I had my wedding ceremony and reception at Lazy T Ranch in April of 2014. If given the choice, I would have my wedding there again. The meadow where we had our ceremony is absolute...ly stunning and the barn for the reception was extremely convenient, if nothing else. I worked with Chris Wilson throughout the planning process, and although she is a very busy person, she was fantastic about always answering her phone any time I called. The price is very reasonable and both Ron and Chris are good about accommodating requests. And you can bring in your own vendors – a huge plus.
That being said, if you are thinking about using Lazy T Ranch as your wedding venue, there are some things you should know so you can be more prepared than I was.
First, the B&B (a cute old farmhouse located on the ranch) is convenient and my bridesmaids got ready there the morning of the wedding and they planned to stay there overnight. However, the kitchen was a mess, there were wasps inside the house, and there was cat hair on the beds, floor, and furniture. The cat hair was only an issue because one of my bridesmaids is terribly allergic to cats, and her throat swelled to the point that she couldn’t breathe. All of my bridesmaids chose to book hotel rooms instead, which was an unexpected expense.
Second, we had to provide our own ice (and coolers to keep it in) after being told (in print) that ice would be provided. We found out the day before the wedding that Ron and Chris would not be providing the ice, so this gave us time to run and get some the morning of the wedding to fill the ice chest. However, after arriving with the ice, the “ice chest” was actually just an insulated box with no lid. So all 500 lbs of ice we purchased melted long before the wedding. My dad was left scrambling to purchase more ice and coolers to keep it in right before the wedding started.
Third, if you are planning on having a dance you (or your DJ if you hire one) will want to bring in your own speakers. I made my own playlists to save some money and the single speaker they have is not nearly loud enough when the barn is full of people (we had 250 guests). When our dinner started, we realized we couldn’t hear any music or announcements. My husband sent his friends to get 2 large speakers from their old fraternity, so luckily we still had a dance, but it wouldn’t have happened without them. Also, if you are not hiring a DJ, make sure you have two devices to play your music on. The wiring in the barn was not done properly, so it cannot handle having a computer or ipod charging and hooked up to the sound system at the same time. It causes loud reverb noise. We solved this problem by charging one device while the other was playing music and then switching them out when the battery ran low. If you ARE hiring a DJ, I would be sure they make a trip to the ranch well in advance of the wedding to test everything (the wiring, etc.) with their equipment to make sure it works.
And last, make sure you have PLENTY of extra help from friends/family members on the morning (or day before) your wedding to help set everything up. We had 20 relatives at the ranch that morning cleaning tables, mopping the floor, setting up tables and chairs, etc. (all things that we were told would be taken care of). We never would have been ready in time without them.
As long as you are prepared, Lazy T Ranch can be a fantastic and affordable wedding venue.