Balboa Yacht Club

The Balboa Yacht Club is a beautiful venue with amazing food, but what really sets this place apart is the level of service the Food and Beverage Director/Venue Director Russell Miller provides. He was so accommodating and utilized so many resources to take our wedding to the next level without exceeding our desired budget. We highly recommend checking out the Balboa Yacht Club and speaking with Russell Miller when searching for your wedding venue.

Our wedding at Balboa Yacht Club was a dream come true. The location and view of the harbor are hands down the best in town. The club itself is lovely and the service is top notch. The food was great and the drinks are very well poured. The different wedding packages offered are incredible for what they include and are definitely a good value. I was pleasantly surprised at how reasonable the pricing was for the superior location and high quality of service we received.
We were married on the club’s lawn overlooking the harbor, and cocktail hour was also outside on the downstairs deck. We had countless guests comment on how amazing the location was… beautiful sailboats in the background and views all the way down Newport Harbor. It was perfect!
The reception was held in the club’s dining room which was, you guessed it, also perfect! The room is large and can accommodate a big group comfortably. Dancing was really important to us, and the space holds a large dance floor, no problem. The high, vaulted ceilings in the room make it feel bright and light, and the windows overlooking the bayfront are amazing. Sunset from this location is out of this world. We served dinner to guests during sunset and snuck out to take pictures by the water with our photographer. The pictures turned out amazing!
Planning our wedding was made simple by the club staff. Everyone was helpful and highly professional. The Food and Beverage Director, Russell, was super accommodating and basically said YES to everything we wanted:) What more can you ask for?! All around, this is a dream venue for any bride with high expectations and discerning taste. I couldn’t be happier.
PS, I just want to say that I have never, ever written a review on ANY website, but felt compelled to share what a great experience we had. Hope this is helpful to other brides!

The Balboa Yacht Club was a fantastic place to get married and have a reception. Russell, the banquet director, was easy to work wth and he gave some great recommendations- from our photographer, Shannon Mills, to our wedding favors, A Little Scene, his recommendations enhanced our wedding that much more. The ceremony location is right on the water and the background could not be any more beautiful for pictures and for your guests. After that, you move into a spaciuos, cathedral ceiling reception room that doesn't need much in way of decorations since the room itself is already gorgeous. All in all, I would highly recommend the Balboa Yacht Club for anyone's wedding due to its ambiance, reasonable pricing, professional staff and phenomenal location.

As mother of the bride and an event planner myself, I wanted to give my compliments to Russell Miller, the food & beverage manager at Balboa Yacht Club. My daughter, the bride, joins me in sharing these thoughts.
This is a beautiful venue for the ceremony and the reception and we couldn't have been more pleased with the planning process and the outcome of her wedding day. The dining room's decor made it very easy to work in her color scheme and decor. In fact the layout & decor of the dining room was the main reason she chose this venue. The ceremony site without question was a beautiful backdrop for the ceremony.
Russell saw that all of our requests were met and often exceeded. The wedding site was setup beautifully and the staff provided me with all of the help I needed in setting up the many props I brought in. Russell went out of his way to provide us with beautiful linens and upgraded dinner ware. His staff was there to answer any questions that came up and the servers were efficient, polite, friendly to our guests. His staff carefully packed away the plate chargers and cake pedestal we provided, for us to pick up the next day. They even loaded everything we brought in into our vans late that night and more the next day, all with a smile. Russell and his staff are gems!
The only ding I can give the whole affair came from the general manager and his secretary and it concerned the valet parking arrangements. A few of our elderly guests with walkers arrived just a tad early and they needed to unload close to the entrance. There was some confussion as to protocol for this and they were confronted in an unfriendly and rather rude manner by the general manager & secretary. Russell was unaware of this happening at the time and it had nothing to do with him or his staff. So I would suggest that you speak to whomever Russell suggests and confirm that the valet arrive on time and that there be an understanding that handicapped or elderly know exactly where they are to pull their cars up so they can safely unload with no rush.
We would without hesitation recommend this venue.

Big thank you to Russell and the Balboa Yacht Club team for the wedding of our dreams! We held our ceremony and reception at the club and every detail was absolute perfection. Our ceremony pics are stunning with the water and Balboa Island in the background. The reception area was equally romantic. The food and drink service was also excellent... they were able to accommodate special requests (signature cocktails!) This is a beautiful wedding venue for Newport/CDM brides (or those who are fans of the area!)

Balboa Yacht Club served as the location for our wedding reception and it was nothing but perfect!! My husband and I searched and visited numerous Newport Beach locations and nothing came close to the view at Balboa Yacht Club. The second we walked into the dining area we knew this is where we would be having our reception. The location is top notch with incredible views. Our out of state guests were in aw of the water view and all of the boats parked outside. The dining area is beautiful and intimate and needs little decoration. Cocktail hour was outside and everyone enjoyed being out in the sun with drinks in hand! The bar area was outside on the patio and my guests told me that was one of their favorite parts. I was also told by my guests that my food was the best they have ever had at any wedding. The staff and Russ were amazing and the entire night went off without a hitch. Everyone is very professional and organized and the entire night was stress free! Russ worked with our budget and made my wedding day truly unforgettable!!!

We got married in May at the Balboa Yacht Club (BYC) in Corona del Mar and in one word, it was PERFECTION. We loved the venue – having the ceremony and cocktail hour outside along Newport Harbor was picturesque and the reception in the yacht club main dining room was California chic – elegant yet understated. The neutral wall colors and high ceilings made it open and airy and easy to transform with our wedding colors – coral and navy. The room has big floor to ceiling windows so the view could be enjoyed all night – the sunsets are amazing and add a romantic feeling. There are two patios that we utilized – one for the bar and the other for a dessert terrace – so having outside space to get some air was great. There is even a little beach within walking distance where we took family and bridal party photos. We looked at so many venues before selecting the BYC and it was one of the best wedding decisions we made. The pricing was unbeatable and they have several packages to fit any budget. You can make it as grandiose or intimate as you want – they don’t judge you – they just want you to have the wedding of your dreams.

We worked with their Banquet Manager, Russell Miller, who just made everything easy. He understood how much extra stress comes with planning a wedding, so when it came to selecting the food, table configuration, bar set-up – it was simple. He let us talk about our vision for the perfect day and he did everything he could to achieve it. He was so responsive on email and phone and we knew what was going on at all times. He paid attention to the details and went above and beyond to make sure our vision was properly executed.

I would recommend this venue in a heartbeat. Our guests thoroughly enjoyed everything and found the BYC setting, food – really delicious, staff and overall location to be top notch. Most of them felt honored to have been a part of such a special day in such a magnificent setting. I already told Russell we wanted to have our one year anniversary party at the BYC. We can’t imagine a better place to celebrate!

We are so happy we had our wedding at the Balboa Yacht Club. Because we aren't members, we had a family friend who is a member sponsor us. We looked at a TON of places before finding this local gem and were shocked at how great the package was that Russell put together for us. The ceremony site looks over the water, as does the cocktail hour. The reception room has full glass windows so you can look out on the harbor as you dance. We had New York Steak and Seabass for dinner, both of which were excellent. Russell was extremely accomodating and let us hang lanterns, hang a sign over the fireplace, add twinkle lights outside. Basically everything we wanted to do, he worked with us in making it happen. The room was gorgeous and the ceremony outside was breathtaking. It was really nice for us to have the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception at the same venue with so much family in from out of town. There wasn't a single thing we would change, we loved it!

I had two other family members get married at the Balboa Yacht Club and I always knew it was where I wanted my wedding as well. They actually had the date we wanted available and were very accommodating in making sure we had everything we needed. The wedding was absolutely beautiful! The staff was so wonderful to work with and made my wedding so relaxed and special for us. With the cost including the site for the wedding and reception, a full dinner for all of our guests, all the seating, place settings and everything else we could think of it was probably the best price we could get. The setting is incredible and everyone told us it was the most beautiful wedding they had been to. Thank you Balboa Yacht Club!

My husband and I were married at the Mission San Juan Capistrano and then had our reception at the Balboa Yacht Club in Newport Beach, CA. I want to begin this review/blog/opinion column by stating that I am not the kind of person to take the time to submit my opinions of any kind online; however, in this case, I felt a deep sense of obligation to brides- to- be to know about one of the best kept secrets in Orange County and to reward the people who made my wedding an unforgettable experience.

One person in particular, Russell Miller, made my entire wedding planning experience seamless. I met him with my mother and future mother -in -law a few months prior to the big day. I really appreciated his high level of professionalism and his calm demeanor from the moment I met him. While the three of us enjoyed a glass of fine white wine in the dining room Russell took extensive notes on every detail that I voiced from white lights on the patio to a canon ball going off to signal dinner to my guests. This was my first time planning a wedding and to every single question he had a simple answer and reassurance that it would be� taken care of�. The expression, �the devil is in the details� is so applicable to wedding planning and thankfully, Russell took care of all of them. At all times it was about me and making me feel relaxed and excited about this special day.

Additionally, I was on a serious budget( I am one of 10 children) and he worked with me on all the prices. So many venues in the OC were really fabulous venues like Rancho Las Lomas and Seven Degrees, but I don�t have the budget for $5,000-$7,000 site fee.

The Balboa Yacht Club offers your guests one of the greatest views of the harbor and sets the nautical tone for your reception. It was such a beautiful day with sailboats on the water during the cocktail hour and a breathtaking sunset during dinner. Russell made sure we ate our dinner by bringing it out early to us so we could eat and then walk around to welcome our guests (I highly recommend it!). He also made sure I always had a nice glass of wine in hand even though I kept setting it down and forgetting where I put it!

If you want an incredible wedding that is affordable and unforgetable- the Balboa Yacht Club is for you. Also, forget wedding cake- I served Balboa bars and people loved it!!

Ask for Russell!

The BYC is a private club, and for the most part we were pretty happy with how the event turned out.  There was a communication problem with the valet parking company --- they showed up late -- but other than that things went smoothly, and it's a beautiful spot for a wedding. Nick is responsive and does a good job bringing everything together.

For any Bride and Groom reading this endorsement: I am Rev. Michael and I Officiate at all locations in Orange County. And one of my top five favorite locations to Officiate at is at the Balboa Yacht Club. Their staff are, without a doubt, the best, the most flexible, the most organized and the nicest coordinators to work with. I receive so many rave reviews from my couples not only regarding the way they handle the Ceremony but the reception as well. I would be remiss in not telling you to at least call the Balboa Yacht Club and investigate their offerings. If you wish to know more, feel free to contact me at ReverendMichael@ReverendMichael.com http://www.ReverendMichael.com. Rev. Michael

Balboa Yacht Club is a good spot for under 80 person(s) weddings & great for white dove releases from "Newport Coast White Dove Release" www.ocdoves.com (714) 903-6599