Felton Guild

My experience with Felton Guild was both stressful and magical. Magical, because it happened to be available for the weekend in June that my husband and I were hoping to have our wedding ceremony. Magical, because it immediately spoke to my barefoot wedding in the woods fantasy complete with tables made of redwood trees and a white arch. Magical, because the day itself was beautiful.
Now, for the stressful aspects…
Communication:
My husband and I initially met with Kathy, reserved the date and signed the contract. Everything sounded fantastic and accommodating. In the weeks to come, I had multiple conversations with Kathy over the phone about wedding plans. These conversations seemed to not be taken note of, as the phrase, «I am confused about what you are doing» became all-​too familiar. It was very frustrating to have the same important conversation over and over again whilst planning my wedding. Mind you, this same conversation/​description of order of events happened repeatedly until the wedding rehearsal, which will receive its own section.
I will talk more about the Cowboy Café as well, but this added another frustrating element to communication. I would have conversations with Kathy about wedding plans as well as Jim, the owner of the Cowboy Café. These two did not seem to communicate about events that they are both a part of, so that included even more relaying of the same information. Perhaps, this is simply an effect of a new restaurant and two managers that have not worked together for long, but I am positive that there are much more effective ways to communicate with customers and keep track of basic agendas and plans.
Cowboy Café:
We were highly encouraged to use the Cowboy Café to cater the wedding. Previously, we had eaten and enjoyed the Cowboy Café so we were excited to see that it had moved to be connected with Felton Guild. Unfortunately, the menu did not meet all aspects of what we were envisioning for wedding, but we agreed to order some appetizers at least. This meant another meeting. This time, I brought my Mom with me to talk about food with Jim, the man that runs the Cowboy Café. Somehow, this opened a can of worms that threw me off for a moment. Suddenly, we went from just talking about appetizers to discussing tablecloths, napkins and pricing per person. After phone calls and emails, I sorted things out with Jim. We ordered and paid for meat/​cheese platters for the cocktail hour as well as cornbread for the main meal. On the day of my wedding, I got notice from Jim that the appetizer plates were out, but later came to realize that the cornbread never came out! One of my bridesmaids told me he had come out to offer to bring it, but this was after it was time to eat. I do not understand why I would go through the trouble of discussing specific prices (which seemed to be inflated in comparison to the prices on the restaurant menu) and ordering only to not receive said things paid for.
Wedding Rehearsal:
On the day of my wedding rehearsal, I was thrown a curve ball. There, whilst my bridal party was waiting for the order of events, Kathy confronted me with a problem that seems to be rooted in things that I have previously written about. She showed me the contract that she had to correspond with my wedding rental. She demanded $ 700 in cash for another hour that she had not previously accounted for when we initially signed the contract and the $ 300 security deposit. Sketchy. Am I ever going to get that deposit back? Meanwhile, she still did not know whether or not I was going to have both a ceremony and a reception. I am absolutely positive that I had clear and concise communication with her weeks ago about my wedding ceremony AND reception. This, during my wedding rehearsal. Stress.
I sent my Mom to Kathy to help sort things out after the rehearsal. My Mom also got a sketchy feeling from talking to Kathy that made her question if racism was involved. Now, I am sorry if you did not catch the misnomer in the quoted price, but no one has the right to talk down to my Mother in any condescending/​racist way.
Post sorting things out with my Mom, Kathy spoke with me again. This time it was about moving things onto the grass. She said she had made it very clear that I was not allowed to do that. Honestly, I have no recollection of said rules being relayed to me. I looked over the contract again and it was not there. So, why am I being yelled at? Kathy ended this conversation on a comforting note by telling me that she might not be there at 11 AM when we needed her to unlock the doors for our paid rental time — what.
Interaction with family & guests:
On the day of my wedding, I received multiple reports back from family members that were spoken to in a similar manner. People were getting yelled at again. This was very disappointing to hear about.
All in all, Felton Guild is an absolutely charming spot to have a wedding. Beware of working with the management.

My niece wanted an outdoor wedding under the redwoods in January. It occurred just 17 days ago at the Felton Guild. We signed the contract with Kathy, the owner, in July after visiting the site. The redwood cathedral and the lawn area were beautiful. She told us right at the start that if it’s raining on or just prior to the wedding date, the cathedral would be off limits due to the risk of heavy wet branches that can fall. Indeed, it rained all week prior to the wedding day. So the wedding ceremony occurred on the lawn area which has 1 beautiful redwood tree as the focal point. For a fee, Kathy shut down the restaurant for the reception. The restaurant was filled to capacity, if not beyond. This is where Kathy shined. She figured out a way to set up the tables and chairs (even rented some) to get everyone seated in a comfortable way. With the centerpieces on each table it was beautiful. When it was time for the dancing, Kathy took charge and moved out a block of tables and chairs and created the needed space. (Other seating was available for those who didn’t want to dance.) Space was definitely at a premium but in her creativity she set up the cake table, gift tables, sign-​in table, and DJ area. Kathy made sure the wine and food flowed at every table. In summary, Kathy worked very hard for us during the entire six hours of the wedding and reception. She literally «made» the day work for us. So why not 5 stars? We had our rehearsal dinner there the night before the wedding. And that’s when she raised the cost of the wedding entrée by $ 2.00 per plate. By that stage I was way too tired to question it. I highly recommend this beautiful wedding venue. My only suggestion is that you put everything in writing and each have signed copies.

Let me first validate the two stars. The venue was absolutely gorgeous and the food from the neighboring restaurant was amazing! If you’re looking for an earthy or rustic theme, do not overlook this venue.
Now for the bad. We had a 6 month engagement and didn’t have time to waste, so naturally we booked the venue right away. We visited the venue and meet with Aldina who ran the catering side of the business. She was a very nice lady and seemed to understand the business very well. We agreed on menu items, alcohol selection, needed staff, and overall pricing. Everything was fine and we were confident things would just work out.
About 3 months later, we got a call from Kathy who runs the place. She said that Aldina has left the business and Kathy would now take over the operations. Although we expected the venue to maintain the ethical business practice of staying true to contracts, we decided to meet with Kathy to review everything and make sure our expectations are aligned. Soon did we find out that Kathy, while very nice, truly has zero business sense and is incredibly hard to work with. Although our agreement with Aldina was clearly written on the notes that Kathy had in her hand, she still said that she would not honor it. She said the numbers were not profitable enough for the venue. To be honest, that’s not my problem and they shouldn’t have made that agreement if they couldn’t honor it. Don’t lecture me about «you have no idea how much goes into this and how hard the team works»… I do understand, but I also don’t care because she should have accounted for that in the pricing! Plus the setup crew will be generously tipped so don’t try to make me feel bad for them…
While working in the wedding business, you need to understand that brides and grooms have ZERO time or patience to deal with sketchy and deceiving people. Multiple times did I have very clear conversations with Kathy about various things, but a few weeks down the road she claims she does not recall what we talked about. I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THAT! TAKE NOTES LADY AND STICK TO WHAT YOU AGREED ON!
During my wedding I walked up to get a beer around 7:30pm and I see her clearing off the bar and putting stuff away. «Kathy what are you doing? Its only 7:30!». She tells me that we have gone through 3 kegs and she doesn’t want to leave the restaurant with no kegs. Welp, to bad Kathy… again, you agreed to supply the kegs and that’s what we are expecting. She was seriously going to close down the bar without asking me! Our guests we not causing trouble, no one was too drunk, everything was all good. Who do you think you are closing the bar I paid A LOT of money for and for no reason? Get out of town!
Aside from that, she kept bugging my guests with more and more rules during the wedding… rules that she never told us prior to the wedding! If she had a concern, find my wedding coordinator. Don’t bug me, my wife or my guests.
Listen, we are very easy people to work with and we didn’t have any crazy requests… just normal wedding stuff. In conclusion, this place rocks! Just make sure you INSIST on an official contract very early in the planning stage. Document EVERYTHING Kathy says in writing or email.

We wanted a woodsy, rustic but classy and simple wedding. And the impression we got from our research was that Kathy, the owner of Felton Guild, would be very hands-​off. So more work for us on the planning side, but we would get to make more choices like caterer ourselves, allowing us to save some money.
What we didn’t realize at the time is that things have changed since the time of the other reviews; Oak Tree Ristorante is now the only caterer you can choose if you go with Felton Guild.
Aldina (manager at Oak Tree) was great in talking with us and showing us around; unfortunately Kathy didn’t show up till most of the way through the tour when we ran into her gardening in the back.
The whole space was so, so beautiful and what we really were looking for; although the ceremony space in the redwood grove was pretty small. It looked like it would be hard to fit in more than 100 people, and some people would have trouble with visibility and/​or have to stand in the back.
We decided after touring Felton Guild to go to Oak Tree Ristorante to try out the food for lunch. The food was very good. The pesto gnocchi was extremely tasty. But for me, that is not enough to book someone for a wedding, I want to know they are a straight-​shooter, and someone I can rely on day-​of.
We had foccacia with oil, a serving of pesto gnocchi, and a serving of spinach ravioli, and the bill came out to about $ 40. When we got home, I received Aldina’s follow-​up email, detailing a $ 500 set up fee for the bar, a $ 500 tear down fee, etc. which seemed like a lot to add on top. Beyond the required caterer, there were limits on our ability to bring in our own wine.
Overall, we felt we weren’t sure how prices would end up (with fees), how things would go day-​of service-​wise, and there were restrictions on catering and alcohol, so even though we really loved the space, we decided not to go with Oak Tree and Felton for the wedding. Food was great, though!

Ok, I have to preface this by saying that I had my wedding here and it was beautiful. This venue is gorgeous, well kept, and a steal for the price. The two stars are for price and beauty… Please read on…
That having been said, after my experience with the owner, I would caution anyone considering holding their event here. Kathy is a very nice woman who certainly means well, but she doesn’t seem to know the slightest thing about running a business. My calls were never answered and when she did return them it was several days later. ok… thats not that big of a deal right? Well, when you’re planning your wedding, that is a VERY big deal. Especially because the contract is only 3 or 4 pages of ambiguous nonsense. It provides no information on liquor licenses, or anything about insurance, or anything else.
We chose to go with The Felton Guild because we could bring everything in on our own and we weren’t beholden to preferred vendors. We had planned a BBQ picnic wedding, and secured an incredible bbq catering company, Hill Country BBQ (Check them out, they SERIOUSLY rock!) There was nothing in the contact about limits on who or what we could do, and having the on site grill was very important to us to keep the authentic feel we had envisioned.
Everything was fine until two days before my wedding when my parents received a call from Kathy who was sternly informing them that we couldn’t have an open flame grill and if we did try to go forward with it, the fire marshall would be called and we would be shut down! TWO DAYS BEFORE MY WEDDING!!! TWO! Naturally we freaked out, had to dig up the contract to confirm, once again, that this information was not hidden somewhere in it (it wasn’t!!!) and we called the fire marshall to ask about her claim. Fortunately, the fire marshall had no idea what we were talking about, said that as long as it was contained in a grill it wasn’t even remotely an issue, and that the fire department had more important things to do than busting up a bbq wedding.
Ultimately, my dad called Kathy and relayed this information and we went ahead as planned. I have since learned from a little Facebook trolling, that someone else had the exact same experience! Down to the fire marshall threat! If no bbq is that big of a deal to her, she should seriously write it into the silly thing she calls a contract and move on. I just hope nobody goes through this again. If you’re planning a simple wedding and using their neighboring restaurant, great, you’ll probably be fine. BUT if the appeal is the amount of freedom offered by the venue, heed my warning and proceed at your own risk!

I just got married there yesterday and I can’t add anything more to the reviews that came before me.
It’s a beautiful, intimate setting, perfect for casual and elegant weddings alike (if you have a small guest list).
I got so many compliments on the venue and I have to say, the venue itself couldn’t have been more perfect.
The one thing I could have done without was the NOSY PEOPLE WHO WERE CHECKING OUT THE VENUE DURING MY WEDDING.
THE PHOTOGRAPHER HAD TO STOP SHOOTING BECAUSE THESE PEOPLE WERE WALKING AROUND IN THE BACKGROUND.
THEY WERE STANDING IN THE RECEPTION AREA DURING MY RECEPTION AND TALKING LOUDLY ABOUT IT.
When I complained to my mother about this, she said Kathy, the manager, told her it happens all the time. I was shocked and appalled. This should not have been allowed during my, or anyone’s wedding. It was completely ridiculous.
My wedding day would have been absolutely perfect if not for the rude, shameless people who wandered around the venue not even 10 minutes after the ceremony finished.
Word to the wise, if you want this venue, you need to tell Kathy in no uncertain terms that NOBODY is allowed to take a look at the venue during your wedding.

We got married here in September. It was a fairytale come true. The space was perfect for us and really helped us capture the natural and spiritual elements we wanted to for our wedding without any of the institutionalism. We had a fun wedding that brought people of all different backgrounds together. It was the perfect blend of a formal rite of passage with a laid back vibe. It was the best setting for what we wanted to accomplish. For future brides, here are the need-​to-​knows:
Amenities: There is a brides room and a grooms room. There is only one bathroom for guests to use. I opened up the brides bathroom to all female guests to help with this. In both locations, the lines were about 4 people deep during the height of the party. It was okay, but definitely the max you can get away with. If you have more than 100 guests and are serving alcohol, rent a portable bathroom.
Space: We had about 100 guests and everything was very comfortable. I think the space could accommodate 150 for both the ceremony and reception, but it would be cramped. A few of our guests were 200 – 300 lbs. and were comfortable on the benches. I thought a few people would have to stand during the ceremony, but to my surprise, everyone fit in the seats.
The reception grass space is roughly 60’x50’. Toward the road there is a 12’x10’ cement area and toward the exitway there is an 8’x8’ cement area. The grass area is what you have to work with for seating and dancing.
There is a paved area, roughly 12’x60’ and the DJ has to hook up in the corner next to the road. This area worked perfectly for the DJ and buffet food service.
On-​site tables and chairs: I think there are 20 redwood tables there that you can use and chairs at no cost. The chairs however are green lawn chairs. We rented some birch chairs with white seats for about $ 2 each. I don’t remember the table dimensions, but we were able to sit 6 – 8 at each. They are bulky and if you have more guests, you may need to rent some regular size ones to manage the space. We rented 4 60′ rounds for our families and a small 4’x’30″ for the sweetheart table, and used the tables on site for the rest.
We brought 5 umbrellas as I was worried that the sun would be in people’s eyes as it set. It was 80 degrees that day, our ceremony was at 4pm (4:15 start) and dinner was a little before 6pm, and we really didn’t need the umbrellas. This was on September 22^nd. Maybe they would have been needed before the solstice though.
Management: Kathy, the owner, is a character. She seems a little flighty sometimes, but really came through for us and everything went smoothly. On the day of, she helped direct traffic and made sure all our guests were not disoriented.
Potential Turnoffs: The reception space is right next to Highway 9. For us this wasn’t an issue. Our table was near the road and I didn’t hear anything. During one speech, a motorcycle went by and the person had to pause for a few seconds, but it was fine.
You have to handle set up and tear down of the reception space. Although, if you use the on-​site caterer they probably set up the chairs and tables. Our friends, cousins, and caterer set up the space and helped with break down for us. We brought many flashlights for the tear down and it was fine. Also, Kathy didn’t want us to leave the dance floor on the lawn as the rental company would not be able to pick it up until Monday and our wedding was on Saturday. The catering crew unscrewed it at night and put it on the pavement before they left. I stressed about this for a while before the wedding, but there was no need. Just delegate it 2 months before and have a schedule for everyone.
Commune type setting. There are rvs in the parking area, houses and a restaurant on site. For us, this wasn’t a problem. The setting was so transformative once you were in it that it didn’t matter. Our guests, no matter how conservative, still loved the space.

This venue is amazing. At first, I was a little nervous of the size for the capacity of guests I had for a ceremony-​only space and small cocktail hour in the redwood cathedral. With about 150 people and some guests standing it was fine. I had many of my guests commenting on how pretty and beautiful it was. Couple of my guests referred to Bella and Edward of «Twlight, Breaking Dawn pt. 1» wedding scene. Lol. :p The redwoods really make it so much cooler too. After the ceremony, we had Sebastian from next door (Oak Tree Restaurant) do small hors d’oeuvres and appetizers just behind the ceremony area. Mostly small gravel on a dirt path way, but the staff maintains it well before your big day. It was a nice spot for the food and set up, there’s more seating scattered in this area. Lots of tables and side ones for decorations or for what we use one of them for, drinks and champagne stations.
If you need a ceremony space, and the church thing isn’t your cup of tea, this location might be a good fit. Shot out to the Unilocalers in the previous reviews. :) They were a big help. The Guild is at least a place to check out for any bride on the venue hunt. I’m so happy I exchanged my vows here. Hidden gem in Felton! :)

My fiancé and I made the 45 minute trek from San Jose to Felton Guild to see if it was the perfect fit for our wedding venue. Listed below are some pros and cons of the site:
Pros:
*Gorgeous Redwood trees and forest like scenery
*Kathy, the owner, was very friendly and nice. She promptly answered all phone calls and emails regarding the venue.
*A restaurant sits on site and offers catering.
Cons:
*SMALL. The Redwood sanctuary has small benches; if your guests have hips, they’ll tip those benches right off their foundation.
*The green lawn chairs.
*The motor homes and RVs that sit near the rear of the site.
*Limited (and I mean limited) parking; the venue shares parking with the restaurant.
You’ll like this place if you
a. Want a quiet venue
b. Don’t mind having your guests sit on dusty lawn chairs
c. Are having an intimate wedding (Kathy said the venue could fit 120, but I’m thinking 120 children… not adults. I say 50 people maximum)
We nixed Felton off of our list because
a. It was too small
b. We would have to rent a tons of things
c. I could hear my grandmother complaining about the seating

We looked loooong and haaard for the perfect woodsy wedding venue, and finally, after much googling, we found Felton Guild. Not listed in any bride guides or wedding planning websites, Felton Guild prides itself on being a «hidden gem» (so well hidden that i only discovered it on someone else’s personalized website for their own wedding)!
For us, Felton Guild was a perfect fit… but its not for everyone. Here are the plusses and minuses:
PROS:
The redwood catherdral is exactly what i always pictured as my ceremony site
there’s a pretty «reception grove» for cocktail hour and also a reception lawn for dinner/​dancing
super inexpensive in relation to other venues (for this bride on a budget, truly the best part)
you get the whole day at the venue, instead of a six-​hour window
Kathy the manager is super-​sweet and let us use the venue the day before for rehearsal and setup, free of charge
The layout of the space and reception lawn are really cool
Air-​conditioned bride’s room — so crucial
Although they dont have an in-​house caterer, its adjescent to a delicious family-​style restaurant (Oak Tree) that will bring food fresh from the oven out to your guests.
The ceremony site is intimate and personal (could be a con for some bigger weddings, but we had a small wedding so it was a pro for us)
its right across the street from henry cowell redwoods — we took some amaaazing wedding photos over there
Your guests will always remember your unique locale
Like getting married in the woods, except without the hassle of renting bathrooms, chairs, tables, clean-​up crew, etc
CONS:
They don’t have email, or take credit cards! (i know, insane in this day and age, but its how they roll)
Although the venue itself is beautiful, its adjescent to a mobile home park. It didn’t bother us enough to turn us away, but its certainly not ideal. As previously mentioned by another reviewer, this place aint no country club…
Our dj equipment actually blew the power fuse! Kathy swears that never happens and it was a quick fix, but if you’re heavy on the equipment, anticipate that could happen.
If youre getting married in the summer during sundown, consider renting umbrellas for the reception lawn. it can get bright and hot.
For the reception, they have these chintzy green plastic chairs and picnic tables. We classed it up with some pretty rented linens from Alexis Party Rental. if we had more money, we would have rented better chairs too.
not totally pertaining to the venue, but working with Sebastian at Oak tree was a bit of a challenge because his English is pretty lousy (but he makes a bad-​ass green lasagna — not on the menu but he made it special for us)
All in all, we had a great experience and would totally recommend to other offbeat brides on a budget. Thanks Kathy for making our day amazing!

Very intimate place for a wedding especially if you like the woods.

I ALMOST had my wedding here! I’m listing everything I loved about this place as a wedding venue and then why a chose not to use it.
First, let’s remember this is not a country club or fancy winery. The Guild feels down to earth and welcoming without a bit of pretentiousness. Ceremony seating is on wooden benches in front of the redwood grove of trees that you get married under and the tables that the venue provides are the rectangle wooden picnic type (though the chairs more typical of banquet rooms).
Grounds are beautiful and I loved the whole flow of how everyone would move from ceremony to reception. They have a lovely room for the bride to ready herself and another «room/​area» for the groom.
So these are the real things that I loved about the idea of utilizing this place.
1) only one wedding a day and basically have the whole day.
2) can utilize whatever caterer you want. SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!
3) no alcohol restrictions, can bring everything in yourself, no corkage fees, and hire your own bartenders if you want. Buys cases of beer, bottles of wine and water/​sodas from Costco! This saves bundles!
4) we could bring our DOGS! Yay! they could be part of the ceremony and hang out for the reception.
5) little need for extra or expensive décor because everything is so beautiful there. Everything can be done simply, in fact too fancy would be completely out of place at the Guild.
6) the pricing/​rental fees were great. And included quite a bit of stuff.
We were really ready to have our wedding at the Guild. But here is why we didn’t.
1) we had a few too many people, that would have caused us to have to rent additional tables, etc.
2) we know our families/​friends would want to party it up being up in the Santa Cruz Mountains wasn’t going to be a good mix for our guests.
Hopefully this info will find it’s way to someone that will really like this place too.

I photographed a wedding at Felton Guild last fall and it was so lovely
there.