Wedding DJ at Gold River Camp in Marion, NC

The Space

Gold River Camp sits on 5 acres along the Second Broad River, ground that once supported a working gold and gem panning operation in a stretch of North Carolina that saw over 500,000 miners during the country’s first gold rush. Owners Kathryn and Trevor Rudisill took a round-the-world trip in 2018 before finding this property and converting it, in 2021, from that old panning operation into a modern glamping campground.

The centerpiece is a 500-square-foot open-air pavilion overlooking the river, fitted with high-top seating, pub tables, and a communal lounge area, paired with a 450-square-foot enclosed recreation room that has its own ping-pong table for guests between events. Together those two rooms, one open to the air and one fully enclosed, give a couple a choice between an outdoor riverside feel and a contained indoor space for the same weekend.

Capacity & Layout

The pavilion and recreation room together seat up to 250 guests, with a covered outdoor extension adding room for up to 80 more under cover, while standing evening events top out around 120 guests. Overnight, the property houses up to 34 guests across 10 cabins and 4 glamping tents, or as many as 50 if the 3 primitive riverfront tent sites are added into the mix.

Four of the 10 cabins come with en-suite bathrooms, while the remaining 6 use a shared bath house with separate men’s and women’s facilities and 3 individual showers. Weddings require a 3-night minimum stay, longer than the 2-night minimum for other weekend events, which reflects how much of the property, cabins, tents, and grounds, tends to fill up for a full wedding weekend rather than a single-day booking.

Amenities

The camp leans into its gold rush history: gold pans and shovels are provided free of charge so guests can pan the Second Broad River themselves, a genuinely unusual activity to offer a wedding weekend crowd looking for something to do beyond the reception itself. Two propane grills and two charcoal grills are available on site, along with multiple community fire pits and private fire pits at some of the accommodations.

Because Gold River Camp is self-service, the venue does not provide catering or bar service directly, so a couple needs to bring in their own caterer and bar setup, which is worth budgeting for early in planning. Wifi is available through Spectrum Fiber for guests who need to stay connected, and quiet hours run from 11pm to 7am, a detail that shapes how late a reception can run before the music has to wind down.

Location & Getting There

The property sits in Marion, North Carolina, on the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with the Second Broad River running along the grounds and a sandy riverfront beach area for photos or a quiet moment away from the crowd. Parking is in a designated lot to the right of the entrance, with vehicles permitted to unload directly at the cabins for guests carrying bags or gear.

We have worked a wedding at Gold River Camp and know the pavilion and rec room firsthand. The open-air pavilion, true to its name, has no walls to hold sound in, so a DJ setup there depends on the river and tree line to keep it from carrying too far, while the fully enclosed rec room next door behaves like any indoor room, holding sound tight for a smaller, quieter gathering.