Brides-to-be all over America are meeting with wedding planners to create the most special day of their lives and for future brides here in southern California a most magical option awaits them at the historic Ojai Valley Inn & Spa.
Just 90 minutes from Los Angeles, this AAA Five Diamond resort, situated on 220 acres shaded by giant oak trees, offers a selection of destination weddings to fit every budget and every life style which include panoramic settings in intimate outdoor courtyards, lush lawns, herb gardens, and private villas.
Guests can turn an ordinary wedding into their mini-vacation as the Inn will create a variety of custom wedding and honeymoon packages that include rooms, rehearsal brunch or dinner, ceremony in venue choice, and customized activities for the bridal party and their guests including spa treatments, championship golf, horseback riding, tennis, hiking, fishing, and kayaking as well as visits to local artists’ studios.
Depending on the number of wedding guests, here’s a sample of some of the tranquil settings for the ceremony: With the signature fragrance of lavender delicately filling the air, 65 varieties of herbs, and 20 types of fruit trees lining the meandering paths, the Herb Garden can accommodate up to 60 guests while the adjacent Herb Garden Lawn and a vine-covered pergola can accommodate up to 200 guests. The bridal party is invited to gather lavender and herbs before the ceremony to create bouquets or boutonnieres.
The Hacienda Courtyard, which can accommodate up to 200 guests, is an outdoor 1920’s Spanish Colonial courtyard encircled by lush foliage, lavender, orange trees, and a breathtaking view of the Topa Topa Mountains and Ojai Valley portrayed as the mythical paradise of Shangri-La by Frank Capra in his 1937 classic Lost Horizon.
A less formal alternative is the resort’s Big Red Barn, a mile from the Inn in horse country. Featuring a genuine hayloft, saloon, and adjoining paddock, the barn can accommodate up to 200 hootin’ and hollerin’ guests as the bride and groom ride up to the altar outfitted with matching Western saddles.
With the magnificent mountains and the famous golf course serving as a backdrop, Artist’s Cottage Lawn houses a 150-year-old grand Oak tree under which the ceremony is conducted. This picturesque setting can accommodate up to 200 guests.
Feeding your guests wonderful food is made easy as the Inn’s talented culinary team can customize your menus with a variety of Ojai Harvest cuisine, featuring herbs from the estate, local squab and olive oil as well as products from Ojai farmers, ranchers, fishmongers, and vintners. In addition, for those guests who arrive early or stay after the wedding, the resort has four excellent restaurants that likewise use regionally grown fruits and vegetables.
To complete the wedding package, a visit to the 31,000-square-foot luxury spa is essential. Treatments abound with one signature treatment called Kuyam, a Chumash Indian word meaning “a place to rest together.” Combining the therapeutic effects of cleansing mud, dry heat, inhalation therapy, and guided meditation, this would be a perfect pre-wedding or post-wedding treat as the room can accommodate up to eight men or women. Any vestige of stress will vanish leaving you refreshed, relaxed and totally at peace.
Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, 905 Country Club Road, Ojai, CA 93023 • 805.646.1111 or
800.422.6524
