7 cheap wedding venues in the Los Angeles area

If you're looking to have a small wedding—and when we say small, we're talking 32 people or less—then Albertson Wedding Chapel might be for you. Ceremony packages start as low as $295 and go up to the all-inclusive "Soul Mates" package for $1,364, which includes the venue, officiant, two coordinators, photographer, videographer, marriage license, access to the bridal room and a bouquet set—yes, all for $1,364. If you like the venue for both ceremony and reception, all-inclusive packages start at $5,450 for 28 people or $5,850 for 36 people. The owner of the chapel is fashion designer Daniel Franco, who you might recognize from season 1 and 2 of Project Runway. When talking about Albertson, he says, "Imagine a Vegas wedding chapel but not cheesy, not cookie cutter, made stylish by me and operated by a staff of romantics and you get Albertson Wedding Chapel."

 

If you're a bride looking for an absolutely breathtaking spot to say "I do," Wayfarers Chapel is a steal. Located in the affluent area of Rancho Palos Verdes, this glass church has breathtaking ocean views outside and stunning architecture inside. Now, there are some hitches here. While you can marry for as low as $1,500 (on Tuesdays), Friday-Sunday weddings start at $2,900 and raise to $3,400 for the prime 4 and 6pm slots. Also, there is no area for a reception to take place on the grounds so these prices only include use of the venue for two hours for ceremony and photos, a chapel minister to perform the service, wedding music played by a keyboardist and candles on the altar. The church also already has white flowers placed around the venue, so you will save money on flowers and decoration. This venue speaks for itself, and if you're on a really tight budget, skip a reception and head to a local restaurant for a nice dinner.

The Daily Dose is a coffee shop and cafe that serves up artisanal coffee and yummy food with natural ingredients. But what you may not know is it also can put on a pretty sweet wedding. If you use their catering on a Friday-Sunday, the venue rental is $2,500 for both the ceremony and reception sites. While this price also includes most of the furnishings you will need, you will have to rent flatware and linens, and possibly extras of other items depending how big your wedding is. There is also an additional $870 in fees for labor, cleaning and having a manager on site, and a 20 percent service charge to be added on to the food portion of the bill. Speaking of food, this is where you can really save some money. For a set menu buffet-style, it is $33 a head—which is a major bargain. If buffets aren't your thing, you have other, more expensive options. And it's BYOB, which is normally the cheaper option for booze. The major downside here is the venue requires a professional wedding coordinator to be on site, which sometimes can get pricey.

Located in Topanga, The Inn of the Seventh Ray has a lush landscape perfect for a fairytale, whimsical wedding—and it's affordable, especially given all the options available. Couples have three locations to choose from for the ceremony—in front of a stone waterfall, at the top of a gazebo, under a trellis with the creek as the backdrop—and two options for a reception—the Fountain Patio and the Creekside Patio. The cost for both the ceremony and reception ranges from $125 to $200 per person depending on the time of year and items selected. That price includes the venue rental for four hours (more time can be added for an additional fee), food, beverages (wine and beer), wedding cake, staff, coordination, tax and gratuity. Not the cheapest option, but a pretty sweet deal for what you get.

Located in Angels Gate Park, the Korean Bell of Friendship sits perched atop a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean in San Pedro. Not only is the bell beautiful and symbolic, but the view from there is nothing to be sneezed at—and you can get it all exclusively for two hours at just $566. You can purchase more time at $147 an hour. This doesn't get you much though; basically you're just paying to use the space and employees who will be on hand to ensure that the public doesn't infiltrate your wedding. There is no food allowed at the location (apparently due to birds), but there are great nearby locations to hold a reception.

Looking at how grandiose and beautiful the Mission Inn is, you may think having your wedding here would be in line with the cost of having a ceremony at the Huntington (starting price there is $50,000 just for the site rental). But in reality, the Mission Inn is one of the best steals in Southern California. Though not located in LA (it's in Riverside), the Spanish-style hotel and spa's beautiful chapels and other locations for both ceremony and reception are worth the drive. Intimate weddings here can start as low as $1,500 for an event during the week, but even their elaborate affairs are affordable given all that you get. A luxurious ceremony and reception, complete with a champagne and cheese cocktail experience followed by a multi-course plated dinner, can be had for roughly $30,000. We challenge you to find a place with a similar setting and perks for that price anywhere else.