Dawn Ranch
Select services venue
The venue will provide the space, plus a few extras.
Guest capacity
Up to 500 seated guests
About this venue
Welcome. Nestled riverside at the edge of Guerneville in Sonoma’s wine rich Russian River Valley, Dawn Ranch is a virtual natural preserve. As a Sonoma wine country escape, Dawn Ranch is authentic, historic and unique. The property meanders over 22 lush acres of ancient giant Redwoods, vintage apple trees, flowing creeks, and native meadows. Fully renovated sophisticated cabins and cottages from 1905 cluster the landscape but leave ample room to exist peacefully amid nature.
Our event spaces
The Meadow
Experience a serene setting for your ceremony or reception in our picturesque meadow. Soak up the sun and be surrounded by redwoods and nature.
Large open space for wedding ceremonies or receptions. A generator, lighting, and kitchen rental to be provided by client.
Guest capacity
1-502 Seated
1-1500 Standing
Square footage
27,789
Ideal for
Wedding ceremony, Wedding reception
The Center Orchard
Celebrate with friends and family among hundred year old heirloom apple trees.
From ceremonies to cocktail hours to a full reception, celebrate your love in a lush apple orchard lit with twinkling bistro lights.
Guest capacity
Up to 220 Seated
Up to 350 Standing
Square footage
9,800
Ideal for
Wedding ceremony, Wedding reception, Rehearsal dinner, Engagement party, Welcome party, Farewell brunch, Cocktail hour
Included in this room:
-Bistro lights that sufficiently light the entire space -Five non-gendered bathrooms -Bentwood chairs and banquet tables for up to 200 -Silverware, china, and glassware for up to 200
The Meadow
Experience a serene setting for your ceremony or reception in our picturesque meadow. Soak up the sun and be surrounded by redwoods and nature.
Large open space for wedding ceremonies or receptions. A generator, lighting, and kitchen rental to be provided by client.
Guest capacity
1-502 Seated
1-1500 Standing
Square footage
27,789
Ideal for
Wedding ceremony, Wedding reception
The Center Orchard
Celebrate with friends and family among hundred year old heirloom apple trees.
From ceremonies to cocktail hours to a full reception, celebrate your love in a lush apple orchard lit with twinkling bistro lights.
Guest capacity
Up to 220 Seated
Up to 350 Standing
Square footage
9,800
Ideal for
Wedding ceremony, Wedding reception, Rehearsal dinner, Engagement party, Welcome party, Farewell brunch, Cocktail hour
Included in this room:
-Bistro lights that sufficiently light the entire space -Five non-gendered bathrooms -Bentwood chairs and banquet tables for up to 200 -Silverware, china, and glassware for up to 200
Available services that can be provided by Dawn Ranch
Services & amenities
- Bar services
- Catering services
- Clean up
- Dressing room / Bridal Suite
- Event staff
- On-site accommodations
- Pet friendly
- Service staff
- Set up
- Wifi
Transportation & access
- Self parking - free
Rentals
- Barware
- China
- Flatware
- Glassware
Accommodations
- Bedroom suites
- Honeymoon suite
- Room blocks offered
- Single king rooms
- Single queen rooms
Reviews
Write a review1.0 out of 5
2 reviews
Save Yourself The Stress!!
This review isn’t easy to write, but if it saves even one couple the stress and heartache I went through, it’s worth it. First, I want to acknowledge Alexandra at Dawn Ranch, who was the only person who truly cared about us and went above and beyond to save our wedding day. She was so helpful and deserves a raise for doing what no one else there seemed willing to do. But beyond Alexandra, I can’t say much positive about our experience with Dawn Ranch. What should have been the happiest time of my life became 12 months of pure misery and constant regret over picking this venue. From the start, there were glaring red flags that I ignored because I fell in love with the location. It took weeks of emails and follow-ups just to get a response, and I had to call the property directly multiple times to get basic information and lock in our date. Communication was abysmal throughout the entire planning process. Staff turnover is a huge issue here—we were passed around to four different coordinators, each with zero background on our event and little willingness to help. Each time we met with a new person, it felt like starting over from scratch. No one seemed to care about our vision or even bothered to read up on our plans before meeting. Every question was met with indifference, and it felt like they were always guessing about policies or shrugging off our requests. Jesse, in particular, was unbelievably dismissive. When I introduced her to my father, it felt like we’d interrupted her day by simply being there - for a scheduled appointment. She was unprofessional, cold, and didn’t even try to hide her disinterest. On top of that, the venue mishandled billing for our accommodations numerous times. They initially "forgot" to charge us, then months later, they realized they still needed to process it. When we checked in, they attempted to charge us a second time despite my showing proof of the first charge. Instead of correcting the error, they told us the wrong team charged us and that it would be kept as a “deposit” and that they couldn’t remove it until checkout. Even though we’d paid for our stay in full 8 months prior. This was unprofessionally handled and honestly felt like they were just grasping at any excuse to get additional charges out of us. There was also constant confusion over what we could and couldn’t do, which seemed to stem from a change in ownership or policies. It became clear that they didn’t intend to honor the initial promises made to couples who’d booked under the previous terms. I had to involve the general manager just to ensure our day wouldn’t be ruined by their internal disorganization. On the wedding day, my friends and family who were helping with setup reported receiving attitude from the staff. While they managed to “fake it” during the event itself, it was disheartening to know that even on the day of, they couldn’t bring themselves to be courteous to my loved ones. What’s even more telling is that I have a friend who got married here around the same time, and she’s expressed she experienced the same mess—maybe even worse. Dawn Ranch is stunning, but they are absolutely not equipped to handle weddings professionally. I can’t, in good faith, recommend this venue to anyone looking to celebrate a big moment. It’s truly sad because the property has so much potential, but if you want to enjoy your engagement and have a stress-free wedding, avoid Dawn Ranch at all costs.
Response from vendor•Dec 23, 2024Dear Erica, it is with a heavy heart that we read your review and learned how upset you are. While Alexandra and I are happy to read that you felt she went above and beyond for you, it is disheartening to read that you felt you were treated with indifference; that your family members helping you to set up your event were treated discourteously; and that this led to a belief that Alexandra’s team was “faking it” during your beautiful and joyous event. We all regret that your experience was so disappointing, and once again apologize for the ways in which we fell short. In response to your review, Alexandra reached out to you directly with the desire to learn more and to make things right. And, we respectfully resigned ourselves to your choice not to return her call. Should you change your mind, we are here. For the benefit of others who may be considering hosting an event with us, I hope the following information is helpful: It is true that there was turnover in our sales team which affected Erica’s experience, it is also true that Erica’s vision and expectations regarding her party were challenging for us to meet – and that the sales team transition compounded these issues. To address this, and to take responsibility for any miscommunications during the sales team transition, we made every effort to go above and beyond to honor Erica’s vision, including making exceptions to our policies and operations in order to realize her vision as closely as possible. It was an honor to be a part of this joyous event, and the posting of this review several months after the event took us by surprise. Dawn Ranch is an exceptional venue for weddings and other special events, and we are very proud of the exceptional team members who invest so much of themselves in creating the magic that is the Dawn Ranch experience.Dawn Ranch
This was supposed to be the most exciting time of my life, Dawn Ranch made it the most miserable time of my life. My husband & I were excited for it to be over, which is terrible to say.
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