San Diego Wedding Venue Highlight | The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe

Venue Name

The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe

Wedding Venue Location

Rancho Santa Fe, California

When did you open?

Rancho Santa Fe’s history dates back to the early 1840’s when a 8,824-acre Mexican land grant was presented to San Diego’s first mayor, Juan Osuna. The Osuna family later sold 6,000 acres to the Santa Fe Railroad, which planted groves of aromatic Eucalyptus trees to supply ties for railroad tracks. Although the endeavor didn’t work out when the wood proved too soft, the stately trees’ lasting beauty is a rich reminder of the past. In 1906, the Santa Fe Development Company realized the potential of the heavily forested area with its bucolic rolling hills, as a planned community of gentrified ranches reminiscent of the Spanish era. Lilian Rice, one of America’s early women architects, was hired for the design of the new community.

In 1923, what is now The Inn, was initially named La Morada, Spanish for “the home with many rooms” and was opened to the public as a 12-room California Mission-style adobe guesthouse for visitors.

The Village of Rancho Santa Fe is across the street from The Inn offering a myriad of boutiques, restaurants and antique shops. Its Country Squire Courtyard, part of the historic block, was also designed by Rice, retaining much of its original design today.
Visitors will never see commercial buildings or residences that are out of character in Rancho Santa Fe. The environmental integrity of the Village of Rancho Santa Fe is protected by a covenant, recorded in 1928, that guards the natural beauty, architecture and character of area.

The Inn is the quintessential centerpiece of Rancho Santa Fe, a historic community located in the verdant hills of Northwest San Diego overlooking nearly two-dozen acres of citrus and Eucalyptus trees, meandering pathways, equestrian trails, and sweeping mountain views. Its enduring beauty recalls the mission architecture of Southern California, with a sense of place where time stands still.

How many people does your venue hold for an event?

For our elopements and larger weddings, we have had as intimate as 2 guests or as many as 375 guests in attendance. Our front lawns can boast up to 700 guests for a concert; and we’ve even had over a thousand guests on a flow within a three hour timeframe for our Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration!

What makes your venue unique?

Our accommodations, flexibility and exclusivity! The beauty of the Inn is not only reflected in the upkeep of the grounds, but we make it as exclusive as possible for the couple as we only host one wedding a day! Between all of the spaces we have to offer (six lawns, two ballrooms and four additional banquet rooms), they are free to choose where their Ceremony, Cocktail Hour, Dinner Reception, and After-Party take place. When we provide couples with various choices, they seem to be shocked at how many options they really have! It truly depends on our couples’ needs and wants, and which locations on property they prefer for their special day. We also have eighty sleeping rooms, but each room has their own special features and homey amenities inside! You can book a different room in your next visit and have a new experience. It’s magical!

Best piece of planning advice to a new bride

Venue to couple, don’t be afraid to ask questions and trust us to do our job! We are very passionate about what we do here at the Inn and we are huge advocates for our couples. We want our couples to sit back, relax, and enjoy the planning process! One more piece of advice, hire a planner! We can only do so much for the couple on the venue side, and strongly encourage booking a planner that will take your wedding vision to the next level, and carry it out to perfection on the big day!

What’s your ideal couple like?

Our ideal couple is one that would reflect the look and feel of our property: laid back, sophisticated, fun and classy. The unique charm of the Inn speaks for itself, so simplicity is a valued attribute when it comes to what we look for in our couples. We have been very fortunate in working with our dream couples, thus far! Once they step foot on property, it just clicks. When you know, you know!

Learn more about The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe here + follow along on Instagram and Facebook. Cheers!