Story

Rob and Lori Gillespie first dreamed of Villa Loriana while sitting in lawn chairs on their oak-and-manzanita-covered property just south of San Luis Obispo.

Wine glasses in hand, they envisioned a family business that they could build with their children that would also serve as a place for other families to make beautiful memories.

We’re Family-owned

With their sons, Tyler and Jesse, they set about creating 22,000 square feet of water features, designing landscape elements, and drawing up plans for event spaces.

By 2013, our first wedding took place in a 5,400 square foot tent, and construction on a wedding ready-room and overnight accommodations was underway when the unthinkable happened – fire broke out. The damage was extensive, and Loriana was no more.

Go Big or Go Home

Faced with the tough decision to walk away or rebuild, the Gillespie family decided that if they were going to bring Loriana back to life, it was time to “go big or go home.”

Construction on the villa broke ground in December of 2016 and was completed in Summer 2018. In a full-circle moment, Tyler married his longtime love, Danyelle, in one of the first weddings to be held at the newly-completed Villa Loriana.

We believe that Villa Loriana is not just a magical place, but a legacy of determination, resilience, and love.

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