Leo Carrillo Ranch Weddings & Special Events

enue even before we were officially engaged and wasted no time securing our date as soon as the ring was on my finger. It’s easy to see why this venue is so popular—it’s truly one of a kind. The planning process was seamless and stress-free, thanks to the incredible team at Leo Carrillo Ranch and Personal Touch Dining. We worked with Samantha for the majority of our planning, and she was an absolute dream to collaborate with—so kind, patient, and always quick to respond with detailed answers to our many questions. When our account was transitioned to Derek closer to the wedding date, the handoff was smooth, and Derek’s attentiveness and accommodating nature made us feel equally supported. The venue itself is breathtaking. The natural desert landscape with cacti, yucca, and succulents, combined with the historic adobe architecture, created the perfect blend of rustic charm and timeless elegance. Our guests couldn’t stop raving about how stunning the ranch was, and the unique history of the property made it all the more special. The food and cocktails were phenomenal. We chose the short rib, which was melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and paired it with vegetable lasagna, garlic green beans, and garlic mashed potatoes—all of which were a hit. For dessert, we opted for churro shooters (a total crowd-pleaser!), along with a dessert bar featuring donuts and cookies. The bar staff worked with us to create fun and flavorful signature cocktails that added a personal touch to our celebration. On the day of the wedding, our coordinator Kylie was nothing short of exceptional. She handled every detail behind the scenes with grace, ensuring the day ran smoothly from start to finish. She even made sure my husband and I were well-fed and hydrated throughout the night—a small but incredibly thoughtful gesture that made a big difference. The only constructive feedback we’d offer is about the timeline. Vendors are only allowed on-site starting at 2 pm, which meant they had just about 1.5 hours to set up before guests started arriving at 3:30 pm for our 4 pm ceremony. Since we got married in November and the sun sets earlier, we had to fit all of our pre-ceremony photos into a tight window. That said, we opted to pay for an additional hour of event and bar time, which allowed for plenty of dancing and celebrating—something we highly recommend if you want a little extra breathing room in your schedule. Overall, our wedding at Leo Carrillo Ranch was absolutely magical, and we couldn’t be happier with the experience. From the stunning venue to the outstanding service, everything exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend Leo Carrillo Ranch and the Personal Touch Dining team to anyone looking for a truly unforgettable wedding day!

e our day absolutely magical. Samantha is amazing! She went above and beyond to ensure every detail was perfect, and made the planning process a breeze. Our day of coordinators, Sam and Kylee, were fantastic and ensured our day ran smoothly and was stress free. Our guests are still raving about the beautiful setting and the incredible food and drinks. If you’re looking for a venue that combines charm, exceptional service, and the flexibility to make it your own, Leo Carrillo Ranch is the place. Thank you for making our special day unforgettable!

l touch dining and Leo Carrillo take care of everything. Our day of coordinator Kylee was so amazing. I felt so at ease and relaxed knowing we had her. She made sure everything ran smoothly, answered all of our questions and made sure we felt prepared going into our big day. From the moment we reached out the venue and first spoke with Samantha we knew we needed to have our wedding at the ranch. We have received so many compliments about the food, drinks, and staff. Everything about our wedding day was perfect. Look no further, because this place truly is special!

o communicate with. We did the tacos and churros and our guests are still raving about it! Day of, Derek stepped up and coordinated the day and I think it was such a gift! His personality matched perfectly with our group and he was able to run things so well while still making us all laugh and feel comfortable! If you’re hunting for a unique and amazing wedding venue you have found it!

t this was our place! The historic charm, stunning scenery, and ambiance of the venue totally won us over. The grounds are so beautiful and lush that we did not need to provide much in the way of decor. The gorgeousness of this property speaks for itself! Our guests took advantage of the many photo ops on this beautiful property, from the bougainvillea archway, to the poolside cabana, to the peacock sightings! We loved dining and dancing outdoors under the beautiful trees and twinkle lights, and had perfect weather for our July wedding. Samantha was such a pleasure to work with, and made our experience so pleasant through her responsive communication, organization and attention to detail, and friendly, warm demeanor. Hannah, our event producer, and Kylee, our day-of venue coordinator were also wonderful! We had an absolute blast at our food tasting event several months before our big day, and were blown away by how incredible the food was! We also received so many rave reviews from our guests about the food at our reception. The Personal Touch Dining team made the whole planning process so simple and effortless for us with their all-inclusive package, which covered just about every detail. This was such a dream for me, a bride who really did not know much about the event planning world prior to getting engaged. Our night was unforgettable and we highly recommend this special venue!

llent job at handling all our questions, requests, and providing clear expectations with a guest list that large. The convenience of a one-stop shop and working with a well established company like Personal Touch Dining made the process of shopping for vendors incredibly smooth. Along with our sales manger was the wonderful team for the event producer, Hannah, and our day of coordinator, Stephanie. Our guests enjoyed all the food—so much so, that I hear guests still talking about it and it's been almost 6 months. The team brought together an already beautiful area and turned it into a unique and wonderful venue. From beginning to end, everything was stress-free, and we got to enjoy our wedding. At my wedding I wanted to drink, dance, and eat cake with the people I love, and Personal Touch Dining made sure I did just that. I can't recommend them enough.

y many questions made this whole process stress free. She was understanding and attentive when I had to make changes or was going back and forth on things and her organization skills put me at ease. Would highly recommend this venue and this team!!

d it was everything I dreamed it could be. HUGE thank you to Samantha, Hannah, and Kylee for being incredibly helpful during the whole planning process and making our day perfect! It was truly a day we will remember and cherish forever. Thank you!!

om the blooming landscaping to the historic buildings, there are so many different photo op nooks that our guests loved exploring! The "flow" from ceremony under the pepper tree to the reception area down underneath the market lights was perfection. Our guests raved about the bar staff and loved having yard games (provided by the venue) at the cocktail hour. But the real winner of the evening was the food! We have received countless compliments about the catering provided by Personal Touch Dining. We had the mac and cheese, the strawberry arugula salad, and the tri-tip carving station all of which were phenomenal! From our first tour to the day of, Samantha and Hannah with Personal Touch Dining (the caterer and venue coordinator) were wonderful. They answered all of my (many) questions quickly and had wonderful suggestions when I was stuck during the planning process. Our day of coordinator, Jessica, was also fantastic! She ensured everything ran smoothly the day of, set up all of our decor, and juggled all of the things that I am sure was transpiring in the background! As far as I am aware, everything went off without a hitch! I cannot recommend this venue and the Personal Touch Dining team enough, you will have the most magical day if you decide to book with them!

our wedding. She was incredibly responsive and helpful with any questions I had. Personal Touch Dinning was the caterer and the food was superb and beyond our expectations. Our guests gave the greatest compliments on our food and that was the most important aspect to us when planning our wedding. Our day of wedding coordinator Sam was amazing as well, she really helped organize our whole day and made everything run so smoothly. Leo Carrillo Ranch / Personal Touch Dinning were truly the best to work with.

Carrillo Ranch are truly the perfect match. The packages they offer make wedding planning so easy and so much fun. The food.. can we talk about the food?? Everyone LOVED all of the food from the chef's market table, to the tray passed hors d'oeuvres, to the seated salad, entrees, churro station, donuts, and cake! We are total foodies and we knew the food would be so important to us, Personal Touch Dining blew us away with all of their amazing options to choose from. The Leo Carrillo and Personal Touch Dining team are truly the best. They treat you like family, care about every detail, and go above and beyond to make sure all your dreams come true. Special thank you to Samantha, throughout the year of planning she answered all of my questions and gave great ideas and input! She showed up on the big day just to make sure everything went smoothly, which I was so appreciative of. Our day of coordinator, Josie, was so kind to our huge bridal party and had us on schedule throughout the day. Our chefs, Caden and Ryan perfected every meal that went out. Our bartenders, Daniel and Jesse made our drinks perfectly and the guests loved it! And all the staff and servers working that night.. the whole team killed it and we will be forever grateful. I can not recommend this venue and the team that manages it enough. It truly was the most beautiful, magical, perfect day. Leo Carrillo Ranch is a whimsical dream and Personal Touch Dining elevated it to a whole other level.

ous, professional, and quick to answer any questions. What's amazing about this venue / company is that it is full one stop shop. Everything from venue cost, catering, insurance, security... is all included. The only thing we had to book was our photographer, DJ, and florist (which they already have a list for these preferred vendors). Usually they say 3 things go wrong, but our day was flawless due the experience and professional of the staff. One thing that we really enjoyed was when Leo Carrillo hosted us (and about 60 other couples) in San Diego where we could try most of the various appetizers, dinners, late night snack, and dessert options... even their specialty cocktails, wine, and beer. We got to talk to other engaged couples for wedding ideas and getting all your questions asked by the staff. We have only heard amazing feedback on how beautiful the venue was (even had some peacocks cruising through) and how tasty our food was (get the tri tip!). Extra cheers to Samantha to making it an amazing day. Alex and Jacqueline Plumb

) and day-of coordinator (Josie)- they were all simply amazing and professional. From our initial contact, site visit, group tasting event, and to the wedding day it all went very smoothly. We incurred a few unexpected situations including the cake vendor closed their business a month before our wedding, but Personal Touch Dining (who manages Leo Carrillo Ranch weddings) quickly found a replacement that was even better! We got SO MANY compliments on the food and cake quality and taste from all of our guests. We chose the taco bar and so happy we did! We also had the mojitos for the welcome drink and guests could not stop drinking them and complimenting them! The desserts we selected were the churros and sundae bar, and my husband and guests raved how delicious they were. Our guests told us it was the most amazing food they've ever had at a wedding. We feel satisfied with the quality and the price we paid for the reception food. Another issue that arose the week of our wedding was a chance of rain! We were so upset about that but Samantha handled it like a professional and provided us with a few options. We took our chance with the market pop up umbrellas instead of fully enclosed tents, and so happy we did. The umbrellas actually added to the venue ambiance and by the time of the wedding a few days later, it barely sprinkled and all the guests stayed dry. Overall, we were impressed with Leo Carrillo Ranch and so happy we chose the venue for our wedding. It was a memorable, magical, beautiful venue and the peacocks added to the one-of-a-kind venue. The market lights and windmill at night add to the beauty. Just book it!

soon as we set foot on the property. As the majority of our wedding guests would be visiting from the east coast, our goal was to have a wedding that felt very “southern California” and reflect the beauty of the area - and Leo Carrillo could not have been more perfect! The natural beauty of this venue is truly out of this world. We absolutely loved the look of the historic hacienda and the plants and cacti around the property make it so special! And the peacocks are so unique and fun! Besides how much we loved the venue, working with the Leo Carrillo / Personal Touch Dining staff was absolutely incredible. We originally booked our contract with a staff member that was no longer with the company as we got closer to the wedding date, and we were a bit nervous when there was the transition to the new employees as we had not met them yet. But Samantha and Vicki absolutely blew us away! They were both absolute joys to work with and they were so insanely great at communicating with us throughout the entire process. As I was a very anxious bride, they dealt with my many (MANY!) questions and always responded with such kindness and reassurance. Due to their communication, the wedding planning process felt so much easier. The entire team was so accommodating and even made edits to the food menu when requested and helped recommend how many ingredients we would need for our custom signature cocktail recipe. All of our guests gave such great feedback about the food and drinks!!! We really just felt like we were in such good hands and we were so well taken care of throughout the process. And now for our day-of-coordinator - we met Sam the day before the wedding at our rehearsal and we were absolutely blown away! She was incredibly kind, comforting, and knowledgeable and she really helped put me at ease when I was so nervous. On the day of the wedding, she went above and beyond and we were treated like royalty - she always made sure we had fresh drinks in our hand and she had dinner plates made up for us! She also kept us on track with the schedule and she even did things that we were not expecting at all, like helping with the decor and centerpieces. She was such a dream to work with and I felt so grateful for her the entire day! These pictures don’t do the venue enough justice but just go visit and see for yourself if you are looking for a wedding venue! We couldn’t be happier with our experience working with Leo Carrillo Ranch and Personal Touch Dining - thank you SO much Sam, Samantha, and Vicki, we are forever grateful!

Touch Dining team was so easy to work with! You guys went above an beyond to make our wedding so special. Thank you Samantha, Vicky, Stephanie and the rest of the stuff, you guys were incredible. All of our guests were impressed with the quality of food, the beauty of the venue and the high level of service. THANK YOU!

were exceeded!!! The outdoor wedding venue at Leo Carrillo Historic Ranch in Carlsbad, CA, was absolutely stunning! The all-in-one venue was unique in that the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception were in different locations at the ranch, which made it unique – all outdoor and naturally beautiful with plenty of shade! This venue was managed by Personal Touch Dining, Inc., of San Diego, CA. EVERYTHING was perfect! The food was amazing and plentiful, the middle-tier bar package we selected did not disappoint, and the wedding cake made by the bakery included in the package was special. Additionally, we selected the DJ and florist from their preferred vendors list and we couldn’t be happier with their services! We looked at 13 venues in various locations and chose Leo Carrillo Ranch due to the location (destination wedding for many of our Northern California guests), beautiful outdoor setting in a rustic ranch setting that is well maintained (peacocks on the grounds a nice plus), convenient all-in-one package offered by Personal Touch Dining, and surprisingly lower cost than other venues. All of our 125 guests had a blast including the children under 10 years of age! The venue had a grass area next to the bar with games for our guests to play and socialize... good times. Special recognition and thanks to the following individuals who made our wedding very special and that I highly recommend for their expertise, professionalism, and superior customer service: • Samantha Contreras – Personal Touch Dining, Sales Manager & Initial/Primary Contact (San Diego) • Samantha “Sam” Lopez – Personal Touch Dining, Day-of-Venue Coordinator (San Diego) • Manny De Leon – Sound Illusion, DJ/Owner (San Diego) • Michael Asmar – Joie de Vivre Photographie, Owner/Photographer (Santa Clarita/Valencia) • Lauren Sandoval & Amber Mila de la Roca – Flour Power Cakery, Wedding Coordination Team (El Cajon) • Rose – Tessfresh and Tessilk Flowers, Wedding Coordinator/Office Manager (San Diego) • Others – Personal Touch Dining, Recognition to all the individuals who were responsible for the venue setup, tending bar, buffet station, and waiting our tables…I’m sorry I didn’t catch your names, but you were as important as the others on this list Thank you, all, for making our wedding a perfect day filled with unforgettable moments! We truly appreciate you!!! Cheers, Gabe & Mary

s the spot for our big day! It is BEYOND beautiful (the roaming peacocks are a pretty cool perk and a crowd pleaser)! The process was so easy from start to finish. Wedding planning can be EXTREMELY stressful, but Leo Carrillo made it such a relaxing and fun experience! They were on top of communicating, and answering my many questions throughout the planning process. Everyone that we worked with was so sweet and receptive! Fast forward to our wedding day...it was an absolute DREAM! The setting was gorgeous and our day of coordinator Stephanie was the BEST! Everything went off without a hitch, and Stephanie was to thank for that! We got so many compliments from our guests on the venue, food (Taco Bar Package - many guests said it was the best wedding food they had ever had), and service that Leo Carrillo/ Personal Touch Dining provided! I would recommend this location to any and all brides who want a relaxing planning process and a magical wedding day! Thanks again for making it a day we will NEVER forget!

done for us and very done well. We just had to enjoy the celebration! Personal Touch Dining was extremely helpful with recommendations, communication once the contract was signed and the entire planning process. The only thing I will warn you about are the costs. They advertise the venue as being "all-inclusive" but please be aware that the term only includes the meal, service and venue. It does not include extra fees, gratuities, outside vendors or upgrades. That is ALL extra cost on top of the already pricy venue. If money is tight, I would not suggest this venue, but if you have money to spare and to go all out, then I HIGHLY recommend it. My groom and I were blindsided at the beginning not knowing that there was quite a lot of extra costs outside of what they were indicating as "all-inclusive." I'm just saying, be mindful and get all the information up front. Ask lots of questions because there are A LOT of hidden costs that you may not expect.

online don’t do it justice! You must see it in person and experience it for yourself. In addition to the beautiful venue, I can’t say enough good things about our entire planning process with the Personal Touch dining team. From start to finish, they made it SO easy. No need for a wedding planner, they really handle all the details for you minus florals and any added decor (which you don’t need much of). For everything you get with the all inclusive package, it is an ABSOLUTE STEAL. Basically, if you want to be stress free while planning + get married in a place that is going to get you tons of compliments without totally breaking the bank - this venue is for you. ONLY DOWNFALL AND CON of this venue is that your event must end at 10. We had a fun after party at a nearby bar which made up for it and more than half of our guests showed up because they wanted to keep the party going! Ended up working out just fine :)