California Wedding Venues // Few places give you as many backdrops as California. In a single state you can marry among Napa vineyards, under redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains, on the cliffs of Big Sur, in a Spanish Revival courthouse, between Joshua trees or on the shore of Lake Tahoe.
We picked 24 venues across five regions, from historic wineries and garden estates to small desert hideouts and national park permits for couples who want to keep it simple. We checked each one on its own website for current weddings, capacities and, where they publish them, prices. For even more ideas, we also have guides to Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Lake Tahoe wedding venues.
Written October 2026. Prices and capacities are the ones the venues published at the time; always confirm them when you inquire. Cover photo: an elopement at Glacier Point in Yosemite by Vows and Peaks.
Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino Wedding Venues
Historic wineries, stone cellars and a cliff above the Pacific.
Kunde Family Winery
Kenwood, SonomaUp to 250 guestsIndoor & outdoor
The Kunde family has farmed this land since 1904, and the Kunde estate now covers 1,850 acres. You can choose between four spaces: Boot Hill with its vineyard views and old oaks (April to October, up to 250 guests), the open-air Winemaker’s Plaza, the Magnolia Room built in 2024, and aging caves cut into volcanic rock for up to 50.
The space is yours from 4 to 10 PM, only Kunde wines are poured (with a minimum of $30 per guest of drinking age), and you will need a wedding planner and a caterer.
Charles Krug Winery
St. Helena, NapaUp to 800 seatedIndoor & outdoor
Founded in 1861, Charles Krug says it is one of only five wineries in Napa allowed to host weddings. It has two historic buildings: the Redwood Cellar from 1872 and the Carriage House from 1881, a ballroom with a cathedral ceiling, period chandeliers and arched doors that open onto the Great Lawn and its heritage oaks.
There are no hotel rooms, but your guests can go glamping on the lawn.
The Madrona
Healdsburg, SonomaUp to 150 guestsIndoor & outdoorLodging on site
The Madrona is a gabled 1881 house on a private hillside about a mile from downtown Healdsburg, now a small hotel with interiors by designer Jay Jeffers. Ceremonies take place in the orange grove, intimate dinners in a muraled drawing room, and the menus use produce from the estate’s own gardens.
Jack London State Historic Park
Glen Ellen, SonomaUp to 250 guestsOutdoor
On the writer’s former ranch, the Winery Ruins at Jack London State Historic Park are an open-air courtyard inside the stone walls of an old winery, looking out over vineyards and Sonoma Mountain. It is a five-minute walk on a gravel path, with a golf cart for guests who need a ride.
Events run from 5 to 10 PM, the park’s required planner (Quintana Events) handles the day, and other vendors come from a preferred list. No rentals are included.
Heritage House Resort & Spa
Little River, Mendocino coastOceanfrontLodging on site
Up the coast in Mendocino County, Heritage House sits on 37 acres of cliffs above the Pacific. It has five oceanfront ceremony sites and rooms, suites and private houses for your guests, plus elopement packages and menus with Mendocino County wines.
San Francisco, Bay Area and Big Sur Wedding Venues
From an elopement at Point Reyes, north of San Francisco. Image by Cocoa Zhou
San Francisco City Hall
Civic CenterPublicIndoor
Getting married under the Beaux-Arts dome of San Francisco City Hall is a San Francisco classic. Small civil ceremonies are run by the County Clerk on weekdays for up to six guests and are booked through the clerk; larger weddings are booked with the City Hall Events office. Check the city’s site for current fees and time slots.
Take a look at this private City Hall wedding by Kirsten Noelle, followed by dinner at Tartine Manufactory.
Image by Kirsten Noelle
Cavallo Point
Sausalito10 to 250 guestsIndoor & outdoorLodging on site
Across the bay, Cavallo Point fills the former Fort Baker army post inside the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city. Its buildings, put up between 1901 and 1915 around a 10-acre parade ground, form a historic district.
You can marry in the Mission Blue Chapel or on two lawns, and guests stay in historic and contemporary rooms with discounted rates for room blocks. The tiny La Mariposa Borracha room is perfect for a dinner of 20.
Nestldown
Los Gatos, Santa Cruz MountainsUp to 200 guestsIndoor & outdoor
Nestldown is a family-owned property of 180 acres, and your rental includes all 36 acres of gardens ringed by redwoods, with only one event at a time. There are seven ceremony and reception spots, from the Barn and the Chapel to Foxglove Meadow and the Koi Pond, and the nine-hour rental even includes a little train and a vintage London taxi.
Site rental runs from $14,950 to $39,500 depending on the season and day, and catering, bar, music and planning come from its vendor list. It was down to a few 2026 dates when we checked and is booking 2027 and 2028.
Alila Ventana Big Sur
Big SurUp to 200 guestsIndoor & outdoorLodging on site
Alila Ventana Big Sur spreads over 160 acres above Highway 1, with ceremony spots like the Ocean Meadow Lawn, the Redwood Cathedral and the Circle of Life, ringed by old-growth redwoods. It is an adults-oriented resort with 54 rooms and suites, though all ages are welcome at the wedding itself.
It publishes its packages: the elopement for up to 12 guests ($9,995 before tax) includes two nights in a suite, a ceremony officiated by the general manager and a private reception in the Glass House. Larger weddings require a room block.
Big Sur in the fog, from an adventurous Big Sur elopement. Image by Flora Gibson
Los Angeles, Malibu and Santa Barbara Wedding Venues
Spanish Revival landmarks, a Beverly Hills mansion, a warehouse garden and the hills above Malibu.
Santa Barbara County Courthouse
Santa BarbaraPublic
Finished in 1929 after the 1925 earthquake, the Santa Barbara County Courthouse is a Spanish-Moorish landmark that fills a whole downtown block. Its Sunken Gardens host many weddings and are booked through the County Parks Department; your license comes from the County Clerk-Recorder. Inside, the Mural Room and the views from the El Mirador clock tower are worth the detour for portraits.
From an elopement at the courthouse. Image by Anza Creative
Greystone Mansion & Gardens
Beverly HillsUp to 150 guestsOutdoor
Greystone Mansion was built for Ned Doheny in the late 1920s and is now a public park owned by the city of Beverly Hills. Couples marry in the Formal Garden and celebrate in the Courtyards.
The city publishes its prices, valid for events booked through June 2027: a four-hour wedding for up to 75 guests is $6,900 for non-residents ($5,800 for residents), and $8,000 for 76 to 150 guests. The parking lot is shared with park visitors.
Millwick
Arts District, Los AngelesUp to 175 seatedIndoor & outdoor
Millwick is run by Marvimon, the team behind the former GRASS ROOM, where we featured a wonderfully wild wedding. A mature garden with a ceremony arch and a secret alcove leads into a vaulted warehouse hall with original brick, and there is a cinema-style dance floor with a screen.
You can bring your own vendors or use the team’s recommendations.
Ojai Retreat & Inn
OjaiUp to 100 guestsIndoor & outdoorLodging on site
Ojai Retreat is a five-acre hilltop retreat with mountain views and 12 guest rooms, and it sets aside two weekends a month for weddings. Couples marry in the Waterfall Garden, on the Pink Moment Terrace or in the Meditation Garden.
Packages range from $500 for a ceremony of fewer than ten people in the Meditation Garden to $22,000 for the whole property and all 12 rooms for two nights. Tables, 100 chairs and an arch are included.
Calamigos Ranch
MalibuUp to 500 guestsIndoor & outdoorLodging on site
Up in the Malibu hills, Calamigos Ranch has ceremony sites under 100-year-old oaks, on a sunset deck with a stone waterfall and in the vineyards. Its wedding package starts at $265 per person (plus service charge and tax) and covers the site, dinner and three hours of beer, wine and champagne; you bring your own coordinator, florist and photographer.
Guests can stay in the bungalows and cottages of the ranch resort.
Palm Springs, Desert and San Diego Wedding Venues
Joshua trees, an old Hollywood hideout, Moroccan villas, Temecula vineyards and the La Jolla coast.
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua TreePublicOutdoor
For a simple ceremony among the boulders, Joshua Tree National Park issues wedding permits for $120. Apply 15 days to 12 months ahead; you get two hours in total, including photos. Each site has its own group limit, from Cap Rock (25 people) and Hidden Valley Picnic Area (35) to the Indian Cove Amphitheater (100, closed to ceremonies from June to August).
Keep it minimal: arches, decorations, furniture, amplified sound and drones are not allowed.
Rimrock Ranch
PioneertownOutdoorLodging for 22 guests
Just outside the park, Rimrock Ranch was built as a weekend retreat for western film actors and still has four original 1940s cabins with knotty-pine walls. It covers 36 acres, about 40 minutes from Palm Springs.
Its standard wedding estimate includes two nights for up to 22 guests in the cabins, an Airstream and the Hatch House honeymoon suite, plus an event manager and a staffed parking lot. It is one of the few high-desert venues approved for outdoor events by San Bernardino County.
Korakia Pensione
Palm SpringsUp to 200 guestsOutdoorLodging on site
Korakia Pensione gathers 28 Mediterranean- and Moroccan-style villas and homes on an acre and a half. The Moroccan side goes back to the 1920s and the artist Gordon Coutts, and weddings use the courtyard, the Moroccan pool deck or a Mediterranean lawn for up to 200.
Its weekday elopement package ($4,500 for up to four guests, room extra) needs to be booked 45 days ahead.
Ponte Winery & Vineyard Inn
TemeculaUp to 200 guestsIndoor & outdoorLodging on site
In Temecula wine country, Ponte Winery offers two settings: a vineyard garden with a climate-controlled pavilion, or a gazebo by the pond followed by a reception in the Barrel Room, a mission-style stone building lined with oak barrels.
The package covers five hours, dinner and a toast, with no ceremony or cake-cutting fee, and you can get ready in the inn.
The Lodge at Torrey Pines
La Jolla, San DiegoUp to 220 guestsIndoor & outdoorLodging on site
The Lodge at Torrey Pines is a Craftsman-style hotel on the La Jolla coast, and its Arroyo Terrace lawn looks over the 18th green of Torrey Pines Golf Course. It hosts one wedding a day and has an indoor backup for every outdoor event, including a ballroom with a working fireplace.
The venue fee is $5,000 from Sunday to Friday and $7,000 on Saturdays, plus wedding menus from $300 per person before service charge and tax.
Yosemite, Lake Tahoe and Mountain Wedding Venues
Lodges near Yosemite, a 1924 lakeside hall and permits for vows with a view.
Evergreen Lodge
Groveland, near Yosemite75 to 200 guestsIndoor & outdoorLodging on site
Just outside Yosemite, Evergreen Lodge has 88 cabins, two houses and glamping sites on 20 wooded acres. You can marry on site at Wapama Grove, or inside the national park with a permit and come back to the lodge for dinner.
Its elopement package for up to 20 guests ($7,500 before tax and gratuity, Sunday to Thursday) includes a four-course dinner and two nights for the couple.
From a sunrise elopement at Taft Point. Image by Nick & Danée
Valhalla Tahoe
South Lake TahoeUp to 120 guestsIndoor & outdoor
Valhalla is the 1924 Grand Hall of the Heller Estate, at the heart of the Tallac Historic Site on Lake Tahoe’s South Shore. The ceremony takes place inside the hall, with hardwood floors and French doors onto a pine porch, and the reception moves out to the Grand Lawn, close to the pier and the beach.
Its 2027 rates are $10,000 from Monday to Thursday, $11,000 on Fridays and Sundays and $12,000 on Saturdays, for ten hours of exclusive use.
Emerald Bay State Park
Lake TahoeUp to 25 peopleOutdoor
For an elopement, Emerald Bay State Park allows short ceremonies by permit at one site overlooking the bay. You get 30 minutes including photos, standing only and without catering, and the spot stays open to the public. Parking is very limited and Highway 89 can close in winter, so plan for a drop-off.
From a winter elopement at Lake Tahoe. Image by Ruthanne Zouboukos
Convict Lake Resort
Mammoth Lakes30 to 185 guestsOutdoorLodging on site
In the Eastern Sierra, Convict Lake Resort sits on its lake in the Inyo National Forest, with ceremony sites in an aspen grove and facing Mt. Morrison and Laurel Mountain. In-house planning is included, and the wedding party can stay in the resort’s cabins.
Idyllwild Wedding & Events
IdyllwildUp to 100 guestsOutdoor
At 5,800 feet on the edge of Idyllwild, Idyllwild Wedding & Events has a lawn, an amphitheater and Lookout Rock on five and a half acres. From 1980 to 2015 the land was a camp for children in foster care, and the owner went there as a teenager.
You get the venue to yourselves for up to ten hours plus a rehearsal the evening before; catering is not included.
Good To Know Before You Book
- Marriage license: a California license is valid for 90 days and can be used anywhere in the state. You both apply in person with photo ID, and there is no blood test. Fees vary by county (Sacramento County, for example, charges $97).
- Public or confidential: a public license needs one witness. A confidential license needs none and is not a public record, but you both have to be 18 or older and already living together (details).
- Your officiant returns the license within 10 days. In some counties a friend can be deputized to marry you for a day.
- Yosemite: every wedding needs a special use permit ($150). Apply up to a year ahead and at least 21 days before; ceremonies are limited to two hours, with no chairs, arches or decorations. Each site has a group limit, for example Glacier Point Amphitheater 50 (not in July and August) or Swinging Bridge 20.
- State parks: a wedding counts as a special event and needs a permit from the park’s district.
Looking for more ideas? Have a look at our guides to Carmel, the Bay Area, Sacramento and San Jose, the California elopement packages or our favorite elopement spots in California.
And when you have found your venue, find the right photographer: browse wedding photographers in California and elopement photographers in our community.
Browse all our wedding venue guides by state and city.
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Photographers who shoot in California
Film-inspired photographers from our community, in and near the area. Tap one to see their work, or send them all your plans at once below.
Early Night
Los Angeles, CA, United StatesCouples·Weddings & Elopements
The Hendrys
Sebastopol, CA, United StatesCouples·Fashion & Editorial·Fashion & Portrait
Stephanie Entin
Little Plum PhotographyLos Angeles, CA, United StatesBirth·Documentary·Kids & Family
Nik Mock
Nik Mock ImagesSan Marcos, CA, United StatesCommercial·Family·Kids
Wild & Free Elopements
Wild & Free ElopementsSan Diego, CA, United StatesBoudoir·Couples·Weddings & Elopements
