Table of Contents
- Why Southern California
- Geographic Diversity
- The Beach
- The City
- The Desert
- Southern California Wedding Venues
- Notable Vendors
- Guest Experience
- Travel
- Southern California Videography
Why Southern California
From the beach to the desert, to the city, there are endless options for you on your Southern California Wedding. Whether you are considering a coastal celebration in Santa Barbara or a desert destination in Palm Springs, there are diverse climates, cultures, and venues to choose from no matter what your aesthetic preferences are. If you plan to marry in the Golden State, see below for our top 10 reasons why you should get married in Southern California!
10 Reasons to Get Married in Southern California
- Geographic Diversity
On any given day, you can hop from a sunny beach to a cityscape to the palm tree-lined scenery of the Southern California desert within a few hours. Each region has its own specific benefits to offer, the key is just figuring out which will be the right choice for you!
The Beach: There’s something really spectacular about the Southern California coastline. Picturesque scenes of palm trees and sandy beaches come to life through destinations like Santa Barbara, Orange County, and San Diego. Many seaside resorts offer stunning ceremony sites with pristine views of the Pacific Ocean in the background. Follow that by taking your reception indoors or spend the rest of the evening in an alfresco celebration beneath the stars.
The City: A city like no other, Los Angeles is famous for its multicultural flair and sprawling cityscape. One moment you can be cruising through historic neighborhoods lined with palm trees and the next you are in downtown LA surrounded by bustling streets and buildings reminiscent of New York City. Whether it’s an elegant ballroom you seek or a rooftop celebration with panoramic views of the city, there are many parts of Los Angeles waiting to be explored for your wedding!
The Desert: If desert chic or mid-century modern is your vibe, Palm Springs is definitely the Southern California wedding destination of choice for you! When it comes to landscape and ambiance, you can find properties ranging from colorful boho rentals and lush gardens to cactus-filled desert scenes and quirky mid-century estates. Privately owned properties and beautiful resorts are abundant throughout the Southern California desert, leaving you endless opportunities to select from!
- Weather
California weather is coveted across the nation, maybe even across the globe, and there are countless valid reasons for that. Having Mediterranean-like climate, most coastal and southern regions of the Golden State have warm, dry summers, and slightly rainy winters. While spring and early summer may be cooler, May gray or June gloom may have couples rethinking having their weddings during that time. The fall months, from September to November, tend to be the most popular wedding months because of clearer skies and cooler temperatures.
- Southern California Wedding Venues
Southern California wedding venues are as diverse in style, decor, and setting as the region itself. Elegant ballrooms, seaside resorts, and swanky rooftops are at your fingertips in numerous locations. Whatever type of venue you’re looking for on your wedding day, you can find in Southern California.
Some venues with beautiful ocean views are Monarch Beach Resort, Pelican Hill Resort, and Terranea Resort. Our favorite wineries include Malibu Rocky Oaks, Calamigos Ranch, and Saddlerock Ranch. Some fantastic hotels to host your wedding at Beverly Hills Hotel, Hotel Bel-Air, and The Ranch at Laguna Beach.
- Outdoor Ceremonies and Receptions
With great weather and an abundance of dreamy locations, outdoor ceremonies and receptions are always an option in Southern California. You can also mix and match with an outdoor ceremony and indoor reception or vice versa. Most venues graciously offer multiple wedding sites throughout their property, allowing you to transition from a warm summer ceremony on the oceanfront lawn to a luxurious ballroom reception to protect you and guests from the evening ocean breezes.
- Notable Vendors
Southern California has no shortage of talented wedding vendors, including some of the top wedding planners not just in California, but known across the country and beyond! The advantage of working with notable event professionals is that they have a wealth of information and experience and will be your go-to person for all things wedding planning. From timelines to venue tours, vendor selection and more, investing in a planner who sees your vision clearly and can execute it with ease will make your wedding day and the planning process so much more enjoyable!
- Southern California Wedding Trends
Classic elegance is the way to go. With gorgeous views and locations, you can let the setting speak for itself. Couples in California tend to go for more classic setups that connect with their outdoor ceremonies and receptions and complement the architectural details of the venue or location.
- Guest Experience
There’s never a shortage of things to do in Southern California. With endless cities, experiences and more, your guests will be able to enjoy everything Southern California has to offer in addition to your wedding. Families can enjoy amusement parks, beaches, and resorts with ocean view pools. Couples looking for an intimate getaway can escape to Joshua Tree in a bungalow or take a quick boat ride to Catalina for the weekend. Your guests will be more than happy to stay and play and enjoy all of the entertainment opportunities that Southern California has to offer.
- Cuisine
The diversity in Southern California extends to the cuisine as well. With Hispanic influences, fresh shellfish and seafood and fusion cuisine, the possibilities for your special day are endless. As a highly agricultural state, there has also been a drive for using local, sustainable ingredients in recent years.
- Travel
Whether it’s your guests flying in for your wedding or you flying out on your honeymoon, there are numerous travel options available in Southern California. With several international airports in the area, you and your guests will be able to fly wherever you need to. With direct flights to Cabo, Hawaii, and more from LAX or John Wayne Airport, you can head off to your domestic or international honeymoon with ease.
- Southern California Videography
A picture is worth a thousand words but video can pick up all the details a photo might miss. Whether it’s incredible ocean views or a desert oasis as your backdrop, you’re going to want to capture every moment of your Southern California wedding. Elysium Productions will capture every moment of your special day and preserve the love in a cinematic video for you to hold close forever!
Click through our portfolio of video galleries in general Southern California including Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego!
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