Community› Local Wedding Boards› California-Central
California-Central
New Discussion
Options

Tenaya Lodge Yosemite area wedding

Mandypants2Mandypants2 member
in California-Central
Hello,
We are close to choosing a venue and I want to get some reviews on people who've had weddings at Tenaya Lodge in Fish Camp? Did you LOVE it? What would you do differently? What would you repeat? How was the service?
Report Reply to Post

Re: Tenaya Lodge Yosemite area wedding

  • Options
    deliriam830deliriam830
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Hi! We are considering the Tenaya as well... just wondering if you have gotten any responses or information outside of this thread? I have some of the same questions. I've read the yelp reviews and they seem to be mixed.
    Report Reply
  • Options
    buncharoobuncharoo
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    Please allow me to reply to your questions.  My daughter recently held her wedding at The Tenaya Lodge in early June.  We secured the date last September after meeting with Charlene Kellye, the wedding and special event manager. I had MANY questions for her as did my daughter and she politely and quickly responded to any of our questions.  As a result, we booked the wedding and reception at The Tenaya Lodge and were absolutely thrilled with it all!   I was happy that their wedding fees included so many things that other venues consider extra charges.   My daughter chose to have the reception outdoors in The Pavilion ( sound requirements mean that the reception ends at 10:00 P.M....indoor reception is midnight) and was leary about having the ceremony on The Terrace because of the placement of the sun as the wedding was at 4:00 P.M.   However, the site of the ceremony could not have been nicer as the trees and the mountains with snow in the back ground were stunning. We chose to supply little raffia fans to block the sun for those who needed it and for fanning if it were hot, which it was not...just right. ALL the staff could not have been nicer and very accommodating.  I even brought up a borrowed horse trailer filled with potted hydrangeas, all favors, fans, programs, etc. and they helped us unload it, and store it all in a room and then park the trailer over the weekend.  The staff took control of all the potted hydrangeas, programs, favors, etc. and placed them the day of the wedding.  I did not have to deal with it at all.  The food was excellent and my daughter and her fiance were able to have a food tasting prior to determine what could be served with their budget in mind.  We had open bars and they were managed well.  The  ceremony went on time and the reception was coordinated well too.  Charlene coordinated the rehearsal and the ceremony so there was no need to hire an additional wedding coordinator.  I was directed to the managers in charge of the evening should I have a question and they were easily accessible.  However, I really did not need to talk to them much as everything went so smoothly and so perfectly.  Being that the weather had been a bit touchy this past year ( as in there was a late snow storm three weeks before the wedding) we rented three heaters from The Tenaya.  It would have been ideal to have had maybe 2 or 3 more.  But once the guests started dancing, all was fine!  We had the firepit going and towards the end of the reception, we arranged with Charlene to have s'mores.  The children AND adults loved this.  Plus folks were able to continue with hanging around the firepit cooking s'mores after the reception ended.  ALL the guests had a great time and have commented on how perfect the location was for the wedding and reception.  One recommendation if The Tenaya does not end up offering this.  We had our florist/designer , Rosel , http://www.addyroseweddings.com drape the back of The Pavilion to block the building.  This made a BIG difference.  Our daughter placed a sweetheart table with their backs to the forest and it was lovely.  She had the dance floor in front of them and the band, Joe Lennigan Band,  placed in the alcove ( opposite the side where the bathrooms are).  We had a children's table where I supplied the stuff, but the staff set it up.  The children loved it!  Oh...being that we had 200 committed meals, we were able to obtain the guest room for two nights which allowed our daughter to use it for her and her bridesmaids the day of the wedding and then for the night of the wedding.  We also were provided with a  meeting room for assembling everyone prior to the wedding, which made it nice to congregate.  I guess to sum this up...I was absolutely thrilled in every way and felt that my daughter had her dream wedding.  I know she was thrilled too. 

    Report Reply
  • Options
    lisanishlisanish
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I just had my reception there this past June in the outdoor pavilion. I would definitely recommend it. It was such a beautiful setting for a wedding reception and the service was excellent. We were completely taken care of. They helped unload, store, and set up the favors, photo guest book area, centerpieces, etc. All I had to do was get my stuff there and they handled everything else. The food and service was phenomenal. I loved that they hand passed the hors d'oeuvres and wine throughout the entire night. The bar was setup off to the side but we still had servers continually coming around to the individual tables to refill wine glasses.
    The only real drawback was the guest room special rate. In my opinion it was very expensive and they didn't really negotiate with us. We did book it very close to our actual wedding date so that may have played a factor.
    Overall, Tenaya Lodge is awesome! I don't think I would of done anything different. Charlene was awesome to work with and she provided great advice. The day of the event I coordinated with Kathy, who was just as awesome. Like I said, everything is taken care of, which allows you to just relax and enjoy your day.
    Report Reply
  • Options
    melissaatfreshmelissaatfresh
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I have visited this venue before (not for a wedding - just because I am outdoorsy :) and it is really stunning around there!!

    Reminds me of Colorado a lot.

    If you are looking for a photographer there then I would love for you to take a look at my work (cheeky I know but would love to shoot a wedding there :)

    Cheers!
    Melissa

    Report Reply
  • Options
    Tsuki13Tsuki13 member
    First Comment
    HI,
    Has anyone had a wedding at the Tenaya in April? Was there snow still? Was it cold?
    Report Reply
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards