FAQ

Yes. Our main lot holds 75 guest vehicles and 12 vendor vehicles, a short five minute walk from the Barn. There are an additional 40 spaces near the top of the property that may be used only with a licensed valet company, which the county requires and which we can connect you with a vendor to arrange. Because parking is finite and the roads here are winding and dark, we strongly recommend carpooling or shuttles.

We are fully ADA accessible. With that being said, our entire site is not fully paved (some graveled & lawn areas). Each event includes a 5-passenger golf-cart that can either help transport a guest or help guide an ADA vehicle to locations on site so they can be part of the entire event! Our barn and restrooms are ADA accessible and we are always happy to discuss specifics with either the guest or the client to ensure all feel welcome and comfortable!

Smoking is permitted only in the designated area next to the main restroom building. That includes cigarettes, cigars, cannabis, vapes and e-cigarettes. Every other area, including the parking lot, is non smoking. We are a redwood property in a high fire risk area, so we hold this line carefully, and violations carry a charge to your hosts. Cigar bars are welcome in the designated area by arrangement.

We do not have an official private designated space for nursing mothers, but we do have our restrooms that are equipped with seating and electrical outlets that most find suitable. If a mother is looking for something a little more private, our team is happy to find another, more private, accommodation. Both the men’s and women’s restrooms are equipped with Koala Care changing tables as well.

As tempting as it may be, we ask that you simply admire the gardens, orchards and grounds. Please do NOT pick any flowers or fruit so we can continue to share it with those who visit us each week!

If you are hosting an event with us, please talk with your Event Manager about having your furry friend on site. If you are a guest, unless your animal is a service animal, we do not allow pets on property due to our animals, garden and wildlife. Please do know, your animal will not be able to be left in your vehicle in the parking lot or parked on the side of Old Santa Cruz Highway. You will be asked to find appropriate accommodations for your animal off-site prior to returning and enjoying the event.

We do but most often, these take place on weekend mornings! Please visit our Events tab and then “Gatherings” for more information and contact!

Unfortunately, this is not an option we are providing at this time and do not have an option for paid photoshoot permits any longer.

Because we sit in a residential neighborhood and operate under a Santa Clara County permit, amplified music ends by 9:45 p.m., all guests depart by 10:00 p.m., and vendors and staff are off site by 11:00 p.m. Your Special Events Manager builds your timeline backward from those times, so the day still feels unhurried.

We do allow food trucks on site. What they can do is dependent on the type of event you are hosting. If you plan to host a full event with tables, chairs, a bar, etc., you would need to have one of our approved Caterers also work the event to handle set up, break down, bar service, etc. The food truck can supply food items like appetizers, late night snacks, desserts. 

Please visit our Garden Blog for more information! Spring Flowers usually start to flourish in Mid-March through May. Around May, we switch to flowers that can weather the summer heat. Fall colors usually start around late October and we tend to see the best color change in the dip of cool weather in those last two weeks of October and first two weeks of November. You can also find photos of past events at nestdown.smugmug.com

Yes! Please visit our “Guest” tab and see Visitors Etiquette to see some of the basic rules we have for both general visits as well as those attending Events with us.

The golf cart is used primarily for guests with accessibility needs and the host (whether that be a couple, family, birthday etc). Typically, should a client want to ensure that there is a golf-cart to transport all guests around site, they can inquire about renting an additional for that purpose!

We have one restroom building with multiple stalls inside each restroom.

The entire property is included in the rental as there is no difference in cost for using one area over the other. That being said, we do not set up every area for use at each event. You would work with your Nestldown Special Events Manager to decide which areas to have set up, but your guests can still explore the other parts of the property.

Guests are allowed to continue to explore the property while it is still light outside, with the exception of the Chapel Area (for safety). Once it is civil twilight, guests are asked to stay in lit areas, making areas like the Foxglove Meadow and Chapel, for example, inaccessible.

A changing room in the main restroom building is set aside for one member of the couple for 30 minutes at the start of your rental. It is meant for changing and final touches, so hair and makeup, if applicable, should be done before you arrive and the wedding party should come fully dressed.

We do not have a morning or pre-rental getting suite or on site lodging, though there are lovely hotels and rental homes nearby.

We only have one event taking place during a rental period for weddings, holiday parties, nonprofit events, etc. There are some rental uses that are non-exclusive like photoshoots or Elopements and Mini-Monies that may take place the morning of a full wedding or event.

We cannot promise an outage will not happen, but we have a whole property Generac generator that has carried the entire site through past outages.

We do not host rehearsal dinners.

Your wedding rehearsal itself, for Couples getting married at Nestldown, is included and takes place the day before, usually about an hour between 9:00 a.m. and noon, arranged with your Special Events Manager.

Shuttles are required for events over 150 guests, and you will need at least two 25 passenger shuttles from our required vendor list. Rideshare works well for arrival but is unreliable for departure here, so we do not recommend relying on it to clear the property by 10:00 p.m.

Unfortunately, we do not allow (nor does our Fire Marshal) sparklers on site.

We have found that weatherunderground.com is a great website to track historical data for temperatures, precipitation and wind on specific dates. https://www.sunrisesunset.com/ is what we recommend to check the Sunrise, Sunset and Civil Twilight for Los Gatos, CA.

Due to the lawn’s irrigation, we do not allow tents on site.

We do not allow unscheduled visits and are no longer doing paid photo permits on site. All visits should be scheduled through our request line and with the intent of hosting an event with us. Thank you for understanding.

Nestldown is not available for Field Trips at this time but feel free to visit https://nestldownridingcenter.org/contact/ as they may offer them.

Nestldown is 10 miles from Downtown Los Gatos, 16 miles from Downtown Santa Cruz, 20 miles from Downtown San Jose, and 60 miles from San Francisco.

We offer complimentary guest WiFi in the parking lot and around the Barn. Signal is weaker in the Chapel because of the redwoods, though couples have streamed ceremonies from there successfully. Cell service on the property is spotty. Verizon is the most reliable carrier here, and we would suggest planning as though you will not have a signal. We keep a landline for emergencies and local calls.

We do not have a dress code to visit. We highly recommend wearing comfortable shoes for outdoor terrain (stilettos are not recommended). We do always suggest checking your event invitation to be sure your host doesn’t have any specific attire requests.

We do not allow drones anywhere on site, or flown over, due to our horses and nesting birds!

We are open from February through December for Weddings but are open year-round for other types of events like Bridal Showers, Birthday Parties, Baby Showers, etc.

Being an outdoor site, we do have insects. How prevalent and which kind depend on the type of year (i.e. mosquitos tend to be just after springtime rains). We do set out spray canisters of bugspray in those months, but you are welcome to supply additional spray for guests.

We do have a water tank to fill up water inside the Barn for all visitors. If you are attending an event, the caterer or food provider should provide additional sources of water.

At this time, we allow visits by appointments only or as an invited guest to an event with the intent of hosting an event with us. We hope to eventually open for garden tours and please feel free to join our newsletter to stay up to date with any upcoming community ticketed events!

Your celebration moves indoors and still feels like Nestldown. The Barn seats up to 150 for dinner including the loft, and the Atrium is used for dinner in winter and inclement weather for larger counts. Tents and stages are not permitted here, so your rain plan is built into the property rather than added to it. Your Special Events Manager will walk you through your specific plan well before the day.