Everything you want to know before you schedule a tour.

Are you a legally permitted venue?

Yes!

But why is this important to me?
If a wedding venue doesn’t have these permits, it’s not operating legally and any event it hosts is at risk, which may result in the venue being closed. These closures by governmental agencies happen without warning, resulting in the cancellation of events with no regard to paid deposits or impending event dates. This has happened to several other venues located near us in California wine country and weddings have been relocated to other venues, including ours.

Mountain House Estate was conceived, designed and constructed to be a gorgeous wine country wedding and event venue. Prior to obtaining a building permit, a Major Use Permit UR 2014-0006, expiring in 2034, was obtained from the County of Mendocino in California. In addition, Mountain House Estate is licensed and insured. The permit details the approved uses for the site and includes hours of operation, types of business activities that are allowed, maximum size, type and the total quantity of allowed events.

Where are you located?

Mountain House Estate is located seven miles west of Cloverdale on Hwy 128, heading towards the coast. We advise that you use “Mountain House Estate” for your GPS search rather than a street address. Some mapping programs are incorrect and we want you and your guests to arrive at our wedding venue without difficulty.

Do you have all-inclusive weddings?

All-inclusive is a big buzzword these days! We are venue-only but have lots of lighting, chairs, tables, and more that are included. We do not specialize in cookie-cutter, all-inclusive weddings. Rather, we focus on making sure that each couple has an individual, unique wedding experience. We make this experience possible by allowing couples to choose their own vendors that can make their dream wedding happen. Our wedding couples work with a planner closely to bring their wedding vision to life.

What is the maximum capacity?

Our wine country wedding venue can serve a maximum of 250 people.

Do we have exclusive use on our wedding day?

We reserve our wedding venue just for you and your guests on your special day during your celebration.

What are the rules around alcohol?

BYOB and no corkage fees. The couple provides all the alcohol. You can bring your own beer, wine and liquor (mixed drinks only). Properly licensed and insured bartending staff is required for all bartending services.

How late can the event go?

The standard event end-time is 10:00 pm. If you’d like to celebrate into the wee hours, you can extend as late as 2:00 am!

Do you have preferred vendors?

Once you’ve booked your wedding at our venue, we will provide you with an extensive list of approved local vendors. These vendors have worked at our wedding venue multiple times and earned the right to be on our list by taking excellent care of our guests. Approved vendors from some categories are required.

Fire Pit, Music, and Entertainment:

There is a lot of built-in value here. We include a fire pit and supply the propane. Our venue also has an amazing, built-in surround sound speaker system for music and speeches. We also have two dance floors, one inside the Grand Ballroom and the other on the Patio. Our venue has high-speed WiFi, which is great for live streaming your wedding and your guests posting your #weddinghashtag on their social media (unless you prefer an unplugged wedding). Finally, we provide many lawn games, including Connect 4, Corn Hole, and Giant Jenga.

What happens if it rains?

What’s unique about our wine country wedding venue is that we have both indoor and outdoor options. In case of rain, the indoor space can comfortably seat up to 124 at tables. With larger groups, you have the option to rent a tent. In the case of heat, the indoor space is air-conditioned and we provide some market umbrellas to create shade on the patio or lawn. As with rain, tents can also provide shade options in various areas for your celebration.

Can we get ready on the property?

Absolutely! We have three prep rooms – The Juliet, The Oasis and The Hangout. The Juliet and Oasis open at 10:00 am for the wedding party to begin preparations. The Hangout is available at 1pm. The Oasis has four makeup stations, many mirrors, including a full-size tri-fold mirror, a private bathroom with an enviable closet designed for your wedding dress, and much more.

Is smoking/vaping allowed? Can we have a cigar bar?

Mountain House Estate is the perfect wedding venue to accommodate those who smoke or vape. We have an area called The Smokin’ Olive Lounge. This area includes wine barrels with table tops and umbrellas, bistro lighting, and an 8’ long ‘cigar bar’ where you can have custom hand-rolled cigars prepared for your guests. Smoking and vaping are allowed in this area only.

Do you allow food trucks?

Yes, and we’re one of the few California wine country wedding venues that do allow food trucks. We have a concrete pad area, easily accessible to guests, where multiple food trucks can park. In addition, we have a second area that we call the ‘show-off kitchen’, which can accommodate additional trailers, BBQs, paella preparation, wood-fired pizza ovens, fresh-made donuts, or photo booths just to name a few options.

Where are the nearest hotels?

Your guests will most likely choose an Airbnb, VRBO or motel for their weekend stay. There is lodging next door for up to 34 guests, which is very convenient.

The areas they might choose from would be as far North as Ukiah, West as far as Mendocino, East as far as Cloverdale, and South as far as Santa Rosa. Our wedding venue is in a rural area in wine country with the closest town being Cloverdale, about 15 minutes away. Healdsburg is only 30 minutes away, and Windsor is about 45 minutes away.