png.png)
California is one of the best states in the country for renting a private home for your wedding. Whether you're picturing a cliffside ceremony above the Pacific, an intimate dinner in a Sonoma vineyard, a midcentury compound in the desert, or a Hollywood Hills terrace at golden hour — there are Airbnb and VRBO properties across the state that can make it happen.
Renting through one of these platforms gives you something traditional venues rarely offer: flexibility. You're not locked into a four-hour window or a preferred vendor list. Many properties allow multi-day stays, meaning your guests can arrive the night before, celebrate with you, and linger over brunch the next morning — perfect for a destination wedding or a wedding weekend where the experience extends well beyond the ceremony itself.
This guide covers our top picks for VRBO and Airbnb wedding venues in California, organized by region: Los Angeles and Southern California, Palm Springs and the desert, and the Bay Area and Northern California.
The short answer is yes — but it depends on the property, and Airbnb and VRBO work differently.
A few years ago, Airbnb cracked down on parties at rented properties, which made it harder to find homes that explicitly allow weddings. Intimate celebrations and elopements tend to have better luck, and many hosts are open to small gatherings if you communicate your plans honestly upfront.
VRBO tends to be more event-friendly. Their search filters let you specifically look for properties that allow events, which takes a lot of the guesswork out of the process. If you have your heart set on a private rental venue, starting your search on VRBO and then cross-checking Airbnb is usually the most efficient approach.
Whichever platform you use, always message the host before booking to confirm they allow your specific event. Include your approximate guest count, ceremony vs. reception plans, and whether you'll have vendors on-site. A host who says yes upfront is worth far more than one who's ambiguous.
Airbnb weddings pair naturally with micro weddings — celebrations that prioritize experience over scale, usually with 50 guests or fewer. If that resonates with your vision, you're in the right place.
.jpeg)
Los Angeles and the surrounding region offer an extraordinary range of private rental properties for weddings — midcentury modern homes in the hills, lush estates with pool and garden, ocean-view retreats above Malibu, and everything in between. SoCal has the density of high-quality Airbnb and VRBO listings that makes comparison shopping genuinely worthwhile.
The trade-off: LA-area properties book fast, especially from April through October. If you're planning a spring or fall wedding, start your search six to twelve months out.
If you want something with character, this one is hard to beat. This midcentury A-frame sits above the Sunset Strip and was originally a jazz music venue — the house was literally designed to amplify sound, which means your ceremony music, speeches, and dancing will carry beautifully. The large deck looks out over city lights and the Hollywood Hills, making it one of the most dramatic ceremony backdrops in Los Angeles.
The property sleeps 6 and can host events for up to 50 guests — a solid fit for \intimate celebrations. You're minutes off the Sunset Strip, close to hotels for guests who aren't staying on-site, and in the heart of one of the most iconic neighborhoods in California.
Best for: Couples who want drama, atmosphere, and a setting with a story. Up to 50 guests.
Perched in the Santa Monica Mountains, this 2.5-acre estate delivers panoramic views of Catalina Island, Los Angeles, and the Pacific Ocean — all three at once. Five balconies, multiple patios, and a shaded pergola with an 8-person hot tub give you plenty of outdoor space to spread out across different moments of the day.
There's also a separate guest house, which is a practical luxury for a wedding weekend: the couple can have their own space while immediate family or a wedding party stays in the main house. The property is private, luxurious, and feels genuinely removed from the city below — while still being in LA.
Best for: Couples who want sweeping SoCal views and space for a small wedding party to stay together.
This smaller property is a strong pick for private estate weddings — think ten guests or fewer. It offers breathtaking 100-mile views, mountain and ocean vistas, and an expansive patio with a park-like setting that feels serene and away from it all.
If your wedding is just the two of you, your immediate families, or a small group of your closest people, Holly Hill's scale is actually an asset — it feels intimate by design rather than sparse. The setting is naturally beautiful enough that you don't need much décor.
Best for: Weddings under 15 guests who prioritize privacy and views over space.
When you genuinely need space, this 20,000-square-foot property delivers it. There are three distinct themed areas across the estate, which gives you flexibility to design different spaces for ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception without everything feeling on top of each other. Concierge services are available, the pool is a beautiful focal point, and proximity to theme parks makes it an easy add-on for families traveling with kids.
Best for: Couples who want a full resort feel without renting an actual resort.
The Coachella Valley — Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indio, Thermal — has become one of the most sought-after wedding destinations in California, and it's easy to see why. The aesthetic is immediately legible: midcentury modern architecture, private pools, mountain backdrops, and a warm-weather climate that's reliably gorgeous from October through April (and genuinely extreme in summer, so plan accordingly).
Desert weddings photograph beautifully, and properties in this region often have guest accommodations built in, making them natural fits for wedding weekends where travel is involved.
Located in Indio at the heart of Coachella Valley, Zenda Estate is a modern villa that comfortably sleeps up to 28 people — ideal when you want your guests all under one roof. The property features incredible mountain and valley views and a fully equipped barn that adds a venue-like feel without the venue price tag.
Events are considered on a case-by-case basis, so reach out to the host with your specific plans before booking. The combination of sleeping capacity, the barn structure, and the desert setting makes Zenda one of the more versatile options in this region.
Best for: Couples who want a destination wedding weekend in the desert with space for the whole group to stay.
.jpeg)
Set in the Coachella Valley with a secluded location that ensures genuine privacy, Andreas Oasis blends luxury with natural beauty. It accommodates up to 18 guests across multiple suites with ensuite baths, a gourmet kitchen for catered meals or cooking together, and spacious living areas that flow between indoor and outdoor.
The mountain views from the property are stunning, especially at dusk — the Coachella Valley light at golden hour is something to design your ceremony around if you can.
Best for: An intimate wedding weekend where guests stay together in a private, high-end setting.
This is one of our top picks in the desert region for a reason: the setup for a ceremony and reception is nearly purpose-built. A gorgeous palm tree-lined lawn leads to a pool with mountain views on the horizon — ceremony on the lawn, cocktails by the pool, dinner under the stars. Thermal sits just southeast of Palm Desert, putting you in the heart of the valley with easy access to Palm Springs proper.
Best for: Couples who want a photo-ready outdoor ceremony and reception space in a classic desert setting.
Northern California offers a completely different register from SoCal — wine country estates, redwood-shaded properties, coastal Big Sur drama, mountain lodges, and vineyard homes within an hour of San Francisco. NorCal also tends to be slightly more relaxed about events than the tightly packed neighborhoods of LA, and rural properties often accommodate more guests than their urban counterparts.
If you're considering a Sonoma, Napa, or Big Sur wedding, start your search here.
.jpeg)
Five minutes from historic Sonoma Plaza and set among some of the world's most celebrated wineries, this cottage is ideal for an elopement or wedding with 12 or fewer guests. When your setting is this naturally beautiful, you don't need a big production — you need the right people and the right property.
The Sonoma area also gives you built-in activity programming for a wedding weekend: wine tasting, farm-to-table dinners, olive oil tours. Guests who travel for your wedding will have plenty to fill the days around it.
Best for: Private estate weddings in the wine country with 12 or fewer guests.
Sitting on 55 acres between San Francisco and Sacramento, Fairfield Villa has a large lawn area that's well-suited for ceremonies and receptions, along with an active vineyard that adds both beauty and atmosphere. An event barn is in the works (available for weddings in 2025), which will add a dedicated indoor/covered option for receptions when weather is a factor.
At 55 acres, there's genuine space to breathe — a rarity for a private rental in Northern California.
Best for: Couples who want acreage, vineyard scenery, and a lawn ceremony with an indoor backup option.
This Northern California vineyard property accommodates up to 18 guests in the main house and offers spectacular views that create a natural backdrop for your event. Vineyard properties like this work especially well for multi-day wedding weekends — waking up surrounded by vines with family and close friends is its own kind of celebration.
Best for: Couples who want the wine country aesthetic with space for up to 18 guests to stay on-site.
A 30-acre private estate with 5 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms that accommodates up to 12 guests comfortably. Driftwood Lodge offers a rare combination of ocean and forest views — the kind of setting that feels like it shouldn't exist but does. Exclusive access to the property ensures you're not sharing the space or the scenery with anyone else.
If your vision is small, private, and deeply scenic — a ceremony in the trees, a dinner on the deck — this is a property worth looking at seriously.
Best for: Airbnb weddings up to 12 guests who want privacy, nature, and coastal NorCal atmosphere.
Big Sur is one of the most spectacular stretches of coastline in the world, and this property makes the most of it. Built by a well-known sustainable architect and entirely off-grid, the stone house has uninterrupted views of the Pacific, a stone terrace overlooking the water that's ideal for a ceremony, a fully stocked library for quiet moments, and staircases down to private, undeveloped beaches and rocky coves.
This is the kind of venue that makes guests feel like they've been taken somewhere extraordinary — because they have.
Best for: Couples who want a truly once-in-a-lifetime setting for a small, intimate wedding. Expect a longer drive for guests, and plan accordingly.
The Collections are hand-picked small-wedding venues and pros, screened the way we'd screen them for a friend.
Yes, but you need to confirm with the host first. Airbnb's platform policies restrict parties, but many hosts are willing to accommodate intimate weddings and elopements when you communicate your plans in advance. Be specific about your guest count, whether you'll have vendors (photographer, caterer), and the approximate timeline of your event. VRBO tends to be more straightforward about event-friendly properties — their filters let you search specifically for homes that allow events.
VRBO is generally more accommodating of weddings than Airbnb. You can filter search results on VRBO specifically for properties that allow events, which makes it easier to find hosts who are already open to the idea. As always, confirm with the individual host before booking — policies vary by property even within VRBO.
The practical difference: VRBO has better search filters for finding event-friendly properties, and hosts tend to be more explicitly open to weddings. Airbnb has more overall inventory in California, so there are more options to browse — but you'll need to do more research to confirm each host's event policy. Many couples search both platforms and compare options before committing.
Yes, and it's one of the most popular approaches for micro weddings and elopements in California. Private home rentals through VRBO and Airbnb offer flexibility that traditional venues don't — you can often stay multiple days, bring your own vendors, and customize the space without a rigid event package. California has a wide range of options across every region and price point.
Start on VRBO and filter for properties that allow events in the Los Angeles area. Look specifically at the Santa Monica Mountains, Hollywood Hills, Malibu adjacent areas, and Ojai (about 90 minutes from LA) for properties with outdoor space. Message hosts before booking to confirm your event details. For a wedding with 20–50 guests in LA, expect to budget for a property that commands a premium — high-quality event-friendly homes in the LA market are in demand.
Absolutely — California is one of the best states for elopements at private rental properties. Smaller properties with stunning settings (Big Sur, Sonoma wine country, the Santa Monica Mountains, the Coachella Valley desert) tend to work especially well for elopements since they're designed for intimate use. Several of the venues listed above — Holly Hill Chalet, Sonoma Wine Country Cottage, and Driftwood Lodge — are particularly well-suited to elopements of 12 guests or fewer.
That wraps up our top picks for VRBO and Airbnb wedding venues in California. If you're exploring venues in other states, browse our full guide to Airbnb & VRBO wedding venues across the US. And if you're in the early stages of planning, our DIY Micro Wedding Planning Guide walks through everything from guest lists to vendor booking to the logistics of using a rental property as your venue.
Wedly bundles every tool small-wedding couples and planners actually use — budget, guests, RSVPs, seating, free wedding site. one price for everything.
learn more →
.JPG)