Chabot Space & Science Center 10000 Skyline Boulevard • Oakland • CA 94619

Looking for an out-of-this-world location to celebrate your wedding? Let the stars smile on you at Chabot Space & Science Center. In the evenings, this state-of-the-art science education center perched high in the Oakland hills makes a unique setting for private events.

The Center is surrounded by 13 wooded acres in Joaquin Miller Park, and its architecture takes full advantage of that fact with numerous floor-to-ceiling windows, a glass skyway, and a catwalk-like loggia up in the trees. The two main buildings, the Spees and Dellums Buildings, are linked at the second floor by the Skybridge, and at ground level by a courtyard with gardens. Exposed ceilings, black floors, and architectural details in aluminum create a polished look throughout the center.

Event spaces in the Spees Building include two levels of exhibits for a reception or cocktail hour. You may also want to consider serving cocktails in the building’s sleek open spaces: There are several areas where you can stand on the ground floor and gaze all the way up to the top of the second floor. The most striking of these is the Rotunda, an atrium-like space capped by a huge octagonal skylight—it’s perfect for a phenomenal dance party.

The Spees Building is also home to a 241-seat planetarium that features one of the world’s most advanced immersive visualization systems. It allows you to take your audience on a real-time journey to the edge of the known universe and back again. We loved the idea of a celestial ceremony in the planetarium: Imagine getting married on a spot-lit stage beneath a 70-foot dome of gorgeous night sky thick with stars, while your guests sit spellbound in comfortable tiered seats. If you want to go all out, you can even make arrangements with the projectionist to create a sky that changes throughout the event.

Another appealing ceremony option—and one that will give every guest a great vantage point—is the semicircular Amphitheater surrounded by trees. At the top level of the amphitheater, the Pleiades Courtyard stretches back to the Spees Building café. Together, the two spaces make a convenient and casual indoor/outdoor spot for serving post-ceremony refreshments. After dining, guests will enjoy strolling through the adjacent EnviroGarden, designed to showcase native plants.

The newly renovated Astronomy Hall in the Dellums Building is ideal for an indoor reception for up to 250 seated guests. It opens to the outdoor plaza of the Chabot Observatory, the highest point of the Center, where your guests will be wowed by sweeping bay views over the treetops. Here they can also experience the brand new Observation Deck, designed in partnership with San Francisco’s Exploratorium. If you like, host your ceremony and cocktail hour on the plaza overlooking Oakland, before stepping into the Hall to dine. Later in the evening, guests are invited back to the Observatory for viewing the night sky with Chabot’s astronomy team.

Chabot Space & Science Center is a stellar (sorry, we couldn’t resist) venue, not just for weddings, but for private and corporate events, too. And even if you aren’t an astronomy buff, you’ll delight in the sunset over the bay and the dazzling nighttime panorama of city lights twinkling below.