Sand Rock Farm Wedding With Rockin’ Dance Party Near Santa Cruz
Sand Rock Farm – A Sweet Wedding Venue Just Outside Santa Cruz
Sand Rock Farm is a sweet wedding venue in Aptos, located about 15 minutes away from Santa Cruz. It is a cool venue, with goats and chickens, a neat old barn, an airstream trailer, and much more. Sand Rock has accommodation for about 30 people onsite. There is a large kitchen where you could cook a Sunday morning brunch. The place has Redwoods, a sweet craftsman style house, and picturesque nooks and crannies everywhere you look.
Getting Ready in the Barn and Craftsman House
When I arrived at Sand Rock for Ann and Kevin’s wedding, the guys were getting ready and hanging out in the barn. A couple of guys were playing pool. Kevin was writing his vows. A few steps away in the main house, the ladies were getting ready. Ann and Kevin’s dog was hanging out. Having everything close always makes the day less stressful.
Huge Wedding Party – Pics Done Before the Ceremony
Ann and Kevin had a pretty massive wedding party, and I was glad to do the portraits before the ceremony. Even with so many in the wedding party, we got the pictures done quickly and efficiently and folks didn’t have to wait around. We also took immediate family pics before the wedding. After we were done with family and wedding party pictures, Ann went to the main house and put on her veil. Waiting until right before the ceremony to put on the veil is key. The veil is surprisingly difficult to maneuver in.
Ceremony in the Redwoods
The redwood grove is a sweet little spot at Sand Rock. Ann and Kevin had their ceremony under the trees there. Their dog was the ring bearer. I love it when folks have their dogs at weddings.
Cocktails, Dinner, and First Dance Outside
After the ceremony, folks went to the barn for cocktails and appetizers. Then Ann and Kevin shared dinner with friends and family in long farm style tables a short walk away. Once nice thing about this venue is that there are separate spaces for each event, and everything is so close together. It really makes the day a lot easier to have things clustered together. After dinner folks moved into the dancing area which is kind of hard to describe… but very cool. I think there may have been a house with a basement on the property at one time. The house is gone, and the foundation / retaining walls create a very cool dance space.
Couple Portraits Around the Farm
After the first dance, we took a walk around the farm. Everything is very close, and there are a ton a cool spots for pictures within a short walk. Ann and Kevin wanted to do something with banana peels, and one of my favorite shots of the night is of the two of them with banana peels on their heads. After the banana peel pics, we stopped off at the barn and then headed back to the party where Ann and Kevin cut the cake.
More Dancing
After cake cutting, the party rolled on. This usually feels like the time in the day when people take a deep breath and really start enjoying themselves. With all the to-dos done, people feel free to get down. And folks did not disappoint… they got down on the dance.
If you want to check out another cool wedding venue in the Santa Cruz area, take a look at Krystal and David’s wedding at Radonich Ranch in the Santa Cruz Mountains.