Guide
How to Choose a Wedding Venue in Big Bear, California
A checklist for couples comparing mountain venues: capacity, lodging, access, altitude, vendors, and the questions to ask before you hold a date.
The short answer. Choosing a wedding venue in Big Bear comes down to six checks: how many guests the site holds and how many can sleep there, whether the property is yours alone for the date, how vendors and guests reach it in every season, what the altitude changes, what the quote includes, and who is coordinating on the day. Sunstone answers those with 200 guests, 40 sleeping on site, a full-property booking, plowed year-round access, 8,200 feet of elevation, coordinated regional vendors, and a dedicated coordinator.
Updated 2026-09-30 by Sunstone Big Bear Lodge, Angelus Oaks, California.
How many guests should a Big Bear wedding venue hold?
Ask for two numbers, not one. The first is ceremony and reception capacity, and the second is how many people can sleep on the property. Most mountain venues quote the first and leave you to arrange a hotel block for the second. Sunstone holds up to 200 for the ceremony and reception and sleeps 40 across Lodge rooms, four private cabins, and shared accommodation, so immediate family and the wedding party wake up on the mountain.
Is the venue private for your date?
Some Big Bear venues run more than one event on a weekend or keep lodging open to other guests during your wedding. Ask directly whether the booking is a full-property buyout. At Sunstone, weddings are full-property bookings, with no other guests and no second event on the land while your party is there.
How do guests and vendors get to a mountain venue?
Confirm the access road, the drive time from your guests' origin cities, and winter plowing. Sunstone sits about 105 miles from Los Angeles, roughly two hours and fifteen minutes by car, with Orange County about two hours, San Diego about two hours and forty-five minutes, and Palm Springs about one hour and forty-five minutes. Big Bear is a working mountain town with a ski economy, so roads are maintained through winter.
What does 8,200 feet change for a wedding?
Guests arriving from sea level should drink more water on the first day and bring layers, since evenings cool quickly in every season and are cold in winter. Caterers and bands who have never worked at altitude will find equipment and timing behave differently. Every vendor Sunstone coordinates has worked this property before, which removes the guesswork.
What should be included in a mountain venue quote?
Ask whether the quote covers the property itself, lodging, ceremony and reception spaces, tenting or structures, heating for outdoor portions, coordination, and vendor management, or whether each of those arrives as a separate invoice. Sunstone coordinates catering and bar, tenting and structures, furnishings, florals, sound and production, photography and video, and on-site lodging assignment through one point of contact.
Who runs the day?
Ask who your single point of contact is from first call to send-off, and whether that person is on site during the event. A dedicated Sunstone coordinator handles planning ahead of time and hosts on the property while your guests are there.
When should you visit and hold a date?
Visit in the season you plan to marry, since the same forty acres look different in snow, spring runoff, summer green, and October gold. Summer and early autumn Saturdays book twelve to eighteen months out, while winter and spring dates are far more open. Sunstone holds one wedding per date and answers availability first.
Key facts
| Ceremony and reception capacity | 200 guests |
|---|---|
| Overnight capacity on site | 40 guests in Lodge rooms, four cabins, and shared accommodation |
| Property | 40 private acres at 8,200 feet, bordered by San Bernardino National Forest |
| Booking model | Full-property buyout, one wedding per date |
| Seasons | Open year-round, weddings in all four seasons |
| Postal address | Angelus Oaks, California, in the Big Bear area |
Quick answers
How many guests can Sunstone host?
Sunstone hosts up to 200 guests for a wedding or event, with up to 40 staying overnight on the property. Retreats and tr...
Where is Sunstone located?
Sunstone sits on forty private acres at 8,200 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains, in the Big Bear area of Southern Cal...
Do you get the whole property?
Yes. Weddings, events and retreats at Sunstone are full-property bookings. There are no other guests on the property dur...
What seasons is Sunstone open?
Sunstone operates year-round and hosts weddings, events and retreats in all four seasons. Winter brings deep snow and fi...
What is included in a Sunstone wedding?
Sunstone is a one-stop shop. Coordinated through us: catering and bar, tenting and structures, furnishings, florals and ...
How far is Sunstone from Los Angeles?
Sunstone is roughly 105 miles from Los Angeles, about two hours and fifteen minutes by car. Orange County is about two h...
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Request your dates
Tell us when you are thinking and roughly how many people. Availability is the first thing we answer.