River Ridge- a gorgeous, natural, green setting for weddings. 722 acres of nature preserve with a river running through it! Choice of covered or open ceremony sites, beautiful 2,000 sq. ft. round Pavilion. Nature with amenities...
"The Back Story"
Our outdoor wedding venue is nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada near Bakersfield and Fresno and provides a superb backdrop for a rustic or country wedding. The wedding can be anything from a simple country theme (you’ll love our River Barn) to a traditional or even very formal outdoor wedding. Take this opportunity to design your personalized and unique wedding ceremony and reception!
About Us
River Ridge Ranch's foothill location in Tulare County is convenient to most of the Southern San Joaquin Valley from Bakersfield to Fresno. Just a short drive from Porterville, Exeter, Lindsay, Visalia, Dinuba, Hanford, Kingsburg, Lemoore, Delano, Turlock, Tulare, and Selma.
If you're from Los Angeles or the Bay Area, we provide a beautiful and very affordable destination wedding option.
River Ridge Ranch is a unique combination of working cattle ranch, recreation and education guest ranch in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The environmentally-conscious 722-acre ranch includes the Tule River and borders the 323,000 acre Giant Sequoia National Monument. River Ridge Ranch is a fully-protected ecological reserve. River Ridge Institute is a charitable non-profit that teaches sustainable and regenerative land use practices on River Ridge Ranch.
We are about three hours from L.A. and less than five hours from San Francisco.
When Gary and Barbara bought the old Negus Ranch in 1998 they didn’t have an outdoor wedding venue in mind. They bought what was to become River Ridge when it looked as if the land would end up as a major housing development on the Tule River.
Barbara and Gary thought they had a better idea- they just didn’t know what it was!
Gary Adest and Barbara Brydolf live in Springville, CA (population 1100). Both are trained in biology- he in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology- she in Molecular Genetics. Since 1990 they have worked together on a variety of field research projects in Wildlife Biology in Mexico, the deserts of the southwestern United States and now in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
By working with their local land trust and a number of partners and donors, they were able to place a conservation easement on the ranch and market the development rights. River Ridge is now fully protected forever and will remain a haven for people seeking personal restoration and recreation and for the flora and fauna which abound on the property.
In order to afford the costs of the property, mortgage, taxes, improvements and upkeep, Barbara and Gary decided to do what they knew best: to teach people about the outdoors. They also ended up learning to do what they knew nothing about: managing the day-to-day affairs of a working cattle ranch, a grazing regimen and the myriad of details in planning and providing for people to have a rewarding and memorable experience when visiting their ranch for weddings and other special events.
While River Ridge Ranch specializes in hosting romantic, intimate weddings, it also is a presence in the local community. Each year in the fall and spring, hundreds of school children from throughout Tulare County visit the ranch for a free day of outdoor education. River Ridge is a partner in a California Department of Fish and Game program named Trout in the Classroom and fourth and fifth-graders spend a day learning about watersheds, the water cycle and river ecology.
During the spring, summer and fall, River Ridge provides free entertainment every Wednesday evening through its ‘JAM Wednesday’ program; local musicians, poets and entertainers take the stage as the public joins in for a BYO Everything event. We continue to see folks who have been married on the ranch or attended a wedding showing up at JAM and that’s gratifying.
When you choose River Ridge, you* choose the ancient home of the Foothill Yokuts* choose a landscape that is forever protected from development* support our programs to improve water quality and reduce erosion* help us improve wildlife habitat for thousands of species* help us donate our property to local non-profits* choose a venue that reduces, re-purposes, recycles and reuses
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