Middle Ranch Lodge

There is not enough words to express the great service middle ranch provided. They were awesome and were very helpful in making the day run smoothly. Debbie and Leann who are in the office were great with prompt responses to my phone calls and in person visits. With the walk through they were listen to all the things I had wanted, and how I wanted things arranged. When it came to the day of all the things we had discussed in the walk through were done. If I had to do it all over again, I would definately use middle ranch!


--------update 6/23/10

I left some items at Middle Ranch and I had some other questions, Debbie called me back promptly and answered all my questions! I say it again Middle Ranch has the best costumer service and if I had to do it all over again I would use them!!!!

We had the most gorgeous September wedding at Middle Ranch and the staff did a great job. We have had so many people call us to get the location for friends and family and one of my closest friends in having her wedding at Middle Ranch this year, also!

Middle Ranch was an absolutely perfect place to hold our wedding. My husband and I both love the outdooors and with trees surrounding the lodge, it was just right for us. Our ceremony flowed right into our reception, and the food by Cynthia Brooks Catering was delicious. We danced all night, and thanks to the staff at Middle Ranch as well as the catering, all I needed to do on my big day was show up and get ready! Thanks for a great event!
Lynne & Eddie Kershaw

This was the most beautiful wedding venue! I loved working with the staff there, especially Debbie. She did a great job helping me plan everything and was great on the day of the wedding.All our guests were so in awe of the beauty of the venue. I would get married here all over again!The only downside of this venue is their choiec of caterer. Cynthia Brooks Catering is difficult to work with.

Middle Ranch was the perfect location for my wedding. We chose to have the ceremony on site as well, and the space they provided was perfect just before sunset with the sun out of our guests' eyes. Our ceremony started at 6 but all of the bridal party was able to come earlier and use the bridal suite, which was very nice and perfect for me to get ready in. After the ceremony, our guests mingled around the lodge and outside by the pool for cocktails and hors d'ouerves.
The dinner service was wonderful, and all of the tables were set up exactly as I had chosen them a few weeks earlier. All I had to do the day of was show up with my dress thanks to the Middle Ranch staff.
During the reception, we had a dj playing music for our guests near a dance floor, but because the space is so large, those guests who did not want to dance, such as my grandparents, were able to enjoy the reception from inside the lodge on very comfortable leather couches.
The lodge and outside area is beautiful, especially at night, and the pictures on their website really cannot capture the natural beauty the space provides. There were many different locations we took pictures, from inside the lodge by the fireplace, to outside near the ceremony site, surrounded by trees. My overall experience with Middle Ranch was fantastic, and thanks to the georgeous location I had the wedding of my dreams.

Middle Ranch is just beautiful. DH and I love the rustic feel. It reminded us of his uncle's cabin in Colorado. It was all set up wonderfully, although DH and the guys set up a lot of stuff. They even set up the chairs in the shape of a heart for us, although we had to tell them how to do it.

One odd thing: there is no gift table. They take the gifts at the reception desk and watch them so no one takes anything, I guess. They even gave us a painted bottle of champagne with our names and wedding date and flowers all over it. (Same thing they gave Raginmama.)

Debbie, who is in charge of the lodge is less than warm and friendly. She will be there for the set-up, in jeans and a t-shirt, will be gone for the reception and is very "direct" as I was told by Raginmama. She is responsible and does her job. Although she had said she could put out flowers, etc for us, I sent DH and his people to set up things, just to be sure.

*I was allowed to have my dog in the wedding, but only because someone had made a mistake initially and told me I could at our first meeting, when afterwards, it said no pets in the fine print. I ended up bawling when they said I couldn't have her there, and they reconsidered. I couldn't let her inside the building. Ironic, since Debbie's dog was there the whole time.*

Middle Ranch Lodge was a beautiful location for our wedding. It had everything we wanted. We had our non-traditional ceremony on the lawn to the left of the walkway and the evening sun set it a glow. All our pictures came out beautifully. The reception was held outside under the patio with a cocktail hour there as well. The guests mingled around the pool or the patio. The main lodge has a large firplace and we used it to display our engagement picture. The soft leather couches in the lodge were a nice place for my grandparents to relax and the cake table was set up between the doors out to the patio so everyone could see the beautiful cake as they came in from the ceremony. I still have people commenting on how lovely it all was.
The only problem I had was with the catering staff, specifically the head of the staff, Lorenzo. He didn't seem to be very happy with his job. He scowled most of the time and although I gave him an itinerary he kept coming up and asking mw when things would happen and if we deviated time wise from the itinerary then he came up to hurry us along. I made that itinerary to be loosely set so that there would be time incase other things took longer, like taking pictures. And I explained that a number of times to Lorenzo but he kept rushing us along and it was downright rude. He also chose not to come to me when there was a problem with the champagne I brought in. I paid a corkage fee but since my bottles were magnums the rate I paid was not enough to cover the larger bottle. No problem, that's what that $400 refundable deposit was for, to cover extra charges. But instead of coming to me he went to my mother-in-law. She was very kind and told him that it would be covered and to just pour the champagne. I was oblivious to this which I am still irked about because I planned this wedding on my own and made sure all the vendors knew I was the contact person. Unfortunately, the trouble with Lorenzo didn't stop there. After the cake cutting and a bit more dancing I noticed people started to say good-bye and I was surprised as we still had 2 hours left to celebrate. And that’s when I noticed the tables had been cleared, the candles were out, centerpieces removed the napkins, glasses etc. gone and that’s when I found out Lorenzo had told my mother-in-law that if we didn’t clean up now we would be charged. Like hell! I paid up for two more hours (2 and a half actually, the last 30 minutes is assigned for clean up by the caterer). But most of the guests had left and everything had been cleared. I was very upset about this and that is why I called the owner to complain. Even the Middle Ranch staff (separate from the caterers) were shocked by this treatment. But even with this bad part it was still a great wedding. People came up to me all night thanking me for a great party, telling me they hadn’t danced so much in years, how pretty everything was, how personal it was. That meant so much to me.

Middle Ranch was a wonderful place to be married and normally I would recommend it to everyone. But due to the horrid service I received from Lorenzo with Cynthia Brooks Catering I simply cannot recommend it unless you find out that Lorenzo is no longer a member of staff or can request that he not be assigned to your event. The food was amazing and the other staff members were very kind and happy.

Middle Ranch turned out to be such a spectacular wedding location. We continue to receive compliments from guests on what a lovely place it was. All of the florals and greenery came out so beautifully in all our pictures. In fact, there wasn’t one “bad” place to take pictures at the entire location! Debbie and the staff are very helpful, but you have to ask for help. They usually won’t volunteer. The bridal suite is very nice, air-conditioned and well kept, except there is not a bathroom in it. You have go to the main lodge to use the restroom. It was a great place to get ready, with lots of room, and the girls and I had fun. All of the tables were set up exactly according to the map that Debbie and I went over. There were some girls there to look after the gifts that people had brought, which was very nice. A receptionist was there to answer questions, but again, they don’t really volunteer their help. It is a really unique space, and I loved the setup. We put the bar inside the lodge, and that is where we also had the cocktail hour, and where we served hors d’ouerves. The doors were open so guests could mingle outside or inside if they like, which was nice. We set up our place cards on the table at the entrance to the lodge, and Middle Ranch has an easel to use if you want to display a photo, which we did, and it was a nice touch.

It gets hot at Middle Ranch! Don’t have your heart set on one ceremony area. There are two lawns to choose from. Go to Middle Ranch around the date of your wedding, at the time of your ceremony, and look to see where the direct sunlight is, and plan your ceremony location accordingly. We switched our ceremony location after arriving for our rehearsal and seeing that our guests would be in direct sunlight! It will help tremendously and guests will be much more comfortable!

We had the caterer set up a table at the ceremony area with bottled water on ice and our guests really appreciated it. It worked out great.

Middle Ranch was the perfect choice for our wedding. We had both the ceremony and reception there, which was great for our guests. We chose an evening wedding because the ceremony site is outdoors, and in May it was warm, even at 6:00. They also provide a bridal suite, to use to get ready the day of, and it was a great area to relax and get ready with my friends and family. The area is absolutely beautiful, and our pictures prove that, with lush green trees outside as well as indoor pictures in front of the stone fireplace. The ceremony flowed right into the reception perfectly, with an hour of coctails and passed hors d'ouerves that were included in the dinner package we chose. The food that was served by Cynthia Brooks Catering was delicious, and I would recommend her for another event. Everyone I talked to told me what a great time they had at my wedding, and how much they enjoyed the facility. I would also like to thank the Middle Ranch staff for creating such a fantastic event. Everyone there, especially Debbie, was very helpful, especially the day of. They placed all my party favors and other decorations around the tables and lodge, making my job very easy. I would absolutely recommend Middle Ranch to anyone who would like the perfect outdoor/ forest wedding in the heart of Los Angeles.

Cynthia Brooks Distinctive Catering is proud to be the exclusive caterer for Middle Ranch. Middle Ranch is located in the Angeles National Forest providing a country atmosphere just minutes from the heart of Los Angeles, easily accessible from the 210 freeway. They offer wedding ceremonies and wedding receptions. The facility rental includes both indoor and outdoor use of the lodge for six hours. They only do one event per day, so you may choose your own time frame.