Mission Santa Clara de Asís — Attraction in Santa Clara

I had my wedding here in June 2023. Please note that you have to be a Santa Clara University student, alumni, or faculty member to get married here (I did my graduate program at SCU). It is very cost-effective to reserve this space and the administration is very helpful in ensuring all paperwork and documentation is completed. Upon reserving our spot, we received a detailed wedding planning outline that helped us plan our wedding day. The mission is absolutely beautiful with such rich history. It is beautiful inside and does not require much decoration as the beauty speaks for itself! The on-site director helped make our wedding rehearsal go very smoothly so that on the day of, all attendants knew exactly what to do. I highly recommend this venue if you are capable! Photos courtesy of Katelyn...

You stop at the kiosk on the way in and tell them you want to go to the mission. They'll give you a two hour visitor parking pass and direct you where to park. You'll be facing the entrance of the Mission as you pass the kiosk. You can almost always enter the mission from the door to the right of the main door, even if there is a service or wedding going on. Near that entrance is a display of the history of the mission - quite interesting. The acoustics are quite good. Don't hesitate to sit quietly in the back no matter what is going on. The paintings, alter and just the atmosphere are all lovely. I've visited many of the 21 missions and this is one of the most beautifully restored. Be sure to go to the area to the left of the mission to see one of the oldest...

First and foremost, the mission is a beautiful piece of history and a cool place to go and see.

I went to SCU for undergrad and had my wedding ceremony in the mission. Their staff is so organized and helped guide us through the process from start to finish. They have a coordinator on site for the ceremony and our coordinator, Charlie was just wonderful! He was such a calming and positive presence during what can be a very stressful and chaotic time. He made sure everything with the ceremony went smoothly.

Pro tip though- if you’re getting married at the mission- give yourself ample time to find a priest to officiate the wedding, as many priests don’t do weddings outside...