How to Choose a Wedding Venue in California … that Turns Your Wedding Aspirations into Reality … Without Spending a Small Fortune.
Most engaged couples know their venue’s crucial role in having dazzling and precious nuptials. Some aim to find affordable wedding venues in California for intimate celebrations near family, while others scout options for seating hundreds of guests.
Regardless of your specific needs from a venue, we are here to serve you with a simple California Wedding Venue Checklist. It includes tips if you’re just starting to scout potential candidates and have little idea what to look for in a venue listing.
What should couples consider when picking a wedding venue in California?
- It’s crucial to find wedding venues that are available for your special day. Thus, start your search as early as possible, especially if you plan it for the most popular months. Many venue marketplaces let you instantly check availability.
- The weather is usually rather delightful but can be unpredictable (especially in Northern California). So if you’re considering outdoor wedding venues, ask about backup indoor options.
- Think about accommodation. Do all your guests require it? Not all venues offer it; thus, make it a priority if needed.
Capacity and overall aesthetics. You might focus on luxury wedding venues in California that can enchant yor guests with elegance and grand scenery. However, vineyard wedding venues in California might better complement the wedding style and theme of your dreams.
Whatever the case, a venue should match your desired wedding theme and welcome all your guests.
One of the first wedding venue tips for California is to use the different marketplace platforms and their filters. You can immediately sort listings to show only ranches, museums, historic mansions, banquet halls, outdoor venues, and intended capacity.
Getting the most with your budget. When picking unique wedding venues in California, it’s crucial to establish the expected price range. While it seems easy to find sites that match your budget, you may encounter unexpected variables.
- Every venue may present its pricing differently. Some might provide a pricing package, while others only give you an average price.
- Be particularly attentive to the details of a package or proposal. Does it include the necessary equipment and furniture, or do you need to pay extra? Sometimes, it might be more practical to go with more expensive wedding venues that offer more.
- See if a venue offers catering or decor services and if that offer is more attractive than hiring a separate company.
Top wedding venues in Northern and Southern California. Let’s look at a few examples of unique wedding venues in California.
Rincon Beach Club offers beachy and small wedding venues in California
Rincon Beach Club in Carpinteria (up to 250 guests) is one of the many beach wedding venues in California. You’re welcome to rent this club for five hours from Friday to Sunday, costing $10,500 plus $950 for each additional hour.
This price includes most of the standard necessities: chairs, tables, a sound system, event linens, napkins, flatware, and glassware. It doesn’t cover food, beverages, flowers, and other special amenities (like more lighting options).
An additional $1,500 gets you the Garden ceremony package, which provides fireplace lounges for the groom and bride’s room, snacks and drinks for these rooms, and access to gardens.
Guglielmo Winery is an all-inclusive yet affordable wedding venue in California
Guglielmo Winery is another wedding venue that provides extensive information on its offerings (price, amenities, and such). Even before you initiate a conversation, you can find that an all-inclusive package starts at $19,000 for 50 guests.
It includes five hours of the event ($500 for an additional hour), bridal suites, an event tent, tables, chairs, linens, glasses, coordination, a caterer, cake, a DJ, videographer, photographer, and other perks. So, if you want a more affordable wedding venue that provides most of the things you need in-house, it’s a splendid option.
Vineyard Hacienda is a vineyard wedding venue in California
Vineyard Hacienda is a beautiful private vineyard venue that offers wedding packages. All packages include a coordinator for your special day, setup and breakdown, tables and chairs, a bartender, a dance floor, linens, basic lighting, overnight accommodation, and other necessities.
A Bronze Package costs $11,000 (+ applicable tax and fees) and includes ceremony and reception events. Other packages include more and are all suited for up to 100 guests (additional charges for more guests).
How to choose the perfect California wedding venue: best marketplace sites. Wedding venue marketplaces are convenient for finding your dream site, and they can simplify your search by offering:
- Detailed filtering of venues based on theme, location, capacity, settings, and amenities.
- Immediately see whether the venue is available for your date (not always featured).
Some excellent examples of these marketplaces include The Knot, Breezit, Wedding Spot, Zola, WeddingWire, and Here Comes the Guide.
Conclusion
California has many gorgeous wedding venues ready to give you everything you need. Focus on discovering locations that suit your budget, style, and amenity needs.