The Ranch At Lake Sonoma - Geyserville, California

Jewel

My husband surprised our family and brought us to the Ranch, we were greeted and welcomed upon arrival. Ava was our guide and did an absolute amazing job guiding our tour and trot. She introduced us to our horse and matched us perfectly. She truly is gifted, I have no idea how she managed to perfectly match us with our horses. My MIL (66) whom has NEVER ridden a horse did so well and felt comfortable with Rocky. Ava taught her how to control and manage her horse, I was relieved and grateful that she was able to experience the opportunity. I had Tucker who like myself is an Alpha knows where to go and doesn’t need much pulling! My husband had Negro and they were a perfect match. My daughter had Magnum and they too were a perfect match! We’ve ridden horses before and the horses are very well trained and mannered. The owners, a dynamic duo of husband and wife both were very kind and friendly. We purchased the wine and beer package which was perfect because my anxiety had the best of me worrying about my MIL. The delicious wine eased my nervous after the ride. I am grateful for the experience and professionalism shown to us today. The horses are kept in a clean environment seem very happy and healthy. They have a new horse (white) I think they should name it Benny Blanco or Bronx!

Elizabeth Chism

The Ranch is a beautiful place! Ava was our guide rider, she was incredibly kind and knowledgeable! My boyfriend proposed to me after our ride by the lake and Ava was a huge part of it! She kept one of the horses out for us, went along with his reasoning for me to stay on the horse, and even videotaped the whole thing! It was one of the most special moments of my life and the staff and Mercury winery made it that much more memorable! Thank you to you all!! We are planning to celebrate our marriage later next year at the Ranch!!

Lisa Stortini

Lovely place . Nikki was so welcoming. The horses were great ! They had such wonderful personalities. We booked a private tour and it was just wonderful from start to finish . I could have stayed longer !

Andrea Renee Hinojosa

Amazing views and the trail is a delightful mix of up-and down hill terrain while meandering the general outline of the lake and near hills. The owners are fantastic, friendly, and incredibly generous. The horses are adorable and each have their own personality but they are so gentle and patient. I've ridden most of my life but shared the ride with a friend who is a beginner and we both had a fantastic time and were able to sit and relax with a chilled beverage after the ride. Already, we're planning our next adventure trip, thank you!

Gloria Ku

My son and his wife had their wedding at The Ranch last weekend and everything was perfect. The views were phenomenal, the place was clean and Nikki and David were so hospitable to all of us and to the vendors. The barn was great for dancing, the arena had plenty of room for dining and enjoying the view, the upper lawn was so lovely for the ceremony and photos, there was plenty of parking for guests as well as for shuttle transportation. A gem of a location, hitting all the marks! Thank you for a wonderful day!!

jillian Gobright

We got married here in May of 2023. The Ranch was the first and only venue that my husband and I looked at - as soon as we saw it, we knew it would be perfect. Truly the most breathtaking spot with so much character. Nikki and David were wonderful to work with and so relaxed and down to earth compared to other venues (or so I've heard - we've been to about 12 other weddings in the past 2 years!). I love how their place feels like a family affair - you'll be working with either Nikki or David directly the whole time, and you'll often see their son helping out too (not to mention their adorable bull dog!). They'll let you bring pretty much whatever you want to make the place match your vision, and they'll offer advice and suggestions from other weddings that they've held there.

Some things we did that we highly recommend:

-rented out the entire campground next door so that all of the young people could stay off the roads and stumble back to the campsite post wedding to continue the party at the bonfire (husband and I rented a cute airstream from Outdoorsy)

-rented a picnic table at the marina right down the road the day before (only $100!) for a casual welcome party

-rented the cottage at the Geyserville Inn for MOB and FOB to stay at and for the girls to get ready in (boys came in to shower after the girls had left!)... there is a cute air-conditioned RV on site to hang out in and hide from guests but no shower

-booked out the adorable back patio at Diavola in Geyserville for a rehearsal dinner

-brought hundreds of mason jars filled with twinkle lights to fill the alcoves at the barn

-kept decorations simple (the setting speaks for itself) but added our own DIY design elements with rosemary and eucalyptus to save money (totally fits the vibe at the Ranch). Also used the lovely Kelsey Marie Designs for florals and can't recommend her enough (she left a review for the Ranch also :))

-paid to start the ceremony an hour early so it didn't feel rushed (and we knew we had the bonfire to party at afterwards)

- Paid for the beer donkey - best money spent, such a hit!

It's all very "bring your own everything," and there's no kitchen or refrigerator, so some of the things we did to keep it easy:

-provided welcome champagne and potato chips before the ceremony started

-had a popcorn bar for cocktail hour (from Thatcher's organic popcorn - so good and a hit)

-hired The Wurst for food - casual but delicious and guests loved it. Also so easy to work with, an incredible value for wedding food, and they know the venue already because they cater some of the Ranch's music series events

-brought all of our own alcohol and created 3 "house cocktails" to make it easy on the bartenders and prevent us from getting overwhelmed with all the alcohol options to buy and bring

-paid our wedding coordinator (the wonderful Detailed Dreams) to bring their server and bartender staff. Seriously so worth it - you don't want to be worrying about cleaning up trash during your wedding!

We also really wanted to bring a telescope because Lake Sonoma is in a "dark zone" on the dark sky map but we couldn't get it organized in time. Either way, it has the most incredible stargazing!

Honestly, my only complaint was just how crazy beautiful the sunset was! No one wanted to get on the dance floor and miss the beautiful golden hour over the lake, hah! If you're balling on a budget (we did our whole 100 person wedding for ~35K - not easy in wine country in this economy!) and willing to put in a little work and DIY effort while looking for a beautiful venue with great bones, then this is absolutely the place for you. We can't recommend it enough!

Steph Gonzalez

Nikki was amazing! She was so patient and kind. The team at The Ranch strive to provide a memorable experience and it really shows. The horses are well cared for, and facility is both stunning and very clean. They have snacks, drinks and souvenirs available for purchase. Will definitely return!

Angie Garcia

Beautiful and rustic farmhouse for people to hold events, parties and gatherings! A spacious property located at Lake Sonoma on Marina Road with spectacular nature views.