Hummingbird Nest Ranch Wedding Guide | Santa Susana, CA

If you’re looking for a dreamy SoCal wedding venue for your big day, look no further than the breathtaking Hummingbird Nest Ranch wedding venue in Santa Susana, California. Get ready to fall head-over-heels in love with this stunning venue nestled right in the Santa Susana Mountains and its gorgeous sunsets, multiple ceremony sites, unique architecture, & so much more!

About Hummingbird Nest Ranch

Where is Hummingbird Nest Ranch?

Hummingbird Nest Ranch is a private SoCal wedding venue in Santa Susana, CA, situated right in the Santa Susana Mountains, often called “one of Simi Valley’s best kept secrets” – and for good reason. If you were simply driving around Santa Susana, you may never come across this venue, even though it’s just half an hour from L.A. The property is extensive, boasting shaded groves of olive trees, cozy villas to stay in, and some of the most gorgeous canyon views you could ask for. Truly a dream come true for any couple looking for the perfect place to tie the knot in the ever-iconic SoCal area!

What’s the closest airport to Hummingbird Nest Ranch?

The closest airport to Hummingbird Nest Ranch is Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), located 39 miles south of the venue. On a good day, you can get from the airport to the venue in under a half hour, but in typical L.A. fashion, you’ll most likely want to plan for around an hour drive thanks to the city traffic.

How do you get to Hummingbird Nest Ranch?

To get to Hummingbird Nest Ranch from LAX, you’ll simply get on I-405 N for just under 4 miles and continue following CA-118 W to Kuehener Dr. Then, take exit 30 from CA-118 W, and continue about 35 miles to the venue!

Why You Should Have Your Wedding at Hummingbird Nest Ranch

Now that you know where Hummingbird Nest Ranch is, let’s dive into all the best parts about the venue, and answer the big question you came here with: why should we get married at Hummingbird Nest Ranch? I know there are countless other beautiful wedding venues in SoCal, so here are the reasons that Hummingbird Nest Ranch might be the one for you!

The property is secluded & quiet

If you’re familiar with SoCal at all, you’ll know all about the hustle & bustle of city life that L.A. provides – whether you like it or not. It’s easy to get caught up in that fast-paced environment, and really, that’s the last thing you want to have to do on your wedding day. And Simi Valley is a vibrant area featuring absolutely beautiful views, and is juuuust far away enough from L.A. to feel luxuriously peaceful & removed from the city life. So if you want to celebrate close enough to the city but far enough that you get to enjoy a secluded, quiet property, Hummingbird Nest Ranch is perfect!

You’ll celebrate right in the Santa Susana Mountains

Like I mentioned before, Hummingbird Nest Ranch is located right in the beautiful Santa Susana Mountains, so your wedding will have some pretty dang beautiful canyon views! The most popular ceremony site at the ranch literally faces the mountains, so you can say your vows with the beautiful, rolling hills right behind you. This venue truly feels like a little slice of heaven within the panoramic landscape that Simi Valley boasts.

And fun fact – because this venue is SO breathtaking, it’s actually been used as a location in multiple movies, including Entourage!

It’s less than 30 minutes from L.A.

Yes, the ranch is secluded, peaceful, and a breath of fresh air compared to the city life that looms near – but because it’s only 30 minutes from L.A., you have TONS of options super close by for activities, shopping, food, drinks, & more! You can enjoy the peace and quiet of Hummingbird Nest Ranch on your wedding day, and head into the city the next day for an afternoon of shopping or restaurant-hopping. Invite your guests along to experience the L.A. nightlife with you and to have a fun, stress-free, post-wedding night out on the town!

Choose from multiple wedding sites

I always love recommending wedding venues that have multiple ceremony & reception sites to choose from. This really allows you, as the couple, to fully customize your day, and to choose whichever site(s) will best fit the vision you have for your ideal wedding celebration!

Hummingbird Nest Ranch offers 5 wedding ceremony & reception sites: the Villa, the Grand Prix, the Sitting Bull, the Lake Lawn, and the Main Barn. Each site features plenty of space for a ceremony as well as a reception with many tables & chairs and offers breathtaking views.

The most popular ceremony site that I’ve photographed multiple times is the Villa. This ceremony spot directly faces the mountains and has the most beautiful string lights set up all around! The space features a beautiful fountain in the center, a plethora of space for reception tables (both round & rectangular), and has the dreamiest golden hour lighting. 

However, because the ceremony faces west toward the mountains, the sun shines pretty directly down onto where you say your vows, especially if you get married in the afternoon when the sun starts to set slowly in the sky. This isn’t ideal, because it means the sun can get suuuper bright on your faces, and can make the lighting a bit wonky in your photos (see examples below).

If you want to combat this, you can do what Lauren + Edmond did: when Lauren was planning her ceremony, she actually decided to completely change the direction after I let her know about the position of the sun! So instead of facing west toward the mountains, she and Edmond had their ceremony right in front of the flower wall up against the venue. Because the architecture of the building is so stunning, and made for just as beautiful of a beautiful backdrop behind them, it ended up working out so well! They didn’t end up with bright light & weird shadows on their ceremony, and then we were still able to take more sunset portraits later in the evening to get those dreamy mountain views.

It features stunning Spanish architecture + decor

Not only does Hummingbird Nest Ranch boast absolutely beautiful views of the Santa Susana Mountains – the venue itself is equally as stunning, thanks to the amazing Spanish architecture + decor. The warm tones of the buildings bring so much warmth to the already bright, sunny space, and the textures of the walls, windows, and roofs create so much depth. You’ll absolutely fall in love with the gorgeous light fixtures, the unique arches & doors, and the historic feel that the venue provides.

You’ll have access to a private dressing suite

I always love when venues have special rooms for the couple to get ready in – it just makes it so much easier for you & your wedding parties to enjoy your time getting ready on the big day! At Hummingbird Nest Ranch, you’ll have access to a private dressing suite where you and your wedding party can get ready together, enjoying a little peace & quiet before all of your guests arrive. This suite is included in your rental, so don’t worry about having to pay any additional fees for it.

You pay for a 24-hour venue rental

When you rent Hummingbird Nest Ranch for your wedding, you get access to the venue for an entire 24-hour period. This means you’ll have time to set up & break down, and you won’t have to worry about getting everybody out of the venue by 11pm or wrapping up the party earlier than you want to. You’ll have the venue from 8am to 8am, but your wedding will need to conclude by 2am.

Enjoy on-site accommodations for you + your guests

The great thing about getting married at a ranch or hotel, or anywhere that offers accommodations: you automatically have a place for you + your guests to stay the night. This takes out so much of the hassle of booking separate hotel rooms that you’ll have to drive to once the night is over – you can simply wrap up your wedding and head to your room at the ranch, and so can your guests if they choose to.

Both the casitas & townhomes at the ranch offer fully-equipped kitchens, modern amenities, and stocked bathrooms. Your rental of the space also includes an overnight 3-bedroom accommodation on the property, so you’ll get to use that however you see fit!

Valet parking is required

Finally, you won’t have to worry about parking once you arrive at the ranch for your wedding, as Hummingbird Nest Ranch does require you to contract valet at an additional cost. Although you’ll have to pay for this service separately from your rental, and through one of the ranch’s exclusive companies, it means you can enjoy valet parking on the day of your wedding!

FAQ’s About Weddings at Hummingbird Nest Ranch

Because I assume you’ve still got questions, or need some clarification about something, let’s get into some FAQ’s about getting married at Hummingbird Nest Ranch.

How long do we have the venue for?

When you rent an event space at Hummingbird Nest Ranch for your wedding, you’ll have access to it for 24 hours, from 8am to 8am. Your party will have to be wrapped up by 2am!

What’s the guest capacity of Hummingbird Nest Ranch?

I wasn’t able to find current numbers on the Hummingbird Nest Ranch website, but according to an article published in late 2020 by Sergey Green, here are the guest capacities of each event space at the ranch:

• The Villa: 300

• Sitting Bull: 400

• Lake Lawn: 500

• Main Barn: 200

• Grand Prix: 1000

I think it’s pretty safe to say that there’s plenty of space for you to hold your ideal wedding, no matter how many people you invite!

Can we hire our own outside caterer?

Nope, you’ll need to hire a caterer from Hummingbird Nest’s list of exclusive catering companies. This list includes a variety of diverse caterers, including Kosher & ethnic options, and dietary accommodations for you & your guests.

How can we take a tour of Hummingbird Nest Ranch?

To take a tour of Hummingbird Nest Ranch, you’ll need to make an appointment through the sales team – you can contact them here!

Can we take a virtual tour of Hummingbird Nest Ranch?

Yep, the ranch website has a great video tour on their website that takes you through the venue, and shows off all the stunning views so you can really get a feel for the space. 

Hummingbird Nest Wedding Reception Inspiration

One of the reasons couples LOVE Hummingbird Nest Ranch so much is that each space is super customizable to whatever you want your wedding to look like, both your ceremony and your reception. There’s so much opportunity for an absolutely stunning reception, but sometimes it can be hard to figure out what you want yours to look like. If you need some inspiration, check out my recent blog post featuring 10 Wedding Reception Themes to Inspire Your Perfect Celebration!

Hummingbird Nest Ranch Wedding Cost

Because every wedding is totally unique, and every couple’s needs + budgets are different, Hummingbird Nest Ranch doesn’t have any specific pricing info on their website. However, they do say, “Expect to spend a minimum of $70,000 for most Villa or Sitting Bull weddings.” Contact them via this form to get pricing info for your wedding!

Hummingbird Nest Ranch Wedding Photographer

Now that you’re familiar with the venue and have probably fallen pretty dang in love with it (I don’t blame you!), you’re likely searching for the perfect photographer to document your beautiful wedding at Hummingbird Nest Ranch! I’ve photographed multiple weddings at the venue and absolutely love it myself, so I’d be super stoked to capture yours, too. You can check out my website here to get a feel for my approach & to see what my work looks like, take a look at Hummingbird Nest Ranch wedding packages & pricing info, and say hello to me here when you’re ready to get in touch!

More of the Best California Wedding & Elopement Locations

If you haven’t quite narrowed down where you want to get married yet, but you know you want it to be somewhere in California, I’ve got plenty more venue + location suggestions for you! Take a look at my Ultimate List of the Best Places to Elope in California for more incredible places to tie the knot in the great state of CA.

United States Elopement Guides & Resources

Looking for more venues around the country, and not just California? Check out more of my United States wedding venue + location guides below!

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Sedona Wedding + Elopement Guide

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