Choosing a wedding venue can be both an exciting and overwhelming prospect, given all the wonderful options we have up and down the Golden State. Whether you are looking for a beach wedding, a castle fit for a princess or a ceremony surrounded by nature, we have rounded up the best of the best for your big day to help with your wedding planning.
The 12 Best Wedding Venues in California
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Published May 9, 2022
THE BEST WEDDING VENUES IN CALIFORNIA AT A GLANCE
- Best DTLA venue: Vibiana
- Most unique setting: Roaring Camp
- Best for L.A. beach wedding: Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel
- Best historic estate wedding: Kimberly Crest House
- Best for elopers: Nestldown
- Best for the Disney Kid couple: Disneyland Park
- Best Wine Country wedding: Kunde Family Winery
- Best for a rooftop soirée: City View Metreon
- Best for a rustic outdoor wedding: Sacred Mountain
- Best for art lovers: Legion of Honor
- Best for an intimate wedding: Korakia Pensione
- Best indoor/outdoor experience: Conservatory of Flowers
Vibiana
1. Vibiana
Best DTLA venue
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
- Capacity: up to 550
The 19th-century cathedral in the middle of downtown Los Angeles is a stunning wedding venue in its own right, with its limestone facade and iconic clock tower. But now that it’s connected to Redbird, one of the best restaurants in the city, the food and beverage at your reception will be out of this world. There is also a garden in the back where Redbird grows their own herbs and serves as an additional event space.
214 S. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90012; 213-626-1507
Roaring Camp
2. Roaring Camp
Most unique setting
- Location: Felton, CA
- Capacity: up to 275
Roaring Camp doesn’t just offer couples a beautiful and unique outdoor venue to say their vows - a redwood grove - it also has a 100-year old open-air steam train that guests can ride through the forest to reach the ceremony site. The train ride has a capacity of 175 guests, but upon returning from Cathedral Grove, couples can hold a reception at The Barn, which is suitable for up to 275 guests.
5401 Graham Hill Rd., Felton, CA 95018; 831-335-4484
Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel
3. Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel
Best for L.A. beach wedding
- Location: Santa Monica, CA
- Capacity: up to 250
Though California has many beachfront hotels, not many have the permit to actually hold weddings right on the sand, but Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel is one of the few that do, so you can make your barefoot on-the-beach wedding dreams come true. Loews can set up wedding ceremonies for up to 150 people right on the beach and follow it up with reception at other venues in the hotel for up to 250 (note that receptions aren’t allowed to be held on the sand).
1700 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90401; 310-458-6700
Kristen Booth
4. Kimberly Crest House
Best historic estate wedding
- Location: Redlands, CA
- Capacity: up to 300 for ceremony, 200 for reception
This French château-style Victorian mansion is a historic landmark and it is available for events along with its over six acres of Italian gardens. There are plenty of beautiful backdrops for wedding photos from the rose garden to the koi pond and, of course, the mansion itself. The gardens can accommodate up to 300 for a ceremony while smaller parties can also use the interior of the adjacent carriage house as a dance hall.
1325 Prospect Dr., Redlands, CA; 909-792-2111
Katheryn Lewis
5. Nestldown
Best for elopers
- Location: Los Gatos, CA
- Capacity: up to 200
This private property is tucked among the redwoods in the Santa Cruz mountains with unique spaces within its 36 acres. Among our favorites is the whimsical Fantasy and Medieval Gardens with the charming fantasy cottage reminiscent of Snow White’s cottage and a garden filled with dragons and thrones that is fun for both the couple and guests to explore.
22420 Old Santa Cruz Hwy., Los Gatos, CA 95033; 408-353-5311
Disneyland
6. Disneyland Park
Best for the Disney Kid couple
- Location: Anaheim, CA
- Capacity: up to 300
Is there a place more suited for a fairytale wedding than in Disneyland itself? Disneyland and the surrounding Disney hotels offer various venues for a wedding, but of course, the forecourt of Sleeping Beauty Castle is the best spot to make those fairytale dreams come true, with the iconic castle sitting as the backdrop of the ceremony. Naturally, the ceremonies must take place outside of park opening hours.
1313 Disneyland Dr., Anaheim, CA 92802
Kunde
7. Kunde Family Winery
Best Wine Country wedding
- Location: Kenwood, CA
- Capacity: up to 250
The wine country in California is a natural choice for wedding venues, and there are decidedly many to choose from, but Kunde Family Winery in Sonoma offers a variety of venues to fit different needs, from Boot Hill with a panoramic view of wine country that can host up to 250 people, to an intimate and unique celebration inside their wine-aging caves, formed by volcanic lava flaws and now filled with oak barrels with room to seat 50 guests.
9825 Sonoma Hwy., Kenwood, CA; 707-833-5501
City View Metreon
8. City View Metreon
Best for a rooftop soirée
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Capacity: Up to 850
This event space has combinable indoor-outdoor spaces with floor to ceiling glass windows and great views of the city’s skyline, and it is centrally located in the middle of San Francisco, making it easy for guests to attend. There are three different event spaces, with the largest space enough to host up to 850 people, though for those going even bigger, the whole venue is available to rent, opening things up to over 2000 guests.
135 4th St. #4000, San Francisco, CA 94103; 415-369-6003
Paige Nelson Photography
9. Sacred Mountain
Best for a rustic outdoor wedding
- Location: Julian, CA
- Capacity: up to 150
Sacred Mountain is a mountaintop venue with 61 acres of nature and 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains. There are different spaces available for events, though the best for the ceremony is the Sunset Plateau that offers a beautiful backdrop of the Julian mountains and gorgeous sunset view. The property also has overnight lodging for up to 32 guests so the wedding party can stay nearby.
2323 Farmer Road, Julian, CA 92036; 760-765-1800
FineArtsMuseumOfSF
10. Legion Of Honor
Best for art lovers
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Capacity: up to 1000 (500 seated)
The Legion of Honor is home to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and this replica (of a replica) of a historic building in Paris is considered one of the most beautiful spots in San Francisco. The wedding ceremony can be held outdoors on the balustrade lawn overlooking the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands, and seated reception can be set up in the tented Court of Honor with Rodin’s famous The Thinker in plain sight.
100 34th Ave., San Francisco, CA 94121; 415-750-3600
Korakia Pensione
11. Korakia Pensione
Best for an intimate wedding
- Location: Palm Springs, CA
- Capacity: up to 130
Modeled after a Mediterranean pensione with a Moroccan courtyard, Korakia is one of the most popular wedding venues in the desert destination that is Palm Springs. The curved doorway and arches make for wonderful photo backdrops and the courtyard oasis can host up to 130 guests. For those planning a more intimate wedding, though, the Korakia is a great destination wedding spot with 28 bungalows and villas for guests to stay.
257 S. Patencio Rd., Palm Springs, CA 92262; 760-864-6411
Conservatory of Flowers
12. Conservatory Of Flowers
Best indoor/outdoor experience
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Capacity: Up to 200
The greenhouse inside Golden Gate Park not only houses rare plants, but it is a California Historical Landmark and one of the most beautiful wedding venues in San Francisco. The conservatory is available for weddings both for an outdoor ceremony with the iconic white Victorian conservatory building in the background, or indoors among the lush botanicals.
100 John F. Kennedy Dr., San Francisco, CA 94118; 415-831-2090