Weddings in Oakland: What to Look For in a Wedding Venue-–

The perfect wedding venue influences every aspect of your special day. From practical considerations to aesthetic preferences, your choice of venue sets the tone for your celebration. Oakland, CA, is an exciting choice, offering a mix of natural beauty and cultural diversity. Among its standout venues is The Alice Collective in Downtown Oakland, known for its elegance and eco-conscious ethos. 

Let's dive into why Oakland is a great wedding destination and what makes The Alice Collective a top choice.

What to look for in a wedding venue

Your wedding venue is one of the first things you’ll book in the planning process; ideally, you’ll be booking it upwards of a year in advance. Everything else about the wedding, from catering to floral arrangements and decor to seating and the guest list is going to be affected by your choice of venue. So, it’s important to make sure you know what you’re looking for when considering your options.

There are some initial practical considerations to be made when looking for a wedding venue. These include things like your budget (Vogue recommends spending no more than 40% of your total budget on the venue) and your location (a destination wedding’s venue budget will also include travel and accommodations for at the very least you and your wedding party). You should also take into consideration whether you want an outdoor or indoor venue - remember that if you choose to have an outdoor event, you’ll have to plan carefully around the weather and have contingencies in place in the event of inclement weather or extreme temperatures. Additionally, you’ll want to take accessibility into account for your venue; it’s important to ensure that all of your guests can enjoy the event.

Once you’ve decided on the practicalities and logistics, you can get to the fun part - the aesthetics! Your wedding venue should reflect the theme and vibe of your event. Consider what the two of you enjoy most - are you outdoorsy and adventurous, whimsical and a bit silly, or do you want to go all out glam and get dressed to the nines for the day? You might work with your wedding planner (if you have one) to create a vision board or lookbook to help you visualize the concept of your event and use this to match potential venues to your desired aesthetic. This might include inspiring images, colors, fabrics, patterns, and other pieces that help communicate the look and feel you’re going for.

Finally, while reviewing potential venues, you should keep careful records. Take tours, take notes, talk to people, read reviews, and try to make sure you have as much information as possible, as organized as possible, so that you can use it to narrow down your choices and remember which places you liked best. Ask venue personnel about scheduling, rescheduling, and cancellation policies, load-in and load-out policies, catering and bar options, and anything else that might affect your day. Asking lots of questions can also help you gauge how flexible, accommodating, and willing to collaborate these venues are.

You may also wish to ensure you have a backup plan in place with your chosen venue in the event of an emergency - an indoor option if you’re having an outdoor wedding, an alternate room, etc. This can help prevent a lot of panic later on.

Why choose Oakland for a wedding venue

Oakland, CA, is the largest city in the East Bay and the eighth-largest city in California by population. It’s home to beautiful natural sights like Lake Merritt, one of America’s first official wildlife refuges that has been a National Historic Landmark since the 1960s, and the Redwood Regional Park, home to California’s famous towering redwood trees. The man-made parts of the city can be just as gorgeous, though; Oakland is a cultural melting pot and home to some of the nation’s finest art, with the Oakland Museum of California and the Fox Theater. 

Many people choose to get married in Oakland because of its gorgeous scenery, cultured setting, and the abundance of activities available for the entire wedding process, from nights out on the town for bachelor and bachelorette parties to beautiful venues for the service itself and lovely options for receptions post-ceremony. Because of Oakland’s placement in California, the weather is relatively mild year-round with few major storms or other meteorological events to plan around for weddings. Still, most venues here have indoor and outdoor options that still allow you excellent views of the city and the bay. 

While some of the more popular venues are a bit pricy, Oakland has no shortage of options for all budgets, with a wide variety of aesthetics thanks to the city’s cultural diversity influenced by its proximity to the ports. As a practical boon, most venues also have easy access to major highways, high-quality overnight accommodations, and air travel due to the city’s booming tourism industry.

The Alice Collective in Oakland CA

If you’re looking for a wedding venue in Oakland, CA, then you should definitely consider The Alice Collective. Located conveniently in a historic building in the heart of Downtown Oakland, just a few blocks from the 12th Street/Oakland City Center BART station, The Alice Collective is happy to welcome small to mid-sized events of all kinds.

This gorgeous 3,600 square foot open plan space is perfect for weddings and receptions and features a full bar and enclosed outdoor patio garden that makes it easy to enjoy the outdoors no matter the weather. They also have rotating art displays that highlight the region and add a touch of class to any event. With on-site catering and bar options, you can roll lots of necessary services into one convenient, high-quality package. 

Alongside all of this beauty, The Alice Collective is dedicated to making the world a better place. They’re a member of 1% For The Planet, an initiative that encourages businesses to offer at least 1% of their profits to environmental organizations to support the health and safety of our planet for generations to come. By booking with them, you’re helping to support environmentalism efforts for the future.

You can reach out to The Alice Collective via their website for a consultation and venue tour.