This venue is great. We had our wedding there recently and everything was fabulous. We looked at several venues in the Walnut Creek/Concord area and the cost of this venue is comparable, if not cheaper. We thought it would be absurd to be stuck in an indoor banquet hall/reception center when there is such beautiful outdoor scenery here in the east bay. The setting is awesome with wonderful views from Mount Diablo. After dark, the lights in the trees really make for an elegant setting. The staff at Diablo Ranch are really friendly and will go out of their way to make everything go as smoothly as possible. You can bring whatever caterer you want and bring your own alcohol, which really saved us a lot of money. The setting for the rehearsal dinner was incredible and the staff did an awesome job on this also. I almost wish we could have another wedding there. The only problem that I heard from guests was that the gate was locked at the bottom of the mountain when they tried to leave. We did pay for someone to let people out after the wedding, but I guess they hadn't made it down there yet.

Spectacular venue for reception and ceremony-- a setting with character and charm that your friends and family will remember. Plenty of flexibility for persons (like us) who had family and friends in the catering, wine and music businesses. You get to choose who you want to provide services, and are not restricted to some approved vendor list. Plus, no limit on hours and they provide a lot of set up and break down services. Get a good photographer, our photos are superb! It was sometimes difficult to get a hold of staff in the planning phases but I had read about this from another reviewer and so was not worried and allowed myself time if I needed answers back. They did get back to me, just not always right away, partly due to their issues with internet and telephone service which would sometimes go out because of their remote location on the mountain. They did deliver though and everything was perfect!

We had our wedding here in early October 2010 (we had approximately 85 people, but the site could hold much more than this). This is an amazing location to have a wedding:

1. The view, scenery, and atmosphere make the event beautiful. Because of the location everything you add to it (rentals, flowers, etc.) just amplifies the beauty. On top of that you don’t have to add as much because the location is already so gorgeous.

2. The staff go out of their way to make your event special and a success. There was a mix-up with the aisle runner from the caterer; when I mentioned it to Kim she promptly said “we can fix that”. After the caterer and DJ ended, Kim and her team took over the bar and brought out a fire pit for us to roast marshmallows – we were there until about 2am!

3. The is no limit to what you can do. You can pick all of your own vendors – there are no restrictions. Also, if you want to do something extra all you need to do is ask. We had a DJ and a photobooth – there were no issues with outlets or plugs. I added extra twinkle lights over the dance floor, vines over the entrance gate, tea lights at the entry and around the pool, and flowers in the pool – Kim and her team were key in helping to set most of this up. Also, we got the whole weekend – rental delivery on Friday, the option to have the rehearsal dinner at the site, unlimited hours the night of the wedding, and rental pick-up on Monday.

4. The cost to rent the site is very reasonable for everything that you get (including how flexible they are).

There are a couple of other things I also want to comment on based on other reviews.

1. Responsiveness: A couple of months before the wedding I did find it difficult to get in touch with Kim, however when it came to the 2 months before the wedding she was extremely responsive and accommodating. I would recommend having a meeting with all of your key vendors (caterer, florist, etc.) and Kim 2 months before the wedding at Diablo Ranch to walk the site, finalize rentals and where everything will be located. This also allows all of your vendors to begin communicating with each other if they have questions.

2. Rentals: When you are planning out the cost of booking at Diablo Ranch, do not decrease your rentals cost (tables, glasses, etc.) because of what is at the site; though Kim is willing to let you use some tables and tableware, there ultimately was not enough and it would have been more confusing to use a combination of rentals and non-rentals. The serving tables that Kim has are very useful.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Diablo Ranch! It is a fabulous location with great group of people to work with!

The view and the outdoor setting sealed the deal for us. Our first few meetings/interactions with the wedding coordinator left us feeling a bit uneasy and I would strongly urge anyone considering this location to be very, very patient. They were very accommodating and flexible in the sense that there are really no rules or restrictions - great for us! But if you are the type of people that like a certain amount of responsiveness and professionalism just be fore-warned. I'm not saying necessarily to go elsewhere but I would tell anyone who asks to be fore-warned.

Pros: View, view and view; pool/water feature, romantic lighted trees, rustic feel, included valet service, no restrictions on noise and hard liquor bar, no timelimits

Cons: Hilly drive to the location, the terrain makes the table arrangements/seating chart very difficult, one person restroom (with a back-up restroom away from the main building), power issues (using a band with dj set-up)

There is no better place to have a wedding! My wedding was MAGICAL!!! I was able to have the whole weekend to use exactly the way I wanted. Kim and all of her staff were there to assist me with anything and everything I wanted! It was definitely MY DAY! Or should I say.. MY EVENT! My rehearsal dinner, ceremony, and reception all in the same place!
First off, the scenery was breathtaking! Made for fantastic pictures and it gave everyone that came 'an event to remember'.
Second off,The Crew That Made It All Happen! Kim and her Crew were sooo accomodating! And I know I couldn't have made that easy! My way has never been the 'easy way', but everyone there made it so very easy for me to do it any way I chose. Even when I changed my mind at the last minute(a few times!), they bent over backwards to make it happen! And they did make it happen!
Third off, My reception was loud and happy and full of beautiful people! We can be a handful to say the least! They let the reception continue until it was DONE! What I mean by that is until we were done! And that wasn't until almost sunrise!
I could go on and on and on.... but my advise if you want the perfect place for a very Magical Event...This is the place 'Diablo Ranch Events'

Diablo Ranch is a slice of heaven on earth. sitting atop the Mt it offers breathtaking views and majestic sunsets. The staff was extremely accomodating to meeting every request, which allowed us to have our day exactly the way we imagined. The flexibilty to feel "at home" and the freedom of no time restrictions which always are such a drag when the party is hopping. The motto here is the party isn't over till you want it to be, and in this "me first" "hurry up" world it is so refreshing to not be rushed. The memories from this day will last a lifetime... thanks to all in making my dreams come true.

absolutly breathtaking!

great over all, didn't like caterer but not her fault.