Rio Hondo Event Center

My wife and I just got married at the Rio Hondo Event Center on September 12^th 2015. We were on a budget, but wanted to have a Beautiful wedding and the Rio Hondo Event Center was perfect for us. Once Mark showed us around the venue, my wife and I immediately knew this was the perfect place for us to get married. We had an outdoor ceremony and an indoor reception with around 225 guests. We did have a day of wedding coordinator which helped with making our special day extremely smooth. She was there to deal with any problems, if any, because we still haven’t heard of any problems! Oh So Pretty Events is the company for the wedding coordinator. The weather was about 80 degrees with a nice breeze during the ceremony. We went to other venues before coming to RHEC and the prices were either too expensive or not our style, or both. After speaking with Mark, he worked with our budget and created a payment plan for our wedding day. Mark made our wedding great, from day 1 until the end of the wedding he did everything to make sure our day was special, and it was. All of our family and friends to this day still let us know how Beautiful our wedding was and that they have never been to a wedding like ours. I give a lot of the credit to my wife who put months of work into the little details which helped make our wedding day special. It was a lot of work, but i’m so happy with our outcome. I am extremely grateful to Mark and his staff for all of their hard work and willingness to make our wedding day so special.

This was a terrific place for our 60^th anniversary celebrations. Manager Mark was very accommodating and flexible re: what we needed. Our meal was delicious! We chose the Hacker’s salad, macadamia nut crusted chicken with lemon herb drizzle, green beans almondine, mashed potatoes with gravy on the side and cheesecake with raspberry drizzle – and the price was right! David and Manuel served us cheerfully and efficiently, also helping with audio and video setup. Great place for a party!

The venue overall was great and everything I hoped for but Mark Sr. left me with promises that weren’t kept. He recommended for us not to have a day of wedding coordinator because he would make sure things ran smoothly and it wasn’t the case.
We had took him the DVD to play on the slideshow at the end of dinner and days before he said it worked in his system and we were good to go as long as the appetizers and food we had ordered. Mark said he would be the day of coordinator and run things so I wouldn’t have to worry and that was far from the truth.
On the way to our reception, I get a call from my aunt that is making sure things are in order that Mark says the DVD doesn’t work and we need to ask the photographer to bring is laptop. Obviously he didn’t bring it because the DVD was already working and so thankfully a cousin was able to go get his laptop and have it there on time. When I arrive cocktail hour was supposed to start at 5 and people still weren’t being let outside to the patio until almost like 5:30 and we had told him the 3 band trio was supposed to be outdoors during cocktail hour and then indoors during dinner and he didn’t make sure to tell them where to go either. I had to be the one to get them outside. Dinner time didn’t even start at 6 like it was supposed to so our grand entrance was late and just pushed everything else behind too because they didn’t open the doors and start letting people in.
After the wedding I came to find out he had set me sweetheart table in the wrong spot but my aunt fixed that too. The food was good but we had only choose one salad and the day of the wedding they were serving two kinds and not asking guests which they would like and we weren’t informed of any change. Three of our guests were vegan and were the last to be served after we had to ask Mark that where their plates were at that we had ordered. He was rude and said they should have asked for it and I know they did and one of the waiters were rude and said that’s all they had. The problem was fixed but should have never been one in the first place.
Mark also never came to get us for the sunset photos. We had to tell him and even then we missed it thankfully we had an amazing photographer that was able to get a few with some color still in the sky and even then the waterfall never turned on. He said its the city’s job to have it on and that it’s on timer but if it were someone also dropped the ball on this.
And as for the cake, I was so disappointed when I heard my guests say their wasn’t cake left. When I knew we had ordered enough, then at the end of the night i find out they didn’t pass out cake to anyone who wasn’t sitting at their tables so out of my 3 tier and 1 sheet cake i went home with basically all 3 tiers. SO MUCH CAKE LEFT OVER IT WAS DISAPPOINTING.
If I could do it again I would definitely have a day of wedding coordinator to take care of things because Mark was not walking around taking care of things like he was supposed too not even coordinating with his staff.

Attended a Cheer Banquet this Sunday. This is a really nice venue. It is a Golf Course which threw me off at first. I thought I was at the wrong place. Buffet was good. The view out to the course is really pretty.

I was very interested in this venue for my wedding so I scheduled an appointment with Mark. I detailed to him what time frame I was looking for for my wedding and he was very friendly on the phone and we exchanged cell phone numbers so that he could contact me if he had a change in plans. I live in Rancho Cucamonga, CA so I had to drive about 40 miles to get to Downey. My parents, fiancé, and I arrive to the location and we began to look for Mark. My fiancé spoke with a worker and said that he would try to find him. Fifteen minutes later we start to get anxious and we start asking other workers at the facility about his whereabouts. Five minutes later, someone approaches my dad and hands him packet. He then hands it to me and its a pricing packet from 2013. That same worker says «Mark isn’t here, would you still like a tour? This is for a quinceanra correct?» I told this worker this is ridiculous and very unprofessional. He then said Mark had an emergency, which is fine, emergencies happen all the time, but when I drive over 40 miles ONE WAY to visit the place I would have liked a phone call so we could have rescheduled. It has been almost a week and I still have not received an email or phone call apologizing for the situation. What a waste of gas! 80 miles round trip! Be careful if you book here.

Highly recommend the rio hondo event center! Mark is great! We just had our wedding reception here and it was beautiful, it was more than I could have wanted or imagined for it being so local. Mark was very helpful and accommodating with every aspect imaginable! The venue itself, is beautiful, has a classy sophistication to it, not to mention close and accessible enough for those looking for a venue that is not too far out for guests. Mark is a busy guy with so many events and managing everything so just be patient and he will get back to you. Mark understands a young couple starting out and he was helpful and knowledgeable about the whole wedding planning, process, and costs! He gives great advice. Listen to him. He knows what’s up ! Definitely a cool calm guy to work with especially with a worrisome anxious bride to be like myself. He worked well with all the vendors involved at our wedding reception. Would definitely have any future events or parties again at this venue if the occasion need be ! Highly recommend mark, his staff, and the venue ! It was a pleasure working with them. I will post more pictures of our wedding as I receive them. Thanks Mark !

This is a long over due review. I hope our experience can help others. My wife and I got married over a year ago. We had searched so many venues and we were surprised to find Rio Hondo Event Center in Downey. We met up with Mark Sr. and we were happy to see that he seemed very helpful and knowledgable. He assured he would be there to help on our special day. We decided to book all three rooms for our wedding. Here are some pros and cons that we experienced with RHEC:
CONS:
1) Mark is very good at what he does, but he is hard to get a hold of. He prefers to meet in the evening.
2) When we booked our wedding at RHEC, Mark threw in a free open bar during our cocktail hour. A couple days before the wedding Mark tried to back out of this deal. Luckily, we had a copy of the original contract and after making it clear that he was not happy about it he honored the original agreement.
3) Mark advised us to open a small tab for fountain drinks for our guest to enjoy once the cocktail hour was over and we did. However, once the cocktail hour was over the bartender began charging our guests for sodas. It was very embarrassing to have our guests inform us that they were being charged for something they were told were going to be complimentary. This problem was quickly resolved thanks to our day of wedding coordinator.
4) When it came down to food service:
— A few of our guests were skipped when serving dinner (Although, eventually everyone got their plate).
— Cake serving was a disaster. 3 tiers out of our 4 tier cake were not served. They only served those who were sitting in their seats and all of those who were dancing or out of their seats were skipped.
5) Mark’s engagement on the day of our wedding fell short from what he had promised. He was not always around to cater any needs that came up or to foresee that our event was flowing smoothly. We are glad (event though Mark advised against it) to have hired a day of coordinator as wonderful as Sarah. Thanks to her we were able to enjoy our day almost stress free.
PROS:
1) Beautiful venue with outside patio and garden over seeing the Rio Hondo Golf Course.
2) Pricing is reasonable. We had checked out MANY venues and RHEC’s prices and packages met our needs and wants.
3) Mark was pleasant to work with. He offered advice and tips on how to save money. He is very knowledgable and doesn’t have a problem with sharing ideas on how to better plan your event. He was patient and not your typical money chaser.
4) After booking, Mark scheduled a tasting for up to 6 people. The food was very delicious. Throughout our wedding planning, Mark was always happy to schedule table showings for us and invited us to swing by other weddings to get decorating ideas. He also provided us with an example of an itinerary.
5) Mark had told us about the beautiful sunset that RHEC guests get to experience and made sure that on our wedding day, we got the best sunset photo.
Overall, we would recommend RHEC. The venue’s beauty leaves you speechless. The food was delicious and staff is very friendly. If you want to save yourself a headache you should hire a day of wedding coordinator to help you get the small details in order. We had a large wedding (over 200 guests), maybe if your event is not that large you can do without one.

We recently celebrated our parents 50^th Anniversary at Rio Hondo Event Center and Mark Sr promised us the world. We did the food tasting and it was very good. However, without our permission things were changed the day of the event. 1) We ordered mashed potatoes and had red roasted potatoes, 2) Mark recommend bruschetta, sliders & breaded shrimp for appetizers — we got the shrimp but chicken empenadas & cheese platter were substituted 3) During tasting our salad was great with cranberries, candied walnuts & vinaigrette dressing. We were told that these items would be set on the side for our guest to assemble their salad. We had a large pot full of salad & two dressings. 4) In addition to the cake we brought in Mark said he would set out a assortment of desserts on the side and this wasn’t done. There weren’t candles on the table and the most disappointing is the drapery that was suppose to go around the dance floor. We were going for a elegant look and he promised us this and it didn’t happen. All these things were in our contract and he failed to see them through. Service wasn’t top notch. One gentleman (David) helped us all night and he was great. Other than that, not one person went around and offered coffee to our guest. Also, my folks we’re suppose to be served dinner by the staff — we had to assemble their plates. My family was very disappointed. After the celebration, my brother stopped in to see Mark and he wasn’t there. My brother emailed Mark and he never received a reply. What happened to customer service?
On the plus side, the view of the golf course is beautiful and the food was good.
If you decide to book with Rio Hondo, please stay on top of Mark to make sure you receive what’s promised.

The Downey Dental Academy has had our meeting here every month for at least the last ten years. They are always professional courteous and reliable. The food is always top notch and would never consider a different venue. Thanks

Beautiful venue. I was very impressed with how beautiful everything came out. Hors D’oeuvre and food was delicious. Venue room and bridal room were very spacious. The day we booked our wedding Mark (coordinator) stated how important it is for the bride to be calm and happy on her special day and he would be there to make sure everything runs smoothly. I truly loved this place however I was very disappointed with how mark behaved. I sent mark an itinerary of the night and it was not followed. Dinner was suppose to start at 6:30 and did not start until pass 7pm. We were back up the entire night. Mark was suppose to let us know when to take a sunset picture on the course and unfortunately he never notified us, so we missed the sunset photo. Mark was no where to be found the entire night, I had asked a waiter where he was and I was told he was in his office. I was really upset Mark was not around making sure everything ran smoothly, maybe he was just having a bad day.
I would recommend this venue. Food, view, and Staff were amazing, I just hope the coordinator Will be available and making sure everything is running smoothly.

Long over due for this review, BUT hey! better late than never right?
Got Married here (wont say the date because you will really know how long i took to review) :). When my fiancée and i just went in without an appointment we were greated by Mark Sr, he gave us a Great tour of the facility. He ran through all the details of set up as if we had already booked it. We were set! Best Serivce and after looking through their Wedding Package… Great Prices. At first it looks pricy but Mark will work with you as much as he can to accommodate your budget and needs.
Mark and his Son went above and beyond. Emails did take a while to get respoded by mark and as a nervous bride it can get frustrating.
Definately chek it out even if you think it may be over your budget.
Family Owned makes it a whole lot more personal
Mark and his son went ABOVE AND BEYOND and our wedding day was a memorable one.
Facilities are very well kept. Beautiful golf course background for pictures. Mark even pulls u aside when the sun is setting to take pictures (we would have completely missed it because we got busy)
A bonus is the Bride room, comfortably decorated with a long mirror (enough for a bunch of bridesmaids fixing their make-​up) and comfy chairs
Food: Chicken Marsala was very good. One of my guest even said that was the best wedding food they have had.
Wait staff was very friendly and a couple of the guys even personally thanked us for their tip at the end of the night.
Overall a great night and great service.

Ive come here for a number of events. Baptisms, weddings, and memorial services. The location is in a great area. The rooms are large and have a great view of the golf course. The food I felt is a little eh. Like its not seasoned enough. It lacks oomph. This last time I had the salmon, rice, veggies, baked potato, and the Greek salad. It tasted like my lettuce wasn’t washed enough. It tasted gritty. The salmon had too much of a mediocre sauce. The service is good. In a nutshell it’s your call!

Beautiful place for weddings and banquets. Great staff and the food was delicious. Mark Sr. Is awesome always taking care of everything. A gorgeous place to visit.

Such professional service! I booked our work Christmas party and they took care of EVERYTHING! It was a no-​hassle party. Everything was set up beautifully and the night was a total success!
Thank you event catering center!

Gorgeous place for a reception! Friendly and helpful staff! Spicy hot bloody marys! Thanks!

Very nice center they have created. Large event rooms and all. Went for a banquet and was impressed.