Getting married in 2026 in Los Angeles? There are plenty of wedding venues to choose from in Los Angeles, and they are in high demand.  Depending on the season, these venues can be booked up to a year in advance. If you plan to get married in Los Angeles, you should start your search early.

If advanced planning isn’t option for you, try to be flexible with your wedding dates. Providing the venue with a range of options spread over a few weeks can be very helpful to secure your dream location. This is especially crucial if your special day falls during peak wedding seasons or on popular dates. 

While many couples have a specific location in mind for their wedding day, it’s also important to consider other key factors. 

One of the many factors you should consider is how many guests you are going to have on your wedding day. Some couples want small wedding while others have a lot of guests to invite. Consider the venue’s proximity to the airport for out-of-town guests, the availability of parking space, accessibility for guests with disability, and availability of nearby hotels to stay. 

Many venues have their own catering teams for serving food and beverage to the guests. Some venues allow you to choose your own catering providers, while others have restrictions or have preference over certain catering vendors. The number of guests you plan to invite is a key factor in choosing the right venue. Some venues are designed to accommodate large parties, while others are more suited for smaller gatherings. Given the diversity of options available in Los Angeles, you should have no problem finding a right venue that accomodates your needs. Each venue comes with its own set of policies, so always check these before securing a booking. For example, some venues may limit your ability to make changes to the décor, and depending on the location, there may be noise regulations that limit late night music near residential areas. If you are planning on enhancing your celebration with live band, you should always check that this is a possibility with venue boundaries.

If you plan to have a long wedding reception, make sure the venue can accommodate it within their time limits. It is important to inquire about these restrictions with the venue early in the wedding planning process.

The weather in Los Angeles is quite pleasant most of the time. However, mother nature can be unpredictable. You should ask your venue about their backup plans in case of rain or unforeseen weather conditions. Venues that offer both indoor and outdoor spaces definitely are something you should consider versus other venues that only have outdoor spaces.

Please check out our top recommended wedding venues

One of your most important decisions for planning your wedding day is to choose the right wedding venue. You need to consider your available budget, location, amenities, your expected guests count. Many couples are not experienced with event budgeting. In your early planning stage, try talk to your friends who had experience planning their own weddings. Before you make any major decisions or sign any contract, take a serious look at your total budget and make sure it can cover all your anticipated expenses. 

Other things you should consider are:

what theme do you want for your wedding day?  

do you want indoors? outdoors?

does the venue allow you to hire your own vendors (photographer, DJ, catering)?

In Southern California, you can get married pretty much anytime of the year. However, you should consider the season when you plan your wedding date. If your wedding day is scheduled sometime between December and February, the weather can be pretty chilly, and it will get dark quickly after 4pm, so plan your wedding day accordingly. You should have alternative dates for your wedding, if a venue is not available for your first choice. Consider to book a venue at least 8 months in advance, so you have plenty of time to plan ahead. 

Have open mind to search for other lesser known venues. Those popular event sites tend to have more costly rental fee and other service fees and are less flexible to accomodate your special requests. Also, these sites are more likely booked quickly, especially those months between April and October. 

When you finally commit to a venue, you should try to get a signed contract or at least a confirmation letter from the vendor. Take your time to review everything on the contract.  Even after you’ve placed your deposit to secure your date, contact the coordinator every other month to confirm your reservation. Some venues require clients to choose a list of preferred photographers and videographers, other venues don’t have such policy. 

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Things you need to consider for wedding venue

Here in Southern California, there are plenty of gorgeous locations for engagement photo session. Finding the perfect location may not be that easy for most people. I always suggest my clients to consider what they love doing together or a location that means a lot to them. Some require photo permits, others do not. Following are some of the favorite locations that many couples like a lot, and they are not arranged in any particular order

Santa Monica Pier -  a perfect playground for
couple who like hang out at the beach, play rollercoaster and other fun games

Walt Disney Concert Hall  - a Los Angeles
landmark iconic location that has unique architectural design, ideal spot for
couple who like urban setting and scenery

El Matador Beach : one of the most gorgeous
beaches in Los Angeles County

Venice Canal - a hidden gem of Los Angeles, where
you can take photo at a boat

UCLA campus - one of the most beautiful campus
in Los Angeles

Art District – this is a perfect spot for
couples who love beer and good food

Greystone Mansion - a super elegant and gorgeous
estate, with beautiful landscape, garden and pools

Descano Gardens - a beautiful picturesque garden
for couple to take a walk and spend time together

Malaga Cove Plaza - a tiny unique shopping plaza
with a European water fountain

Rodeo Drive - an iconic location with European vibe

The Mission - a historic missionary architecture site in San Juan Capistrano is truly a gorgeous location
for couple photo shoot

Victoria Beach - the only beach that has unique famous pirate tower

Noguchi Garden - a lesser known garden in the city of Irvine that has special landscape design

If you are looking for an unique location for your engagement photo session, there are other amazing locations in Southern California that are perfect for engagement photo shoot; please contact us for more details 

I always advised my clients that how important it is to have well-planned wedding day timeline. When you plan your timeline, there are many things you need to consider:

1) You need to know how much time you need for bridal getting ready. Are you going to get ready at the venue? at a hotel suite or your home? make sure you need to add your commute time to your timeline. 

2) Makeup and hair styling can take at least 2 hours, depends on how big is your bridal party. 

3) You need time for photo shoot with your bridemaids before you put your wedding gown on. 

4) Do you want to do “first look”? bridal group photo before the ceremony? 5) How about couple portraits? 

6) How long is your wedding ceremony?

7) At the reception, are you going to first dance, parent dances? toasts?

8) are you going to have cake cutting? bouquet toss? 

Every wedding is different. You can start planning your timeline based on your wedding ceremony start time. Find out how much time you need for each session for your wedding day. If your ceremony going to start at 5pm, then your prep time should start at around 9:30am or 10am. Don’t underestimate how much time you need. Starting your wedding day early is highly recommended. 

When you finalize your timeline, you should pass it around to all your vendors, so that everyone understand where and when they are supposed to be at. You should send out the finalized timeline few days before your wedding day.