Sherwood Country Club

Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks is one of Southern California's most prestigious private estates, and a truly exceptional setting for a wedding. With a championship golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus, a Georgian-style clubhouse imported with antiques from across Europe, and grounds that once stood in for Sherwood Forest on a Hollywood film set, this Ventura County venue offers something that very few wedding venues can: a setting that feels genuinely historic, meticulously maintained, and completely removed from the ordinary.

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Sherwood Country Club:
A Premier Southern California Wedding Venue

Photo by PMC Photography

A Brief History of Sherwood Country Club

Sherwood Country Club traces its roots to 1921, when the oak-studded valley just south of Thousand Oaks served as the filming location for the Douglas Fairbanks classic Robin Hood. The cast and crew fell so in love with the landscape that they nicknamed it "Sherwood Forest," and the name never left.

Decades later, billionaire developer David Murdock acquired the property with a vision to build a world-class private estate inspired by the grandeur of 18th-century England. He sourced authentic European antiques for the Georgian-style clubhouse and commissioned Jack Nicklaus to design the championship golf course. Nicklaus routed it carefully through the valley, relocating 1,200 ancient oak trees to preserve the natural landscape. The course opened in 1989 and quickly became a stop on the professional golf circuit, attracting a membership that included Jack Nicholson, Sean Connery, Sylvester Stallone, and Wayne Gretzky.

Today, while Sherwood remains an exclusive private community, the estate opens its facilities to non-member couples for weddings and private events. No member sponsorship required.

Photo by PMC Photography

Noteworthy Features of Sherwood Country Club

Sherwood Country Club is designed from the ground up to support high-end wedding productions. Several features set it apart from other Southern California wedding venues:

  • Exclusive Gated Estate: The property operates as a secured, private community. Your wedding takes place behind guarded gates, providing a level of privacy and exclusivity that open venues simply cannot match.

  • Newly Renovated Prep Suites: The venue features a bright bridal suite decorated in soft, neutral tones alongside a dedicated groom's lounge. Both spaces are located in close proximity to the ceremony lawns and the historic library, which keeps logistics tight and maximizes your active photography window.

  • In-House Culinary Team: Sherwood's executive chef and pastry chef lead a dedicated culinary department that prepares custom menus ranging from casual buffets to formal plated dinners. Outside food-only catering is permitted for cultural or dietary needs, subject to an outside catering fee.

  • Professional Coordination Required: The venue requires couples to hire a professional, independent wedding coordinator to manage the event's timeline and vendors. This policy protects the experience for every couple on the calendar.

  • Accessibility and Parking: The property is fully handicap accessible and offers complimentary on-site parking for all guests.

  • Structured Event Timeline: On-site weddings include 6 hours of facility time, typically structured as 1 hour for guest arrival and the ceremony, 1 hour for cocktail reception, and 4 hours for the dinner reception. Couples hosting their ceremony off-site receive 5 hours of facility time.

  • Standard Rental Inclusions: Every rental includes sweetheart dressing rooms, white wood folding chairs, and a complimentary bottle of champagne or sparkling cider for the couple.

  • Pet Policy: Animals are not permitted on the property, which is an important consideration for couples planning to include pets in their ceremony.

Photo by PMC Photography

Ceremony & Reception Sites Offered by This Southern California Wedding Venue

 

Sherwood Country Club offers three primary event spaces that can be used individually or layered together to create a seamless indoor-outdoor event flow. Each space carries its own character and guest capacity.

The Croquet Lawn

The Croquet Lawn is an immaculately manicured, sunken-garden-style space framed by century-old oak trees and sweeping views of the Santa Monica Mountains. The sunken topography naturally shelters the area from afternoon winds, creating an intimate outdoor setting for ceremonies held under open sky or reception dinners under the stars. The lawn is highly versatile and can be tented to support large-scale receptions.
  • Seated Capacity: Up to 350 guests
  • Standing Capacity: Up to 800 guests
  • Space Type: Uncovered Outdoor

The East Terrace

The East Terrace is a structured outdoor space featuring a semi-circular rotunda and a permanent canopied pergola that provides year-round shade. Backed by white neoclassical pillars and the clean facade of the Georgian clubhouse, the terrace creates a composed, architectural setting well-suited for mid-sized outdoor ceremonies, cocktail hours, or intimate dinner receptions.
  • Seated Capacity: Up to 90 guests
  • Standing Capacity: Up to 300 guests
  • Space Type: Covered Outdoor

The Grand Ballroom

The Grand Ballroom is Sherwood's primary indoor event space, fully remodeled in 2023. The room features a modern interior with crystal chandeliers and a curved wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that frame panoramic views of the golf course and mountains. The ballroom opens directly onto an adjoining outdoor patio that runs the full length of the space, allowing guests to move fluidly between the indoor dinner and outdoor lounge areas. The far end of the ballroom includes a dedicated lounge zone, frequently used to host custom cappuccino bars or late-night dessert stations.
  • Seated Capacity: Up to 250-300 guests (depending on layout)
  • Standing Capacity: Up to 500 guests
  • Space Type: Indoor

Photo by PMC Photography

Price for Hosting a Southern California Wedding at Sherwood Country Club

Sherwood Country Club reflects its status as an elite luxury estate in its financial structure. Venue packages start at approximately $21,437 for smaller, off-peak configurations, with standard prime-season bookings typically falling between $61,695 and $200,000. The entry-level starting price for venue services is generally $45,000. A 25% non-refundable security deposit is required to secure your date.

Pricing is structured around a base site rental fee combined with seasonal food and beverage minimums. These minimums scale by day of the week and time of year, with peak Saturdays carrying the highest spend requirements.

Ballroom Rental Fee:
  • Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays: $5,000
  • Tuesday – Thursday: $4,000

Croquet Lawn Rental Fee:
  • Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays: $10,000
  • Tuesday – Thursday: $8,000

Food & Beverage Minimum Spend:
  • Saturday – Peak Season (Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct): $55,000
  • Saturday – Mid-Peak Season (Jul, Aug, Nov, Dec): $40,000
  • Saturday – Off-Peak (Jan–Mar): $30,000
  • Fridays & Sundays: $20,000*
  • Tuesday – Thursday: $10,000

*Memorial Day and Labor Day Sundays are subject to Saturday pricing. 

All fees are subject to a mandatory 23% service charge and current Ventura County sales tax.

Alternatively, inclusive minimum expenditure structures are available. Weekday bookings (Tuesday through Thursday) start at $20,000, inclusive of service charge and sales tax. Fridays and Sundays start at $33,000 inclusive. Saturdays range from $46,000 to $80,000 inclusive, depending on the month.

Site Rental Fees and Food & Beverage Minimums

Sherwood's in-house culinary team offers 3 tiered catering packages, priced per person. Standalone bar packages are available starting at $44–$66 per person.

Catering Packages

Estimated Total Costs by Guest Count

Because site rental fees are fixed, the per-person cost decreases as your guest count grows. The following estimates are based on standard packages inclusive of food and beverages.

70 Guests
- Estimated Total: $33,362
- Per-Person Cost: $477

100 Guests
- Estimated Total: $43,137
- Per-Person Cost: $431

150 Guests
- Estimated Total: $59,429
- Per-Person Cost: $396

Pricing information sourced from publicly available vendor rate sheets. Contact the venue directly for current rates.

Photo by PMC Photography

Wedding Photo Opportunities at
Sherwood Country Club
 

Want to see more venue options in Southern California for your wedding day?

Sherwood Country Club is an exceptional setting for wedding photography, offering multiple distinct visual environments within easy walking distance of one another. That proximity matters because it means more shooting time and less time in transit.

The East Terrace is the venue's most structured photographic setting. Backed by white neoclassical pillars and the symmetrical Georgian facade of the clubhouse, the terrace has the visual weight of a European palace. It's a popular location for formal portraits, first looks, and detail shots of the wedding dress.

The golf course and Santa Monica Mountains provide a wide-open natural landscape with serious photographic range. During golden hour, warm light sweeps across the valley and fairways in long, soft gradients. Romantic portraits made here tend to feel cinematic and expansive.

The ancient oak trees and water features offer textured, organic backdrops that contrast beautifully with the clubhouse's clean architecture. The mature oaks provide natural shade for flattering light throughout the day, while the stone waterfalls and garden streams add movement and depth to outdoor portraits.

The brick clubhouse facade and climbing ivy create a traditional, old-world aesthetic particularly well-suited for wedding party portraits and stylized exits. Vintage getaway cars parked along the front entrance work especially well here.

The bridal suite is designed with soft neutral tones and large windows that flood the room with natural light. It's an ideal environment for candid preparation moments, detail shots of jewelry, and quiet portraits before the ceremony.

Photo by PMC Photography

What Couples Say About Having Their Wedding At Sherwood Country Club

Sherwood Country Club holds a 99% recommendation rate from past clients, a reflection of the consistency and care its events team brings to every wedding. Couples and professional event producers alike consistently praise the responsiveness and organizational skill of the venue's team. Reviewers note that the planning process feels highly structured from start to finish, and that the onsite team handles shifting timelines and last-minute weather changes with calm professionalism. Guests frequently highlight the quality of the catering, the attentiveness of the service staff, and the sweeping views of the Santa Monica Mountains as standout elements of the experience. Across dozens of reviews, the recurring theme is simple: couples feel genuinely taken care of.

PMC Photography is a Southern California wedding photography studio serving Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Temecula, and beyond. Paul photographs weddings at venues across the region, from intimate estate gatherings to full destination weekends. Reach out to inquire about your date.

Photo by PMC Photography

Let's Capture Your Day With Care

If you’re looking for wedding photography that feels calm, thoughtful, and fully handled, I’d love to hear more about what you’re planning.

From our first conversation to the finished artwork, the goal is simple. You feel supported, confident, and free to enjoy your day, knowing this part is taken care of.

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