14 Redwood Wedding Venues for a Nature-Filled Celebration
Interested in looking into redwood wedding venues for your nuptials? For some couples, there's nothing more romantic than being in the woods, surrounded by clean air, the sounds of nature and just each other for company. And if you're one of those couples, you're likely to be thinking about a wooded or forest wedding – and perhaps no type of forest is more awe-inspiring than a redwood forest. Fortunately, you can easily find Redwood wedding venues in Northern California, regardless of whether you're planning a huge dream wedding or a more intimate wedding celebration.
As some of the world's oldest and tallest trees, redwoods are enormous. Many are larger than a small house in diameter and they can be 300 feet tall – and nearly 3,000 years old. The world's tallest living tree is in Redwood National Park and measures in at nearly 400 feet tall and still growing.
If you're thinking about a wedding weekend held in the Redwoods, check out the list below for gorgeous wedding venues in Northern California. And don't forget to visit The Knot Vendor Marketplace to find even more California wedding venues near you.
Kennolyn – Hilltop Hacienda and Stone Creek Village in Soquel, California
This redwood wedding venue features two event spaces in one! Choose between the Hilltop Hacienda, set on 240 acres of rolling countryside with hill and bay views. The Spanish-style venue offers a gorgeous ceremony spot in the Redwood Grove, and outdoor reception space. Stone Creek Village is the second space, which is ideal for destination weddings, as all of your guests can stay on the property. All-inclusive packages are available, which make planning a Kennolyn wedding an absolute breeze.
- Guest Capacity: Up to 300
Roaring Camp Railroads in Felton, California
Why plan a redwood wedding when you could plan a redwood experience? Just outside Santa Cruz is Roaring Camp Railroads, where the experience begins well before your wedding ceremony. To get to the ceremony venue – a secluded grove of new- and old-growth redwoods in a nearly perfect circle – guests will have to board a 100-year-old steam train. (You can also skip the steam train and choose to say "I do" next to the vintage schoolhouse building instead.)
After the ceremony, your guests can party the night away on the dance floor in the Bret Harte Hall, a barn decorated with chandeliers and with swing doors that open onto the accompanying yard for lawn games.
- Guest Capacity: Up to 300
Deer Park Villa in Fairfax, California
Rustic, bohemian, glam, or minimalist – whatever kind of wooded wedding you're envisioning can come to life for your wedding day at Deer Park Villa. Ceremonies are held in the roomy redwood grove, with market lights criss-crossing over your guests' seats and rustic-elegant details like log aisle runners to set the mood. Time your afternoon celebration correctly, and you may just get bold streaks of sunlight streaming through the redwood branches in your wedding photos. The venue also includes lounges for the wedding parties to prep before the vows begin.
- Guest Capacity: Up to 350
Pema Osel Ling Retreat Center in Watsonville, California
With a ceremony venue name as impressive as "Amphitheatre of the Redwoods," you can bet the site is something special. And with 104 acres of redwood forest at your disposal, this wooded wedding location definitely fits the definition of "special." The venue is within the Pema Osel Ling Retreat Center, a Buddhist-run center dedicated to peace and wellness (but they host weddings of all faiths and styles.)
At Pema Osel Ling, you can walk down an aisle to meet your future spouse on a raised deck lofted into a redwood grove, then dance the night away on the Celebration Lawn. On-site camping is available for outdoorsy attendees while those who would prefer a more luxurious experience can stay in private cabins.
- Guest Capacity: 35 to 250
Redwoods River Resort in Leggett, California
A wedding venue with views of both the redwoods and the water? Sign us up! Redwoods River Resort is a family-owned venue set on 23 acres on the Eel River. Ceremonies may be held overlooking the rivers or the trees, and receptions are held outdoors as well, with space for up to 200 guests. Up to 69 of your nearest and dearest can stay on premises, making this an ideal spot for destination weddings—you can buy out the whole property so the resort will be all yours for the weekend.
- Guest Capacity: Up to 200
Big Sur River Inn in Big Sur, California
Redwoods run up and down the California coastline, so you don't have to go all the way to the California-Oregon border to find a great venue. If you're looking for a redwood wedding venue closer to central California, check out the Big Sur River Inn. It's a rustic, riverfront lodge with plenty of outdoor space for weddings that'll make it feel like you're deep in the woods. The ceremony lawn is surrounded by redwoods, with the Big Sur River running just behind the property. When it's time to party, move your guests to the massive outdoor deck, which can accommodate up to 160 guests. The Big Sur River Inn is in the heart of Big Sur and within minutes of some of the area's largest redwood groves, so there are plenty of nearby wooded places to take photos before or after your ceremony (though the lodge itself has enough photo opportunities that you may not need to leave at all.) The Big Sur River Inn also has lodging and can arrange your rehearsal dinner and post-wedding events, too.
- Guest Capacity: Up to 200
Waterfall Lodge and Retreat in Ben Lomond, California
Couples dreaming of a barn wedding venue in California should take a serious look at the Waterfall Lodge and Retreat. The barn is recently built exclusively as an event space, though it sourced wood from early 19th-century barns for a vintage feel. Lush plants and bright green ferns surround the barn, which opens to an outdoor patio perfect for cocktail hours. Of course, if you want a more outdoorsy reception, you could choose to host both dinner and drinks outdoors, against the backdrop of towering redwoods. Couples dreaming of hosting a fairytale forest wedding should find that Waterfall Lodge and Retreat fits the bill. And though the retreat is a bit isolated, it's no problem for guests who don't want to do much traveling: there are 33 cabins on site you can book exclusively for your friends and family.
- Guest Capacity: Up to 150
Saratoga Springs Picnic and Campgrounds in Saratoga, California
Weddings in the redwoods don't have to be pricey, as proved by the lovely and affordable California wedding venues at the community-owned Saratoga Springs campsite. All venues are outside in your choice of sites ranging from a redwood grove to a lush lawn next to a small stream. One of Saratoga Springs' outdoor reception venues is next to an arched stone bridge, and the venue can even project your names onto the side of it after sunsets to personalize the reception. The venue is large, so there are plenty of portrait backdrops for your wedding photographer to choose from.
- Guest Capacity: Up to 300
Nestldown in Los Gatos, California
Nestldown is a venue unlike any other. While many wedding venues have a fairytale feeling, usually created with twinkling lights and sparkling chandeliers, Nestldown takes it a step further by having luxury cottages tucked across the 180-acre property. Most ceremonies are held in the "chapel": a clearing in a redwood grove where you and your attendees will be dwarfed by the size and scale of the trees. After the vows, move your guests to one of the outdoor celebration venues, like the lawn with two bocce ball courts. And if you're worried about your guests walking long distances around the venue, don't be: you can use Nestldown's 20-passenger train to move your guests from the ceremony site to the reception site.
- Guest Capacity: Up to 200
The Redwoods in Yosemite in Wawona, California
If you want to plan a wedding that truly celebrates nature, there may be no better location than The Redwoods at Yosemite National Park. You and your guests will be wowed by the scenery, and there are several rustic event spaces to choose from, plus your guests can stay on site and enjoy all that the park has to offer. Says one recent bride: "My fiancee and I just had our dream Yosemite wedding, and we were so lucky and blessed to have our reception at the Redwoods in Yosemite. Our contact was super helpful and responded super fast when I had reached out. They were able to provide us a list of vendors and definitely allowed us to have a more DIY vibe to our wedding. It also super nice that it's one of the few spaces that is actually inside of Yosemite National Park, making it a truly unique location."
- Guest Capacity: Up to 100
Hoyt Arboretum in Portland, Oregon
Sure, California probably has the most redwoods, but that doesn't mean it's your only option for a redwood wedding. Head up the coast into the Pacific Northwest and you'll hit Portland, where you'll find the Hoyt Arboretum. The most popular – and most beautiful – ceremony venue is the wooded deck surrounded by redwood trees. Hoyt Arboretum isn't a full venue with wedding planners and catering, but they have an extremely reasonable rental fee. And since you'll be in Portland, there are plenty of amazing places nearby for a wedding reception.
- Guest Capacity: Up to 100
Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia National Park, California
None of the wedding venues on this list strike your fancy? Then maybe you need to reconsider having a redwood wedding – and have a sequoia wedding instead. Sequoia trees are very similar to redwood trees; in fact, they're both in the same genus. While sequoias grow just as large, they're generally found inland in the mountains, rather than near the coast. That means you'll find a massive grove of them in the California national park named in their honor: Sequoia National Park. The park's Wuksachi Lodge is the perfect place to host your guests, with on-site lodging, hiking trails just minutes away, and nearby sequoia trees so large it would take your whole wedding party to wrap their arms around one. As the signature hotel in the park, the lodge can also handle your decor, set-up, catering and more.
- Guest Capacity: Up to 100
University of California Botanical Garden in Berkeley, California
If you thought you had to spend hours driving through the forest to find the perfect California redwoods wedding venues, think again. The University of California Botanical Garden in Berkeley, California has an outdoor amphitheater tucked into a redwood grove, providing one of the most outdoorsy venues you'll find accessible via public transportation from San Francisco.
The Mather Redwood Grove & Amphitheater was planted in the 1930s and creates what the venue calls a "cathedral of redwoods." Fortunately, the amphitheater itself has a paved floor and raised bench seating with cushions, so it's a great option if you want redwood wedding venues that can accommodate older or mobility-limited guests. Wedding receptions can be indoors or outdoors, depending on the size of your party. They can also arrange elopements for couples planning an extremely intimate wedding.
- Guest Capacity: Up to 200
Sand Rock Farm in Aptos, California
Couples obsessed with the idea of a private getaway in the woods for just you and your loved ones, take a look at Sand Rock Farm, a 10-acre private estate just minutes from the Santa Cruz Mountains. The lovely venue hosts only one wedding per day and also offers weekend buyouts. That means you'll get the entire space without anyone else on property.
You'll have not one but two options of groves to choose from for your wedding ceremony site: a redwood grove or a walnut grove. Host an outdoor wedding reception on the ivy-walled terrace, surrounded by greenery and market lights, or inside the historic 1890's barn. Sand Rock Farm requires the use of a wedding planner who will handle everything from caterers to decor during your weekend so couples don't have to worry about a thing.
- Guest Capacity: Up to 150
More Redwoods Wedding Venues and Vendor Ideas
Want even more ideas? Have a look at these recommendations from our editors for couples looking for Redwood forest wedding venues.
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- Beach Wedding Venues in California
Bonus: Check out The Knot Vendor Marketplace for more Redwood forest venues and vendors. Connect with wedding photographers, florists, cake designers and more.