The Willow Ballroom Reviews

This venue won best venue of Sacramento for a reason. It’s seriously drop dead gorgeous. The ambience, the brick, the chandeliers, the drapery - everything is so romantic and beautiful. Our guests would not stop talking about how beautiful it was. If you are a bride going for a romantic and bougie feel …this venue is for you! The venue alone is so gorgeous that the decor you provide can be minimal.
Angelica is super responsive and helpful throughout the entire process. I probably emailed her 100 times but she was so kind! The day of they had golf carts to drive us and our party around to get to our photo spots. The bridal suite on site is so gorgeous. I cannot stop talking about the entire property being amazing. I could go on and on, this place is a 10/10 must book.

The first time I stepped foot in The Willow Ballroom & Event Center, I knew I was witnessing one of the hidden gems of Northern California venues. I had always assumed that I would have my wedding in a primarily outdoor venue, but I was wrong. Upon seeing The Willow for the first time, I knew two things... 1) My wife and I had found our perfect venue. and 2) I had never seen a more beautiful venue. The initial emotional response you get looking around the venue is truly magical. It is both rustic and modern, positively dark and sparkling, with some chandeliers that remind you of of an antique fixture and others sparkling with a modern brilliance. And if that wasn't good enough, the possibilities for the space seem endless. We had a Spanish color, cuisine & decor-themed wedding. But I feel like The Willow as a venue would serve perfectly for any type of wedding you could imagine. And then there's the staff. There couldn't possibly be an owner of a venue more charming than Angelica. Our experience was so perfect, it left my family asking, "so can you guys get married at The Willow next summer too?!" Everyone was so happy with everything. I had a lot of my friends exclaim that it was their favorite wedding they had ever attended, and the magic of the Willow Ballroom & Event Center was the primary contributor to that powerful testimony. Someday, everyone is going to know about what an incredible venue this is!

I found the Willow Ballroom on Instagram in late 2018 and was immediately skeptical; there is no way this venue is as stunning in person, right? In January of 2019, we attended their wedding open house and immediately fell in love. It was even more stunning in person. The draping, the exposed brick, the mirrors, the chandeliers… It was everything we could ever dream of, and we immediately envisioned getting married in the space.

We met with Angelica a few weeks later for a private tour and to sign our contract. Upon meeting Angelica, it was very clear that she was poised, organized, trustworthy, professional, knowledgeable and kind. Basically, all of the qualities you want the person running the biggest day of your life to possess. Right away she was an integral part of the planning process, and I found her insight to be invaluable. She was super responsive whenever I shot her a question via email (and there were many!).

She has a list of preferred vendors for guidance but does require you to pick a DJ and caterer off of this list (we LOVED our caterer and DJ; having to pick from her list was not at all a downside or restrictive IMO).

There are so many amazing spaces within the Willow for pictures. We got married on February 22, 2020 and to our surprise it was a gorgeous and warm sunny day. Angelica and her father transported us (and our bridal party) in a golf cart around the property for pictures. Our day went off without a hitch, and I know having Angelica in charge was a huge reason why.

The space is enormous, but with the draping and lots of candles we created something that felt romantic and intimate. We wanted the unique beauty of the venue to really shine and kept all décor very simple and understated. It was perfect.

At the end of the night, my cousin and her husband had an extremely long wait for their Lyft, which ended up never coming. As Angelica was leaving, she offered to drop my cousin and her husband off at their AirBnB in Elk Grove. When I say that Angelica is the kind of person you want to work closely with for your big day, I mean it.

I cannot recommend The Willow Ballroom enough. Thank you Angelica for being such an integral part of the biggest day of our lives and becoming family in the process.

AMBIANCE:
If I could give the Willow Ballroom more than 5 stars, I would. Never did I ever imagine I would have such a beautiful wedding. The Willow Ballroom is stunning: filled with antique, vintage chandeliers, brick walls, wood, concrete details, antique, vintage furniture and romantic draperies. It makes you feel like you're living in a romantic comedy and this is how all weddings should look like. PERIOD.

THE WILLOW BALLROOM CREW & ANGELICA:
When we decided we wanted to get married in the Sacramento area, we checked out a few places and knew immediately that we needed to book The Willow Ballroom, not only after seeing it, but after meeting Angelica who runs the entire show. She's talented, a true professional, organized, prompt, communicative, all the qualities you look for when you start building a team of people who will support you on one of the biggest days of your life.

We also looked at the BLOC in Roseville, but the folks running that venue were so new, couldn't answer most of our logistical questions, didn't have a preferred venue list for us to refer to for easy planning and it was way too expensive for what we'd get from the experience, which would have been just the 4 walls and a ceiling. All in all, we didn't want to plan from scratch and didn't have confidence in this option.

However, The Willow Ballroom (with Angelica) operates like a well-oiled machine. You know you're in good hands and her preferred vendor list was IMPECCABLE. There wasn't one flaw in our entire wedding and people are completely shocked that we have absolutely no lowlights to share. It's because Angelica thoughtfully vetted her vendor list and we got to work with the best of the best. Her crew and the vendors were an impressive team, all working collaboratively the months leading up to the wedding and on the day of. Not only did The Willow Ballroom provide us with a preferred vendor list to work off of, but their package included security, valet, a large lot for parking (so important!), beautiful furniture and decor, a bridal suite to get ready in, an estate to take portraits at, as well as all the beautiful rustic areas around the venue, tables and chairs...the list goes on, for a practical and fair price.

If you're researching wedding venues, please book The Willow Ballroom. You won't regret it and your day would flawlessly be executed.

WOW, where to even begin?! When originally looking for venues, my husband and I reached out to this venue but they were booked for our wedding date. As we were touring 2 other venues one day, Angelica emailed me that the our wedding date became available (THANK GOD), so we quickly left the the other venues we were touring as we weren't very happy with them, and immediately came to check out the Willow Ballroom. We didn't need to stay there longer than 5 minutes to realize this was THE ONE. THE VENUE OF MY DREAMS.

When originally thinking about our wedding, we knew we wanted a candle-lit, romantic vibe wedding. Upon entering the Willow Ballroom, we saw a BEAUTIFUL large venue, BEAUTIFUL chandeliers, rustic and romantic vibes, sitting on a beautiful river, and automatically fell in love. From the very beginning, Angelica made us feel welcomed. She helped us tour the venue and explained to us about the packages she offers. My husband and I stood in the spot where we were potentially going to be married, looked at each other, and agreed this was the venue that we wanted to get married in. We booked the venue THAT DAY, we didn't even want to look any further and risk losing our wedding date.

As far as choosing vendors, Angelica gave us options for preferred vendors, the only vendors you need to choose off the preferred vendor list are catering and DJ, as those vendors are familiar with the venue. We went with Jackson Catering and absolutely loved them, so you won't be disappointed in going with her preferred vendors and it makes it easier for everyone! :)

Angelica made the planning process and months leading up to the wedding EXTREMELY easy. She sent an organized timeline of what we needed to get done and when it needed to be in by. My favorite was a seating chart website that she uses to plan the seating chart, which made it SOOOOO easy to place guests and print out a seating chart! I heard from friends that have gotten married that that's usually a nightmare to plan, but with the website she used and we got to use to free, it made it EXTREMELY easy! Angelica made it so easy to reach out and communicate with her via text or email, as her responses were always prompt and helpful. She was also accommodating in allowing us to visit the venue again a couple of times just to see the space!

On the day of the wedding, when our bridal party arrived, Angelica let us use her office building to hang out in while we waited to start the ceremony. Angelica was also the day of coordinator and made it extremely smooth and easy for our parents and family members who came to do some last minute things before the ceremony. ALSO, an awesome perk, all the guests get valet parking, which everyone loved! Once we were ready to start the ceremony, we got a ride from a staff member on a golf cart to the door (the same golf cart that was utilized to transport my husband and I around the back of the venue when we snuck out for sunset photos-so convenient). Angelica helped my husband and I, our parents, and the rest of the bridal party to calm our nerves before we all walked in, as she stood outside with us and guided us all in.

I couldn't believe how ABSOLUTELY beautiful the venue looked when we walked in for our wedding. WOW. The long white drapes, the chandeliers, the candles, the dim, romantic lighting. All I can say is WOW. This was by far wedding venue that I had always dreamed of. Angelica made our wedding day so extremely smooth and relaxing, the only times she would come up to my husband and I was to give us water or ask if we wanted coffee, the rest she took care of herself. Talk about a stress free, relaxing wedding! My husband and I were SO highly impressed with her professionalism, care, organization, and every other service she provided.

Our guests didn't stop raving about the venue for weeks after the wedding. Everyone was in LOVE with this hidden gem! And since it's a fairly new venue, not too many of our guests even knew about it! But they definitely know about it now! One of our guests owns a venue in another state and he is difficult to impress when it comes to venues, and he was SO highly impressed with this one!!!! Another perk of this venue, you don't have to go very far for photos! We used the beautiful outdoor space for wedding photos as well as if you book with the Willow Ballroom, you have access to a gorgeous private estate with vineyards for photos too! So perfect and easy for our limo driver, bridal party, photographer, and videographer!

If you're looking for a venue, LOOK NO FURTHER, you will be so, so, SO incredibly happy if you choose the Willow Ballroom for your big day. I wish we could get married again just to relive our wedding day in this venue!

Bottom line: WE LOVE THE WILLOW BALLROOM AND WE LOVE YOU ANGELICA!

Fate brought us to The Willow Ballroom and we sure are happy about that! After researching every single venue within a 40 mile radius, we were pretty set on one venue nearby that had a similar look we were going for. Then one day we received a marketing email for The Willow Ballroom - never heard of it and it never came up during any of my searches. It looked beautiful in photos so we decided to go check it out immediately after work. We were sold!

If you book here you have to pick a DJ and caterer on their preferred list, but otherwise any other vendors are your choice! Don't worry about that slight limitation, if you even want to call it that, because they have some awesome choices to select from.

The ballroom itself is huge and has so many possibilities. We were one of the first to get married outdoors and luckily The Willow added brand new turf just before our wedding date! The view from the outdoor space is beautiful with the greenery and the river in the background. There are two wooden pergolas already set along with planters, so you really don't need to do much to the space! Downside is if you're getting married in hot weather, it's pretty tough on the crowd. The bridal party is all in the shade up front but other than that it's just direct sunlight. We rented umbrellas and provided fans to help with some of that sunlight. If you wanted to avoid that, you could do your ceremony inside as well and do a room flip during cocktail hour. So many options!

The indoor area is even more beautiful! Chandeliers and market lights are lit across the room, highlighting the high wooden ceilings and contrasting concrete columns. You can soften the look with drapery options but we opted to keep it without drapery to avoid breaking up the space. We barely even needed to bring any major decor. The Willow has a ton of inventory that you can use as a part of your event.

Throughout the planning process, Angelica was highly responsive and easy to talk to. I appreciated her quick response time and level of patience with my numerous questions! She's super sweet, gives suggestions when you're unsure, and supports your decisions when you share your ideas with her. It felt like I was just talking to a friend, not a business owner. Upon booking, she will give you a checklist of important dates which makes it super easy to make sure everything is done timely.

During our actual event, she was easy to reach if we were in different areas, and catered to not only the groom and me, but also our entire bridal party and family. She's extremely thoughtful and literally thinks of everything.

Our event moved so seamlessly. She probably came up to us once or twice during the whole thing and she didn't skip a beat. I didn't need to coordinate with anyone once different vendors arrived, she just knew where they needed to be and what they needed to do based off of my timeline and room layout, which are required by a certain due date before your event. She even had our car packed by the time the event ended, which allowed time for us to say goodbye to our guests and clean out the lounge space.

I could probably keep going on and on about The Willow but I'll leave it at this. The Willow is amazing and more people need to know about it. Even if you're not booking an event anytime soon, share it with someone who is, so they can go check it out!

We had our wedding ceremony and reception with ~250 guests at the Willow Ballroom and it was an absolute dream! Angelica was incredibly easy to work with, always available when we needed her, and the BIGGEST help on the wedding day.
We had some issues with our caterer early on, and Angelica helped us with finding a new one and was so flexible with whatever we wanted to do in the space. She let us come to the venue during the planning process multiple times - we were engaged 20 months so it was really fun to watch the venue grow and change every time we came to visit. There are so many GREAT photo areas, a lovely bridal suite / grooms lounge, plenty of parking, and a million ways to set up the event space.
Fast forward to the day of the wedding and I cannot say thank you enough to Angelica! Whenever we needed ANYTHING she was there and offering to help. It was a toasty 105 on our wedding day so she graciously drove us to the photo locations and let us hang out in the AC of her car. She even helped chauffeur guests from the parking lot to the ballroom. At the end of the night, when my guests chanted "ONE MORE SONG" she let the DJ play one more.
The venue was perfect for our vision and had such a huge part in making our day such a dream - 100 times out of 100 I would suggest this venue for any wedding or special event.

My husband and I were looking for an indoor venue for our fall wedding that wouldn't limit the amount of guests we wanted to invite. When we stumbled upon the Willow Ballroom and said YES to this venue immediately. The space is a gorgeous blank canvas which you have he freedom to design and create an event unique to you and your future spouse. The space is beautiful on its own and doesn't require a lot of decoration. I would suggest paying to have the drapes hung as in the photos, it really helps enhance the space for aesthetics and acoustics. A great coordinator and involved catering staff is a must since this space is so open. Angelica is very friendly and easy to work with, if you have questions or are stumped about the design of your event, she has great ideas and solutions.
Our wedding was AMAZING and all of our guests had nothing but wonderful things to say about the venue. You will not regret having your wedding here.

The Willow Ballroom is a wedding/event center located in a repurposed warehouse just south of Sacramento in Hood, CA. Let me first say that I absolutely LOVED the vibe at the ballroom. After only 15 minutes (literally!) of our meeting Angelica, the general manager, and viewing the space, my husband and I signed the contract for our wedding/reception which was held in November 2016 Angelica and her family were amazing to work with and have a beautiful eye for design. During the pre-wedding days, Angelica helped solve a major problem with one of our other vendors and also pitched in during the reception where she thought she could help (all gratis!) The ballroom is a "blank canvas" where you can create your own rustic chic event. The space is a mix of concrete, brick and beautiful old chandeliers. There is a patio out the back and the area behind the facility abuts the river has wonderful photo shoot opportunities. We elected to use draping to divide the space into separate "rooms." The facility rental includes basic tables and chairs, but we added several vintage rentals which work perfectly with the decor. We couldn't have been more happy with our choice -- I HIGHLY RECOMMEND working with Angelica and planning your event at the Willow Ballroom!!