Ready to Where: Dreamy Locations For Your California Wedding

Santa Ynez Inn
Over the past two years, thanks to renovations and some decadent guest programming, this longtime staple of Santa Barbara wine country has become a refined and romantic contender in the wedding weekend game. Capitalize on the property’s standard inclusions (such as a daily wine-and-cheese hour, hot breakfast, free tasting passes for 20 of the valley’s wineries) to occupy downtime. Hold a pregame whiskey tasting in the library, which, along with the other common areas and 20 rooms, was given a face lift. The lawn has also been redone to include fire pits and a tall brick hearth. The pièce de résistance is the refurbished historic Coach House, with its wood floors, dramatic chandeliers, beamed ceiling and candle-covered brick wall. The main chamber seats as many as 80 guests at king tables, and when the meal is done, folks can cozy up to the vintage bar in the front lounge or exit through the oversize barn door to the twinkle-lit patio.

Sanctuary Beach Resort
This oceanfront Monterey Bay resort finally has a food and beverage program and an indoor reception spaces to match the majesty of its toes-in-sand ceremonies. The stand-alone Salt Wood Kitchen & Oysterette Restaurant, opened last fall, specializes in seafood and wood-fired preparations, and sources ingredients from regional farms, waters and ranches. The entire restaurant, with its coastal color scheme, is available for buy outs. Smaller groups (16–60) can set up in the two function rooms, adjoining foyer and wraparound porch. The wainscoted walls, weathered tables, big windows, gas fireplaces and gable ceilings give both rooms a slightly Scandinavian vibe.

Timber Cove Resort 
The nine-month Novogratz-helmed overhaul of this 46-room Frank Lloyd Wright–reminiscent gem, just north of Jenner on the rugged Sonoma Coast, will appeal to hipster couples dreaming of boho nuptials. After all, the grounds feature a 93-foot-tall totem by Beniamino Bufano and the rooms sport pour-over coffee kits and record players. Congregate by the stone hearth in the great room while sipping craft cocktails from the lobby bar, set up a bocce tournament, or play a round of pingpong, foosball or pool on the patio. Say “I do” in a meadow that overlooks the water and the forest, followed by a dinner for 60 served in the Ansel Adams Room, with its unusual redwood tree columns, round centerpiece window and redwood deck.

The Garland
A retro-style boutique hotel tucked away in North Hollywood, The Garland features a rich Hollywood history as it was originally founded by actress Beverly Garland as a chic hideaway for friends and family. Now owned by Garland’s son, the hotel rests on 7 acres and offers a variety of wedding spaces, including the soon-to-be-renovated Garland Ballroom. Current plans include installing windows to bring in natural light as well as doors to enhance an indoor-outdoor flow to the Edison-bulb-strung courtyard. Couples looking for an outdoor space can tie the knot in the 4,000 square-foot Beverly Park (as many as 250 guests), a hidden garden tucked beneath sycamore trees. Larger head counts can be accommodated by the recent addition of Beverly Park West, which adds an expansive 5,200-square feet. Separated from the main garden by iron gates, the space can be transformed into a reception area, with plenty of space for a seated dinner and dance floor. Move the party inside one of the ballrooms for a music-fueled after-party atmosphere. Recover the next morning at The Frontyard, a chic option for a post-wedding brunch (don’t miss the Nutella-stuffed French toast).

Rehearsal Dinners and More

The Gravel Lounge is the newest addition to Round Pond Estate’s already dynamite roster of private event spaces, which include the Napa Valley winery’s tasting room terrace and big red barn. The open-air “room” is tucked into the vines on the western edge of the Rutherford vineyard and looks out at the Mayacamas Mountains. The reedy roof lets sunlight trickle down over a smattering of concrete-topped rounds and bistro chairs in the company’s signature orange, making it perfect for spring soirees and showers. The in-house chef will create a seasonal feast incorporating the winery’s big, bold reds, artisan olive oil line and fresh ingredients from the giant garden. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, The London West Hollywood upgraded their lobby bar, lounge and Boxwood on the Roof restaurant, and introduced afternoon tea service. The new look is country-house conservatory chic (skylights, latticework frieze, polished marble). One section can be cordoned off for a private gathering to sip Earl Grey. The best part? A donation to a local animal shelter adds the hotel’s resident bulldog puppies, Winston and Churchill, to the guest list.The high-tech kitchen, open floor plan and third-floor balcony make the French Regency art maison Leclaireur Los Angeles far more than a gallery. After mingling among the contemporary masterpieces, which include painted cabinets by Fornasetti, 40 of your nearest and dearest can ascend to the top floor for a seated meal.