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About this vendor
The Retreat, situated on 43 acres of private gardens and redwood forest is available for special events, such as weddings, fundraisers, family reunions or staff appreciation events. The grand living room can seat up to 125 guests. The front balcony overlooks a large heart-shaped lawn making the Retreat an ideal location for weddings and special events. Many weddings and reunions at Ralston White Retreat are overnight to week-long celebrations where family and friends relax and get to know each other in our spectacular home setting. The Retreat is a short drive to many of the best San Francisco Bay Area tourist destinations.
Amenities + details
Indoor Event Space
On-Site Accommodations
Reception Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Liability Insurance
Outdoor Event Space
Wireless Internet
Settings
- Garden
- Trees
Venue Service Offerings
- Food & Catering
Reviews
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3.7
out of 5.03 reviews
I am writing this review as I reflect back on our Daughter and son-in-laws amazing wedding weekend at the Ralston. Our daughter had a vision for her wedding. She wanted to get mar...
ried in the California red woods surrounded by nature and she wanted to find a venue that would allow for an entire weekend of celebration with housing that would allow friends and family to stay on sight and enjoy a weekend of fun, celebration, and relaxation. That was a very tall order. Since our daughter lives in Chicago my wife and I were in charge of finding a venue that would allow for our daughters vision to become a reality. After a lengthy on line and in person search process we had the good fortune of discovering the Ralston White Retreat. As my wife and drove on to the property for the first time our hearts skipped a beat as the Ralston came into view. It is a spectacular sight. The home surrounded by the redwoods was exactly what we were looking for. The house is a beautiful 3 story mansion that have that old world charm. The center stair case and rotunda with its beautiful word work reminded of the Titanic. There are bedrooms that allow for nearly 40 overnight guests. We took possession of the venue on a Friday at 11am and it was all ours until Sunday at 3pm. The mansion is surrounded by beautiful redwoods on all sides and it completely secluded. You feel like it it your own private home for the weekend. We had a beautiful 3 day celebration that never felt rushed. The 3 day rental allowed for my daughters vision of a "wedding weekend" to come to life. There are options for a ceremony on the beautiful heart shaped front lawn or a more natural setting on the lower area surrounded by redwoods. It was a special weekend in a very special place. We were blessed by our time at the Ralston. In closing I want to take time to acknowledge the amazing staff that were a big part of making our wedding weekend such a success. Christy & Gabriel were AMAZING from start to finish. In our search for a venue my wife and I encountered venues that seemed to be most interested in giving you the rules and requirements. From our first encounter with Christy she was most concerned about making sure we could plan the wedding that our daughter was dreaming of. This was a wedding planned long distance by two out of town families with no local presence in the Mill Valley area. I knew that was going to require someone that we could work with on the other end. Christy was the person from day one. Our daughters wedding was originally planned for June of 2020 but like so many other life events covid caused us to have to regroup and reschedule. Each time we had to reschedule Christy was so kind and patient at helping me get the new dates secured and on the calendar. As the wedding date drew closer Gabriel made sure to have everything we needed ready and available for when we arrived. Both Christy and Gabriel have the gift of hospitality and it shows in their work at the Ralston. When we said goodbye on Sunday it felt like we were saying goodby to friends. Thank Christy & Gabriel for being an important part of Hannah and Mitch's wedding weekend. If you are looking for a venue that provides for the things I have mentioned in this review do yourself a favor and plan a visit to the Ralston White Retreat. It may just be the last venue you visit!
DON'T RENT FROM RALSTON: I would rather write a good review for this venue, but sadly they are a great disappointment. My daughter had planned her wedding for Aug of this year (202...
0). We were very excited to plan and support her big event as her parents. We were asked for a sizable deposit in February to secure our Aug. date. Then in March we ran into the unprecedented conditions of COVid-19. As much as we hoped for the Corona Virus conditions to change they only got worse, the Retreat was closed, and my daughters dreams of a fairytale wedding were forced to change.
I couldn't ask her to move her wedding date a year away as was suggested by Ralston Retreat. Our daughter simply wanted to be married to the man she loves, and move on with her life. So we made all the arrangements for a small intimate backyard wedding on the date as planned. To our amazement the Ralston White Retreat and its foundation have chosen to hold onto our deposit of almost $4000 saying they could only change the date and can not refund the deposit.
When we contacted businesses much smaller than Ralston they agreed to refund the deposits. I expected at least the same level of integrity from The Ralston White Foundation and its President Josh Rafner.
a beautiful historic mansion. 50 guests were able to stay for the weekend. great staff.
Contact
2 El Capitan Ave, Mill Valley, CA
Ralston White Retreat