The Lodge at Sonoma Resort, Autograph Collection

ng rain - the pictures are already gorgeous, but really don't do it justice). When we initially signed our contract, there was a completely different team in charge of their events. The initial lack of communication left us with a little buyer's remorse, but the moment Michelle took over we knew we would be in good hands. She made up for the missteps of the prior team plus some. When we returned for our second visit and food tasting, it was raining yet again, but I was filled with the same excitement I felt when I first visited the property. I felt completely at ease with Michelle and her team. And the food....to die for. We could not wait for our wedding day just to have the food again, and on our wedding day the guests could not stop raving. We initially planned for our ceremony in the stone building and reception on the lawn, but once again the rain got the better of our time on the property and our wedding had to be moved inside. As a bride, this is an incredibly stressful and devastating thing to happen just before your wedding day, but Michelle and her team, along with our planner, seamlessly worked together to make it the event of our dreams. The staff were incredible, somehow invisible but also attentive to and on top of every need. Honestly, our only regret was not staying on property for longer after our wedding. Numerous guests have commented that they are already planning trips back to the property for vacations, anniversaries, etc. We cannot wait to be back. I would wholeheartedly recommend the Lodge to anyone looking for the perfect venue in the Napa Valley.

t we figured out how to make it work. We started to plan our wedding more than a year out, so when we secured the Lodge as our site early-on, we didn't need to do much in the way of planning. Unfortunately, when we were nearing our wedding date (within 3 months) and needed to start working out more of the details, we started to encounter serious issues. We would send emails, make phone calls, and leave voicemails with no response. We eventually found out that the point person we were supposed to be in touch with had left (and this was the 2nd or 3rd one we'd had since signing on) and they were working on a replacement. The communication between us and the Lodge became so broken down, that my fiancé and I decided to spend extra money (we hadn't planned for) in order to hire a wedding planner about a month out from our wedding. This was especially disappointing because the package we paid for at the Lodge was supposed to include an on-site planner, and it was around this time that they said that was no longer going to be provided. Things did turn around for the better when they finally had someone permanently hired as their wedding manager, but it was unfortunate that it happened after we had already spent for an outside planner. Communication became better, and the person they hired (who is still currently there as I write this) was very responsive, kind, and knowledgeable. We wished we had been able to work with her earlier. For anyone looking to have their wedding here, I will say that things ended on a better note for us at the Lodge, and we loved our wedding.

mailing and calling daily with no response. This was really frustrating because our other vendors needed information from The Lodge to plan their set up for the day. The team at the then called me 2 nights before my wedding to ask me how many people were coming, even though we had already emailed over everyone's meal choices several times. They consistently emailed the wrong email accounts with information about our event. (There's more but I'm not going to list everything.) Overall, I was worried that they weren't going to take care of everything that needed to be taken care of. The staff turnover here is high, and it felt like nobody was taking care of our event. Proceed with caution if you choose to get married here. Be sure to higher an additional planner to support you.

gement team were unresponsive and unprofessional. Our original site visit was pushed back twice, then the sales person no showed after we drove 1.5 hrs. We were given a tour by another sales person, but then passed off via CC'd email to a wedding coordinator who did not return emails until we DM'd the Lodge's instagram account for help. The level of unprofessionalism from a hotel that wants to charge us upwards of $65K for a wedding is unbelievable. They told us they "don't usually give pricing proposals" when 2 other venues had already given us detailed pricing proposals within 3 days of a site visit. When we expressed our displeasure with their customer service, the salesperson drafted some sort of proposal with the caveat that catering prices will increase by about 10%. In addition to this, there is a 5% venue coordinator fee and it was unclear if they were taxing us after including tip. Our last email inquiring about the service charge was sent 5 weeks ago and has yet to be answered. Obviously, we signed a contract with another venue that, despite being more expensive and including less, was much more professional. Planning a wedding is already stressful. No couple wants to have the added aggravation of dealing with unanswered emails and no shows. We didn't trust them to care about us or our wedding after taking our money. Until they get their act together, I recommend you avoid considering the Lodge at Sonoma as a wedding venue.

wedding. We worked with them to find a date and requested April 9th. While we were waiting for the paperwork, we found out that that date was no longer available due to a corporate event booking without their knowledge. Not a great start because we had to pick a weekend that many of our guests had conflicts for. Once we signed the contract, we worked with the wedding coordinator that is included in the package. Be warned - this person is more of a day of coordinator and I would recommend hiring your own planner (more on this later). It was progressing well until a month out from the wedding. I realized that the coordinator had not responded to anything in three weeks. Including really important details such as food, location choices throughout the wedding day, etc had still not been finalized. My husband and I both tried to reach out with no answer. I was freaking out, not sure if our guests were even going to have a meal. Finally our personal wedding planner was able to figure out that the Lodge planner had taken a leave of absence. I understand that things happen, especially during Covid times, but I wish the venue would have let us know proactively that this person was no longer with the Lodge. You can't imagine the stress that we felt THE WEEK OF our large destination wedding having nothing confirmed with the venue since there was no person to contact on their side. The Lodge did end up supplying a temp planner (the week of the wedding) who was able to execute the last minute details. But she said herself she was grateful we had our own planner. She literally did their jobs for them. (Side note - Taylor Ingraham from Taylor Rae Weddings is the GOAT!!!) The worst part of all of this is that one of my vendors told me that this same issue happened to another one of her brides who got married at the Lodge! The coordinator went MIA before the wedding (summer 2021). I thought there was no way this could happen twice, but apparently it seems to be an ongoing issue with this venue. Apparently it is still not resolved. There were a few issues throughout the night that we had explicitly communicated. For example, at one point there was only one bartender for 125 guests, with an insanely long line. Not great to see on our wedding night. Overall, we did have a great night and the venue is really pretty, but if you choose to have your wedding here, PLEASE take my advice and hire your own planner. Also be warned that there are alot of random charges that appeared on the final bill.

had the restaurant on site cater and we're so glad we did - a month later and our guests are still raving about the food. My only regret was that I didn't have any leftovers to bring home, yum! If you do host your wedding here, which you should, Alena is an absolute wonder to work with. She's kind, patient and does a great job at bringing your vision to reality. Also, be sure to request Bradley as your bartender. He was so sweet. I have heard from so many guests about how great he was – and it’s true, he was awesome.

be staying at the hotel again and recommend as a venue for those looking to have a Sonoma wedding with much of the service, rentals etc included in the venue price.

ng. Even though halfway through we needed to switch our coordinator because she switched jobs, the Lodge handled this transition smoothly by giving us an equally great coordinator. Beautiful location, and the cost was lower than several of the other resorts we were considering in the area.

t to list the pros and cons I've experienced. Pros: The venue, overall, was beautiful. The tent and stone building left guests in awe. Guests also loved their cottages. Mine had a slight issue with natural lighting which made hair and makeup slightly tricky, but the room was lovely nonetheless. We had an amazing tasting a year prior to the event. The tasting menu was very creative the food tasted exactly, if not, better the night of the event. The staff, especially the banquet captain, was very attentive to our needs during the reception. The reception, overall was more than what we could ask for. The hotel was able to accommodate the additional rooms in our room block, and even had a room for me when I realized I didn't reserve my own room the night before the wedding! Cons: Leading up to the event and following the event, the only issue I experienced was with the accounting/billing department. They do not listen to the client, and charge your account on their own accord, without proper authorization from the client- more appropriately, commit fraudulent activity on your account.

e the hotel was decorated for Christmas. The staff was helpful and accommodating. Our event coordinator was kind and very helpful- she helped make sure the day went smoothly. I took one star off of service because the response via emails was slower than I would have liked (rarely did I get a response the next day.) And because I would have liked for them to make sure we were scheduling things like the tasting on time. But I resolved that by sending emails asking- what next? We were able to block off rooms for our guests at a slightly discounted rate (they were still pretty expensive for my friends.) I would definitely recommend using The Lodge at Sonoma and look forward to planning another event there.

awesome, one less thing to worry about. The Lodge also provided us with a day-of coordinator, Alena, who was so sweet and organized. She really put all my anxieties at ease and made our wedding a breeze. I just can't say enough about how great the Lodge is, I would recommend them in a heartbeat!

about a thing the day of my wedding. Our wedding went so smooth and was very well organized. The staff went above and beyond. I received so many compliments on the food (excellent food), the grounds (so pretty), and the great service. The food was really top of the line. We offered our guests the choice of filet mignon, halibut, and chicken. Our starter salad was amazing. The location is so pretty. We took our pictures at The Lodge and they turned out beautiful because it provides such a pretty backdrop. I can't say enough about The Lodge. Most of my guests stayed at The Lodge and although a little pricey were so happy with the room accommodations. I highly recommend having a wedding at The Lodge at Sonoma. I wish I could do it all again!

re all very helpful and very nice. The food was DELICIOUS and the patio area where our reception was held looked BEAUTIFUL. I am so pleased with how our wedding turned out, and soo glad we selected the Lodge. Our room was beautiful, we truly enjoyed our stay. Our wedding planner Tracy, was extremely professional and helpful throughout the entire planning process. I too wish I could relive the entire event. It was the PERFECT DAY ♥ I would strongly recommend The Lodge to anyone getting married in Sonoma. Thank you again!

ravioli. We also received so many compliments from all of our guests – about the venue, food & service. Our coordinator, Brooke, was extremely helpful throughout the planning process and kept our wedding timeline on track. I wish I could relive the entire event – it was perfect. I would recommend The Lodge to anyone getting married in Sonoma County!

ht of our wedding so that our guests had somewhere to go afterwards. the only issue was that you have to put down money for a room block, so we were not able to do that for our guests. we are still thrilled though that this is the hotel we will want to go stay at for our anniversaries!

d very helpful. We also got great room discounts for guests and ourselves, and the rooms were amazing. And even though you have to use their caterer, the food was delicious and we had many options to choose from. I am so pleased with how my wedding turned out, and am so glad I chose the Lodge at Sonoma.

The entire hotel staff is really top-rate

details were not taken care of for us-things we didn't think about, like having the staff bring in our guestbook. It was left outside, so after it got dark & the party moved inside, the guestbook was forgotten. Some of the candles we made for favors were thrown away when the staff broke the dinner tables down as well, another detail that should have been taken care of better. Otherwise, they were great.