Looking for a wedding venue that fits your needs can be one of the trickiest (and unfortunately, stressful) parts of wedding planning. Happily, once you’ve booked your venue, the rest of the planning process will fall into place easily (we promise!). But how do you even start searching for a wedding site? First, you’ll need to pick what venue “style” most suits your personality. Here’s a mini-glossary of wedding venue types to help you get started. And don’t forget to check out our Vendor Reviews to find the perfect wedding locale near you.

Photo by Anna and Spencer Photography

Ballroom: Want a wedding that’s grand, elegant, and formal? There’s nothing like a richly appointed ballroom. Ideal for black-tie weddings with a big guest list, ballrooms (either in hotels or other historic sites), often have in-house catering and rentals to make the planning process a snap. But it’s important to note: When choosing a color scheme for a ballroom wedding, you’ll have to take the room’s permanent fixtures into account – from the carpeting to the chandeliers to the wall color. You wouldn’t want your flowers and other decor to clash with what’s already there.

Dorothe & Manny 

August 4

Sonoma, California 

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Q & A with the Bride:

1. What was the one thing about your venue that made you know it was the one?

It was the property where I grew up. I knew that I wanted a rustic, beautiful setting outside that was personal, so our ceremony took place in my mother’s rose garden in the backyard. 

2. Which three details from your wedding were your favorites?

1. I loved the colors of my wedding: cobalt blue, turquoise and navy blue

2. The Magnums of Blue Farm Pinot Noir, Carneros

3. My table numbers

3. Give us the one moment from your wedding you can’t stop thinking about.

While walking down the aisle, listening to my stepfather play the song “Blackbird” on his classical guitar,  I can’t forget seeing my husband for the first time that day. 

Ineca & Bobbie

July 7

Sebastopol, California 

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Q & A with the Bride:

1.What was the one thing about your venue that made you know it was the one?

The vineyard view. The moment we stepped onto the property and caught a glimpse of the breathtaking view of the surrounding vineyards, we fell in love with it. We automatically pictured our guests during dinner – laughing and enjoying themselves, while overlooking the sun setting in the vineyards, sipping a glass of wine and chowing down on some comfort food in wine country.

2.Which three details from your wedding were your favorites?

1. Our guestbook: We asked guests to write down their advice, notes and wishes on a hanging tag. The tags were then hung in a rustic keepsake box that we now have displayed in our home.
2. Our DIY favors:We filled small kraft paper bags with caramel popcorn and stamped the front with a personalized ink stamp that read “Thanks for sharing in our sweet beginning.” What we loved most about this detail was the fun we had making them – an assembly line of three family generations, including Grandma!
3. Our cakes: We wanted something simple that looked like a real cake you wanted to take a bite out of (and they were delicious!). We displayed three small buttercream frosting cakes with a few fresh dahlias on various cake stands we found at a vintage shop.

3. Give us the one moment from your wedding that you can’t stop thinking about.

Our first dance to Ray LaMontagne’s “You Are the Best Thing.” It was a really fun and relaxed moment in the day. Every time I hear the song, it brings me right back.

Crystal & John

August 13

St. Helena, California

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Q & A with the Bride:

1. Which three details from your wedding were your favorites?

 1. We placed our favorite bible passages in pretty antique frames on each table. This was special because we were able to share a bit of ourselves with our guests.

2. The food–The Meadowood has the most amazing food from cocktail hour to appetizers to entrees. Delish! 

3. Watching the same day edit video put together by Cana Productions, our videographer, with all our guests during dinner was  great.

2. Give us the one moment in your wedding day that you can’t stop thinking about.

I remember my heart feeling very full and blessed from being surrounded by all our closest friends and family. Particularly, the anticipation of getting ready with my bridesmaids, having brunch in the room, getting our hair and makeup done and taking fun pictures. It’s a rare event that all my best friends are in one place together spending quality time together since we all are busy with our daily schedules and living in different cities.

Missy & KC

April 29

Glen Ellen, California

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Which three details from your wedding were your favorites?

1. I loved what Mary from It’s a Date at the Powder Room did with my hair. She created exactly what I’d envisioned
2. The cocktail hour was gorgeous. Our caterer provided wine barrels for tables and the amphitheater at BR Cohn overlooks the vineyard. It was stunning and the food was delicious.
3. The cake looked (and tasted) amazing. Susie Cakes in SF makes beautiful buttercream-frosted cakes and our florist, Josette at Lavender Floral decorated the cake with flowers.

 If you could offer one piece of advice for other couples planning their wedding, what would it be?

The details do count – I had so many people mention that they noticed the little touches here and there, and how everything fit so well together; from the tablescape on the escort card table, to how we created the table numbers, to the favors, to the wine barrel tables for the cocktail hour. It was so nice to hear that people noticed all of the minutiae that I’d spent hours agonizing over. That said; don’t sweat the small stuff if it doesn’t all turn out the way you’d planned. Only you know how you’d imagined it all coming together.

Give us the one moment in your wedding day you can’t stop thinking about.

The ceremony felt really special to me, especially our vows. KC and I wrote half of our vows together, and repeated those to each other first. Then we’d each written some vows in secret and surprised each other at the ceremony.  Beforehand it felt like a big undertaking to capture the promises we wanted to make to each other in our own words. But it turned out to be exactly what I wanted. It was personal, funny and touching: my first personal vow was to try to be on time, his was to always feed me and keep my feet warm. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.