The Gathering Weekend
February 26–28, 2027
Merced, California
A full weekend of connection, celebration, and unforgettable experiences surrounding The Gathering.
Hosted in partnership with The Hellcat Bridal Collective and Aquarian Nation Events & Travel LLC.
HOW THE WEEKEND CAME TO BE
The Gathering started as a one-day unconventional wedding show created by The Hellcat Bridal Collective.
And the more it started coming together, the more I kept thinking about everything happening around that one Saturday.
People are traveling in. Vendors are spending the day meeting couples and other businesses. Couples are discovering people they may actually end up hiring for their weddings.
There is so much happening in one day, and that is what kept sticking with me.
Why should everybody come all this way, spend one day together, and then just go home?
That is really where The Gathering Weekend came from.
Aquarian Nation started building the rest of the weekend around Saturday so people could arrive, settle in, meet each other, enjoy The Gathering, celebrate after, and then have one more morning together before everybody heads home.
The Gathering is the reason everyone is coming together.
The weekend is what gives us more time to actually be part of it.
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 26
ARRIVAL + WELCOME MIXER
Friday is about arriving and settling in. Guests will be traveling in from different parts of the state, checking into the hotel, and getting oriented before the weekend begins in earnest. There is no formal program on Friday, and that’s intentional.
That evening, we’re hosting a Welcome Mixer at the hotel. It’s a chance for vendors to meet one another, for couples to connect with people they’ll see again on Saturday, and for guests who have only known each other online to finally meet in person. The mixer is casual by design, a way to ease into the weekend before Saturday’s pace picks up.
THE GATHERING WEEKEND HOMEBASE
HILTON GARDEN INN MERCED
The Hilton Garden Inn Merced serves as the homebase for the entire weekend. Rather than have guests scattered across different hotels in town, we chose one property where everyone can stay, gather, and return to throughout the weekend.
The Friday Welcome Mixer, Saturday night's Afterparty, and Sunday's Farewell Brunch all take place here.
WEEKEND ACCOMMODATIONS
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27
THE GATHERING AT CASTLE NOZ
Saturday is the reason this weekend exists.
Following Friday night in Merced, we travel to Castle Noz in Snelling for The Gathering, produced by The Hellcat Bridal Collective. This page isn't the place to detail everything happening at the event itself. Hellcat has built a dedicated page for that.
Castle Noz 1601 Keyes Road Snelling, California
For tickets, vendor information, and full event details, visit The Hellcat Bridal Collective directly.
SATURDAY NIGHT
Afterparty
When The Gathering wraps up at Castle Noz, we’re heading back to the hotel for the Afterparty.
Saturday night is our chance to keep the celebration going and spend some more time together after The Gathering.
We’re also giving the Afterparty a theme of its own. We’re not sharing it just yet, but let’s just say Valentine’s Day may be over by then, but we’re not completely done with it.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28
FAREWELL BRUNCH
Sunday morning, before guests check out, we gather one final time for brunch. It's an easy close to the weekend, a chance to sit down, reflect on Saturday, and catch up with anyone you didn't get enough time with. Exchange contact information, discuss working together, or simply enjoy one last meal together before heading home.
WHY THE WEEKEND MATTERS
There’s something about being around people who get it.
People who don’t need your wedding to look like everyone else’s. People who understand that different doesn’t mean less meaningful. People who are building businesses, planning weddings, making things, creating things, and doing all of it in their own way.
That’s what I want this weekend to feel like.
The Gathering gives us a reason to come together, but I didn’t want that feeling to begin and end in a few hours on Saturday.
I wanted more time.
Time to meet the people behind the businesses.
Time for vendors to actually get to know each other.
Time for couples to have conversations without feeling like they need to rush to the next booth.
Time to eat together, celebrate together, stay up a little too late, and wake up Sunday with stories from the night before.
And somehow, all of this is happening during Aquarian Nation’s 10th year.
I couldn’t have planned that timing better if I tried.
Ten years into building this company, I get to help create a weekend around a community that isn’t interested in fitting into somebody else’s version of what weddings are supposed to look like.
That feels pretty damn right.
If this sounds like your kind of crowd, I’d really love for you to be there.
Come meet people, hang out, make some connections, celebrate a little, and see what happens when a bunch of creative, unconventional people all end up in the same place for a weekend.
I think it’s going to be something special, and I hope you’ll be part of it.
BECOME A SPONSOR
We are seeking businesses and organizations interested in supporting The Gathering Weekend. Sponsorship doesn't have to mean a financial contribution alone. It can take the form of food and beverage, welcome gifts, printing, transportation, guest amenities, décor, or photography, and can be tied to a specific part of the weekend such as the Welcome Mixer, the Afterparty, or brunch.
If your business has something that could contribute to the weekend, we'd like to hear from you. We are especially interested in connecting with businesses in Merced, Atwater, Mariposa, Yosemite, the Central Valley, and the surrounding areas.
Depending on the partnership, sponsors may be recognized on the website, on social media, in event materials, onsite during the weekend, or through the specific part of the experience they support.
SPONSORSHIP INQUIRIES
Aquarian Nation Events & Travel LLC
info@aquariannationeventsandtravel.com
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26 Arrival + Welcome Mixer Hilton Garden Inn Merced
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27 The Gathering — Castle Noz, Snelling The Afterparty — Hilton Garden Inn Merced
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28 Farewell Brunch — Hilton Garden Inn Merced
