Our Preferred Vendors
Tried and true. Every vendor on this list has delivered incredible results at Waterfall Lodge, which makes it a wonderful place to start. And since our in-house team has your coordination covered, this list begins with the fun stuff.
Have your heart set on someone else? No problem. For nearly every role, we are happy to connect with vendors who have not worked onsite before, walk them through our guidelines, and set them up to be successful here. Because the role is such an important one, caterers new to Waterfall make a site visit first. All other new vendors are approved once they agree to our venue guidelines.
- Caterers
- Fun Food
- Cakes
- Photo
- Video
- Officiant
- Music
- Flowers
- Bars
- Photo Booths
- Rentals
- Staffing
- Shuttles & Parking
- Refuse
- Activities
Caterers
The heart of the reception. New-to-Waterfall caterers make a site visit first.
Farm-to-table menus from Aptos built on local organic ingredients, served family-style, plated, or as a feast.
Handmade, local, sustainable cuisine from Watsonville, with packages that include linens, china, staff, and complimentary cake cutting.
Full-service Bay Area catering specializing in Asian cuisine that highlights California produce, from intimate dinners to big celebrations.
Fun Food
For welcome parties, late-night bites, and next-day brunches.
Mobile wood-fired pizza from 13-time world pizza champion Justin Wadstein, cooked fresh at your event.
Fresh, modern Mexican from Capitola Village: an all-inclusive taco bar with on-site grilling, setup, and cleanup.
Real smoked barbecue, brisket to tri-tip to ribs, with staffed buffet service that handles setup and serving.
Full-service taco catering cooked fresh on-site, known for Chef Reekz's signature fire tacos.
Award-winning Capitola cafe catering breakfast and brunch: spreads, breakfast burritos, boxed lunches, and buffets. Morning-after fuel, handled.
Drop-off catering with a menu that runs from appetizers to hot entrees, including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.
Cakes
The sweetest decision you will make.
A Santa Cruz institution since 1984, baking wedding cakes from scratch with endless flavor combinations.
Custom cakes that are edible works of art, with close design collaboration, tastings, and wedding-day delivery and setup.
Photography
They know our light at golden hour.
Videography
One-of-a-kind wedding films built around your story, with a premium, personal client experience.
Officiant
DJs & Live Music
They know our sound limits and still pack the dance floor.
A local team offering DJs, lighting, and live musicians, honored in The Knot's Best of Weddings Hall of Fame.
Over 350 weddings in, he reads a mixed crowd in real time and knows redwood venue logistics cold.
DJ and MC who pairs crowd-reading with live acoustic guitar for cocktail hour, plus lighting and full production.
Customizable live bands from 3 to 14 pieces for ceremony, cocktail hour, and a packed dance floor, with MC services built in.
Flowers
The forest does half the decorating. These folks do the rest.
Downtown Felton studio creating florals inspired by the California wild, with locally grown blooms and plant-dyed silk ribbons.
Lush, artful wedding florals built around seasonal, local blooms and a sustainable approach.
Family-run studio handcrafting personalized florals for the Bay Area and Central Coast.
Organic, dreamy, nature-inspired arrangements for weddings along the Northern California coast.
Mobile Bars & Beverages
Rolling bars with serious character.
Photo Booths
Photo booths inside beautifully restored 1959 and 1966 vintage VW buses, with warm lighting and instant prints.
Hand-crafted vintage booth experiences, from a VW bus to a glam booth and retro selfie booth.
Rentals
Remember: rentals arrive 10am to 12pm on event day, pickup 10am to 12pm the next morning.
Home to the largest tenting inventory on the Monterey Peninsula, plus lighting, tables, chairs, and linens. Your first call for a 70-plus rain plan.
Westside Santa Cruz warehouse with a deep inventory of tables, chairs, linens, and tableware, known for prompt delivery.
Event Staffing
Certified, fully insured service staff from Watsonville for setup, decor assistance, tableside service, champagne toasts, and cleanup.
Shuttles & Parking
Only 14-passenger vans fit our mountain road. Request the church lot around 6 months out.
Scotts Valley shuttle company with drivers who know these mountain roads by heart. Ask for Matt.
Bay Area chauffeur service with over 25 years of experience, from luxury sedans to buses.
Your guest parking lot, about ten minutes from the Lodge at 9980 Hwy 9, Ben Lomond. Contact Amanda Baillie to reserve; replies can take a while, so start early.
Refuse Service
All garbage leaves the mountain the same night. If your caterer is not handling it, book one of these two directly.
Activities & Entertainment
For wedding-weekend mornings, rehearsal-day calm, and after-dinner fun.
Casino tables with professional dealers, from blackjack to the money wheel, delivered and set up. Entertainment-only play, no real gambling.
Santa Cruz musician, Sentinel music columnist, and host of Trivia with Michael, mixing music, trivia, and humor. A natural for welcome-party game nights.
Yoga and soundbath sessions, a lovely way to start a wedding-weekend morning or settle rehearsal-day nerves in the redwoods.
Booking someone not on this list? Just loop us in early and we will help them succeed here.
Email UsAll vendors require insurance certificates 30 days before your event.