Our Story

In 1973 Tony and Jo Maravilla were young parents of two.  They purchased a lemon orchard in Camarillo, Ca, which had once been owned by the Camarillo family.  On that property, Tony based an award winning landscape company, specializing in drought tolerant design.  Together they built a plant nursery.  As their business grew, so did their family, and two more children were born.  For many years the nursery carried basic nursery stock.  Eventually, gardening took off as a hobby, and much of the plant material focused on unusual and beautiful, specialty garden plants.  Jo and a small team of employees ran the nursery, which provided a high level of customer service that couldn’t be found at warehouse nurseries.  A barn was built to sell nursery stock, as well as garden related gifts.

It was in 1992 that their daughter was married on the property.  Tony revamped the landscaping.  The majority of the details were completed by the family.  It was a simple affair.  The ceremony site was on the lawn, just below the back patio, the driveway served as the dance floor, and the bar consisted of a bottle of wine on each table.   The peaceful atmosphere was just as it is today, and the wedding was magical.  That day a seed was planted and the dream of having a wedding site began.

Ten years later, Jo and Tony became ready to get away from the daily grind of running two companies.  The idea of developing a wedding site started to unfold.  Tony turned his attention away from designing other people’s property, and completely delighted in pouring his artistry into his own.  His degree in soils chemistry keeps the site beautiful with a lush, green lawn throughout the year.  Combining advice from professionals in the wedding industry, with an amazing location, has provided him with a final project he never tires of perfecting.  Wedding coordinators often comment on how well the event flows from one location to another.  Photographers love the pure nature the site provides and the great photo opportunities that are available.

Years of planning, work, and many prayers have made Maravilla Gardens what it is today.  That first year, in 2003, it began with just four weddings.  They are now able to host up to 60 weddings a year.  Jo brings her skills of providing a high quality of customer service to each wedding.  Couples constantly check in the week after their wedding to thank her for the experience of having their most special day, knowing there was nothing they had to worry about.  Both Jo and Tony see each wedding is a gift, as they watch two families come together to celebrate the creation of their new family.

During these years, the Maravilla family has grown, along with the business.   A blessing to Tony and Jo is that their four children and their spouses are now adding their skills to Maravilla Gardens.  And so the dream continues…