My husband and I got married here a week ago and had a fantastic experience. We spent months looking for a suitable venue for our destination wedding and were so happy to find Spring Creek Ranch in Winthrop, it really was the absolute ideal venue for us. We wanted a place where we could have a large crowd (180 - 200 easily), and where we could spend a few days, rather than just a few hours, enjoying the company of all of our friends and family. Ideally, we wanted something on a river or near a body of water, with beautiful scenery for a backdrop, at a reasonable price. We were also very willing to do a lot of the planning and execution ourselves, so we didn't need a full-service wedding facility, more just a great space to make an event happen, and license to make it as festive as we could for the entire weekend.
SCR fit the bill perfectly. A 60 acre ranch situated on the shore of the Methow River, set against a North Cascades backdrop, it is breathtakingly beautiful. A tiny spring creek runs right through the grass next to the main farmhouse, and there are plenty of big weeping willows as well a few rustic barns and outbuildings, which add photographic interest to the already beautiful surroundings. There is also a good sized pond, perfect for swimming during hot days. The place was teeming with life while we were there- hawks circling overhead, deer grazing in the fields all weekend long, salmon spawning in the stream just a short walk away from the farmhouse.
Sarah, the ranch owner/ caretaker, rents the ranch for a three-night package deal which is priced very reasonably and includes lodging for 15 as well as porta potty and wash basin rental for guests. The lodging includes a large farmhouse (a beautiful, comfortable place to stay), a smaller log cabin just across the field, and a small studio a few miles away, perfect for the couple getting married or for parents of the bride or groom. (note: each lodging facility is also available as a vacation rental. My husband and I actually got engaged at the Hoot n' Holler, the studio cabin, on a prior Methow Valley vacation). Tent camping is available on site, and there are plenty of accommodations within walking distance of the ranch, in downtown Winthrop.
All in all we found Sarah to be incredibly accommodating, flexible, responsive to my many requests, and exceptionally easy to work with (she even accommodated our desires for our pooch, Lexi, to come along on the wedding journey and stay on site). Sarah also has a lot of contacts and wedding vendors in the Methow Valley that can hook you up with whatever your heart desires for your wedding, and happily shares them.
Some things to note- the venue is not a full-service wedding venue. For example, there are no tables, chairs etc. on site, nor is catering offered, nor are linen or dish rentals available on-site. If you want a more inclusive wedding package which includes those things, this is probably not the place for you. On the other hand, if you are comfortable handling your own rentals, finding a mobile catering company, and handling a lot of the details (or have hired a wedding planning professional who can handle these details), then this would be a great fit for you. All in all, we had an amazing experience, and will forever have a particularly fond place in our heart for Spring Creek Ranch. We would highly recommend it as a venue to anyone considering a DIY (do-it-yourself) wedding in the Methow Valley.