Seven Oaks Ranch at Yosemite

Seven Oaks Ranch caught our eye because we wanted our wedding to be entirely outdoors and near the mountains, specifically as close to Yosemite as possible. Our first inclination was to have our wedding in Yosemite National Park, but logistically this idea was beyond frustrating. Limited accommodations for guests coupled with Yosemite’s summer traffic, not to mention nearly all vendors would be charging extra for the added expense of traveling into the park, were all enough reasons for us to look elsewhere. Seven Oaks Ranch offers all the beauty of the Yosemite foothills, without all the added hassle of trying to run a wedding within the park boundaries. Set on 50 beautiful acres in the hamlet town of Ahwahnee, Seven Oaks Ranch is a mere 22 miles to Yosemite’s southern entrance. Not only this, but you have the summer playground of Bass Lake 13 miles away, the town of Oakhurst 7 miles away, and the major city of Fresno just 52 miles to the south. This opens up vast opportunities, not only for wedding vendor support, but also for getting your families and friends to your wedding destination. (Most of our guests flew into the Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT)). By having Seven Oaks Ranch just outside the boundary of Yosemite, it was much, much easier to seek out vendors for our wedding, not to mention at a major cost savings. Many items we were able to find in the nearest town of Oakhurst, which also boasts numerous accommodations from standard hotel rooms to AirBNB’s for our guests. As for the Ranch itself, we had our pick of multiple sites in which to hold our ceremony. We elected to choose a large, open field just outside the main yard. It was the first week in June, and the pasture had turned a brilliant gold with spring wildflowers still poking through. Just beyond a swinging gate, we chose an elegant oak tree whose shade still sprouted green grass in its shadow. It was the perfect spot to take in the early summer warmth, share our wedding vows, and celebrate the experience of our marriage with our families and friends . After the ceremony, we returned back to the main area, decorated by multiple strands of lighting in and out of the oak trees. While there was a patio area available, we elected to have our dinner at one long “country style” table while guests shared their stories of both bride and groom. The grounds were perfectly rustic, using an old well house as a backdrop for the bar, a hay barn as a game area, and plenty of room for people to dance on the patio while the stars opened up in the skies above us. For those that wanted a little more peace and quiet, a grassy backyard decked under two enormous sycamore trees was a welcomed option to sit and chat with friends and family from around the country. All in all, I would highly recommend the Seven Oaks Ranch at Yosemite for your wedding. Its multiple amenities and superb location, so close to Yosemite’s south gate, made our wedding a truly memorable day, with the added bonus of making the wedding planning so much easier being just outside the park. For all of these reasons our wedding at Seven Oaks Ranch at Yosemite made a truly unforgettable experience that will live in the hearts of our friends and families for a lifetime. We are eternally grateful to have chosen this special place in the Yosemite foothills to sanctify our marriage. Macey and Jason