Calamigos Ranch

Bella Vita Events had the honor of producing events over the last 10 years at the Calamigos Ranch. The venue has been expanding and is always trying to stay up to date, in order to provide the exceptional experiences to our clients. It is a pleasure to work there, and you have the choice in-between several rooms for your event. The Team is flexible and always willing to go the extra mile. If you are looking for a great Venue in the Malibu Mountains, you got it! - THE BELLA VITA EVENTS TEAM

This review is way overdue for our wedding. We got married on 3/25/23 at the Pavilion. I initially came across calamigos ranch through an IG ad, Wesley and I decided to come and take a look. We parked by the Cafe section and INSTANTLY I fell in love. IT WAS EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED. The entire property is very enchanting, and super romantic. I Instantly signed on with Laurel (who doesn't work here anymore but she was super great, no complaints about her). Through and through, Calamigos wedding team OOOMMMMGGGG, HONESTLY THE BEST IN THE GAME. I used their catering service, did Hors d'oeuvres during cocktail hours. I brought in my own horse carriage here and there was no issue. BUT let's dive deeper into their entire team: I would personally like to thank Kyung (my uni now hehehe). Kyung pretty much got tossed into my wedding 2 weeks before the big day due to unforeseen but fortunate circumstances. She learned about us very quickly and was able to keep up with everything. Literally the night before our wedding, OF COURSE SOMETHING HAS TO COME UP. My husband's side of the family decided to bring an extra guest without prior notice and get this! It was 8pm!!!! So I frantically emailed Kyung asking for help and this girl is God Sent!!!!!! She calls me and tells me to not worry about a thing and she has it covered! Day of the wedding: Everything was magical, exactly how I pictured it, Kyung was there throughout the entire day making sure everything was done right and to perfection. Ceremony came and went, but when it came to cocktail hours, I literally was telling my best friend before hand to better bring me food and drinks hahaha cuz let's be honest, we all know how the bride and the groom are the last to get anything to eat. BUT NOT HERE!!! We had our personal waitress!!!! I wish I remembered her name but she was AMAZING!!!!!! she had our signature cocktails ready and waiting for us with the biggest smile one can see from far far away. I was blown away by the hospitality this resort has showed. Anything I asked for throughout our photo session she was there. She even brought extra skewers and mini burgers for my families who were also waiting. Hands down the best!!!!! The food was amazing, every single guests complimented on the food and the drinks saying it was the best they've ever had at any wedding. We ended up not being to eat our wedding meal because we were too busy entertaining our guests and were so sad that we had missed out. I told Kyung the next day and this sweetheart brought us the wedding meal on our second night here at the resort!! Come on!!! I truly love the motto here for being family oriented. It truly shows, through every single person that I've met and interacted with, they want you to be happy and thoroughly enjoy this hidden gem. Let's talk about some of the reviews I've read on here so far: I never ONCE had any hidden extra charges that surprised me: everything is written very clearly from the beginning. I knew the price charge difference between weekday vs weekends, adult vs children, different meal pricing, etc. To those that complained about the resort being outdated: Not sure what you saw? Perhaps you forgot your glasses or mistaken the resort lodge cabin style as outdated? Ma'ams and sirs, that's the style! lol, but through and through, thank you calamigos for giving me the wedding of my dreams, THE WEDDING THAT EVERYONE STILL TALKS ABOUT TIL THIS DAY!

Our wedding at the Birchwood room was an absolute dream come to life. The events staff's genuine care and attentiveness made our entire planning process a breeze for our special day. Every aspect of Calamigos Ranch, from the breathtaking landscapes to the flawless coordination, added a touch of magic to our wedding.

Words cannot express how incredibly grateful we are to Calamigos Events for making our wedding day an absolute dream come true. From start to finish, every aspect of our experience with them was nothing short of exceptional. First and foremost, their team of professionals went above and beyond to ensure that every detail was planned and flawlessly executed. From our initial consultation to the final moments of our special day, their expertise and attention to detail were evident in every step of the process. They listened to our vision, understood our preferences, and transformed them into a breathtaking reality. The venue itself was gorgeous. They recently updated several of the amenities and aspects of the venue. Our favorite was the updated and enhanced bar that was just the finishing touch at our reception. One of the standout features of Calamigos Events was their unparalleled level of hospitality. The staff members were warm, friendly, and always ready to assist us with anything we needed. I read previous reviews from years back and in recent months the staff has changed and does not match that description AT ALL. They ensured that our guests felt welcome and taken care of throughout the entire event. The professionalism and dedication of their team truly exceeded our expectations. They coordinated with our chosen vendors, oversaw the timeline, and ensured that everything ran smoothly. We were able to relax and enjoy every moment, knowing that we were in the capable hands of the Calamigos Events team. In conclusion, we cannot recommend Calamigos Events highly enough. Their professionalism, attention to detail, and genuine care for their clients are unmatched. Our wedding day was a perfect perfect perfect, thanks to the dedicated team at Calamigos Events. If you're looking for a venue that will exceed your expectations and create memories to last a lifetime, look no further. They truly deserve every bit of our five-star rating.

The Pavilion is a newly transformed gem! After visiting the property for other events over the years to now – it has undergone remarkable renovations, and we were fortunate to experience its updated venues firsthand. I am so excited to see the space decorated for my wedding this October! Not only the venue, but the staff have brought an exceptional level of professionalism and attentiveness to every detail. After touring, Kyung was great about answering any questions that I had and is so kind and patient during the whole booking process. My fiance and I were blown away by the venue and highly recommend Calamigos Ranch for any special occasion.

We are beyond thrilled and grateful to have chosen Calamigos Ranch Malibu for our wedding. The venue itself is breathtaking and magical! Since day one, wedding team Cate, Avery and Laurel have been patiently assisting us with all of our needs. We are beyond satisfied with all of the help and services from initial tour of venue, planning, food tasting, bar services (especially Katie) to guest ranch resort (Mark) and everything on the day of. All of our guests raved about the venue, food (The grilled baby Octopus Salad wowed everybody) cocktail drinks and services. Thank you all so much for being very understanding and patient in answering all of our questions and making sure we got what we needed. We can't thank you enough for making our dream wedding come true!

The Redwood Room at Calamigos Ranch is breathtakingly beautiful! When we first came to Calamigos Ranch and saw this room, it felt like we had been transported to another world with endless possibilities and magic, and we knew we had found where we wanted to celebrate our wedding. The staff helped us navigate through the room being renovated between when we booked our reception and our actual date a year later. We know we didn't always make it easy on them as we had high expectations having both worked in the events world ourselves. Their recommended vendor list was immensely helpful and we ended up using a wedding coordinator, photographer/videographer, dessert vendor & transportation services from their recommended list and most of the rest had all worked their in the past, so they were very familiar with the venue and able to give us the best advice on how to create the event we wanted. Planning a wedding is not easy and was often quite stressful, especially as the threat of rain became very likely and we had to make last minute adjustments and still try to keep as close to our vision as possible. Thankfully from the moment we walked into the Redwood Room to start our photo session and saw how breathtaking the space already looked, there was such a huge sense of relief for me knowing my wife and I could relax and enjoy our celebration. Thank you Calamigos for giving our family, friends and especially my wife and I the most memorable night of our lives that we will cherish for the rest of our lives!

Their venue looks like a gas station bathroom. See photos on my review on Google for reference. We looked at Birchwood Room for a potential wedding. From a far away view it was beautiful. However, as you start to think more practically and get a closer look, the Calamigos Ranch is terrible. Bathrooms are old and outdated. Also, they only have a mixed gender bathroom sharing a stall wall for the guests. There’s another bathroom in the “groom’s suite” which you can “convert” as an additional guest bathroom, but is of even worse quality. It was old, rusted, run down and filthy. It has a dirty urinal so women would feel pressured to use the other mixed gender bathroom. It was terrible. Why can’t they do some renovations or just some remodeling to their bathrooms? Their bridal suite was small, outdated and dark because there are barely any windows and had these beige tinted green walls. Not one photo or review I saw online shows anyone using that room to take wedding bridal party photos in. Put five people inside that room and you would feel cramped and it would be hectic. Basically, you’re forced to get ready elsewhere especially if you want to take preparation photos with your bridal party. However, keep in mind that they don’t allow you to do hair and makeup on site. You have to be done with hair and makeup upon arrival and they don’t let you on the venue until 2 hours prior to start time of the wedding. You’re forced to book one of their rooms. It will be $2,000 for two nights and that’s on the cheap end. Why two nights? They don’t allow check-in until 4 PM. Never heard of such a late check in time. So with such a late check in and your wedding starting at 6 PM, bride and groom is pressured to pay for two nights for $2k. Be mindful of calculating this into your wedding budget. Worst part was that there was no bathroom for the bridal suite. That means you’d have to walk down the stairs, see all your guests and stand in line to use the mixed gender bathroom or the “groom’s room” bathroom with the urinal. Imagine doing that in your wedding dress. Imagine having your mother or mother-in-law pressured to use a dirty toilet by a urinal or share a stall wall with one of the male guests. I don’t get it. You pay so much money to have a wedding here and this is what the bride, groom, bridal party, elderly and guests are forced to use. The bathrooms are the worst part. We also noticed the fake turf covering the whole ceremony site was not well constructed around the base of the trees. The two birchwood trees is what the guests first see coming in and where the bride and groom walk between when going down the aisle. The turf around them is completely wrinkled and scrunched up. I saw brides and grooms forced to pay more money for flowers, furniture or accessories to cover up the blemished turf. It says something if you have to cover up obvious or embarrassing flaws for such an expensive wedding venue. Calamigos Ranch really needs to fix up the Birchwood Room. At the minimum, make something as simple as the bathroom facilities better and less of an eye sore. Ridiculous price for a venue for what you’re getting.

As an event professional, who has been in the industry and worked many different venues, I cannot discourage from Calamigos enough. The space is beautiful, however the staff is incredibly difficult. They are slow to respond and there are many, many surprise costs that arise. No matter the amount you spend there, or are initially quoted, you will likely end up paying some or a significant amount more due to their hidden costs and charges. It also seems as though they care more about their bottom line than their couples. They are wonderful at the initial walk through or tour, but from there, it gets progressively worse.

My parents and I toured the venue together and loved it! My fiancé and his mom came out a few weeks later on a last minute trip to tour the venue, they loved it too! We were ready to put the deposit down but once the contract was given to me, the price was $40 more per person than what we were originally told. This added ~$20k of extra fees due to tax and service gratuity. I wish that they were open about the actual cost per person. They need to change this cost in their wedding booklet they hand out to brides! If you want to book with Calamigos, beware. The expectation to pay for "TBD" things and "prices can change without notice" are just some parts of their sketchy contract. My fiancé and I are disappointed, but this was not the place! Beware!

Venue was beautiful -- truly breathtaking. Service was disheartening. Planning a wedding is stressful enough without being caught in the crossfire of competing sales people and unfriendly staff. Know that the venue address is wrong and leads you to a dead end. They have a sign with instructions at the dead end, but fail to update their google maps pin or provide directions when you book a tour. If you call for help, they will rush you off the phone with "it's by the café" *Click*. (BTW the Cafe hostess will roll her eyes at you for trying to get a table, be warned) Be sure to ask for the Terms and Conditions, they are not provided with the proposal, which is strange... The complimentary 48 hour hold is firm, even if they fail to provide you with the contract to review during that time. They will still call you and pressure you to make a BLIND decision despite your request for the contract, and blame you for preventing another couple from moving forward with your date. After I was given a mere 2 hours to review the contract and proposal. I ended up saying thank you, but no thank you. For an over $100K wedding I would have expected better customer service. It's clear we weren't welcome at the venue, and we're not interested in doing business with them.

If you like air conditioning and upfront, honest employees, this is NOT the place for you. 104 with no air working in the bridal suite or the venue. Disgusting customer service and outrageous pricing. Look elsewhere because this place ain’t it.

We had our wedding here in 2018…. Could not have been more magical. The service guided us through the really intense decision-making process and we felt coddled and attended to, despite how many weddings they put on. We were greeted with drinks, made to feel special, and felt like the end result was worth the cost. Calamigos is forever entwined in our history as a couple.

Where to even start! I had been looking at this venue for almost a year online before finally getting there in person for a tour yesterday. We were so excited and I had researched so much that the place should have sold itself. The property is beautiful, but the customer service was absolutely awful. It was like the girl was trying to convince us to not get married there. It was a comically bad experience. We worked with Shay and she could not be bothered less. She did not introduce herself to my fiancé or mother, acted annoyed to have to show us the property, and acted as if we were bothering her with our questions. She kept talking about how her sister had her wedding at the venue and also that the owners apparently may not even be allowing weddings there in 2024. She complained that she didn’t know what the owners of the ranch were doing and that “they don’t tell the workers anything” and how she found out about their plans from a friend. She did not know specifics and kept saying “I think it’s this, I’m pretty sure it costs that” when asked about multiple details. There are 4-5 weddings going on at a time from what we gathered and the property is massive without clear directions for guests. We barely found the wedding sales office. They are super inflexible on multiple aspects of the day (extending time, having space to get ready, having space for after party). At one point, due to my research beforehand on the place, Shay remarked “you can probably do my job better than me”. Unpleasant experience, we absolutely will not be getting married here! We got a drink after to laugh off how bad the experience was and how unprofessional the entire thing felt. I would rather burn my $50000 than give it to this place. I never write reviews but it was such a polarizing experience than I felt compelled to let others know. Not worth your time.

Honestly, overrated. There’s I believe up to 4-5 weddings that can all go on at the same time. For how much you are paying I’m really surprised calamigos haven’t provided any upgrades to their bridal suite, for example. The bridal suite was very run down, stained carpet, felt like a small attic. The bathroom was totally run down as well to the point we were grossed out to use it. Also, the place is so big it took forever to figure out where to go and where to tell hair/makeup to go the morning of the wedding. Too hard to navigate.

We really wanted to love this place but the event sales manager lady Kristen ruined it for us with her very mean, cold and non accommodating attitude. It’s a beautiful venue. But if you are spoken down to when wanting to plan your big day it’s not a nice feeling. Customer should always be king. This lady has no place being in direct contact with guests. She spoke down to my fiancé in a tone that made her almost cry. As beautiful as the venue is, we would not recommend it. You want to be treated with respect as a guest. Many other reviews state the same issue. Awful and disrespectful customer care and bad treatment of guests my management. I hope the owners will change and train staff accordingly in the future.

THE DREAMIEST VENUE EVER. We were a "covid couple".... originally supposed to be married in Oct 2020 but had to postpone to Sept 2021 and throughout the entire postponement process, Calamigos was so understanding and accommodating. I could not say enough good things at Calamigos - from the BEAUTIFUL property to the amazing food to the planning team to all in between - everything was best-in-class. Highly, highly recommend!!!!!

Booked this venue 18 months prior to wedding.. Also booked the rehearsal for a date and time we did not particularly want, however it was what they were offering. We booked a separate venue, along with a caterer, shuttle buses, etc. for the rehearsal dinner. ONE WEEK prior to the rehearsal dinner day, we unceremoniously received an email saying that they had “booked a last minute event“ and could not accommodate us any longer. They wanted us to move everything, or rehearse someplace else. Really? If it was a “last-minute event“ why not tell that group what time the room was available rather than crapping on a bride one week before her wedding. Naturally, they point to their contract which says they can move rehearsals around to accommodate other events, but should they do this to a bride six days out? Spoke to the manager who was absolutely no help. Can’t change our plans now, but I will make sure everyone else knows how they treat people. They don’t care about the bride and groom, but only about how many dollars they can squeeze by jamming in more events.

My fiancé and our dog have been regulars at Calamigos Ranch for over 2 years. We LOVED it. It had special flair, staff was incredible, everyone was super polite and proper. We went there once a month for a getaway. And wanted to have our big day there. Then the management changed this summer. And it all took a change to REALLY BAD. Starting with a rude and unwelcome tone at checkin, to nothing really working out as it usually did. We complained several times. Nobody ever got back to us. Nobody cared we were regulars. This place and the staff now have the vibe of a Vegas hotel. Laid out for volume and not quality service at all. Rude. Staff is a nightmare except Danny at the front Desk. We had planned on having our big day at Calamigos Ranch. But with those changes for sure won’t. And would not recommend it to anyone. Bel Air Hotel has the same prices. But there you actually are treated with respect and kindness by the staff. The new management at Calamigos Ranch killed the unique vibe and magic of this place and turned it into unpleasantness. Which is definitely NOT what you want on your big day. Stay away.

It seems like staff conduct is a recurring theme here. Even just calling to schedule a tour after emailing back and forth was an unpleasant experience. The woman who answered the phone was very rude, abrupt, and not helpful at all. I understand this is a crazy time in the wedding industry, but that's not how you treat potential customers who are excited at the thought of having their special event at your venue.

My fiancé and I were excited to tour the property as we know a few couples who got married on the property. Unfortunately, the representative who answered the phone both times I've called was incredibly rude and uninterested in assisting me. Absolutely no manners at all. Venue has now been crossed off our list.

Truly the most dreamy, magical, perfect wedding venue in Southern California. We had the quintessential Malibu wedding with Calamigos at the very heart of it all. Many of our guests had traveled from the East Coast and got to experience the true beauty and charm of California through Calamigos. From our initial planning meeting until our last call at the wedding, every experience was absolutely perfect! Nobody ever expects good wedding food when serving 200 guests, but our wedding party was in for a treat and completely blown away by how delicious and perfect the food was at our cocktail hour and our reception. Calamigos is truly one-of-a-kind and an absolute dream if you are looking for a luxurious top-notch wedding venue with every ounce of rustic California charm. Our guests who stayed at the Guest Ranch for the weekend were also amazed by the gorgeous rooms and loved the convenience of being on the property.

Stay clear. I would not suggest having an event here. It may be beautiful but the staff over promise then screw you over later. The contract is messed up too. Book elsewhere. The staff sucks

We only got as far as speaking to this venue by phone, but that was enough for us to pass. We already read through the pdf they sent to my fiancé and I so we were trying to dig into a few questions that was still ambiguous and vague to us. The representative on the phone was rude and standoffish. I understand if you possibly get these questions multiple times per day, but it’s your job to be represent your company and venue in the best light. Given this was only the first step in our potential long term relationship working with this venue, and it was negative, we will pass.

Leading up to the big day we had some difficulty getting in contact with the onsite event team. There was a lack of professionalism from the wedding team. Which is the reason for a 4/5. The day of team was absolutely amazing! The venue was clean and exceeded all expectations. The caterers, servers, and bartenders were AMAZING! My guests were impressed with the level of detail and care given by these team members. Our wedding was in the Birchwood Room and the sizing was perfect for our 60 person wedding! The layout was perfect! There was plenty of room to dance on the dance floor! The food was amazing! We included multiple appetizers (passed and stationary), dinner, and their dessert bar. I wouldn't have changed a thing.

As a lawyer, I strongly advise you to think twice before booking this place because they will try to screw you over with their one-sided, incomplete contract. We toured the venue in Mid-May, after that, we started talking and negotiating with Calamigos to figure out the pricing and what’s included in the wedding package. The first thing I noticed when I received the contract is that it did not say anything about what’s included in the price paid. The contract only says that we owe them at least $XX amount of money. Naturally, I requested the manager to attach the wedding package to the contract as an exhibit. They completely ignored my request. I asked again. They ignored my request again. I asked again. This time, they sent me an email saying that if I don’t sign the contract by the next day, I would lose the date (still had not attached the wedding package to the contract or mention a word about the wedding package in the contract). I replied saying that we would not sign the contract unless the wedding package is specified in our written, binding contract. The manager finally revised the contract but only included part of the wedding package in it (for some unknown reasons, half of the wedding package was intentionally left out.) At this point, I could not give them the benefit of the doubt anymore. It is clear that Calamigos Ranch does not want to specify or itemize the wedding package in their written contract. As a lawyer, there is only one reason that I can think of why they would do that – they want to have the option to NOT honor their wedding package.

Absolutely beautiful venue. Each "room" feels like your own little world. My wife and I decided to have our wedding here in the Redwood Room and we couldn't have chosen a more stunning place. Cate helped us out along the way and with the final details. Highly recommend booking here if you're looking to have a beautiful event.

We could not imagine a more perfect place to get married than at Calamigos. We got married in 2020 and had to deal with delays and change of rooms within the venue due to Covid and Cindy and the rest of the team were so amazing to deal with. They worked so hard to make sure we could still have our perfect day and we really did! 100% recommend getting married here! It’s venues are picture perfect and the staff is great to work with!

What are my Calamigos Ranch 2020 / 2021 brides plans? Has anyone had a wedding at the venue since April 2020? What was it like? Has anyone been able to get out of their contract and get a refund? Please message me!

I am very disappointed in the experience I've had so far with booking my wedding at Calamigos. I've tried to address my concerns with the venue but they've been completely uncommunicative an unresponsive during the whole pandemic so I've decided to address them here on The Knot. Important information and changes are not shared with us, we try to chase down somebody for answers and are never given clear or concrete answers. I found out through one of our wedding guests who was trying to book a room for our wedding that changes to room availability for the night of our wedding were made and no longer available. When I tried to reach Cindy (our initial point of contact), nobody at the venue can tell me if she even works there anymore. The way they are handling weddings that were booked on dates during the pandemic is deplorable.

Amazing venue. The staff, the food, the atmosphere was perfect. It's one of our favorite places in LA. Romantic, fun and just perfect. They do it right!

Think twice before you have your wedding at Calamigos! My daughter had her wedding at Calamigos back in December and our entire family had looked forward to having the wedding at what we thought of was a first class operation. However, the Calamigos staff proved to be unprofessional and negligent. Upon the grooms arrival on the day of the wedding he asked for the safe combinations for both the grooms and bridal suites. After getting codes from Calamigos coordinators Joy and Shayne and the operation manager the safes were deemed inoperable. Calamigos coordinators then announced that the safes were down over their radios to all Calamigos staff. Sometime that evening, we assume during the wedding ceremony, the bridal suite was robbed. My daughter’s entire wallet with over $3000 in cash and gift cards were stollen. All three bridesmaids had cash stollen, and I had diamond earrings stollen that were brought for the maid of honor. This ruined the entire wedding. I had to leave my daughters wedding two hours before the wedding was supposed to be over and go in search of the stolen items. My daughter and son in law spent the evening at the sheriffs station and calling credit card companies instead of enjoying their wedding night and honeymoon. Calamigos has not done anything about the situation except for saying that they would cooperate with the investigation. We spent our hard earned money for my daughter to have a beautiful wedding and had assumed that our possessions would be safe. The staff of Calamigos was negligent in announcing that the safes were not working and have done nothing to remedy the situation. Disgruntled Mother of the Bride

BRIDAL SUIT ROBBED DURING WEDDING! So disappointed by the professionalism of Calamigos staff. After booking my wedding rehearsal six months prior to our wedding and having time and date confirmed. The week of my wedding I was contacted by their wedding coordinators Helen and Joy that they needed to change either the date or the time of my wedding rehearsal due to them booking another event. After saying this was not an option and that I did not appreciate this last minute changes they pretended to change their tone and say my initial 5 o’clock appointment still works. However, for our wedding rehearsal they did everything in their power to rush us on and off property as soon as possible so that they can make more money for their next event. Don’t worry there’s more! On the day of our wedding we arrived at our scheduled two hours before ceremony time and asked Calamigos coordinators (Shayne and Joy) for the safe codes so that our valuables would be kept safe during our wedding. However, safes were inoperable and the Calamigos staff announced that the safes were down over the radio which resulted in the bridal suit getting robbed for over $10,000. In short we are less than thrilled that our wedding was ruined and we spent our wedding night filing police reports. Not only did we spend thousands of dollars on this wedding to get robbed at a subpar 5 star venue. Management, Staff and Owners have been less than accommodating in responses and helping make this right. I do NOT recommend having a wedding a Calamigos.

My reception experience was very good! I’m glad I got to use these space for my event.

The food is great, the place is beautiful. I am very happy we chose this as our wedding venue. I would have liked more options in terms of being able to bring in our own drinks (it's an option, it was just really pricey in my honest opinion).

I'm a wedding planner, and it's no surprise that I receive a TON of requests for Calamigos every year! The options for wedding ceremonies and receptions are absolutely gorgeous. The food is unique and super yummy (not your stereotypical wedding banquet hall food). For anyone who loves the design of Wayfarer's Chapel but wants ceremony and reception in the same space, the Oaks room is an incredible option. The wedding staff makes it easy to plan (and to make changes should you change your mind on anything). I highly recommend them if you're looking for a venue to wow your guests!

My husband and I recently got married in The Oaks Room on 10/11/19. We received so many compliments on the venue, food, bar and service. The day went off without any complications, it was amazing! Shayne took care of us from the beginning and she was beyond helpful. Handled all my emails throughout the year and our crazy questions. Everything down to the detail was taken care of and she worked seamlessly with our wedding coordinator. This place is so special to us and we can't wait to visit on our anniversary. A truly magical venue with an amazing staff! Thank you for everything!

A lovely venue, so gorgeous- even without any decorations. The food was amazing, ESPECIALLY the appetizers. Really just an amazing place to have a wedding. We chose the Oak Room. The service staff and cooks during the wedding with their lead Elizabeth were AMAZING. The event specialists and Weddings/Banquets department were another story. It seemed like once they got your money- they could care less about you. All the interactions with the event specialists felt disingenuous and like we were annoying them. I struggled to get replies to my emails with paperwork like my sound agreement. I was under the minimum number of guests required so I was already paying a bunch of money that basically wasn’t being used. At our final meeting they walked in, didn’t even sit down or discuss details before they asked for the money. They basically shooed us away from the meeting space in the middle if our meeting and rehearsal to bring prospective clients in. They let these people in The Oak Room during our rehearsal too. Then they slapped us with a hidden charge. From the moment we booked the venue to the rehearsal two days before- they NEVER mentioned that if your floor plan requires moving the dance floor that it would be an additional charge. When we were doing the rehearsal the dance floor was already where it needed to be (possibly from a previous wedding). The day after we submitted the floor plan I got an email from one of the Event Specialists that it’s a $375 charge to move the dance floor! I was pissed, but by this point it’s too late to change around the dang floor plan!!!!! So I just sighed and said fine. At this point I only had 79 guests, so I’m already over paying by almost $3K (I understand that the contract states that even if you have below 100 guests you’re going to pay the 100 guest minimum) so to hit me with a dance floor fee is super greedy! Just be wary and cover your bases if you’re going to book with the venue.

My husband and I fell in law with the Birchwood Room as soon as we saw it. Everyone was very friendly and responsive along the way, especially about getting our money! First of all, they don't let the vendors set up the venue before 4 pm ( and the wedding starts at 6 pm!). Because of this rule, our coordinator prepared the napkins and everything the day before. On the day of the wedding, when the venue was about to get ready, the coordinator realizes that the Calamigos Ranch team didn't set up the tables as we agreed before. There was no one to explain why they didn't do it and there was no time for my coordinator to remove the old clothes. Because of this, as our guests arrived, the tables were still getting ready. It was so embarrassing. After the wedding, I emailed them to understand and complain about the situation. Guess what, nobody got back to me! That responsive team, the team that is so quick to get us to sign and get our money, was not there to answer my questions. I would absolutely not recommend any of my friends and family to get married here.

This place is beyond a dream! The staff (Cindy & Cate) were a pleasure to work with as they understood the stress and excitement that came with planning a wedding. We had a scare with the Woolsey Fires a couple of weeks before our wedding date, and Cindy was consistent, communicating with us every step of the way! Our wedding took place in the Oaks Room and the day of our wedding, the staff were pleasant and on top of what needed to be done. Thank you, Thank you for making our dream wedding come true!!

It is always a pleasure working with the staff here and having weddings at the Calamingos Ranch! The staff is always willing to go above and beyond in making the event come to life. The chefs are so talented therefore the food is always great! I was so suprised how they made their pasta from scratch in house...it is those little things that wins me over this venue when compared to others. I look foward to each and every event I coordinate but when the client books Calamingos Ranch as their venue I just now that the day of the event I will be more relaxed!

Calamigos is breathtakingly beautiful! My husband & I were blown away with the venue on the day of & during the tour & the food is amazing (along with their wine)! We knew that this was our venue, as they provided the food & staff, and it was one less vendor we had to worry about, as we live out of state. BUT... Calamigos is extremely expensive! We were getting frustrated at almost every turn, from being told one thing during the tour to being told another thing after we signed the contract. They weren't willing to work around our schedule for the tastings (unless we were willing to pay an additional $500 for a different date), some of our emails went unanswered because the representatives were no longer working there & no one picked up the emails. With these frustrations in mind, it made me regret choosing them at times. But, I would say I'm happy overall because of how efficient they were responding to emails & calls & how pretty it looked

Our wedding venue was double booked on our wedding day...and it could happen to you too! Imagine showing up to your wedding, anticipating the excitement of the day you’ve been dreaming about for months. Now imagine how you would feel if you showed up to the venue and come to find that your space has been DOUBLE BOOKED!!! This seems impossible since you are paying money (for us it was nearly 30k) for the very purpose of reserving the space for the evening. Sadly, this actually happened to us. When our bridal party showed up to prepare for the first look, there was a company picnic happening AT OUR DESIGNATED venue area. Tons of people there, playing extremely loud music. We stopped to ask when their event was supposed to end and they told us 4 pm. Our first look was scheduled to begin at 4 pm. As you can imagine, their event did not end on time and our first look was majorly disrupted. We had no choice but to use our ceremony area for our first look since there was no possible way we could do photos outside with the other event happening. It ended up being very awkward because our family and a lot of the bridal party who already had arrived with were just standing around watching us. No intimacy whatsoever. :( Due to the change of plans for our first look, a lot of our wedding attendees who arrived on our first shuttle to the venue ended up seeing me before the ceremony and ruined the dramatic surprise effect every bride dreams of on her wedding day. It continues! We had reservations to stay at Calamigos Guest Ranch that evening. It was pricey to stay there, but we splurged for the bridal suite since it was our wedding night. My luggage was dropped off by my Dad prior to the wedding. When my husband and I arrived at the front desk after the end of the wedding night to collect my bags, the front desk informed us that they never received the luggage. Just what someone leaving for a two-week honeymoon the next evening wants to hear!! After wasting at least an hour with an incompetent front desk worker, we went back to our room. I immediately told my fiance the room was much smaller and less fancy than what we paid for (I toured the property months before so we would definitely know). We decided to take a bath to try to wind down from all the stress, and the bathtub FLOODED. The room also had stains on the wall and the shower had dangerous sharp edges. I wish I was making this all up! We have yet to receive a reply from management about our partial refund request from the wedding venue. All this aside, whether they compensate us anything or not-- you don’t get a wedding do- over. Messing that up for someone is priceless. There are a lot of beautiful places to get married in southern california and while our wedding day still was great all this aside, it could’ve been A LOT better if we didn’t get married at Calamigos Ranch. Do yourself a favor and keep looking! The venue is gorgeous but it’s not worth it for how you are treated like a number. All they care about is money at this wedding factory...why else would they double book a venue on the most important day of someone's life? This place only gets two stars for me because the venue itself is beautiful and the bar/wait staff were great. I hope our story will help other couples from making the unfortunate mistake we made.

My husband and I got married in the Redwood Room at Calamigos on 8/11/18. Let me start by saying this venue is definitely not cheap, and throughout the process you may be pulling your hair out that everything is costing more and everything is plus plus. BUT, it was SO worth it. Every single guest thought it was the most beautiful venue they have ever been to. The ones who live in California felt transported out of the bust Los Angeles they know and the ones who were visiting from all over (which was most of our guests) were just in pure awe. The food was absolutely to die for. The presentation was exactly as it was at our tasting which was such a pleasant thing to see. Our staff was awesome as well, they made sure we were never without a glass of water (or wine) and that we always felt attended to. I would recommend this place to anyone I know!

Our Daughter's wedding at the Pavilion at North Point at Calamigos Ranch, Malibu, CA exceeded our expectations in every way. The venue itself has unsurpassed natural beauty. From the very first meeting with our wedding planner, Cate Parnin, to the end of the reception, the staff couldn't have been more friendly, engaged and professional with continual attention to every detail throughout the many weeks of preparation. The reception setting with all of the beautiful furniture, table settings, and bar/food service drew so many positive comments from all of our guests. The hors d'oeuvres and dinner entrees were superb. The best part of all was that the staff was so attentive that the bride and groom and our immediate family members could just relax, not worry about a thing, and enjoy the moment with our family and friends. You will not be disappointed if you choose Calamigos Ranch for your wedding celebration!

Extremely expensive, but our night turned out so magical that in the end I suppose it was worth it! I could go on and on about our Calamigos Ranch experience, good and bad, but I will keep it short with just a couple thoughts for each. Good- They do so many weddings here that they have the whole entire process ironed out and hassle-free. They are organized and professional. Not so good- Due to some really amazing remolding of our venue space, there was still some unfinished work on the day of our wedding. We had asked them multiple times in the month prior to remedy the situation (we were even told it was handled) but then noticed on the day-of it was not. My husband was not thrilled, but everything else was so perfect! Good- They have multiple extremely gorgeous event facilities to pick from, all of which translate to amazing wedding photos and an overall spectacular event. Not so good- We were not very impressed by the meal choices at our tasting, but the meals we chose for our evening were a huge hit! Portions were bigger than we expected and our guests were all happy! Good- The location is everything here. If you are from LA but want to feel like you are having a destination wedding, this is the spot. It is the perfect distance off the 101 freeway and/or PCH into the Malibu mountains. Truly, the wedding experience begins on your drive there- through the hills and vineyards- adding to the rustic, fairytale, and adventurous ambience right from the start. Not so good- With all the upgrades the cost can really add up! Good- Because of how picture perfect each venue is, you can scale down on your flowers and decor to save some money and still have your dream wedding! Overall I would say, if you haven't yet toured at Calamigos Ranch, go and see for yourself how gorgeous it is! Take a good look at the paperwork and breakdown of services to then decide if it suits your budget.

We had our wedding at Calamigos a week ago and are still having a hard time believing how well it all came together, in large part thanks to the service of the Calamigos staff. Everyone from the servers and bus people to the front office staff provided top notch service (special shout outs to Cindy on the wedding side and Kristi on the hotel side, simply amazing). We were married at the North Point Pavilion, which was a gorgeous venue. We had great prep rooms prior to the ceremony which certainly was a huge benefit to my wife. The lighting in the afternoon was phenomenal, and there were a large variety of places we took amazing pictures, including in little forests, in front of the Ferris wheel and in the grape vines. We stayed at the hotel on the property, and were shuttled around in a combo of Teslas and golf carts throughout the weekend. The hotel itself is way beyond expectations. Amazing breakfast, gorgeous pool (just finished remodeled) and extremely friendly staff (really, everyone says hello when you walk by). You can also take a shuttle down to their beach house right on PCH, which I highly recommend. The hotel rooms themselves are very well decorated, and there are lots of nice details in the bathrooms, in particular. For the reception, we did a cocktail hour, during which we took family photos while our guests started the party, with passed apps. The staff for food service was great, and everyone really seemed to enjoy their meals (we did the mid-priced option with a steak, chicken and veggie options - I had the steak which was cooked well, but the veggie one was truly awesome, some sort of risotto thing that my wife got that was surprisingly rich and satisfying). We used a day-of coordinator (Annette of Simply Natural Events, who was great and had an easy going but organized staff). We all used Jenny Smith for photos, Wave Form Entertainment for DJ, Press Films for videography and Exotic Green Gardens for our florist - would recommend them all. This team really worked well together, especially since I do not think our DJ had worked with our coordinator or other folks before. One thing to note is you do need to do some stuff with insurance, I think my wife's parents had to get something signed by their home insurance provider for some liability reasons; it was easy but just another step to keep in mind. Also, I think you do need a day-of coordinator per our contract with Calamigos, but that really took a lot of stress off of us for that day.

It's not cheap but you get what you pay for! When it comes to the venue we didnt want to skimp on price. I am so glad we chose this venue. We had our fairytale wedding!