Nestled between San Francisco and Silicon Valley is Filoli, an LGBTQ+ inclusive and affirming wedding venue located in Woodside, California. Filoli is recognized as one of the finest remaining country estates of the early 20th century, and contains over 16 acres of formal gardens, a 54,00 square foot Historic Home, and 600+ acres of natural lands. Open to the public since 1977, it was once a private residence to two families, the Bourns and the Roths. Its original construction was completed in 1917. And now, it’s an LGBTQ+ inclusive and affirming wedding venue with queer-identifying staff available to you and your beloved. We caught up with Brittany Jones, the chief experience officer at Filoli, to learn more about the gorgeous California wedding venue.

Two grooms in tuxes sit on brick steps with trees in the background on their wedding day at Filoli, an LGBTQ+ inclusive and affirming wedding venue in Woodside, California.
Courtesy of Filoli

EQUALLY WED: Tell us about your venue.

FILOLI: Filoli is beautiful year-round with a stunning tulip display each spring, summer perennials, fall colors and holiday lights. Filoli contains a variety of spaces that can accommodate larger, more dramatic ceremonies, as well as smaller settings for more intimate celebrations. We have the gift of space at Filoli, where weddings can be hosted in multiple locations. You can exchange vows at the Garden House, have a cocktail by the Swimming Pool, and dance the night away at the Woodland Garden Court. The beauty of hosting your wedding at Filoli is that you get to make it your own. You always have the place to yourself to celebrate all night long! This is a one-of-a-kind setting that can be found nowhere else.

How do you show how you are LGBTQ+ inclusive and affirming to your potential new customers/clients?

Filoli is a place that is welcome to all. We pride ourselves on being a welcoming, inclusive, and safe space for those in the LGBTQ+ community. Every June, Filoli hosts its annual Filoli Pride celebration where we celebrate and honor community partners, organizations and individuals of the LGBTQ+ community. This program is planned by Filoli’s own queer-identifying staff. As a queer-identifying staff member myself, it is incredibly important to me that folks in the LGBTQ+ community feel safe and comfortable here and want to celebrate themselves at Filoli.

two female-presenting people in wedding attire are facing each other. One is wearing a white suit, black watch and flowers around their neck. The other is wearing an off-the-shoulder long-sleeved wedding gown and is holding a wedding bouquet of purple, pink and blue flowers.
Smeeta Mahanti Photography

What are three tips you could give Equally Wed readers for planning their engagement, wedding or honeymoon?

Site visits! Visit us as much as you can. The garden is a beautiful and everchanging place and it is stunning to watch it change throughout the seasons. It inspires creativity, and as someone getting married at Filoli you have lots of choices to make about the spaces you want to use.

Keep in touch! You may be booking your wedding with us over a year out, but we still want to hear from you. We are here to answer your questions, show you around, work with your planner to make this a memorable day for you.

Host your post-wedding brunch at Filoli the next day! When booking you can inquire with our team about a weekend-long celebration. Enjoy Filoli in the daytime with a post-wedding event on one of our beautiful terraces.

A red-headed marrier stands in the middle of a garden at Filoli in Woodside, California, while wearing an off-the-shoulder wedding gown with a long train.
Janine Licare Photography

What’s the secret for couples who really want a specific date for their wedding?

I encourage anyone interested in getting married at Filoli to inquire early, as we reserve the prime dates of the year for weddings!

What else should engaged LGBTQ+ couples and marriers know about Filoli?

Filoli hosts over a dozen different venue locations on its beautiful property. It lends itself to all types of celebrations, from wedding showers to rehearsal dinners. If you have already locked in your wedding day venue, Filoli can still be a part of your big day! Also, couples who get married at Filoli are gifted a year-long membership to relive their memories for the year to come.

FILOLI
86 Cañada Road
Woodside, CA 94062
(650) 364-8300
events@filoli.org
filoli.org

Filoli is a member of the Equally Wed community of LGBTQ+ inclusive and affirming wedding pros who celebrate LGBTQ+ love and marriage. Visit their page on our site.

This is a sponsored post paid for by Filoli. Market your LGBTQ+ inclusive and affirming business to our audience of LGBTQ+ people planning their engagements, weddings and honeymoons, please reach out to us at advertising@equallywed.com.