Best Bay Area Outdoor Wedding Venues

This is our list of the best Bay Area outdoor wedding venues with options for outdoor ceremonies and receptions. The San Francisco Bay Area is full of amazing wedding venues and as wedding photographers we’ve been lucky to work at some really beautiful spaces over the years. Choosing your wedding venue is a personal decision and each wedding venue is going to check different boxes.

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PIEDMONT COMMUNITY HALL

711 Highland Ave
Piedmont, CA 94611

Piedmont Community Hall is an easy, affordable Bay Area wedding venue that combines an intimate, outdoor ceremony setting with the convenience of a well appointed facility. Ceremonies take place in the redwood amphitheater followed by a cocktail hour and reception outside in the hall’s courtyard. The hall itself is a beautiful art deco building with hardwood floors and the perfect spot for desert and dancing. Naturally it can be used for your reception too.

We’re thankful to be on the venue’s preferred vendor list and you can view some of our recent photos here.

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The Gardens at Heather Farm

1540 Marchbanks Dr
Walnut Creek, CA 94598

The Gardens at Heather Farm quickly became one of our favorite outdoor wedding venues in the Bay Area and it’s a place that we love returning to again and again. Located in Walnut Creek, this venue is known for it’s impressive rose garden but it’s 6.5 acres is full of an array of trees and beautiful plants. We love that The Garden’s at Heather Farm has a great mix of outdoor and indoor space and allows us a lot of variety for photos throughout the entire wedding day. Your celebration can move from the rose covered gazebo, to a cocktail on the patio, to their large, bright indoor reception space.

For more information and to see some wedding photos from The Gardens at Heather Farm, click here.

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Radonich Ranch

25140 Highland Way
Los Gatos, CA 95033

Nothing beats a warm summer evening at Radonich Ranch. This old fruit packing ranch is tucked away in the Santa Cruz Mountains just outside of Los Gatos and it’s the perfect setting for an outdoor Bay Area wedding. Following your outdoor ceremony, you and your wedding guests can enjoy an evening on the main lawn underneath romantic string lighting and then dance the night away in the venue’s barn space. The beautiful grounds are large enough for some great variety for wedding photos.

For more information and to see some wedding photos from Radonich Ranch, click here.

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UC Botanical Garden

200 Centennial Dr
Berkeley, CA 94720

Intimate elopement ceremonies in the redwoods are so beautiful but often only allow for a few people to attend. At the UC Botanical Garden in Berkeley you can get married amongst the towering redwoods and still invite all your friends and family. The garden’s Mather Redwood Grove has a beautiful wooden amphitheater that can accommodate up to 200 guests. After your ceremony you can cross over to the main garden space for an endless amount of photo backdrops and a wedding reception at Julia Morgan Hall.

For more information and to see some wedding photos from UC Botanical Garden, click here.

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Vine Hill House

3601 Vine Hill Rd
Sebastopol, CA 95472

The Vine Hill House is an intimate outdoor wedding venue in Sebastopol with breathtaking views of the Sonoma wine country. Ceremonies take place overlooking the valley while receptions happen on the property’s lush lawn. The venue has no shortage of beautiful settings for photos from the lush hydrangea covered garden arch to the property’s own vineyard. The venue also includes on-site coordination and provides tables and chairs!

View some photos from a recent Vine Hill House wedding here.

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Shelldance Orchid Gardens

2000 CA-1
Pacifica, CA 94044

One of the most unique wedding venues we’ve had the opportunity to work at is Shelldance Orchid Gardens in Pacifica. Who doesn’t want to get married in a lush greenhouse surrounded by beautiful plants? The venue has several garden rooms or greenhouse wings which can serve nicely for wedding portraits as well as distinct areas for your cocktail hour. Shelldance is also able to accommodate a reception tent for dinner outside overlooking the Pacific Ocean below.

For more information and to see some wedding photos from Shelldance Orchid Gardens, click here.

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Dawn Ranch

16467 CA-116
Guerneville, CA 95446

Dawn Ranch is a stunning venue in Guerneville, CA right on the banks of the Russian River. It’s the perfect venue for a wedding weekend with your family and friends as the 15 acre property has a surprising amount of on-site cabins to meet your guest’s needs. For your wedding day there are several beautiful ceremony and reception locations including their orchard, meadow, and boathouse lawn spaces.

See more photos from a Dawn Ranch wedding here.

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Headlands Center for the Arts

944 Simmonds Rd
Sausalito, CA 94965

This former military barracks is located north of the Golden Gate Bridge in the Marin Headlands. Headlands Center for the Arts is a space for artists of all disciplines to develop new work and explore the creative process. It’s also an incredible and history rich wedding venue. The four story building has big windows, tall ceilings, beautiful floors, and even a mess hall for your reception. Ceremonies take place in their amphitheater overlooking the beautiful headlands.

See a real wedding at the Headlands Center for the Arts here.

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Hacienda de las Flores

2100 Donald Dr
Moraga, CA 94556

We love when wedding venues are large enough to have plenty of variety yet small enough to make day of logistics easy. Hacienda de las Flores is a great example of this. The grounds feature an open air patio with a stone fountain, a large lawn, and a beautiful enclosed pavilion space surrounded by a neoclassical colonnade. Wedding ceremonies can take place on the open air patio, nearby lawn, or in the pavilion.

You can see more photos from Hacienda de las Flores here.

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BRAZILIAN ROOM

1500 Wildcat Canyon Rd
Berkeley, CA 94708

The Brazilian Room was one of the first wedding venues we got to work at as wedding photographers all the way back in 2008 and we still love going back. It’s a beautiful historic building located in Tilden Park in the Berkeley Hills. Wedding ceremonies typically take place on the flagstone patio overlooking the hills of Wildcat Canyon and receptions move inside the elegant Brazilian Room with rich wood paneling. It’s a smaller more contained venue but the location, affordability, and natural beauty make it a great option.

We’re a preferred vendor at the Brazilian Room and you can see more of our photos from there here.

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About E&B Photography

We photographed our first wedding in the Bay Area back in 2008. All these years later we still love weddings! Our photography style is candid and photojournalistic and our wedding photos are bright and true to life. We believe that everyone should have great wedding photos at a reasonable price.

Learn more about our wedding photography here and see our full pricing here.

Brazilian Room Weddings

The Brazilian Room in Tilden Park is one of the East Bay’s most beautiful and affordable wedding venue. We’ve photographed several weddings over the years at the Brazilian Room (also often called the Brazil Building) and we love working there. We’re so lucky to have Tilden Park in our backyard and we love that there is a such a great wedding venue tucked within it’s borders.

Below are some tips we’ve compiled over all our years working there as well some photos from past weddings.

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Weddings at the Brazilian Room

The main ceremony location at the Brazilian Room is outside on the patio and has a seated capacity of 150 guests. The view is beautiful and overlooks the lush tree covered hills of Wildcat Canyon. The patio is adjacent to a large green space, which adds a pop of color to your ceremony backdrop. Due to the abundance of natural scenery, it doesn’t take much to turn the patio into an elegant wedding ceremony site.

The Brazilian Room is a beautiful venue both inside and out. The large floor to ceiling windows allow guests to continue to enjoy what nature has to offer during your wedding reception. A reception at the Brazil Room allows you to feel connected to the outdoors while enjoying the romantic comforts of hardwood floors, dark wood paneling and even a large stone fireplace.

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How to Reserve the Brazilian Room

The park service operates an online facility calendar that you can use to check availability. As with most Bay Area wedding venues, Saturdays and Sundays in the Summer months are quick to go and weekend dates in September are a hot ticket and book up quick.

How much does the Brazilian Room Cost?

One perk about using a wedding venue operated by the Parks Department is price. The Brazilian Room is one of the more affordable wedding venues in the area. Couples looking for a good deal can choose to have their wedding on an “off-peak” day of the week (Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday) or opt for their day rates. Friday through Sunday pricing, for Alameda & Contra Costa County residents, starts at $2100 with longer facility buy out options available. You can view the full breakdown of rental fees here.

photo Locations at the Brazilian Room

We always tell our clients that the Brazilian Room and nearby venue grounds are plenty for most family, wedding party, and couple portraits. However, Tilden Park has so many wonderful areas to take wedding photos. Below are some of our go-to spots for shooting couple, wedding party, and family portraits.

Regional Parks Botanic Garden

One popular area to visit for wedding photos is just down the hill at the Botanic Garden. This is a beautiful labyrinth of plants that contains hundreds of native California plant species from coastal redwoods to California poppies. It’s the easiest spot to access and one of our favorites. Bear in mind there is an additional fee to use the space for wedding portraits.

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Tilden Park Picnic Sites

In addition to the garden, there are plenty of nearby picnic sites with open meadows and groves of eucalyptus trees. Immediately behind the Brazilian Room is small open space off Anza View Rd. If you follow Wildcat Canyon Rd. towards Inspiration Point, you’ll pass Mineral Springs and the Quarry Trail Picnic Site both of which are nice spots for photos. The latter option climbs a little bit but the Seaview Trail is worth the view.

Inspiration Point

While the name certainly elevates your expectations, Inspiration Point in Tilden Park may not be the best spot for wedding photos. It’s a beautiful place don’t get us wrong but with wedding day logistics it can be tricky to truly take advantage of this place. The immediate view from the parking lot looks out over the San Pablo Reservoir and is slightly obstructed by the hillside trees below. To achieve a view that looks out on to the San Francisco Bay you will have to walk quite a bit along the Nimitz Trail for the tree line to fall away. This is a lovely, mostly paved trail but for a quick scenic spot you’re better off finding a different location.

Grizzly Peak

Grizzly Peak, with it’s panoramic views of the Bay Area, is a popular idea but not one that we personally recommend for golden hour photos. It’s a popular spot and over the past few years has become even more tricky to park at.

Wherever you are in Tilden Park, make sure to stay on trails and watch out for Poison Oak! It’s rampant out there and certainly won’t make for a happy wedding keepsake.

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Preferred Vendors

The Brazilian Room has a required caterer list here. You must hire a caterer if you’re having an event on Friday, Saturday, Sunday or on a holiday.

The venue also provides a preferred vendor list for photographers, florists, event planners, and DJ’s. We’re grateful to be listed as a preferred photographer!

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If you’re interested in other venues, check out our list of favorite Bay Area wedding venues.

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About e&b photography

e&b photography is a natural light wedding and portrait photography studio located in Oakland, California. 

Mention this article and receive $100 off your wedding day coverage with e&b. Complete the form below. 

Radonich Ranch Wedding

Nestled in the Santa Cruz mountains in Los Gatos, California is a beautiful wedding venue called Radonich Ranch.  This old fruit packing facility has been a favorite venue of ours for over ten years and we always look forward to photographing a few weddings each season at Radonich. When we see it listed as the venue in our wedding inquiries we instantly get excited about the potential of heading back to one of our favorite places.  There’s something magical about a warm, summer evening at Radonich Ranch.

Being at Radonich Ranch without wedding decor already feels like a lush and relaxing experience.  There’s no shortage of awesome backgrounds and rustic details and the catering and coordinating team Feel Good Foods do a bang up job making the whole place shine. The rustic barn, the cozy picnic tables and the perfectly hung string lights don’t need much extra work to make you feel like you have stepped into a cozy and intimate retreat.  With such great bones to start with it is easy for our couples to make the venue photo ready making our job that much easier. 

Wedding ceremonies at the ranch take place in some comfortable shade overlooking old trees and afterwards your cocktail hour and reception can have a host of configurations on the large open lawn. Come evening most couples transition into the barn for desert and dancing.

Radonich Ranch Wedding Photos

Below are an assortment of Radonich Ranch wedding photos that we've shot over the last few weddings.

Late May

Early September

Late October

Vine Hill House Wedding

We photographed our first wedding at Vine Hill House in Sebastopol way back in 2012 and it’s still one of our favorite wedding venues to return to. It’s a beautiful event space overlooking the Russian River Valley wine country. The property itself is part of the O’Connell Vineyards. It’s the perfect venue for a wine country wedding with an intimate, garden feel.

Wedding ceremonies at the Vine Hill House take place in a grove of Douglas fir and redwoods over looking the valley’s vineyards. This same space can be used later as a dance floor and is illuminated at night with beautiful lanterns and sparkly string lights.

Receptions take place behind the house with plenty of space for round tables complete with heaters for those chilly Bay Area summer evenings. The house has a porch in the back which makes for a perfect stage for formal toasts during dinner.

There are plenty of picturesque areas for first looks, family portraits, and couple portraits from the wooden archway surrounded in hydrangeas to the rows of wine vines in the orchard.

How much is the Vine Hill House?

As of November 2023, pricing for a Saturday or a holiday is $9900. Fridays are $8900. Sundays are $8000. The Vine Hill House is available for rental between April 1st and November 30th.

What’s included in a Vine Hill House rental?

One of the great things that we and our couples love about the Vine Hill House is how much is included with your booking. Your 6 hour event rental includes event coordination and on-site day of coordination. Dan, the owner, has been facilitating weddings for years and he runs the show with precision. He and his team are such a great resource to have and it’s an amazing perk to have as part of your venue rental.

Your rental also includes your ceremony chairs and 60” reception tables! That’s not only a huge savings but involves way less coordination for pick up and drop off before and after your wedding.

You also get use of the house throughout the day. This is super helpful for getting ready, tucking away before your ceremony, and just general decompression time on the day of.

For a full list of what’s included in your rental, visit their rental page here.

Vine Hill House Wedding Photos