Piedmont Community Church and Guild Hall 400 Highland Avenue • Piedmont • CA 94611

You'll see the landmark bell tower of the beautiful Piedmont Community Church long before you arrive. Gleaming in the sunlight, the ivory-colored Mission-style building looks a bit like a wedding cake, set atop an ivy- and flower-covered rise overlooking the prosperous community that gives the venue its name.

An extensive renovation prior to the church's 100th-year anniversary added numerous features, making the facilities here even more guest-friendly. You can enter through a number of private and public stairways, ramps and drives, all of which lead to an expansive, landscaped inner courtyard that radiates around a colorful central fountain. This is, of course, the perfect place for an outdoor ceremony roofed in blue sky and skirted in blossoms. But you might want to use this area and the upper courtyard that surrounds it for music and cocktails, and instead get married in the church itself.

Nothing will prepare those attending for the regal ambiance within. Plush royal-blue carpet, dark pews cushioned in velvet, a lustrous, carved-beam ceiling, and two walls of stained-glass windows with floral motifs in brilliant, jewel colors evoke an Old World opulence. Couples tie the knot at an altar fit for a king and queen, beneath a rotunda brightened with lofty stained-glass windows. The church comes with a fabulous pipe organ hidden behind one altar wall, an organist, and acoustics that will naturally amplify even a whispered "I do." There are also separate spaces for the couple to get ready: the lounge-like Altar Guild Room for the groom; and a comfortable salon with mirrors, bathroom, vanity, private entrance, and more for the bride and her retinue.

Across the courtyard, the welcoming Guild Hall provides a perfectly grand setting for a celebration of any kind. The beamed ceiling soars overhead, hardwood floors gleam golden, and pale sage-colored walls exude an embracing calm. Enormous windows can be left open on sunny days, and there's a generous stage for musicians. Another plus: a spacious commercial-quality kitchen that will surely please your caterer. Like the other structures on the property, Guild Hall has a private entrance, landscaped outdoor seating areas, and is flanked by graceful colonnades.

If your party is very large or very small, you may want to use the Clara Barton and Doris Murdock Rooms. Both open to the upper courtyard and provide parlor-like space for a guest lounge, additional buffet tables or a quieter, more intimate gathering. Panel doors separate the two rooms so that they can be used individually or together.

Sound heavenly? It is—especially when glasses are raised, toasts are made, and the church bells chime for you.