Cornerstone Gardens Reviews

Thank you to the entire Cornerstone team for the most beautiful wedding day we could've ever imagined. Sallie & Marisol were incredible to work with throughout the process and were quick to answer all our questions over the months of planning. Compared to other wedding venues we looked at, we felt that Cornerstone included a fair amount in their package though the extras do tend to add up as they would as most venues. Our day went off without a hitch and the food & beverage & service was top-notch. Our photos turned out spectacular, we loved all the gorgeous spaces to explore and the barn was such a fun place for dancing. Thank you to the entire team for the absolutely gorgeous wedding day!

We're wedding florists (Flowers Valley) and we had a wonderful experience working at Cornerstone Art Gardens. The staff is professional and accommodating, making the setup process smooth and efficient. The venue is absolutely stunning!

As a wedding planner, we often partner with couples before they have found a venue. We take some time to get to know their wishlist and then put together a vetted selection of venues. Nearly all of our lists have Cornerstone and partner venues on the list because they have so much to offer couples from views, privacy, accessibility to Sonoma and airports, options for design and guest experience, food and beverage, full bar options, later end time, and so much more. We love working with the incredible team here! They are professional and always deliver top notch service and quality of product.

We love partnering with the event team at Cornerstone and The Barn at Harrow Cellars. They are super collaborative, detail oriented, always responsive, and fun to work with. They are savvy wedding pros! As a special event vendor we love partnering with them and supporting events at these beautiful wine country locations.

As a wedding photographer, Cornerstone is a favorite of mine because of its variety of beautiful backdrops and light-filled spaces. The way it is laid out makes it feel more like a garden square rather than a one-building venue. I'm so thrilled to see it emerging from the pandemic with all sorts of cool events and opportunities. Can't wait to be back soon.

As an event lighting company, we love working at Cornerstone. The barn and grounds offer lots of great lighting possibilities, and the staff is very professional and cooperative to work with.

Cornerstone was the best venue and team we could have asked for to host our wedding. My husband and I had the most magical day, and when our guests are still talking about the venue 2 months later, that’s when you know you’ve found a gem! Katie and the team at Cornerstone made the process so smooth, answered all of our questions quickly and professionally, and despite the many events that happen at Cornerstone every week, we felt ours was special and unique. Highly recommend Cornerstone to anyone looking for a very special venue.

Great experience. Received compliments from guest about the venue.

Cornerstone was the perfect venue for our wedding. We wanted a space that captured the beauty of Sonoma but with a combination of modern elements (art), natural elements (water ponds/gardens/vines), and family feel (barn/farm tables). We booked a Friday afternoon since we would have many guest visiting from out of town (which worked out great!). The staff were friendly and responsive with no issues. They have a cottage on site for use the night of your wedding which was great for a relaxing time after the festivities had ended. Highly recommend this venue site!

Once we visited Cornerstone while we were looking at potential wedding sites, it just felt right. It is a beautiful site and the ceremony, cocktail hour, photos, reception, etc., can all be held on the grounds. The team there is responsive, professional, and well-experienced. This site does take more work because you must organize all of your own vendors, but they provide great recommendations and are always willing to help with questions. Our guests were so impressed with the scenery and had a great time exploring all of the grounds. There is also a ton of flexibility in choosing how you use the site and an on-site cottage to get ready at that currently comes with the site for the day. We could not have been happier with our choice to have Cornerstone as our wedding site.

The grounds are beautiful, the venue was perfectly suited to what we wanted. It was all super chic. The barn is my favorite part. Rustic but beautiful. Our pictures are also spectacular as we had amazing backdrops throughout.

Cornerstone is simply a beautiful venue for a wedding ceremony and reception. My husband and I were looking for a place that could host a larger group and that had no corkage. We also really wanted to be able to dance the night away without being cut-off at 9pm due to Sonoma's noise ordinance.

Voila Cornerstone. Right in the heart of wine country, so the location can't be beat, but it isn't a winery, so you have your choice of wines and spirits to choose from. Music until 11? Check! A tent and a barn on premise? Double check? Really cool art installations that you can take amazing photos in front of? Sold.

Andrea was our contact on-site and she was beyond a dream to work with. Incredibly responsive to all our questions and even let me store some of the wine on-site the day before so we didn't have to haul it back and forth the day of.

We couldn't have been happier with the venue. Thank you Andrea and Cornerstone!

This place met all my required criteria for a perfect, wonderful party.

We got married at Cornerstone last summer (June) and it was perfect! I can't say enough good things about this venue and it's staff. It was the perfect mix of beautiful, unique, and fun that we wanted. We had our ceremony on the lawn, dinner under the garden tent, and dancing/cake in the barn. Our wedding was on the larger side (210), but Cornerstone accommodated our group without any issues and everything went off without a hitch. The staff at Cornerstone (Veronica) was easy to work with, personable, and very responsive.. unlike some other venues we toured which seemed stuck-up and strict. Our guests raved about how much they loved the venue. We couldn't have asked for more, it was perfect. Bride and Groom get to stay at the cottage house on-site the night of the wedding, it's included in the fee. Also, my family rented the larger house on the property for the entire weekend and this is where myself and all the bridesmaids got ready before the wedding. I highly recommend having a wedding at Cornerstone!

We had our wedding here on 4/28/12 and couldn't have asked for a better place or experience. Cornerstone is beautiful and we loved that we got the whole property for our day. Veronica and Kristen were extremely helpful with coordinating our day. They answered all of our questions promptly and the place pretty much ran itself on our wedding day. I think Cornerstone is a great value for what you get and the pictures our photographer took there are beautiful and unlike any wedding pics I've seen before. I would recommend Cornerstone to anyone who is looking for a unique, nontraditional, and beautiful venue for their wedding.

I just got married at Cornerstone on March 17th and I cannot say enough good things about the venue and staff. We stayed at the houses and they were a perfect complement to the event locations (tent and barn). The weather was freezing but everyone felt cozy nonetheless. I bugged Kristen and Veronica quite a bit and they were always prompt and accommodating. They were always happy to make suggestions and adjustments as needed. And the gardens - well, what can I say, we could not have imagined a more perfect backdrop to our unforgettable day.

This was the most amazing place. Everyone that works here is awesome. I love Kristen , she is very helpful and makes everything go smoothly. Cornerstone made my wedding a fantasy and that is exactly what i imagined it to be!

We were referred to Cornerstone Gardens by our reception location. From the start, Kristen and her staff were incredibly helpful, curteous and professional. They made it easy for us throughout the entire planning process. Not only that, but the grounds are gorgeous and the picture perfect surroundings for a wedding. We held our ceremony at the smaller Vineyard House and it fit our group of 24 perfectly. We also ventured out into the gardens for pictures beforehand and I love the unique settings we got there that aren't available anywhere else. I am so, so glad we chose to host part of our wedding at Cornerstone Gardens. I would recommend it again and again to future brides for great value for the money, fabulous surroundings and helpful staff. Thanks, Kristen!

We are so happy we chose Cornerstone Gardens to have our wedding, which completely exceeded all our expectations. We were looking for a venue that had it all - beautiful scenery (I mean, have you seen the tent?!), great food, hard alcohol (surprisingly difficult given it's in a major wine county), and not too early of a close time. Cornerstone had it all! It's important to note that you will have to do a lot of rentals which can increase $$$ (furniture, dining, etc.) but it also allows you to customize to your tastes. Overall we had the best day and our guests could not stop raving about the experience. Thank you Cornerstone for an amazing dream wedding

This is a wonderful place to get married! The grounds are beautiful and unique but you can use the space to create the wedding you had envisioned. Very professional and responsive staff! I would highly recommend Cornerstone Gardens and am so thankful I had my wedding there!

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Cornerstone! It was the perfect location for our reception. Veronica, our on site coordinator, was truly outstanding. She was so responsive, professional, helpful, friendly and caring! We were well taken care of along every step of the process! The site was beautiful, perfect for pictures and offered everything our guest were looking for! I would recommend this site to anyone! Also, their vendor recommendations were wonderful. The only problems we had were when we strayed from their lists.

We had our wedding at Cornerstone in September 2023, and it was more beautiful than we could have ever imagined! When we first visited Cornerstone, we knew it was the right venue for us. The gardens were immaculate and each space had its own unique charm. We worked with wedding planners and vendors recommended by the venue, and everything went smoothly. Sallie and the team worked with us to make the event our own and honor our Indian wedding traditions, from the baraat to having Indian food from an outside caterer. The bar and drinks from Cornerstone were out of this world - in service, presentation, and taste. It was all amazing!

Cornerstone is a very magical venue. You have the garden, the art, the pond, the grounds, everything but the vendor shop areas to yourself to make your wedding day amazing and complete. You can dress it up, or down, and just about any wedding theme you could think of would fit this whimsical venue.

A few tips..
- If you pick this place it's do-it-yourself. Nothing is included except for the spaces. Know this going in.
- Because it's a DIY venue, it will be much more pricey to have a wedding here
- Hire a coordinator that knows design (like Sugar Rush Events) and the venue unless you are very good at design
- But still, hire a coordinator that knows the venue. Seriously, go with Sugar Rush. I interviewed 10 vendors. She's the best.
- Only hire vendors that know the venue, no matter what they say
- Do not wear spiky heel shoes at this venue, and tell your guests not to either (or get solemates)

The Pros
- This will be an incredibly beautiful venue for your wedding!!!
- Kelsey is very knowledgeable and answers most questions rapidly

The Cons
- People might sneak into your wedding to explore the gardens. It happened at our wedding. I heard it happens a lot.
- If you don't have a good coordinator there's a chance you'll lose something here. It's a big venue
- I had to remind the staff a few times about paperwork I already had on file
- Nothing is included except the physical spaces (you have to rent EVERYTHING)
- Everything costs more in Sonoma

So, if you can afford it, go with Cornerstone. It will be the best wedding in the world.

I absolutely LOVED having our wedding at Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma. The place is absolutely beautiful and provides guests with a feeling of being at different locations (ceremony lawn, dinner tent, and barn) without having to leave the property. We got married on the lawn, had cocktail hour outside the barn, dinner under the tent, and proceeded to dance & have cupcakes in the barn. It was perfect. There is a small house on site that comes in the package. There is also a large home on the property you can rent out. Unfortunately, we could not rent it, even though we booked our wedding about a year before it happened... the house was already booked for the weekend. That was the only bummer through the whole process.

Cornerstone was very responsive in following up and answering any questions. The site is perfect for picture taking. The only complaint I had from guests was that the paths were made of gravel and thus our shoes got very dusty. The only advice I have for future brides is that everything needs to be brought in - a kitchen, tables, chairs and dinnerware. This can add up so please be sure to budget that in.

Unlike many venues, Cornerstone allows hard liquor and pets. Our dog was part of the ceremony which made it special. We were allowed to throw rose petals and float flowers in the pond.

Veronica was the manager that day and she was most helpful.

When looking for a venue, we desired a space that had multiple facets, and experiences. Cornerstone offered us, and our guests a full-day experience, in a private and intimate setting. The Cornerstone staff were incredible and made our day special, unique, and personable. My husband and I can't speak highly enough of the incredible staff that we had the honor of planning our dream day with! Our guests continuously tell us that Cornerstone was the best wedding location they've experienced in NorCal.

Cornerstone provided such a beautiful backdrop for our wedding. It definitely takes some extra planning since nothing was included except the space, but with a good wedding planner you can really transform it into whatever you want it to be. My only criticism would be that I felt like we were not fully informed about all of the changes that were happening as a result of the venue being purchased by Sunset Gardens and what it would mean for our wedding until really late in the game. I felt like they could have done a better job of being up front with us about what was going on (since they clearly had at least some idea) so that we could take it into consideration in our planning rather than being surprised with it a few months before the wedding.

We got married at the Barn at Tyge William Cellars and it was absolutely perfect. Our day of contact, Nikki, was just lovely and very helpful. WE only booked the ceremony and the venue was accommodating for the smaller guest count. Communication back from the venue was not ideal and it took multiple emails with the same question repeated to receive an answer. Due to the natural weather disasters not far from the venue, this was frustrating as a professional even planner and the bride. Besides their regular lack of communication (unless billing related), I enjoyed the venue and have no regrets having my wedding there!

We had our August 2021 (orig Aug 2020) wedding at Cornerstone.

1 star because the venue is absolutely beautiful. Our wedding was stunning, the photos were great and guests loved it. I felt like both sales managers, Susan and Samantha, were really interested in making our day special and exactly how we envisioned.

We were so excited to have our wedding at Cornerstone when we booked in 2019. In May 2020, it became clear that we would need to reschedule our wedding due to covid...and here's where it quickly became a nightmare.

Cornerstone is under new management, so the reviews from 2019 and prior are for a different team of folks than you would be working with.

In order to reschedule my same exact wedding for a new date, Cornerstone asked for almost DOUBLE the venue and catering fees (for the exact same event). Suddenly there were many things previously included in the venue/catering that were no longer included, plus fees were increased, and many of the venue rules changed substantially from what we signed up for.

We felt we were treated with hostility by Karin Rogers, the new management. It was almost laughable when she said the new fees were because they are now focused on "growth and profitability"

In mid March 2020, they also asked to charge me early for the next payment, and I said sure - not at all expecting that later we would have to reschedule due to a global pandemic. We had paid for 100% of the venue fee, and ~70% of the catering costs, all of which were non-refundable, so we had little leverage, and I feel Cornerstone used this to their advantage. We finally (over the course of several very stressful calls and emails) negotiated an arrangement to reschedule for a lower fee, but the cost difference was still substantial, for the very same event.

Then the event manager we were working with was furloughed, the chef who's food we loved was gone. We did a tasting and were not pleased with the new food - I literally got sick. Thankfully we redid the tasting and it was acceptable (still not as good as what we signed up for).

All of this led to tremendous stress for several months, around what is supposed to be a very happy time.

Also echoing Katie's review where she mentions slow service at dinner and an understaffed waiter team - because of this, we barely had any dancing at our event. People were walking around the tent during dinner because it was taking so long...

In the end, our day was beautiful and we loved it, but I felt like others should know about what we experienced, since all wedding contracts say they cannot be canceled, but we felt in the face of the pandemic, this behavior was truly unacceptable. We had several other friends and family members with weddings impacted by the pandemic, and no one else faced such exorbitant fees and disputes in efforts to reschedule.

So interesting there are not any reviews since after 2018...hhmm so weird right? Well, let me tell you: it's probably intentional because this place really screwed the pooch and by pooch I mean my wedding.

We signed with cornerstone pre-covid when I thought we were booking with a sweet mom & pop, boutique venue. THEN come to find out in the midst of an unanticipated pandemic, the venue was purchased by Wine Country giant, Sonoma's "Best" (which is laughable now because they are quite literally Sonoma's Worst). Who cares right? Well we sure did when we were FORCED into paying $10,000 MORE to reschedule our 2020 wedding to 2021. Working with the new guard (Karin Rogers) was certainly the most stressful and heartbreaking experience we’ve been through. They were so inflexible, treated us as if we were idiots, and all they cared about the was bottom line. Making money. They are greedy.

After we got over that very expensive pill and once we swallowed, things just went from bad to worse. Particularly on our wedding day:
Our point of contact was like 6 hours late to load in (which is fine, but nobody knew. Communicate that)
Gardners were setting up our tables/chairs (symptom of Covid or a shitty employer so hiring wasn’t where it should be?)
Guests of the grounds were allowed into the barn (when they shouldn’t have been) and trying to take our custom wedding match books
Head of catering (Chris Madrid) was very very not nice to my wedding planner and florist (wtf.)
Served my boozy popsicles (that they forced me to pay double for) melted. MELTED! (Wtf #2)
I had 185 guests and they only had 12 servers thus our dinner was served an hour late which cut into our 2 hour reception so we only got 1 hour of dancing :( AND: 1 hour less of our open bar, 1 hour less of our Photo Booth, 1 hour less of our DJ, 1 hour less of dance floor memories (priceless)

To make all these matter worse, we simply asked them to compensate us for the hour we missed with the open bar and photo booth and they offered ZERO apologies, empathy or remorse. Instead came back arguing with the fact that they messed up. Had they, this review might not have been so detailed.

I recognize that a lot of this is a symptom of Covid. And I can get past that, but be kind Cornerstone. Treat your couples with some respect. This was the single most expensive item/service we have EVER made and poured our hearts and souls into this day and Cornerstone ruined so much of it.

I understand wanting a gorgeous wedding and venue, and did I? Sure, yes it was beautiful. But working with these monsters was so emotionally taxing. So taxing it has taken me 127 days to write this.

Advice for the couple: Don't book them. If you book them, make sure you add a clause in the review that spells out what happens IF the contractor does not deliver. The contract they use currently just spells out deliverables. There’s nothing about lack of execution. I know the pics are gorgeous but there are other beautiful venues out there who will treat you better!

Cornerstone, if you are reading this, here’s some advice (because you really need it) from your couple on the 7/17/21 wedding:

1 - focus on your high paying customers first and make their days perfect. A good reputation goes far and a referral or ding on your service will exponentially impact you. If you do good by your customers the business will flow.
2 - be a partner to your vendors and treat them with respect. It’s a small community especially after covid with tight knit groups who’ve shared many best practices ESPECIALLY after covid hit them all hard. They are small businesses and work really hard to give their clients a wonderful experience. The word gets out with a bad experience and… wedding planners have a lot of clout.
3 - hire. Get Sallie some help. Get your other account managers help. You all are stretched too thin and have green people doing the job of seasoned folks. Perhaps if you all were nicer from the top down you would attract more talent. I assume it’s a small community for catering as well.

I really hope you all take a deep look inside after the mess you all made on 7/17/21 not just for us, but the other couple who also had a wedding on your property the same day.

Again- the wedding community is small and if you take anything from this note, I hope that it’s that no other couple experiences the poor attitude from all of you or the delays that we did.

Unfortunately, this property is owned by the controversial LeFever and Mattson partnership. Ownership structure with regard to the top level parent company isn’t entirely clear, but do yourself a favor and google this venue and the ownership group - you’ll find a number of entities filing bankruptcy, mentions of a federal investigation/FBI raid. The property doesn’t seem to be taking any new bookings at the moment and doesn’t respond to new inquiries. On property, you’ll find empty store fronts and stalled construction. The acclaimed Michelin restaurant associated with the catering company weddings and events are required to use? Closed.