If you are considering Holly Farm as the venue for your wedding, and you just want the tl;dr, then here are my three most important suggestions for you:
1) You should absolutely go with Holly Farm.
2) You should accept every piece of advice Erin, Ryan, and the rest of the incredible team have for you along the way.
3) You should start getting excited right now about La Creme because their food is out of this world.

Picking Holly Farm as our venue was the first choice we made in our wedding planning process, and trust me when I say that it was by far the best one. The pictures speak for themselves, and yes, it's as amazing as it looks (though if you haven't visited, you should take the excuse - it's truly stunning in person), but the real game changer is the team.

The Holly Farm fam has been at this for decades, and it SHOWS. They cater to your needs and your vision, whether you want to be super hands on and into the nitty gritty on everything, or whether you want somebody to completely take the reins for you. We were so so appreciative for Erin's help during the planning process; any time we were stuck on something, she had a recommendation ready that was never just "off the shelf". We didn't want to be totally consumed by wedding planning all the time, and even though Erin had a big list of vendors ready to go, we were more than happy to listen every time she said "here's the 2 who I think you guys would love". It's really really telling to me that every single vendor we spoke to - without exception, including the ones we didn't end up choosing - all said some version of the same thing: "oh man I LOVE doing weddings at Holly Farm".

Here's what I'll say about the weekend itself - it truly feels like you are staying at a luxury resort where you and your friends are the only guests. The entire staff is so attentive, so friendly, and they take care of all the details and logistics so that your only job really is to just enjoy the weekend and stay relaxed. We cooked a huge friends and family dinner in the Adobe and they cleaned the entire kitchen for us! Anytime we were hanging out in the evenings they rolled the portable heaters up without us asking! They moved our rental equipment around to make cool outdoor spaces for us so that we could get more use out of it than just the wedding itself! And nothing felt so satisfying as passing by Ryan on a path and hearing "hey I just lit your fireplace for you!". Of everything we loved about our wedding, the thing we loved most was getting to have this full weekend experience with our closest friends and family in one place, made truly special by the care the entire Holly Farm team put into making us feel at ease and at home. And one final thing - lest I leave you with the impression that this is only about good vibes - the operations for the wedding itself were incredible. Every vendor knows the team and knows the venue, everything works like clockwork without you having to supervise anything, and Erin, Ryan, and their staff have things so tightly coordinated that we didn't have to stress about logistics at all once the weekend got started. I can't emphasize enough how big a difference that made to us compared to some horror stories we'd heard from other weddings.

Here are some final quick hits on other things you might be wondering about - but seriously, pick Holly Farm:
- I didn't write an entire review for Tamie and La Creme, because it would be just as long, but they do amazing work. This is straight up excellent food, not excellent "wedding" food.
- The rooms and buildings are very cool and very comfortable.
- Yes, the Paraiso suite is "open air". Yes, it really does stay warm. Having a roaring fire in there, plus a heated blanket on the bed....A+.
- The optional River House for extra space is definitely walkable (~3 mins), but it's nice to have flashlights at night.
- Having the flexibility to use the space however you want for the entire weekend is a highly highly underrated perk. We had people hanging out on Thursday and Friday and it was a ton of fun. Highly recommend making plans that utilize the space every day.
- We were nervous about the higher cost at first, but asking friends and family who stayed on site to pay for rooms turned out to not be a very big deal, and what we charged them was still way less than area hotels.
- The music has to switch from DJ's speakers to house speakers at 9:30pm, but the house speakers can stay on all night if you want. We had just as much fun after the switchover.
- No curfew is also a huge perk not to overlook.

Erin and Ryan if you're reading this THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN YOU GUYS ARE ROCK STARS!!

I wish I could give more than 5 stars because giving stars just feels so limiting when reviewing this absolutely magical, incredible, beautiful and inclusive, come as you are, perfect place. My (now) wife and I wanted an inclusive, beautiful but still classy and relaxed place for our wedding. My wife has family on the east coast and me on the west coast so we knew it had to be a place worth having people make the trip out. We also wanted a place where there weren't a ton of restrictions but also a venue who could guide us because we were completely clueless to the wedding planning stuff. The moment we toured the Holly farm with Ryan we knew it was it. Imagine a tropical enchanted garden, meets chic AF wedding vibes and that'll get you close to what you feel when you walk into the grounds. At that point we didn't care what the small details were because the venue was just too perfect in its own right - and you'll know it too when you tour it. The best part though is that the Holly Farm CARES about the small details and they've been doing this for 30+ years - so they know how to do it right. Erin immediately gave us all the recommendations - multiple choices to choose from in vendors but also heavily guided us in the right direction when we asked for help (and needed it lol). Caterer is built in and you will understand why because La crème is the best of the best. Now let's fast forward to the wedding day - the best weekend of our lives and all of our guests could not stop saying the same. The Holly Farm treats you as family and treats your family as family too. The day of planning is immaculate - we didn't stress for one second and everything went off without a hitch. The Holly farm expertly handled all of the details we thought of and even the ones we didn't think of- all of our signs, custom napkins and everything in between were perfectly set out and shown on our day. All of our guests could not stop talking about how magical our weekend was - and people who weren't there and saw our pictures said the same. We wouldn't have changed even a detail of the weekend and we couldn't have had a better one - and we owe so much of that to Erin, Ryan and the entire Holly Farm crew. I could continue writing on but words truly don't do this place justice and I don't think I could properly express how thankful and grateful I am for choosing this incredible, magical, wonderful place for our wedding. It'll have the most special place in our hearts forever and the Holly farm will always feel like family to us for the rest of our lives!

The Holly Farm is a place where you can be free, and actually, feel free. This was one of the reasons my wife and I chose this as our weekend location to host the joining of our families and wedding ceremony. The moment we toured the facility we fell in love, and even more so once we got to meet Erin, Ryan, and the amazing staff that take care of the property. Their love and dedication to this special place are felt in every fern, flower and each corner of their on-location cabanas, truly making this place feel like our home and one we couldn't wait for others to experience. There are many places to host a wedding, but this place made us feel at home and like family. This was what we wanted more than anything. To this day, we are met with attendees expressing rekindled relationships, love, and good memories that were made that weekend. I hope this helps bring a sense of peace and excitement to all those seeking a place where they can also feel free.

I am writing this one week after my wedding because that is how long it has taken me to process how absolutely magical and amazing our wedding here was. It is hard to understand from the photos you see online how truly incredible this place is. From the first moment my now husband and I stepped on to the property and met Erin and Ryan, we knew we had to get married there. The option to be able to stay at your venue for multiple days is seriously like no other place. We felt as though we had been transported to another world for the weekend, it was extremely relaxing. We were able to hold multiple events on the property before the wedding and spend time with each and every guest so that on the day of the wedding, my husband and I were able to spend time together dancing as much as we wanted without having to worry we have said hi to everyone. This made the experience soo amazing and memorable. Erin and Ryan are some of the most special humans on this earth. They are incredible at what they do. You do not need an additional wedding planner when you work with Holly Farm as they help you with every detail starting on day 1. They have so much experience in this business and can make miracles happen. They have many vendors that they work seamlessly with that they recommend (I went with most of their suggestions and each one was absolutely incredible). I felt so relaxed the entire weekend knowing Erin and Ryan would take care of everything. If I got married 100 times over I would do it here every time. There is literally no better place out there to celebrate your love than Holly Farm.

There really isn't anything like The Holly Farm and the people who work there. We got to experience the Holly Farm as guests while we were engaged and immediately recognized just how special the venue was. Even as a guest, it was wildly clear how detailed and thoughtful the staff were in executing a gorgeous, fun, and intimate event. Now having been married there, we can attest that the amount of care, thoughtfulness, and effort Erin, Ryan, Gus, Rosa, and El Guapo put into their guests can not be exaggerated. We were truly able to float through our wedding weekend with ease, joy, and gratitude.

While planning, I found that vendors were thrilled when we told them our venue and it's easy to see why. Beyond the professionalism and efficiency of the staff, every little nook of the venue has something special to offer. Since the space is literally dripping in greenery and orchids, you don't need to do much, if anything at all, to add to it - meaning you can save funds on one-off decor and event needs. The caterer they work with, La Creme Monterey, is truly stellar and knows the space so well that there's no need to play point guard between them and the venue.

Wedding days and weekends are simply intense, and it's such a gift to be able to enjoy your own wedding. The folks at The Holly Farm really make sure to do everything they can to make that happen. We count ourselves amongst the lucky ones to have been able to get married in such a special place.

It's hard to put into words how special of a place The Holly Farm is. My husband and I were married there a couple of weekends ago, and it was pure magic.

Erin, Ryan, Gus & Rosa put so much love into every single little thing that they do there. From the moment we arrived on-site on Thursday morning, they LITERALLY do every single thing for you, you don't have to work a second on your wedding weekend. It's just about relaxing and enjoying times with your loved ones on-site.

Every little detail the entire weekend was just absolute perfection. The way they pay so much attention to your group when you're on-site is so appreciated... and the best part.. there are NO RULES here. We stayed up dancing with the DJ until almost 2am. It was just so fun to see every person legitimately having a blast! Everyone keeps telling us that was the best wedding they have ever been to.

Rosa & Gus are just the kindest, most hard-working people. Rosa is like a little fairy goddess and somehow secretly cleans the kitchen, makes daily fires in the houses, makes your bed without you hardly noticing she's there. She is just a delight to be around and you can tell how much she loves Erin & Ryan and the Holly Farm property. And Gus (the freaking sweetest) who takes care of the landscape and pretty much everything else on-site is one hard working man! Our friends and family were laughing because all of the gravel is so perfectly raked, when we walked on it minutes later Gus would pop out of the "rain forrest" to rake it perfectly again. They are just the best!

And Erin & Ryan are two of the most genuine, coolest humans on this planet. I want to be friends with them now :) i literally cried leaving here on Sunday because I didn't want it to be over. Mu husband and I keep saying we need to somehow find out way back here.

I could go on and on about this incredibly special place, but bottom line, pay the extra and GET MARRIED HERE. You won't regret it.

Holly Farm and the entire team behind it are absolute magic. My husband and I were all set to get married May 2020 and had to postpone to May 2021 due to COVID. Erin, Tamie at La Creme, and all of the other vendors who work closely with Holly Farm often were a dream to work with when we were forced to delay. Everyone made the postponement as seamless as possible and the May 2021 wedding was well worth the wait. We were the first wedding the Holly Farm held post-COVID shutdowns and the team didn't miss a beat. We had the time of our lives and are so grateful for their kind, calm, and fun energy. The venue itself is stunning and different - a lush jungle oasis hidden in Carmel Valley. All of our guests commented on the uniqueness of the venue. The entire weekend was better than we could have ever imagined.

It's hard to even put into words how amazing The Holly Farm is. From the moment Susan and Gus greeted us through the entire weekend it felt like we were able to completely disconnect from the rest of the world at The Holly Farm. Erin, Ryan and their whole team (that feels more like a family) make you feel so incredibly comfortable and like you don't have a thing to worry about, but enjoy your weekend. All of their recommendations from lawn games, to rehearsal dinner, and every wedding detail were incredible and so perfect! Erin and Ryan do an amazing job of recommending decor and all of the details to make your vision come to life. When you see the venue it is so insanely beautiful with the lush landscape of beautiful plants. The orchids are so striking and you can just see in how well maintained every detail is that it is really a labor of love for their family.

Everyone who attended our wedding has not stopped telling us how amazing it was and that it was the most fun, coolest venue they have ever been to! We LOVE The Holly Farm and are so thankful for Erin, Ryan, and the whole team that made our wedding dreams a reality!

Dear Holly Farms Friends,
This is a very long overdue email but one which absolutely needed to be sent. We are still reeling from the excitement and magical quality of our children's wedding (Lauren Peterson and Lukas Rahlsom) just over a month ago and most of that gorgeous magic came from YOU! When we were looking at venues for their wedding, each place made all sorts of promises in the hopes that we would select their venue for this special day. From experience, we know that many of these promises are either not heartfelt or although made with good intentions, simply never come to fruition. You told us to relax, to enjoy, to let go and allow you to take over all the stresses, anticipated and unexpected, on the day(s).

Was I skeptical? of course I was! I was mother of the bride and that is my job and right in life, but as the days of events began to unfold, I could feel the release of my stress as each question, concern, worry, was met head on and usually before I even had a moment to wonder. You and your staff went way above and beyond in a gracious and thoughtful manner. We were all comfortable, cared for, looked after, and treated with the respect that we could have only dreamed of. There was a lot to manage; the series of events, the food, the accommodation, the weather, the music, hair and makeup, photographers, flowers, but it all, and I mean 'all', went off without a hitch! There was not one single thing I can think of, that I would change. We had FUN! We RELAXED (and anyone who knows me, knows full well that that word is never linked to me and my personality, EVER!), We caught up with friends and family, I danced like no one was watching (thank goodness for that!) and we had the opportunity to soak up beautiful memories that will last a lifetime.

And we are not alone in our sentiments. Literally everyone we spoke with, said it was by far the best wedding they had ever attended. Why? Mostly because of the flow and the relaxed nature of the venue. No one ever felt rushed, hassled, herded, or uncomfortable in any way. The food was spectacular, the venue was beyond words ('paradise' was mentioned with regularity), the ability to just 'be' was what set this wedding apart from all others that we, or our guests, have attended. There was the ability and spaces to talk, without screaming over blaring music. There was time to enjoy dinner and appreciate dinner conversation without the internal battle of 'Ooh, I love this song, but if I get up to dance, will my dinner still be here when I return to my seat? or 'Everyone else is up dancing, but i don't want to dance so should I sit at this dinner table by myself and munch on my overcooked reheated semblance of food'? This may not seem like a major concern, but it is.

The ceremony was gorgeously choreographed in such a way, that there was room for sentimentality, individuality, laughter, joy, love, friendship and gratitude while, at the same time, making our guests feel involved and not just spectators at a sporting event. It was cozy, (like a big hug), it was comfortable and welcoming and the photos reflect the stunning ambiance of the mood and joyfulness of a blessed day.

Our children are thankfully very much in love and your venue served as the perfect introduction into a life filled with love, gratitude, sharing, embracing friends and family, joy, passion and the appreciation of comforting surroundings.

Thank you so much for all that you have given to Lauren and Lukas, us, our newly extended family and friends. The Holly Farms will forever stay in our hearts as the perfect example of how a great wedding can and should be done. The bar has certainly been set to a very high standard, but now we know what can and should be done to get it right (and where we can go for any future weddings we need to host!).

Eternally grateful,
Charlene and Tim Peterson

This venue is TRULY MAGICAL. We had the venue from Thursday to Sunday and it honestly still didn’t feel like enough. Once you step onto the property for your wedding weekend, you are taken care of. We didn’t have to worry about a single thing except celebrating with our loved ones. We hosted many activities and events at the Holly Farm (welcome dinner, game day, rehearsal dinner, ceremony/reception, and brunch) and everything went off without a hitch. Erin, Ryan, their parents, and the Holly Farm staff (Gus and Rosa deserve a special shout out) are incredible. They take everything you bring (pillows, photos, candles, etc.) and display them throughout the venue and then change the locations for the next day. Each event led seamlessly into the next and our guests were constantly in awe of every new location at The Holly Farm.

The Holly Farm has a tailored list of their preferred vendors, which made finding vendors a lot easier. Definitely go with Laughin’ Gal Floral (Amanda is amazing!) and DJ Antonio. With the exception of the caterer, you can also choose vendors not on the list. We chose our own photographer, The Goodness, and loved how the venue worked with our photographers to make sure everything went smoothly.

There will be times when you don’t hear back very quickly and it takes a while to get answers, but that is because their current wedding is their utmost priority, which I didn’t fully appreciate until my wedding weekend arrived. You truly cannot go wrong with this venue. The love and dedication the Moses family puts into this venue shows in every single interaction and their attention to every detail. We felt so taken care of and loved throughout the entire weekend. Once you choose this venue, everything else will fall into place.