Pema Osel Ling & Amphitheatre of the Redwoods

I loved Pema Osel Ling! We wanted to get married outside, in the woods, and someplace that reminded me of my hometown in Maine. This venue has it all! The location is really out there in the woods. It’s quiet, peaceful, beautiful, tranquil, but still only a half hour from Santa Cruz if you want to get in some night life. They have actual houses and cabins on location for your guests to stay in. My friends flew in from all over the country and we were able to spend the entire weekend together. Believe me, you will want the extra time together because the wedding goes by so fast!
Everyone had a great time and kept asking «How in the world did you find this place?» It had everything we wanted in an outdoor venue while still being comfortable for those who may not want to go camping in a tent for a wedding. You get the whole venue to yourself, unlike other public outdoor areas in which strangers could walk into your photos. The staff is really knowledgable and accommodating. I felt that they had my best interest and were great to work with. All our vendors were amazing, so you have plenty of great options in this area. It’s just enough «away from it all» while still being comfortable.
We had a fire pit with s’mores on two nights and all the bridesmaids got to stay in a house on location, as well as my parents. My parents actually said being in one house together reminded them of when I was younger and would have slumber parties, I think it meant a lot to them to feel that way again. If you’re looking for an outdoor venue please call them up and schedule a tour. I wasn’t sure from the photos (they don’t do it justice) and when I was on the tour I said «This is it!». There is even a private honeymoon cabin with it’s own private porch where you can sit with your spouse the morning after your wedding and sip tea or coffee. Just listen to the birds and think about what an amazing day you had. If any of this sounds appealing go see Pema Osel Ling!

We got married at Pema on 4÷30÷2016. It was honestly the best experience and I have no complaints. Food was amazing, scenery was gorg, they made every request happen. Was nervous because halfway through our planning process our wedding planner changed and Teddie nailed it. Dave and I were both extremely happy with how the whole process went. Food was amazing, we have a rowdy bunch so we were slightly worried about security and Ethan rocked. Teddie was out of sight, asked only the most appropriate questions and was present taking care of business the whole time. Everything you could have asked for. We wanted to throw a weekend wedding party and this was the perfect venue all around. If you decide to go with them ask for a blessing by the monks on site, what an extraordinary experience!

I honestly cannot say one bad thing about our experience at Pema Osel Ling. We got married in October and it was gorgeous. We worked with Shaunah and she was a wonderful coordinator. I plan events for a living so I was very particular about what we wanted and she helped make everything come to life for us. Our friends and family keep saying it was the best wedding they have ever been to. I recommend this venue to any bride and groom looking for something special and unique. We wanted a «camp» feel with our friends and thats exactly what we got. I will post some photos when I get them!

We got married on 9÷20÷15 at Pema Osel Ling and it was absolutely perfect.
Kristen was my coordinator and she did a phenomenal job orchestrating and executing with tons of moving pieces on our wedding day.
The Planning:
Easy. I sent Kristen random snippets of totally unorganized information and she put everything together simply and beautifully.
The Rehearsal:
Easy. She knows her shit. My biggest tip to brides is: LET YOUR VENDORS DO WHAT THEY DO. Kristen knows what to do. Your caterer knows what to do. Your photographer knows what to do. Let them do it!
The Venue:
Absolutely gorgeous (with help from View Point Events we had a gorgeous vintage garden wedding!) There is ample amount of plugs /​power and they have access to basically any kind of rentals you need. It was really awesome that they had linens and plates and silverware and cups and I didn’t have to deal with any of it!
The Catering:
Since you have to hire their on-​site caterers, it seems as though you have a limited selection of options. NOT TRUE! I worked with Kristen and the chef on the most amazing menu! We had all of my favorite things: Steak, Salmon, Risotto, Mashed Potatoes, oh and then there was salad for the rest of them. ;) It’s been 2 weeks– people are still talking about the salmon. It was THAT good!
The Process:
It was a slow start getting the venue reserved, as the first point of contact (I forgot her name) didn’t reply to emails as fast as I wanted her to, but you have to realize (like I did) they are in the boonies! They aren’t on their phones replying to emails at all hours of the day and night. With patience comes an unbelievable place to start your life with that special someone! Kristen got me the bartender, the security, all the linens, tables, chairs, cups, serving utensils, etc. I didn’t even have to lift a finger. I love that she works with the venue, she has great ideas and immense knowledge on the location. so you know she will always blow it out of the park.
Negatives– it is quite deep in the woods, if you aren’t going to hire transportation (we hired The Santa Cruz Experience) you probably should reconsider. It is a long, winding road and the last thing you want is drunk guests coming down the hill. If you are willing to hire transportation… get ready for the most gorgeous best-​day-​ever.

We had our wedding at POL in August 2015. The venue and coordinator were excellent to work with — I could not have asked for anything better. They were very timely and responsive and provided excellent support throughout. The food was excellent, the service was great, the employees were cheerful and helpful, and the land is absolutely beautiful. This is exactly where I wanted to be, surrounded by beautiful redwoods, with the reception a few yards away and opportunities for all of my guests to stay overnight. They also provide any rentals that you may need. The only drawback is that it is pretty far away up in the mountain, but still so worth it! And our weekend was very warm such that the Celebration Hall where we planned to have dancing and more, was uncomfortable. Also, it was a little challenging to have a Sunday wedding as the rehearsal and decorating and preparing for the wedding all occur on the same day, plus all of our more local guests felt pressure to return to work the next day rather than stay over as we had hoped. All in all, though, this was an amazing place with amazing people and I would do it all over again right here. Thank you, POL!

We had our wedding at POL in July 2015. It was really wonderful. There’s so much to say, but hopefully what’s below is a helpful summary:
What we loved:
— The place is beautiful, and has great spaces for the ceremony, reception, bonfire (we did s’mores along with an open mic night on the stage there), and meals. Also nice that it almost never rains in July!
— A lot of our guests (especially the younger and woodsier ones) stayed on site in houses (which we used for bridal party and cousins), cabins (friends), and tents (friends). This meant we were surrounded by people we love all weekend, and stayed up as late as we wanted both nights celebrating the moment with family and friends from far and wide.
— There was a generally low-​key and unpretentious feeling to the whole weekend, which was helped by the fact that a) POL let us do a lot of things to make the space our own, b) we could stay up as late as we wanted and move pretty freely around the entire grounds, c) it’s a Buddhist retreat center, so had a peaceful vibe already, d) the staff kept things running smoothly in the background while never making us feel rushed or stressed, and e) we had the option to make the food largely self-​serve/​buffet (not required though).
— The services that POL provided were generally excellent, including food (consistently delicious — definitely recommend Moroccan for rehearsal dinner and breakfast burrito bar for brunch), bartenders and security, and wedding planning/​coordination (Shaunah and Kristen were great and really responsive to all our questions throughout the process).
What we weren’t as crazy about:
— The logistics for people staying on and off site are definitely a lot to manage. We had to figure out shuttle times (Santa Cruz Experience is definitely the vendor to go with) and hotel stays to make sure no one got stranded at the hotels or POL — it’s 30 min away so kind of important. The road up there is also quite windy, so we didn’t want people to drive at night if they’d had anything to drink or even if they just weren’t confident night drivers. We also had to figure out who was staying where on site and collect payment from them, etc.
— Cell phone reception at POL is quite sparse, which makes the logistics stuff a little trickier.
— Bring bug spray and sunscreen. It wasn’t terrible, but definitely exists. Also, you can’t really set food out in advance for things because raccoons will get it. Part of the rustic feel!
— It’s definitely a long drive (1 – 2 hours — potentially more in traffic) from SFO, OAK, and SJC airports, and the highways get a bit busy during rush hour and Friday afternoons/​evenings as people drive down to the Santa Cruz area.
— Santa Cruz in the summer is pretty expensive — and we worked hard to find good hotel options for under $ 200 per room per night. The Best Western Seacliff Inn was great, and then we also went with Holiday Inn Express and Comfort Inn (next to each other) in Santa Cruz. It’s tough because you spend the weekend in the mountains but pay for access to the beach. Kind of unavoidable for a summer wedding, so encourage people to take advantage of the beach as well.
Additional thoughts:
— We found POL to be perfect for a wedding that felt very ‘us’ — we were able to personalize a lot of different aspects of it. This also meant we did a lot of work leading up to the wedding and a decent amount of set-​up/​coordinating during the weekend. For example, it’s BYOB, we made some signs and activity stations, our cousin made the cake, etc. We chose to take that on, but also delegated a lot to family and friends. Definitely find others you can count on to help, if possible!
— We didn’t love the huppah they had available for rent (although you might!). So we rented from a lady in Berkeley, CA (Linda) who had a great huppah that fit very well with the venue.

I’m so glad my daughter and new son-​in-​law chose Pema Osel Ling for their wedding site. The beauty of the redwoods was enhanced by the graciousness of the staff. Their wedding coordinator is amazing. Unobtrusive, charming, and completely competent, she gently and firmly guided us to a lovely, smooth ceremony. All the staff kept everything progressing seamlessly. Great effort was made with zero fuss and much grace. The food was delicious and well presented. The overnight accommodations were comfortable, clean, and peaceful. All of our special requests for the ceremony, reception, rehearsal, and next day brunch were made to happen. We had a large and complex group of family and friends. The setting and supporting services brought out the best in all of us, and created a joyous experience we will cherish always.

My wife and I had our wedding here in the summer of 2014 and it was everything we could ask for. We had about 130 at our wedding but there was room to spare.
The entire venue was amazing. The ceremony was in the Amphitheater of the redwoods, which is gorgeous, and then transitioned to the outdoor reception on a big lawn surrounded by trees. This was a big open area with a dance floor, lights, tables — everything we needed — installed by the staff on the wedding day.
There is also an on-​site coordinator who we met with a couple of times leading up to the event, and she was on point the whole weekend. We didn’t have any problems, and I think credit is largely due to run running a tight operation and knowing the grounds so well. She was very intuitive and responsive to our schedule, and was good at feeling out the mood of the event to ask us when to shift the schedule as needed.
We danced into the night until we needed to move indoors (to keep the party going) at 10pm due to noise regulations.
The food was very good, cooked by staff on site — everybody enjoyed it, my wife and I certainly enjoyed it when we were able to eat! There were lots of choices and I think we chose well.
There is an on-​site security person who, unless you are trashing the place and/​or being disrespectful, is more of a facilitator and a helpful resource in making sure everything goes smoothly. We got along well and I’m glad he was there as he helped us transition from the rehearsal dinner down to a bonfire party cleanly and quickly.
Weather was great, we were above the fog line so didn’t see a cloud in the sky — it was warm, and the pool was fun to jump into earlier in the day while we were prepping for the wedding.
Many of my friends stayed on site in the cabins, and that was also a great feature to have, and they were able to have a good time and not worry about driving down a mountain at night.
Overall great experience! As I said above the grounds were beautiful, staff was friendly and helpful, food was great, there were no issues at all the entire weekend. It was really a painless, wonderful event for my wife and I!

My husband and I got married here in May 2014 and had a fantastic experience. We rented the facility for the weekend, with a rehearsal dinner and bonfire on Friday, ceremony and reception on Saturday, and brunch on Sunday. As we have many family members from out of state, this was a great opportunity for everyone to spend time together.
They set you up with a wedding coordinator which is extremely helpful. Shaunah was our coordinator, and she led us every step of the way through our planning process. She helped us set up a timeline for the whole weekend, was easy to reach by email (I sent her a million questions throughout the process), and she helped things run smoothly on the wedding day.
Location: a bit of a drive, limited cell service. I was worried about guests getting lost, but as far as I know everyone made it up there ok! We scheduled a shuttle (The Santa Cruz Experience) to drive guests to and from a hotel in Aptos which was helpful, but it seemed like everyone driving made it up there ok. Just make sure you send out detailed driving instructions! Once you are up there, the location is BEAUTIFUL. You really can’t beat it.
Accommodations: My husband and I stayed in the redwood cottage the whole weekend and loved it. So cute and private, with a little balcony. The Orchard House is beautiful, which is where we had close family stay. Other family and friends stayed in the Sangha house and cabins, and some people even camped with tents. If you’re looking for 5-​star luxury accommodations, this is not it. But for us and our family, it was perfect.
Food: Fantastic! The rehearsal dinner, reception dinner, and Sunday brunch were all amazing. A little pricier than some catering companies that staff different venues, but it was so worth it. We were in charge of bringing our own alcohol, but Pema Osel Ling doesn’t have corkage fees so we saved a lot of money. The bartender they assigned us was great.
All in all, our experience was excellent. The entire venue is beautiful and fun, and the staff is exceptional. The clean-​up crew helped box up all our decorations so we could rest easy on Saturday, and were able to get out of there quickly on Sunday. Prices are reasonable for what you get. If you visit and fall in love with the location like we did, don’t hesitate. Great experience!

This venue perfectly fit our medieval themed wedding and turned our vision into a spectacular reality. Attendees reported that this was one of the best weddings they’ve ever attended based upon the beautiful location, serene atmosphere, the excellent food and exemplary staff.
Margo Wong, our coordinator and Pema Osel Ling staff member, ensured that our wedding was seamless. Even when we got a little off track with the timeline, she was flexible, adaptable and resourceful to allow us to focus on enjoying the moment while she monitored the details.
The comfortable on-​site lodging was wonderful for our family and friends who wanted to stay over. The fact that we could do an after-​party bonfire was also way cool.
From day one they helped us achieve our vision. The staff was so kind, attentive and even got into the medieval spirit by donning renaissance garb! They also helped manage our vendors with set-​up and directions. This took a huge load off of us. The (almost) all-​inclusive nature of this venue makes it so much less stressful for the bride and groom. They provided a bartender, security, set-​up and clean-​up crew, coordinator and parking attendants. WOW. All were top-​notch.
You only get married once. This venue is absolutely worth it.

If you’re the type of bride who never dreamed of walking down the aisle of church in your wedding dress, respects and appreciates nature and wants your wedding to stand out from the 13 weddings you’ve been to in the past, then this is the place for you!
My fiancé moved from the Santa Cruz Mountains to Wisconsin to be with me two years ago. When he proposed, I knew I wanted to exchange vows back on his home turf. I didn’t want anything «hotel banquet hall» but wanted a place where I would be able to stay with our out of state guests. After reading an online article about POL, I knew it was the place.
We didn’t have enough guests to book the retreat center for the entire weekend so we had our wedding on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The Sunday wedding actually worked out better, both financially and for our guests.
Redwood Ceremony site: Just look at some of the photos already on Unilocal.Check out their Pinterst page. It is, quite frankly, breathtaking. My favorite part of the entire day was when my father (s) and I were at the alter, the crowd was standing around us and our pastor was telling our story. The site made the ceremony feel extremely intimate.
Lodging: Clean, comfortable and cozy. We warned our out of town guests that the lodging for the the evening of the wedding would be more camping than the Four Seasons so when they finally checked in they were pleasantly surprised.
Food: OUT-​STANDING! *****
Staff: From our initial contact with POL to settling our final bill, everyone who works for POL was nothing but extremely helpful. Planning a wedding is a little stressful but planning a destination wedding can be cumbersome. Having Margo, our assigned wedding coordinator, there for local support was a life saver. She is truly a gem! She was willing and able to answer all questions and settle all concerns. She’s probably been to hundreds of weddings there and was able to advise me how to fix the little issues I was having with the wedding details.
Overall, I can’t say enough about Pema Osel Ling & Amphitheater of the Redwoods. My family and friends who traveled to California for the wedding raved about it and even my husbands local family and friends thought it was an amazing wedding.
You only get married once. Make sure you choose a location that you are drawn to and don’t settle for anything less than what you want. All of the planning stress, tears and fears were worth it in the end. I can confidently say that my wedding was the most beautiful day of my life and I’m thankful we chose a place that represents who we are and what we love.

We had spent a great deal of time looking for a perfect wedding venue last spring. We knew from the beginning that we wanted to have an outdoor wedding in the woods with the overnight lodging options for our guests. After searching high and low we stumbled upon Pema Osel Ling, tucked in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We made an appointment to see the place and it was love from the first sight. It’s a gorgeous place, lush and green with a beautiful redwood circle for wedding ceremonies.
We booked Pema Osel Ling a few days later and our wedding coordinator, Margo, was wonderful to work with. She answered all our questions, helped us with the planning process, scheduled a private food tasting and was there for us on the wedding day to make sure that everything went smooth and on schedule.
And did I mention that their food is amazing? Three months after the wedding our guests still comment on how much they liked the food at our wedding.

My first go at reviewing this venue was too long: I had too many good things to say.
Here’s the summary:
–This was the only venue my fiancée and I viewed before choosing, and after our initial contract meeting with Kristie, we left confident that this was the ONLY venue for us. They combine catering into their venue contract (the food is absolutely amazing, btw– and pick the potatoes for the brunch, not the pancakes), and gave me personal creative freedom to decorate and provide activities tailored to our own tastes. Our wedding was very personalized.
–While they don’t have a bar, you can BYOB and hire a bartender (we used a couple kegs from BevMo and crates of Two-​Buck Chuck from Trader Joes). They also provide you with a long list of rentals for any extras you need: I strongly recommend the umbrellas (it gets blazing hot in the day) and heaters (it gets chilly at night).
–The venue is beautiful and spread out. My guests had the full run of it for the weekend to do our rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, Capture the Flag, party it up, wedding, reception, bonfire, and brunches.
Mainly I’d list to gush about the amazing staff (it’s all in the details):
–The day we were leaving for the venue for the rehearsal we had an episode at home in which my fiancée and I were threatened (like I need ANYMORE stress– I was literally shaking as I drove up the mountain to my wedding). We immediately voiced our concerns to Shaunah and Kristie regarding our own safety, as well as the safety of their staff. We had already rented the basic security guard that Pema Osel Ling offers but the staff at Pema Osel Ling felt it would be better for everyone if we hired actual armed security. Not only did Shaunah find an affordable armed security guard LAST MINUTE, less than 24 hours before the wedding, but she kept him hidden from me the entire day of the wedding. She was worried that I would freak out more if I visualized this security guard, and he was so sneaky I literally did not see or think about him until the end of the night when he was leaving. I completely forgot I had security! You might wonder if that meant he was hiding instead of doing his job but that certainly wasn’t the case. Everyone ELSE saw him– he had a photo of the unwelcome guests, checked guests in cars as they arrived and patrolled the ceremony and the reception. Thankfully, he wasn’t needed to tackle anyone– in fact, there were many guests who assumed he was my hired stripper, and mistakely ran up to him for photos. LOL. Poor guy. I REALLY APPRECIATED the extra mile Shaunah and Kristie went to ensure the safety of my guests and their staff. I was very happy to put the extra money forward last minute.
–They were very willing to do last minute changes. Being July, it was very hot during the daytime. The temperature was reaching 90 degrees easily in the afternoon. The rehearsal dinner was supposed to be held indoors at the Celebration Hall, but when I arrived, half my guests were standing outside fanning themselves. It was way too hot inside the hall, and my guests consisted of a lot of BIG BOYS who overheat easily. I didn’t want anyone getting cranky, so I asked Shaunah if it would be okay if we moved everything outdoors. They didn’t ask us to help but my guests helped the staff move all the tables and things outside to the lawn where it was much cooler.
–Shaunah kicks ass. Throughout the entire process. She answered every single question I had– we literally had strings of emails going back and forth full of my nit picky questions and her thorough replies. I was absolutely impressed with how quickly she responded at times– it’d be late at night within a half hour sometimes, and I’m wondering: «you’re not in the office, why are you responding?» As the wedding coordinator, she assisted me with finding my own vendors, rentals, collecting payments, reviewing contracts, trouble-​shooting decorations and activities with me and generally acted as air-​traffic control the weekend of the wedding. She was friendly, personable and professional 100% of the time. Actually, she’s the sweetest person in the world. I felt pretty bad at one point when I had misinterpreted a section of the lodging part of the contract, and she was the one who ended up dealing with my irritation. After the one mis-​communication, she made extra sure to remind me about additional costs multiple times, so I wouldn’t miss anything again.
–Shaunah gets extra points: we mistakenly left a wedding gift behind that weekend. We were staying in Santa Cruz that night, so it wasn’t too far. I think most venues would have expected us to pick it up or they would have shipped it. Shaunah OFFERED to hand-​deliver it to us herself after work. I was stunned that she would go that extra mile.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! YOU GAVE ME MY PERFECT WEDDING! =D

I attended a wedding this past weekend and this was a great venue. It definitely gives a getaway experience not just for the immediate wedding party, but the entire group of guests to attend. Beautiful redwood area, sunny canopies, fresh air, and sweet peace of mind.
The entire staff was positive, friendly, and professional. Very easy to talk to and above else understanding and accommodating. Should you have any questions they will help you. Shauna is great. She just is. Shauna is awesome.
On-​site accommodations were surprisingly nice. Plenty of interior room in the Sangha house. If you are having a lot of people helping out with the wedding you have plenty of beds with lots of fresh bedding, storage and room space, on site kitchens with pre furnished kitchenware, dining ware, board games, men and women bathrooms, lots of double paned windows with cloth blinds, and mirrors.
If I can suggest anything it would be to remind that you are in the forest — so the ground isn’t always level. There will be lots of hills, stairs, and steep roads. Bring sensible shoes with you and check the weather before you go (especially in the summer). Lastly bring a big cute blanket for bonfires.
Expect to have nothing but fun!

I just got married here, and it was what I had dreamed of and more since I was a little girl. I always wanted to get married in the woods, and this place is just like a story-​book land. I can’t express how beautiful this location is.
My husband and I are a little bit of odd-​balls, we had some Star Wars and Lord of the Rings theming to our wedding, and our wedding coordinator loved it.
They provide all of the rentals on site, so you don’t have to deal with many outside vendors. The also provide catering, and their food is FANTASTIC.
I stress out easily, and this venue made the planning process a lot more stream-​lined and easy to deal with.
You get an on-​site wedding coordinator to work with, and ours was fantastic. Shaunah responded to e-​mails so quickly and was always very understanding of what we had envisioned for our day.
We stayed for 2 nights. We arrived on a Friday afternoon and had the rehearsal dinner, had the wedding on Saturday, and brunch on Sunday before we went home.
Pictures have a hard time doing this place justice, the trees are breathtaking. I highly recommend this place.

My friends and I had a small, private retreat here last month, and we just loved the place.
Not sure why it is only saying this is for the Amphitheatre only, but, we rented a super great house at this well kept piece of magic land.
For a group of 11 of us, the Orchard House was perfect. Cozy, Large (Big fully equipt kitchen), High Ceilings, Privacy (The Orchard house has it’s own driveway), Redwoods, A Sweet Fireplace, tons of extra Blankets and towels for our comfort…
Kristie was on top of it, quickly responding to all of my emails, questions and requests. She was sweet and helpful as can be.
The area is just lovely to say the least. Great Energy all around.
I hope to return here for another retreat. It was easy breezy planning something here.

I came here for a wedding weekend and was pretty impressed with the venue. But what I really enjoyed was the food! The staff fed us three meals throughout our stay.
For the rehearsal dinner, the staff prepared a lovely a vegetarian Indian meal on Friday evening. We had palak paneer and a potato and cauliflower curry dish with a spring salad and pine nuts with a passion fruit dressing. I also really liked the bread that they served with the meal. It wasn’t fluffy like naan, but it had some seasonings to it. The basmati rice on the other hand was very plain and needed salt! For dessert, there was rice pudding with saffron cream and apple rings. I tried a bit, but it was too sweet for me.
For the actual wedding dinner, they served roasted leg of lamb au juice (yay, no mint sauce!), absolutely delicious roasted potatoes that were crisp and tasty on the outside but fully cooked and mushy and warm on the inside. They were so good that I wished I was hungry enough to go back for more of these. There was also a roasted squash slice topped with some sort of grain and chopped veggies with the slightest kick of heat. Also super tasty. And of course, salad with some goat cheese (I avoided this) and dressing. I also really liked the bread that they served with dinner. It was regular bread except that it had rosemary and thyme baked into it and it went really well with butter. All of the food was really good and I just wished that I had a larger appetite to go back for more.
And for the farewell brunch the following morning, they served banana pancakes with an awesome whole pecan syrup topping, herbed eggs (yum), chicken apple sausage, a fruit salad, scones with dried fruit, and an assortment of yogurt, cereal, and toppings. It was a perfect way to end a fabulous weekend. Their reception space only seat a maximum of 120, but it was definitely spacious enough for all 115 guests.
I also stayed on the site in a cabin. It’s definitely a pretty good deal and super convenient if you’re there for a wedding weekend. Also, the redwood grove where my friends got married was SO gorgeous and serene. It was a perfect venue for a couple who are outdoorsy, adventurous, and nature loving.
Highly recommended!
Word of warning, their pool is NOT heated or kept covered. So I’m sure it’s fabulous in the summer time, but at 12:30 on a warm October day (we’re talking 75 degree weather), it was icy cold and I almost froze my heiny off after one lap.

Dear Wedding Venue Shoppers,
We had our wedding at P.O.L. on 10÷10÷10. The location is phenomenal. If you’re into the great outdoors, this is as good as it gets. But, that’s not all. It’s the friendly staff, the spectacular view, the solitude, and the massive potential to invent your dream wedding from scratch from a blank sheet of paper. The world’s your lobster! You’ve got everything here.
So after your romantic ceremony, you can have a kick-​butt reception as the sun slowly sets on the treeline horizon. Be as loud as you want. The squirrels aren’t going to complain about the noise!
Then everything starts to wind down, simply relocate your party about 50 feet over to the firepit, crack open a few cans, and sit on tree stumps around the fire, roasting marshmellows under the stars while singing to Pink Floyd songs strummed along on guitar by one of the staff. And he can hold a decent tune too.
Then, when you’re finally ready to crash, your cabin is stumbling distance.
Wineries and Hotel Venues are for suckers. Be creative. Be adventurous.
How many weddings have you been to, where you can remember in detail every element of the wedding? Maybe one. A year and a half after ours, whenever we bump into one of our wedding guests, they always say ‘Oh man, I can still remember your wedding. It was so much fun’.
Don’t have a forgettable wedding. Pick P.O.L.
I’m telling you, this place is sooooo amazing. Best. Venue. Ever.
Cheers,
John & Natalie

This place.
I just got married here, so forgive my post-​wedding, fever dream, blissed-​out ramblings, but this place is just the best.
A few things to consider if you think you might like to get hitched here:
You will profess your undying love in an impossibly beautiful redwood grove. You will eat delicious food all weekend. You will have all of your questions answered promptly by a group of patient and professional women. You will stay up as late as you want. You will fall asleep to a chorus of happy frogs and wake up to a chorus of chanting of monks. You will not be disappointed.
I can’t say what a pleasure it was to spend an entire weekend with all of our family and friends in such a peaceful and easy going place. So many nooks and crannies to explore, so many couches to kick back and catch up on, so many board game tournaments to dominate, and so many bonfires to drink beers around til 3am. The whole place was ours the whole weekend long and you could tell by the end that everyone had met everyone and had bonded like crazy. Traditional family members, zany friends, tiny babies, fancy dandies, overall-​wearing puppeteers, genius scientists… every single person had a blast, and us more than anyone!
The staff at POL (and the contractors they work with) made our weekend completely stress-​free and did every extra thing imaginable to keep us on our love cloud and away from all the distracting details. They let us do our own thing, but were always right there when we needed advice. Their bartenders figured out what to do with a bag of 50 lemons, 40 limes, simple syrup, club soda, Tanquerey, and Jameson without us ever saying a word. When small issues came up, Shaunah (the event coordinator) was all over it in a second and when it came time to settle up, it felt worth every penny.

We had our wedding and reception here in May of 2009. We had rehearsal dinner and brunch in the hall where the kitchen is located, the wedding ceremony in the redwood amphitheater and the reception on the grounds near the shrine.
The amphitheater is absolutely beautiful and the Llamas helped us write an amazing Buddhist ceremony (we are Buddhist) to exchange our marriage vows. There is a special calm and peaceful vibe to Pema Osel Ling. Even though we handled most of the planning, Yvette was our onsite coordinator and she handled every last minute problem we had, even arranging to get champagne which we forgot to buy (did I mention that they allow you to stock your own bar!). Her suggestions for colors and arrangements were right on.
The food was absolutely positively fabulous – rehearsal dinner, wedding day brunch and the reception. Comments from our guests were, «where did you find the caterer?» to which I had to tell them that this is the type of food they have here ALL THE TIME, «OMG, there’s more bacon», «these scones are amazing», «must eat more sausage» and «this is the best food I’ve ever had at a wedding»
¾ of our guests stayed on site and everyone had a great time. If you have out of town guests that are on a budget this is ideal. My bride’s relatives stayed at the main house and sangha house. I rented my relatives a house on the beach in nearby RioDelMar (Beach House 257 at
). Make sure guests know that the cabins and yurt do not have attached bathrooms and guests must go to a shared bathroom. Our outdoorsy friends had absolutely no complaints to this KOA cabin/​campground style. We even had a bonfire after the reception.
There was a miscalculation in the final bill but they quickly took care of it all – forgot to charge for some of our sleep over guests. They said that they are changing over to a better invoice/​billing system this year.
We are already planning on coming back for our 1^st year anniversary and attending the Buddhist retreats they hold there.
Thank you Pema Osel Ling for making our wedding weekend so special – one we and our guests will never forget.