Email this page  Print this page

Lisa Marie Rovito

Weddings by Avra Photography

This gorgeous valley offers more wedding locations than you can toss a bouquet at!

You're in love. And isn't that what weddings are about? First and foremost, yes. But as a close second, they’re about location. Everything seems to revolve around it — the wedding date, the size of the guest list, the level of formality. It's nearly impossible to start booking wedding vendors before you can tell them what date you're getting married and where.

Certified wedding coordinator Carolyn Russom of I Do Weddings feels that country clubs and golf resorts are some of the best, most hassle-free places to host a wedding in the area. (And there certainly are enough of them from which to choose!) "By choosing one, you’re guaranteed to have a great location — and a great backdrop for your photos," Russom says. "Check out a bunch of them. Some of the lower end clubs actually have more scenic courses than some of the higher end ones." If you are hosting both the ceremony and reception at a club, Russom's advice is not to get too tied to the ceremony site first: "The ceremony location will be gorgeous at any club. It’s the banquet facilities, service, and prices that will vary."

Wedding designer Gina Leslie, owner of The Walk Down the Aisle, agrees that choosing the right place for your wedding and reception depends on the perfect combination of location in the desert, the destination itself, and the service you receive from their staff. "You can have a phenomenal location, but if the people are difficult or inexperienced it can be more of a challenge than the beauty brings," Leslie says. "If you’re getting someone who is saying 'no' to everything you ask for, you're going to want to know why. A lot of it comes with experience. Those locations that aren't as experienced with hosting weddings tend to want to follow the rules more."

Hiring a wedding coordinator certainly gives you a head start on whittling down the hundreds of amazing choices in the area based on the size of the wedding, desired locale, style, and budget. But even before you call for an initial consult, check out our guide. We've done the digging on some of the area's top choices for all styles of ceremonies and receptions. Soon all of those planning pieces will fall right into place. We’ve even divided them by category to save you the trouble. You have enough to do!
(Maximum guest capacity listed is for seated receptions; cocktail parties may allow for more.)

VENUES BY "STYLE…"

• New School

• Museums

• Smaller Restaurants for Intimate Weddings

• Classic Palm Springs

• Midcentury Modern

• Exotic

• Great Outdoors

• Off the Beaten Path

• Private Estates

• Golf/Country Club