Museum Wedding Venues in California

Ingrid

5.0 out of 5 rating

5.0

Working with OCMA as the venue of one of our recent weddings was such a wonderful experience from start to finish. As a wedding planner, I've worked with my fair share of venues across Southern California and beyond, and I can honestly say OCMA stood out to me as one of the best we've worked with. Not only is the space aesthetically stunning, Sierra and her team took such amazing care of us and provided excellent support throughout the planning process. Sierra was so easy to communicate with to coordinate all the details leading up to the event -- and on the wedding day, she was So helpful and hands on, providing us with much more day-of assistance than we're use to receiving from most venue teams. We even had an unexpected 180 change in weather with some sporadic rain on the morning of the wedding. Sierra's team was so on top of helping us deal with this curveball proactively, and the show went on seamlessly. The whole wedding ceremony ran so smoothly in large part due to all the preparation and support that Sierra and her team provided. We at Grand Entrance affairs highly recommend choosing OCMA as your venue for your next special event, and we look forward to working with them -- hopefully soon!

Fatinah

5.0 out of 5 rating

5.0

We had our wedding at the Bowers Museum in April and it is an absolutely stunning venue and very underrated! Our ceremony was outside in the front courtyard (Margaret and Cleo Key Courtyard) and the reception was inside (John M Lee Court). Parking is free and available onsite. For the ceremony, there is so much greenery and beautiful features that you don’t need to spend too much on flowers or decorations. The reception hall has sculptures on the walls and artifacts around the room, giving the venue depth with an added touch of history and culture. We worked with Al Kanjo, who is very accommodating and easy to work with. The rate is very reasonable to either get a portion of the Bowers Museum or to rent it out completely. We were finding venue’s for 2x to 4x the price and for less space/grandeur. The bridal suite is basically an old conference room without windows, so I would recommend getting ready at a hotel (which is what our wedding party did). This is a very unique and modern venue so if you are looking for something that isn’t your typical reception hall or hotel, this is the place for you!

Pauline

5.0 out of 5 rating

5.0

We couldn't have been happier with our wedding experience at the Richard Nixon Library! The entire team provided exceptional service that truly made our family and guests feel like VIPs throughout the evening. Our families couldn't stop talking about how polite, attentive, and thoughtful the staff were. Our parents were especially impressed, and it meant so much to us that our grandmother and elderly family members received special appetizer plates during cocktail hour. It was these thoughtful touches that made everyone feel so well taken care of. The food was absolutely delicious and plentiful, and our guests loved the bar selection (we definitely kept the bartenders busy!). The staff even made sure my husband were fell fed and had time enjoy our meals amid all the excitement. A special thank-you to Marissa, Jackie, and Ana for their patience, flexibility, and guidance throughout the planning process, especially with all the back-and-forth menu decisions. Their attention to detail and commitment to hospitality made our wedding feel both elegant and personal. We are so grateful to the entire Nixon team for giving us and our loved ones such a wonderful experience!

I found this venue after typing in budget friendly venue options. Now hear me out… This is an all inclusive space and if you have a budget, I assure you that Monica will help you stick to that. When we had our very first meeting and I received my quote I told her that this is where I wanted to stay And we made it happen. The venue does not need much as it is beautiful on its own. We had the entire venue for the entire day so that allowed us to not have to rush and so I think that that is an option to explore if that is within your budget. Everything was what I imagined it to be! The only hiccup was the lighting was not what I requested, but in the big scheme of things I’m not going to dwell on that. Monica, was our person for the venue. She is extremely efficient and a pleasure to work with. My wedding was perfect!

The Heritage Museum of OC is a beautiful little gem in Santa Ana. My husband and I knew after our first tour of the grounds that this was our wedding venue. We have zero regrets. It’s a gorgeous space! The house is beautiful and the grounds are well maintained year-round. Not only that, but the staff at the museum are so wonderful and easy to work with. Kaitlyn was our venue coordinator and she was fantastic from day one. She answered all of my endless questions throughout the wedding planning process and was always incredibly patient, helpful and kind. She really calmed my nerves the night before and the day of the wedding. The venue was also super flexible with last minute rainstorms. The canopies didn’t take away from how beautiful the venue is. I highly recommend getting married here rain or shine!

I had my wedding at the Gray Matter museum. The event set and the whole staff made my day perfect! I originally was going to have the reception on the lawn and it started pouring and the whole staff moved the whole set up inside. All the chairs for the ceremony got wet and right before the ceremony they wiped down every chair. Marie made sure my day was perfect for me. Our photographer Shane was awesome! He made sure he got all the right photos with the right lighting. Our DJ Joey C played the music we wanted plus some other great dancing music. The whole night Marie and Kelly kept making sure I have eaten, I drank water, made sure I had a drink if I needed one and I could not be more thankful for them

We had our wedding at the Edward-Dean Museum and Gardens and highly recommend this beautiful hidden gem as a wedding venue! Stacey, Karsyn, and the rest of the EDM team were all amazingly helpful every step of the way. They were happy to answer all of our questions throughout the wedding planning process and also made sure everything ran smoothly on the day of our wedding. The venue is absolutely beautiful and as an added bonus, the roses in the rose garden were in bloom for our wedding day. We especially liked that the large and varied spaces on their grounds offered so many options in terms of where our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception could each be held. We also appreciated the time that the team put into our walkthrough to ensure that all of our vendors were on the same page about our plans for the day. Overall, we are so grateful that we found EDM and can't thank the team enough for all of their help in making our wedding day dream a reality!

Aida

5.0 out of 5 rating

5.0

Had such an amazing wedding at the Seymour Center! I used to have classes here through UCSC so it was wonderful being able to come back as a bride!
The team was amazing to work with, great and clear communication. Pretty easy going venue! You don’t have to use their vendors but we did use a lot of their recommended vendors since they were local and great. 
Think about this venue as 3 for the price of 1. You have you outside venue which is breathtaking. Coastal bluffs and ocean. An outdoor ceremony here was more than i could’ve asked for. Everyone went back out later in the evening for sunset photos!
Then you have your La Feliz room, which is a gorgeous hall with beach views, great for dinner and speeches. And the exhibit hall, for dancing, surrounded by fish! Our bar was set up next to the lighted up jelly fish tanks! and there’s touch tanks! 
If you’re looking for a nature, indoor/outdoor wedding this is the venue for you! 100/10 recommend.

Kerry

5.0 out of 5 rating

5.0

As people who have loved the Exploratorium since we were kids, it was the perfect wedding venue for us! We had the ceremony in the outdoor gallery and the reception in the Central and West galleries. We chose these spaces to prioritize the best exhibits over the best view of the Bay (but the view back into the city was perfect for the ceremony!). Everyone at the Exploratorium was so helpful in the planning stages, expertly answering all questions and helping figure out some complicated logistics with dropping off and picking up decorations (we did all the flowers and decorations ourselves). The day went so smoothly - the timeline was tight, but everyone coordinated expertly! Our 160 guests LOVED playing with the exhibits throughout the evening, and having the Exploratorium staff on hand to run exhibits made it that much better. We truly couldn't have asked for a more perfect wedding!

Scott

5.0 out of 5 rating

5.0

My wife and I booked the Los Altos History Museum for our wedding ceremony & reception, and we were absolutely thrilled with the result. If you're looking for a museum recommendation, it's also a great stop with both rotating & permanent exhibitions worth visiting. The facilities are wonderful, and Director of Operations Lisa Porter is the beating heart of what makes it the incredible event venue that it is. From the moment we started our venue tour, it was clear that she is an amazing asset in making events run smoothly in every step of the process. Her experiential knowledge, flexibility, responsiveness, creativity, and adaptiveness were instrumental in making our wedding the momentously joyous day that it was, and in making the journey to it fun as well. We stopped looking early in our search when we toured the grounds with her and talked through the logistical freedoms it affords. Naturally every wedding venue suits a different theme, but I do think this space is unique in having in inherent charm (i.e. not a blank characterless slate) that remains highly adaptable to your vision (i.e. your event design will augment it w/o risk of clash). Seeing the beauty of the space as filled with our (read: my wife's) vision, I was bawling from the moment I stepped outside to take my position for going down the aisle. I particularly loved the space in the twilight and after dark as well. Add to it that as a public space, we look forward to revisiting it for many years of reminiscing to come. If you're still reading, I hope you're excited to host your event here, and please do get in touch with Lisa ASAP!