This page is for the planner, photographer, chef or caterer booking Deschutes Riverfront Retreat near Sunriver, Oregon, on a client's behalf. It is a private riverfront rental house, not a wedding venue with staff, and it hosts weddings of up to 45 guests as part of a 2-night stay. Everything below is either confirmed by the owners or marked as a question to settle on inquiry. Planners and photographers who bring a wedding here are paid a referral fee.
Updated October 2026
The venue in numbers: capacity, rooms, grounds and what is on site near Sunriver
These are the figures a planner needs for the first call, all owner-confirmed.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Event capacity | Up to 45 people on the property at any time, on any day of the stay, including children and anyone not staying overnight. The cap is firm: the house is on well and septic. |
| Overnight capacity | Up to 30 guests, at most 24 adults, in 11 bedrooms and 6 baths (Lodge 6 bedrooms and 5 baths; Cottage 5 bedrooms and 1 bath) |
| Grounds | Three acres, 450 feet of private Deschutes River frontage, a private dock, a dead-end private road; the two buildings total about 5,500 square feet |
| Seating on site | Four 8-foot picnic tables, about 16 folding chairs, some folding tables, and a 12-foot dining table that seats twelve on benches |
| Covered space | A wrap-around covered deck the length of the Lodge, with sturdy tables and chairs and a large gas grill; two vaulted living areas with stone fireplaces inside |
| Outdoor spaces | A flagstone patio below the deck, a riverbank fire pit ringed with chairs (seasonal), a lawn by the Cottage, a stone-paved path along the river |
| Kitchen | Large butcher-block island, Vitamix, KitchenAid mixer, sous vide, Breville espresso, dishwasher; a downstairs kitchenette with a mini fridge; the Cottage has its own kitchen |
| Parking | Up to 15 vehicles, with room for vans and trailers; trailers can turn around on site |
| Outdoor power | Outlets on the covered deck and on the flagstone patio |
| Restrooms | Six bathrooms in the two buildings. A portable restroom is optional for a larger guest list, and some groups have brought one |
| Tents | Weighted, not staked: there is irrigation under the lawn |
| WiFi | 200 Mbps, covering the whole property |
| Cameras | Exterior only, on the driveway and the front door; none inside |
| Check-in and out | Check-in after 4 PM, check-out before 11 AM; early check-in and late check-out are not guaranteed until the week of, based on other reservations |
| Fees | $500 event fee on top of the nightly rate; a refundable damage deposit of 1,000 dollars held about a week before check-in; a pet fee of 50 dollars per dog, charged once per stay, not per night if a dog comes |
Ceremony and reception spots on the Deschutes, and the rain plan
Couples here have married at the riverbank, under a floral arch with the water behind them, and seated their guests at long tables under the pines. The photos on the micro-wedding page are from those weddings, not styled shoots.
| Use | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ceremony | Riverbank by the dock, on 450 feet of frontage | Guests stand or sit on the folding chairs; bring more chairs if 45 will sit |
| Dinner | Long tables under the pines on the lawn, or the four picnic tables | Rental tables and chairs are fine; large rental items such as dance floors are not allowed, and anything in doubt is pre-approved |
| Rain plan | The covered deck, then the two living areas | Both living areas are vaulted with stone fireplaces; the 12-foot table seats twelve inside |
| Toasts and music | Deck or riverbank | Unamplified only; see the music rule below |
| Getting ready | The Primary Suite (king bed, river view) and the Cottage as the second building | The Cottage is a separate house a few steps from the Lodge |
The rules a planner has to design around at this Sunriver venue
Most of a planner's questions are answered by five rules, and none of them bends.
No amplified music: no DJs, no subwoofers, no professional music setups. Live music ensembles and small Bluetooth speakers are fine. If unsure, please ask.
- No candles, tiki torches, sparklers or open flame of any kind, anywhere on the property. The fire pit is closed June through September, and May and October depend on the weather.
- Quiet hours run 9 PM to 8 AM, and volume and content should be appropriate at all times. Plan the last toast for before 9.
- No day rentals and a 2-night minimum: the wedding is always inside an overnight stay, so the couple or a family member is the renter, and that person must be 30 or older.
- Large rental items such as dance floors are not allowed. If in doubt about an item, pre-approve it.
- Everything goes back where it was, with garbage removed inside and out, and nobody camps on the grounds without advance approval.
The property is non-smoking and shoes come off inside the house. Dogs are welcome for the pet fee. For the plain facts on bringing dogs to a wedding here, see the dog-friendly wedding venue page.
What is confirmed on inquiry: load-in, tent size and restroom placement
Three items depend on the date and the plan, so they are settled in the inquiry rather than stated here.
- Load-in: the vendor arrival window on the wedding day, given check-in at 4 PM the day before and quiet hours at 9 PM.
- Tent size and where it stands on the lawn.
- Where a portable restroom is placed, if you bring one.
Chief Paulina Drive, the last stretch to the house, is a shared dirt road at 10 MPH with families and pets on it. Tell every vendor, and allow for it in delivery times.
A two-night wedding timeline that fits the house rules
The two-night minimum sets the shape: arrive the afternoon before, marry the next day, leave the morning after. The wedding weekend and rehearsal dinner plan has the full version; the planner's constraints are these.
| When | Constraint |
|---|---|
| Day before, 4 PM | Check-in. No earlier access is promised until the week of. The 45 cap applies to the rehearsal dinner too: it is the most people on the property at any time, any day. |
| Wedding day, 8 AM | Quiet hours end. Confirm the vendor arrival window with the owners before scheduling deliveries; arrivals use the dirt road slowly. |
| Ceremony and dinner | Daylight; no candles at dusk, so plan battery light or an earlier dinner. Unamplified music throughout. |
| 9 PM | Quiet hours. Vendors out or quiet; the party moves inside or ends. |
| Next day, 11 AM | Check-out, with everything back in place and garbage removed. Late check-out is not guaranteed. |
Vendors already working here: the Epicurate list, and what it does not cover
The owners share a vendor list through Epicurate that covers private chefs, photographers and mobile massage. It does not list officiants; the elopement page covers the Deschutes County marriage license and where to find one.
Outside vendors are welcome. A planner, photographer or similar who brings a wedding here is paid a referral fee; ask about it in the inquiry.
Getting vendors and guests to the venue from Bend and Sunriver
From the house: Sunriver Resort and SHARC are five miles and about ten minutes, Bend and Mt. Bachelor are each about 30 minutes, and the Big River boat ramp, a public put-in, is 2.5 miles up the road.
Parking is for 15 vehicles, so a 45-guest wedding needs carpooling or a shuttle from Sunriver or Bend. Redmond Municipal Airport is the regional airport; getting to Sunriver has the routes.
Booking terms and how to send a planner's inquiry
Weddings and events booked direct follow the same cancellation and payment policy. The cancellation policy and the payment schedule are in the booking section of the booking page. The nightly rate for the dates is on the live calendar there, and the $500 event fee is added to it.
The fastest inquiry gives the date, the total headcount and the overnight headcount, the vendor list, any rentals, and the open questions from the list above. Mark it as a planner inquiry and the referral fee is handled from the start.
What couples said about working with the house
“Wow! Words cannot describe how amazing our weekend at this lodge/cottage was. We chose this location to host our wedding for close friends and family. The space was perfect for the occasion and allowed for plenty of room for our guests. Scott was responsive from the beginning and house rules and expectations were clear which made for a great overall experience. I recommend this property to anyone wanting a beautiful view with an accommodating host. Thank you Scott for everything !”
“This house was perfect for our family get together. With the amount of space indoors and outdoors, everyone could relax and enjoy their stay. My partner and I also had a small wedding ceremony in the backyard and it was perfect. My family kept saying how beautiful the home and location was that they can't wait to come back!”