Indoor/Outdoor Venues

Villa Montalvo 15400 Montalvo Road Saratoga, CA 95071 408.961.5856	Villa Montalvo, or Mantalvo Art Center, is the second most spectacular wedding location in the Bay Area after the Marin Mansion listed above. Less than an hour south of San Francisco, it is an oasis of lawn, trees, and a mansion with an elegant veranda in the front, and several patios in the back. I could go on for a few more paragraphs, but you have to see it to believe it. The afternoon light: INCREDIBLE!
Ralston Hall Notre Dame de Namur University 1500 Ralston Avenue Belmont CA 94002-1908 650.508.3501	Ralston Hall, half an hour south of San Francisco, is the location for your dream wedding. It was built in the 1860s and is over 55,000 square feet. Just for you, it has a ballroom parlor, dining room, and incredible grounds for your ceremony and photography. Notre Dame de Namur University used to be called the College of Notre Dame. It is easy to reach from highway 280, one of the most beautiful freeways in the Bay Area. Whether you choose Villa Montalvo (another half hour south) or Ralston Hall, you and your guests will never forget the scenery and ambiance that both of these Bay Area landmarks provide.
Fogarty Winery 19501 Skyline Blvd Woodside, CA 94062 650.851.6772	Fogarty Winery overlooks Silicon Valley from a wooded retreat on the top of the hills. With stunning views from San Francisco to San Jose, Thomas Fogarty Winery and Vineyards is one of the Peninsula’s premiere wedding locations. Known for its award winning wines, Thomas Fogarty Winery is an intimate, elegant and relaxing setting reserved for memorable special occasions.
Brazilian Room Between Berkeley and Orinda Tilden Regional Park Berkeley, CA 94708 510.540.0220 Brazilian Room	Book a year in advance! Verdant venue, beautiful whether sunny or foggy! Built by the WPA with wood from the Brazilian Pavilion at the Golden Gate International Exposition, the Brazilian Room sits atop a rise, surrounded by trees on three sides, and facing a beautiful hillside in Tilden Park just over the top of the Berkeley Hills, Although the legal capacity is over 150 people, it feels crowded with more than 115 guests. Select from their list of caterers
Hacenda de los Flores 2100 Donald Drive Moraga, CA 94556 925.376.2521	South of Orinda and Lafayette, the Hacienda is a gem set in a suburb half an hour out of San Francisco. The Hacienda is one of my all time favorite photographic venues. It's a country estate run by the city of Moraga. Have your ceremony on the lawn under the trees, and then enjoy a sit down meal at tables around the fountain. The ballroom is too small for everyone to dance in, but this intimacy encourages the guests who do squeeze in to have a really fun time. If I could go to a wedding here every weekend, I'd be in heaven. Accommodates 150 indoors 200 indoors/outdoors, no catering restrictions.
The Faculty Club University of California, Berkeley 510. 643-0834	This is the classic location for a UC Berkeley wedding. Have your ceremony in the glen on the banks of Strawberry Creek, just a few hundred feet from the Campanile. After champagne on the lawn under oak trees, go inside to the huge but humble Great Hall. If you or our parents feel a connection with Cal, this is The Place for your wedding.
UC Berkeley Campus 510.642.4444	Eliot will research the variety of locations available here. They include Alumni House, The Womens Faculty Club and more. Give me a call (415) 601.4588 and we'll see what works for you.
Kohl Mansion 2750 Adeline Drive Burlingame, CA 94010 650.762.1136 650.762.1137 Kohl Mansion	This stunning mansion, built in 1914, has the charm of old-world opulence in any room of the four story home. You can fit more than a hundred guests in the Great Hall, and use other rooms (the library, breakfast room, dining room) for ceremony, hors d'oeuvres, receiving line. The lawn is spectacular for your outdoor ceremony. The Kohl Mansion is twenty-five minutes south of downtown San Francisco. Visit the Kohl Mansion, Ralston Hall and Villa Montalvo, all three of which are within an hour south of San Francisco
Grand Island Mansion and Spa 13415 Grand Island Road Walnut Grove, California 95690-9765 916.775.1705 Grand Island Mansion	Grand Island Mansion (Walnut Grove - in the Delta)On a recent Sunday I drove ninety minutes out of the Bay Area to Grand Island Mansion for a marvelous wedding. Wow! The Mansion and grounds are paradise in the Delta!! Have your ceremony on the lawn in front of the Mansion (24,000 square feet, built in 1917). Then you and your guests can dine in the spectacular two-story indoor courtyard, which transports you into an opulent languor of eighty years ago. This is worth the drive from San Francisco or the shorter drive from Sacramento. 50 to 500 Guests. Catering provided.
The Lark Creek Inn 234 Magnolia Avenue Larkspur, CA 94939-2099 415.924.7766 The Lark Creek Inn	This is the wedding location for couples who want to treat their friends and family to great food. Photographically, it's a challenge, but it's worth it for the food. The location, a few miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge and a few minutes from Hwy 101, it is convenient to the Wine Country and San Francisco. You and your guests will be surrounded on all sides, and above, by redwood trees. About sixty people max.
Flood Mansion 2222 Broadway San Francisco, California 94115 415.563.2900	Grand Entrance, marble stairway, view of the Golden Gate Bridge - what more could you ask. This is one of the great San Francisco wedding locations. You can have your ceremony inside, in the plain courtyard just outside, or even at your San Francisco church. Then have your reception inside this grand mansion. The rooms with tall ceilings are more elegant than I can describe. During the week this is the School of the Sacred Heart. And, you can bring in your own caterer.
Hamlin Mansion 2120 Broadway San Francisco, CA 94115 415. 389.8069	After socializing and eating (bring your favorite caterer) in the rooms on the upper floor, you guests will gather on the main floor. You will descend the staircase, backlit by the setting sun shining through the landing on the window, onto the dance floor so you can have your first dance as husband and wife. Don't confuse this with the Flood Mansion in the next block. Like the Flood Mansion, the Hamlin Mansion is a school during the weekdays, and you will bring in your own caterer.
Piedmont Community Center 722 Highland Avenue Piedmont, CA 94611 510.420.3081	Piedmont Community Center. Don't let the prosaic name fool you - this is a beautifully simple location inside and out! It's a favorite in the East Bay, and often books one year out. You'll love the light interior with arched windows. It includes a tiny stage for your band or DJ. There are several spots for outdoor ceremonies. The patio is a popular area for receptions, followed by dancing indoors. 105 indoors, 200 indoor/outdoor, no catering restrictions.
Dunsmuir House and Gardens 2960 Peralta Oaks Court Oakland, CA 94605 510.562-0328	Dunsmuir House and Gardens (Oakland):The setting, a little valley, complete with house, creek, lawns, and a bridge, is a popular wedding locale. The porch of the house seems to have been made for photography, and the surrounding grass and trees allow one to forget that it is only two minutes from the freeway. If you want an outdoor wedding and reception in a bucolic expanse, waste no time in calling to reserve your day. Choose from the list of select caterers.