4.2
Verified reviews from real couples
Carmel Valley Ranch
Central coast
Service area
Holds ceremonies and receptions
Beautiful and kind folk made our smaller wedding delightful
Jo R.
5.0
Carmel Valley Ranch was the perfect place for us to get married! The views and food were incredible and I honestly felt like the staff accommodated everything I had asked. There was a lot of turn over throughout the year with the wedding planning staff but as long as you have your own planner you will be fine. Xuan was amazing to work with and everything turned out perfect! We got married on the Vineyard Lawn then had cocktail hour at the Harvest Landing and finally dinner and dancing in the Vintner room. Seriously can't say enough good things about this place!! Also, if you haven't stayed here - check it out the rooms are amazing and all my guests received upgrades - definitely helped with the overall cost to stay here!
Lindsay R.
5.0
Carmel Valley Ranch is a stunning Resort and wedding venue in Carmel Valley, CA, near Carmel by the Sea. Imagine tying the knot with panoramic views of the Santa Lucia Mountains, surrounded by rolling lavender fields and enchanting wildlife. You can customize your special day and enjoy the celebration of a lifetime with various indoor and outdoor spaces available.
This venue offers over 500 acres full of beautiful features and amenities, such as a vineyard, an organic garden, an 18-hole golf course, several pools, multiple dining outlets, onsite guest accommodations and more. With various fantastic event spaces available, Carmel Valley Ranch can accommodate elopements, intimate celebrations and large-scale gatherings of any style. Exchange vows on the gorgeous Vineyard Lawn, nestled among the Pinot Noir grapevines, or opt for the Valley Lawn with a magnificent backdrop of the breathtaking Carmel Valley, or exchange vows at our Hilltop Platform secluded from it all with magnificent views. Multiple attractive reception spaces are available to choose from, such as the elegant Redwood Room & Terrace, Oak Room & Courtyard, Vintner Room & Terrace, Harvest Landing, Organic Garden, Hilltop Platform, Vineyard Lawn, Clubhouse & Patio, Valley Lawn or Driving Range. After a long night of celebrating, guests can rest their heads in one of the comfortable and well-appointed guest suites on-site.
The dedicated team at Carmel Valley Ranch will go above and beyond to ensure your vision is carried out to perfection and that your big day is unforgettable. The staff takes pride in their attentive service and acute attention to detail, and their goal is to allow you to sit back and relax while they take care of the details. With digital resources, checklists, and a carefully curated list of recommended vendors, planning a wedding couldn't be simpler. The talented culinary team will help you design a custom menu and create a delectable wedding meal made only from the best local and organic ingredients. As well as wedding festivities, there is a wide range of activities for you and your guests to explore throughout the resort. From nature hikes to arts and crafts, beekeeping classes, honey tasting, meet an greet with our coral animals, and so much more! Reach out to Carmel Valley Ranch and find out how they can help create the wedding of your dreams.
39+ years in business
Speaks English, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese
Large team (21+ members)
Amenities + details
Amenities
Ceremony Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Ceremony Types
Civil Union
Commitment Ceremony
Elopement
Interfaith Ceremony
Non-Religious Ceremony
Religious Ceremony
Second Wedding
Vow Renewal Ceremony
Settings
Ballroom
Barn
Farm & Ranch
Country Club
Garden
Hotel
Mountain
Restaurant
Tented
Trees
Vineyard & Winery
Venue Service Offerings
Bar & Drinks
Bar Rental
Cakes & Desserts
Cupcakes
Other Desserts
Destination Weddings
Destination Wedding Packages
Destination Wedding Planning
Food & Catering
Planning
Destination Wedding Planning
Rentals & Equipment
Service Staff
Transportation
Shuttle Service
Any questions?
Reviews
4.2
out of 5.011 reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help
you make those big decisions with ease.
Jo R
5.0
8/13/2020
Beautiful and kind folk made our smaller wedding delightful
Lindsay R
5.0
11/23/2019
Carmel Valley Ranch was the perfect place for us to get married! The views and food were incredible and I honestly felt like the staff accommodated everything I had asked. There wa...
s a lot of turn over throughout the year with the wedding planning staff but as long as you have your own planner you will be fine. Xuan was amazing to work with and everything turned out perfect! We got married on the Vineyard Lawn then had cocktail hour at the Harvest Landing and finally dinner and dancing in the Vintner room. Seriously can't say enough good things about this place!! Also, if you haven't stayed here - check it out the rooms are amazing and all my guests received upgrades - definitely helped with the overall cost to stay here!
Any questions?
Carli A
5.0
7/17/2016
Carmel Valley Ranch was the perfect wedding location. The views, the food, the wine, and the service far exceeded all of our expectations. Our wedding planning team at the Ranch ...
(thank you Emilia!) made our day so enjoyable, made planning stress-free, and took care of many last minute details to ensure we could enjoy our day to the fullest. We can't thank the team there enough and would strongly recommend the Ranch!
Jennifer J
5.0
9/29/2015
Best venue possible. The staff is friendly and the food is amazing. Working with Nicole was blessing. She was so calm, patient, friendly and efficient. The wedding can out to be am...
azing.
Maria B
5.0
9/21/2015
We had our wedding here in December and it was wonderful!
Teresa D
5.0
11/01/2014
Location:
CVR is set in an absolutely stunning area, with beautiful landscaping everywhere you look, and the breathtaking Carmel Valley hills as the backdrop. We chose the Vineyar...
d Lawn for our ceremony site – I cried when we first stepped onto the lawn in our initial visit, so I knew it was THE place. The banquet hall in the lodge was also beautiful – it did not feel like a typical banquet hall, and there was a lovely patio with a fountain for the cocktail hour. There are endless areas to take photographs – from the vineyard, to the lavender fields, to the organic garden, and any of the tree-lined roads, all made for beautiful pictures.
Food:
CVR’s food was unbeatable. We had numerous guests rave about how it was the best steak they ever had, but every dish was creative, high quality, and most importantly, delicious. It was very difficult to choose our menu because everything was so yummy! We are huge supporters of farm-to-table, and CVR takes pride in sourcing ingredients locally – even as local as from their own garden!
Service:
I worked with Rachel and Tracy for my wedding, and they were amazing. Rachel was responsive and attentive to all my questions leading up to the day. She offered very detailed answers to my questions, and always responded within a day or two. At the wedding weekend, Tracy was an amazing day-of coordinator. She was so patient when one of the wedding party members was late for the rehearsal – we never felt rushed. On the wedding day, she handled all the crazy demands and running-around with grace and ease. When I got a stain on my gown, she was ready immediately with a Tide pen! She was a helpful guide in taking us from place-to-place, and she worked seamlessly with all our vendors to keep us on schedule. We also brought most of our own decorations, and she did a fantastic job of setting up everything. It was a pleasure to work with the catering team to make my wedding day an absolute dream come true.
We could not have picked a better venue for our wedding.
Anonymous
5.0
12/16/2012
My husband and I had the most wonderful time at Carmel Valley Ranch on our honeymoon. The service, the facilities, the food, everything was spot on and fabulous. We plan on returni...
ng soon!
Rebecca C
1.0
10/23/2011
My fiance' and I have had our hearts set on getting married at Carmel Valley Ranch in the vineyard since we started dating. I contacted CVR this past August to begin collecting inf...
ormation about having our wedding there. I also was checkig a few other venues in the area. I promptly heard from the other venues in 2 days; however I had to contact Jessica a second time after a week of no response. She then said she would get to it as soon as possible. Three days later, I still hadn't heard anything so my fiance' called her and Stephanie Callica, who is in sales. Stephanie apologized, notified their Director Mark, and said that Jessica would contact us with in the next 24 hours. She did and I also received an apology email from Mark explaining that they were short a coordinator, he had just hired someone, they'd just completed a $35 million renovation, and that this wasn't how they did business. Jessica did contact me within 24 hours and apologized to me and sent the information promptly. For the next few email exchanges, I heard back quickly which started renewing my faith. At the end of September, I let Jessica know that we were planning a trip out at the end of October to select our venue and ask if we could make arrangements for a tour. It took 12 days before I heard a word back. Once I had heard back from her, our Saturday was booked up visiting the other venues because we only had two days to spend there. I asked if we could possibly tour Sunday and explained what happened. It is now two weeks later and we leave Friday to go to Monterey to choose our venue and I've yet to hear from her. I'm absolutely heartbroken. We decided that since this is the "honeymoon phase" and we aren't hearing back, then this is a strong indicator of what is to come. I also read a review on www.projectwedding.com of a bride who just had her wedding at CVR in Septemeber 2011 and it was a distaster. Jessica coordinated the wedding and it ended up being a disaster. I wanted to share my experience because I have spent so much time researching venues in this area. I've also been working with LaPlaya Hotel, Pebble Beach Resort, and The InterContinental Clement. Each of these has been an absolute pleasure to work with.
Dana M
1.0
9/21/2011
So I had my wedding there this September 2011 and while the views and scenery is picture perfect (literally picture perfect my pictures came out great) the whole wedding process wi...
th them was less than perfect.
We first looked at Carmel Valley Ranch when they were in the middle of the remodel and while I didn't mind having to imagine things I did mind the 3 different personnel changes that happened during my planning process.
Our first person Gillian was amazing from the start she was on top of everything. If I emailed her she had an answer for me within 24 hours and always willing to help and give suggestions on how to set things up etc... Gillian however left for a bigger and better opportunity and one can't blame her but the second person that I worked with was less than satisfactory. I believe her name was Heather she was only there for about 5 months and if I emailed her asking the size of tables and if she could send me a picture of they patio furniture it took 2 weeks or more. If fact I had to send another email to her to see if she got my first email. Not the best thing for a nervous busy bride. After Heather left I believe it was another month till they gave us Jessica and let me tell you she was the worst of them all. Hardly got back to an email, my wedding planner and I were calling her a month before the big day to get answers from her. I understand that she was put into this at the last minute but when you spend $$$$ with them for your wedding your contact person needs to be on top of everything no matter what the situation.
My now husband and I were also going to be spending our wedding night there in the bridal suite. Usually when you spend "X" amount of $$$$ on a wedding the venue gives the bride and grooms room for free. Not here I had to pay full price and was not even given a discount on the room. I had asked there hotel manager if it was possible that I get into the room early on my wedding day so I can change etc... I was rudely told no and that check in was at 4pm, I had to email Heather 2 times and call her twice before she told me that I would be able to get into the room early. At the end after all the problems we decided to rent a car service and stay at the Plaza Hotel in Monterey and it was perfect.
While my wedding turned out great I mainly have my wedding planner to thank for that cause she handle CVR perfectly and didn't let them phase her one bit.
Karen F
5.0
5/31/2011
Carmel Valley Ranch is a BEAUTIFUL venue which provides all the natural surroundings with a touch of modern aspects. It's in the valley of Carmel, so the view is great. In the begi...
nning, our venue coordinator was not responsive and a bit frustrating to work with. However, it quickly changed when she left and the managing director of the property stepped in; after that, the service was superb. The new point of contact, Simeon, was fantastic and extremely willing to help. We walked through each detail to make sure the day would go smoothly and he took detailed notes.
The service of the staff on property is exceptional and the food is delicious. When we had our tasting, the chef was there to personally describe the dishes and solicited our feedback to make sure it was the menu we wanted. He was very open to changes/modifications and great to work with.
Our guests kept commenting on the breath-taking venue and food. CVR did everything in their power to make sure we had everything we needed and their attention to detail did not go unnoticed. We look forward to celebrating our anniversaries there for years to come.
Teri I
4.0
5/10/2010
;wedding planner
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