This venue is such a hidden gem! What a fabulous place to have a day time wedding, I have never had a better time photographing a wedding than being at Griffith Woods! It was so serene, lots of photographic areas for portraits. The owners are so nice and the land is very well maintained. I hope to come back here for more weddings it truly was one I will never forget - WHERE WE WANDER PHOTOGRAPHY TO read more

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What a lovely wooded venue! Tucked into the redwood forest of Santa Rosa, this is a magical place to host a wedding. Not only do the trees provide some wonderful shade for hot summer nights, but they give a feeling of privacy too. I had the pleasure of photographing my couple's recent wedding here, and loved it! The ceremony amphitheater is quite lovely and even better is the flat reception space. If you are looking for a local wedding spot in the woods, then look no further! read more

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Wow! The grounds are absolutely beautiful, filled with beautiful redwoods and a flowing creek. Not only are the owners themselves so helpful and warm, but also take the time to point out all the things one should be mindful of when planning a wedding (eg considering traffic, fog in the morning etc). They have been doing this for a very long time and it shows with their expertise! They also have lots of great ideas to make your wedding special with a great list of a variety vendors. From trolley cars as a shuttle to pizza oven on wheels, they have all kinds of suggestions for those planning their special day. Griffith Woods is worth every penny and I HIGHLY recommend this venue to those wanting to celebrate a wedding or special event. 10/10 would do it again at their spot! read more

Such a stunning wedding venue! As a photographer I can say it doesn't get much better - tons of variety for backdrops, beautiful light everywhere you look. So many different vignettes - take a pick and create something unique Some recent pics here: https://timhalberg.com/wedding-and-elopement-photography/griffith-woods-wedding/ Definitely will be photographing weddings here more! read more

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So much I can say about this place. I will start with... best day ever- September 7, 2013! Ned was so sweet and really seemed to care about our day. He even came down to the reception and we took pictures with him. We set up the day before and also we took down the day after. The day we got married was 95 degrees.. It was hot. The place is all outdoors. It has a nice restroom though and there are several locations you can get married at. The pictures were perfect with the trees and the different areas of the property. Walking down the road to the location we got married at was so surreal, the memories will last a lifetime. Ned did say we can come back and visit later on, for our anniversary. We would call ahead of time and set up a time for a picnic. This was in 2013, hopefully he will still let us. I am shocked about the 1 star review. The experience they gave us was nothing but inviting and warm. read more

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This is about my inquiring of eloping on this property. Whomever the woman is that partially owns this property was so rude to me that I immediately burst into tears when I got off the phone. I asked if they would be willing to do a literal, 25 minute elopement on a piece of their land. No chairs, parents only. She was degrading, saying they would not open up a day "just for that" and that we wouldn't want to pay their cost. Oh wow, I did not know this was such a big deal and that I was going to get that sort of response. No, we wouldn't want to pay four thousand dollars for 25 minutes of a ceremony. Typically people call to find that sort of thing out. She laughed and said "we've never done that", about just a ceremony. Truly, it could have been said much nicer.. maybe you shouldn't be the one answering inquiries. A couple stumbled upon your property in awe and just so happened to be in search of the perfect outdoor space to elope, and this is how you treat them basically. I'm pretty sure you would be better off spending 4 grand elsewhere, too. read more

As others have posted Ned and Elaine only communicate via phone, accept cash only, and only take about 12 weddings a year. Our wedding was June 2019 and we booked the venue in July 2018. When we booked they were almost half way booked for 2019. So they have no problem at all filling up. My husband and I selected Griffith Woods upon our first walkthrough with Ned. We knew we had found something wonderful. Ned and Elaine were super helpful in selecting our day. Elaine literally went through each weekend in the month of June and July with us to see what major event was happening in Santa Rosa, as it could effect traffic coming from San Francisco and hotel availability. I was impressed with their down to earth personality and willingness to start us off on a good foot. During planning, Elaine was prompt in picking up the phone and returning my phone calls. She was so sweet in always asking how the planning was going and sharing as much knowledge that she had from past weddings, which was very helpful. It's always good to keep the communication going with them. I selected vendors that had been to Griffith Woods so it made it so much easier. The key for selecting vendors is to make sure they have a truck small enough to go down the skinny path to deliver at the reception site. Our wedding day was absolutely beautiful with the perfect weather - 80 in the sun, and nice and cool under all the trees. Our guests loved it and kept saying how they've never been to a wedding like this! We had it on a Sunday, so ending the wedding at 8:30pm was not a problem for us. We ended our evening at an after party at the Flamingo Resort that allowed for us to continue our party until 1am. Our only complaint was the day before set up. I knew we had a strict cut off time for the wedding day (Guests need to start leaving at 8:30pm, but vendors can continue cleaning up after. This was well communicated during our contract review) but I was not aware 8:30pm was also the cut off time for set up. We needed literally 30 more minutes but Elaine literally stood there and demanded we leave the property stating we already had all day to set up. So warning, make sure you get everything done! We ending up having a last minute group of friends come in early morning of the wedding to finish up! It got done, but this added a LOT of stress. Having a wedding at Griffith Woods was a LOT of work, but even with the setting up issue we would recommend it. In the end we really felt like we had a wedding that reflected us. read more

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We got married at Griffith Woods in June 2017. Contact is strictly over phone and cash-only place. They only do a dozen weddings a year so it will take some planning ahead of time. Both Ned & Elaine were very flexible with us. I came out to the venue a few times with different vendors so everyone was well prepared for the day. We were able to set up a day prior which was SO nice not to rush the day of. And, being an event coordinator, I was able to have my hands in some of the day-of execution without having to actually be there, so that was a relief for me. This site is gorgeous and such an escape. It's private. It has redwoods. It has vineyards. Your photographer will be awed by this place. Griffith Woods is a beautiful blank slate. You don't need to do too much but you'll need to bring everything in. There are a few wine barrels and picnic benches, but you'll need to bring in all of your tables, chairs...etc. This was perfect for us as we were able to build our vision from the ground up and let the surroundings influence our design. I strongly recommend working with a caterer who has been there before. Most food will need to be prepared before and brought unless you want to handle a lot of kitchen rentals. Trends Catering did an incredible job for us and is friends with Ned so that made it all the much better. Definitely be prepared with bug spray for your guests. The mosquitoes got pretty wicked around sun-down. One thing I wasn't a fan of is that we were told to change the end time of our wedding to 8pm when we had previously agreed that that "dark" was the time to start wrapping up. So all of my vendors were done at 8pm and then Ned came down and told us that we could stay longer, but at that time, the vendors were just sticking to a schedule and it was too late. Griffith Woods will forever be a special place for us and we can't thank the Ned & Elaine enough for keeping this place so special and for sharing the redwood magic with couples. read more

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I'm going to date myself here a bit, but I just (surprisingly!) ran across Griffiths Woods here on Yelp, and got excited about posting a review here...albeit from 1993. (yes, I said 1993) You see, my wife and I had our wedding reception there back in July of that year. I dare say that we were one of the first receptions to be held at Griffiths Woods. Emily, looking at your photos, it appears as tho the property has undergone some upgrades since our day. I'll have to try posting some photos from my wedding. But I digress. The site is gorgeous, and even now, 18 years later, we get family and friends reminiscing about the "wedding in the redwoods." Most of my family is from the midwest, and were simply in awe of the surroundings. Great place. Highly recommended. read more

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Ned! Ned is such a sweet guy. This is a pay-in-cash-no-there's-no-website kind of venue. DIY space that pays off. Sorry to hear about the people who called and talked with Ned's wife...but the fact that this guy is third-generation on a property of old growth redwoods and he wants to run a wedding venue business on the side and his wife doesn't really like it and only let's him do 10 weddings per year is frankly, part of the charm, y'all. Despite our best intentions and planning, and California's serious drought, it rained on our wedding day. We still had the ceremony in Ned's woods but Ned helped us out dramatically by helping our family and our wedding coordinator secure a place down the road (the Druid Hall) to move our dinner/dancing the morning of our wedding. He even showed up to the Druid Hall at the end of the night to wish us well and tell us that he'd never again let someone get married in the last weekend of September, because with this climate change stuff, you never know. read more

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Whoever is responsible for answering initial questions about the venue, Cheryl, Elaine or Karen or whoever, is completely disrespectful and rude. She should take a long look at her attitude. I've lived in this community my whole life, and there are a hundred venues in Sonoma County that will treat you with dignity and respect, whether you end up having your event there or not. You deserve to have nothing but love in the air on your wedding day, so don't waste your time with this place. Oh, and Cheryl or Karen. We know EVERYONE in Sonoma County... so " honey, this isn't going to work out for you" read more

Let my start off by saying that this place took a lot of hard work to get! In response to the last review with one star, yes.. they get full really quickly. They only do about 10 weddings a year because it is their own private property and they are getting older and ready to retire this business all together and when I called last year, the owner seemed frantic and almost did not want to do wedding anymore because they were getting HUNDREDS of calls when it used to only be by word of mouth or close family friends. It is overwhelming for them. I had to call and bug them about ten times.. BUT, I got my dream venue!! Griffith Woods is AMAZING. All my dreams came true here.. It was the most beautiful and perfect day. Ned, the owner, was so friendly and really accommodating. We could do whatever we wanted and decorate with whatever we needed. We even built our own 10 ft tall wall backdrop and they let us use it on the stage. They did not care what vendors we brought it and were so flexible about the time and flow of the day. The only downside was that we had to be out by "dark." Which thankfully we brought string lights and had the most beautiful full moon that really did light up everything so we got to party late into the night! (by late, I mean 9/9:30.. which was late for us haha) The best part was that we had the whole weekend to set-up and tear down so decorating and cleaning was not as stressful as it could have been! This place is amazing thought.. there are 4 different spots you could use so we had a different location for the ceremony, cocktail hour and the reception.. There is a river flowing through it and the canopy of redwoods was just breathtaking. They even had vineyards next to the venue so that we could take some vineyard sunset photos and have different backgrounds for our photos, which I appreciated. I couldn't have imagined getting married anywhere else. Ned, thank you so much for everything! You guys were amazing!! Best experience ever. Here's a link to our photographers blog post about our wedding so you can check out some of the photos from the venue! http://kellyboitano.com/sarah-lukes-woodsy-wedding/ read more

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Griffith Woods is a fantastic venue with unique charm! Ned and Elaine are great hosts and super easy to work with. We had some major disasters and they came to our rescue without complaint. As my sister just had her wedding at the venue, please listen to some lessons learned: Don't book staffing or catering companies outside of the area. I booked a staffing company from the bay and not only did they not send all the people we asked for, they were 3-5 hours late. Do ask Elaine and Ned about the rental companies they like best. I used one company that brought the wrong size truck and caused us a lot of issue getting the rentals down the road. Do book local caterers and all vendors - traffic is a pain from the bay on a weekend so it is important that these people are close by so they can be on time. Elaine has some great recommendations of vendors no matter the budget. Do look at the venue at least twice to know where you want to put things. Note that the amphitheater does not have electricity so think about how you want to handle music during the ceremony if you choose to use this area. Do rent the rental property Sonoma Country House at 2000 Laguna Road (two driveways up). This house is on Airbnb and can be found here: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/8405509 This house is the perfect place to stay and has 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, a spa, and beautiful views. As a wedding coordinator and a maid of honor, this venue was awesome and I would recommend it again and again! read more

Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of getting married in a forest, and Griffith Woods is a wedding venue straight out of a dream. My husband and I got married June 2019 and the weather was perfect! The redwood grove is actually on the property of a vineyard, so you get the best of both worlds! Ned and his wife were so friendly and helpful in what to plan for, vendor options, and what to expect. When booking Griffith Woods, you get access to the whole redwood grove, so there is a lot of freedom to plan your wedding how you envision it. There's five different areas where the ceremony could be held depending on your preference so there are plenty of options! The venue worked perfectly for us, allowing us to have our ceremony, reception, and photos in different areas. There is a clean and maintained bathroom onsite that is not a port-a potty, and they have access to electricity in most areas. Our wedding guests still tell us that our wedding was in the most beautiful venue they have ever been to. 10/10 would recommend this amazing site and amazing owners!! read more

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Griffith Woods is an absolutely gorgeous wedding venue! As a wedding planner myself, I was looking for the perfect redwood forest wedding venue with no restrictions on vendor selection. Ned and Elaine were very accommodating and our wedding turned out absolutely stunning! read more

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I was married at Griffith Woods in June 1989, and it was beautiful. The amphitheater on the wooded hillside was magical, and would be amazing for a Tolkien or other fantasy theme wedding. Mine was not a theme wedding, but now I rather wish I had done something more to take advantage of the setting. There is a romantic moss-covered cement bridge, wonderful for pictures, and the forested area provides many possibilities for other pictures, A large reception area completes the experience. The only downside was that there was no place for the bride and her attendants to change. We set up a large cabin tent about 100 feet from the stage area, which worked well for our purposes. If we're still around for our 50th, and Griffith Woods is too, we'd love to have a renewal of our vows at this magical place. read more

Unfortunately I was unable to book this venue...I was looking for a spot for my sisters elopement, he suggested some amazing spots. He was already booked and was honest about saving costs by looking elsewhere. (We were just too small of a group) I couldn't help but love how friendly he was! And I am all about customer service. read more

I just created a yelp account today solely to express how rude my phone call just was. After 2 attempts where I could tell the staff was picking up and hanging up the receiver, I spoke with a woman and asked about their availability for a wedding of under 50 people next year. I unexpectedly was given a lengthy and undeserved lashing about how they don't know their availability, and even if they did they don't like to do weddings. The woman complained of people calling about weddings and "its just been making their lives miserable" and then hung up immediately. After that sob story I here on out promised to not make their life miserable with my money and patronage and will be sure to protect this poor woman's delicate sensibilities by letting others know this public event space hates business. If all it took was a few phone calls, I'm pretty sure your life was miserable to begin with. read more

Last summer I had the distinct pleasure of getting married at Griffith Woods. This site is stunning in it's natural beauty. The property accommodated my 135 person wedding beautifully. Throughout the planning process I worked directly with the property owners who were wonderful and helped to facilitate all my dreams. They were willing to meet with me on several occasions and even talked to my coordinator. They were extremely helpful in offering information about which caterers had worked on the property and knew the particulars of what worked best. The setting cannot be beat for its gorgeous redwoods, and secluded private location with a wine country flair. I feel extremely lucky to have been able to get married there. read more

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Got married at Griffith Woods 30 years ago today!! And still married !! Awesome memories and what an amazing place. It's a perfectly beautiful spot with majestic redwoods that's an open canvas to whatever you want to create there. read more

Griffith Woods - Parks Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

This venue is CLEARLY gorgeous. I just got off the phone with the owner, who was absolutely charming. Although it might not be great for us (weddings/receptions end when the sun goes down), he said he would let us check out the space, and recommend other places if he couldn't accommodate us. Really friendly, lovely folks! read more

This is just one of those Rare Gems if true nature is what you need. I first was here for a sad but extremely beautiful event to say good bye to a close friend/ family who was take by a rare cancer way to early to only touch young manhood. I fell in love with this place but I believed it was actually a private family place that our friend knew only to find out about a year ago it was actually an event place. The owners answered the phone and wonderfully friendly. Bad news the Date we need is booked... Yes I am a bit heart broken but I can guarantee now that I know my next wedding renewal June 27 will bee booked on time we wanted to do every 5 yrs but life happens so I have a bit of time. I feel as if my heart is home when I walk into this place! read more

Well I just had to jump in here and make an official entry. My husband and I got married and had out reception at Griffith's Woods in .... 1973.. WE were indeed the first ones to reopen the wedding traditions there as it had been closed for many years prior to that. My Aunt knew the Knootz family who owned it then and got special permission to hold the event there. My dad worked for PG&E then and was able to get electric service in there for a one time use. We had to bring in our own Porta Potties and had to build a stage for our band. Its was fantastic and we still hold it dearly in our Married hearts after 39 years..... SO I have to say WE were the first ones to run on this wedding road and because my family cleaned it up so well, and removed all fixtures and debris, many many more weddings followed. It has been greatly updated since then, but we were blessed to have used it then and I hope many more will enjoy it and cement their relationships there in years to come. Nancy LIbby-South Lake Tahoe read more

We just got married at Griffith Woods last month - it was absolutely beautiful! The owners are very nice and flexible with their clients. Our guests had a great time, we were able to bring our own food/drink and our own decor. read more

Let me come look and then all of sudden they are "full", For the whole year. 2015. YUP Basically a campground "full" over a year in advance. They don't seem to even like doing the weddings. Can't imagine they would have made my day very enjoyable. Also very dirty and bathrooms are gross. read more

What an amazing site! Love Griffith Woods!!!!!! From the beginning with the initial phone call to see about booking my wedding to walking around the woods, to the wedding itself - all went so well and the owners of the Woods were fantastic!!!!!!! I highly recommend booking your event here - just remember that they do book up early only because it is in such demand. read more