Welcome to I Do Venues—your insider’s view into San Francisco and California wedding ceremony and reception venues. The industry’s best wedding photographers provide daily design inspiration with professional photographs from of real weddings in the hottest Bay area venues. You can visualize the best themes, color palettes, and design concepts for your wedding venue.
Our practical information on each wedding venue is based on first-hand experience from industry professionals who have successfully executed real weddings at your selected wedding venue. Since choosing your wedding venue is the pivotal choice for designing your dream wedding, make the best decision with I Do Venues’ insight and insider knowledge and be inspired along the way.
Wedding Venue: Auberge du Soleil Design
Photography by: Rosemarie Lion
Ceremony
Auberge du Soleil is a refined, boutique-style hotel similar to those found on the hillsides of France. Secluded, quiet, and elegant are among the best words to describe the feel at Auberge. The surreal contrast between the natural surroundings of the venue and the polished refinement of the inn allow you to embrace a broad spectrum of themes and colors for your wedding design.
The cliffside terrace at Auberge de Soleil hangs effortlessly over the Napa Valley floor as if it is suspended by the clouds alone. This uniquely tranquil and romantic location is picture perfect for a ceremony filled with rustic charm and natural accents. The amazing view from the terrace is complimented by two large olive trees, which brings the vista closer and creates a natural frame for the bride and groom.
Natural wood chiavari chairs (provided by the facility) create a sophisticated and elegant feel to the space. The modest ceremony space is best suited for a design theme that incorporates the natural elements around you. Let the views, vineyards, and vista speak for themselves. A color palette that includes cocoa browns paired with blush or pale peach sets a feminine and flirty tone to the festivities. If you are looking to create more sophistication, try a color palette right out of nature. Pair honey gold with alabaster, light brown, or latte. These colors are inspired by nature but have an air of simple refinement.
Reception
The ceremony terrace plays a duel role, so keep the design simple as the space needs to transition easily into your appetizer and cocktail locale. Position tall cocktail tables strategically so that staff can easily transition the space and maximize your traffic flow.
Dress your cocktail tables in a natural fabric like linen or raw silk in neutral tones such as tan, white, or blush. These colors will blend effortlessly into the beautiful landscape. Simple flower arrangements using clusters of loose flowers will look right at home, as if they were picked straight from the garden. Using multiple small vases in the same color but in different heights and shapes will help capture interest and play up the beauty of the flowers.
Wedding Venue: Auberge du Soleil Photography
Photography by: Rosemarie Lion
What We Love About This Facility
Auberge du Soleil gives its visitors a unique look at the Napa Valley from its vantage point high on a hillside. The venue offers a matchless atmosphere, allowing for beautiful photography from a different aspect of the Napa Valley than most are familiar with. The resort’s elevated location provides an inimitatable panoramic view of the entire valley that will absolutely take your breath away!
You can certainly take beautiful photos in the vineyard, but the beauty of Auberge is in its sweeping views. Incorporate these vistas into incredible portrait shots. As the famous San Francisco fog rolls in and the sun begins to set, capture the magical photographic backdrop which can only be found here in Auberge du Soleil.
I Do Design ~ Romance
Photography By: Meg Perotti
Summary
The power of romance is always present in a vintage themed wedding. Soft muted tones in blush, lilac, and green have always inspired feminine lines with frilly accents. Try a unique ceremony set-up by using a combination of white wood garden benches, white iron scrolled chairs, and white and gold chiavari chairs. This is a superb way to incorporate unique detail while maintaining a casual feel. To make sure that your aisle doesn’t disappear, heavily scattering white rose petals down a central aisle way creates great contrast against a lush green lawn. White iron garden chairs will always give you a great vintage feel, so take the look up a notch from cute to couture by adding a colorful swag of flowers and ribbons. Creating unique centerpieces is always a challenge. Start with a base of willow branches, cherry blossoms, or something similar and artfully attach clusters of bright flowers and ribbons to create a truly unique and full look. A traditional white wedding cake becomes a feast for the eyes as well as the pallet when you add a cascade of soft pink, violet, and fuchsia. Create an affordable romantically-themed bouquet by using a combination of roses, ranunculus, and hydrangeas in soft blush tones. It provides a great look while staying more cost-conscious than an all-rose bouquet option.
Color Palette and Venue Recommendations
For a romantic feel, colors of light blush pink, ecru, and soft green complimented by splashes of bright colors in fuchsia and violet will make for a memorable design theme. Outdoor gardens provide amazing locations to make a statement of romance. This color palette would work well at the Healdsburg Country Gardens and the Black Orchid Inn in Livermore. We’d also love to use the unique ceremony set-up in the apple orchard at the Carneros Inn in Napa.
Wedding Venue: The Outdoor Art Club Mill Valley Entertainmen ...
Photography by Rosemarie Lion
Summary
Music and entertainment styling at the Outdoor Art Club in Mill Valley can range from classically elegant to quirky and eclectic. The small, intimate garden setting where most couples exchange their wedding vows is well-suited for a solo acoustic instrument. Solo or in a pair, a violin, guitar, or keyboard will bring light, inspiring music to the tranquil garden.
The Outdoor Art Club is home to many Mill Valley community music offerings, so its stage is well set for all levels of performance. The outdoor patio space is limited to acoustic music, but provides a great place for a starter band to play some light jazz while your guests savor glasses of white wine paired with local artisan cheeses. The band can then adjust its set list as the night moves onward. Light jazz creates the perfect mood for appetizers, cocktails, and dining. After supper, have the band kick things up a notch for a fabulous party where you and your guests dance the night away!
The facility is in the center of an active community, so there are a few restrictions on noise. As the outdoor space is limited to acoustic music, you may find a flexible band who is willing to play in stages. This is extremely helpful when considering your budget, as it is much less expensive to hire one band than to hire separate groups of musicians and a DJ.
Wedding Venue: Bently Reserve Entertainment
Photography By: Andrew Weeks
Summary
A classical violin trio sets a soft, ethereal mood for your wedding ceremony. However, if you’re looking for a larger sound, try a small orchestral ensemble to create the feeling of a grand cathedral. A harpist can be positioned in the foyer to greet your guests with harmonious sounds, creating a thoughtful touch during appetizers and cocktails. Big band entertainment seems the perfect pairing at the Bently Reserve. The building’s soaring ceilings and vintage light fixtures are excellently complimented by a grand stage, which is readily filled with an eight piece band with gleaming brass instruments. Start the evening with a set of lighter background music and then transition into party music, which will have your guests dancing the night away.
Wedding Venue: BR Cohn Winery Sneak Preview
Photography by: Elle Jae Weddings
Sneak Preview
Bruce Cohn is well recognized in Sonoma’s Valley of the Moon for producing wines that emphasize balance, elegance, and consistency from vintage to vintage. You can expect no less from a wedding celebration that takes place at the BR Cohn Winery. This venue has four separate, unique locations on the property where you can host either your ceremony or reception. The hardest question you may face is which breathtaking vista point is the spot for your dream location… More to come!
Wedding Venue: Outdoor Art Club Mill Valley Design
Photography by: Rosemarie Lion
Ceremony
Inspired by esteemed architect Bernard Maybeck, the craftsman-style architecture of this facility makes the Outdoor Art Club the perfect location for a delightfully rustic celebration. This is a venue where you can get lost in the details while making a memorable home-spun wedding celebration. As guests arrive through a wisteria-covered arched wooden gate, set the tone by offering raspberry lemonade or other homemade libations drawn from antique glass pitchers. This invites your guest to enjoy a high level of hospitality without any stuffiness or fuss.
I Do Venues prefers to host the ceremony on the lawn towards the far end of the property, leaving the patio set for a fun and inviting cocktail hour. The garden-style chairs offered by the facility are best adorned with bright flowers and ribbons, and the lawn looks amazing with a heavy scattering of rose petals for an aisle runner. The small scale of the pretty little garden is not conducive to many props, but garden stakes with hanging elements look wonderful. If you are leaning toward a shabby chic look, try incorporating a small wooden or metal vintage gate. With a great floral swag attached to the gate – the subtle touch will perfectly set the scene for your wedding ceremony.
If you tend toward a romantic or vintage feel, keeping your ceremony color palette light and airy works best. Consider shades of aqua, chocolate brown, latte, or antique gold. If you want to opt for a brighter pop of color, try fuchsia, mauve, and latte. Each of these color schemes allows for the use of a variety of different flowers without overpowering the small garden with too much color and will tie into the design of your reception room beautifully.
The transition from ceremony to reception is just a few steps up the garden path. Transitioning the patio into an outdoor lounge creates a surreal space with wooden garden furniture that looks right at home. A few wooden benches topped with colored pillows, low coffee-style tables with casual flower arrangements, and candles in various sizes of Mason jars will bring an effortless feeling of comfort into the space. The ancient oaks that watch over the couple are stunning when up-lit or strung with a collection of café lights, completing the space with a warm glow and making it an inviting spot to munch on appetizers after the ceremony, or to enjoy a decadent piece of cake in the evening’s later hours.
The outdoor patio area has many nooks and crannies, all serving as small vignettes to be filled with seasonal blooms, displayed with vintage decor, and to strike up wonderful conversations. Wood or moss-covered vases for displaying bridal bouquets, wooden signs pointing out directions, antique furniture to display escort cards, iron work as a decorative detail… all of these elements can be used in simple ways to transport your guests back in time.
The Art Club’s main room is heavily laden with beamed ceilings, moldings, and hardwood floors, all in dark hues. To lighten up the space, use an antique color palette that helps brighten the room. Ecru, white-washed pinks, pale peach, or ivory help create a look that mimics the character of antique photography, and soft aqua or seafoam green paired with pretty wisteria sets a tone of romance. All of these colors work well as a base to contrast against the dark wood, creating great drama with the light, translucent color scheme playing against the strong, dark architectural features.
Make a statement by adding soft romantic touches and hang small delicate floral arrangements on the room’s side beams. Using vintage metal containers or glass vases looks great as well – just be sure to keep the arrangements simple with just a few pops of color. If the room’s stage is not already being used in another way, keep the theatrical curtains closed until after dinner, when they can be opened to reveal a fun lounge from which spectators can comfortably watch the dance party below.
Ask the Experts
The DIY bride with an affinity for vintage style will fall in love with this unique and historic location. There are so many ways to bring in an old, antiqued feel just through the use of color and simple details. Table design is the best way to make an impact in this intimate room, so choose a table runner that will bring in an element of color. Instead of choosing one china pattern, create a vintage feel by combining different patterns, colors, textures, and sizes in all your dinner and glassware. Menu cards, napkins, table numbers, and favors are all small elements that together help create a great impact in this charming setting.
Design Inspiration: Spring Has Sprung!
Photography by: Geoff White
Summary
Spring is finally here! Traditionally a season when brides enjoy creating designs that’s in tune with nature, it seems only fitting that wedding color palettes in pastel pink and lavender have become the norm for this time of year. It is so exciting to see today’s brides embracing the spirit of spring! From couture to country in style, this year’s brides are feeling the call of the spring season and incorporating all kinds of bright colors into creative designs!
Green is the color of the day, but which green should you use when there are so many great choices?! A light, bright chartreuse with bursting pops of color in orange and yellow make an amazing statement on this white wood fireplace mantle. The fun yet elegant design of cascading amaranths interspersed with roses, ornamental cabbage, and shimmering glass creates both a grand focal point and a welcoming environment in any space. If you’re looking for a more budget-conscious design, use dahlias and ranunculus in place of roses for a similar overall look with the same light, whimsical feel.
Decorate your flower girl’s basket with bright orange ribbon and fill it with blooms of bright fuchsia and orange to create an eye-catching contrast against the soft lime green of her sweet ensemble. A basket of willow or another natural element creates a lovely display piece when filled with white programs with a flirty, elegant font in gold and brown and adorned with a green ribbon.
Have fun with your chairs and hang metal vintage-style ornamental vases filled with clusters of full-figured green and orange blossoms. Attaching these simple elements to the chairs along the aisleway creates movement on your aisle and can be used in place of a runner. The darkwood chiavari chairs pictured here look great, and for a twist you may choose to have either a chartreuse or spice-colored cushion to tie your lively palette together. And how fun is this alternative to the traditional ring pillow?! A simple box covered in button mums, each with a pearl in the center, is a testament to the precious cargo hidden inside. The natural loose bridesmaid bouquet also makes the statement that elegance does not have to be costly or prissy. The arrangement above gives a natural and minimalistic feeling while still expressing an air of beauty with lots of color texture.
Color Palette and Venue Recommendations
All of the amazing photographs represented within our inspiration board come to us compliments of Geoff White Photography, and all of them were taken at real Bay Area weddings! This is a great example of a bright color palette that is very energizing and fun without being overwhelming. We love seeing these colors used at the Marin Art and Garden Center, and the mantle in its Garden Room would look absolutely stunning with a cascading arrangement similar to the one pictured above. Outdoor and rustic-feeling venues with a touch of Victorian style will also look gorgeous dressed up in these colors. Consider using them if your celebration is taking place at the Headlands Center for the Arts in Marin or the UC Botanical Gardens in Berkeley.
Wedding Venue: Carneros Inn Sneak Preview
Photography By: Tiffany Fosnight of Adeline and Grace Photography
Sneak Preview
The Carneros Inn is a picture-perfect luxury retreat ideally located at the crossroads of the Napa and Sonoma Valley wine country regions. The incredible venue is home to an award-winning chef, highly acclaimed hospitality, and the true essence of California style. Picture yourself getting married among grape vines hanging heavy with ripe purple and green fruit, or holding a country-themed wedding near Carneros’ apple orchard. Whatever your preferences are for your special day, you’ll have a noteworthy celebration with your guests excellently taken care of… Check back soon for more!
Wedding Venue: Annadel Estate Winery Sneak Preview
Photography by: Lisa Lefkowitz
Sneak Preview
You’re making me blush! This gorgeous wedding brought to us compliments of the wonderfully talented Lisa Lefkowitz is just one example of the kind of fun and whimsical celebration you can host at the Annadel Estate Winery! The estate is a small boutique winery located in the heart of the Valley of the Moon. Its charm and natural rustic elements can be seen the moment you enter the property and provide an exceptional canvas for a wedding celebration! Vintage, rustic, or even Bohemian chic designs each play well in this beautiful locale… More to come!
older posts » | Top of PageRealistic, first hand reviews provide the savvy bride with additional insight into how the venue can be utilized. Our practical information and imaginative inspiration boards open up new and exciting possibilities for your dream wedding.
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