Wedding Ceremonies at Nestldown Wedding Venue in Los Gatos California
Blog overview:
Couples planning a wedding ceremony at Nestldown in Los Gatos are often drawn to its storybook setting—towering redwoods, winding garden paths, and the stunning Redwood Cathedral ceremony space. Nestled in the Santa Cruz Mountains just outside Silicon Valley, Nestldown wedding venue has become one of the most beloved locations for couples seeking a nature-immersed Los Gatos wedding ceremony that feels magical, whimsical, dreamy and timeless. Over the years I’ve officiated many ceremonies at Nestldown, each one shaped by the landscape and the unique story of the couple. Below I share a few snapshots and stories from real wedding ceremonies at Nestldown wedding venue in Losa Gatos.
Wedding Ceremonies at Nestldown Wedding Venue
in Los Gatos California
A wonder-filled fairy-land, Nestldown wedding venue in Los Gatos, California is pure magic. It’s no wonder people travel from all over the world to get married in the awe-inspiring Redwood Cathedral. There are many beautiful wedding venues in Northern California, but Nestldown has a particular atmosphere that couples and their guests feel the moment they arrive.
The property unfolds like a small world of its own — soaring trees, lush foliage, koi ponds, water fountains, sprawling gardens, a hobbit house, an apple knoll, and a miniature train that winds through the grounds.
And then there’s the ceremony area.
Guests descend a dramatic staircase down to the venue’s Redwood Cathedral ceremony space, where towering redwoods create one of the most distinctive settings for a wedding ceremony at Nestldown in Los Gatos. Nestldown wedding venue is less a single location and more an immersion into a place — a setting that feels like stepping through a portal into a magical fairy-land.
Though it is only a short drive from Silicon Valley and the South Bay, Nestldown wedding venue in Los Gatos feels worlds away from the hustle of everyday life. Couples who choose Nestldown as their wedding venue are often drawn to that rare combination: a setting that is accessible for guests, yet feels a million miles away from the stresses and responsibilities of life.
This blog features on a few of the many wedding ceremonies I have officiated at Nestldown wedding venue in Los Gatos California. It includes the stories of three couples, and three talented wedding photographers, including Nirav Patel, Amy Carr and JJ Chen.
Redwood Cathedral Wedding Ceremony
at Nestldown in Los Gatos for Kat and Ben
Photo credit: Nirav Patel
Kat and Ben wanted a beautiful, powerful and authentic ceremony that was rich in reflection and tradition. It was especially important to Kat to honor her heritage by including various cultural, material, symbolic, traditional and spiritual elements, namely a ring warming, a hand fasting, and a private, pre-ceremony Quaich. These ritual elements didn't so much reflect Kat’s immediate family customs, nor had they been practiced or incorporated in her lineage for at least two generations. Rather, they honored and reanimated “the old faith,” as Kat’s grandfather used to call it. (Their handfasting cord was made from deerskin leather lacing, silk and cotton velvet, and natural dyed silk ribbons in their wedding colors, and was braided by them.)
Photo credit: Nirav Patel at Nestldown in Los Gatos, CA
Their ceremony honored a decade of intoxicating highs and devastating lows. It painted a rich and nuanced picture of a passionate love, an authentic love, with all its real life peaks and valleys, struggles and successes. Kat is an incredible writer, and the words she used to describe Ben were pure poetry. One example: "When I peeled him back, all his insecurities, his walls, he was like an artichoke, with a thick husk. But just like an artichoke inside, inside was this radiant electric lavender glow."
Photo credit: Nirav Patel at Nestldown in Los Gatos, CA
In addition to the rituals mentioned above, Kat and Ben also included a “make up bell” in their ceremony. It involved ringing a large bell that would be rung during or just after a fight as a reminder for them not to go too long before reconciliation and repair. In addition to friends and family members, their two adorable pugs were in attendance.
Rainy Day Wedding Ceremony
at Nestldown in Los Gatos for Zhinan and Zhiqi
Photo credit: JJ Chen Photography at Nestldown in Los Gatos, CA
Zhinan and Zhiqi were super excited for thier redwood cathedral wedding ceremony at Nestldown, but stormy rains and intense winds put a real damper on their wedding plans. Thankfully, the barn provided some warmth and some opulence, and a cozy, intimate vibe. In 7+ years of officiating wedding ceremonies, I have never seen a bride walk down the aisle with more poise and command than Zhiqi. She was so self-possessed and so elegant — she almost floated down the aisle. She emanated grace and profound presence.
Photo credit: JJ Chen Photography at Nestldown in Los Gatos, CA
Their wedding ceremony was in English, but Zhinan and Zhiqi chose to share their vows in Chinese. It was important for them to express themselves in their native Chinese and be understood by their predominantly Chinese-speaking guests. I have no idea what they said, but there was a lot of laughter and a few tears, too!
Photo credit: JJ Chen Photography at Nestldown in Los Gatos, CA
As you can see from above, the joy that Zhinan and Zhiqi’s photos emanate is contagious. They rose to the occasion, made the best the situation, and landed some epic wedding photos as a result. These stunning photos were captured by JJ Chen Photography.
Redwood Grove Wedding Ceremony at Nestldown
Photo credit: JJ Chen Photography at Nestldown in Los Gatos, CA
When this bride first reached out to me she told me that she and her fiancé are part of a multicultural family with many cultures and traditions. The bride said, “Between our families we have Jewish, Ukrainian, Catholic, Ukrainian Orthodox, Chinese, Buddhist cultures and traditions. As you can see, we do not fit into simply one box, neither culturally, nor religiously. We would love someone who can help us bring those together and bring them alive during our ceremony and celebration! I feel that you will be an excellent person to understand our needs and to bring all the love to us and our family on this special day!”
Photo credit: JJ Chen Photography at Nestldown in Los Gatos, CA
The couple chose to do a ring warming ritual as part of their wedding ceremony. We passed their rings around to all of their guests and invited them to hold the rings to their hearts and offer a single word of blessing. The couple also chose to have one of the 7 Jewish wedding blessings (sheva brachot) in the ceremony (recorded for them by my brother) to honor their Jewish heritage. To end the ceremony the couple stepped over an intricately woven and beautifully ornate fabric called a rushnyk. The rushnyk is a sacred Ukrainian cloth whose threads carry generations of prayer, love, and protection. Its embroidered symbols reflect the journey of two souls uniting—guided by ancestral blessings and the eternal rhythm of life. More than tradition, it is a sacred bridge between past, present, and future, and a symbol of cultural pride and continuity for Ukrainians around the world. It was a beautiful celebration of love, community and culture.
Photo credit: JJ Chen Photography at Nestldown in Los Gatos, CA
Here is what the bride wrote to me after the wedding: “We’ve been meaning to write you the most heartfelt thank you—because we are still in awe of the beautiful ceremony you created and led for us. While the preparation leading up to it required a lot of reflection and work, the ceremony itself was beyond anything we could have imagined. We were blown away. It felt like you had known us for decades—the way you captured our story, our connection, and even the little nuances of who we are was so deeply moving and intimate. We loved every word that was spoken. Every element—from the big moments to the small, like including our sweet Luna—was so thoughtful and personal. You brought a sense of warmth, wisdom, and grounding that touched not only us, but everyone present. Bill and I both had tears in our eyes throughout the entire ceremony, and we weren’t the only ones—one of my uncles told me he wept when he heard your brother’s recording of the seventh blessing. It meant so much to all of us. There is truly nothing we would have changed. You helped guide us through a doorway into this new chapter of life as a married couple, and we both feel like we’ve stepped into it fully—rooted, bonded, and focused on caring for one another as partners. That foundation you helped us lay is something we’ll carry with us forever. Thank you for everything—for your care, your heart, your presence, and your wisdom.”
Fairytale Garden Wedding Ceremony
at Nestldown in Los Gatos for Michelle and Dan
Photo credit: Amy Carr Photography at Nestldown in Los Gatos, CA
From their first date, Michelle and Dan had a ton of chemistry, and talked endlessly about everything under the sun. Neither of them wanted the night to end, so they went to great lengths to extend their date as long as possible, which ultimately resulted in Dan losing his phone, but that's another story for another time… Things progressed, they got engaged, and excitedly starting planning their wedding. Enter Covid. When all was said and done, they planned and postpone their wedding twice (stressful!) before finally getting married on a gorgeous, sunny, fall day at Nestldown. (Michelle, a Lord of the Rings fanatic, chose Nestldown for its enchanted, forest LOTR themed vibe.)
Photo credit: Amy Carr Photography at Nestldown in Los Gatos, CA
During the height of the pandemic, Michelle was a front line medical worker putting in longer hours than usual in high-risk situations. As an anesthesiologist, she was responsible for incubating critically ill Covid patients in the hospital, and there is almost no higher risk procedure in terms of transmission and exposure. She was in constant fear of getting sick or bringing the virus home to Dan. Thank goodness we had people like her who were willing to put their lives on the line despite their very real fear! Their ceremony was ultimately a dream come true, and entirely worth the wait.
Photo credit: Amy Carr Photography at Nestldown in Los Gatos, CA
From an email Michelle sent me a couple of days after the ceremony: “Dan and I are already in Hawaii already for our honeymoon but we both wanted to take a moment to make sure we told you just how incredible your ceremony was!! I can’t express enough how blown away we and all of our guests were at how you just nailed it. Miraculously you achieved the seemingly impossible task of putting together a ceremony that was spiritual, solemn, light-hearted, funny, warm, and SO customized to reflect our unique interests and personalities. You made the ceremony everything we’d hoped for and more and we just can’t thank you enough. Ending with that Lord of the Rings quote made my day and my parents couldn’t believe I hadn’t asked you to do that haha.”