Diablo Ranch Events

My son held his wedding reception at Diablo Ranch and it was fantastic. The setting was spectacular and the staff warm and accommodating. They bent over backwards to make it a special event! Great place!

In searching for a wedding venue, I found Diablo Ranch online — fell in love with the photographs and wanted to see more! After 2 emails and 3 voicemail messages within a 10 day span, I still haven’t heard back from anyone! Really unfortunate actually… I’ve seen other reviews that communication at Diablo Ranch is flaky. Who wants to hassle with that when planning for a wedding?
You lost my business Diablo Ranch.

My husband and I were married here on June 28^th. I have to echo the mixed feelings that Tiffany laid out in her review.
Starting with the positives — our wedding turned our AMAZINGLY. We are a picky couple and while we didn’t want a fancy, stuffy wedding, we did want our guests to have a great experience. They did, largely thanks to the OUTSTANDING DJ (Love in the Mix) and Caterer (Oak & Smoke in Windsor) that we chose. Those guys were huge pros and managed through the uncertainly and lack of clarity from the venue.
As for the Diablo Ranch staff, they are really nice people and I think they have good intentions. But there is no professional event experience and it shows. Getting a hold of them is a nightmare. The owner, Kim, was MIA the entire time leading up to our wedding. Emails that I sent her never got answered. It took me numerous phone calls/​messages to get answers and set dates for visits with vendors. I worked primarily with Mary — I think she is a very nice person and wanted to do a good job for us but she is completely overwhelmed by the role and doesn’t seem to have any event experience. I felt like I was a burden every time I called her.
It was also hard to get clear, crisp answers from the venue. The told us power wasn’t an issue but then they also said that they needed to load balance and that we couldn’t change out the lights above the pool because of the difficulty they had in getting those to work. We were also told that «all» of the dishes, glassware, flatware that the venue had would be available to us but when it got down to the DAY BEFORE MY WEDDING, Kim said that if we wanted to use their dishes we really needed to hire more of her staff so that they could manage the additional workload (we ended up renting the dishes from our rental vendor, Chairs for Affairs). The additional staff had been pitched to us from Day 1 as completely optional (they required us to hire 3 staff, which was fine, but the week before our wedding I started getting a lot of pressure from Mary and Kim to hire more staff). As mentioned, on the day before my wedding Kim even insinuated that the event might not run all that smoothly unless I hired additional staff.
As others have mentioned, the views are absolutely unmatched — I grew up in the East Bay so I have a soft spot for Mt. Diablo and I truly don’t think you can find a more beautiful place to get married. If you do choose this venue though, be prepared to shell out for super professional vendors (DJ, Caterer, Rentals, Wedding Coordinator) that can help you make the event what you want it to be because that level of service won’t come from Diablo Ranch.

We just had our wedding here on June 21^st and could not have asked for a better day. I’ll layout our experience from start to finish in hopes of helping other couples that are looking at this venue.
1) Getting in touch when them was difficult. I tried for a month to get someone on the phone or to answer an email and almost gave up on this location. We went to numerous other venues to consider and finally heard back and scheduled an appointment. At the time there was a staff change. Once Kim was in touch with us we met with her directly and she was extremely helpful and considerate of our process. She offered a slight discount to us based on our initial experience.
2) Once we booked the venue, a year prior to the wedding, we didn’t reach out for 5 – 6 months. We set up a follow up appointment to talk about shuttles/​rentals/​etc. and met with her and Mary along with a couple of members of their staff. They walked us through all local vendors and timelines based on sunset, etc. Helped us finalize all details for our day.
3) Vendors are tricky here. Not all shuttles are going to bring guests to the venue and you NEED to rent bathrooms as there is only one and on our occasion it was broken. Our vendors were:
Black Tie (Shuttles for all guests)
Bonehead’s Texas BBQ (Ah-​mazing food!)
Chairs for Affairs (Tables, linens, chairs)
Sweet Affair Bakery (Delivered desserts to the venue that day)
Stems & Petals (Flowers that were beautiful)
Bathrooms were through a friend of a friend or a friend so there isn’t a company name
Bevmo: Ice, sodas and waters
Booze: brought in our own & had bartender supplied
DJ: Denon & Doyle — Tyrone was awesome!
Red Carpet Studios-​Photographers
Steelhead Cinema-​Videographers
4) On wedding day the staff was incredibly helpful with EVERYTHING. They helped with anything needed and made sure our guests were having a great time. They packed us some BBQ to take back with us after the wedding which was awesome.
5)The day after you have to head up to get all things you need. They had everything boxed up and helped us get everything loaded. Really helpful!
There are certainly some drawbacks but it’s important to know that you are choosing to get married on a ranch. It is not a venue where things are easily accessible and you have to be willing to plan and spend money on vendors to make sure things go as planned. Our guests loved the location and we stayed until midnight dancing! (They let you stay as late as you’d like with no additional charge!)

We looked at this for a possible wedding venue and it was honestly breath taking. They show it at sunset so you instantly fall in love with it and even though there was a sales pitch that came with the viewing I really appreciated the length that the staff went to to highlight their venue. They had example tables set up and snacks and drinks setup poolside. They took us around and showed us all the possibilities for wedding areas and we got to meet all the cute animals onsite. Ultimately we did not choose this place because, even though their site fee includes a lot of extras that other venues don’t, we still couldn’t afford it. Additionally, I felt like we would need to pay for transportation back to Walnut Creek to avoid my guests having to drive that windy road late at night after drinking which would have been another huge expense. If you have the budget this place is very pretty and the only venue we saw that had unlimited hours.

Our daughters wedding was at the ranch for a June wedding. We wanted to offer our deep appreciation to the ranch’s staff and share our thoughts with you. Frankly, from a parent’s point of view, we were not sure how things would go… how the various parts of the wedding (renting tables/​chairs/​plates/​food/​etc.) would be coordinated. In one word (actually two) the answer is perfectly wonderful. The staff was incredible… the venue unbelievably beautiful… unique…special. All of the logistical areas such as set up… tear down… parking…were handled beautifully. When the wedding party arrived for the rehearsal the day before the staff was there in force to make sure everything went smoothly. Little things like making sure the wedding path was swept… the flowers along the aisle… providing drinks for everyone… being polite, cordial, enthusiastic… all were done with great poise and professionalism. We had about 125 people for the wedding and none of us had been to the ranch before. Getting there from Walnut creek took about 25 minutes. As an aside, we stayed at the Renaissance Club Sport in Walnut Creek was also an excellent place for many guests to stay. Honestly, as the dad (and my wife concurs) we could not think of a more wonderful place for our daughters’ wedding. We can’t think of one area which we could offer a suggestion or criticism. We went back to the ranch on the Sunday to pick up some items and, again, everyone was pleasant and helpful. So, a huge thank you to Diablo Ranch!
I just read a few of the other reviews and several commented on the challenge in communicating with the ranch. Our daughter had read the reviews and was prepared for the communication challenges. So, I think the take home message is be aware. It is a working ranch. But, with a bit of kindness, clarity, and persistence the site is remarkable. In terms of issues related to the wedding itself we had nothing but a special and positive experience.

I honestly have mixed feelings about this venue. There are a lot of Pros but a lot of cons also. I was a bride here in October so I’ll just go chronologically with my experience here… Throughout my communications the staff here was very flaky. It would take sometimes up to two weeks for them to reply to an email. Sometimes with a «sorry, I must have misfiled your message» and other times I had to email a second time before I got a reply. In my opinion, I’m paying you thousands of dollars so I expect a timely response. I had one appointment, which was confirmed by email, and when I showed up no one knew I was coming — the girl I made the appointment with was out on a family emergency. Luckily the owner Kim was available to meet with me instead. On multiple occasions they said «the good vendors will come visit the site before the wedding.» But when my florist tried to call and email they never returned her message.
For a venue hosting weddings, they are very unorganized. Sure they are friendly but not a professional venue at all. Knowing that this is an operating ranch, I gave some slack. They truly are cowboys that throw parties.
The day of my wedding, Kim and another woman were there to run the show. At least that was my understanding. I was supposed to walk down the isle at 3:30. 3:45 comes along, and I haven’t even seen the owner yet (I had been there since about 1pm). I had to send someone to find her so I knew what was going on…
During my ceremony I wanted to walk with both my parents. They were supposed to widen the isle and they didn’t. Last minute I had to push my mom ahead to walk alone as my father and I walked behind her. Not at all what I had imagined. They also didn’t change the runner, so I walked down a dingy dirty isle runner.
They did set up the venue as I wished and it looked beautiful. They also box up all your decorations, liqueur or anything else you bring and have it ready for you to pick up Monday morning. That was great!
The staff is super friendly and accommodating. They are really willing to do anything you want with the place. They have endless hours too! A huge bonus in my opinion.
Overall the view is breathtaking and the endless hours are hard to find. Those are the two key reasons I went ahead a booked here.
I really think they need to hire a professional wedding coordinator. They charge an arm and a leg for a service that isn’t ideal.

Yesterday, we came here for a wedding and we had a fun time.
The ceremony took place near a huge oak tree while the sun was headed toward the horizon. Very scenic view.
The venue had enough space for about 100 people or less and they layout worked well. The had a dance floor that was spacious enough and the staff was very good about serving drinks the whole night.
The only minus would be the lack of bathrooms. There’s only one near the main part of the venue and I was told there’s another one but it’s a bit of a walk away. But overall, I would recommend this to any couple that wanted to get married outdoors.

Can’t say much about the venue itself, but I would say NO on the service. Called them twice regarding possibly choosing their venue for our coming wedding ceremony, but they never called back. Not even a «oh, we’re sorry but we’re full for the year» or something like that. So sad… they have such a pretty looking place… and it could have been perfect for our late October wedding.

I got married here 2 weeks ago and it was amazing! Kimmie and her staff are absolutely wonderful! They went above and beyond the call of duty. My bouquets were all wilted but the Ranch Hands put together knew ones and fixed everything. The DJ was late but the staff handled everything for me so I wouldn’t have to worry.
The ranch is a beautiful and wonderful place for a wedding, Gorgeous views and the pictures after the wedding are to die for! They have wonderful animals for the kids to see if they get bored. Also a Poker Room and a Ballard Room for the guys to hang out while the women dance.
I couldn’t of asked for a better staff to help me make my day so special and a wonderful location for a gorgeous wedding. So if your looking for a rustic fun wedding location I highly recommend the Diablo Ranch.

My best friends just got married here, and I couldn’t imagine a more beautiful location! The cowboys/​ranch hands that take care of business are helpful and friendly, and the colorful group of animals that live there are adorable. There’s a friendly emu, a wolf/​dog, and an ox that loves carrots. Pictures come out unbelievably beautiful because of the natural beauty of the landscape.
If you’re looking for a cowboy, nature, or rustic wedding, this is a venue to check out.
The drive is annoying up Mt. Diablo, but it’s worth it!

I had my wedding here a few weeks ago and it was great. The view is wonderful and Kim and the staff are so helpful. They were able to set up everything the way I wanted it and were accommodating to the things I wanted that were not normally done. The night before the wedding, Kim even made curtains to match the canopy put up over the dance floor. Definitely check this place out!

The Honest Truth: I came here for a wedding and it was great! Awesome views in a secluded location. The barn and pool were nice additions. Great for smaller weddings and had areas for games, a nice dance floor, and a place for BBQing food. Great atmosphere for an awesome wedding!
The Details:
The ranch is actually a lot closer than I thought! It took us 40 minutes from Berkeley and had to drive about 5 miles into the park to get to the ranch. Once we got there we were amazed at the view! The ranch is on a nice side of a hill that overlooks walnut creek and the rest of the park. As the sun set the view was amazing. The ranch was set up nicely with everything really close to each other. The ceremony was held at one end, with tables set up around the pool and a dance floor near the barn. Out of the back of the barn was an emu and a place to play some games. Overall it was nice to have everything in the same area and the bathrooms, although portable bathrooms, were quite nice! I loved the rustic vibe and it fit the couple getting married very well! I don’t know if you could get better wedding photos at a different location!

I’m devastated. Diablo Ranch seemed like the DREAM location for my fiancé and I to have our wedding. Unfortunately after multiple emails and phone calls, no one would call us back or return our emails. With the wedding only 10 months away, we had to go in a different direction. I was really really sad about it. The venue is absolutely beautiful, but it seems they are severely lacking in communication skills.

We had our wedding here in early October 2010 (we had approximately 85 people, but the site could hold much more). This is an amazing location to have a wedding:
1. The view, scenery, and atmosphere make the event beautiful. Because of the location everything you add to it (rentals, flowers, etc.) just amplifies the beauty. On top of that you don’t have to add as much because the location is already so gorgeous.
2. The staff go out of their way to make your event special and a success. There was a mix-​up with the aisle runner from the caterer; when I mentioned it to Kim she promptly said «we can fix that». After the caterer and DJ ended, Kim and her team took over the bar and brought out a fire pit for us to roast marshmallows — we were there until about 2am!
3. The is no limit to what you can do. You can pick all of your own vendors — there are no restrictions. Also, if you want to do something extra all you need to do is ask. We had a DJ and a photobooth — there were no issues with outlets or plugs. I added extra twinkle lights over the dance floor, vines over the entrance gate, tea lights at the entry and around the pool, and flowers in the pool — Kim and her team were key in helping to set most of this up. Also, we got the whole weekend — rental delivery on Friday, the option to have the rehearsal dinner at the site, unlimited hours the night of the wedding, and rental pick-​up on Monday.
4. The cost to rent the site is very reasonable for everything that you get (including how flexible they are).
There are a couple of other things I also want to comment on.
1. Responsiveness: A couple of months before the wedding I did find it difficult to get in touch with Kim, however when it came to the 2 months before the wedding she was extremely responsive and accommodating. I would recommend having a meeting with all of your key vendors (caterer, florist, etc.) and Kim 2 months before the wedding at Diablo Ranch to walk the site, finalize rentals and where everything will be located. This also allows all of your vendors to begin communicating with each other if they have questions.
2. Rentals: When you are planning out the cost of booking at Diablo Ranch, do not decrease your rentals cost (tables, glasses, etc.) because of what is at the site; though Kim is willing to let you use some tables and tableware, there ultimately was not enough and it would have been more confusing to use a combination of rentals and non-​rentals. The serving tables that Kim has are very useful.
Overall, I would definitely recommend Diablo Ranch! It is a fabulous location with great group of people to work with!