The Ranch House - Okotoks

This review is regarding the wedding on Aug 29 2020. I will abstain from using the phrasing "I attended a wedding here recently" as I have noticed the owner seems to have an aversion to the wording and keeps copy-pasting the same response to different reviews; how professional. Speaking of professionalism, it was rather troubling seeing the bartender 1) not wearing a mask, 2) drinking the champagne that was meant for the guest, and 3) overcharging guests. It was also sad for me to see my best friend on her wedding day running around having to deal with things such as trying to get my table water and a bottle of wine, instead of enjoying her wedding. I was once a server so I understand that things can happen, but that's why there are checklists to follow, especially during a wedding. There is no reason my table should have been missing a bottle of wine while most other tables had theirs, and quite frankly not having at least a jug of water at every table is a basic request that even your run-of-the-mill chain restaurant can fulfill - a wedding venue should not be below the standards of a chain restaurant. I can't speak to the logistics nor the money aspect that the owner keeps bringing up in his responses, that's none of my business and quite frankly I don't care. However, I will say that this venue was beautiful, I enjoyed myself, pictures turned out great, and I was able to see my best friend get married. But the fact remains that I flew across the country to attend a wedding where I noticed firsthand, unprofessional behavior as well as lack of basic service for a wedding, which is why I am giving this review. I hope these reviews don't fall on deaf ears and that moving forward whoever books this venue can have a more seamless experience as a result. Dr. Velez

Had our wedding here and it is a beautiful spot that is close to the city that is easily accessible but just far enough out that you get some GORGEOUS scenery for photos! Inside is so cozy and elegant, small to medium sized weddings are perfect. The food from the caterer (Highwood Catering) is fantastic and Chris and Kristal were amazing to deal with and SO helpful! Very nice venue, especially for those who don't want to break the bank.

I had my wedding here on August 29, 2020. Graham (venue manager) was very kind and accommodating leading up to signing a contract. Graham was very kind to offer us a discounted rate (which was also advertised on a local wedding group for any couple to take advantage of) as we were in a bind weeks before the wedding, as anyone who has been impacted by COVID could be. As we proceeded with the venue for our wedding, the kindness did pass. He was very short with us and insisted that when you rent out The Ranch House, you rent a venue and NOT a set of staff (he will not move any furniture unless it is dining tables and dining chairs). In our signed contract, it was Graham's responsibility to set up all tables, chairs, linen (according to a given floor plan ) and set out all pre-purchased wine on the guest tables. Unfortunately, the contract was breached and he did not have the tables/chairs set up for our decor company and my coordinator had to get my 2 younger brothers to set up the whole reception and buffet. Certain tables did not have linen and he did not set up a table for our photographer and videographer as we had discussed via email. Furthermore, he was asking my decor company to put out the wine bottles, which they politely declined as they were solely there to set up the decor. As reception started, I noticed there were no water for the guests nor did they have their white bottles on their tables. I had to leave my head table and ask him to get them on the tables. When asked where the last 2 bottles were, Graham (who was bartending that evening) could not explain where the missing bottles went. Throughout the evening, many guests noticed him drinking the champagne that was poured for guests. The drink prices that were discussed was $6.00 (also as noted on their website), but all guests were shocked when they were charged $7.00 to $13.00 for standard drinks. He was not wearing a mask to follow AHS guidelines, many guests smelled alcohol in his breathe when speaking to him, they felt disregarded and felt like an inconvenience to Graham as they purchased drinks from the bar. We had the venue rented until 1:00am but Graham was pressuring guests to leave by 12:00am. We tried to set up a meeting and/or phone call with Graham on August 31, but he did not return any email until September 3 where he expressed his excitement and happiness that we celebrated our wedding at The Ranch House (he did not mention any negative things about our guests or the party in general). When I mentioned his breaches of contract, unprofessionalism of drinking on the job and overcharging our guests, he assumed I was asking for a discount, which in fact I wasn't, but we just wanted to have a conversation to discuss why we were unhappy and get an explanation why he did those things. When we tried to call him, he would not return phone calls or texts. A few hours later, we were so grateful that Graham recognized his faults from the evening of August 29 and made the professional decision (without confronting the situation) to void the remaining balance on our invoice and sent this information through an email. Although our experience was not what we had anticipated, we are so glad that Graham was able to understand that breaching contract, overcharging guests and drinking on the job is not acceptable (hence his choice to void the remaining balance on the invoice). It is such a shame as the venue itself is so beautiful. We hope that if anyone books The Ranch House, they are aware of our experience and truly hope that this never happens to anyone on such an important day!

I am a wedding planner and worked a wedding here on Aug 14, 2021. This venue is beautiful, as is the area around it. It is a great size, it has a great rustic vibe, and has everything you need for a venue; dance floor, patio for cocktail hour, tent with gorgeous plants for a reception, bathrooms, professional kitchen, and a beautiful bar. Great value, great space, I look forward to working here much more in the future. -Owner, Envious Events

Graham was absolutely amazing! We had our venue pull the rug on us 6 days before our wedding. Graham did not only accommodate us but went over and above to make our day amazing. He was professional when we needed him to be and laid back when we didn't. The venue is gorgeous and well kept. We did our own food and brought it in and they were okay with that, if it was in the budget i would have loved to try the food on site as they have a beautiful commercial kitchen. They are very flexible with where the ceremony is done (Balcony, building, or tent). I can not say enough good things about this venue and the manager. It was truly one of the best days of my life and i cant thank Graham enough for helping to make it so. Absolutely amazing, would recommend to anyone and everyone!!! Thank you Graham!

The Ranch House hosted an amazing event for us. We've worked with them for a few years now and they never disappoint. They were great to work with and the catered food we ordered through them was delicious! We used an event company they recommended and made The Ranch House feel like a cozy Christmas cottage.

If you're looking for a rustic and historical venue to host your wedding, this is definitely the place to do it! Interior and exterior are just absolutely stunning. Graham was amazing to work with, he was very laid back and told us we could do basically anything we wanted to do, of course within reason. I honestly didn't know planning a wedding myself would go so smoothly, but with the expert help from Graham and Kristal and Chris from Highwood Catering guiding us in the direction we wanted to go, it was quite painless! They were very accommodating every step of the way. All of our guests loved the venue, the staff and the food! It's been almost 2 weeks and our friends and family are still raving about what a great experience they had. 10/10 would ABSOLUTELY recommend. Thank you so much Graham for giving us a night we will never forget!

I had my wedding this past weekend at the Ranch House and this was my full experience. My husband and I were looking for a venue that would accommodate a horse as the ONLY thing I wanted at my wedding (aside from my man) was my horse. Being a horse place, that was completely do-able. Of course we had to cancel in 2020 and Graham let us move the date to August 21, 2021 no questions asked. As we got closer to the date I started to panic because we technically only had the venue for one day. How would I ever get the place decorated for the ceremony, the reception, get ready with the girls, and get there for the actual wedding all in one day! Graham was kind enough to allow us to come the night before as there was no other event booked that night to decorate and set up. So much stress just gone for the Wedding day! Graham was VERY accommodating every step of the way and on the night of the wedding he was our bartender. Very easy going. All the guests had a great time. The food was done by Highwood Catering which we can't say enough about. Everything was Perfect. If you are looking for a beautiful, classy venue THIS IS THE PLACE. Highly recommend it. I don't have all my professional photos back yet but these are some that people got from their phones