The Ralston White Retreat

Had our September 2015 wedding here and could not have been happier. We were looking to have our wedding somewhere where you could choose your catering and bring your own alcohol and the Ralston was perfect. The staff was great to work with, very helpful and responsive but laid back at the same time. I highly recommend renting the place for at least the night of the wedding. We were on the fence but are so glad that we did. Our guests talked about how much they enjoyed it and how nice it was to not have to worry about getting home that night since the road getting up there is quite narrow and windy in places. Now I just wish we could go stay there again. Maybe we’ll save up to rent it out again for our 10^th wedding anniversary.

We held our wedding at Ralston White. It was incredible. The venue is spectacular. Mike the property manager worked hard to make sure everything went off without a hitch, he’s a gem, very easy to work with, went the extra mile. The food was great. I can’t recommend Ralston White enough.

What an incredible place for a wedding!
This place is a seriously hidden gem in the hills of Mill Valley! It can host a smaller wedding and has a wonderful rustic feel. All of the furniture and deco is old and gorgeous, and the architecture is the same!
I had so much fun at my best friends’ wedding and this place was the perfect fit for them! The heart shaped front lawn is a must see along with the third story of the building!

We just had a yoga/​hiking Retreat at the Ralston White Retreat Mansion. Mike White, the Retreat’s manager was extremely helpful with good ideas on everything from how to set the rooms up to hiking trails for us around the lovely property and outside the property on the local trails. The food was excellent and on presented on time. It just appeared when a bell rang We felt it was our home to enjoy. It was our first Retreat here but we are already planning next year.
Thanks again to Mike and the staff for such a lovely and well organized experience.
Nancy C

We are so glad that we went with Ralston White for our late June wedding celebration. When looking for a venue, we knew we wanted a place where we could really make a weekend out of our wedding. Where we could settle in and actually spend time with the guests who had traveled so far to be with us. Where there were plenty of accommodation options on-​site and nearby so that guests could stay the weekend at a reasonable price. We wanted a place that was beautiful, would be laid back about music late into the evening, and would let us do our own thing for food and alcohol (without charging a corkage fee) so that we could save some money. We found all this and more at Ralston White. Our friends and family members are still raving about it. My family has spent lots of time in Mill Valley over the years and had never heard of it until we started searching for venues — truly the region’s best kept secret! I loved the balance of a laid back vibe in a beautiful setting. It felt nice enough for a formal event, but cozy and comfortable (as opposed to many of the stuffy, staged places we visited when searching for a venue). Thinking about the magical, tree-​lined drive to the place still gives me chills. I have such good memories of catching up with old friends on the balconies, drinking coffee on the huge front porch in the morning with my family, sitting in the grass chatting with guests, getting ready in the blue room, and dancing late into the night in the dining room.
Mike, the site director, knew all the ins and outs of the property and surrounding area, and was able to help us think through all the important details. In the end, he under-​promised and over-​delivered. For instance, we were not expecting it, but when we pulled up the first day with a U-​Haul full of alcohol and stereo equipment, the staff immediately started helping us unload, despite the heat. Ralston did breakfast for us one of the mornings and it was great. They were also super flexible about working with outside caterers and other vendors.
Ultimately, you want to like the people who are running the place where you’re getting married. These are nice people who will help you create a special event.

We had our wedding reception here very recently, and I must say this was one of the best decisions we made. Our wedding involved two meals at the Ralston (rehearsal dinner and a continental breakfast the day after) as well as numerous guests staying for two nights.
The Ralston mansion and its grounds are beautiful, and only a visit can convey this properly. There are gardens, chicken pens, fruit trees, an old pool, and the heart-​shaped lawn for croquet. Huge porch with comfortable chairs for relaxing. Every guest who set foot on the grounds were amazed, and the isolation of the place allowed our guests to unwind and relax, go hiking, or do whatever. Well-​kept wood and plaster work, and plenty of vintage character to the building and grounds. The mansion was essentially ours for the entire weekend beginning Friday morning and ending on Sunday afternoon. This allowed us ample time to greet guests, prepare and decorate for the wedding, take down decorations, and enjoy conversation on the generous porch until the wee hours of the night. For those who stayed overnight, including ourselves, there was a significant variety of rooms to choose from, family-​friendly options, and all around incredibly comfortable, new bedding.
As for the catering, this was equally excellent. We had a barbeque prepared by the Ralston staff for our rehearsal dinner, which included fresh, warm bread, an excellent set of potato and green salads, professional, attentive and friendly staff, and perfectly prepared meats and vegetarian options. Our continental breakfast was a very nice, plentiful mix of freshly baked scones, muffins, boiled eggs, and plenty of additional items. We greatly enjoyed the ability to make these meals feel informal and were particularly pleased with the flexibility offered at the RWR. We were allowed to bring in our own beverages (alcoholic and otherwise), have a perfectly nice buffet setting (keeping staff expenses down) and customize the menu entirely.
Mike, the property manager, is an incredibly helpful, accessible individual who knows the Ralston inside out and is a highly capable manager for both the retreat and catering operations. This has been mentioned in previous reviews, but it is utterly worth re-​discussing because a person in his position can either make or break such a complex event. He very much made this event possible. He was absolutely friendly, personable, and easy to work with, always prompt in answering questions, and taking a personal stake in seeing that our festivities worked well. Our guests had frequent contact with him, and to a person they were impressed with his kindness and willingness to help with anything.
A previous reviewer indicated that this is the best kept secret in Mill Valley. I can’t agree more. We looked at several other venues and this one approaches perfection, and given the price point, you could clearly pay a lot more for a great deal less. The Ralston is also a nonprofit, meaning all money goes back into the retreat center, and for us this was nice to know. Altogether, we had a perfect wedding. The Ralston was an essential ingredient. We would recommend this to anyone having a nice mid-​size (50 – 120 people) wedding or any sort of party of equivalent size, particularly if out-​of-​town guests need an affordable place to stay.

This is a gorgeous place for a wedding, but a nightmare for the disabled. I am disabled and recently attended a wedding here (I wear a brace and cannot walk or stand well or for long periods of time and stairs and hills are problematic, at best).
After the beautiful wedding ceremony, the cocktail hour was held on the porch of the main house, which provides no handicapped access and no seating. Then dinner was held in a lower meadow outside which required walking down a very uneven, fairly steep pathway (women in high heels were provided floppies to navigate). Even walking from our table to the buffet was difficult as the meadow was uneven ground.
Unfortunately, because of my problems getting around, I was in quite a bit of pain about halfway through dinner. Because my pain medication makes driving hazardous (especially on the dangerous road to and from this venue — very narrow with no guardrails), I had to leave early so I could get home to take my medication and was in pain most of the following day.
So, if you are planning a wedding here and some of your guests are disabled, be warned, they will have a hard time getting around.

We had our wedding and a three-​night stay at Ralston with a number of our guests two weeks ago. Obviously this requires a good bit of planning beyond simply planning for the wedding, but the site director, Mike, was great to work with. He’s obviously very busy and we wonder if he ever takes a vacation, but on the phone he took the time to answer all our questions and was very helpful, friendly, and flexible. The weekend of the wedding, everything went as we had discussed in the many prior emails and phone calls. We had one meal prepared by the site (a casual replacement for the rehearsal dinner), which was very good, particularly the chocolate cake that Mike had suggested! He also suggested we have the dinner outdoors on the front porch, which everyone enjoyed as we had beautiful weather that weekend. At the end of our stay, several of our guests told us we should have a vow renewal next year so they could come back again. ;-)
The lazy, cute onsite dog and the rest of the staff were great as well — and they helped us out by happily taking leftover cookies and flowers (which we couldn’t fit in the car) as we were packing up. I hope they enjoyed them!

It is a very unique place to have weddings, it feels like a grand old home, which it is. I am the florist in Mill Valley, which loves doing weddings there. It is absolutely beautiful, and cozy. The caretakers are so warm and friendly, specially Mike, he goes out of his away to accomodate the wishes of the guests. This beautiful place is definetely worth inquiring about for your wedding or any other event. Annabella, Mill Valley Flowers,

We had our wedding here 3 weeks ago, and could not have been happier with the setting! We spent the weekend too, and everyone had an amazing time, hiking, playing games and just sitting on the porch catching up.
Leading up to and on that weekend, Mike was super friendly, helpful, and easygoing (and very patiently answered our 1001 questions leading up to the day). Our families and friends kept commenting on what a perfect place it was for a wedding, and my only regret is that we didn’t get to spend more time there after the wedding just relaxing! We also had brunch there the morning after, and the food was to die for (I’m still craving the frittata!).
Stunning setting, wonderful staff, and now one of my favorite places in the world.

This was the perfect place for our wedding. Beautiful but not fancy, and a wonderful way to spend a whole weekend with friends and family rather than just a day-​long event. The staff are great!

After 16 years, my boyfriend and I decided to get married at home and hold a wedding reception with friends and family. There was only one place we considered — the beautiful Ralston White Retreat in Mill Valley. It’s the best kept secret in the county. You wind your way up West Blithdale Canyon through the redwoods, and the house comes into view — and it’s just stunning. The staff are so helpful and accomodating that it made the reception go off without a hitch.
This easter, we held our family reunion there, which was a big treat because none of our homes can accomodate all of the family. My younger sister’s boyfriend was planning to surprise her with a wedding proposal — she said yes!

The best kept secret in Mill Valley.