I Do Venues is the ultimate California wedding venue resource, featuring the hottest venues with expert advice and real wedding photography! Our blog posts offer venue-specific topics and design inspiration to help you visualize your perfect place to say "I Do.” Also, be sure to check out our Venues Directory and Rehearsal Dinner Directory for all your wedding planning needs!
High-Five for Beautiful Venues like StoneTree Golf Club
Indulge in Colorful Marin County
The golden rays dip behind the sun-drenched hills of Novato, as your ceremony on the sunset terrace at StoneTree Golf Club commences after your exchange of vows. Indulge your guests with a creative menu created by the four-star chefs at StoneTree, while they breath in the warmth and natural beauty that surrounds them. Dinner calls your guests into the combined spaces of the Waterfall and Black Oak Salons. A delicious four-course meal and a great band or DJ will bring the crowd to their feet and ensure a fun celebration of love and laughter! The Club is nestled in the hills of the Black Point Forest surrounded by lush green rolling hills and a dense green forest of ancient oak trees. The buildings are reminiscent of an old country manor. It is old world Marin at its best!
Looking through the Lens with Christopher Kight Photography
Fun Venue Fact: ”For many years this valley was the site of the largest and most famous Renaissance Pleasure Faire in California and I never missed attending. It’s a beautiful site and I was sad when I heard it would become a Golf Course — until I saw it! Since my days of being a Renn-Faire hippie, I grew up and became a golfer and wedding photographer, now I get to visit the Valley again at StoneTree and photograph couples on their wedding day. The architecture is beautiful and plenty of the original nature setting was untouched. It’s an incredibly lovely site for a Wedding and Reception. I look forward to my next visit to StoneTree Golf Club.”
Wedding Credits: Venue – StoneTree Golf Club in Novato, CA; Photographer – Christopher Kight Photography
Vintage Chic Meets San Francisco’s Trendy SF80
Chic Modern Fun!
Looking for an indoor wedding venue that reflects modern San Francisco rather than a stuffy ballroom, SF80 is just the place! Known as one of the city’s ‘best kept secrets,’ this venue is urban and hip, with accents of vintage chic. Managed exclusively by Bartender’s Unlimited and located in San Francisco’s Design District. This venue is a terrific space, creating an organic event flow with great spaces for your guests to lounge, dine and dance! For brides on a budget, SF80 is a more affordable alternative to many other San Francisco venues. Browse through other Bay Area Venues!
Save the Date! Pink Cloud 9 SF Launch Party
Seeking a great wedding coordinator? SF80 is hosting Pink Cloud 9′s Launch Party, a place to drink, dine and dance while meeting Bay Area wedding coordinators and assistants. Pink Cloud 9 is a full-service wedding coordinator collective that marries online planning resources with on-site coordination. Pink Cloud 9 is based in Los Angeles with coordinators located throughout California. Come mingle and find your wedding coordinator, while enjoying this amazing venue!
Date: Wed. June 26
Time: 6:00 – 9:00p.m
Location: SF80 – 80 Missouri St. San Francisco, CA
Register for FREE!
Sweet Refreshing Romance at The Rengstorff House
Sweet Rustic Beauty
The Rengstorff House sits quietly along the water’s edge in Mountain View. It is the oldest Victorian home in the area and is widely known as one of the best preserved Victorian homes on the West Coast! Read more below about the untamed beauty at this venue from the planner’s perspective, and why this Bay Area venue was the perfect fit for today’s couple!
Planner 411 with Christy Daly Matthews
“Kate and AJ wanted a traditional, classic, and laid back wedding. Their first priorities were fun and family, and they wanted to dine outside with candle light and strung lights that provided the ambiance. The historic Victorian The Rengstorff House in Mountain View provided the manicured lawns and brick patio for the outdoor ceremony and reception, The Other Woman catering company provided the strung IPLs and delicious gourmet BBQ and mac & cheese, and Kate and AJ hosted family and friends and plenty of kids on their big day. The overall look was fresh and pretty, with monochromatic white flowers and touches of clustered baby’s breath accenting the clean, crisp green grounds of the property. Gavin Farrington caught gorgeous golden light as the sun set over the water and reserve. The wedding was filled with hilarious and touching toasts, several servings of seconds, simple personal touches and more hugs, kisses, and high fives than I’ve ever seen before at a wedding. Kate and AJ were a dream to work with and they got their dream wedding!”
A Note from the Bride & Groom
Why this Venue: Location was very important to us. We narrowed our search to the Bay Area because it was central to our friends and family and it would be convenient for our out-of-state guests with the multiple airports. As for our actual venue- we wanted a low-key, relaxed setting with an outdoor reception option. When we came across the Rengstorff house, we knew it was perfect! Not only is it tucked away in a quiet park, but the grounds were beautiful and they allowed us incredible flexibility with choosing our own vendors and creating the exact environment we wanted.
Favorite Memory: Being able to relax, dance, and enjoy the moment at the end of the night with the friends and family who mean the most to us. It was more perfect than we imagined.
Advice for Planning Couples: Start early, but also take your time to make the big decisions- the planning part is only as stressful as you allow it to be. Be flexible! It’ll make everything so much more enjoyable. If you’re planning a wedding from out of town (like we did) it’s incredibly helpful to bring in trusted friends and family in the wedding area to help, meet with vendors, etc. If you can work a wedding coordinator into the budget, we can’t recommend it strongly enough- we would have been lost without ours!
Find your Wedding Retreat at Holman Ranch
Relax. Wed. Retreat!
Holman Ranch is one of the most versatile Carmel wedding venues in this inescapably beautiful region. When it comes a retreat style wedding, no one does it better! A wedding retreat weekend is becoming more and more popular, especially when you are having many out-of-town family and friends attending. The truth is, when it comes right down to it on your wedding day you may not get the opportunity to spend as much time with everyone, as you make the rounds and take endless pictures. That is why the retreat style wedding is becoming an ever-trendy and fun option.
Fun for All
- Think about it girls, how does starting your retreat with a day of pampering, including on property massages and lounging around the pool sound?
- For the boys, maybe a day of wine tasting followed by billiards, darts and cigars in the amazing game room.
- After a good nights rest, your girls can awake to an early morning yoga class while the boys sleep in. Invite your off-site guests to join you in a shared breakfast served in the Great Room, so that everyone can discuss the options for the day.
- Trail riding for the more adventurous, or a guided tour around the property learning about the olive orchards, horse ranch and the winery can be arranged.
- There is also group transportation for anyone who wants to spend the day shopping along the seaside in beautiful Carmel by the sea. As the day ends, everyone can merge onto the pool for a BBQ and pool party.
- Now that’s how we say “I Do” to Holman Ranch!
Friendly Staff, Cozy Stay
The staff at Holman Ranch have a professional yet laid back style. They can take care of your every need or they are happy to point you in the right direction and let you take care of the details. One of the most beautiful things about their retreat style wedding is that the property is yours exclusively for the duration of your stay. The historic accommodations can host your overnight guests comfortably, while any of your off-site guests are still welcome on the property for the duration of your stay. When you arrive, the kitchen has been stocked to your suggestions so that your guests can feel at home.
Credits: Wedding Venue – Holman Ranch in Carmel Valley;Wedding Photography – Carlie Statsky Photography; Day of Coordinator – Coastside Couture; Floral Design - Amanda Seely of Laughin’ Gal Floral; Catering - Grapes of Wrath Events
Have More than a Taste at Testarossa Winery
South Bay Gem
This 19th Century Los Gatos winery serves as the perfect backdrop for the most romantic unions. Complete with a wine cave offering an indoor option for evening ceremonies, Testarossa will truly take your breath away. Intimacy is emphasized here accommodating up to 90 guests and each space is available after 6:30 pm. If you’re dreaming of an outdoor wedding, the Garden Patio paints the perfect forest canvas creating an enchantingly magical scene.
Wine & Dine
After the ceremonies, further the night with dancing and drinks in the Cask Room. Experience award winning wines, gourmet epicurean cuisine, and renowned hospitality with ease as full service catering packages are offered. For those more inclined, guests can create custom packages as well to accommodate all of your needs. This one-of-a-kind winery is the ideal place to celebrate new changes and happy beginnings!
Wedding Credits: Venue – Testarossa Winery in Los Gatos, CA; Photographer – Andrew Weeks Photography
The Ultimate Wedding Transformation at Saint Mary’s
Beauty of Saint Mary’s College
What better way to celebrate the weekend than with an amazing wedding at a gorgeous venue! Today’s breathtaking story is filled with the vibrance of summer, a strong cultural beauty and a truly transformational wedding day. I am especially excited to share today’s wedding, because I was actually lucky enough to experience all the amazement first hand at the beautiful Saint Mary’s College near Walnut Creek. Not only is St. Mary’s one of the top Bay Area universities (Go Gaels!), but it boasts with one of the most spectacular campuses, shining with historic Spanish-style architecture and luscious Northern California beauty!
Traditional Transformation
Now for the really exciting part! Today’s couple, Kevin and Simi Murphy, were joined together as husband and wife twice on the same day. The traditional Indian ceremony was beautiful! Simi wore an exquisite sari and Kevin was armed with his gold sword and turban. It was followed by a delicious Indian lunch on one of the many beautiful lawn spaces on campus, where guests were shaded by white umbrellas and surrounded by the sky-scraping Redwoods.
Then the transformation began. Simi cleverly had henna only on the inside of her (and her bridesmaid’s) hands so it was hidden when they held their bouquets down the aisle in the evening. Kevin shaved his beard, and unfortunately had to give up the sword. Guests returned to the hotel to relax and change from Indian attire to get ready for the Catholic ceremony in the evening. The picturesque Saint Mary’s Chapel was the second chapter in this fairytale wedding. Simi entered in her gorgeous white dress and Kevin looked spiffy in his suit. Then they made their exit to the reception in style, by taking a ride in Kevin’s ’68 Mustang! See Simi’s inspiration for their special day below!
A Note from the Bride: Behind-the Inspiration
“I grew up going to tons of Sikh weddings, but I also grew up watching Cinderella and American movies that showed the beautiful white dress. So as I grew up, I fell in love with both weddings for different reasons. I was lucky to have a supportive family and in-laws who were willing to make my dream of both weddings become a reality! To me, it was to hard to pick which wedding I loved more.
Picking Saint Mary’s was easy because it’s so beautiful. The chapel can hold 250 guests, and the large hall accommodates 300 guests — perfect for our large Punjabi and Irish wedding! Doing both wedding ceremonies at Saint Mary’s was so convenient, because during the summer the campus is open and they have so many buildings that you could rent, which made it easy for our guests to have all functions in one place.”
Did you know? A traditional Sikh wedding must happen before noon. “So we had that start at 10:00a.m and then had lunch and a break before the Catholic wedding at 6:00p.m followed by our reception”.
Wedding Credits: Venue – Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, CA; Photographer – Sabine Scherer Photography; Catering – Sodexo (St. Mary’s College Campus); Floral Design – Anne Menderhall
Moonlight Magic at Wente Vineyards!
Magic in the Sky
There’s just nothing that matches the magic that hoovers in the black sky on the night of your wedding! With incredibly lighting, a vast open sky and a glistening warm night, Livermore’s own Wente Vineyards is something to brag about! One of the main attractions at this open property is the historic California mission-style tasting room which converts into your reception area. Also functioning as a tasting room, the structure has an old world Spanish-style feel to it with blends of polished oak, exposed wood beams, and terracotta tile.
Perfect Location
After you’ve said your vows in one of several gorgeous locations, your reception is where the real magic starts! Known for its world class catering, the vineyard will work with you on a customized menu and bar, as you celebrate under the stars (if you choose, like this wedding) for the perfect night! Worth mentioning is that Wente also features an amazing golf course, especially fun for the groom and his groomsmen. Also, book early – these guys are busy! Find detailed catering & event spaces info on Wente’s Profile!
Looking through the Lens with Avalon Portrait Gallery
“Wow, what a fun wedding at the beautiful Wente Vineyard in Livermore CA! An intimate gathering of family and friends, perfect weather, gorgeous couple and fine wine. What a great combination! This picture perfect fall day turned to an Autumn evening made for dancing with friends and family.”
Wedding Credits: Venue – Wente Vineyards in Livermore, CA; Photographer – Avalon Portrait Gallery
Stylish Destination Elopement at Hotel Vitale San Francisco
A Real “City View”
What a golden location in San Francisco! Only at Hotel Vitale can you have a rooftop ceremony held at sunset with the historic Ferry Building Clock Tower in the background to mark the exact minute you begin your new life together! Your friends and family will enjoy the exquisite service that only a true boutique hotel can offer. The impressive views, tranquil atmosphere, and twinkling stars and city lights of a San Francisco night will have them smiling long after the party is over.
Looking through the Lens with Iliana Morton Photography
“Katarina and Peter met at a networking event in Chicago, and fell in love right away. When it came time to plan their wedding, they knew that they had to get married in San Francisco. They had visited recently, and fell in love with the city. With help from their wedding coordinator, they planned an intimate yet stylish elopement in the heart of San Francisco. A small handful of their closest friends and family joined them on the private deck of Hotel Vitale for their ceremony. With the city lights twinkling in the background and the sun setting behind them, Katarina and Peter said their vows and celebrated their love!”
Wedding Credits: Venue – Hotel Vitale in San Francisco, CA; Photographer - Iliana Morton Photography; Event Planner - Allure Wedding Consulting and Event Planning; Floral Designer - Anne Mendenhall Flowers; Caterer - Hotel Vitale San Francisco; Cake Designer - Sugar Butter Flour
