BEST PLACES TO ELOPE IN CALIFORNIA
Professionally planned luxury elopements and intimate weddings designed around the location, the experience, and the couple.
INQUIRE ABOUT A CALIFORNIA ELOPEMENTWhat Makes a Good fit for a Luxury Elopement in California?
California offers coastlines, mountains, desert, wine country, and cities. But not every beautiful place in California works for a luxury elopement.
Scenery alone is not enough.
The locations on this page are selected based on how the day is experienced, not just how it looks in photos.
We focus on places that support:
- privacy and permit structure
- controlled access and guest comfort
- venues and settings that feel elegant and intentional
- comfort, proper pacing for ceremony, movement, and fine dining
- locations with practical access for planning and setup
This guide focuses on places where luxury elopements actually work.
San Diego
Coastal with Spring-Like Weather Year Round
Overview
COASTAL, CITY AND MODERN CHIC
Often called America’s Finest City, San Diego is one of California’s most beautiful locations for a luxury elopement or intimate wedding.
Coastal towns like La Jolla, Del Mar, and Solana Beach offer cliffside views and refined beach towns, while Balboa Park adds Spanish-style architecture and formal garden settings. This range allows couples to choose between coastal and architectural backdrops.
San Diego works exceptionally well for planning. The city offers boutique hotels, private villas, excellent dining, and easy vehicle access for setup and coordination. With a major international airport, surfrider train that runs through the coast all the way to LA and even Northern California and mild weather year-round, it is also simple for guests to attend.
For a deeper look at venues and planning details, see the full San Diego elopement guide.
Best for: Coast, architecture, city-meets-beach
Best time to elope: Year-round
Works well for: Coastal elopements with a relaxed yet elegant feel
Malibu
Private Estates and Dramatic Cliffs
Overview
ICONIC, PRIVATE, CINEMATIC
Malibu is one of California’s most recognizable locations for a luxury elopement or intimate wedding, known for its dramatic scale, privacy, and estate-driven settings.
Cliffside properties overlook the Pacific, while the inland canyons open into rolling hills and vineyard landscapes that feel closer to Tuscany than Southern California. Private estates, long driveways, and wine country surroundings create a sense of arrival and separation that supports a composed, intentional celebration.
Malibu offers a balance of seclusion and accessibility. Its proximity to Los Angeles keeps travel simple, while the geography and estate-based venues allow couples to host an elopement that feels private, elevated, and visually striking without relying on public spaces.
Best for: Private estates, vineyard settings, cliffside views
Best time to elope: Year round (except July in the Canyons)
Works well for: Elopements on private estates and vineyard properties
Palm Springs
Mid-Century Architecture and Desert Light
Overview
DESERT, MID-CENTURY, RETRO GLAMOUR
Palm Springs is a stunning setting for a luxury elopement or intimate wedding, known for its iconic mid-century homes, retro character, and clean desert landscape.
Historic estates, private villas, and small boutique properties offer unique experiences here. Courtyards, pools, palm trees, and mountain backdrops create settings that feel contained, intentional, and well suited to intimate celebrations rather than large events.
Palm Springs offers mid-century private homes with pools, enclosed courtyards, and mountain views, allowing the ceremony, dinner, and overnight stay to happen in one location. This setup works well for intimate groups who want privacy, architectural character, and a relaxed desert setting without moving between venues.
Best for: Mid-century homes, retro architecture, desert settings
Best time to elope: Fall through spring. Avoid the summer heat.
Works well for: Elopements with a retro, glamorous, desert-retreat feel
Big Sur
Dramatic Cliffs and Untouched Wilderness
Overview
RAW, MAJESTIC, QUIET
Big Sur is one of California’s most striking settings for a luxury elopement or intimate wedding, defined by towering cliffs, expansive ocean views, and a sense of scale that feels untouched and remote.
The landscape is the experience here. Blufftop overlooks, redwood forests, and rugged coastline create a powerful natural backdrop with minimal intervention. Locations feel private and immersive, whether set high above the Pacific or tucked beneath ancient trees. The setting favors simplicity, intention, and restraint rather than decorative design.
Big Sur appeals to couples drawn to nature in its most dramatic form. The region allows for quiet, focused ceremonies paired with meaningful experiences, from coastal walks and scenic drives to intimate dining and time spent fully present in the landscape.
For a deeper look at locations, logistics, and planning considerations, see the full Big Sur elopement guide.
Best for: Cliffside overlooks, redwood groves, dramatic coastline
Best time to elope: Spring and fall (summer crowds), winter can be moody with rain
Seasonal highlights: Whale watching along the Pacific coast (typically December–April)
Works well for: Nature-first elopements with quiet luxury and minimal design
Lake Tahoe
Alpine Lake and Mountains
Overview
ALPINE, CLEAR, NATURE
Lake Tahoe sits high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the border of California and Nevada and is known for its clear blue water, alpine forests, and wide-open mountain setting.
The lake remains the focal point year-round. In warmer months, granite peaks, pine forests, and open shoreline create a calm, expansive environment. In winter, snow-covered mountains transform the region into a dramatic alpine setting, ideal for couples drawn to a white winter elopement.
We like to compare it to Lake Como for its scale and mountain setting, Lake Tahoe works well for couples who are looking for a destination for your intimate wedding with striking nature & scenery with elegant places to stay, dine, and spend time together before and after the ceremony, whether by the lake in summer or in the mountains during winter.
Best for: Alpine lake views, forests, mountain backdrops
Best time to elope: Late spring through early fall, winter for snow settings
Seasonal highlights: Clear lake water, boating, hiking, and waterfall scenery
Works well for: Nature-focused elopements with an alpine, lake-centered setting
Joshua Tree
Open Desert, Rock Formations
Overview
DESERT, RAW, UNPLUGGED
Joshua Tree is defined by wide-open desert, sculptural rock formations, and the distinctive Joshua trees that give the landscape its name. The setting feels quiet, expansive, and largely untouched, with very little built into the environment.
Weddings ceremonies are often designed in natural clearings or near rock formations, with uninterrupted desert views in every direction. The late afternoon brings spectacular desert sunsets, and after dark, the lack of city lights makes stargazing part of the experience.
Beyond the park itself, the surrounding area offers private villas and small, boutique hotels. These properties provide enclosed, exclusive settings for a luxury elopement or intimate wedding, often with pools and space to host both the ceremony and dinner in one location, while still remaining connected to the desert landscape.
Joshua Tree appeals to couples drawn to the quiet, energy of the high desert. Palm Springs is nearby and can be paired easily for lodging, dining, and a relaxed wedding-weekend or multi-day experience.
Best for: Open desert, rock formations, natural settings
Best time to elope: Spring and late fall (avoid summer heat)
Seasonal highlights: Late-day light, clear night skies
Works well for: Intimate elopements shaped by desert landscape and stillness
Laguna Beach
Cliffs, Coves, and Coastal Sunsets
Overview
COASTAL, ARTISTIC, INTIMATE
Laguna Beach is a coastal town known for its dramatic cliffs, layered coastline, and strong sense of place. It feels refined without being formal, relaxed without feeling casual.
Luxury elopements here are typically hosted at private villas, boutique hotels, and small, well-designed properties set above the ocean or tucked into the hills. These settings offer privacy, ocean views, and the ability to host a ceremony and intimate dinner in one location, without relying on public spaces.
Laguna Beach works well for couples who want a coastal setting with character and ease. The town is walkable, artistic, and strong culture, and its location between Los Angeles and San Diego makes it simple for guests to arrive and stay while still feeling like a destination.
Best for: Clifftop settings, boutique properties, ocean views
Best time to elope: Spring through fall
Seasonal highlights: Sunset light along the coast
Works well for: Intimate coastal elopements with privacy and elegance
Napa & Sonoma
Vineyards, Estates, and Slow Living
Overview
WINE COUNTRY, GREEN HILLS, ELEGANT
Napa and Sonoma sit just north of San Francisco and are known for rolling vineyards, historic estates, and a slower, more refined pace of life. The landscape is soft and green, with long vineyard rows, oak trees, and hills that feel calm and expansive rather than dramatic.
Luxury elopements here are typically hosted on private estates, vineyard properties, and intimate garden settings. These locations allow the ceremony, dinner, and stay to happen in one place, often centered around long tables, outdoor dining, and food and wine as the heart of the celebration.
Wine country works especially well for couples who enjoy the countryside and wineries. Days unfold around tastings, private meals, and time spent outdoors, with access to some of the best farm-to-table cuisine in the country. Napa leans more polished and iconic, while Sonoma feels more relaxed and understated, offering two expressions of the same landscape.
Best for: Vineyards, estates, garden settings
Best time to elope: Late spring through fall
Seasonal highlights: Harvest season, outdoor dining, vineyard color
Works well for: Elegant elopements centered on food, wine, and place
San Francisco
Historic Architecture and Iconic Views
Overview
URBAN, HISTORIC, TIMELESS
San Francisco offers a rare combination of formal architecture, deep cultural identity, and an exceptional food scene, making it one of the most compelling U.S. cities for a luxury elopement or intimate wedding.
The city is known for ceremony spaces that feel meaningful and established, most notably San Francisco City Hall. Its Beaux-Arts interiors, rotunda, and natural light create a setting where a small ceremony still feels significant, elegant, and visually complete without added décor. Beyond City Hall, San Francisco also offers historic estates, gardens, museums, and private venues well suited for luxury elopements or iintimate celebrations.
What sets San Francisco apart is the experience around the wedding itself. Couples can pair their ceremony with one of the strongest culinary scenes in the country, from fine dining to neighborhood-driven cuisine, and spend time exploring walkable neighborhoods, parks, and waterfront areas. The city’s diversity and cultural richness make it an expressive, welcoming place to celebrate in a way that feels personal rather than staged.
Best for: Coastal city elopements with strong cultural identity
Best time to elope: Late spring through early fall
Seasonal highlights: City Hall, Palace of Fine Arts, Golden Gate views
Works well for: Luxury elopements centered on architecture, culture, and dining
Santa Barbara
Spanish Architecture and Mediterranean Coast
Overview
COASTAL, ELEGANT, TIMELESS
Santa Barbara brings together Spanish Colonial architecture, formal gardens, vineyards, and coastline in one compact, beautiful setting. Often referred to as the American Riviera, it offers a Mediterranean feel without leaving California.
One of the city’s most iconic ceremony locations is the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. Its Spanish-style architecture, clock tower overlooking the city, tiled staircases, and landscaped grounds create a formal yet romantic setting that works exceptionally well for intimate ceremonies and elegant elopements.
Beyond the courthouse, luxury elopements in Santa Barbara are often hosted at private estates, boutique hotels, and garden venues. Everything is close together, which makes it easy to plan a multi-day celebration without moving guests around. With wine country just inland, strong dining, and mild weather year-round, Santa Barbara supports a relaxed but elegant elopement experience centered in one place.
Best for: City, coast, gardens, and Spanish architecture
Best time to elope: Year-round
Seasonal highlights: Courthouse architecture, vineyards, ocean light
Works well for: Luxury elopements with a Mediterranean feel
Need help choosing the right California elopement location?
Every location works differently depending on guest count, experience, and level of privacy. If you want guidance selecting a California setting that aligns with a luxury elopement, reach out to us.
LET'S DISCUSS YOUR CALIFORNIA ELOPEMENT