Socal Brides (san Bernardino , Ventura, Riverside and San Diego County)

I mean right now with all the stay at home orders, you can’t have a wedding at a venue in the vast majority of the state. I think you can still do an outdoor ceremony but not 100% sure.
I had mine in Lake Tahoe on 12/6, 4 days before the Stay at Home order started in the Sacramento area. Still, We were not allowed to have any gathering inside and the outdoor was limited capacity. Masks and social distancing required: all tables 6ft+ apart and 5 people max per table which normally hold 12 people.
We had 17 guests and it was a really wonderful, albeit very cold, day.

Hi! I got married on Oct 24th in San Diego. At the time, we weren't in the current stay at home order and outdoor restaurants could still operate. I got married at Bali Hai, which is a restaurant. We were able to have up to 120 guests because they had enough space on their outdoor property to space out the tables 6 feet apart. I did have some guests leave though upon arriving when they saw how many people still showed up in a pandemic... It's definitely hard to gauge everyone's comfort levels. My reception followed outdoor dining rules - only 6 people per table and you can take your masks off when seated. Otherwise, my guests had to put on a mask anytime they got up (i.e. to use the restroom, say hi to someone, etc). My guests also could not get up to go to the bar, but the wait staff was on top of it and took drink orders as needed. There was no group dancing allowed. My husband and I, however, could still do our first dance and our dances with our mother/father. We did not have to wear a mask for this part as we were dancing away from the guests. We hired entertainment, since we could not have group dancing. We hired hula and fire dancers as our wedding was a tropical theme. Our wedding planner gave us some other good ideas like a dueling pianos show, live band, comedian, magician, etc.

Our ceremony was outdoors too. My husband and I, our officiant, and bridal party did not need to wear masks during the ceremony (thank goodness, so at least our photos of the ceremony look somewhat normal). All the guests had to wear a mask during the ceremony, even though it was outdoors. My venue also assigned ceremony seats - whoever was at your reception table was also your ceremony row, that way you're only interacting with the same 6 people throughout the evening. To me, our wedding day was still perfect and so much fun. It was worth all the adjustments just to get married and start our life together. We did not want to push it back because there's no end in sight really when this whole pandemic could be over.

Do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. We're in a devastating situation for all brides, but my experience has taught me that a wedding doesn't need to be what it's always been and you can still have a beautiful day!

View Quoted Comment Wow, amazing! Love this answer !! Happy you still had a beautiful event .

Hello! I'm getting married on Jan. 22, 2021 and staying local here in San Diego. With the current stay at home order, we will be having our church ceremony outdoors. I'll be having 50 guest there, if they show up. Then we'll have a drive by "reception" at my parent's place. We'll be taking socially distant pics with our guest then I'll give them their dinner, cupcake, & wedding favor packed to go. Then I'll be having sit down dinner with our parents and siblings and their family, total 12 people. It will be better in June

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So glad you were able to still have a great wedding! Thank you for the hula and fire dancer idea, I'm also doing tropical! I postponed my wedding to March in Santa Barbara and also are dealing with the same restrictions as you and was racking my brain to come up with an alternative to no dancing, and a magician sounded super lame.

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I'm glad I could help with some entertainment ideas!!! My guests LOVED the hula/fire dancers. Many of them had never been to a Luau before, so it was definitely a memorable night for a lot of people. I also had a lot of guests tell me they always feel awkward dancing at weddings anyways and they preferred the entertainment! The dancers let my husband and I dance with them from 6 feet apart and our guests got a kick out of that as well. The hula troop also came with their own music - drums, singing, etc. and made the whole experience feel really authentic. The troop I used is actually based in LA, which isn't far from Santa Barbara. Let me know if you're interested in a recommendation!

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Awesome! Yes, would love their name/info to look into. Thanks!

We're based in LA, but venue is in SB. Really hoping covid calms down soon or we might be switching to our backyard

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Da Hula Studio in Diamond Bar: http://www.kawikaleinani.com/home.htm

I hope it will get better by March too!! I've seen a lot of weddings happening right now in parks and beaches, which could be a good option in addition to backyard.

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Thank you! Yes, luckily our wedding is on the beach and 100% outdoors, but with all restaurants in socal being closed it doesn't help. Fingers crossed that we'll be able to make it work!

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If outdoor restaurants open again, you should be in the clear!! We were in the purple tier during my wedding, but as long as outdoor restaurants were open, my venue let the wedding happen.

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Yes, we will be good if restaurants can open. We're making a decision by the end of the month which is SO HARD, but last March we were forced to postpone only 5 days before our date, so trying to be more accommodating to our guests this time around.

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That is super hard because rules seem to change daily. I'm sure your guests will appreciate the extra notice. I'm sending you good vibes that it all works out!

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Yes, it is. Last March we couldn't imagine it lasting this long, but here we are! Thank you so much for all of your help and great idea! Really appreciate it and congratulations on your marriage!

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Aww how cute! Is the June date the reception?

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It's this month, January. I meant that for your wedding, it's in June right? thank you!

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That's not bad at all. Lucky enough, hubby and I went to the courthouse a couples years back lol. Our wedding ceremony June 28 2020 to June 21 2021 was supposed to be a huge celebration for our friends and families. But I do agree now the way things are, some adjustments are better than nothing and are worth it. Glad you still had a wonderful day!

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Oh, okay. Yes, it is in June in Orange County.

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I believe that things will change a lot by March hun. It will be close to the start of Spring Season.

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Just saw this and completely forgot ours is on the beach as well lol. Hubby and I visited SB back in September this year and they seemed pretty chill up there, with their covid cases being really low compared to other counties.

Hi all,


I am getting Married in June 2021 in Lake Arrowhead. My planner said they are still planning to do our full 100 person wedding and ceremony. It’s outdoors and there are restaurants on site so I’m hoping they can follow the outdoor dining rules but not sure. I am starting to worry that I will only be able to have the ceremony like the county website says. The planner I get through the venue was a little evasive on what they are currently doing and referred me to the venue. Waiting to hear back from them and trying not to freak out. Postponing really not an option. 🤞