Our Story
River Family Church Ministry Beliefs and Values
River Garden is a part of the ministry of the River Family Church located in Vista, California. As a subset and a ministry of the community church, we are bound to the bylaws of the Pentecostal Church of God (PCG), which is the denomination that we are affiliated with.
To learn more about the River Family Church, please visit our website here.
Pastors Matthew and Amy Stoehr began their journey of pioneering The River Family Church and its ministry extensions when they came to Vista 35 years ago, committed to God’s will, and trusting Him to build His Church. At that time, they were excited about how God’s love and Word would touch families and nations, and through the years God has continued to lay out a blueprint of expansion, building relationships and seeing lives transformed.
Seven years ago, the Stoehrs responded to a clear leading to build a beautiful garden haven on the field adjacent to their church building. The football field size property, off HWY 78 in the heart of gorgeous, sunny Vista in North San Diego County, had long been the home of gophers and weeds, but with God’s grace, much prayer, and the collaboration of a special team of people, blueprints were penned, permits obtained and work was begun to create what is now River Garden Weddings and Events. The building of River Garden has been no less than miraculous. It has been a journey of prayer, God’s provision, and the collaboration of many special people to create the covered grass area, exquisite water features, unique walls and gates, covered conservatory and fireplace, gorgeous trees and lush flowers and vine landscaping that make up what the venue is today. Most of all, the space has been consecrated to God and committed to His purposes. That is why people experience God’s presence, peace, and joy as they enter the beauty of River Gardens. It is a regional gathering place for all ages for weddings, memorials, prayer and worship events, community events and Bible studies. The River Family Church has its weekly services at River Gardens. It is open during the week for people to come and enjoy.
The Stoehrs and their team are especially passionate about the institution of marriage, and in building strong families, and they are excited that River Garden is a place that couples can begin their journey together with a very special wedding experience. We are committed to having a thoughtfully curated space that will be a wonderful beginning for couples and their families. We have partnered with an excellent management company, Common Sense Events, and some of the best vendors in Southern California to help create a timeless and beautiful experience for all. Additionally, River Garden partners with a local regional ministry called The Relationship Resource, which provides premarital and ongoing marriage counseling, resources, classes, and ongoing events throughout the year to fortify marriages and families. These services are offered to every couple who is married at River Garden. We are committed to operational excellence, putting our couples and guests first and to superior customer service reflected in all we do. The wonderful River Garden wedding team is committed to serving every couple with personalized care and professionalism.
A unique aspect of River Garden is that it is an extension of the ministry of The River Family Church, coming under the umbrella of its mission statement and beliefs. Additionally, The River Family Church is a congregation belonging to the Pentecostal Church of God denomination of Southern California and is governed by the bylaws of the organization, which state that marriage is a sacred union ordained by God between a naturally born man and woman. Officiants of all weddings must be ordained ministers, licensed by the state of California, and must go through an approval process by completing a brief application.
Our Management Partner
This venue is proudly managed and professionally operated by the Common Sense Events Venue Management Team. Common Sense Events is a full service venue management company and handles everything from consulting to comprehensive management of venues all over the United States. We pride ourselves on our operational excellence, our incredible team members, our hard work, and our love for what we do. We are thrilled at the opportunity to partner with Pastors Matt and Amy Stoehr at River Garden in Vista to help share their vision and serve the couples we host each year.
Common Sense Events helps relieve property owners of the stress and work of the day-to-day operations running a wedding or event venue and has tested solutions to help improve marketing, sales, and operations. Our goal is to help support each couple on their journey to their special day at River Garden and to serve them in creating the most memorable experience of their life
Our Community Partnerships
CSE is proudly partnered with Event Helper to offer low-cost event insurance with superior coverage for all of our clients. Each time clients book their insurance through our partner link, we donate 100% of our partner commission to our favorite local organization: Got Your Back San Diego. For every partner commission donated, we also make a 1:1 matching contribution from our company, doubling the impact we are able to make in the community.
Got Your Back San Diego is a non-profit that provides a weekend food assistance program for children who attend San Diego County schools, whose main source of nutrition is cafeteria food Monday through Friday but, apart from school, lack a reliable food source on Saturday and Sunday. Every week, volunteers fill backpacks with enough food to sustain each child throughout the weekend. Each $30 donation ensures that a child will have 6 nutritious meals every weekend for an entire month. With the way we’ve set up our partner commission donations with Event Helper, we are able to feed 1 child for an entire month for every wedding that we book, and also each time one of our events gets insured.
“River Garden was an absolute pleasure to work with and all our guests loved the experience! I'm referring everyone!”
Sarah B., 2021
Let’s Plan Your Special day
Please contact us for more information about River Garden or to book a tour of our facilities. We look forward to helping you plan the most special day of your life!