This month’s featured vendor is our first wedding venue and one of my personal favorites… the beautiful Ranch Golf Club in Southwick, MA! The Ranch & I go way back. I’ve photographed over a dozen weddings here over the past 9 years. If you’re looking for a unique wedding venue in the Western MA area, The Ranch Golf Club is top notch and should be on your short list! The Ranch features a beautifully restored Barn, perfectly manicured landscape and a fabulous wedding coordinator, Bonnie! Bonnie is one of the reasons I recommend The Ranch to so many couples, she does such a fantastic job of making the day run smoothly! Read more about what she has to say about The Ranch…

Tell us about The Ranch:

The Ranch is such a unique venue, from its rustic-chic interior to its gorgeous landscape; our venue is simply charming! The barn dates back to 1897, and was originally used as a hay barn for the dairy farm that once sat on our golf course. When the current owners turned the dairy farm into a golf course, they decided to keep all the original barns and farmhouse to use them for our restaurant, golf shop, bridal suite and wedding venue. Although they have done a lot of renovations to the restaurant and golf shop, they decided to keep the rustic charm for our wedding venue and bridal suite!

The barn features an incredibly high ceiling with exposed beams, light-colored wood walls, gorgeous hardwood floors, and windows all around that let in a lot of natural light. To add to the charm, we’ve added twinkle lights and wood garland around each pillar. A curtain of white lights in the center of the dance floor makes it feel like you are dancing under the stars, along with elegant floor-length white sheer curtains to really highlight the best part of the weddings- the dancing! The adjoining courtyard can serve as an on-site ceremony space, as well as space for people to hang out in throughout the reception. The barn can truly transform into anything our couples desire, which is what makes us so much fun!  The combination of history, picturesque landscape and the notable yellow barns makes The Ranch unlike any other venue.

What is your role at The Ranch?

I am the Director of Sales at The Ranch, and have been in this position for three years now. I actually started as a server in the Bistro, while in college, then moved my way up. Once I graduated, the Owners and the General Manager thought I would be a perfect fit for the job, and it has been an absolute pleasure to grow within this company! I sell all events, from golf tournaments to small parties to our amazing weddings; as well as assist leading up to and day-of for all events. I work one-on-one with each client to make sure that their day is everything that they imagined. I love being able to help so many people plan events!

What is your favorite part of planning weddings?

It is an absolute pleasure to be able to work with couples and help them create a day that is truly theirs! Wedding planning can be a stressful time for people, so by being a part of the planning process, I hope to make couples feel at ease. I work very hard to build relationships with each couple so that their experience is personalized and memorable. Understanding a couple and their vision is incredibly important to me, as they are trusting me to guide them through the entire process. It is a thrill and an honor!

What sets The Ranch apart from other wedding venues?

Like many other venues, we do take pride in all that we do and work very hard to make sure that everything is great for each of our clients. What sets us apart though, is our focus and dedication to each and every couple or event. For us, it is not just “another wedding” or “another shower”, it is another chance to shine and to show-off what our amazing chefs can do, how sincere and wonderful our staff is and to make people feel just how much we care. Our goal is to be one of the best teams around, and we would love for our guests and clients to be able to acknowledge the difference. Service and food are the most important aspects of our operation, and I believe that to be one of our greatest features!

We also have some of the most beautiful landscapes for photos, from our rolling hills to the tall, wispy fescue grass; there is no bad spot for photos! Alison has done countless weddings here, and I am always in awe when I see them. It seems that she is always able to perfectly capture the couples personalities and depict the charm of The Ranch. (Seeing all the photos might also be one of my most favorite parts of the job!)

What should potential wedding couples know about The Ranch?

We only host one event a day in the barn, so it is the couples day and the couples day only! It is important for us that their day is our only concern so that we can make sure their wedding is personalized and memorable.

What types of other events do you host at The Ranch?

We host any type of party you can imagine, and can customize menus to suit! From mid-April to the end of October, we host weddings, showers, tournaments, retirement parties, rehearsal dinners, anniversary parties, bereavements, birthday parties, corporate meetings, luncheons and much more!

For more information on The Ranch Golf Club, visit www.theranchgolfclub.com.

In search of a photographer for your upcoming outdoor wedding? I’d love to chat! CONTACT US to set up your consultation!