Bel-Air Bay Club
A 1927 cliffside club in Pacific Palisades, where the Ceremony Lawn and courtyard fountain look straight out over the Pacific — and one of the venues we’ve returned to most often over the years.
A 1927 Mediterranean clubhouse on the Palisades bluffs
Financed by developer Alphonzo Bell as part of the real estate venture that created Bel Air, the Bel-Air Bay Club opened in 1927 and split into two properties on either side of Pacific Coast Highway — the Lower Club, a private beach facility, and the Upper Club, the cliffside clubhouse where weddings are held. Red-tile roofs, white stucco, and wrought-iron details carry the same 1920s Mediterranean character throughout, and the building sits positioned so PCH itself stays out of the ocean sightline from the lawn and terrace.
The cliffside Ceremony Lawn faces west toward Catalina Island for sunset vows, a Spanish-style courtyard patio centers on a multi-tier fountain and outdoor fireplace, and the Grand Living Room — vaulted ceilings, a wall of windows, its own fireplace — doubles as the weather backup. Only one wedding is booked per day, and nine ocean-view guest rooms on-site make it easy to get ready without leaving the property.
A venue we keep coming back to
We’ve photographed weddings at Bel-Air Bay Club many times over the years, including multi-day South Asian celebrations with a Nikkah ceremony held here as one leg of a longer weekend. A few things we’ve learned firsthand: the club requires a Certificate of Insurance naming Bel-Air Bay Club as additionally insured, plus a signed vendor agreement, well before the wedding date, and coordinators ask for an exact vendor headcount in advance so catering can plan meals accordingly. Coordination here almost always runs through a professional wedding planner rather than the couple directly.
Good to know before you book
- COI (min. $1M) naming Bel-Air Bay Club as additionally insured, plus a signed vendor agreement
- In-house catering only, with the one common exception of an outside wedding cake
- Valet parking is required — the on-site lot is limited
- Only one wedding is booked per day
Where we like to shoot
- The cliffside Ceremony Lawn at sunset, facing Catalina Island
- The courtyard patio’s multi-tier fountain and string-lit pergola
- The Grand Living Room’s wall of windows on marine-layer mornings
- The grand staircase and foyer for formal portraits
What couples and guests notice about Bel-Air Bay Club
Named coordinators come up again and again in reviews as going out of their way for couples — a real point of difference from a larger hotel venue.
Guests specifically compliment the food unprompted; the in-house executive chef is a consistent standout.
It sits at the luxury end of LA venues — a peak Saturday commonly runs well into six figures all-in with catering and service charge.