MORE BEAUTIFUL SAN DIEGO WEDDING LOCATIONS...
Below are some higher-profile, popular outdoor locations If you are having a large wedding on a Saturday or Sunday, during the height of wedding season, a reservation/payment of a fee is required and definitely recommended. You can check availability of these locations by clicking on the "availability" box on their respective websites.
Balboa Park is now issuing permits for these locations:
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A WORD ON SAN DIEGO COUNTY PERMITS & RESERVATIONS...
There are a number of separate cities located within San Diego County (Coronado, San Diego, Del Mar, Encinitas, etc.) and each city has different rules for beach and park weddings.
The more popular, high-profile wedding locations require reservations and permits. The Cuvier Wedding Bowl and Calumet Park in La Jolla, for instance, are booked almost a year in advance and require a use permit and payment of a permit fee, as do the beautiful gardens in Balboa Park. If you are having a wedding at any of these locations on a Saturday or Sunday during the height of wedding season (May through August) reservations are strongly suggested and often required, and must usually be made well in advance. Fees vary ($250 - $500) depending on the location and where you live in San Diego.
Technically, the City of San Diego will not issue a permit for a beach wedding on the sand, and require you to reserve one of their grassy park areas for your ceremony. For more information on permits, visit the City of San Diego General Use Park Permit page.
My "unofficial" rule of thumb for public beaches, the cliffs and parks, is that if your guest list is small (under 20 or so people) and your ceremony is more casual (no chairs, arch, etc.), it shouldn't be a problem to have your ceremony on a beach in the City of San Diego. I can make suggestions on the best area for your ceremony, depending on the number of people and the time of year.
If your guest list is under 25 people, and decorations and chairs are what you have in mind, then you should have your ceremony at the beach in Coronado (no permit required for groups under 25 and any set up is just fine.) They are very easy-going about having weddings on the sand there.
If you are are having over 25 people and/or you are setting up chairs, arches, flowers and music, you must get a permit and reserve your location, both in Coronado, the City of San Diego (this includes La Jolla), and most other cities in San Diego County. If you don't, you always run the risk of the location already being occupied or having your ceremony shut down by a park and rec employee (although in my years of officiating I have never experienced the latter).
... this is my unofficial take, or course! |
