What to know about selecting a Marin County/North Bay wedding venue

Venue: Casa Madrona | Photos: Vitae Weddings

Let’s dive into Marin County- North Bay wedding venues and their unique differentiations in booking considerations from other California wedding venues.

Directly north of San Francisco, just across the Golden Gate, the verdant, slightly less dense Marin county  offers little beach towns, artsy cities, and many cool enclaves tucked among the waterfronts, rolling hills, and countryside of Sausalito, Corte Madera, and Marin.

The weather generally stays cooler due to the coastal influence, even in the summer expect to have cool mornings and evenings, so outdoor weddings should take that into account.  

The busiest season is from June to October when wedding parties compete with tourists for hotel rooms and restaurant space.  

Off season for Marin County is from December to February, but don’t let winter deter you.  A gorgeous indoor space can feel cozy and intimate while overlooking rolling fog on the hillsides or the coastline.  

One thing to keep in mind when planning your wedding in Marin County (besides the weather) is that things are more spread out. Transportation between ceremony and reception might be required and the distance from your guests’ hotels to the wedding events may require extra planning.  
But the lush greenery and gardens, the wildflowers and waves all set the scene for boutique, artsy venues like the Marin Art and Garden Center, the Lyford House in Tiburon, Deer Park Villa in Fairfax, or Casa Madrona in Sausalito.

Once you’ve narrowed down where you want to be married, be sure to read our Step By Step Guide to Picking the Perfect Wedding Venue  to help you focus and narrow down your wedding venue search.  It also includes an extremely helpful Venue Question Guide to bring along when you start touring wedding sites.  

Once you have your perfect wedding venue secured, you can start booking the rest of the wedding professionals you’ll need for a dream wedding.  How much time you have before your date will determine the timeframe for when you need to book whom.

For a good guide on what other wedding vendors to book and when to book them, just add your wedding date and location on Event Hollow and it will automatically recommend by date when each service should be booked.   

Key Considerations:

High season: June-Oct

Low season: Dec.-Feb

Things to keep in mind: Things can be spread out. There are fewer hotels. Transportation may be a necessity. Similar to San Francisco, this area can be quite cool in the summer and temperatures drop in the evenings.

Trends: The North Bay is great for lush greenery, wildflowers, hills, and waterfront views. You’ll find boutique, artsy, and generally smaller venues. There are a bunch of great and unexpected outdoor options in the north bay like the Marin Art and Garden Center, The Lyford House in Tiburon, or Casa Madrona in Sausalito 

Congrats and have fun planning!

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out at [email protected] We’re always happy to help!

Expert Advice, VenuesJennifer Edmon