– still had enough beer and wine to cover but we had to send a cousin to the store! Everyone was cool so not really a problem but we thought (and our coordinators agreed) we really had over purchased liquor.
It really was an amazing experience and if I had to do it all over again, I would pick the Betty every time!

I am a wedding photographer so this is from a photographer’s point of view. I photographed a wedding here in 2014 and it was one of the best receptions I have been to. they did a fantastic job. Staff was on top of the event from the beginning. Excellent service and spot on attention. I can’t wait to photograph here again.

We had our wedding reception at the Betty Reckas Cultural Center and could not have picked a better location and catering company. TGIS is the sole caterer for this venue, but you will not be disappointed. We worked with Jeremy Smith and he is a great guy. He helped to answer all of our questions leading up to the reception and worked to accommodate our needs. We went to two different tastings during our engagement and had a hard time choosing what to pick for the meal because everything was so delicious. We ended up going with the tossed ceasar salad, grilled chicken balsamico, garlic mashed potatoes, and sauté of julienned vegetables. Keep in mind we had the individually plated meals; you can also choose a buffet option. Everyone at the reception loved the food and could not stop talking about how delicious the food was (especially when made in mass). We had approximately 230+ guests. Even the kid’s meal was a hit! Those who had the vegetarian meal also said it was delicious and had nothing but positive things to say about their dinner.
The staff that worked the event was also great. We had a gentlemen (who I cannot recall his name), but he found me during the night to let me know when our dinner was ready (hard for the bride and groom to find time to eat). He also brought some of the appetizers to the bridal suite and to our sweetheart table to make sure we had something to eat before the main meal came out. He was so nice!
The staff served the food so quickly that no one was left hungry. The wedding package also includes the wedding cake (either from Rossmoor Bakery or Torrance Bakery). We chose to go with Torrance Bakery and LOVED our cake. The design was perfect and the taste was phenomenal. We had three flavors: marble cake with chocolate mousee/​fudge filling, banana cake with vanilla custard filling, and white cake with lemon mousse/​rasberry jam filling. The cake was a big hit and the staff also served pieces to guests very quickly after we cut the cake later in the evening.
I highly recommend TGIS Caterging for your wedding, as well as the Betty Reckas Cultural Center. The inside of the hall is beautiful and you can also choose the BYOB option where you pay a set fee per guest and you can purchase all of your own alcohol. This saved us a lot of money as we were able to have «open bar» for the entire night! We paid the per person fee and the $ 150 per bartender (we had two bartenders, who were also awesome).
The only recommendation I would make is to have at least one male security guard at the reception site. The two female security would likely have a hard time with more rowdy guests (luckily this was not an issue for us).
I brought in a lot of my own decorations and we were able to access the venue the day before since our wedding was on a Friday. I think it’d be harder to do this if you chose to get married on a Saturday. We did ours on a Friday because it was $ 1000 cheaper. The fireplace in the main hall is a great touch and makes it more classy looking. We also got married around Christmas time so there was a decorated tree in the main hall too. This was a nice touch that did not cost us anything.
Overall, I definitely recommend the Betty Reckas Cultural for your wedding day and/​or reception!

I was here a few weeks ago for a friends wedding and this place is absolutely adorable.
I don’t know how much they charge to rent the space, but the staff and the photo opportunity in this place are amazing!
I know how hard finding the right venue can be, so this is me trying to make your life easier in your venue search!
Again, I did not have my wedding here, I was only a guest — this is from a guests perspective!

I just had my wedding here a little over a week ago, and my husband and I could not be any happier that we chose this venue. I looked at over 20 different potential reception venues (because I’m that picky) — so it was definitely a decision that I put a lot of time and thought into.
We worked with Jeremy from TGIS, who oversees events at this venue. Since I was planning my wedding from the east coast, most of my interaction with Jeremy was through emails and by phone. I met with him a couple of times when I was in town before the wedding, and he was always friendly and helpful.
Here is what we loved about this venue:
— Price — there is a fee of $ 1,550 for Saturday events (which includes the site fee, security guards, setup and cleanup, dance floor rental, cake, basic tablecloths, napkins and place settings). After looking at so many venues and the outrageous fees they charged just for using their space, it was nice to come across a venue like Betty Reckas, which provided a reasonable fee that included so much more than other venues. Their meal packages ranged from $ 50−80/person and we had the option to bring in our own alcohol, which meant we were able to choose the type of alcohol we served and also helped in saving us a little bit of money.
— Size of venue /​ambiance — this place is huge! We ended up with about 150 guests and there was more than enough space for everyone. We could have probably fit another 50 – 75 guests comfortably if our budget allowed us to do so. During cocktail hour, our guests mingled in the foyer area where the bar is and a little outdoor/​patio area on the side of the building, where the mariachi we hired was stationed. The main ballroom have high ceilings, four chandeliers and a large fireplace. You really don’t need a lot of décor to make this place look amazing. We used the tables, chairs and place settings that the venue provided, which worked fine with our décor. We got the uplighting as part of the package with our DJ and it really added nicely to the ambiance of the place. Our photographers had no problem finding spots for photos for our bridal party at this place. There was also plenty of FREE parking for all of our guests.
— Food — as someone already mentioned, you have to use TGIS to cater your events at this place. For appetizers, we had pork belly tacos, lobster sake shooters and bruschetta. For dinner, we chose the standard buffet with tri-​tip, Mediterrenean chicken, wild rice, sauté of veggies and wild mixed field greens. Everyone especially loved the appetizers! My husband and I thought that the tri tip was a little dry, but overall our guests enjoyed the food. But one thing I forgot to ask about was what happened to the leftovers, and that’s something I would encourage others to ask about as we gladly would have taken home any food leftover or at least donated to others in need. And I would definitely appoint someone to be in charge of any leftover alcohol — there were bottles of champagne that we had left that to this day I have no idea what happened to them. I just remember one of the staff asking us what to do with them (I don’t remember our response), and for days after none of our friends and family seems to know where they went.
— Service — the day of my wedding, our other vendors commented on how easy it was to work with the staff at Betty Reckas. Our banquet manager was very attentive and made my husband I feel very well taken care of. He even packed some food for us to take with us after the reception, which was great since we didn’t eat much during the reception.
Overall, I loved having my wedding here. Everyone commented on how well everything flowed together and I think the team at Betty Reckas helped us achieve that.

My girlfriend held her wedding reception here very recently and as a guest I was impressed with the space. There was plenty of room for dining, dancing and mingling. There was even a nice, roomy outdoor area where we enjoyed our drinks and music.
I’m not sure if the Center provides its own catering, but I enjoyed the food (buffet style with tri-​tip, chicken, veggies and rice pilaf – a complete win), and a nice open bar. Everyone who worked there was polite, I never saw a frown probably because it was such a momentous and successfully put together occasion. Everyone did a great job!
Parking wasn’t an issue as there is a large private lot, and there was security on site. The women’s restroom was clean and easy to find. Overall, the venue’s a win in my book!

My wedding just took place at the BRCC 3 weeks ago on March 22^nd! I have to say that I am so happy about how everything turned out.
TGIS Catering was a little hard to get a hold of at first I think because I was trying to save some money so I wanted to cut costs in the catering. As time went on we ended up adding more things than expected and TGIS was very responsive then:) It was worth every penny! Our ceremony was outside in the courtyard and I had many guests comment on how easy the venue was to find and how easy it was to park. This was a plus for me: GREAT PARKING FOR GUESTS AND EASY ACCESS!
For decorations it was very convenient that Jeremy opened the bridal suite for us during the rehearsal so we could store decorations there that were needed on the ceremony day. On the day of the event, the bridal suite is not very big but is just enough space to wait for everything to begin. The staff was amazing and friendly and even offered to bring my husband and I snacks and drinks right away after the ceremony. Everything looked absolutely beautiful! I did all my own flowers and decorations and because the venue is so gorgeous, everything was breathtaking. I think that any theme, color scheme, etc would look amazing in at this venue.
For Pictures there are plenty of places around the building for great pictures!
FOOD WAS DELICIOUS!!! Everyone I have talked to said that this was the best wedding food they have ever had. We did buffet style with chicken and tri tip. Also, the baker for the cake that TGIS coordinates with (Rossmoor Pastries) did a fantastic job with our cake. The bar is very convenient for people to get drinks and socialize, we had over 200 people and I was shocked at how many people this place can hold!
Anyways, I could go on… TGIS did an amazing job and you cannot beat the majestic beauty of this venue! Wonderful place to get married!

I had my December ceremony and reception at Betty Reckas Cultural Center, and I would definitely do it again!
Similar to the previous reviewer, I’ll break it down.
Price/​Value– 5 stars
Very worth it. They had the best drink package — $ 5.95/pp for unlimited mixers + soft drinks, and we were able to provide our own alcohol, so we were not only able to buy the alcohol we actually like but also cut down alcohol costs by the thousands (compared to venues that charge something like $ 15/​pp per hour for an open bar). We didn’t need to spend much money on decorations since the venue was so pretty. We didn’t get uplighting, and it was fine.
Convenience– 5 stars
Free, plentiful parking. There’s a great outdoor space for photos pre-​ceremony. There are also lots of beautiful locations near this venue to take formal shots: Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden ($ 200/​hr), Rancho Los Alamitos, Cerritos Sculpture Garden (~20min away). The bridal room was small but clean/​nice.
Food/​Drinks– 5 stars
TGIS was great! The passed appetizers during were amazing, as was the dinner. Portions were huge, and everyone loved the food.
Service– 5 stars
Jeremy was SO amazing and very responsive to the massive number of emails I sent prior to the wedding. The day of, the service was amazing. The banquet manager was very attentive and made sure that we ate!
Flexibility– 3.5 stars
My only annoyance was the Christmas tree they wouldn’t to take down. Initially I was okay with it, but now I’m looking back at my photos and it’s kind of an eye sore. If you get married there near December, you may want to keep this in mind. This was an issue with the venue itself and not TGIS.
However, they did let us use sparklers, so that’s a plus.
TGIS itself was super flexible and allowed us to make last minute changes to the menu.

The BRCC was one of my wedding venue options, but my fiancé and I felt it was not the right choice for our needs. First off, Jeremy Smith and the team at TGIS Catering are very helpful and knowledgeable. Booking an appointment was super easy and I was able to get all the menu and wedding package info right away. Had we gone with a a less rustic/​hipsterish theme, we might have booked this venue based on price and value alone!
Info on the venue. I’ll try not to repeat what other people have already stated.
— Located in a residential area. Kind of tucked away at the end of the street. Quite secluded.
–Exterior = all white building, very clean looking. There is a church, but you will have to have your ceremony out in front of the building
–Interior or reception hall = newly renovated. Walls are painted with a brownish-​tan color. Very formal looking and similar to what you would find at a hotel (banquet hall)
–BYOB option. You have to pay something like $ 1,000 down to do so.
–Bathrooms are a bit dated when compared to the rest of the reception hall. I wanted to add this just in case someone one wondering.
–Catering packages start as low as $ 50/​pp-​$ 70/​pp
–The party must end by 11:00pm, remember it’s a residential area!
–Tables and linen rentals all inclusive.
Good luck to all brides and grooms to be!

Gorgeous wedding venue! Affordable pricing and Jeremy was a major plus!!!

I wanted a venue that had its’ own parking, its’ own private space, beautiful outdoor area and a place that did not require that much decorating.
I researched over 25 venues and yes I have a list and reviewed each one of them. I found my place here at the Betty H Reckas Cultural Center.
It really had everything I needed and was looking for in a venue.
PARKING:
Tons and FREE and PRIVATE. Yes. It fits over 200 cars and if you still need more — tons of street parking.
LOCATION:
This is located at a church — no you don’t use the church AT ALL. You use the outdoor area in front of the church for the ceremony. It’s spacious and the outside area can fit over 300 people. I KNOW! I had a flash mob here and it fit everyone!
COCKTAIL AREA:
There is a indoor and outdoor area for cocktail. The bar is inside and they also provide standing tables for guests to put their food and drinks. The cocktail area is spacious for a photobooth, dessert bar, appetizer bar and cute décor. There is a giant table in the center for your escort cards.
The bar is huge too.
RECEPTION HALL:
Inside the reception, the place is big. It comes with a dance floor and a fireplace. It’s huge! It could fit over 300 people as well. I had 186 and there was tons of space. The lighting is great and the sun shines in along with its own lighting. It didn’t need any décor. Other than on the fireplace because it’d look too bare.
BRIDAL ROOM:
Great bridal room. Clean and has cute décor and great for photos!
SERVICE:
AMAZING service. The banquet manager Loren (Lauren?) was great. He was attentive and really put a LOT into making sure I had food and drinks! GREAT manager!
CATERING:
For catering, I used TGIS. It comes with the place. In order to have this place, you have to use them, which they were great. See my review for them. TGIS Catering.
LIGHTING:
You NEED uplighting. TGIS catering provides that for you.
PRICE:
Based off TGIS Catering, but their packages are excellent.
OVERALL:
I loved my wedding! It went smoothly and everyone loved the venue! My dad told me it was such a smart venue to choose!