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Weddings and Private Group Rentals

Make your event very special—reserve the entire Lair of the Golden Bear for your corporate retreat, family reunion, or destination wedding.

We offer a spectacular mountain setting that allows guests to celebrate, recharge, and focus on what’s important.

Our properties include onsite and nearby conference centers, an outdoor amphitheater and stages, indoor dining halls and lodges, wireless internet access, and audiovisual equipment.

Weddings at the Lair of the Golden Bear

Choose from three charming mountain properties for your ceremony and reception, with options to incorporate our amenities in a variety of ways. You’ll have exclusive use of one of our properties for your wedding weekend, making it an experience you and your wedding guests won’t forget.

Nestled at 5,600 feet in beautiful Pinecrest, California, the Lair’s fresh air, sunshine, and surrounding natural beauty provide our guests with an amazing mountain playground. Outdoor stages and amphitheaters, as well as meadows and lodges, are the backdrops for your ceremony.

The Lair offers dining halls, swimming pools, sports courts, indoor and outdoor children’s play areas, wifi access, and delicious, affordable catered food with extensive menu options.

wedding ceremony vows

Corporate Retreats and Private Groups

Get away from the office and retreat to the mountains with your team or group!

We work with you to tailor your time at camp to fit your goals for your event. Our staff can lead hikes, team building games, referee sports tournaments like cornhole and softball, or let your group relax at the pool and play their own games of shuffleboard and tennis.

We can also mix in time and spots in camp for all-team presentations, smaller group break-out meetings, and hosted receptions.

Almost every group that comes to the Lair books again for a future event, so find out what makes the Lair a unique and successful setting that your group will remember!

group portrait of people in the woods
mikey and stephen ceremony
Wedding reception with guests raising their glasses

Accommodations

Cozy tent cabins, shared bathrooms, dining halls, lodges, sports courts and outdoor games, heated pools, stage and campfire pit, a creekside amphitheater, and so much more! Yes, we have electricity and hot running water throughout camp.

Menu

We’ll work with you on your desired menus for the weekend—we can prepare a range of options from informal, finger-licking good BBQ lunches to gourmet brunches, lavish wedding dinners, and even after-party snacks. All menus can include options for dietary restrictions.

Programs

Lair campers know that we excel at organizing and leading activities such as hikes, kayaking, yoga classes, archery, arts and crafts, and children’s programs. We offer these programs at all our properties for wedding weekends as well—let our spirited staff help make your special weekend all it should be. We’ll even arrange for childcare during your wedding ceremony.

Rates

For rate information, please call 510.900.8255. There is a 100-guest minimum at Camp Oski and 150-guest minimum at Camps Blue and Gold.

Wedding FAQs

Please refer to the Lair FAQ page for general information regarding the three camps: Blue, Gold, and Oski.

What is the cost for a Lair wedding?
We will provide a quote after determining your party size, preferred date, preferred camp, and special requests. Guest fees are collected separately from the wedding couple’s fees, however, the wedding party is ultimately responsible for any unpaid guest fees.
What does the payment timeline look like?
· Holding fee collected to give you “first right of refusal” on desired date and camp.
· Deposit collected at the official contract signing.
· Guest fees are collected through our Event Registration Link.
· Remaining balance collected 30 days prior to event start date.
· Minimum staff tip collected at check out.
Where do I start with planning my Lair wedding?
First, creating a shareable Google doc is a great way to get organized. The more tabs, the better! Create a timeline and schedule of events. Next, reserve any rentals and outside vendors ASAP.
What do I bring?
As hosts, the wedding couple may want to bring decorations, string/garden lights, flood lights, extension cords, multiple music playlists (on old iPods/iPhones or sharable online playlist), adult beverages, and camp-specific wedding favors (such as toiletries). For other wedding-specific items, you may want to connect with a professional wedding coordinator listed on our Preferred Vendor List.

For your onsite guest campers, refer to our What to Bring List to find out what everyone needs to bring, might want to bring, and what they should not pack. You should tell your guests to bring warm clothes, a sleeping bag, pillow, and flashlight!
What are the accommodations like?
Dusty and rustic, just how we like it! Tent cabins, communal bathrooms, dining hall, lodge, sports courts, games and athletic equipment, heated pool, stage and campfire pit, creekside amphitheater, and so much more! Yes, we have electricity and hot running water throughout camp. Please see our Accommodations Page for more info.
Is there cell service or wifi?
We hope you can completely unplug when visiting the Lair, but we offer limited services just in case. Verizon Wireless gets service in some areas of camp, other providers do not. We do have free, limited wifi so you can be in touch when you need to. And we have pay phones in all three camps.
What is the Lair staff like and what services do they provide?
Our staffing team is an outstanding mix of college-aged students, mostly rooted in the UC system. Without question, the staff is the heart and soul of camp life, providing boundless energy, warmth, and enthusiasm every moment of your stay. In addition to leading all of the camp programming, staffers are positive role models for your children, and their top priority is delivering a fantastic vacation experience. With a versatile skill set, our staffers provide excellent support during special events.

The Lair will provide an appropriate number of staff members to assist during all portions of the wedding weekend. Such assistance could include, but is not limited to: labor, food service at meals; preparation of all food; wine, beer and alcohol service (alcohol provided by wedding party); setup and clean-up of the wedding ceremony and reception; setup and clean-up of the campfire; audio and lighting aid; youth supervision (ages 2 and older) during the wedding ceremony and reception; check-in services (including “greeting” all guests arriving at the Lair for the wedding weekend).
What food and alcohol options are available?
We offer extensive menu options and exclusive access to our executive chef, John Thiel, to help plan your ideal wedding weekend menu. Please refer to our Wedding Sample Menu for ideas!

We do not sell alcohol at the Lair, but we do allow you to bring your own. We can schedule Lair staffers to serve alcohol at various times during your wedding weekend.
What is the weather like at the Lair?
Weather in the mountains is unpredictable, but we typically experience comfortable warm days and chilly nights!
Are pets allowed at camp?
Sorry, no pets are allowed.
What services are not provided by the Lair?
· Tent assignments. The wedding party will determine tent assignments.
· Tables and chairs, except for those already available inside the lodges. The Lair does not provide additional tables and chairs for the wedding ceremony or other events during wedding weekend.
· Place settings, flatware, linens, wine glasses, cocktail glasses, cups, or decorations for the wedding reception (The wedding party is free to use cutlery, dishes, serving-ware and flatware which are provided by the Lair during the summer).
· DJ or band services.
· Photography services.
· Floral service.
· Wedding planner
Are there safety and security protocols at camp?
We are in the mountains! You will be exposed to the elements, elevation, forest, and wildlife. With that said, the Lair is a very safe place for people of all ages! We have an EMT onsite 24 hours, nightwatch patrol providing security in camp, certified lifeguards at the pool, emergency call boxes in camp, and Emergency Action Plans attached to every tent cabin. With normal precautions and common sense, you will have a very fun and safe weekend!

· No open flame of any kind!
· Park vehicles facing out.
· Secure all valuables out of sight, better yet leave them at home.
· Use a flashlight at night.
· Stay hydrated during the day and keep warm at night.
· Never hike or swim alone.
· Report any emergency to the Camp Manager.
What is the wildlife like at the Lair?
Bears, mountain lions, and rattlesnakes, OH MY! These animals have not been an issue at the Lair, but they do exist in the Stanislaus National Forest. There are bear boxes in camp to store food in and squirrels will get into anything left out. Bees, mosquitos, and mice may also be present in camp, so take normal precautions and don’t leave food out.

What retreat guests have to say about the Lair

  • “The least stuffy, least boring, most relaxing retreat I’ve been to.”

  • “Venue was superlative—just rustic enough to feel like we were really connecting with nature, but civilized enough to avoid any of the hassles presented with true camping.”

  • “It was great to be able to have so many activities and ways to soak up the beautiful setting. Loved kayaking, tie dye, swimming the lake.”

  • “The venue contributed greatly to connecting with colleagues.... I felt like I was in summer camp!”

For More Information

Call us today for your free consultation at 510.900.8255, or email us.

Contact the Lair
speaker outside blue lodge