Van Dickson Ranch

Carolyn and Staff for all you did.

place with amazing scenery (which is amazing for pictures)! Also the food the serve during the reception was the best smoked meat I've ever had! That was a huge plus for us.

d meats. What a great idea to hold weddings at such a beautiful venue. The owners and staff took great care of the wedding party & guests and we happily relay that experience every chance we get. We just referred a dear friend and her daughter for their wedding and I know it will be as memorable for them as my niece’s was to all of us.

thing from start to finish. The other weddings were improvised skits in comparison. Paul and Carolyn really set the bar high!

Phoenix, is planning her wedding I'm glad that I did and know where she is going to enjoy her big day. First of all, Van Dickson's Ranch is beautiful, stunning in fact. It is impossible not to be affected by the mountain views and relaxing atmosphere. The staff's courtesy and attention to detail was just as impressive. My friend kept me informed during the process of planning the big day and he was impressed with how professional and kind the owners were. They took what could have been stressful and time consuming and made it enjoyable. As a guest I had to admit that this was the first time I have attended a wedding and be impressed. The food was wonderful. Some of the best BBQ I have enjoyed. What impressed me the most was the overall atmosphere the owners were able to create, fun with a sense of celebration but still relaxed.

e food was incredibly delicious and service was great. Staff was very friendly and helpful. I found Carolyn particularly pleasant and wonderful to work with as I was the wedding planner & the bride. She cleared up some confusion during the set-up of the reception tent & tables, & gladly helped whenever she was needed. It was a lovely, magical ceremony in the most beautiful grove of trees with thunder rumbling in the background as we said our vows & luckily just a few sprinkles here & there. Carolyn was nice enough to be watching some sensitive decorations of ours & brought them out of the moisture to prevent them from being damaged. During the reception, I popped a button on my wedding dress and Carolyn went & found a safety pin for me, thus saving the day! Carolyn went above & beyond my expectations by being so helpful and nice to work with. I would recommend the Van Dickson Ranch as a wedding venue for anyone interested in an outdoor wedding. Many of our guests commented on how great the food was, and quite a few said it was the best wedding that they had ever been to! Looking back on my wedding, I remember it as the most wonderful fairytale of a night that I will probably ever have!

ons I had. The day of the wedding she was right there for anything I needed and Paul made an amazing dinner! Everything was just perfect and I am so thankful that the day turned out so beautiful! It was a little stormy in the morning but Carolyn kept me updated and when we arrived to the ranch the weather was PERFECT! Our wedding day was so special and I will forever remember it and be thankful we had it at the Van Dickson Ranch! ❤️

many comments on how beautiful it was at your ranch. Everything went perfectly and the food was great!

The wedding under the trees was breathtakingly beautiful, the barbecue tri-tip and chicken delicious and a wonderful time was had by all. My wife Sheila and I, the parents of the groom, could not have been more pleased. We had a very large gathering of out of town guests and they are still raving about the venue and the wonderful evening. We highly recommend VDR to anyone who wants a beautiful outdoor venue with charming staff and every detail attended to.

everything ran smoothly and as the mother-of-the-bride, I was able to watch my baby get married at the most beautiful venue (If you've ever been to the beautiful rolling green hills of Texas Hill Ciuntry, you've thought you were there!) and an absolutely unforgettable reception with the best food true Texas style! We can't thank Carolyn and Paul enough for their help and Texan hospitality!!

e asked for a better setting. When everyone arrived they could not stop raving about how beautiful and green the setting was. Once you get past the fact that it is a little outside of town you will not be disappointed. I also enjoyed working with Carolyn and Paul. Carolyn as very attentive and was quick to respond to all my emails and made sure that I was getting exactly what I expected. They even made sure to have gluten free chips available with appetizers for the guests we had that are gluten intolerant. The food that they provide is amazing and anyone who still had more room food after the first round definitely went back for more! They were even kind enough to send a box home for me since I wasn't able to really enjoy it completely between the dress and all the chatting i was doing! I also want to point out how honest and friendly they are. My now husband was getting ready with his grooms in the bridal suite at the ranch and he forgot to get all of his things at the end of the night. Carolyn was so kind and the following morning she emailed me to inform me that things were left at the ranch and was wondering how she could get them back to me. Fortunately, we were still up north and we stopped by a got all of our belongings and I could not have asked for a better overall experience. If you are looking for a beautiful setting in Northern Arizona for a wedding, you cannot get much better than this.

work with during the planning process, and offered a list of trustworthy vendors who did not disappoint! On the wedding day, everything was ready as promised for us to set up and decorate. We had early and easy access to the venue, and the wedding party had their own comfortable quarters onsite. The grounds were immaculate and the scenery provided stunning photo opportunities. The “cowboy” helpers, of course, were courteous and obliging – what a nice touch to this ranch setting. Our guests were highly complementary of the reception food prepared by the staff. As the mother of the bride, it doesn’t get any better than hearing your daughter say – “Thanks, Mom, for the wedding of my dreams!”

thing they did. It was breath taking and literally EVERYTHING was perfect. Everyone says "something is bound to go wrong on the wedding day" but not at this place. It was perfect and everyone was so kind!!

edding, we were promptly greeted by Carolyn and some ranch hands to helps us get organized. The venue was set up exactly as we had requested and it was beautiful! Every staff member that assisted us was friendly and very helpful catering to our every need. The food is outstanding and I can not count the number of compliments we received on our dinner. Carolyn and Paul the owners, as well as several ranch staff personally served the meal and spoke with each guest ( it was a very nice touch). The staff was professional throughout our entire day and very quickly helped us get our personal belongings at the end of the night. The day after the wedding Carolyn sent us pictures she had taken of the ceremony and they were beautiful! All in all, a top notch experience! I have 2 other daughters and they are planning on Van Dickson Ranch for their weddings. Thank you Carolyn, Paul and the entire staff. From Janna Proud Mother Of The Bride :)

person. The wedding was initially set for the polo field. The Thursday before the wedding we received an email stating that the reception was moved into the barn due to inclement weather. So we prepared for a barn wedding instead. To our surprise, upon arriving the day of the wedding to decorate, the reception site had been moved back out to the polo field. Carolyn stated that she’d emailed me. To date I have not received an email. Carolyn will send you a confusing sketch and some “cut and paste” table and chairs to make your seating arrangements. I explained to her that the bridal party wanted a specific layout (horseshoe, which was originally suggested by Carolyn) and deferred to her judgment for the remaining 11 guest tables. What a mistake. No horseshoe and tables carelessly strewn about. There wasn’t even enough seating for the bridal party. Mind you CAROLYN WAS NOWHERE AROUND during this time. We had to track her down and request additional tables. According to her she didn’t have rectangular tables that could accommodate 5 people (that is not what the sketch indicates). Furthermore, we were short a table cloth. AGAIN, NO CAROLYN, we had to track her down. Once she made her way back out there she was rude and stated that we didn’t order the appropriate amount of tables and table clothes. She stated that she would have to charge us and we’d have to pay then and there. We were backed into a corner so we purchased the additional items. After that fiasco, came the wind. Our decorations and seating arrangement cards were blowing everywhere. The tent had shades that could have been rolled down to help block the wind. When we requested that these shades be lowered Carolyn’s husband, came over and told us no. Lastly I’d like to mention that at the same time you are setting up there is a polo game going on the field- so watch out! After the ceremony I was notified that we did not have wine glasses. I asked Carolyn’s husband to take to the reception site on his golf cart so I could assess the situation. In fact, we did not have wine glasses. When I inquired about the missing wine glasses, Carolyn’s husband berated me. He told me he “owns this place and he knows what goes down here” and we “didn’t order wine glasses”. I told him that regardless we needed wine glasses. Carolyn untimely furnished the wine glasses but not before she had the opportunity to berate me as well. Unfortunately, you will have no cell service or Wi-Fi to bring up a contact. We DID order and pay for 75 wine glasses. Overall the wedding was nice but no thanks to Carolyn and Paul. There were many details that were overlooked due to their disinterest. It’ very evident that Carolyn and her husband are solely using their ranch for financial gains. We were made to feel like an inconvenience. Once Carolyn caught wind of our dissatisfaction she began harassing via both telephone and email the bride and groom. She actually sent the groom as email where she CHANGED the contract. Additionally, she emailed a BOGUS seating layout suggesting that I had requested a specific layout. The funny thing about email is that it can be tracked and I keep meticulous records. SHE IS LYING. I have never seen anything like it.

en Carrie and I were driving away from our meeting with Carolyn I turned to her and said, we can look at these other two locations, but that's going to be our choice. The Van Dickson Ranch had everything I mentioned above plus they struck us as extremely professional. Their package made the rest of our work a breeze. When our event was over everything had gone as we imagined. The grounds were perfectly kept. The style of the wedding was exactly as we were looking for, a classy outdoor setting that was relaxed enough that our guests could enjoy the reception. Everyone we spoke to afterward has told us how beautiful the venue was. It was a real benefit to be able to show our family members who are not from Arizona what a lush green place you can find in the desert.

ontributed to great memories. We just love Van Dickson Ranch we will shout it to the tree tops!

answer my million of crazy questions. She was always helpful with her opinions when I was having issues making decisions. It is such a beautiful areas. All guest cannot stop talking about how good the food was. I hear the same thing: "It's the best BBQ and food I have ever had at a wedding. We wish we could go back to get it again."

extremely stressful because its a set up of the day of. Rude comments were made by staff and the staff was not helpful during setting up. Money was also brought up to people that it should not of been during reception. I felt like it was a great place until the day of because of the work and staff. Ask a lot of question before choosing.