We got married at Kennolyn Hilltop Hacienda in August and it was honestly everything we hoped for and more. The setting is just beautiful all the greenery and views made it feel so special without needing to overdo anything.
The staff were amazing throughout the whole day. Everything ran smoothly and on time, and they handled things behind the scenes so we could actually relax and be present. That made such a difference.
Looking back at our photos, I’m still in awe of how gorgeous everything turned out. It truly felt like the most perfect day, and I wouldn’t change a thing. If you’re considering this venue, I can’t recommend it enough.
We cannot say enough wonderful things about our experience at Kennolyn Hilltop Hacienda! From start to finish, this venue exceeded every expectation we had for our wedding day.
The property itself is absolutely stunning - the natural beauty of the grounds provided the perfect backdrop for our celebration, and our guests are still raving about how gorgeous (and convenient) everything was. The hilltop setting offered breathtaking ocean views that made for incredible photos and an unforgettable atmosphere. The arbor grove ceremony site was the perfect Redwoods setting for a beautiful ceremony, and comfortably fit our 130 guests.
What truly set Kennolyn apart, though, was the exceptional team. Elyse was instrumental in helping us plan ahead of the big day - she was responsive, detail-oriented, provided great recommendations, and made the entire planning process feel manageable and even enjoyable. Andrea, our day-of support, was an absolute godsend, and a joy to spend time with. She kept everything running seamlessly behind the scenes, anticipated our needs before we even knew we had them, and allowed us to be fully present and relaxed on our wedding day - truly, our MVP!! And Bri took such wonderful care of us during dinner - attentive, warm, and made sure we actually got to eat/drink and enjoy the meal.
The entire staff was professional, kind, and genuinely invested in making our day perfect. If you're considering Kennolyn Hilltop Hacienda for your wedding, don't hesitate - this venue and team will give you the celebration you're looking for!
Thank you for everything <3
Photos by: Sarah Peterson Photography
Hilltop Hacienda is a beautiful venue with a wonderfully kind and passionate staff. Our wedding coordinator, Andrea, did everything to make sure our day was perfect: answering questions, preparing special requests, and even helping to make last-minute changes. The bridal room (really a house) was very comfortable and spacious. We were a little hestitant about signing on without being able to try the food first, but it all turned out well! Our guests loved the venue too; we got a wide range of compliments from the passed apps to watching the sunset over dinner. We highly recommend Kennolyn!
We had an incredible experience working with Elyse and the entire Kennolyn staff for our wedding at the Hacienda. Everything was beautifully organized and executed with great attention to detail. Elyse was proactive, attentive, and supportive throughout the entire planning process. Her clear and consistent communication over the year leading up to our big day made everything run smoothly. We’re so grateful for the care and effort the team put into making our wedding truly special.
We cannot say enough good things about Kennolyn Hilltop Hacienda and the planning team and event staff. I fell in love with the venue before I even arrived because the drive up there is so beautiful. When I saw the cathedral grove, I knew it was the place to celebrate our special day. The venue is located close enough to town to be accessible, but isolated enough to feel like you are on a nature retreat!
Elyse, our coordinator, was responsive, friendly and detailed oriented. She answered all of our questions (there were lots!!!) in a timely fashion and took note of all of our wishes for our special day. The planning was very organized and we were able to work with Kennolyn’s well-oiled structure and timeline as well as bring in our personalized details. The ceremony and reception went smoothly and the meal and dessert bar were wonderful. All of the guests continue to tell us how beautiful the wedding was.
We could not have asked for a better wedding day and highly recommend Kennolyn as your team and venue! :)
Photo credit: Toast Weddings
This is a belated review for our nearly-perfect wedding weekend in September 2024 at Kennolyn Stone Creek Village. We so loved our Kennolyn wedding weekend and would highly recommend it, but we also want to point out two key challenges that we faced.
THE GOOD THINGS: We absolutely loved the venue from the very first visit. The redwoods speak for themselves and so do the rest of the facilities. Though you’re limited to Kennolyn catering, the food was extremely good for the full weekend and far exceeded any “camp food” expectations. But the most incredible part of the Kennolyn experience was the unbelievable care and planning we received from the staff — namely Deirdre, who was with us every step of the way for our year of planning, who answered hundreds of emails, thousands of questions, and ensured that every detail of the wedding weekend went exactly as we planned. Elyse was also exceptional in her support and planning, and between the two of them, we were so impressed and grateful for our Kennolyn experience, particularly as they worked to accommodate a bigger guest list than they were used to. They went above and beyond in every way, and we are forever grateful. There are so many other wonderful things about the Kennolyn experience, and they are well-covered in these other reviews. Please read them — we agree!
THE CHALLENGES: Though 99% of our experience at Kennolyn was perfect, there were two big challenges we faced.
1. The first is a consequence of how organized and well-run Kennolyn is as a wedding venue. They are SO GOOD at making weddings go smoothly and part of that is because they set a lot of boundaries and costs to ensure success. We were so excited to have a venue to ourselves for the whole weekend, and even though only 1/3 of our guests would stay in cabins onsite, we wanted all of our guests to be able to come and go as they pleased and stay all night for a Saturday afterparty. Unfortunately that is not allowed! And we wished we understood this before signing. Each time a guest comes onsite outside of the wedding “events” there is a substantial fee and a shocking amount of logistics required to do that. This was frustrating and a disappointment throughout our planning process as it limited the amount of time we were able to see our non-cabin guests throughout the weekend.
2. The second challenge happened during the wedding weekend. Part of what we loved about Kennolyn was the ability to stay at a summer camp but in very comfortable facilities for our guests. This was still true! But an unexpected surprise was the number of bats that found their way into our guests’ cabins. Unfortunately for us there was breaking local news that weekend that a rabid bat was found near the camp, meaning that every person who encountered a bat (10 people!) ended up needing to go to the ER for rabies shots on our wedding day. Obviously this was outside of Kennolyn’s control! But we learned after the fact that bats aren’t uncommon in certain cabins, and wished we had known that in advance since it would have factored into who we placed in each room. Even though it was common to Kennolyn, we also wished they could have helped our guests a bit more instead of treating it with nonchalance (when one of our guests found a dead bat in their room, a staff member told them, “Oh yeah that room always gets bats, especially if you leave the window open. Just throw it out [yourselves].”
OVERALL: We had an incredible wedding and would recommend Kennolyn to any friend! Endless thanks to Deirdre and Elyse, who were amazing in every way.
Nestled in the Santa Cruz hills, the venue offers Spanish-style charm, redwood groves, and breathtaking views of Monterey Bay — a perfect setting for a wedding!
My husband and I needed to find a venue that could accommodate 200-250 guests and after some searching my husband found this location. They responded quickly and we went for a tour the next day. As we drove through the gates to the Hilltop Hacienda we knew this was where we were going to have our wedding. The mix of Spanish vibes, the redwoods, and a touch of secret garden is breathtaking. This venue has an absolutely magical feel to it, which is accentuated by the incredible coordinators and staff team there. Andrea, Elyse, Caroline… you guys are superstars! When it came to the wedding day I can't tell you how many people commented on how hard the team was working, and Andrea was such a pleasure to work with! She hustled her butt off and was able to pivot even when I threw in a gown change last minute and had a couple of higher maintenance guests! Kennolyn has a well oiled machine going between catering, drinks, DJ, and day of coordination, they made the entire experience so much less stressful especially when we planned our wedding in 8.5 months. It was an absolute dream start to finish, we cannot recommend this venue enough! 🩷
Hilltop Hacienda is an absolutely magical place. It perfectly captures the natural beauty of Northern California, with towering redwoods, wide open skies, and sweeping views that make you feel like you're on top of the world. The ceremony site is especially breathtaking, opening up to panoramic forest views that made for the most picturesque and unforgettable backdrop. The cocktail and reception areas are equally stunning, with trumpet flowers climbing the villa walls and a gorgeous view of Monterey Bay that adds a true "wow" factor. The entire property feels effortlessly elegant, like nature and design are working hand in hand. Even the getting-ready suite was a highlight -- a large, colorful, and beautifully decorated hacienda that was as comfortable as it was vibrant. Everyone who spent time in there couldn't stop raving about it. It set such a joyful, relaxed tone for the whole day.
What made our experience truly exceptional was the staff. Our coordinator, Elyse, went above and beyond to make sure every detail was just right. She was thoughtful, organized, and gave us the flexibility to shape the day exactly how we wanted. The event manager, Andrea, worked tirelessly from morning until night, hustling behind the scenes to make sure everything ran smoothly. We could feel how much heart she put into making the day perfect, and we're so grateful for her dedication. The entire team made us feel supported, cared for, and genuinely celebrated.
And the food -- wow. Wedding food doesn't usually stand out, but this was something else entirely. Everything was delicious and beautifully prepared. Chef Tom even came out to personally greet our parents and thank them for being there, which meant so much. When my sister's child needed something different, they happily brought out fries and chicken tenders without hesitation. That level of service and kindness was consistent across the board. Everyone was warm, professional, and completely committed to creating an unforgettable experience. We truly could not have asked for a better venue or a better team.
We chose the spring promo plan, which included catering, dessert, DJ, and a coordinator — and it was absolutely worth every dollar. The venue itself is breathtaking; we knew right away after our tour (even though it was pouring rain!) that this was the perfect place for our wedding.
The wedding overview day was incredibly helpful in selecting the perfect menu for our special day. On the wedding day, the entire team went above and beyond to take meticulous care of us and our guests. A huge shoutout to Elyse, our coordinator from the very beginning, who was amazing — she responded to every email quickly and thoroughly, answering all our questions and even following up on anything she needed to research within hours.
Our guests couldn’t stop raving about the beauty of the venue. We loved that the ceremony, cocktail hour, and dinner were all held in separate, thoughtfully designed spaces, which made for stunning photos and unforgettable memories. The inclusion of heat lamps was a lifesaver on our chilly day, keeping everyone comfortable throughout.
We couldn’t be happier with our choice and highly recommend this venue to anyone looking for a gorgeous, well-organized wedding experience!
We had an absolutely incredible experience at Kennolyn’s Stonecreek Village for our wedding weekend. From start to finish, Deirdre, Elyse, Andrea, and the entire Kennolyn team were thoughtful, organized, and genuinely invested in helping us bring our dream celebration to life. They worked with us every step of the way and made the entire planning process feel smooth and supportive.
The venue itself is stunning — a peaceful, secluded retreat in the Redwoods that felt like a summer camp getaway for our guests. From lawn games and campfire hangouts to late-night dancing and excellent food, everything came together perfectly. We can’t imagine a better place to celebrate such a meaningful weekend with our loved ones. Highly, highly recommend Kennolyn for anyone looking for a wedding retreat that blends nature, joy, and heartfelt hospitality.
Got married here at the Hilltop Hacienda on April 26th 2025. The Spring Promotional Package is well worth it.
Kennolyn provided all of the necessities we needed to make this the best day of our lives.
Everyone who came loved the venue, the views, the nature, and especially the food! The staff made sure to have a backup plan if it rain was going to occur (some slight appearances, but no downpours - thank goodness!)
The entire staff was super friendly and flexible with the schedule we planned, based on how distracted I was talking to the guests. Shout out to our coordinator, Deirdre, for her awesome coordinating skills! She did a fantastic job.
It does matter who your vendors are, it's teamwork that does make this dream work!
Kennolyn hosts a tasting day (not personal but it will include other people who have booked the venue for their wedding too) so you can chose what food you want to provide to your guests and discover different types of vendors (dj, florals, lighting, etc.). Definitely go to that, in addition to the vendors you already researched and hired.
It is nice that Kennolyn provided things (again within the spring promotional package) like a small dessert bar, a personal cake, the tables, chairs, napkins, caterers.
The only additional vendors that we really needed to acquire were a photographer, a florist, and we also chose to get the Cotton Candy Kid as an addition to our dessert menu (highly recommended, he was awesome).
Kennolyn helped saved us headaches, and I am so glad we chose this location. It was worth every penny.
I could not say enough good things about Kennolyn as a wedding photographer. I’ve gotten to work at both the Stone Creek Village and Hilltop Hacienda, and both are gorgeous venues. The Kennolyn team is always so great to work with, and they bring professionalism to every wedding I’ve been at. You do get your steps in here, but it’s well worth it to get to capture all the different spots across the property. Highly recommend this venue to couples looking for a redwoods retreat or summer camp style wedding!
This is long overdue (our one year anniversary is tomorrow) but we wanted to share our lovely experience with kennolyn. The hilltop hacienda location was so gorgeous we knew it was the place we wanted to get married as soon as we saw it. The planning process was so easy and Elyse was there to guide us every step of the way. I am a vegetarian and didn’t love any of the options I tried at the wedding preview day and they were able to accommodate a different day for me to come in and try all the vegetarian options available and our food the day of was delicious. It ended up raining a bit on the day of our wedding and I was very stressed but the staff made everything running so smooth and we were still able to have the ceremony outside. We had such a lovely day that we will remember forever! Thank you Kennolyn.
We could not be happier with Kennolyn! The venue is absolutely stunning and every bit as beautiful as it appears online. The staff are all wonderful and they made the entire process flow seamlessly. Our wedding was a dream, and six months later we are still getting comments from guests about how beautiful it was and how much they enjoyed the day. We look back on the whole process- planning, preparing, and the day itself- with fondness and joy, and we are so grateful for the Kennolyn team for making it such a breeze. If you are considering having your wedding here, do it! We would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
We had our wedding at Kennolyn's Stone Creek Village in September 2024 and it was amazing! We had an idea of a "summer camp wedding," and Elyse (one of their on-site wedding coordinators) and the staff at Kennolyn made it come to life. It was an incredible weekend in the midst of a stunning redwood grove.
We booked our date about a year in advance, and Elyse worked closely with us the entire time, helping us timeline things out, talk through which vendors would be the best match for us, brainstorm on all of our sports activities (hiking led by their amazing guide, yoga led by an A+ instructor who happened to live on the venue's property, swim workouts, kickball, pickleball, basketball, and more).
The food all weekend long, starting with the Welcome BBQ dinner on Friday night through the send-off brunch on Sunday was fantastic. I was a little worried it would be too "summer camp-esque" but that was not the case at all! In fact, many of our guests commented on how great the food was!
The DJ they supplied was top notch. He worked with us starting a few months before our wedding to make sure he knew exactly what we wanted and to calm our (many) nerves. He was 100% amazing!
Elyse, the wedding coordinator, is off the charts fantastic. Throughout the entire process, she answered our MANY emails in a timely way and with every detail we asked about. If she didn't have an answer, she told us she'd look into it and get back to us quickly-- which she always did. She was our heroine and was on top of all logistics and details (and believe me, there are many!) -- and she was even there to calm and guide us in the final seconds before we walked down the aisle. She is really, really THE BEST.
Tons of our guests have asked us time and time again if we can make it a yearly event -- they had that much fun!
My only word of caution would be there were a couple of minor financial issues that arose that we felt were not handled appropriately by the owner. The total sum of money involved was minimal yet it was a shame that Kennolyn's owner could not see the big picture in addressing these in a way that would have stood by what our contract and their staff said. That said, we still absolutely recommend Kennolyn's Stone Creek Village. Our wedding weekend was a dream come true.
We had our wedding at Kennolyn Hilltop in Aug 2024, and we couldn't have been happier! They are a well oiled machine and have literally thought about all aspects (so we didn't have to). The food was phenomenal (we did get to eat at least a little bit ourselves), and our pictures were incredible. 10/10!
You two looked so stunning in those pictures too! Thank you for entrusting Kennolyn with such an important occasion. Please stop by to say hello when you are in town!
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![This is a belated review for our nearly-perfect wedding weekend in September 2024 at Kennolyn Stone Creek Village. We so loved our Kennolyn wedding weekend and would highly recommend it, but we also want to point out two key challenges that we faced.
THE GOOD THINGS: We absolutely loved the venue from the very first visit. The redwoods speak for themselves and so do the rest of the facilities. Though you’re limited to Kennolyn catering, the food was extremely good for the full weekend and far exceeded any “camp food” expectations. But the most incredible part of the Kennolyn experience was the unbelievable care and planning we received from the staff — namely Deirdre, who was with us every step of the way for our year of planning, who answered hundreds of emails, thousands of questions, and ensured that every detail of the wedding weekend went exactly as we planned. Elyse was also exceptional in her support and planning, and between the two of them, we were so impressed and grateful for our Kennolyn experience, particularly as they worked to accommodate a bigger guest list than they were used to. They went above and beyond in every way, and we are forever grateful. There are so many other wonderful things about the Kennolyn experience, and they are well-covered in these other reviews. Please read them — we agree!
THE CHALLENGES: Though 99% of our experience at Kennolyn was perfect, there were two big challenges we faced.
1. The first is a consequence of how organized and well-run Kennolyn is as a wedding venue. They are SO GOOD at making weddings go smoothly and part of that is because they set a lot of boundaries and costs to ensure success. We were so excited to have a venue to ourselves for the whole weekend, and even though only 1/3 of our guests would stay in cabins onsite, we wanted all of our guests to be able to come and go as they pleased and stay all night for a Saturday afterparty. Unfortunately that is not allowed! And we wished we understood this before signing. Each time a guest comes onsite outside of the wedding “events” there is a substantial fee and a shocking amount of logistics required to do that. This was frustrating and a disappointment throughout our planning process as it limited the amount of time we were able to see our non-cabin guests throughout the weekend.
2. The second challenge happened during the wedding weekend. Part of what we loved about Kennolyn was the ability to stay at a summer camp but in very comfortable facilities for our guests. This was still true! But an unexpected surprise was the number of bats that found their way into our guests’ cabins. Unfortunately for us there was breaking local news that weekend that a rabid bat was found near the camp, meaning that every person who encountered a bat (10 people!) ended up needing to go to the ER for rabies shots on our wedding day. Obviously this was outside of Kennolyn’s control! But we learned after the fact that bats aren’t uncommon in certain cabins, and wished we had known that in advance since it would have factored into who we placed in each room. Even though it was common to Kennolyn, we also wished they could have helped our guests a bit more instead of treating it with nonchalance (when one of our guests found a dead bat in their room, a staff member told them, “Oh yeah that room always gets bats, especially if you leave the window open. Just throw it out [yourselves].”
OVERALL: We had an incredible wedding and would recommend Kennolyn to any friend! Endless thanks to Deirdre and Elyse, who were amazing in every way.](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/grass-cs/ANxoTn2PTBfiHdX2j9-Q2SnDSoxDPFBxdldtjK1Be1eFduJ3Sbk7iId1gbQNnX44KC0yJDi41aVfKmUlvS-wIIsa_OknjyJ3bDQsv0bBnnwqUfewPlFoY_ZR2rtIG4HlKpITsnPi60VNfSZPL2xD=k-no)
![This is a belated review for our nearly-perfect wedding weekend in September 2024 at Kennolyn Stone Creek Village. We so loved our Kennolyn wedding weekend and would highly recommend it, but we also want to point out two key challenges that we faced.
THE GOOD THINGS: We absolutely loved the venue from the very first visit. The redwoods speak for themselves and so do the rest of the facilities. Though you’re limited to Kennolyn catering, the food was extremely good for the full weekend and far exceeded any “camp food” expectations. But the most incredible part of the Kennolyn experience was the unbelievable care and planning we received from the staff — namely Deirdre, who was with us every step of the way for our year of planning, who answered hundreds of emails, thousands of questions, and ensured that every detail of the wedding weekend went exactly as we planned. Elyse was also exceptional in her support and planning, and between the two of them, we were so impressed and grateful for our Kennolyn experience, particularly as they worked to accommodate a bigger guest list than they were used to. They went above and beyond in every way, and we are forever grateful. There are so many other wonderful things about the Kennolyn experience, and they are well-covered in these other reviews. Please read them — we agree!
THE CHALLENGES: Though 99% of our experience at Kennolyn was perfect, there were two big challenges we faced.
1. The first is a consequence of how organized and well-run Kennolyn is as a wedding venue. They are SO GOOD at making weddings go smoothly and part of that is because they set a lot of boundaries and costs to ensure success. We were so excited to have a venue to ourselves for the whole weekend, and even though only 1/3 of our guests would stay in cabins onsite, we wanted all of our guests to be able to come and go as they pleased and stay all night for a Saturday afterparty. Unfortunately that is not allowed! And we wished we understood this before signing. Each time a guest comes onsite outside of the wedding “events” there is a substantial fee and a shocking amount of logistics required to do that. This was frustrating and a disappointment throughout our planning process as it limited the amount of time we were able to see our non-cabin guests throughout the weekend.
2. The second challenge happened during the wedding weekend. Part of what we loved about Kennolyn was the ability to stay at a summer camp but in very comfortable facilities for our guests. This was still true! But an unexpected surprise was the number of bats that found their way into our guests’ cabins. Unfortunately for us there was breaking local news that weekend that a rabid bat was found near the camp, meaning that every person who encountered a bat (10 people!) ended up needing to go to the ER for rabies shots on our wedding day. Obviously this was outside of Kennolyn’s control! But we learned after the fact that bats aren’t uncommon in certain cabins, and wished we had known that in advance since it would have factored into who we placed in each room. Even though it was common to Kennolyn, we also wished they could have helped our guests a bit more instead of treating it with nonchalance (when one of our guests found a dead bat in their room, a staff member told them, “Oh yeah that room always gets bats, especially if you leave the window open. Just throw it out [yourselves].”
OVERALL: We had an incredible wedding and would recommend Kennolyn to any friend! Endless thanks to Deirdre and Elyse, who were amazing in every way.](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/grass-cs/ANxoTn2Ed6M3ZqOyulVo19E_fw5XgTQrvmrwbEvTE7arHMHZJ2aZXszTpNw07EgpBEulvW8OUT1cGSMjG3EMaXH8a2UFFz6KkWCRB4us_IdHToLH4m25ym0TSA2e4ZykXjFaU0rNFcrcGGSXyFtG=k-no)
