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Weddings

About

Gardener Ranch is a rustic wedding venue located in Carmel Valley, California. Situated on the pristine banks of the Carmel River, the venue is covered with magnificent oak trees and lush fields. The property offers a rustic charm in a beautiful natural setting, with spacious lawns and indoor spaces perfect for wedding ceremonies and receptions.


Facilities and Capacity
Spread over 24 acres of land, Gardener Ranch can accommodate up to 350 guests. It has five stunning outdoor sites with views of the Carmel Valley River, towering oak trees, and sprawling, lush grass. The Main House, a private estate with a patio and a swimming pool, is perfect for large gatherings. The River House offers beautiful views of the Carmel River. In the corner of Gardener Ranch is River Cottage, a quaint space perfect for use as the bridal suite. Then there is a guest house under sycamore and oak trees, offering magnificent views of the mountainsides. Gardener Ranch accommodates couples for any length of time they desire.

Services Offered
Gardener Ranch provides a variety of settings and services for bridal showers, elopements, receptions, ceremonies, engagement parties, and rehearsal dinners. In addition, they have available wedding event items such as altar/arches, tables and chairs, other furniture, and a dance floor. The venue offers the following wedding services:

  • Bridal suite
  • Accommodations
  • Event rentals
  • Lighting/sound
  • Set up
  • Liability insurance
  • Clean up

We are full booked in 2023. Thank you for your interest in Gardener Ranch!

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have a site fee for wedding receptions at your venue?

Yes

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during peak season?

$565

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during off-peak season?

$500

Do you have a site fee for wedding ceremonies at your venue?

Yes

What is the starting site fee for wedding ceremonies during peak season?

$24,654

What is the starting site fee for wedding ceremonies during off-peak season?

$6,705

Which of the following are included in starting site fee?

Bridal Suite
Chairs
Clean Up
Parking
Set Up
Tables

How many event spaces or rooms does your venue offer?

6

Describe your venue:

Farm/Ranch
Garden
Historic Building

What kind of settings are available?

Indoor
Uncovered Outdoor

Which of the following wedding events does your venue service?

Ceremony
Reception
Bridal Shower
Engagement Party
Elopements
Rehearsal Dinner

What event services do you offer?

Accommodations
Clean Up
Event Rentals
Get Ready Rooms
Liability Insurance
Outside Vendors
Pet Friendly
Wifi

What event items are available?

Altar/Arch
Chairs
Dance Floor
Furniture
Tables

What transportation and access is available?

Parking
Wheelchair Access

What months are included in your peak season?

April
May
June
July
August
September
October

What months are included in your off-peak season?

January
February
March
November
December

Reviews of Gardener Ranch

Meagan
Meagan Sent on 09/05/2021
5 out of 5 rating

A magical weekend

Gardener Ranch was the first and only venue my husband and I looked at for our wedding. We stepped onto the property and immediately knew this was where we wanted to get married. Not only is the property stunning and can be used in a variety of ways, but the 5 houses on property gave us a three night party we always imagined. The houses are perfect for housing wedding party members, family, and friends. It’s like having 5 small hotels on property!

With COVID, we were forced to postpone. Heather at Gardener held our hand through the whole process. She is so professional, supportive, and responsive. She would call or text anytime we had a question and made us feel so at ease when we were anxious about the state of the world and our wedding.

Our weekend was absolutely perfect, our guests were blown away by the property, and our photos were absolutely perfect.
Lexi
Lexi Sent on 05/02/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Unbelievable! Best venue in Carmel Valley!

We had our wedding at Gardener Ranch and it was stunning! We invited 230, and 170 came. I did a lot of research in Carmel Valley for a wedding venue and ended up falling in love with GR. I felt like I had the most flexibility with GR. Other places had a lot of rules and stipulations which really frustrated me: requiring you to use certain vendors or catering, Mission Ranch has a 5 hour maximum event time which I didn’t like (including ceremony to end of the reception). GR really gives you so much control to create your own unique event, you aren’t just another wedding like all the others. You could go as cheap and rustic as you want with a food truck, or as fancy as you want with full catering and they won’t pressure you to do anything a certain way. We chose to stay three nights, such a fun way to bring families together and it was SO worth it to have a full wedding weekend with everyone.

When our friends & family arrived and toured the grounds, they were stunned! It was beautiful. We all loved visiting each other in the houses. It was a great way for our families to get to know each other better. We had our rehearsal dinner on site, very convenient and fun! Very relaxing to have everyone on site or nearby and able to enjoy the whole property!

GR really goes above and beyond to make the experience easy. Heather & Nanci were extremely easy to work with and always thorough with their responses.

I was a very budget conscious bride. We picked off season and had our wedding in March, which saved us a good amount of money. We used GR’s alcohol package to receive a 20% discount and that was great. We did an hour of margaritas (they were strong and very good!) plus wine & beer. We used Jeffrey’s catering, the food was amazing and you can’t beat the price. They weren’t always responsive to us, but when it came to the wedding the food and service was great. Most catering companies gave us quotes over $25k, Jeffrey’s was about $12k and we had a lot of people comment that the food was amazing and the wine was flowing freely! We picked salmon and filet mignon and did a sundae bar which was a hit. We did a small cake with Layers, they are the best in town!

GR was constantly there in the background, cleaning up things and moving things to set them up for us. But I really felt like we had the place to ourselves and could fully enjoy the property. We used Bouqs Co and made our own flower bouquets right there on the venue which was fun and easy.

We were worried about rain for our wedding. We went through options with Chic’s rentals. Option 1) Pay over $20k for a huge tent and dance floor 2) Pay about $5k for a custom tent from Chic’s rental that fits on the patio area- we would have chosen this if rain was 100% for the whole afternoon. 3) Move inside and split up our guests. Fortunately it didn’t rain for our outdoor ceremony, but because of the temperature we chose to move the reception indoors which ended up being just fine. Make sure you think through a rain option and go over options with Nanci & Heather so you’re not stressed before your wedding.

I highly recommend hiring Mark Banks for your DJ. He played live music for us, and everyone loved it! Brandon Scott was also an incredible photographer. Oh and the black and white dance floor! It’s SO awesome in pictures!!!

You are guaranteed to have a unique and lovely wedding at GR. You can choose to do something more budget conscious like I did (I kept ours under $45k) or of course do something extravagant, but it is possible to do it for a more reasonable price!

One piece of advice I wish I had known: lodging for the venue gets tricky very quickly. We chose to charge everyone $60 per night per person staying on the venue. We ended up having about 42 people stay. Anticipate a lot of opinions on where people want to be. If I could do it again I would charge people less if they were staying on a couch. A lot of our family opted to stay across the street at Carmel Valley Lodge (which was convenient and easy!), but anticipate that when you are doing your budget. We had hoped to fill all 51 spots but it just didn’t happen.

I cannot recommend Gardener Ranch enough. We are still getting compliments on what a wonderful venue we picked. Especially our out of state guests—they loved the excuse to come to Carmel Valley!
Lauren
Lauren Sent on 01/07/2019
5 out of 5 rating

A real-life dream come true!

Faith brought us to Gardener Ranch in our search for wedding venues, and it was truly the best choice we could have ever made! Nancy, Heather, and Gardener Ranch's Staff are the best!! We stayed the whole weekend and had the most amazing time with our family and friends. We used as much of the property as we could and took it all in!! They took amazing care of us and our guests. We had beautiful weather (10.20.18), and everyone left saying 'That was the best wedding they had ever been to' and that 'We did it right!' (probably due to the fact that we never once had to leave this amazing property all weekend!). Thank you so much again!! xoxo Lauren & Miguel
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Awards

28
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2020 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2017 Winner

Professional Network & Endorsements

5 Endorsements
Inés Zrinski Photography Inés Zrinski Photography Wedding Photographers

Gardener Ranch has everything you need for your event! From the onsite lodging to the perfect Bride and Groom getting ready locations to the poolside cocktail area, this venue has a myriad of options for you. Oh and don't forget to plan to have your ceremony by the creek surrounded by trees! I wholeheartedly recommend Gardener Ranch and am always excited when my couples choose it for their venue!

Bacchanalia Bacchanalia Wedding Caterers

Gardner Ranch has been a Carmel Valley institution since forever. It's wonderful having it restored and well cared for again. The property is a stunning, secluded oasis. As if once you walk through their gates your time exists apart from the rest of the world. I love that type of escape.

Live Free Photography Live Free Photography Wedding Photographers

Exceptional venue! Totally unique atmosphere! The vibes are welcoming, bohemian, and classic. We would recommend this place to any bride looking for the perfect location.

Preferred Vendors
Chic Event Rentals
4.8 out of 5 rating , 86 reviews
· Photo Booths
Mike Steelman Photographers
4.8 out of 5 rating , 12 reviews
· Wedding Photographers

Map

Gardener Ranch frequently asked questions

Gardener Ranch includes the following items and services for wedding events in its starting site fee:
  • Bridal Suite
  • Chairs
  • Clean Up
  • Parking
  • Set Up
  • Tables
The space offered by Gardener Ranch for wedding events is known for:
  • Farm/Ranch
  • Garden
  • Historic Building
Gardener Ranch offers the following indoor/outdoor options for weddings:
  • Indoor
  • Uncovered Outdoor
Gardener Ranch offers the following types of wedding events:
  • Ceremony
  • Reception
  • Bridal Shower
  • Engagement Party
  • Elopements
  • Rehearsal Dinner
Gardener Ranch offers the following services for wedding events:
  • Accommodations
  • Clean Up
  • Event Rentals
  • Get Ready Rooms
  • Liability Insurance
  • Outside Vendors
  • Pet Friendly
  • Wifi
Gardener Ranch offers the following furniture and decor items for weddings:
  • Altar/Arch
  • Chairs
  • Dance Floor
  • Furniture
  • Tables
Gardener Ranch is recommended by 97% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 4.8 out of 5 with the following breakdown: 4.9 in quality of service, 4.9 in professionalism, 4.8 in average response time, 4.8 in flexibility and 4.7 in value.

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