Optimist Volunteers For Youth (OVY Camp and Event Center)

"My experience at OVY camp was nothing short of extraordinary and enchanting. Matthew and Joe were incredibly accommodating, addressing all our inquiries and ensuring a seamless experience for my husband and me. The property itself was breathtaking, providing a picturesque backdrop that our guests thoroughly enjoyed as a retreat from city life. The day leading up to our wedding was filled with memorable bonding experiences with family and friends, enhanced by the availability of games and cozy fire pits to combat the chilly weather. It's evident that the staff's passion for maintaining OVY camp in pristine condition shines through, and we are still in disbelief that we were fortunate enough to exchange vows in such a remarkable setting. We absolutely adored OVY camp and cherish the memories created there."

"OVY Camp and Event Center is the best possible place for your wedding. Everyone says your wedding goes by too fast, well we had ours at OVY and had a whole weekend of festivities. The beauty of OVY is unparalleled. We had our ceremony under the redwoods with 200 people. We had dinner under string lights and dancing in the beautiful main hall. We had a campfire and our friends staying in cabins and tents on site. This venue blew everyone away. Our wedding party arrived on Friday to the Willow Glen house, which was in pristine condition and so accommodating to a party of 20 people! We spent the weekend playing drinking games, having a pool party, making campfires, roasting marshmallows, and really taking in the beautiful scenery. If you are considering OVY for your wedding, I'm going to go into detail about our experience with this venue. Our contact with the venue prior to the event was seamless, flexible and accommodating. OVY is a summer camp during a lot of the year, yet there was never a lull in communication and we always felt like a priority. They are very professional and well-versed with weddings, and also have a great suggested list of vendors that you can pick from if you would like. First, I want to compliment on the venue manager, Joe . What an incredible guy. He was very responsive and flexible, always there to answer our questions. He was friendly and happy to be there, adding a layer of calmness and joy to our special day. He knew the site like the back of his hand, and was available to help us whenever needed. However, he was also in the background, and it really felt like we had the place completely to ourselves. Next I just want to talk about the venue itself. Of course it was gorgeous, every cabin and space that we used was very clean and well-maintained. The pool was a lovely addition as the sun came out every day breaking through the fog. When we huddled around the campfire, roasting marshmallows, and talking, it was everything you would dream of. The phone service was a little spotty as expected, however the Wi-Fi runs smoothly, so it was easy to get in contact with anyone we needed. Lastly, I want to address the concerns I had going in, as you may share some of my concerns. First, I was worried it would be too much work, to hard to organize. Well I used a lot of OVY suggested vendors who had done OVY weddings before. I tell you...it was flawless. Not only were they affordable and high quality vendors, but they knew each other and the venue and worked in lock step, where I didn't have to worry about anything during this amazing wedding weekend. Second, I was concerned about the cost. All said and done, I had a weekend of activities and the wedding of my dreams for CHEAPER than the lowest price all inclusive 200 person venue you can find in the Bay Area. Lastly, I was concerned it wouldn't accommodate a 200 person wedding (with wheelchairs and five 80+ year old guests) in the way I needed. Boy was I wrong. Parking was easy, everything was accessible and elegant. As long as you don't wear stilettos, you'll be fine! To wrap it up, I couldn't recommend it more. It was the best weekend of our life. It wasn't just the people, it was the space, the redwoods, the creek, the simple elegance of OVY. If that's not enough, your venue fee goes to support underserved Bay Area youth. Their mission statement is the following "To Make Overnight Camp Accessible for All Bay area Youth. At OVY Camp, we provide youth with a safe, enjoyable, and educational summer camp experience at little to no cost; while offering character building opportunities and promoting service, volunteerism, and leadership within the community." What better way to start your life together?"

"I got married at Camp OVY in August 2022. It was a wonderful wedding and this venue was a major reason why. We booked our wedding weekend in January 2021 and from that point on we had excellent communication from Matthew. We opted not to have a wedding planner BECAUSE Matthew has so many good tips and ideas - he has seen so many weddings there that he knows, for example, where is a good spot to put the dance floor, what folks will actually do even if you try to get them to do something else, etcetera. We also wrote Matthew to check in about the nonprofit and what it does, and were very happy that the money we spent to rent this place (for 50 hours!!!) would go to subsidize summer camp for children. It's a beautiful venue. We rented the swimming pool, which was awesome. We got married under the stunning redwoods, and Matthew helped us every step of the way. The contract is very clear - just read it through and you'll see what is and isn't covered. We will never forget our 3-day, 2-night wedding and neither will our ~190 guests! I highly recommend this venue if you want a placed where you and your people can stretch out, settle in on Friday, and 'make the place your own' for your special weekend."

"We first toured OVY for our wedding in September of 2018, and knew right away it was perfect - it was affordable, there was plenty of room for a large guest list, our guests could all stay on site with us, we could use whatever vendors we wanted, and we could tailor our wedding weekend to be exactly as we wanted. To top it all off, OVY's Executive Director, Matthew, could not have possibly been more pleasant, accommodating, communicative, and easy to work with. We ended up postponing our May 2020 wedding due to Covid, and Matthew stayed in touch and remained enthusiastic about our event. We FINALLY had our wedding in Sept of 2021 and we are soooo happy we kept our original plans and saw our vision through to completion. Our guests, even those who were a little skeptical about the rustic nature of the venue, had a BLAST. We got to spend so much time with everyone since we had the venue for the full weekend. We used the fire pits each evening, we rented the pool on the wedding day, and the cabins were filled with our friends. The ceremony was held in the Redwood Grove which was pure magic - truly a perfect setting. We hosted the reception outdoors in front of Scheid Hall and it was dreamy with the Bistro Lights provided by OVY. Amplified music needs to end at 10pm, so we hosted a Silent Disco which was probably the highlight of the whole weekend. I would highly recommend if you know your guests will want to dance late into the night! Our wedding weekend could not have been more memorable or magical. Hosting at OVY was the best decision we made!!"

"OVY Camp is a dream location to get married for the couple looking for an outdoorsy, DIY-style wedding. The venue provides a blank canvas to set everything up just to your preferences while providing a scenic, lush setting with all the necessary infrastructure to throw an amazing reception along with a full weekend of activities. Matthew, the venue lead, is incredible to work with by providing all of the help, support, and guidance needed without ever imposing or causing any stress. He was patient with all of our questions and tour requests, including the endless list of questions from our parents as well :). We lucked out with sunny weather in a particularly wet spring, and we were able to make the most of it with the variety of spaces OVY camp provides including a vast lawn for games during the day, fire pits for day and night time bonfires, the cabins and Willow Glen for comfortable accommodations for almost all our guests, the beautiful grove for a picture-perfect ceremony, and the well-equipped Hall for the reception and to dance the night away. In all, OVY Camp exceeded our expectations, wow-ed our guests, and even had our parents impressed - it’s such a magical place! We would absolutely recommend OVY to anyone dreaming of a camping, full-weekend of wedding fun."