About this vendor
Lakeside Ranch is a striking new exclusive wedding and events venue situated on Florida’s Nature Coast that offers unmatched beauty and southern hospitality. With its close proximity to Ocala/Gainesville, Tampa, and Orlando Lakeside Ranch is ideal for parties and events of all kinds.
Amenities + details
Covered Outdoors Space
Handicap Accessible
Liability Insurance
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Dressing Room
Indoor Event Space
Wireless Internet
Settings
- Ballroom
- Barn
- Farm & Ranch
- Beach
- Waterfront
- Historic Venue
Venue Service Offerings
- Food & Catering
- Planning
Reviews
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4
out of 5.030 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 7
We are so incredibly happy that we chose The Lakeside Ranches as our wedding venue. We had about 80 guests so we went with the smaller barn. The venue was the perfect amount of spa...
ce and so many said their jaw dropped when they came through the doors! Not only was all the staff so friendly and helpful, they also have someone direct traffic when your guests arrive! They went above and beyond to make sure that every detail was perfect and nothing was overlooked. Thank you again Kaylee for such an amazing wedding!!
Ok. So i guess it is my turn to "spill the tea," as they say these days. First off I will tell you this venue by the private residential lake is very charming. The Peach Barn locat...
ion in particular is set up very functionally right now. I think the other option on property is still in the works before it is ready to sparkle.Luckily for us we had the 75 & under guest count, so we were able to utilize the space as planned. Some facts to take under consideration:
1) As of February 2024 this venue is cash or check only. This can be a big factor for some couples & you should know that to date a credit card is not an option.
2) Every item is Ala carte. Meaning if you want xyz decor that is fine, but it is also extra & cash only.
3) The venue works frequently w/ Hope at Keep It Calm Events in Crystal River. They have different packages & can do a decor only package if you need a credit card option for this type of thing. KIC is good w/decor only packages. They have enough staff to help, but you need to be very specific on every single thing you want down to what time to turn the lights down for your guests or how much of your expensive rose petals you want on the alter should you have either venue or the wedding coordinator staff in charge of this kind of thing. The venue can do the detail stuff as well, but again it will be a cash transaction only at this time.
4) Write your names on every item going to the venue from table numbers to gifts, etc. AND assign someone to be in charge of those items. You do not want too many hands involved. It can get crazy & things might not make it back home. As the venue operator said to me, (initially), "take less stuff here."
5) Set a specific time the lights should be dimmed for your guests. Make sure you assign someone to do it. Bright lights kill the mood & no one dances.
6) Do not allow staff to clean things early. Make this VERY CLEAR ahead of time w/ your venue operator & any vendors you hire. It makes guests uncomfortable & they leave early (which messes up your sparkler/LED send off.)
7) This venue has had issues w/ neighborhood, busy bodies that do not want the wedding noise there. They have a quiet time of 10pm per county rules, but it is actually seemed anytime past 9p-9:15pm because of neighbors & previous litigation ( You will see that in other reviews.)
8) The venue operator will let you know that she will come "pull the plug" on your music if U do not adhere to the noise level and time requirements I did notice she was speaking to my musicians at about 9:30pm re: bass volume.(This was happening when Spunky Spirits staff & Party Pals were cleaning up early & I had not even had a chance to enjoy myself or have a coffee yet. (Not sure who told them to start cleaning. )
So overall beautiful location. The venue operator, Kaley tried to accomodate what she could. The venue has some challenges & U have to decide for yourself as to what your particular "must haves" will be. I think the things that were "off" were things WE knew about, but our guests probably did not & these were mostly on my other vendors NOT the venue.
I would have liked a few things to go smoother. Including, being able to pay on card, no noise constraint before midnight & being able to lock things up at the venue the night before for prep. I appreciated the doggy friendly aspect & the rustic elegant setting. Hope this helps you. If it had these last few issues handled it would be a 4-5 in my mind. Thank u. 🎊 Good luck!
100% recommend this venue. The views from the ceremony site are beautiful and the reception area is breathtaking and perfect. Cheryl was great and answered any question and was ver...
y communicative. She worked through any issue and made the wedding day go easily. Greg and Danette were fantastic and super grateful that we were able to get married here.
Extremely rude service. I work from home and I answered the call. I tried to tell the woman that I was speaking to multiple times that I was working (and asked if I could call her ...
back later) and she continued to pressure me to answer questions about the venue. The second time I told that that I was working she responded “I am working too.”
I get that, but you are actually doing your job. I am not doing my job while I’m talking to you, or writing this review. That is why I asked to call back later. From that experience alone I will DEFINITELY not have my wedding there, or would I EVER refer anyone here. I’ve lived in this county my whole life and haven’t encountered a business so blatantly rude. Hopefully the owner will see this and listen to the call, and talk to the woman that I was talking to.
The managers of this venue have no shame in belittling the guests, families of the bride and groom, and even the bride and groom themselves. Completely unprofessional staff with te...
rrible customer service. Do not book this venue for your wedding unless you want them to ruin your special day and force everyone to leave two hours before your contract says the event is over. Was amazed at how easily they are willing to ruin someone’s wedding.
Best experience. Best way to start a marriage.
I am not someone that usually take time to write a review but unfortunately this one deserve it.
One thing I’ve learned with all these is that we shouldn’t ignore a bad review or ...
bad past experience from previous customers. Looking some of the reviews about this venue here, just the way they addressed and communicate some of the issues with a previous customer already speak for itself. Please do some research before booking this venue.
We hired the venue, Lakeside Ranch, in 2019 to perform our Wedding in May 23, 2020.
Due to recent events with Covid19 we had no choice for our safety and the safety of our family and guests to reschedule the wedding. Unfortunately the new date ended up being too close to our initial date and we were not able to have our wedding due to the same reason.
We contacted Lakeside Ranch to request a reschedule for a future date where we can hopefully have a safe event and give this pandemic time to get under control (May 2021). The request initially was denied and the choices given at that time was to have our wedding in August 2020, despite the current situation in Florida, or Lakeside would keep our deposits. After several attempts to reach out to Lakeside Ranch through phone calls, they texted saying that our communication has to be through an email. Therefore, we sent an email directly to the owners. Besides not being mindful of the current situation they now offered us another alternative which is in order to reschedule for next year they are requesting us to pay double the original price we had for our date in 2020.
Since then, we have been trying to reach out to them but they are not answering our calls, replying our texts or emails anymore.
Due to these events we are under the impression that they are trying to take advantage of this situation to keep our money without the obligation to render any service to us.
Something that you definitely don’t expect from a family business specially when their business is around love and good memories.
Despite the fact that weddings are extremely stressful itself they are definitely turning this into a nightmare.
There are plenty places that actually care about you and not only your money.
As a photographer videographer. I love Lakeside Ranch! This wedding venue Service is incredible. You get the best layout of going from cool photo shoot location to the next and suc...
h a beautiful rolling field with a golf course. They have hay bales, pony drawn carriages, extra chairs for days, and a barn banquet hall! They have everything you need. I would recommend anyone do photos at lakeside Ranch.
Most importantly they have great responsive service that is reliable. Everyone at the venue was incredibly professional and happy to help during their special day. Weddings are difficult events but they have smooth solutions for every problem. I always send the photos to the venue and their online pages so I’ve seen the sparkling magical reviews. You can rely on Lakeside ranch.
I have over 12 yrs experience in the wedding industry, with this I can tell you that I have visited many many many venues around Florida and also worked with many staff teams out t...
here. I can tell you, I love working at the Lakeside Ranch and that's because I can see their dedication to customer service and that begins with Kaley ! The way they treat vendors says a lot of a venue, and they are very professional and just nice people. If I ever have to plan a personal engagement and I can have it at the Lakeside Ranch, trust me, I would.
I invite all of you to visit this venue, talk to Kaley and you will see that this is the place for you to celebrate your special and biggest day of your life!
Note: I only had to select a wedding date to be able to proceed with posting this review. Thanks.
I had my wedding here on 1/11/20. While the venue itself is breathtakingly beautiful, I was extremely disappointed with the staff. Kaley was alright to work with but on one occasio...
n failed to listen to one of my voicemails "because she has so much going on." On the day of the wedding, as we were getting ready in the venue, no one greeted us or asked if we needed anything. I literally had to go around to each table (we got the decor package) and fix mistakes they made at each table. We also chose to rent houses they offered right by the venue. While this was very convenient, I did not appreciate Kaley's mother barging in the house and requesting we sign a contact RIGHT THEN as we were unpacking and greeting family. She was extremely unprofessional and put a damper on the whole thing. Our caterer brought the wrong color napkins and we were freaking out but asked the venue if we could use their napkins and they refused to put the napkins out until they had cash in their hands for the napkins. This seemed ridiculous as we had already paid them over $3,500. We were more than happy to pay it just seemed very cheap for them to request the money right then as we were getting ready and freaking out over the napkins. During the reception, during dancing and after dinner, employees of Lakeside Ranch started to clear the napkins!! This made people feel like they were supposed to leave as the venue was started to getting cleaned up. I asked them to stop and they did. Though when cake was served, many people did not have napkins as they were already cleared! Overall, I loved the venue itself, it was very beautiful. But the staff caused me stress on my wedding day which is not ideal. Due to this fact, I would not recommend this venue to prospective brides
Lakeside Ranch is truly breathtaking! If you're looking to have a beautiful rustic, chic, vintage outside wedding with charm this is your venue! This is exactly what my Husband and...
I were looking for. We fell in love as soon as we arrived and decided to get married there. The chandeliers and all the beautiful decorative touches they offer to enhance the natural beauty of this place are wonderful! They give you so many options to chose from for your entrance, exact location of your reception, etc. They recently built additional ceremony and reception areas- all gorgeous! So much land so it feels very private and special. They are easy to work with. We booked the manor house to stay in that weekend- my bridal party and I got ready there before the wedding we even held our rehearsal dinner there & they set up the tables and chairs for us. It is a big, beautiful- totally worth it! My getting ready pictures are exactly what I imagined and I know that is because of the beautiful set up of the home and my amazing photographers (The Hons). I can't imagine getting married anywhere else, Lakeside is everything we wanted and more! Our pictures are beyond beautiful with all the backdrops of the nature/ land.
I am so glad I decided to book my wedding at Lakeside Ranches! The venue is absolutely breathtaking and exactly what I had imagined. They were willing to set everything up exactl...
y how I wanted and were completely accommodating. The entire wedding planning process was easy and stress-free, which is something I am very grateful for. Greg was also extremely kind! He gave me a huge discount on the venue because I was having a small wedding and not utilizing the entire venue space. I would definitely recommend this venue to any future brides looking for an elegant outdoor wedding.
We were so happy with our decision to pick the Lakeside Ranch as the setting of our wedding! Planning was easy and convenient as the owners Greg and Danette were always available t...
o answer any questions we had. Danette was so sweet and appreciated how she listened to me go and on about my ideas for decor. Her advice was really helpful as well, having done this so many times before. They were both very open to our vision for our event and worked with us on decor options, reception extras and even guest accommodations. The rental homes
Managed by the ranch were perfect for us and all of our out of town guests. This venue had so much to offer. We really wanted a beautiful outdoor wedding surrounded by trees and nature and that’s exactly what we got. The open Barn is brand new and offers a blank canvas for you to design your wedding as you like. All Tables and chairs are included, which we noticed was not common at most other venues we visited. We live in Miami and looked at seven different venues from Miami to Orlando area, east and west side of the state and when we saw the ranch we forgot about all the others! I highly recommend Lakeside for your wedding.
Our wedding at lakeside ranch was fantastic. Greg, and Danett and the whole team exceeded our expectations.
Thank you so much it was beautiful !!
This venue is beautiful but there were too many flaws on my wedding day due to this venue to give it a good rating. We spent a lot of money here and the venue owners failed to do t...
heir part.
The venue was getting sewed all year by the county due to zoning issue which caused them to close the reception barn all year. They did not inform me of this at all, I happened to read a comment on facebook and heard about it that way. Their daughter, Kayley stopped working with them at the time so getting a hold of Danette or Greg was almost impossible. 3 weeks before the wedding I called to make my final meeting and that is when I found out that they made a new reception barn with a completey different look and location. Greg told me I could chose which one I liked more (the old or the new) to use for my wedding day at no charge. When I got there I was informed that I could no longer have the original reception barn… my only option was this new one that was not the same color, way too big for my wedding party, and way at the other end making it so the guest would have to take a tractor ride over to it (which Greg thought offering it to me for free was nice.)
My wedding planner now needed a map of the place and a whole new arrangement of where things would go and how things would flow. This is something that they needed to let ALL of their brides know months ago when they started building this new barn.
The night we arrived (the day before the wedding day) we got a hold of Danette for the house keys we were renting. The very first thing she mentioned was the $60 I owed for the lanterns I was renting for the wedding day. We agreed to get her the cash (that was packed in our suitcases) rehearsal that same night. Rehearsal was at 6 pm and by 6:40 she was rushing us out the gates. The sweetheart table was incorrect so we wanted to correct it with Danette but she made us text Greg ourselves because she didn’t want to do it.
The morning of our wedding day Danette came to the rental home to ask for more money that she forgot to collect at the final meeting infront of my entire family. She discussed financial decisions infront of people which is wrong and embarrassing. I had multiple family members come up to me complaining how rude she was.
They told us that there would be 4 men there that day to help with set up and moving items from ceremony to the new futher away reception barn. There was only 1 guy there that was extremely rude and got into an argument with our DJ threatening to kick the DJ out because his one speaking was facing towards the lake at cocktail hour instead of facing the barn. Something that was not told to us before hand and told our DJ that we weren’t even supposed to have music at cocktail hour which again, never told to us before hand.
The entire place was pitch black and very hard for guest to go from cocktail barn to reception and back to their cars. They also had a ton of ant piles and sand spurs throughout the entire field where people are walking. The venue also promised to pressure wash all tables, chairs, and benches but on the wedding day our wedding planner and my Dad had to spend an hour wiping down filthy tables and chairs right before guest arrived.
When I tried to confront Greg he spent his time defending everything instead of taking the constructive criticism to make their business better in the future.
I can’t say enough about Lakeside Ranch and the owners. The venue is such an awesome place to have a wedding. It is so beautiful and the owners were so accommodating to everything!...
The property has such a serene appeal that cannot even be imagined. Every area was more beautiful than the next. They have multiple barns and different options to make your wedding tailored to fit your imagination. Our daughters wedding was just that! The wedding was 3 weeks ago and we still have all of our friends and family raving over it! We are so pleased with the way everything turned out and couldn’t imagine things being any more perfect than they were!! We highly recommend Lakeside Ranch for any wedding or special event you may have! Thank you Lakeside Ranch for the perfect day and experience!!
Lakeside Ranch was an incredible venue for our daughter's outdoor wedding. The owners were amazing and helped us every step of the way during planning and leading up to the day. ...
The have two beautiful new facilities for the ceremony and/or reception that are tucked into the gorgeous Florida foliage that are just breathtaking. Everyone involved helped us plan and execute our daughter's vision for her wedding day. We couldn't be happier with the results. Being able to stay right on the property and have ceremony and reception all in one beautiful setting was such a plus for us and our guests. I highly recommend Lakeside for anyone wanting a beautiful, truly natural setting.
I recently had a wedding at this venue. There were many red flags over the last year and if I hadn't commited myself financially to this location along with my time, I would have ...
selected another. I gave it 2 stars because it is a beautiful location. If it weren't, I would give it 0. Communication is a major issue with the owners. Danette in particular. She is not only rude with comments and being forgetful of meetings (and failing to show up until multiple phone calls and causing us to wait hours) but she is also racist. I was asked if I felt comfortable working with a black coordinator and gave an example "it would be like getting a babysitter for your kids and they show up black...(insert scared look)...I just like to make sure people know ahead of time". Who says that?! She pushed businesses that worked for her and led us to believe they were the best. Then closed down the business without notifying us which left us without a caterer a couple months prior. This happened with the florist as well. She spoke poorly of the coordinator I ended up with and did everything she could to tell me to "save myself from her". Then her daughter recommended the coordinator to me and seemed confused as to why her mother would say that. Danette also went so far as to call my mother in law a dumb blonde after she was asked a question. The owners love to talk about their family and how they are not in it for the money but then will charge for products left by previous brides for renting. And yes, they will tell you that $3 per candle and $5 per lantern is a reasonable rental price but after actually researching cost of purchase, it is not. I'm overall disgusted with my experience and the owner of this venue. Oh, and they informed us the week of our wedding that our DJ would need to keep down the music because the police have been called into other weddings. My wedding guests were also eaten alive by mosquitos. Myself included. So is this a beautiful location? Yes, that's why I chose it. Is it worth it? Not in my opinion.
Lakeside is an absolutely beautiful venue! We had a great experience with the owners and staff prior to the wedding. Kaley, Danette, and Greg were all courteous and professional in...
our communications. Kaley is very responsive to emails and great about answering questions. I can't give a full five stars, however, for a couple reasons. First, the day before the wedding, Danette was very rude to my father and his friend who had driven down from Virginia and needed directions to the Manor House to help us unload. She asked them if they were navigationally challenged and then after asking them where they were from, accused them of lying about it by saying that they didn't have a Virginia accent. Second, a lot of information is not given up front. For example, we were given a sample floor plan with "carriage photo booth" on it. I thought this would be fun and put this on our floor plan. The day of the wedding, we asked if there might be a step stool to help older people get up into the carriage and we were informed that they actually discourage people from using it as a photo booth and then roped it off so we couldn't use it. My friend spent hours handwriting a photo booth sign and I spent money on photo booth props. In the end, we were lying to our guests about the photo booth. We also weren't informed ahead of time that we couldn't keep the alcohol locked in the kitchen until the caterers arrived. It must stay in the car, but nobody told us this until we had unloaded all of it into the kitchen. Neither of these policies would have been a problem had we known about them ahead of time. However, these things, when taken with the beauty of the area and the courtesy with which we were treated prior to the wedding, still amount to a 4-star venue. The day was beautiful despite our issues. I would recommend it, just keep in mind that there may be some surprises on your wedding day.
So grateful we chose this venue!! The owners Greg and Dinette helped us in every aspect you could ever imagine! Dinette is one of the sweetest people I have ever met, her and her h...
usband Greg have done things for us no other vendor would, they treat us like friends while at the same time being very professional. They were there to answer any questions we had along with accommodating our every need! Their daughter Kaylee is also very helpful with arranging multiple meetings at the venue, and her very quick responsiveness. Thanks so much to them! When booking this venue be sure to include in your plan Ashlei who is the exclusive lakeside ranch day of coordinator. Not only can she coordinate but she literally did all the footwork that unknowing couples have conflicts with! Ashlei says she is a "day of coordinator" but she really does so much more than that, she is AMAZING and so sweet, professional, and knowledgeable. If your looking for one of the best wedding experiences an elegant/ranch style can offer, I would put lakeside ranch at number 1!
We had scheduled a Wedding in October, but had some life changes and were no longer going to be able to make that date. Lakeside Ranch was very flexible with us and made something ...
happen for us in April which didn't give them a lot of time or anything, and yet they made it happen and were extremely reasonable. Everyone is extremely friendly and go above and beyond. I would definitely recommend Lakeside Ranch, especially if you like outdoors, country, cozy and rustic.
I'm so in love with Lakeside Ranch Resort and can't wait to marry my love there in March! It's absolutely perfect and so very romantic. And the owners ...well, they are pretty ama...
zing themselves, and so easy to work with and quick to respond. They have so many decorations to choose from, and the home-crafted farm tables and benches are OUT OF THIS WORLD GORGEOUS, and included in the venue rental!! To top it all off, they offer a Manor House, which we'll be using for our rehearsal dinner and bridal suite. It's the icing on the cake! Seriously, if you're considering this venue, you need to make it your first choice - you won't be disappointed!!
I am going to talk from a mothers point of view although I am Destini's Aunt. Her mother passed away when she was 8 years old so we have always been very close. I went with Destini...
to look at wedding venues and boy was that an eye opener. After looking at several venues Destini found Lakeside Ranch Inverness Florida. Upon arriving at the ranch she knew almost immediately this was the place. It was quiet, beautiful and serene. The pavilions, tables and chairs were beautiful and unique. This is the perfect place for an outside wedding.
We met with Danette and she gave us the million dollar tour. She was pleasant, funny and had the answers to our questions. She showed us places for out of town quest to rent for their stays. Destini rented the Manor House for her rehearsal dinner and wedding night. They also have onsite decorations you can rent at affordable prices. Next we met with Greg who is very down to earth and matter fact. We finalized the paper work and reserved the ranch for a March wedding.
This is a beautiful place to get married. Not only are the grounds beautiful but Danette and Greg were a blessing to work with. Absoutly no pressure. If you are considering an outside wedding call and make an appointment. Take the time and go see the ranch and meet with Danette and Greg. You will not be disappointed. We are looking forward to a beautiful March wedding at Lakeside Ranch Inverness Fl. Thanks Danette and Greg.......Aunt Jo
My fiancé and I are getting married next month at Lakeside Ranch and we are beyond excited! Greg, Danette, and Kaley have been such a pleasure to work with since day one. They real...
ly go above and beyond to meet our expectations and make our dream wedding come true. Before finding LSR we toured and visited at least 5 other places, and none of them can compare to how beautiful this place is. You really have to see to believe. It was definitely worth the wait! Last night, at our final meeting before the wedding day.. I got to experience a little of what my big day will be like and it made me even more excited and anxious for it. I would definitely recommend this venue for any special event! Words can not explain all the pro's this place has.
awesome people to work with. the place is gorgeous
My wedding at Lakeside Ranch was everything I had dreamed! It was the perfect venue in every way. It was absolutely beautiful! The tables and chairs were great quality, the grounds...
were nicely kept, and the staff was wonderful! I would highly recommend this venue to anyone looking for a classy rustic wedding venue. Absolutely perfect!!!
AMAZING!!! Kaley, Danette and Greg are the sweetest! The entire process was stress free, emails were answered the same day and we got SO much for our buck. Our guests are still tal...
king about the beautiful Lakeside Ranch. Our day was simply perfect and I owe Kaley, Danette and Greg and HUGE thank you!
We had the horrible experience of working with Kaley. We drove an 1 and 45 mins to meet with her to take a tour of the venue. After arriving we see that she has not shown up. Then ...
after another employee calls her she tell us to look around, no apology or even offering her self or another employee to even give us a tour or answer any questions. Then follows up with an email. By far the worst service ever. Don't waste your time or money here. This place will not make your day easy or special. Seems to me they only want your money and can careless how you feel in such a situation.
a. Joshua and I viewed several different venues before we finally drove out for a tour of Lakeside Ranch. This place was everything we were looking for and more! A quiet outdoor se...
tting, with large pavilions for your cocktail and reception areas. The owners are warm and welcoming – ready to answer any and all questions, and they are open to any creative ideas you may have. My wedding was held Friday October 7, 2016 – The same day that Hurricane Mathew made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm. Kaley, Danette and Greg were quick to reassure me that everything would be fine, and they could make sure it all went forward as planned (safety permitting of course). Even through a little bit of wind and some rain – the venue looked beautiful and everything was moved as needed as the weather changed by a dependable and resilient team. I highly recommend Lakeside Ranch if you are looking for a quiet outdoor setting – with owners that truly want your wedding to be perfect for you!
We searched high and low for a wedding venue that was a good value while also providing us with so much natural inherent beauty that any extra decor we brought would be an "added b...
onus" rather than a "must have". For this reason, among so many others, Lakeside Ranch was beyond perfect. Many wedding guests commented that it was the most beautiful venue they had ever been to. In addition to being a picture-perfect setting, there truly aren't enough words to express just how wonderful it was to work with Kaley, Greg, and Danette (venue owners) throughout the entire wedding planning process. They were extremely responsive in all communication , and were always willing to help us with any questions we had. These guys go above and beyond being "just" venue owners...they truly care about and take personal care in helping you create your perfect day.
We also had our rehearsal dinner on -site at Mitchell Manor. The staff of Lakeside Ranch provided and set up the tables and chairs for the evening, which alleviated a great amount of stress. To put icing on the cake, most of our guests rented pool homes that were conveniently located in a neighborhood within a two mile radius from the wedding site and rehearsal dinner site ...the convenience of everything made for some very happy wedding guests (which made for an ecstatic bride and groom!)
Contact
4554 E Windmill Dr., Inverness, FL
