Gorgeous California Wedding Venues that Prioritize Sustainability, Wellness, and Community

From soaking in the hot springs the night before your ceremony to saying your vows in an auditorium of pine forests or taking a break for a romantic downtown bike ride in a coastal city, California has a wide range of venue landscapes where you can prioritize sustainability, wellness, and community during your wedding celebrations.

These venues are for those who want local fresh food, keep nature embedded into celebrations, and those who are mindful of how their consumption affects the community around them. When spending a significant amount of money, we want a beautiful location and a day that nurtures our well-being and the environment.

Hotel SLO

San Luis Obispo

Hotel SLO

In the heart of downtown San Luis Obispo is the warmly modern and locally loved Hotel SLO. It is an ideal location for hosting weddings, whether it be where you stay, hosting a rehearsal dinner in the wine library of Michelin-recognized steakhouse Ox+Anchor, or a celebration on their High Bar rooftop, terraces, courtyard, or ballroom.

With a welcoming luxury, this is a treat of a stay and a space to get pampered. Within walking or biking distance to all the sights of downtown, it’s effortless for groups to break off and come back together while enjoying the main sights of San Luis Obispo.

Insider Tip: Plan an event on the High Bar rooftop before and during sunset for glowy, golden skies.

Complimentary bikes to explore all of downtown San Luis Obispo
Complimentary sparkling and still refillable water bars out in the room’s hallways and complimentary glass water bottles in rooms
Electrical vehicle charging stations
With treatments onsite at Sol Spa SLO, relax and unwind in their meditation room and sauna, and treatment of facials and massages.
Soak in the sun, dip into the pool, and rejuvenate your muscles in the jacuzzi.
Enjoy the rooftop yoga in the spring and summer.
Philanthropy efforts are focused locally on protecting the natural environment, the health and well-being of the community, education of local youth, and cultural projects that energize the community.

Insider Tip: Consider the two Morro Suite options to stay close during festivities. These suites have a private hallway with two “lock-off” rooms, perfect for wedding parties and families. Call Hotel SLO for more information and to reserve these specific rooms: (805) 235-0700.

Oyster Ridge

Oyster Ridge spans 14,000 acres and offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in wildlife and enjoy expansive views of the Ancient Peaks vineyard. The venue, located on a hill, has a barn and a ceremony ground enveloped by oak trees.

Taking a long dirt road to get there, the peace of the natural environment permeates. The scenery itself is a showstopper to enhance; however, you choose to set up with modern amenities in this mountain vineyard venue. This blank slate has endless activity options like bringing in glamping tents, campfires, horseback riding, kayaking, ziplining, e-bikes, and even an escape room!

Insider Tip: Plan your wedding during the harvest moon for a magically romantic glow with an unforgettable natural enhancement.

Oyster Ridge is a working family-owned ranch where they believe, “Land is precious, and we try to be good stewards of the land.”
Incorporate movement into your wedding celebrations with kayaking, horseback riding, ziplining, or more.
Choose a glamping weekend wedding celebration and feel rejuvenated by the wellness benefits of being surrounded by nature and disconnected from distractions.
Ancient Peaks Winery provides a meal to the El Camino Homeless Organization every other month.
Oyster Ridge/Ancient Peaks hosts an Annual Cancer Walk every October, during which all proceeds go to Cancer Support Community Central Coast.
Started Dream Big Darling with One Stone Cellars, a non-profit organization created to help start and further education for women in the wine & spirits industry.

Murrieta Hot Springs Resort

Murrieta

Murrieta Hot Springs Resort

It’s the night before your wedding, and you can choose between 50 different hot spring soaking pools to let the natural mineral water leave you refreshed for celebrations. Murrieta Hot Springs Resort is a wellness paradise. In rooms designed for optimal sleep, menus catered to fresh, local ingredients from sustainable farms, health-conscious delicious food, a world-class fitness center, and classes – how can you not feel your best here?

With a lake backdrop, palm trees, and gardens, there are plenty of options for an on-premise wedding or for this to be a celebratory base camp for a Temecula wedding. Centering around approachable wellness, this is an oasis of luxury where you won’t notice you are making wellness choices, but you will feel it.

Experience mineral-rich alkaline water, known for promoting glowing skin, improved circulation, decreased inflammation, and support for cellular health.
With 50+ soaking pools across the property, experience the different sceneries and temperatures with cold plunge options.
With an emphasis on wellness and nutrition, every dish is created from scratch, catering to dietary restrictions and health-conscious choices.
You can use the mud room, sauna, soaking rooms, sun decks, and more in the day spa area.
Indulge in wellness activities like aqua sound baths, restorative yoga, restful recharge, and more.
Book a body scrub or quench, massage, or facial in the spa for extra relaxing benefits.
Take sweat or strength classes in the Dynamic Fitness Center, or use full gym facilities for your workout with lakefront views.

SCP Mendocino Inn & Farm

Mendocino

SCP Mendocino Inn & Farm

SCP Mendocino Inn & Farm is a quaint farm with chickens and llamas on site; it’s a real-life version of a Snow White venue surrounded by cottages, trees, and gardens. Also centered across the street from the coast with a peak of ocean views and set in the forest, it’s a mystical merge of natural settings only Mendocino has to offer.

Choose from an outdoor event with a long table set under string lights by the dark wood barn. Or choose the indoor options of the wine barn or the tea room that overlooks the llamas.

Plan for the freshest farm ingredients to benefit your health and the environment. Their eggs are from their chickens on property and use ingredients from their organic garden.
Visit the animals by participating in llama morning or evening feedings or use the chicken feed in your room to go to the chicken coops.
With a trail connected to the property, you can quickly head into the forest or off to the beach for sunset.
Rejuvenate further with wellness add-ons such as forest bathing, aromatherapy, or massages.
Complimentary electric car charging stations for all inn guests.
Use all compostable and edible kitchen waste for composting or chicken feed.
Committed to minimizing carbon footprint using recycling efforts, buying locally, and using green products on property.
SCP gives back to the community by planting trees in deforested areas, donating power to Miracles for Kids, removing trash with the Hawaii Wildlife Fund, and more.

Rush Creek Lodge and Spa

Yosemite

Rush Creek Lodge and Spa

Enjoy the beauty of Yosemite National Park while being pampered at Rush Creek Lodge. This contemporary mountain lodge is on a 20-acre wooded hillside outside the park’s west entrance. Say “I do” among the towering redwoods and take wedding photos to cherish forever of popping champagne with the iconic valley backdrop.

With its expansive natural surroundings and endless entertainment for all ages on the property, it is the perfect place to host. Your special day will be unforgettable, and you’ll want to spend a whole week here to experience all that Yosemite has to offer. Plus, staying at the newest Yosemite spa resort is ideal for unwinding after celebrating and exploring.

Awarded a 2024 Poppy Award recognized for Destination Stewardship and Sustainable Travel.
Get your exercise in at outdoor Rush Creek Yoga overlooking the forest or Rush Creek Boga (water yoga)
Three trailheads adjacent to the property allow you to experience the Stanislaus National Forest from walking distance. (Nature, Vista, and Adventure trails)
The spa mimics the natural surroundings with a warm waterfall and hot springs to rejuvenate. It also features aromatherapy steam rooms, a Himalayan salt sauna, and a sensory room.
You can use the spa facilities daily or receive a massage and/or skin care treatment.
Participate in a Health and Wellness Program before or after your wedding for a customized wellness retreat that will have you feeling your best.
Eco-friendly products used for weddings and around property
Prioritization of local with a vendor list and sourcing ingredients
Host the annual Localizing California Waters conference, showcasing their greywater system as a blueprint for commercial and residential settings.
Annual sponsor and host of Groveland Facelift: Act Local, a community cleanup event

Insider Tip: Sister property Evergreen Lodge has been hosting weddings for over a decade, offering cozy cabins, luxury housing, and glamping. Look into John Muir House for hosting large groups.

Greenhorn Ranch

Quincy

Greenhorn Ranch

Imagine, as you seal your commitment with a kiss, horses are running behind you in the lakeside view, surrounded by the lush greenery of the Northern Sierras. This unforgettable moment can be experienced at the enchanting Greenhorn Ranch, nestled in the Sierra Nevada mountains, just an hour and a half drive from Reno.

A rustic wedding venue with the ranch’s charm includes updated cabins and airstream trailers to stay on the property. After festivities, experience the 608 acres for exploring with horseback riding, fishing, and hiking—a venue for an intimate nature getaway where you can be fully present.

Get your exercise by hiking or riding the horses through the streams and trails.
Partner with Lost Sierra Farm Project to purchase farm produce and volunteer there annually. They also source feeds from local farms to ensure the quality of their products and contribute to local agriculture.
Utilizes water from natural springs for watering pastures and uses a blend of water sources in commitment to responsible water management practices.
Encourages all guests to use reusable water bottles with water stations across the property.
Minimize the use of disposable items and non-reusable plastic.
Preserve their ecosystem’s health through forest management while preventing fires but also avoiding over-cutting.
Greenhorn Ranch supports the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship in creating and upkeeping trails in national forests and Connected Communities in creating extensive trail networks spanning the Lost Sierra region.