We are constantly asked about the best wedding venues in Southern California. If you have read our blog, you know we recommend agreeing on the number of guests you want to invite, as well as setting a wedding budget, prior to selecting the actual wedding/reception venue. If you haven’t selected the number of guests or set a wedding budget, please check out our article: Setting a Wedding Budget – what you need to know.
You know the number of guests you want to invite (or pretty close anyway), what is the best venue for you? With over 200 miles of coastline between Santa Barbara and San Diego, the beautiful San Gabriel Mountain range and each unique town/city in-between, there are virtually endless amount of venue options. To help you narrow down the venue options, we will need you to give us the image you have dreamt of (maybe before you even found the person you have decided to marry) for your wedding. Do you see yourself barefoot on the sand, on a mountain with trees all around you, in a skyscraper or the church you grew up in? Wherever it is, we want to help your vision become a reality. Use the following chart to start to narrow your venue search. List all options you are willing to consider.
Budget: ______________
| # of Guests | Ceremony Type | Reception Type | Region |
| 100 | Outdoor/On Sand | Outdoor/Ocean View | San Diego |
| 100 | Church | Indoor Ballroom | Los Angeles |
| 100 | Outdoor/Ocean View | Outdoor/Ocean View | Los Angeles |
Consider where majority of guests are coming from:
• Difficulty to reach from local airports
• Will they need nearby accommodations?
• Travel time from ceremony venue to reception venue
The purpose of working through the worksheet above is to focus your efforts and hopefully help you find the perfect venue or have an alternate location if need be.
Now that we know what you want, we have to work with the known of the industry. The first reality is that most known venues book as early as nine months out. Popular venues can book as far as one year out. What does that mean for you? You either have to plan ahead, change your planned wedding date or consider changing the venue if it is unavailable.
Over the next few blog posts, I will break down some of our favorite wedding venues in Southern California. Congratulations again on your engagement! I hope you are excited to start the planning process! We are ready to assist you to make your wedding day the most memorable day of your life!
