Note: the Quadrus Conference Center has now closed down permanently. 

For other wedding venue ideas, please check out my guide to the best San Francisco wedding venues linked below:

Sharing J & B’s Quadrus Conference Center wedding in Menlo Park. This was my first time shooting at the venue.

At first you may be wondering is a Conference Center going to be good for a wedding? What will it look like?

The good news is, it’s an inviting space. Dreamy, even! It’s filled with light (a photographer’s dream) and has lots of windows and white walls. Scroll down to see more of the unique features of the space!

I promise you’ll be pleasantly surprised at this versatile, practical and pretty space.

Outdoor ceremony space and indoor dining at Quadrus Conference Center wedding | Photos by Zoe Larkin Photography

Our wedding couple, J&B, wanted to keep things simple with a focus firmly on their guests. They definitely aren’t a couple to take themselves too seriously, nor be the center of attention.

They were looking forward mostly to having everyone in their lives be together for the first time. Also: being well-fed and kicking off their shoes for a lively dance party!

About the wedding couple

The Redwood City couple has been together for 4 years, and met in grad school. After working across the bench from each other for about 4 years, B asked J on a date.

J said no at first. She foresaw awkwardness as they’d become friends. You know the rest of this story, however. As B graduated and left the lab, they began a more serious relationship.

Dating actually turned out to be easy because they were already good friends.

Since then, the pair have move crossed country and work at Stanford now in different research areas, so they barely cross paths at work.

One thing I thought was really impressive was that they sometimes ride their bikes from Redwood to Stanford! As someone who’s really unfit, that just makes me admire them even more.

Beautiful marrier portraits at Quadrus Conference Center wedding | Photos by Zoe Larkin Photography

Planning their wedding

J&B got engaged in December 2017, which was about 18 months before the wedding took place. They always knew that it would be a low-pressure, low-rush engagement.

When looking at venues they were originally thinking about getting married in Los Angeles as that’s where J had moved from.

Hawaii was also an option because J’s mom has roots in Hawaii. But they ended up choosing Quadrus Conference Center because they really loved the place. Logistically it would work out the most convenient.

Their main focus for the wedding in terms of what they were looking forward to the most, was the reception. They describe themselves as “shy”. During our initial phone call they said they almost wished the ceremony could be skipped.

Read on to see how it turned out!

They both just wanted everyone to have a good time. In their words, they “want everyone to have fun and have friends from different parts of their lives meet and come together.”

Oh, and for everyone to be well-fed, of course! The Quadrus Conference Center runs a tight ship where their in-house catering is concerned.

Being a large venue with many different complexes and spaces, they are used to catering for all-sized events. The food quality was excellent and the service very efficient.

Order of events at Quadrus Conference Center wedding

They had the ceremony on the pretty deck out back. The ceremony turned out to be one of my favorites. I’m so glad they didn’t downplay it, as I know they were apprehensive initially.

J’s brother who is quite a character (in a good way!), officiated. He brought an incredible sense of fun, liveliness and humor. J and B spent most of their time at the altar either laughing or crying.

Touching moments duing J and B’s wedding ceremony | Photos by Zoe Larkin Photography

After the ceremony on the deck, folks headed inside for the rest of the event. There was a cocktail hour while formal portraits were done, toasts and speeches then the sit-down meal.

That was followed by the first dances then they opened up the dancefloor for open dancing!

I have to let you in on a secret.

Of all my many 2019 weddings, this Quadrus Conference Center wedding was the only one that ran perfectly on schedule.

In fact, we were not only on time but several times during the day, I checked our timeline. We were ahead of schedule!

This is a credit not only to J’s amazing organizational skills but also to the venue itself being SO efficient.

Wedding details

J&B had a navy, coral and cream color scheme – a timeless choice that photographs beautifully. It’s pleasing on the eye and super elegant.

The couple dancing in front of their homemade paper cranes | Photo by Zoe Larkin Photography

The incorporated the tradition of folding the 1,000 paper cranes. The ancient Japanese legend of senbazuru promises that anyone who does this will be granted a wish by the gods.

Or, eternal happiness and prosperity. It’s a lovely wedding tradition to incorporate not only for its spiritual significance but for wedding décor and a fun talking point!

A practical step the couple took was concerning their cocktails. They had:

• Rum loves coco (coconut rum, coconut water, mint syrup & lime)
• Paper Crane (rye, aperol, amaro meletti & lemon)
• Aged Negroni (gin, campari & aged sweet vermouth)

Get this: J&B premixed all of these cocktails themselves a couple of weeks before the wedding! Alcohol is BYO at this venue.

It’s a really great idea. Killing the cocktail game, and shorter lines for guests!

A selection of cocktails, pre-mixed by the couple, as well as wine and beer were available for guests to enjoy | Photos by Zoe Larkin Photography

Unique features of the Quadrus Conference Center

I’ve already mentioned the gorgeous white walls and windows everywhere (including, crucially, in the getting ready rooms!)

There are beautiful art prints dotted around which adds a lot of visual interest. Also on the grounds are tons of incredible mature trees and other plants.

There’s also a view of the bay and plenty of parking (never let that be underestimated in the Bay Area – it’s gold!)

Getting married at the Quadrus Conference Center is a way of saving a lot of time and stress, too. They are very much an all-in-one venue.

You won’t have to worry about transportation, catering or coordination. Being an all-in-one Bay Area wedding venue, Quadrus has you covered.

Others online have raved about the high ceilings and hardwood floors. Couldn’t agree more. This all helps create a light, airy and elegant feel in your finished wedding photos.

Lots of the areas at the Quadrus Conference Center are dreamy and filled with light | Photos by Zoe Larkin Photography

J&B had a guest count of 140 and it was perfect. It wasn’t crowded, and everyone could move around freely!

Here’s some info about the capacity of the wedding venue:

Capacity of Quadrus Conference Center

For what you get included in the space, the rental rates are great for smaller budgets.

This is one of the more affordable Bay Area wedding venues.

Be sure to reach out directly to them so they can give you a custom quote based on your unique wedding celebration.

You can almost feel their embarrassment! I won’t reveal what the best man said… | Photo by Zoe Larkin Photography

Vendor Love

Photography Zoe Larkin Photography
Venue Quadrus Conference Center, Menlo Park, CA
Floral designer Mills Flowers
Planning Nancy Reid (family friend) 
Rentals A1 Party Rental
DJ DJ Jeremy Productions
Attire BoLee Bridal | Indochino
Wedding party attire Birdy Grey
Shoes Franco Sarto
Rings Brilliant Earth
HMUA Mayra’s Eyelashes
Cake Susie Cakes

About Zoe Larkin Photography

Oh and you can learn more about my services at the links below. Hoping I’ll be back at Quadrus Conference Center, Menlo Park soon, shooting your lovely wedding!

Bay Area Wedding photographer – Info, pricing, about & portfolio

In the meantime, be sure to pin the graphic below to your Pinterest wedding planning board!

Spot the unicorn when you hover over any image on this page =)

Quadrus Conference Center wedding | Menlo Park wedding venue | Zoe Larkin Photography

Images from the wedding