The Sequoia Retreat Center

Trying to connect and arrange a tour of the property for our wedding was difficult and drawn out over four weeks. We got so frustrated by the simple task of setting up a property tour with them that we decided to look elsewhere. If they’re unprofessional at this point, what is it going to be like the weekend of the event? How I feel about them: Fine, don’t take our $ 25K plus for a wedding weekend. Think we dodged a bullet here.
Advice to the venue? Punctuality and congeniality count a great deal.

The venue is gorgeous and the staff attempt to support you. Unfortunately, little is beyond the surface — we had a great tune at our wedding but for the most part, it was due to the labor we put in.
+ food
+ setting
+ outdoor music (though I don’t think this is possible anymore)
+ no curfew
— Your groom will be hauling kegs around and doing a lot of labor. So will you. So will your families. On wedding night.
— You won’t get a refund on unused settings, regardless of what the contract states
— If you buy a very expensive bartending package, chances are you won’t get a bartender and you won’t get a refund (we sure didn’t)
— Food prices for what you get
— If you’re looking for crazy amenities… like ice to keep drinks cold, forget it. Your family will be making multiple trips to town.

My final graduate school in-​person weekend was held here. There were 10 of us for most of the weekend, plus a few people who joined us during the day. It was wonderful to have the space to ourselves, until the last afternoon. (see comment below) It truly felt like a retreat.
The location is beautiful. From my cabin (Bluejay), I couldn’t see any other cabins. I couldn’t really see anything except beautiful redwoods. The cabins have all the basics, although you’ll want to bring a hair dryer, if needed. I am far from out of shape and the walk up the hill from my cabin to the lodge left me winded. If you have anyone with mobility challenges, you will want to consider the «upper bird» cabins for those folks. There is also a one-​way road that wraps around the lodge and cabins, so driving is an option.
We spent much of our time in the lodge, which has gorgeous views. The space was ample for our group, yet also felt cozy. The staff were prompt with meals and we had plenty, if not too much, food. Everything was quite delicious and healthy and they easily met the dietary needs of those in our group.
One thing is holding me back from five stars. On Sunday afternoon we were in the middle of fairly intense work and we heard people talking outside. Then four people came in and started looking around. They were giving people a tour! This was incredibly disruptive and I think it is inappropriate to give a tour when we had paid for the space during that time. Or at least be quiet about it.

We celebrated our 3-​day wedding celebration here and it was incredible! Diane, Scott and her team have a beautiful space that is set-​up really well to accommodate many activities, many people and a whole lot of fun. They were kind and flexible and contributed to our weekend being virtually stress free. I recommend this retreat center for anyone looking for a rustic, yet gorgeous outdoor setting that will bring your friends and family together for an unforgettable weekend!

I got married here over July 4^th weekend this year. It was 150 people, three days (125 people Friday, 158 Saturday), and very few (it’s a strain to think of any) glitches. It is a perfect place if you want to have a fun-​filled, beautiful, unique wedding. It will be difficult to put into words how spectacular and amazing both the venue and the staff/​service but I will attempt to do so.
Planning process: We booked SRC about ten months out, after looking all over for a place we could spend an entire weekend and where our friends could stay on site. I worked primarily with Diane, but also with her husband, Scott, and their onsite wedding coordinator (LJ). They were always gracious and responsive and answered all of my (quite obsessive) emails and questions. I went onto the site five different times to look at cabins, scope out the site, meet with them, and every time they met us with a smile and were willing to walk around with us, answer questions, etc. They create drawings/​google docs for you to work with which are incredibly helpful and allow everyone to be on the same page. I also had an outside wedding coordinator and it made it so that she, SRC, and I were always on the same page and understood the logistical details of the wedding. If you are financially able, I would say having an outside coordinator is helpful because of how big the site is (and SRC will work directly with them) but probably not totally necessary (LJ, who is amazing, is herself a wedding planner!)
The site: Is spectacular. There’s not much more to say except that you wont be disappointed. Also, there are several different areas on the site so you can surprise your guests by having a brunch one place, the ceremony another, the dinner in another, etc. You feel like you are in a fairytale and you hear no noise from anywhere else. The area where you will likely have your reception, Pixies and Las Alas Lodge, are incredible and overlook a beautiful valley of trees and the horizon. One thing to note is that the site is big, so if you have a particular vision for where you want certain decorations or events to take place, being organized is necessary (but SRC makes it easy with their planning). I see in other reviews that parking has been an issue – we were worried about that but it was completely fine. If you’re able, having a shuttle may be helpful, but we had 150 guests, many of whom drove themselves and it was no problem.
Catering: SRC catered our wedding dinner as well as two brunches and lunch. We had rave reviews about the quality of the food – it was super fresh, interesting, and hearty. I would not have changed anything. We did a tasting which was delicious and they will really cater to your likes (I am a vegetarian who hates mushrooms, my husband is a major meat eater… they made it work). The service was also great, and there were no mix-​ups or hold ups. We had steak, butternut squash ravioli, and wild salmon and everyone told us it was an amazing dinner.
Cabins: all of our friends loved the cabins and staying together. We have some friends I was worried would think it was «too rustic» but the cabins are beautiful, spacious and very clean. They also have a little house on the property which is where I stayed and got ready with 9 bridesmaids. It was perfect and SRC delivered us a delicious lunch and champagne! We have heard only positive reviews.
Finally, SRC really allowed us to have a wedding we wanted. They don’t impose many rules (the ones they do, like no hard liquor, they are serious about though) and they don’t impose their vision on you. They execute what you want impeccably (for instance, we wanted certain wines on certain tables, and wanted s’mores and a keg to be brought to the fire pit… and they did it all) and they leave you to have fun and celebrate on your weekend. There’s not a sense of them rushing you through anything or it being a money-​making only operation, and that is invaluable on the what everyone wants to be the best weekend of their lives.
I could literally go on and on. I am a pretty picky/​detail-​obsessed person, and we planned our wedding primarily from the east coast and SRC gave us truly the best weekend of our entire lives, and one we will never, ever forget. My husband teared up leaving the site, as it was truly perfect. You will NOT be disappointed. I am obsessed with it and with how kind and generous Diane and Scott are. If you are hesitant about it, contact me:
, and I will go on and on and on about it and send you more photos.

Attended a wedding here in July. The woods are gorgeous, it is isolated, yet close to Ben Lomond for supplies and such. The cabins are well spaced out, but pretty sparse, bad shower and worse mattresses (should have done my back a favor and slept on the floor). The ceremony was beautiful, as was the «bonfire» (small fire pit that was not safely monitored by Staff), but more than once they ran out of food at the end of the buffets (the food was ok), and the parking directions were basically: «Yes, that little spot perched on the side of a cliff where you will be blocking sight lines for both incoming and outgoing traffic? Park right there.» Nevermind the perfectly safe and paved lot just down the road.
Gorgeous venue and a fun wedding, but logistics are lacking.

One of the most important occasions in your life is your child’s wedding. The Sequoia Retreat Center offered us a fabulous three day experience. The grounds were spectacular, set in the heart of the redwoods. The numerous cabins were quaint and delightful. The staff was very friendly. The food was deliciously prepared for breakfast lunch and dinner. All weddings have glitches. For such a complex, long term event there were very few mishaps. Scott and Diane were very gracious in making adjustments and compensations when necessary.

If you’re looking for that dreamy wedding experience that is set in the beauty of the woods with a fun summer camp feel, look no further. All you need to bring are the good people and Sequoia Retreat Center will accommodate the rest. The thoughtfulness of Diane and staff make a stressful situation much easier to handle (coming from the groom). We requested breakfast burritos with tater tots inside and without hesitation it was taken care of. We are very happy with our wedding and could’t imagine it at any other venue.

We attended a wedding in March and the location was beautiful. The ceremony was wonderful and the lodge was a great place for dinner, dancing, and drinks! I loved the patio lights!
The only 2 pitfalls were that retreat has atrocious parking for guests (make sure to carpool if you stay off-​site) and that it is really hard to figure out how to leave the site to go home or to an off-​site hotel (bring a flashlight and your ninja senses to drive home).

Sequoia was our top choice for a wedding venue after seeing several locations in the area. That was until we started actually trying to talk to the wedding planners to move forward in the process.
Right from the start it was weird, the event coordinators refused to meet with us. They were always too busy no matter when we made available to talk with them. Then the few times we made times to talk with them they just didn’t show up, wasting lots of our time. They had some of there catering staff who were really nice but didn’t have the knowledge to answer our questions about the venue. Then made promises about the venue that they refused to keep at a later time. After a few weeks of phone tag we did finally get to talk to them where they changed there prices from sentence to sentence.
Strangely at this point we still wanted to move forward with them because the venue looks nice, the price was right, and other reviews on here vouched for them. But that’s when they turned into real terrors. They all of a sudden told us they couldn’t cater our wedding which is why you would pick them and wouldn’t give us a real reason. and began to harass us to lock in our date or stop bothering them. If this was a small purchase then i could understand them not wanting to answer our questions, but this was 30k$ dollars! They can spend 15 minutes and respond to our questions.
Maybe in the end the event coordinator and food is amazing, but we would never know because for some reason the owners of this establishment wanted us to not bother them and just hand over the money and we were not willing to do that.
Please consider some of the many other local venues in the area before falling back to this one, there are MANY MANY other places to get married under the sequoias and they are just as beautiful without a staff with a attitude.

We held our wedding here in June 2014. The area had personal significance to us which is why we chose it. We also appreciated that the owners really cared about the space and first and foremost looked for guests and staff who would respect it and were much less of a wedding venue. The space is as beautiful as you see in photos and it is truly a magical place for wedding.
My comments here are based strictly on the event coordination and catering which I feel are lacking compared to other professional services, and believe most of the 5 star reviews here are people who hired full service wedding planners or day of coordinators. We were totally prepared to DIY and deal with things that went wrong, but some of the catering issues were just a bit careless beyond what was expected. Had we had a day of coordinator on site, it may have been resolved, but we did have friends acting as point people who tried resolving things like missing plates and did all of the decorating and set up. Really our misgivings are about the professionalism of the catering.
Here are a few things that we and several guests noticed brought to our attention during and after the wedding. Bummer!
–Despite us having laid out an alcohol plan for the rehearsal dinner, bonfire, and wedding, the SRC staff did not do any of the hauling and relied on our guests and parents to tap kegs, haul cases of wine and champagne from Peace Park to the bonfire site, and back up to the ceremony site. We are not sure why we had to provide an alcohol plan if we were to do the moving around ourselves as it led us to believe their staff would do it.
–Appetizers were served without plates. While this would have been fine, it really wasn’t. The appetizers were buffet style and there was a line to get to them, but there weren’t any plates to carry the food around. As a result people were walking around carrying soggy napkins. As the bride I had about 10 people ask me for a plate while I was waiting in line, so I went up and asked for a plate — the people in the kitchen told me they didn’t order enough plates and we were out of luck. I asked they staff if they at least had one just for me, so I wouldn’t have to carry around a drippy napkin in a white dress, but they didn’t. The result — a friend went and stole all the plates that were meant to be for the cake, so that people could use them for appetizers. Thankfully I have good friends, but really?! The whole layout didn’t make sense.
–Although we paid for their bartending service, the champagne glasses were all placed on the tables (we never asked for a champagne toast, this was their doing), and there were none available at the bar. The bride and groom were poured champagne into wine glasses. This really wasn’t a big deal, but seemed a little careless.
–We were told food from the rehearsal dinner would be moved up to the bonfire on Friday evening (we had paid for staffing for both events, as we understood with the catering and additional fees we paid), but again we found our friends and family doing the lifting, hauling food around, bringing down more cases of wine, and putting food away at the end of the night. All while staff hung around and chatted with our guests. Pretty great to see that.
–Dinner on the wedding day was served super late, the staff even came and asked the bride what time it should be served. Maybe we should have written out a point by point schedule but I think at a certain point a professional caterer would have noticed that everyone was sitting down and waiting to eat? When I think back to my wedding dinner I unfortunately think about how massively hungry I was sitting there and waiting for food to be served. Unfortunately it was not just me but me and everyone I knew. We were kind of bummed about that.
It pains me to write this review because I loved everything else, but I want to save other brides who are hesitant about the catering. I would absolutely host my wedding at the SRC but would instead hire a professional catering service, just so you don’t have to worry about things like missing glasses, plates, late food, etc. We were expecting to be all hands on deck to resolve issues, but didn’t expect our friends and family to also move food around, ask for plates and glasses for such careless little things. If you do use their catering, hire a full-​service day of coordinator to handle the annoying details for you! There were far more than I listed here — these are just what still stand out to us four months later.
Everything else was spectacular and Diane was great about communicating up to the date. I fear this will be chalked up as «high maintenance bride» but in reality I think this is a bare bones venue where you should really be convinced to hire a day of planner. We still did a ton of work to manage the wedding and event but really felt the catering needed a lot more work.

When I started looking at wedding venues a year ago, I quickly decided that I wanted to get married in the redwoods. I visited a few venues that fit the bill, but I knew from the moment that I visited the SRC that this was the place I wanted to get married. The venue is breathtakingly gorgeous, and I loved the idea of having the venue for the entire weekend, which not only takes the stress out of the wedding day itself, but also gave us more time to spend with our guests, most of whom were traveling from out of state.
Diane was wonderful to work with. Our email communications were a little slow at first, but as the day drew nearer, Diane was there to answer my question and help at every turn, and often responded to my emails in the wee hours of the morning. She also worked seamlessly with my wedding coordinator to make sure that everything flowed smoothly during our wedding weekend.
We used the SRC’s catering service and could not be happier. They took care of our rehearsal dinner BBQ, the reception dinner, the dessert bar, as well as breakfasts throughout the weekend. I loved having the flexibility to customize my own menu for every meal and event. For example, I wanted was allowed to have three different kinds of pie and 2 different types of cupcakes, along with an assortment of other treats for the dessert bar. Diane even had her staff throw in a smaller 2-​tier wedding cake for free (and it was DELICIOUS!). Our guests could not stop raving about how delicious the food was!
Most of all, we are so grateful to the SRC staff for being so helpful throughout the weekend. They are a small operation but they run like a well-​oiled machine and are very very good at what they do. They really bent over backwards to accommodate our requests. For example, I knew that I wouldn’t have much time during the wedding to enjoy the desserts, so I asked Diane to set aside some of the desserts for us the next day. She had the kitchen staff box up one of each of the desserts and deliver it to our cabin so it was waiting for us at the end of night — such a treat for us at the end of a long and hectic day! Another example: I was the last person to leave the venue on Sunday, and forgot to take the leftover wedding cake from the fridge in the lodge. I mentioned this to Kim, one of the SRC staff, so that she would remember to discard it later (I figured it was too late, they had another wedding coming that afternoon, and I already had enough things to schlep home). Kim insisted on driving up to the lodge herself and retrieving the cake for me so I could take it home. I’m so glad that she did! My husband and I got to enjoy the cake after we got home, and some of it is sitting in our freezer for later!
Thank you Diane, Scott, Kim, and the rest of the SRC team for making our wedding weekend magical. It was everything we hoped it would be and more.

Sequoia Retreat Center recently hosted our daughter’s wedding. The staff was very considerate and helpful and the site was stunning. They were very helpful in planing and made sure that every detail was perfect. The setting was gorgeous; especially for the wedding but also for the dinners and the receptions. We particularly appreciated Diane’s help. Finally, the food provided by Sequoia was great as well and there was a wide variety of options to choose from. Can’t imagine a more idyllic spot for a weekend wedding retreat.

SEQUOIA IS WONDERFUL.
We’ve just finished our wedding weekend at Sequoia and it was an entirely positive experience. I seriously could not recommend any business more highly.
The cabins are perfectly clean, comfortable, and in a few cases (Za Zen especially), incredibly beautiful. My partner and I stayed in Za Zen. The sun streams in through the enormous highlight window in the morning, filtered by the tall trees. We woke up without an alarm and went out to the porch to soak in the clean air, looking down to a quiet Peace Park. What a gift to feel so serene on my wedding morning, and the day after.
Every one of the staff members are super helpful. Every person in a Sequoia uniform was friendly, and would make sure that whatever we requested happened («Please bring a water jug!», «We need a step ladder!», ‘Please take down the lantern string we hung wrong!”, «Time to start the bonfire!», etc.)
Of course, Sequoia Retreat Centre is a forest on a hilltop. Yes, there is dirt that your high heels will sink into if you are silly enough to wear them. There are steep forest paths that get your heart pumping. There is beautiful deep darkness at night that does indeed require a flashlight. Joyful sounds from other groups in the hillsides (not at SRC, but surrounding areas) sometimes echo through the site. There are bugs and sunshine.

I just did a photoshoot at Sequoia Retreat Center and this place just surprised everyone. It was the perfect place to have a woodland photoshoot in the middle of the redwood forest. If you are looking for a quiet and secluded place to have your wedding, this is definitely a place to have your event. Sometimes the day before and during the wedding can be hectic and this place has this calming aroma about it. You will definitely surprise your guests by those gorgeous retreat.
Diane is also REALLY easy to work with. She answered all my emails quickly and was very accommodating to what we needed. The staff was really helpful and very flexible.
We wanted to use one of the tables in the garden area for the shoot, but it could not fit in any of the cars. One of the staff members was willing to carry and walk it all the way from the welcome center to the ceremony area. It’s about a quarter of a mile walk with LOTS of hills… just fyi. He was so sweet but I told him that’s crazy so we ended up using a smaller table.
Thanks for letting us use your gorgeous grounds to do a photoshoot at.

I coordinate a 1-​week work retreat for 15 – 20 people twice a year where our staff goes out to a secluded location to work on writing projects and publications. It’s a very laid back structure that’s meant to get colleagues away from the day-​to-​day office bureaucracy and focus on individual projects. I was doing research on west coast retreat spots and heard about Sequoia from another retreat center who was already booked. Everything on our trip was outstanding. I was so impressed with how kind and attentive the staff was. The food was excellent and had everyone in our group excited for the next meal. The scenery was beautiful and the lodge provided an excellent space for our group to work. In my opinion, this couldn’t have gone better. I will definitely send my recommendations down to other departments for any future trips.

I have organized at least 5 training retreats at Sequoia for my community college district. Typically we have about 50 participants.
What I love:
Amazing setting. Nature’s beauty is at its best here.
Very helpful staff– friendly and accommodating and flexible.
Accommodations are modest but very comfortable and clean.
Very reasonable pricing– other retreat locations cost far more.
Flexible spaces to use– indoor and outdoor spaces for small and large groups. Cabins can be used as break-​out rooms too.
Generous portions of delicious and healthful food. They were also flexible about vegetarian meals and food allergies.
Sequoia is a wonderful community resource run by people who are making a difference in supporting community-​based institutions. I have always loved being there and plan to continue going there for years to come.

Beautiful location for a Wedding!
I came for a wedding. The area where the wedding/​reception was held was magical with the red wood trees and rustic themed barn. Very few mosquitoes surprisingly! There are some nice cabin on-​site that are newly updated. There are some areas that are still «under construction» but ytou won’t see those unless you stay near the waterfall lodge.
There are great hiking trails and even places to camp if you choose not stay in a cabin. I’d stay in the cabin though. There are clean bathrooms and showers with all your little toiletries (shampoo, etc.). The beds are all twins but there are still comfortable for a 6’3 guy like me.
Staff here is great and very accommodating. Mike was very helpful when we had issues figuring out what guests were staying in which cabins.
Also, Ben Lomond has a nice little downtown area in case you forgot something. It’s just down the mountain about a 10−15min drive.

Sequoia retreat is a magical location under the redwoods. The trees… truly a highlight, I attended a yoga retreat and loved the setting and the amazing teachers. We were not well taken care of by staff. The meals were good not great, breakfast did not include enough food. Staff could not be found. Cabins are rustic, bunk beds, funky shower heads. No attention to detail.
I would recommend one or two day stay MAX

Magical.
That’s the first word I think of when remembering the location of my wedding. The Sequoia Retreat Center was the perfect place for our weekend-​long wedding celebration.
Here’s why:
Nature.
Throughout the weekend, you are surrounded by Redwood trees soaring into the air, dirt trails to walk on, and even a small stream to sit by. I remember looking up during the ceremony itself to see hundred foot tall trees surrounded me, my bride and our families. Its something I’ll remember for a long time. That said, there are lots of hills which means beautiful vistas, but lots of hiking up and down.
Venue.
The «Lodge» has a commanding view of the Santa Cruz mountains and a roaring fireplace. There were also a few small houses on site that served as home bases for different families.
Accommodations.
Your guests may be staying in cabins all over the property. Some are fancier than others, but all are a little rustic. Clean and comfortable, but definitely more camp-​like than resort-​like.
Staff.
The owner, Diane, is a warm person with a great dedication to making Sequoia Retreat Center not just an event venue, but a place for spirituality and community. Her staff was top notch and passionate about what they do.
Food.
The meals Sequoia prepared for us were delicious, locally sourced and fun.
Privacy.
This may be the wrong word. One of the things I liked about Sequoia was that we had the run of the place for the weekend. Being up in the mountains and away from things created a true sense of community.