What to know about selecting a South Bay/Silicon Valley wedding venue
Venue: Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay | Photos: Michelle Chang
Venue: The Glass House | Photos: Amber Hughes
Venue: Hayes Mansion | Photos: Evelyn Molina
Let’s dive into South Bay wedding venues and their unique differentiations in booking considerations from other California wedding venues.
The South Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area includes most of the cities that comprise Santa Clara county and is generally centered around San Jose and even the San Lorenzo Valley.
High season for this region includes May, but also the fall September and October, which fill up fast. Expect more open dates and possibly better pricing during the low season in January and February.
This enclave of the Bay Area has many local microclimates. San Jose and the valley communities can get scorchingly hot in the summer with 100+ degree-days common in July and August. Meanwhile, coastal communities like Pacifica and Half Moon Bay can experience cooler temperatures year round.
If you definitely want an outdoor wedding in the South Bay, the exact location and the time of year will be essential to make sure your event is fun and comfortable for your guests.
An outdoor wedding reception along the beach, at a place like The Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay, makes a stunning backdrop for your nuptials.
Northern California, South Bay wedding venues have something for every wedding style. Gorgeous traditional wedding reception venues like the Corinthian Ballroom, the Glass House or the Hayes Mansion.
Stunning rustic and warm outdoor wedding sites, like upscale and cozy barns and farms in the rural country in South Bay, or eclectic and unique wedding reception sites like the Winchester Mystery House, Improv San Jose or the Auto Sports Club are wedding sites to match any style.
A word to the wise for planning weddings in the South Bay: the large number of business travelers to the Silicon Valley can book up hotels earlier than you might expect. There can be a lot of traffic in the south bay, particularly on weekdays, so try to avoid planning your wedding events during high-traffic times or when large public events like professional sports games or concerts are happening.
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: May, Sept.-Oct., (most busy and requested dates)
Low season: Jan-Feb
Things to keep in mind: The height of summer is consistently very hot and makes outdoor weddings potentially uncomfortable. Indoor weddings are a good alternative during the hot months. While venue prices may be lower mid-week accommodation will likely be higher due to tech industry business travelers.
Be aware of conferences and sports events that may correspond with your dates.
Trends for the area: The south offers a lot of options for event spaces like the Corinthian Ballroom, the Glass house or Hayes Mansion. There are also quirky ones like the Winchester mystery house, Improv San Jose or the Auto Sports club. There are some great rural barn and farm venues south of San Jose.
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!
