Real Estate agents/higher end property management companies might be able to help. I don't have any specific companies to recommend. Also, maybe check into the kind of agencies who rent homes to film/tv/infomercial productions for short term use. They might be able to help. Good luck. With your price range and desired use it seems likely you'll be able to find something. Does it have to be LA/OC. Have you considered the Santa Clarita Valley? It's very pretty (albeit super developed now) but there are some gorgeous homes on beautiful property with some pretty nice amenities.

I have a friend doing that very thing in Gulf Shores. I think she started with an agency. We're also doing ALL the work. Set up, cooking, and I'm officiating! Since everyone on the wedding and the very few guests are all chipping in on the rental home (where we will all be staying) this will be a very inexpensive wedding!

I went to a wedding at the Union Station; they had the ceremony in the garden and it was beautiful.

When are you planning on having the wedding?
I have a property that I think you would love.
It's in the heart of Beverly Hills.
If you want more info please contact me at cherishkan@gmail.com

Have you looked at the LA Aboretum? My wife's niece had her wedding there last summer, it was quite nice. Though the grounds is expansive, the area for the ceremony and reception was tucked away in a secluded tree filled corner. I just looked and it's only $500 for your party size, however it seems the hours of use is limited from 5PM to 10PM.

I attended a wedding here (years ago):
The Shakespeare Club in Pasadena.
It was a very nice and intimate place. Maybe it can work for you.

A friend did this and used a luxury home rental website. They rented the house for a week so they had enough time to set up and then clean up and stay a couple days to kick off their honeymoon. They also rented one big enough for the bridal party to stay there instead of a hotel. They did clear the fact that they were having a wedding there with the owner of the home so there were no surprises, and it was a fantastic idea/event. Go for it.

I had another friend that did this at a bed-and-breakfast where they rented the entire place for a long weekend and did everything on the property. It was fantastic too.

You can rent the Graystone mansion for weddings. They have a lot of restrictions, only outside, only during the day, you must use their caterers, etc.

The Arborteum sounds nice. You can also check with Descanco Gardens and Orcutt Ranch in the valley. .

Oddly enough, I went to a wedding at Forest Lawn. They have chapels there, it was quite nice. But you can't have the reception there.

Mazel Tov on your impending nuptuals.

I know this suggestion is a little off the wall but creativity can be your best friend in this circumstance. This link ( for quite a while has intrigued me ( especially for a wedding) that includes soft draping canopies, candles, outdoors and romance. http://www.silvertrailer.com/rentals+sales.php

You might want to try an agency that rents homes for film/tv. The rates aren't that bad either.

http://meyler.locations.org/library6180/index.php?mode=album&album=Modern&dispsize=640&start=0

Went to a gorgeous wedding this past year at Vibiana in Downtown LA. It's the site of the former Catholic cathedral and now they rent it out for events. There's a great outdoor area where we had drinks and apps, then the inside was the site of the dinner and dancing. You have to do bring in everything yourself but it sounds like that's what you're planning on anyway. Worth checking out.

I had a friend have here wedding in Palm Springs. She rented out Casa Verona for the weekend and had a wonderful wedding in the back yard. I believe she did it all (rental, dinner, ceremony, music, alcohol, etc) for under $10K. See pics here:
http://aldersphotography.com/blog/index.php/2011/11/weddings/palm-springs-mid-century-home-wedding-photography-beatrix-jason/

The same company rents out different vacation homes.
http://www.roomservicestore.com/vacation_homes/index.html

I got married in OC a few years ago, and there are a lot of options down there. You can do the Fullerton Arboretum, Villa del Sol in Fullerton, or the French Estate in Orange. If you're willing to come up to Ventura County (where I plan weddings now), you can find a lot of small places too. Meditation Mount in Ojai, McCormick Home Ranch in Camarillo, or Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. They aren't houses, per say, but they aren't the traditional reception venue either. Good luck!

We got married at the Mountain Mermaid. It's a beautiful house and garden in Topanga, We wanted a beautiful ceremony outside and dinner party inside. The site is beautiful and Bill is wonderful (it's his house). Take a look at the site and see what you think: http://www.themountainmermaid.com/weddings.html

We also loved and considered Orcutt Ranch:
http://www.laparks.org/dos/horticulture/orcuttranch.htm

Good luck!

It's no home rental but how about http://www.happytrailscatering.com/ in Pasadena? It wasn't option for me because I needed more space 120+

I went to a wedding at the Clark Estate in Santa Fe Springs last year and it was beautiful. The wedding I went to was large and held on the grounds, but there is a stunning courtyard that can be used for a more intimate reception. The place is dirt cheap and feels really remote while being near the freeway. Really, check it out. We actually thought about getting married there (we live in La Jolla, so it's not close) we liked it so much.
http://www.santafesprings.org/about/history/clarke_estate_/clarke_estate_receptions.asp

We got married at Yamashiro Restaurant in Hollywood. There's a beautiful Japanese garden in the middle of the restaurant and different size rooms to accommodate different size parties. We had about 35 guests. Parking was ample and it overlooked LA. Just a beautiful venue and it wasn't too expensive either!

I have seen people renting their houses out for movie filming on craigslist-its usually places that are scenic with a view since they are trying to get film people interested. good luck finding a beautiful place!

Hi Rachel,

I'm an event planner & floral designer in LA. I find this website super helpful to find unique locations. http://eventup.com/ I hope you find the perfect spot.
I also day dream about having an event at this location one day too http://glitterandboxers.com/tag/sowden-house/

Try the MAK Center at the Schindler House in West Hollywood. Very unique setting and very cozy -- it won't dwarf your small(er) party!

Check out these two sites.

The Room Service Store - it's actually a furniture place, but they have vacation homes which you can use for smaller weddings
http://www.roomservicestore.com/

Oasis Rentals - although most of their properties are in Palm Springs, they have a few in LA / Malibu and most are approved for weddings.
http://www.oasisrentals.com

Happy Hunting.

I have to second Happy Trails Catering! http://www.happytrailscatering.com

Beuitful and delicious! Perfect for an elegant garden party.

Why not try airbnb.com?

I recently attended a wedding at the Canfield-Moreno Estate in Silver Lake A.K.A. "The Paramour Mansion" Fabulous 1920's home with a surprisingly intimate garden given its relatively large size and spectacular hilltop views of the city. Not cheap, but you get what you pay for. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canfield-Moreno_Estate

Willing to drive up to Santa Barbara? It's not technically IN Los Angeles, but this is an adorable place to get married and they really take care of everything:

http://milkandhoneyfarmsb.com/

We got married at Orcutt Ranch in West Hills. The price to rent the venue was VERY reasonable. We had the ceremony in the garden and the reception in the backyard of this charming house which is only a few steps way. We got to hire all own vendors which can saved us alot and allowed us more creative freedom.

It recently got featured on Style Me Pretty in the California section too:
Orcutt Ranch Wedding By Caroline Joy

Congrats & happy planning!

You can definitely get married for under $10K, even in LA/OC (we had 85 people). If you're looking near the LA/OC border, check out Park Avenue Restaurant in Stanton... it's not a glamorous neighborhood, but once you enter the premises, it's an absolute gem! It's a moody, Frank Sinatra-inspired, Mid-Century mod style steakhouse on the inside, and has the most gorgeous park in the back with swaying willow branches, olive trees, lanterns, and a vegetable garden off the side that the chef harvests for his dishes. They recently opened another section to the back yard that can host cocktails. We had our ceremony at the Japanese Garden in Cal State Long Beach (amazing in the springtime), and our reception here, but they do both at the restaurant if you want. Good luck!

Look into Bed & Breakfasts or small Inns with beautiful grounds. You can rent out the whole place and have rooms for some guests to stay, plus the kitchen will likely be caterer friendly. I did this for my 50 person wedding and it worked out great.

What about wineries? I'm planning a small wedding but wanted a garden setting. I'm not in CA, but in PA, and I found that many wineries not only have lovely estates with gardens, historic homes for an indoor setting if need be, and local wine and food. Not to mention it's quite the money saver as they tend to be less expensive than many other wedding specific venues. I'm sure you could find a lovely historic estate to do a sit-down dinner in an estate home, plus a lovely garden on the vicinity.

I recently got married at a beautiful place in Topanga Canyon call The Inn of the Seventh Ray and I think it has that classy dinner party vibe you are looking for. I love Topanga Canyon because of intense natural beauty and feeling that you are getting away without going to the ends of the earth but most places, like the Mountain Mermaid, which I also loved, are a little pricey. As soon as we saw the Inn we fell in love. Some highlights are a beautiful balcony that overlooks a mountain stream, and an extravagant looking fountain. You won't have to do a ton of decorating because it is already beautiful.

My clients rented a house in Santa Monica - it was incredible. Photos here: http://www.aaronyoungblog.com/?p=1159 I would be happy to put you in touch!

ay

Are you familiar with the Japanese Garden at CSU Long Beach?

http://csulb.edu/~jgarden/WedReceptions/wed_rec.html

It's really beautiful there and they do weddings, big and small.

Check out Happy Trails in Pasadena; they're a small restaurant/catering business, but they have a beautiful, intimate garden space in back that they rent out for weddings. Also in the area, Pasadena Museum of History also has a very nice garden setting behind their historic Fenyes Mansion. Once you start looking around you should be able to find tons of options; LA is not lacking beautiful garden spaces. Good luck!

LA Conservancy has a great list of historic buildings (manyy houses) available to rent
http://laconservancy.org/preservation/resources_sites.php

Thank you these are all amazing suggestions and things I hadn't even thought about. Love the farm idea in Santa Barbara and who knew there was a cool Mad Men type steakhouse in Stanton!

Really appreciate all of the comments! I'll post when we book a place--hopefully soon!

Also not in LA/OC, but in peaceful desert town of Borrego Springs. Some friends held their rehearsal dinner for 30+ guests in the large backyard of this recently renovated vacation rental http://www.vrbo.com/147390. Might fit the bill if you wanted to get away to a tranquil location. The pool and spa lit up nicely in the evening and the pool fountain sounded so pretty!

I am searching for the samething and I came acorss this website.
@DUSTINSTRUCKMEYER , I'm actually looking to rent a mansion too. do you mind letting me know which mansion your friend rented?

if you are looking for a place to rent i recommend lusomblettings.co.uk newport letting agents as are they the best in their field. They have never failed me.

www.sbpoolparties.com
We specialize in outdoor weddings on a budget

Hello, I have a beautiful, tropical backyard in Sherwood Forrest, Northridge that I rent for many occasions. It has a ten seater margarita bar, built in seating for 25 and plenty of room for tables. There is a large dance area and huge pool with a water slide and diving board.It's priced reasonably. Outside caterers/ bartenders are allowed. I can't seem to post pictures on here but you can email me for pictures. Shouston58@yahoo.com.