Casa Los Ebanos hosts weddings 

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Casa Los Ebanos hosts weddings 

Taylor and Martha Blanton enjoy hosting both casual and formal events at Casa Los Ebanos.
Taylor and Martha Blanton enjoy hosting both casual and formal events at Casa Los Ebanos.

“This is the perfect place for custom weddings,” agreed Taylor and Martha Blanton of Casa Los Ebanos, a grand, 82-acre estate located just outside San Benito. The property has served as the site for hundreds of such events, as well as other gatherings, over the past 15 years. “Here we let you pick your own caterer, band, everything, and fit it to your budget,” said Taylor.

Developing a cost-friendly yet elegant hosting locale was the Blantons’ intention from 2001 when they began to superintend Martha’s birth family’s early 20th-century residence. “I grew up here,” she said of the stately yet cozy 1937 property. “We started out developing a small nature preserve and then morphed the house into something more.” Nestled within a forest-covered estate that includes spacious lawns, a resaca, a dance pavilion and a butterfly garden, the refurbished two-story residence with high ceilings and large multi-use rooms not only makes for an impressive landmark, it has also become a lucrative events-center enterprise.

“There’s room for a lot of hosting businesses like ours,” said Martha. “It’s a popular industry down here because the Valley is a very celebratory area. Family-oriented events are big deals because people have big families. They love to throw parties, including weddings and other festive events. I’m still amazed that every 15 minutes it seems some new venue pops up that I haven’t heard of.” The market has been strong enough that the Valley has had its own wedding-themed magazine, The Valley Wedding Pages, since the early 2000s.

The stately Casa Los Ebanos
The stately Casa Los Ebanos

Casa Los Ebanos’s annual average hovers around 50 weddings,  some with the actual ceremony and reception and others for the receptions alone.  Wedding events are so popular that the Blantons offer a basic wedding package: use of the grounds, rooms in which to dress, golf-cart transportation for guests from the parking lot to the grounds, and tables and chairs for 100. The couple also provides consultations. “We don’t tell people ‘bye, you’re on your own,’” Martha said. “We’ve been at it for a long time, so we’ve gained a lot of knowledge about who does what well in the Valley.” They also will schedule up to three photo shoots per client for brides.

Flexibility is central in their approach to each consultation. For example, they have a vendors list, but clients aren’t required to use them. “Some places demand that you use specific vendors, but we don’t,” said Martha. “We want people to do whatever their budget affords,” said Taylor. “We go out of our way to make it a good experience, and we often receive wonderful letters and emails of thank you’s afterwards.”

Ebony trees proliferate throughout the property of the aptly named Casa Los Ebanos.
Ebony trees proliferate throughout the property of the aptly named Casa Los Ebanos.

Given their estate’s elegance, the Blantons have witnessed many formal wedding events, complete with ladies in long, stunning dresses and men in suits and ties. The setting accentuates that kind of dramatic effect, particularly at night, when decorative lights strung throughout branches on the trees softly illuminate the grounds. But they also attract less formal gatherings. More recently, Martha has noticed a trend toward rustic themes, “a more western style, with boot scooting and hay bales. We see that as coming, but we see everything, all styles.” Sometimes people bring their dogs to the wedding. “They’ve walked down the aisle with them,” said Taylor. “Whatever they want. We don’t put restrictions on them.”

Although the vast majority of the events they host are weddings, they frequently host other event types, including showers, christening lunches, even bachelorette parties. Clients also rent the grounds to celebrate birthday parties, which Martha said “can get very elaborate, with the installation of rides and rock-climbing walls.”

Although business has been “growing, growing, growing,” particularly after the couple redesigned their website, they’re hoping to attract more business, especially on weekdays. “This is a perfect day retreat place,” Martha said. Corporate events are a particular target. “We would love to do mediations,” noted Martha, “where lawyers break off into different rooms, within closed doors. The house’s intimate spaces really suit a board of directors meeting,” while “outside, we can offer them space for something larger,” like a casual mixer to toast the day’s achievements.

Other than wanting to do more special events and meetings, the Blantons aren’t aiming to change too much about their hosting work. “We have a routine and we’re going to stick to it,” said Taylor. Plus, they absolutely enjoy playing the host. “We’ve met the nicest people,” he said. “Very respectful,” added Martha. “We’ve been so fortunate. We haven’t had any fights or damage.” “It’s been a wonderful experience,” said Taylor. “That sounds awfully Pollyannaish but it’s true.”

For more information, see casalosebanos.com.

This story appears in the June 2016 edition of Valley Business Report

Casa Los Ebanos offers space that easily converts from an auditorium-styled meeting room to one that provides more intimate nooks and corners.
Casa Los Ebanos offers space that easily converts from an auditorium-styled meeting room to one that provides more intimate nooks and corners.

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