Best Beach Wedding Venues in California

Are you looking for the best beach wedding venues in Southern California? If so, you came to the right place! As a California wedding & elopement photographer, I’ve compiled a list of my absolute favorite venues around. I can’t wait to share them with you! Let’s get started!

PS – For photos of all of these venues, check out their website! With the exception of Ole Hanson Beach Club, the photos in this blog are solely for California wedding inspiration 😉

Ole Hanson Beach Club

I love all of these beach wedding venues, but this one is seriously one of my all-time favorites!! Ole Hanson Beach Club is an oceanfront venue located in San Clemente, California. Skylar and Sarah got married here recently and OMG! It was literally such a dream wedding. Ole Hanson is a Spanish-revival-style venue with traditional arches, hand-painted tiles, and beautiful stained glass windows. They have both indoor and outdoor options, so it doesn’t matter what type of wedding you’re planning! They’ve totally got you covered. Of course, I totally vote for an outdoor wedding since it’s right on the beach and you have awesome views! 

The venue spaces 

The spaces at Ole Hanson are absolutely gorgeous. Here is a quick breakdown for each of them, just in case you were curious!

The Grand Lawn: This is an expansive green lawn with beautiful palm trees and 180-degree views of the Pacific Ocean. This is where Sarah & Skylar had their ceremony! 

The Main Room: This is the indoor reception option at Ole Hanson! It’s an enclosed space on the 2nd level of the venue, complete with the original light fixtures and windows from when the property was first built. There are two outdoor terraces attached to this room, so you can use it as an add-on for more room for your guests!

The West Terrace: This space is where Skylar and Sarah held their sunset reception dinner. It’s an open-air terrace that overlooks the Grand Lawn and the Pacific Ocean with crazy awesome sunset views! Perfect for a golden hour wedding. 

The East Terrace: This terrace is a smaller, private one located on the other side of the Great Room. It’s not necessarily suited for a party, but it could be a great place to sneak away and take some photos!

The Onsite Suite: Perfect for touching up your makeup in between the ceremony and reception, having your first look, or just taking a quiet moment together amidst the craziness of your wedding day! 

Casa Romantica

Moving on to another one of my favorite beach wedding venues in Southern California! Casa Romantica is a bluff-stop estate wedding venue located, once again, in San Clemente, CA. Can you tell that San Clemente has some really awesome venues? One of the things that I LOVE about Casa Romantica is that the venue is a cultural center and gardens. This means that all of the site fees for weddings and events help the center sustain its cultural and educational programs throughout the year! So you’re getting married at a beautiful venue and giving back to the community. It’s a win-win!

Let’s get into the different spaces that Casa Romantica has to offer:

The venue spaces

The Courtyard: So freaking beautiful! The Courtyard has these beautiful Spanish archways that will add tons of character to your wedding. The lush greenery balances everything out and provides such a natural, organic outdoor setting! This space is perfect for an evening reception under the stars… It even has a fireplace to keep your guests nice and toasty. And for peace of mind, The Courtyard can also be tented in case of inclement weather!

Main Salon: If you don’t want an outdoor reception, you’ve still got options! The Main Salon would be your first choice for taking the party indoors. The space has original hardwood flooring, hand painted tiles, and again, a fireplace! You and your guests will have a great time in this comfortable yet elegant venue space. 

Ocean Terrace: One of my personal favorites – can you guess why?! The word “ocean” should give you a hint! This terrace overlooks the San Clemente Pier, giving truly amazing views for your Southern California wedding ceremony. During certain seasons you can even see the dolphins swimming! And, on clear days, you get a pretty awesome view of Catalina Island. 

Story Circle: Are you having more of an intimate or elopement-style wedding? Story Circle is perfect for that! Best suited for small ceremonies, this space is surrounded by colorful flowers and native plants, so you don’t even need many additional decorations. And it has built-in benches for up to 20 guests!

Things to keep in mind…

A few additional things to note: The total guest count capacity for Casa Romantica is 150 guests! They also have 2 dressing rooms for getting ready, so you don’t have to worry about going back and forth between a hotel and your venue on the morning of your wedding. And, an important thing to mention is that your valet, rentals, caterer, planner, and florist all must be chosen from their exclusive vendor list!

Bel Air Bay Club

Who wouldn’t want to get married at a private beach club in Los Angeles, California? Bel Air Bay Club is an indoor and outdoor wedding venue located right above the coastline between Santa Monica and Malibu. It’s basically a giant, 1920s Mediterranean-style mansion that has been turned into an awesome wedding venue! Sounds amazing, right?! 

It can hold anywhere from 75-275 people, with 9 onsite rooms that you can reserve for you and your guests. I loooove this option because you, your fiance, and your wedding party can all stay at the mansion and not have to worry about outside accommodations! And for all of your out-of-town guests, this venue is in close proximity to LAX for convenience. Keep in mind that there is a food & beverage minimum for Bel Air Bay Club!

There isn’t an abundance of information on each space at this venue, but a few of them include:

The Cliffside Ocean-View Lawn, the Upscale Living Room Lounge, the Courtyard Patio, and the Formal Dining Room.

Ethereal Gardens

Next up on our list is Ethereal Gardens in Escondido, California! This is an “out-of-the-box,” completely private Southern California wedding venue. There are 40 acres of edible gardens on the property, which are definitely the star of the show! There are old-growth orchards and 100 acres of organic herb and vegetable farms, too. And the cherry on top – there’s an executive chef that’s exclusive to Ethereal Gardens. This venue isn’t necessarily on the beach, but I had to include it on this list because of how beautiful it is! Here’s a breakdown of the venue spaces:

The venue spaces

The Orchard Barn: This is an indoor hillside reception site with beautiful views of San Diego’s rocky hilltops! As you can guess from the name, this space is an authentic redwood barn that totally matches the garden vibes of the venue.

Passion Vine Greenhouse: This greenhouse is the first of its kind in California! It’s a microclimate evergreen archway space with over 200 suspended ferns. Can you just IMAGINE how dreamy that would be?! There is also partial to full shade for your guests to enjoy!

Brick and Timber Chapel – If you want to go the traditional route and get married in a cute little chapel, this is the place to do it! This is an indoor ceremony space with traditional brick and timber, open fir beans, and opaque glass windows. 

Starry Night Meadow: What’s more magical than getting married in a wide open grass meadow filled with songbirds, butterflies, and quail? It’s like a dream come true! You can have your ceremony, reception, or BOTH at the Starry Night Meadow – the perfect all-in-one spring wedding venue. 

Ethereal Garden Pergola: Keeping it simple, this is an outdoor forged bent iron open-air pergola filled with beautiful climbing vines!

Ethereal Open Air Pavilion: Okay, this space is giving total celebrity wedding vibes! The Pavillion is a lush, grassy area filled with the natural scents of fresh lavender, mint, basil, and thyme from the surrounding herb gardens. Again, this space is super complementary to the whole farm/garden feel of the venue! 

Tivoli

Located in Fallbrook, California, this venue is an Italian Villa that sits atop edible olive and herb groves. Yes, you heard that right!! You can get married at an Italian Villa without traveling outside of California. You get stunning mountain views from this venue, and the property is filled with old orchard trees. Once again, there is a private executive chef that’s exclusive to the venue! Here are the three spaces they offer:

The venue spaces

Al Fresco Overlay: This is an outdoor tented pavilion with a unique European-style canopy and timber-inspired beams. 

Piazza Tivoli – An open-air courtyard with classic Italian fountains, a natural green lawn, beautiful stonework, and weathered brick. You’ll feel like you were transported directly to Italy when you get married in this space!

Tesora Di Tivolia – This spot is giving total Tuscan hillside vibes! The natural terrace gives awesome views of the San Diego Hillside, a California favorite. Because it’s perched above the treetops, you’ll feel totally secluded and in your own little world! 

Darlington House

The Darlington House is located in La Jolla, California, just steps away from the Pacific Ocean. This Southern California wedding venue is an elegantly furnished historical home with perfectly landscaped gardens. The outdoor space is super customizable to the theme of your wedding, and you can even utilize the first floor of the house for your guests! Think: cocktail hour, mingling, or finding a quiet place to hang out. You can use the 2nd floor of the house for your wedding party arrival, or just a place to situate yourself before the ceremony starts! Darlington House can hold 200 people for a ceremony and 150 for a reception. 

Adamson House

Next up on our list of the best beach wedding venues in Southern California is Adamson House! This is an oceanfront venue located in Malibu with Spanish-style architecture and all original details. Adamson House is actually a historic site and museum, so it’s not like a traditional venue! All bookings have to go through California State Parks, and you can only reserve this venue from March through November. The sites available to book are the Sycamore Lawn, Front Courtyard, and Rear Lawn! The inside of Adamson House is off-limits, BUT you can coordinate with State Park to arrange a special open house tour during your cocktail hour. 

Surf and Sand Resort 

Okay, now we’re getting into the hotel venues on the beach! One of the main benefits of having a Southern California hotel wedding venue is that you can reserve a hotel room block for your guests. This eliminates any accommodation issues and makes things so much easier for everyone on your wedding day! Surf and Sand Resort has SEVERAL spaces, so be sure to check out their website to view details for each one. 

One of my favorite spaces is the Pool Deck where you can mingle with your guests at your reception! The Deck also has super easy access to the beach, so you can pop in for a quick swim or watch the sunset! You know I couldn’t resist talking about the ceremony space that has the best ocean views, which is the Catalina Terrace. Okay, okay, I’ll let you check out the rest! 

La Casa del Camino

Another hotel wedding venue in Laguna Beach! This hotel has more of a vintage, Spanish-style feel compared to Surf and Sand Resort. La Casa del Camino is just steps away from Cress Street Beach, so again, you’ll have easy access to the water! A highlight of this venue is definitely its epic rooftop bar that has panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. Oh, and did I mention that you can create your own custom menu with their executive chef?! And for reference: the guest count limit for this beach wedding venue is 120 people. 

Cuvier Club

Cuvier Club, located in La Jolla, was voted one of the best San Diego wedding venues for 2023! The Courtyard here is seriously the start of the show, featuring the most gorgeous flowers and fountains surrounding it. And, of course, OCEAN VIEWS! There’s also an intimate indoor cocktail area for your guests to hang out after your ceremony, as well as a private getting-ready suite. If you want to have an indoor reception, there’s a spacious ballroom where you can dance the night away with your guests! Cuvier Club can hold anywhere from 200 to 600 guests, but if you’re having a smaller event, they offer a specific microwedding package to suit your needs. 

The Lombardi House

YAY! You’ve made it to the last venue on our list! Last, but not least, we have Lombardi House. This is a Victorian-style farmhouse that was completely restored, sitting right in the heart of Hollywood. It was originally built in 1904, but now serves as one of the best Southern California wedding venues! It can comfortably accommodate up to 28 guests, and you can rent out the entire property for your wedding day. The original stable and barn are refurbished with 25-foot vaulted ceilings, making the two spaces the perfect indoor-outdoor transitional venues! You can have up to 250 of your closest friends and family at Lombardi House. 

Best beach wedding venues in Southern California

Now that you know about all the best Southern California wedding venues, it’s time to take the next step and book your photographer! To get in touch with me about photographing your wedding, you can fill out my contact form and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. In the meantime, be sure to check out my Southern California Beach Elopement Guide!