About this vendor
Idaho Guest Ranch - Lazy R Ranch is a country wedding venue welcoming celebrations in Banks, ID. The property is a picturesque slice of nature that invites guests to breathe in the fresh mountain air. An accessible offering, it is situated only a short drive from the state capital of Boise, making the estate an ideal getaway from city life.
Idaho Guest Ranch - Lazy R Ranch offers an authentic experience of ranch life. Sweeping meadows span acres, surrounded by rugged mountainous terrain. Nature’s great expanse is laid-out before guests, creating a sense of unbridled freedom under the great blue sky. Those who have the luck may even spot some of the many animals that call the surrounding area home including majestic elk. The property is family-owned and still operates as a working farm throughout which large herds of cattle graze. Wedding party members can even mount a horse and explore scenic trails through the wilds featuring everything from dense forests to serene lakes. Couples can exchange vows in the woodland area, in a ceremony at one with nature. A roof-raising celebration awaits in the loft-style barn where couples will find a setting that builds upon its rustic location whilst providing modern facilities. Its frame features unvarnished timber with sturdy beam posts holding up a high-ceiling and a gallery overlooking the spacious bar floor. The barn is a classic slice of rural picture-perfect example of rural America with a characteristic red and white facade. Built in the late-1800s from locally sourced lumber, it has seen countless weddings, square dances, and get-togethers between friends.
Idaho Guest Ranch - Lazy R Ranch invites guests to get close to nature, with space for up to 200 attendees in its campgrounds. For those who would rather a more luxurious place to rest their heads, The Ranch House can sleep up to 13 people. The space is equipped with a host of facilities such as a refrigerator, oven, and washer. The management is accommodating of couples’ needs and allows wedding planners to decorate the barn as needed. They also provide a list of preferred vendors that to-be-weds can use if they wish, when choosing caterers, photographers, DJs, and more. Due to the venue’s secluded nature, there is no curfew placed on parties, allowing groups to celebrate to their heart’s content.
Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Covered Outdoors Space
Liability Insurance
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Settings
- Backyard
- Barn
- Farm & Ranch
- Estate
- Garden
- Historic Venue
Venue Service Offerings
- Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
- Destination Wedding Planning
- Planning
- Destination Wedding Planning
Reviews
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3.3
out of 5.03 reviews
The ranch itself was exactly what we had envisioned for our wedding weekend. The property is beautiful and provided the setting we had always hoped for. Unfortunately, our experien...
ce working with the owner, Jessica, was incredibly disappointing as Jessica simply over promised and under delivered.
Over the course of our 15 months of planning, communication was consistently poor. Responses were often vague, contradictory, or failed to align with what had previously been discussed or advertised on the website. Delays, avoidance, and a lack of transparency became a recurring pattern, making what should have been an exciting planning process unnecessarily stressful.
One of our biggest regrets was hiring Jessica as our day-of coordinator. Her involvement fell far short of professional expectations. On our wedding day, she had five of her children present—late into the evening (past midnight)— eating food we had paid to have catered for our guests, drinking beverages intended for our guests, dancing throughout the reception, and using the Polaroid camera and film that had been provided for our guest book. As a result, many of our guests were unable to participate because the film had been used. Disappointingly, she failed to act in our interest as the day of coordinator with our food vendor which resulted in hundreds of dollars in catering leftovers not being left on the property.
Even after our wedding, our concerns were not handled professionally. For weeks after our wedding, there was no communication regarding when or how our security deposit would be returned. Once again, we were forced to initiate contact with Jessica to get any information. Despite remaining at the venue until 2:00 p.m. the following day to thoroughly deep clean and leaving the property in excellent condition, our security deposit was withheld. At which time, Jessica made false claims and continued to communicate in a way that was dishonest and disingenuous that insulted us and our guests integrity. It wasn't until after having to repeatedly advocate for ourselves and demanded its return that we received a portion of our security deposit back.
Nearly a year later, we are still having to advocate for something as basic as our consent after photos of our wedding were shared publicly despite us previously declining permission. Instead of respecting our wishes, our boundaries have continued to be ignored. The ranch itself is a beautiful venue, but our experience with the owner overshadowed what should have been one of the most meaningful weekends of our lives. We cannot recommend working with Jessica based on our experience. If you are considering this venue, we strongly encourage you to establish clear expectations in writing, maintain firm boundaries, and carefully consider whether you want the owner involved in coordinating your wedding day.
Our daughter was married in October 2019, at this beautiful and rustic ranch, and it was a spectacular wedding! We rented the ranch for the weekend, and we also had many come with ...
their campers. The rehearsal dinner was catered by Off-The-Grid Pizza, the wedding dinner was catered by The Dutch Oven, and the band was Sweet Briar out of Boise. All were EXCELLENT!!!We came prepared with everything such as lights, extension cords, decorations, extra food and of course kegs of beer and our own bar. We really liked the versatility of being able to do everything and every detail ourselves, and for that reason, it was an affordable wedding as compared to other venues, even with obtaining extra venue insurance etc. We did have lots of help with a really large wedding party and so many friends staying up at the ranch as well. The ranch house and barn had lots of places to sleep, and there were all the necessary amenities, but we did bring extra to make sure. Prior planning is important here. Also, Jessica, the owner, was great to work with and she was flexible in many ways. She is a good communicator!
The morning of the wedding, we woke up to snow! While it was beautiful, we had to go to PLAN B, which was move the wedding into the 150 year old barn! The wedding party and the couple came down the stairs, and were married with the huge barn doors open to the snowy scenery in the back. It was simply beautiful, and actually worked out really well with all of our guests sitting in white wooden chairs instead of sitting on hay bales. Jessica kindly refunded us for not using the bales. At the end of the ceremony, the kids branded a board right outside with the brand that they had created for their future ranch, and it was lovely for all the wedding guests to see.
The only challenge we had, other than hosting so many people for what turned out to be a whole weekend (and that planning was huge!), was planning other lodging for guests. The banks road is quite steep, but well graded, and we had family and friends stay in VRBOS and at the Terrace Lakes Resort as well. We are from Colorado, so the road did not bother our family and friends, but some might find it intimidating. However, we had some people stay in northwest Boise, and that drive through Sweet is still only about 45 minutes, so we felt that those who wanted to come, would find a way that is comfortable for them. It was all worth it, even in a snow storm! Thank you to Jessica and the Lazy R Ranch for making it a rustic dream country wedding!
Let me start off by saying the ranch is BEAUTIFUL and the wedding ended up turning out the same. The ranch is in the middle of the mountains so there are pine trees and everything ...
in the area. The owners were easy to get a hold of by email or phone call. I had a few troubles closest to my wedding. I got an email about a week from the wedding saying I needed insurance and a liquor liability. Thankfully we are homeowners and already had the insurance we needed so we just had to get a copy. However, if we had been renters, that would have been a surprise last minute expense that we hadn't budgeted for. The biggest issue I had came the day I arrived at the ranch (the day before the wedding). They were building a new barn there and the owner told me that the barn wasn't done, as I was going for a rustic wedding, it didn't really bother me, I asked if there was electricity and she simply said yes. Great! So the day I showed up, my uncle informs me that there is ONE plug in and NO, ZIP, ZILCH, NADA, NO LIGHTS. Since I didn't realize there weren't lights, I didn't bring any of my own. Thankfully I thought to grab an extension cord "just in case." I called the owner and told her my dilemma and she basically said "we don't have any you can use, can't someone who is coming up bring some?" REALLLLLY!!! I'm freaking out the day before my wedding, an hour from any store and an hour and a half from home and that's what you have to say? She didn't offer to see what she could find or any other solutions. That was it. Literally all she had to do to get a higher rating was: when I asked if there was electricity when I was at home before the wedding, she could have said "yes, but only one plug-in, so bring extension cords, and there are no lights so bring some type of lighting." That's just text-book accommodation. She didn't even express that she was sorry or anything. I should rate the service lower but they were very easy to work with before and her husband was very nice. I'm not saying that I wouldn't recommend the ranch, but I would say that you should wait until they have the ranch completed and make sure you ask tons of questions!
Contact
702 Drybuck Rd, Banks, ID
Idaho Guest Ranch