Frequently Asked Questions

and more info, about your all-inclusive wedding!

Here are some common questions people ask while planning their wedding day!

What is Sequoia Weddings?
Sequoia Weddings hosts ‘all-inclusive’ weddings, intimate weddings, elopements in Sequoia National Park and Three Rivers, California. We have multiple packages for different size weddings & elopements, and our goal is to give you a stress-free and magical wedding experience both in and outside Sequoia National Park! Get married in the trees, and we’ll take care of the details!

What do your all-inclusive weddings include?
Our All-Inclusive wedding and elopement packages give you almost everything need to host your destination elopement or wedding! Collections range from 2-100 people and include:

Guided photography experience from A Fierce Love (award winning travel photographer Peter Amend!),
5 hours of Ol Buckaroo venue use
Riverside wedding ceremony area with chairs at Ol Buckaroo (or pop-up ceremony in Sequoia National Park)
Styled wedding reception with decorated tables for your guests - styled with linens, eucalyptus, tableware, and custom printed menus
Curated unlimited beverage bar (wine, beer, champagne, bubbly coctails)
Custom family style farm-to-table dinner menu, curated to your tastes and dietary needs. Two proteins/meats, three sides, dessert
Custom dessert bar
2 nights stay @ our private AirBnB (sleeps 6)
Cozy styled boho riverside lounge/nook

What’s the best time of year to have a wedding in Sequoia & Three Rivers?
Like most mountain regions, there are a wide variety of seasons & temperatures! Our favorite months are March, April, May, September, October and November. Three Rivers is at 800’ elevation, and the big trees are about an hour up the road at about 7,000’. Because of the elevation difference, you can sometimes have a 15-20* temperature drop at that elevation! Our temperatures mimic high dessert - comfortable dry air, low humidity. Mid-summers are hot at the venue elevation. If you dream of a white wedding, winter can be beautiful - although you must be prepared for snow and having to put chains on your vehicle on the drive up! Mid summers are hot and temperatures can be 95*+ during the day. Click here for more info on weather: https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/weather.html and click here for more info on current park and road conditions in Sequoia National Park: https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/conditions.html

What’s an adventure elopement? Aren’t elopements just in vegas or the courthouse?
Our philosophy is that there are NO rules to your wedding day! Why get married a stuffy old building, when you can say vows outdoors under beautiful trees? All you need is a marriage license, legal officiant, and witness (I’m happy to sign as your witness!)

Do you offer video also?
Yes! We offer video through our photo & video team ‘A Fierce Love’. We LOVE teaming up to add a film for your special day!

Do you have a preferred vendors list?
Yep, it’s on the website. Find our favorite makeup and hairstylists, officiant, videographer, etc - we love to recommend our favorite professionals!

Ol Buckaroo Venue

Can we have our ceremony at the buckaroo, as well as reception?
Of course! We have a beautiful riverside ceremony area.This is included in the package which includes set up and tear down of chairs. Alter and any decorative items are responsibility of the guest.

What do you do in case of rain?
A portion of our reception area is covered by a permanent awning! For smaller events its plenty of coverage - if additional shelter is needed, a tent must be ordered through a private vendor 72 hours prior to the event.

What’s the parking situation? Do you have additional parking for overflow? Is there a shuttle service?
Buckaroo has 10 spots available (included in fee), additional parking (walking distance) can be rented at 2 locations for $200. Three Rivers is a small town and does not offer uber, lyft etc. You may be able to find a private service out of Visalia or Fresno if shuttle service is needed.

Do you provide music and sound equipment?
Music is the guest’s responsibility. For guests that do not prefer a DJ or live music we have a Sonos sounds system that can be borrowed.

Do you provide lighting?
We have café lighting in place year round. Additional lighting can be brought in with approval from management.

Do you have a dance floor?
Yes! We have a dance floor, it’s included in your package!

Can we move things around for decoration purposes? Can we use real candles?
Feel free to move things around as you like. We kindly ask that you move them back after the reception. Real candles are allowed (except during fire season - june-oct typically. Enclosed containers are required. No taper candles please.

What time do we have access to the venue? What time can we set up our decorations?
You will have access to the venue at 9am the day of your event for setup. Decorating/set up can begin at that time, and tear down must be complete that evening, pickup of items by 10am the following morning.

When can vendors deliver our rented items?
Vendor deliveries can be made as early as the day before the event as long as it is okayed by managing staff. Ol’Buckaroo can not be responsible for any lost or stolen items.

What is included with the table set up?
Dinner plates, matte black flatware, linen napkins, stemless water & wine glasses, and a personalized menu for your event.

What is the tax and gratuity charge?
A gratuity charge of 20% and Tulare county tax of 7.75% will be applied to all food and beverage charges - but these costs are built into the package to make it easy for you!

How do we book the Airbnb accommodation?
Through the Airbnb website directly once wedding date is secure. We’ll walk you through this process!

Are heaters available?
Eight space heaters, and two propane fire pits are included with your package - a cozy way to be comfortable outside!

Photography

Who is your photographer?
Hi! It’s me, Peter Amend! I’m the owner of A Fierce Love wedding photography and I also do photography for the outdoor industry under my brand Peter Amend! I grew up right below Sequoia, so it’s a super special place for me!

Part of our All-Inclusive wedding package involves the potential for either a wedding ceremony or photo session in Sequoia, browse this collection of some photo areas we might be able to explore together!

Food/beverage

-Do you serve hard Alcohol? Can we bring our own?
-Hard Alcohol cannot be consumed or sold at Ol’Buckaroo due to our ABC 41 license. We DO however offer a specialty champagne cocktail with a seasonal twist - it’s a bubbly faux-cocktail that always delights!

Can we bring in our own wine?
Wine can be brought in for a 15$ corkage fee per bottle.

What will be served at the bar?
We will design a custom bar menu to fit your needs: included 2 beers, 2 wines, 1 specialty bubbly cocktail, and non-alcoholic choices

Can we bring in our own Cake/Desserts?
You are more than welcome to bring in your own cake/dessert bites. We do ask that you allow our staff to assist in cutting and serving which assumes a $1.50 charge per person. Serving utensils and plates are included

Do you offer menu tasting?
Because our menu is seasonal and sourced with local ingredients, we’re not always able to provide a tasting. If this is a deal-breaker for you, let us know to see what we can do!

How does the custom menu work?
Our chef will work with you to curate a personalized menu. We always offer a seasonal menu that you can choose from as well, and we are of course happy to accommodate any dietary restrictions.

Styling

What kind of reception styling is included in the All-Inclusive Packages?
Included for your Ol Buck reception are:

family style tables & chairs - all setup and tear down included
all necessary dining ware - plates, utensils, cups, champagne flutes, wine & beer glasses
custom printed menu placecard
eucalyptus garland on tables

What kind of ceremony is included in the All-Inclusive Packages?
Included for your Ol Buck ceremony are:

Use of riverside area for ceremony & photos
Chair setup & teardown

Some people opt for a pop-up ceremony in Sequoia - we can talk you through this!

Wedding Ceremony

It looks like people get married under the trees, and some people get married at Ol Buckaroo. What type of ceremony is right for us?
There are a few ceremony site options to make unique! There are a lot of factors that will help you decide, and we can talk you through it! The smaller the group, the easier it is, and the larger your group, the more challenging a Sequoia ceremony can be. Factors such as the drive (about 1 hour uphill from the venue), traffic (peak season can be busy), parking (lots of cars can be tricky to coordinate), communication (there isn’t cell signal in the park) make it ideal to have a small ceremony. Some people even have a private ceremony under the trees with their photographer, then come down the hill to awaiting family for a ceremony and reception! For ceremonies in Sequoia, we like to see groups smaller than 30 people, but it’s possible to do more - we’ll just need to talk through logistics!

Do we need a permit to get married in Sequoia?
Yup! After we choose a location that’s right for you - you’ll fill out the application here and submit a $50 application fee: https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/wedding-permits.html . Keep in mind that Sequoia ceremonies are typically ‘pop-up’ ceremonies, no chairs

Do you know an officiant who will marry us??
Yes! Our friend Minister Erica Rose is an amazing officiant - contact her on her info page!

What type of marriage license do we need, and where do we get it??
You can get your marriage license anywhere in California! Only stipulation is that you have to submit it to the same county it was received from.

Airbnb

Tell me about the AirBnB that’s included in the all-inclusive package?
The house is about 8 minutes from the venue, and accommodates 6 guests (3 beds). You’re welcome to use it for prep on your event morning, there are multiple rooms for prep, hair, makeup, etc.

Can we subtract the provided AirBnB from a package?
Sure! If you’d like to book your own lodging (or if the house is already booked on your event date) you can subtract $500 from your package total.

Where should our guests stay?
Most people stay in beautiful Three Rivers, as it borders Sequoia and is filled with accommodations! Airbnb, VRBO and Homeaway are great resources for this, and there are also many hotels & lodges. Visalia offers many options also, like the newly opened Darling Hotel. There are also a few lodges in Sequoia, (Wuksashi Lodge, John Muir Lodge, Montecito, Silver City) although are about an hours drive from the venue. Early accommodations are recommended especially in peak season!