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Otherside Life
Otherside LifeDeal with DeathSeptember 21, 2026
Deal with Death

Memorial & Celebration of Life Venues in the Los Angeles Area

Real, currently-operating LA-area venues that explicitly host memorial services and celebrations of life — a research starting point across cemetery reception spaces, gardens, and sanctuaries.

September 21, 20264 min read
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This list is a research starting point, not an endorsement. Otherside Life doesn't yet have a formal vetted-partner relationship with the businesses below — they're real, currently-operating venues serving the Los Angeles area, researched directly from each business's own website. Confirm licensing, current pricing, and availability directly with any business before booking, the same way you would with any vendor you find on your own.

If you're working with an Otherside Life account coordinator, they can also help vet and coordinate with a specific option from this list, or a different one you already have in mind.

VenueAreaCapacityKey Limitation
Rose Hills — GardenView Reception CenterWhittierUp to 120No alcohol permitted
Inglewood Park Cemetery — Chapel of the Chimes & GalleriaInglewood60–200Chapel of the Chimes seats 60 max
Self-Realization Fellowship Lake ShrinePacific PalisadesPre-reserved datesNo on-site reception space
Green Hills Memorial ParkRancho Palos VerdesNot publishedCapacity/catering not published
Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park & MortuaryWestwood25+ (tiered)Packages cap at 25 guests
Forest Lawn — Hollywood HillsNear Griffith Park45–1,000+
Descanso GardensLa Cañada FlintridgeVaries by spaceExclusive in-house caterer only
Memorial & Celebration of Life Venues in the Los Angeles Area at a glance

Westside

Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine

Area: Pacific Palisades

Best for: A serene, spiritual ceremony-only setting

Why hire them: A distinctive spiritual setting — lakeside or in a hilltop temple sanctuary — with ceremonies following a format created by founder Paramahansa Yogananda and officiated by SRF ministers, appealing to families wanting a meditative, non-denominational tone.

What they do: Memorial services on an annual calendar of pre-reserved dates, booked through an online ceremony request form reviewed by a Ceremonies Coordinator.

What they don't do / limitations: Confirmed directly on their site: on-site reception space is not available, so the reception needs a separate venue. Ceremony-only.

Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park & Mortuary

Area: Westwood

Best for: A historic chapel with catered receptions near UCLA

Why hire them: Serving LA for over a century, with a recently renovated, large-capacity chapel and catered receptions handled on-site — convenient for families wanting service, burial, and reception in one place near Westwood/UCLA.

What they do: Catered receptions with food and beverage service in published tiers (Desserts, Light Fare, Appetizers) each starting around 25 guests, plus transportation, floral, and event-planning add-ons.

What they don't do / limitations: Published starter catering packages cap at 25 guests; larger packages require a custom quote. Specific chapel seating isn't published.

South Bay & South LA

Inglewood Park Cemetery — Chapel of the Chimes & Galleria

Area: Inglewood

Best for: A choice between an intimate chapel and a 200-seat gallery

Why hire them: Offers a choice between an intimate historic chapel and a large mausoleum gallery, both with built-in livestreaming for remote guests. The Chapel of the Chimes also houses the cemetery's own crematory.

What they do: Chapel of the Chimes seats up to 60 with a small reception for 50–75 depending on setup; the Mausoleum of the Golden West Galleria seats up to 200 with stained glass and A/V capability.

What they don't do / limitations: The Chapel of the Chimes is sized for intimate gatherings, not large events; no catering details published for either space.

Green Hills Memorial Park

Area: Rancho Palos Verdes

Best for: An ocean-view park with its own on-site mortuary

Why hire them: A non-denominational memorial park since 1948, known for scenic, landscaped ocean-view grounds, with its own mortuary on-site so burial, cremation, and memorial planning can be handled by one team.

What they do: Traditional funerals, cremation services, memorial services, and pre-planning through the on-site mortuary, described as accommodating both intimate gatherings and larger ceremonies.

What they don't do / limitations: Their site doesn't publish specific capacity, catering, or A/V details, so it's worth a direct call before deciding.

Hollywood & Central LA

Forest Lawn — Hollywood Hills

Area: Near Griffith Park

Best for: Chapels from 45 to 1,000+ seats in one park

Why hire them: A large, historically significant park with multiple distinct chapels ranging from intimate to over 1,000 seats, giving families real flexibility in venue size, plus all-inclusive funeral and memorial packages.

What they do: Chapel options include Old North Church (160 seats), Hall of Liberty (1,000+ seats), Faith Chapel (45 seats), and Church of the Hills (158 seats), with views of the San Fernando Valley and LA skyline.

Eastside & Foothills

Rose Hills — GardenView Reception Center

Area: Whittier

Best for: An on-site reception space with catering, no alcohol

Why hire them: A reception space purpose-built for the gathering that follows a service, with a flexible indoor/outdoor layout and catering handled on-site rather than sourced separately.

What they do: Holds up to 120 guests indoors or outdoors, with catering ranging from simple coffee service to a full breakfast or lunch buffet or dessert bar. Sits alongside Rose Hills' own chapels and mortuary.

What they don't do / limitations: Alcoholic beverages are explicitly not allowed at Rose Hills.

Descanso Gardens

Area: La Cañada Flintridge

Best for: A botanical garden setting with an exclusive in-house caterer

Why hire them: A botanical garden setting that explicitly lists celebration of life among its hosted event types, with a dedicated events team and a choice of indoor and outdoor spaces for a natural, garden setting rather than a traditional chapel.

What they do: Event spaces include the Boddy House, Minka, two rental rooms, and the Rose Garden Pavilion (indoor and outdoor, rented separately), with garden admission included and a projector screen/cart available for A/V.

What they don't do / limitations: Flora Events is the exclusive on-site caterer — outside food generally isn't permitted, though outside cake or desserts may be allowed with coordination. Events must end by 10pm, and clients bring their own projector.

Before you call

Every entry here was pulled from the business's own website. Business hours, pricing, and availability change — confirm directly before you commit to anything, and don't hesitate to ask about experience with end-of-life situations specifically if it isn't already clear from their site.

Getting started

If you'd rather not coordinate this yourself, an Otherside Life account coordinator can — see how a coordinator helps with Venue for what that actually looks like, or talk to a coordinator directly about your specific situation.

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