Hacienda Wedding March Too Long, Too Noisy – Moraga Neighbors Say

We didn’t have to be much of a soothsayer to see where this one was headed: take a picturesque local landmark, turn it into a wedding venue, add a generous mix of loudspeakers, amplified music, “enthusiastic” DJs and bridesmaids with their Chardonnay on and whaddaya get?

If you said “lawsuit” – you win. Because, it seems, Moraga still hasn’t quite figured out what constitutes “outdoor noise” or that despite our generally forgiving sentiments towards parties folks in these parts still like things on the quiet side.

The fact that Moraga has already found itself on the wrong side of it’s own noise ordinances may have added a little extra sting to the latest legal action residents have taken against the town, neighbors claiming their lives have been disrupted by use of the city-owned Hacienda de las Flores as a sanctioned wedding venue.

The legal fencing continues but a Contra Costa County Superior Court judge recently issued a preliminary injunction requiring Wedgewood Weddings LLC to stop using amplified equipment during a portion of its events at the Hacienda.

Neighbors living on Devin Drive and El Paraiso Court have complained that bass-heavy music and wedding speeches overpowered the quiet of their backyards and homes at decibels far exceeding reasonable levels. They say they attempted to reach a compromise with the Town and Wedgewood for 18 months before they were forced to file a lawsuit and take the matter to court.

That the Town (once again) finds itself engaged in a legal battle over what would seem to reasonable people to be a relatively simple problem: how to let a Town-sanctioned wedding company ply its trade and get its “Play That Funky Music” dance vibe on without driving the neighbors mad is perplexing.

A lawyer for the neighbors said the Town granted Wedgewood a lease to operate weddings at the park, without regard to the City’s own noise ordinance and the park’s zoning in 2021 and while many happy couples marched under the floral arch to “At Last…” and “You Are the Wind Beneath My Wings” couples who happened to live nearby want a divorce – from the Hacienda and the Town.

All this comes as no surprise to longtime residents who have complained about drifting bass beats and renegade DJs with no fixed address or contact number in the past. Locals who have seen area venues roll out speakers the size of a college kid’s mini-fridge onto their lawns and aim them at nearby homes or neighborhoods are accustomed to having their windows shake – and to the layers of deniability local officials adopt to ensure nothing changes.

In fact, the most oft-repeated remedy for people affected by noise violators – beyond “Get some earplugs…” – is a curt: “Move, not always welcome advice for people who purchased their properties before the contested problem moved in after them.

Hence, another lawsuit.

Last week’s injunction grants plaintiffs access to the Hacienda, limits service of hard alcohol during weddings and pushes the DJs and outdoor speakers back inside the building. The neighbors are also suing to block future scheduling of more than two weddings per week from April through October each year, and the prohibition of future scheduling of weddings from November through March each year.

In a response filed in answer to the neighbors’ request for injunction, Wedgewood argued that it was not in violation of the terms of their leasing agreement with the Town regarding noise and that they had made dramatic changes in a good faith effort to limit noise during their events.

The company also noted that it has been a positive contributor to the Town’s bottom line, turning what had been a financial loss for the Town into more than $250,000 in projected revenue for its general fund. Forcing them to abide with terms of an injunction, the company argued, would cause them to lose millions in revenue and force them to re-evaluate their relationship with the Town and continued operations at “NorCal’s answer to Hearst Castle’s gardens and San Simeon.”

With everyone’s lines drawn in the sand, it remains to be seen if the local Wedding March will be brought to a halt or allowed to continue unabated.