Calamigos Ranch & Malibu Conference Center

I found Calamigos online after researching a ton of wedding venues. I planned my entire wedding from out of state, I didn't even get to see the site in person until rehearsal, which was a day before the wedding. I basically made the venue decision based off reviews and photos. We had the Ranch House location, which is a beautiful location for a smaller wedding. I worked with Claudia the whole time and she has been nothing short of awesome! They were very willing to work with us on payments and really made everything extremely easy for us. The day of the wedding was perfect. The staff there was excellent and the food was scrumptious! It looked absolutely breathtaking with all of the decor. My guests & my husband & I are thrilled with how everything turned out. We definitely made the right decision with Calamigos.

FABULOUS experience. every single staff member was so helpful and very friendly! even our guests were so pleased with all of the staff. food was DELICIOUS.. we had two dishes.. salmon & NY steak. YUM! the passed Hors d'oeuvres were scrumptious. the location is BEAUTIFUL.. esp if youre into the whole nature feel.. waterfalls.. twinkle lights etc. A++

Not only is Calamigos Ranch breathtakingly beautiful, but the service is incredible. Our contact was the amazing Erin, who really knows her stuff. She could answer any crazy question we threw her way, and was very willing to work with us and our budget for add-on items like the open bar, fabric draping, chiavari chairs, etc. With her and the rest of the staff's years of experience, none of our unique requests (such as a signature cocktail menu) were a problem to accommodate. We felt very confident in being in her hands for our big day, and rightfully so, as I was pleased to see everything set up exactly as I wanted when I arrived at the reception. I also appreciated that the head waiter made sure my husband and I had passed hors d'eouvres during cocktail hour when we were taking our pictures, and that we had a chance to eat and drink at dinner. In line with other reviews of CR, you don't have to worry about the fact that they don't do food tastings, as the food is superb. And even though it was one of the hottest days of the year, the entire garden patio was shaded by the tall trees, so none of our guests baked in the sun.

I've been to several weddings at Calamigos and I love it. The place itself is just beautiful and they have a bunch of different areas that you can use to get married. They also have facilities where you and your guests can stay overnight!

I am writing this review to warn other brides and to let Calamigos know they need to improve their operation. My wedding was Nov 15 2009. I chose Calamigos because of all the glowing reviews and their website. The website is somewhat misleading. Their location is good, an easy commute from anywhere in LA but the facilities are not as nice as their prices and website would suggest. We could have gone to the Four Seasons for what Calimigos charged us and not had guests commenting on the shabby facilities or poor quality food. I have been told that several of our guests became ill after attending our wedding, and the food at Calamigos is the only thing they had in common. The staff was rude, food substitutions were made without asking us. There were additional, vague charges on our bill which Calamigos failed to fully explain or even consider refunding. I would not reccommend this venue when there are so many bettter options in and around the Malibu area.

This is a great venue for a wedding. It's all inclusive. Chairs, linen, china, silverware, food, beverages. My wedding is in Aug 2008 at the Garden Patio. Everyone at the venue is nice and helpful. You can't taste the food, but heard everyone rave about it. It's a great location for 150 guests.

From beginning to end, our experience at Calamigos was AMAZING! They were so easy to work with, everything was taken care of, and we had no worries! We were married at the Oaks and it was perfect for our group of 140 - just full enough to be cozy, just crowded enough to keep the energy high. Our ceremony was so intimate and the setting was breathtaking - our East Coast guests were especially impressed. The photo opportunities were stunning - different natural beauty backdrops at every turn. For dinner, we opted for the buffet and it was unbelivably delicious! Everyone raved about it! When they say "premium bar" they mean it! Everthing was abundant and fabulous!

This is an absolutely stunning venue. The best of the 3 areas that they offer is the smallest one -- The Oaks. Our wedding was here and we were amazed at how beautiful it was on the day of the wedding. Unlike other brides, I had no problem with the staff in the wedding department. Although you do deal with multiple people, they keep very good records and I was always able to confirm details that I had set previously with other members of the coordinating staff. They got all of my placecards and table details out according to my instructions and the ceremony itself started on time. The only small problems I had were that the salad was served before the champagne was poured (which delayed the grand entrance a bit) and that although I asked them to cut all three layers of my cake (because they were all different), they only cut the bottom two, probably because there was enough cake in those layers to go around. So, my only advice is to be particularly clear about your preferred timeline and special instructions. I had a friend on-site during the set up of the reception to double check that everything was set up as planned and that all vendors were accomodated, which I would also recommend.
Although they don't do tastings of the food, which originally worried me, the entrees were delicious. My guests raved. The passed hors d'euvres were average, but good, and they allowed me to supplement their very light selection of beer with a darker choice, no additional charge. They serve Saddlerock wine, which is local to Malibu and adds a nice touch.
The location is just stunning, and I was glad to have chosen someplace that really knows how to put on a wedding -- it eased alot of the stress going into the wedding the few weeks before. I have no doubt that we made the right choice!

My wedding is booked for May 2007 at the main dining room/Garden and I can hardly wait! They do a wonderful job (I've been to events there many times), the staff is easy to work with and you have the freedom to do pretty much whatever you choose.

I'll be able to tell more after the wedding but so far so good! :D

This place is absolutely wonderful. The per person price includes 3 hours bar, all the ceremony chairs, mike, reception area, tables, chairs, linens, china, glassware, champagne toast, and the meal. We requested a brunch, which they don't offer everyone, and it was amazing. Everyone said how beautiful the location was and how great the food was. It is up in the hills off of Kanan Rd. A little known secret, a wonderful treasure.

I loved a lot of things about our wedding at Calamigos Ranch, but what our guests loved the most was the food. We chose the buffet with steak (you can also choose a sit-down menu). Our family and friends still rave about how wonderful dinner was that night!

We contacted Calamigos via email requesting to book their venue. I had made a special trip out to California specifically to view and book a wedding venue. I live out of state because my fiance is an Air Force Pilot stationed in Texas. When I didn't hear back from our sales contact Erin Bagaason, who had been fairly unhelpful during the process but whom was supposed to be sending us the contract and taking our deposit, I decided to call and confirm the booking. I was told that another bride had a two-day hold on the date. I forwarded the email correspondence to the sales and management team but they didn't show any concern that a mistake had been made. They decided to honor the recent hold over our previous request to book. Both my fiance and I are very disappointed in their disorganized and irresponsible handling of the situation and I would not advise any couple to book with Calamigos Ranch. If this is how they treat you before you sign a contract I can only imagine what can happen after your are locked in with a deposit. Beautiful venue but definitely lacking in organization and service.

Extremely disappointing. Staff was inflexible, invoice for services was higher than quoted. We read all the glowing reviews and chose this location for our special day. It was a huge mistake. Several people in our wedding party got sick from the food. Several who stayed overnight in the cabins commented they were dirty.
Expected more for the price.

The location is lovely, but the customer service is lacking. The staff made a mistake and quoted me the wrong price. The manager, Claudia Roswell, was rude and said things like, "I don't know who told you that," as if I made it up. Everytime someone different answers the phone so it's difficult to build a relationship with any of them. Every other place I have been, the staff has been nothing but pleasant. I am overlooking this shortcoming because you can't beat the beauty of the location.

During our engagement we had made many visits to other wedding site in Malibu to the Wine Country. Then we saw Calamigos Ranch and it was breathtaking. It was was also such a convenient site for the wedding the driving distance were simply the best for all my family and guest. As soon as we got there we fell in love. The location is stunning with beautiful waterfalls and an intimate and cozy setting. We just knew right away this was going to be the place we get married. And boy did we make the perfect decision. I would highly recommended getting married here. This was a gorgeous location no doubt. The staff was so nice and helpful. Our package was completely all inclusive with no worries. The staff was easy to work with and addressed all of our concerns. The food was fantastic and the ceremony was everything I imagined and more. So elegant and intimate.

Nestled away in Malibu Canyon, this location is a hidden gem. It's waterfalls, gorgeous ceremony site and reception tent are all there, waiting to be photographed. The white lights adorning the giant tree overlooking the ceremony site are enough to recommend it. They make for stunning photos! And the light there is amazing! I loved shooting at this venue and would recommend it to any bride and groom looking for an all-in-one location!