Wrightwood Guest Ranch

I’ve had some time to ponder over this review. We had our wedding at the guest ranch October 18^th. We got engaged in Kansas City and we’re looking for something similar as far as a rustic feel. We met with the owners Richard and Judy and were instantly taken by how kind they were. The venue itself is a beautiful location and we were instantly sold.
We had a 2 year engagement and They were very upfront with the cost and gave us payment options for the length of the contract. After the contract was signed we didn’t really hear much from Richard or Judy after. You deal with Cindy as far as arraignments and communication mainly thru email.
Now to the days leading up to the wedding. We had rain scattered showers In The forecast leading up to the wedding. Cindy had come up with a plan that helped the wedding party the day before and us split the cost of a tent and heaters. It’s was a great plan cause although we didn’t get any rain the day of our wedding, the grounds were still very soggy from rain the day before. The heaters made the guests very comfortable.
My biggest complaint was the actual day of the wedding. We informed Richard that we had a guest that we didn’t want to attend and might show up regardless. My wife was threatening by Richard that if we didn’t pay for extra security at a tune of 500 dollars they were going to cancel the wedding and we wouldn’t be receiving a refund.
How cruel is that to threaten the bride THE MORNING of the wedding and add stress to an already stressful morning. She agreed to the cost. Most security guards average 10 – 15 bucks an hour… Simple math, times that by 6 hours and you can see where we were completely ripped off… To be honest. I really didn’t see the extra security that we paid for and come later to find out one of the the security guards were sneaking off into the woods with the female guests including one minor. What exactly did we pay 500 dollars for? Originally Richard said that the cost would be 1000 dollars but my brother in law talked him down to 500. I really don’t think any owner would eat a 500 dollar cost at their own expense. It really seems like we were charged on something that was playing off of emotions.
After all that morning drama the day itself turned out beautiful. We had nothing but compliments about how beautiful the venue was. The food was catered from Lucielles BBQ and it was top notch. The guests said it was some of the best wedding food they had ever had. Overall the guest ranch had its positives and negatives. More positives than anything.
My biggest advice if your considering the guest ranch is read your contract throughly. We went into this knowing the time of the wedding would be from 4−10pm. Honestly if I could do it again I probably would not have went with the guest ranch just on timing alone. it’s just not enough time to go thru the traditional wedding things and actually have fun with your guests. Even if you time everything correctly you really only have about an hour and a half to two hours to really party and have fun. Cindy breaks down the timing for you on your final meeting and it’s really discouraging. Your basically paying 2000 dollars an hour for a very limited amount of time.

The hubby and I recently got married this October at Wrightwood Guest Ranch and it was AMAZING! The venue was absolutely gorgeous, we are still receiving compliments on how beautiful the wedding venue was. Not only was the venue amazing in scenery but the staff was awesome. We worked with Cindee, who was absolutely wonderful. Leading up to the wedding I was a total stress ball. Throughout my entire wedding planning process Cindee was there to answer any questions via text, email, or phone. Cindee always responded in a timely manner. I was so concerned with the timeline of the wedding and having time to dance while trying to fit everything else I wanted into the wedding and Cindee helped me plan every detail to ensure my wedding was exactly how I wanted it. Come the day of the wedding the staff was beyond helpful! Everyone was so sweet and caring. It felt like we were working with family the entire time! I am seriously thrilled at how amazing our wedding turned out and I owe a huge thank you to Wrightwood Guest Ranch!

We recently had our wedding at Guest Ranch on June 6, 2015. I cannot recommend this venue enough. If you are looking for a perfect outdoor, mountain, rustic venue… look no further!
When we got engaged we knew we wanted our wedding in the mountains. I did very extensive research at tons of outdoor venues in Southern California. I looked specifically at Lake Arrowhead, Big Bear, as well as Wrightwood. After many hours of online research, we made a trip up to the ranch. We immediately fell in love. It was the first place we checked out, and while we checked out many more after, we found ourselves back at Guest Ranch.
The people that work there and run the ranch (also the owners) were amazing. They were extremely helpful, kind, and did everything they could to make sure our day was perfect. As soon as we booked the venue, we were able to call or email at any time and get quick and helpful feedback answering any and all questions we had.
To get to the actual venue… BEAUTIFUL. Simply beautiful. The ranch is well kept, has a beautiful pond, gorgeous bridge, and amazing tree to have your ceremony in front of. Our guests have constantly complimented us since the wedding expressing how breath taking our venue was and how perfect it was for our rustic wedding.
When it came to our wedding day, skies were clear and there wasn’t a chance of rain. However; as soon as we said I do and the ceremony ended, it started raining. We obviously did NOT plan for this. The workers and everyone at the venue could not have been more helpful. While my husband and I were taking pictures, everyone moved all of our stuff underneath the big tree to keep people somewhat dry from the rain. What could have been a complete disaster, ended up being absolutely perfect. We had some good luck with some rain, and the reception was just as gorgeous as I imagined (even though we had to move stuff mid-​wedding). We were so appreciative that the staff at the ranch was so together, and knew exactly what to do to assure that our wedding wasn’t affected by a little rain.
I can’t thank the venue, Cindi, Richard, and Judy, enough for making our wedding day a fairy tale come true. Wrightwood Guest Ranch is definitely a gem & could not have been more perfect for our big day!

Despite a very basic website with only limited photos and information, the folks at Wrightwood Guesy Ranch are very informative, kind, and helpful… plus, they own it!
Having an affinity for Mountain High, my fiancé and I agreed that we wanted a winter wedding in Wrightwood. We considered Big Bear but prefer the less hoity toity attitude that Mt High has in comparison to Bear Mountain, so we wanted to support the locals of our favorite southern california resort if possible.
There aren’t a lot of options for winter in either city, but we did stumble across the Guest Ranch and, after further researching on Google, Facebook, Instagram, and (most importantly thus far) Trip Advisor, we decided to check it out. The girlfriend headed up there and loved it — in January no less. But, they don’t do winter weddings due to unpredictable weather. So, we decided fall. Mid October.
She came home with an in depth invoice, high praise for the owners, and we emailed questions back and forth a few times with the ownera before making a down paymebt and locking in our date. Keep in mind though, no matter how kind they are: money talks. So if they dont have your money, you don’t have a wedding date. We needed six days to get the money together and for me to get time off work to get back up there to sign a contract, but we lost our preferred date in those 6 days. BUT, low and behold, they came back with another date, later in the season when they are normally closed. So we jumped on October 24, 2014.
We stayed in contact via email and had a perfect wedding. My only complaints for our wedding day were: only one bathroom and only one bartender. If they just had 2 of each, it would have been totally perfect.
The weather was gorgeous: high 70s with a breeze and low 60s after dark. I was worried there wouldn’t be enough food– we went with Lucille’s (brisket, greens, mashed potatoes and for cocktail hour: crabcakes, spinach dip, and biscuits) and there was leftovers and second helpings. We did run out of booze though. It was an Irish wedding so here’s a hint: anytime both bride and groom have a Fitz or a Mc in their last name, stock more whiskey.
;-)

I had my wedding here and the venue was beautiful the owners were so nice and helpful but once they received their money they became extremely RUDE! and disrespectful. The owners AND the «wedding planner» the venue offered lied to us on SEVERAL occasions they also sprung so many last minute things on us it nearly ruined our wedding. They would not allow my family inside the cabin while I got dressed and because of this they ripped away what was suppose to be precious memories not only for me but for my maid of honor (sister) and niece… Not to mention they would not let my two year old nieces dress inside the cabin and it was very cold outside. The «events coordinator» also broke my beautiful cutlery set and blamed it on my new husband and I claiming we broke it during our cake cutting (I would have noticed if I broke my own cutlery set)…this is only to mention a few things…
I DO NOT! REPEAT DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS VENUE TO ANYONE!!!

Very poor security. Easy pickings for smash and grab car thrives. We attended a wedding here on August 31, 2014. It was gorgeous. The setting and event were magical right until the end. Apparently they have NO SECURITY in their parking lot. Several — at least 5 — cars in their «secured» parking lot had windows smashed in and items stolen, including the bride and grooms car with JUST MARRIED written on the windows and one of the photographers cars where camera bags were stolen. Several people list wallets, purses and cell phones!!!
The owner of the venue did not act overly concerned. He simply said. «Sorry, check with your car insurance I hope they can help you.» The venue is on the very outside edge of LA county and we were told it would take the police 2 to 3 hours to respond. HORRIBLE ending to a wedding!!!

My husband and I got married here June 14 2014.
It was incredible. The whole set up was amazing. The flowers were beautiful, the grass was green, everything was alive and well kept up. The ponds had water in them. It was truly everything we wanted.
The owners Judy and Richard were very helpful all the way up to the day of our wedding. They were willing to work with us with payments and all decisions we had to make. There was a few mix ups but we got through them.
They had shuttles top take my guests where they needed to be. The had someone walk us through rehearsal and help figure it all out. They were cooperative with the large group we had and allowed the photographers to take pictures during the set up. They allowed my family and friends to start setting up the favors and decorations right after rehearsal was over. They were understanding when it came to our crazy kids running around.
The food was amazing and the way the served us as bride and groom made us feel important. The sweet heart table was in the perfect location. The large group that we had made it a little difficult to feed quickly but the staff made it as quick as they could. The accommodated 120 of us pretty well. I will always remember this day and look back on it and know our wedding day was everything and more that we wanted. I want to give a special thanks to the staff at the Wrightwood guest ranch. You all made this our day.

Short:
1. owners that CARE
2. Well Maintained grounds
3. Great surroundings (peaceful)
4. Very secluded (can be hard to find… map suggested with invitation)
Long:
I am a wedding planner… and I work at a ton of venues. This was a lovely treat last Sunday… only because of the fantastic owners and lovely staff who truly busted their buns to make the day and night run as smoothly as possible. The client was lovely, though had done much of the planning herself, and as most non-​professionals, had left many details unattended. Coming in, I was very nervous (I do not usually offer day-​of planning packages for this reason)…but I found that working with Judy and her staff was simple, easy, and the success of the event truly became a team effort.
Judy and her team were on site before 8am, and were gracious about my early arrival (I came from 3 hours away so I left extra early just in case… then flew and landed there about two hours before I was supposed to)…none-the-less, they were friendly and helpful and let me get started (and finish my coffee).
This was one of those instances where the client opted not to take the bulk of my advice prior to the wedding day… which made the day itself challenging– between discount vendors that showed up late and did not perform professionally (the discount Photo Booth showed up, did not explain their wattage needs when asked, then proceeded to blow out the electricity. twice…during the ceremony) and guests that showed up over an hour early, Judy and her staff kept cool heads and constantly exhibited a unique tranquillity, the ability to think on their feet, and a can-​and-​will do attitude that never quit.
Aside from a great team, the grounds offer a great, private space with lots of nature, a pretty pond and mini-​waterfall and many other great photo ops spots. It is fairly hidden… which on the plus side makes it private and secluded… but on the logistics side is best displayed on a map and sent with invitations :) Their shuttle service is on-​point and friendly… and everyone from the shuttle driver to the service staff will bend over backwards to give their clients the best possible experience.
Tips:
Use preferred vendors. Don’t shop on thumbtack. Don’t bring chilled desserts at 8am for a wedding at 4:30…they tell you in the contract that there is no refrigeration… they mean it.

Attending a wedding. Shuttle service. Bar. Pond. The ground are the mountains. Big trees atmosphere is top notch. The workers
Are friendly. Nice place for ANY event