Wedding vendors

Wedding vendors in Monterey, CA

The Monterey Peninsula packs several very different wedding settings into a few miles of coast: Carmel-by-the-Sea's storybook cottages and white-sand beach, the cypress and fog of Pacific Grove and the Del Monte Forest, Old Monterey's adobes and Cannery Row, and the warm, sunny ranches and vineyards of Carmel Valley twenty minutes inland. Big Sur's cliffs and redwoods start just south, when Highway 1 is open. The cost table uses Bay Area pricing as the nearest benchmark, since many teams travel in from that market. Here's what to expect, where couples are getting married, and when to book, plus a shortcut to vetted, available Monterey vendors matched to your date and budget.

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What weddings cost in Monterey

Median ranges from vendor pricing in Our Day's San Francisco Bay Area data (about 2,200 vendors), the nearest metro with enough priced vendors. Monterey pricing varies by date, guest count, area and vendor.
CategoryTypical range
Venue (venue fee)$5,000–$11,500
Catering$600–$2,200
Photography & video$2,400–$4,800
Florals$2,700–$4,000
DJ / live music$1,300–$2,400
Hair & makeup$250–$1,000
Event planner$2,600–$5,200

Where couples get married in Monterey

Carmel-by-the-Sea & Carmel Valley

Cottage-lined streets and the beach at the foot of Ocean Avenue, then sun, oaks and vineyards up the valley where the fog rarely reaches.

Monterey & Pacific Grove

Historic adobes in Old Monterey, waterfront hotels near Cannery Row, and the Victorian streets and rocky coves of Pacific Grove out to Asilomar.

The Del Monte Forest & 17-Mile Drive

Cypress-framed ocean lawns and golf resort settings between Pacific Grove and Carmel, the peninsula's most exclusive and most expensive addresses.

Big Sur

Cliff-edge lawns and redwood groves along Highway 1, dramatic and remote, with small guest capacities and a road that closes after winter storms.

When to book in Monterey

September and October are the peninsula's clear-sky months, when the summer fog finally lifts off the coast, and they book first by a wide margin. June through August can stay gray and cool at the beach all day, which is why many couples marry in Carmel Valley or plan a late-afternoon ceremony in town. Book a fall Saturday 12 to 14 months ahead. Car Week in August, the Monterey Jazz Festival in September and the February pro-am golf tournament fill hotels across the peninsula and push rates up, so check the calendar before you commit to a date.

Common questions

How much does a wedding cost in Monterey?

We've drawn the ranges above from the Bay Area market, the nearest large metro. Within them, oceanfront and Del Monte Forest venues sit at the top, Carmel Valley and Old Monterey are usually gentler, and travel fees apply when you bring vendors down from San Francisco or San Jose. The ranges above come from real vendor pricing in our Bay Area data, and Our Day negotiates exclusive rates on your behalf.

When should I book Monterey wedding vendors?

Secure a September or October venue 12 to 14 months ahead, and go earlier still for Big Sur, where capacity is tiny and dates are scarce. Because the local vendor pool is small, line up the photographer and planner early and expect some of your team to come from the Bay Area. Winter is quiet, green and often clear between storms, and a January through March date opens up venues that are otherwise hard to get.

Does Our Day cover Monterey?

Yes. Our Day matches couples nationwide. Our Monterey data includes about 80 vendors with photographers and venues the largest groups, so we benchmark pricing against our San Francisco Bay Area data (about 2,200 vendors) and match from the wider Bay Area pool when a category is thin. Tell us your date and budget and we'll bring back matched, available local vendors.

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