Planning a Napa Valley wedding can get super difficult super quickly, because, honestly? There are just WAY too many gorgeous options. If you feel like you’ve spent all your time searching for “Napa Valley venues for weddings,” you’re not alone. Tbh, I do it all the time! Luckily, as a Napa Valley wedding photographer, I’m a pro on Napa Valley wedding venues, and I’m here to share my guide about how to choose the best one! 

5 of My Favorite Napa Valley Venues for Weddings

Before we get into how to choose your Napa Valley wedding venues, let me show you some of my favorite ones (some of which I’ve been lucky enough to capture weddings at, others at which I’m dying to shoot at). If you haven’t seen these, they’re definitely worth checking out: 

Cline Family Cellars

This is the Napa Valley wedding venue you’re seeing in the photos in this post: a beautiful winery with a simple, elegant feel that makes the perfect setting to say “I do,” then party all night long. It’s complete with gorgeous trees and greenery, and even a scenic pond that’s ADORABLE for couple photos.

Here’s an overview of the Napa Valley venue for weddings: it can hold up to 600 guests (did someone say party?!), there are three different ceremony and reception locations, and they book weddings from April through October. The standout photo-op spots are beneath the willow trees, in the gardens, and by the fountain. Each spot is so gorgeous and will get you the cutest photos!

Meritage Resort

For that quintessential Napa Valley wedding feel, you might be dreaming of a vineyard resort wedding, and this is the place to get it. Meritage Resort is absolutely stunning: think rolling hills and luxury ballrooms everywhere.

They hold up to 1,000 guests and are available for weddings year round. The perfect place to host a huge celebration! They have ceremony and reception locations that include a Vineyard Deck, lawns, terraces, and gazebos. If you’re looking for the best spots for pictures, the Estate Cave is a MUST.

Hiddenbrooke Hills

Hiddenbrooke Hills is amazing because it has options for every vibe. Personally, I love the gardens and rolling hills that this Napa Valley wedding venue has to offer, but you might like the sleek indoor Grand Hall if that’s more up your alley.

This Napa Valley wedding venue holds 200 guests and allows weddings year-round on the fairways, in the gardens, or in the clubhouse. Afterwards, you can head into a reception in the stunning Grand Hall! Then, your must-have photo spots here are at the Garden Pavilion and then sunset photos in front of the hills.

Beaulieu Garden

There are seriously too many good things to say about this venue. It screams elegance and luxury, and you can consider me 100% obsessed with it. The polished gardens with the statue fountains? You’re joking. It’s straight out of a dream!

Here’s what you need to know if you get married at Beaulieu Garden: You can hold a wedding at any time of the year here, hosting up to 400 guests! The ceremony and reception locations here are crazy gorgeous. You have your choice between the vineyards, the garden, and the arbor! No matter which you choose, you HAVE to get photos at the Italian garden, the pool, and the tree-lined driveway.

Stanly Ranch

A resort Napa Valley wedding venue? Check. This Auberge Resort venue is a perfect destination spot, and it couldn’t be any more beautiful. It holds 450 guests, is available year-round, and has EIGHT options for your ceremony and reception spaces (including the Glasshouse Barn and the Lavender Lawn, my personal favorite options)! The best spaces for photo-ops? The Grange and the gardens, hands down.

Each one of these venues offers something unique and has a space for you, no matter your wedding style, and if you choose one of these Napa Valley venues for your wedding, I definitely want to tag along! 

Your Guide to Choosing a Napa Valley Wedding Venue

Even with just seeing the five I listed above, you can see that choosing a Napa Valley wedding venue can be tough because they’re all so stunning. As a Northern California wedding photographer, I know a thing or two about how to pick out your wedding venue, so I’m sharing my top tips. 

Think About Your Wedding Vibe

The #1 factor in deciding on your Napa Valley wedding venue should be what matches your vibe the best. For example, if you’re going for a sleek, minimalist wedding, maybe don’t pick a venue that’s built with lots of loud colors and bold florals. Instead, go with something more sleek and modern that’s easy to match your decor and wedding color palette to.  

Consider the Weather

Not every Napa Valley venue for weddings has indoor spaces as well as outdoor spaces, so make sure your venue has a solid rain plan! Also, consider the time of year you’re planning to get married as a big factor in your decision. If you’re going for an outdoor-only wedding venue, summer may not be the best time of the year with the crazy Cali heat. 

Start Searching Early

Keep in mind that Napa Valley is a super popular place for weddings, so Napa Valley venues for weddings book up FAST. Make sure to start your search early so you have the most options possible! Trust me, this will relieve a ton of stress. 

Do Your Research 

Yep, read allll the FAQs, look into every information packet you can find, and read every review. You might learn something that you didn’t know before that could make or break the venue for you! For example, if you’re dreaming of partying all night, first of all, you’re my kinda person, and second of all, some venues might shut you down way earlier than you want! 

Tour Your Top Favorites!

Even if you feel like you’ve done all the research, you won’t really know how the venue feels until you set foot in it. Tour it with your partner, and make sure it feels like you two. THAT’S what matters, and is what will make it the perfect, most special setting for your big day. 

Margaret and Matt’s Simple, Elegant Napa Valley Wedding Day

These two? They did it right. They tied the knot at Curtis Family Farms, one of my favorite Napa Valley wedding venues, and it matched their vibe perfectly. Their simple green and white wedding color palette was stunning against the winery wedding venue. The willow trees, the string lights… Everything looks like it straight-up came from a fairytale. And Margaret and Matt were so adorably in love. I was seriously smiling the whole time I was editing these, because you can just feel their happiness through the photos! 

Grace Thao | Napa Valley Wedding Photographer

No matter which Napa Valley venues for weddings feel more your speed, I’ll follow you there. And if Napa Valley doesn’t feel like your place, you can check out some of my other venue highlights, like this Cavaignac wedding and this Corral de Tierra Country Club wedding. If you’re ready to book a wedding photographer that’ll be your BFF who edits with an editorial, artsy flair, you can inquire right here. I can’t WAIT to meet you!