5 Reasons To Say Yes To a Stanly Ranch Wedding
When it comes to planning a Napa wedding, the allure of a Stanly Ranch wedding is undeniable. It is an ideal place for a beautiful, romantic, and unforgettable wedding weekend. For couples seeking a picturesque venue with on-site lodging and seamless planning, there's no need to search further than Stanly Ranch.
If we haven’t met yet, hi! I’m Lindsey Nickel and I’m a local Sonoma and Napa wedding planner and the owner of Lovely Day Events. Since 2010, I have helped stylish, fun-loving couples (and their dogs) plan destination weddings. Our clients want the ceremony to be outside, the food to be outstanding, and the dance parties to be epic. If this sounds like you, you’re in the right place.
Britt Rene Photography
Stanly Ranch Weddings At A Glance
Inspired by the natural splendor of the region and the vibrant spirit of Napa Valley's rich wine history, it seamlessly blends luxurious service and style. Stanly Ranch is a resort wedding venue located in the gorgeous Napa, CA. It is part of the resort group Auberge Resorts Collection, which also owns one of my other favorite wedding venues Solage Resort.
Stanly Ranch is centrally located in the picturesque wine country, yet just a few short miles from downtown Napa. It has multiple event spaces to host your wedding, so you have many options to ensure your wedding feels unique, classic, and romantic.
Town: Napa
Style: Romantic, elegant, sophisticated, resort
Can they serve liquor? Yes
Can dancing go past 10:00 pm? Yes
Capacity: 300
On-site lodging: yes, 135 guestrooms, cottages, and villas
Stanly Ranch lobby
Stanly Ranch lobby
Considering a Stanly Ranch Wedding? 5 Reasons to say yes to Stanly Ranch
1. Stanly Ranch is close to downtown Napa
When you are at Stanly Ranch you feel like you are in your own wine country oasis. With multiple dining options, a spa, and pools on-site you could enjoy your entire wedding weekend without leaving the resort. However, if you or your guests want a night on the town or a welcome event at a different location, downtown Napa is just six miles away.
For guests looking for something to do the day of your wedding, before the ceremony, downtown Napa is home to many restaurants, shopping, and antique shops. Be sure to check out the Oxbow Public Market too!
Stanly Ranch guestroom
2. You can serve liquor at the bar (not just beer and wine)
When you start planning your Napa wedding, you will quickly discover that wineries are not permitted to serve liquor. Stanly Ranch Napa is a resort and they can serve liquor (and of course, beer and wine). So, if a full bar is a must for your wedding, it is imperative that you check out Stanly Ranch Napa. So start thinking about your specialty cocktails and the fun names you will have for them. One idea I love is if you have a dog, name one of your specialty cocktails after them and have a cute sign made to go with it for the bar.
Gina Peterson Photography
3. You can dance past 10:00 pm (unlike other wedding venues)
Another thing that catches couples by surprise when searching for the perfect Napa wedding venue is that many wedding venues do not allow outside music after 10:00 pm so they comply with the county’s noise ordinance.
At Stanly Ranch Napa, they have indoor options for your dancing so that you can dance well past 10:00 pm. Don’t worry, you won’t feel like you are in a stuffy ballroom. The wedding spaces at Stanly Ranch are thoughtfully designed to include huge windows and doors opening to the outside.
PRO TIP: If you are going to have your reception go past 10:00 pm be sure to offer late-night snacks to keep the party going. Popular late-night snacks are mac and cheese, a nacho bar, truffle french fries, grilled cheese, and sliders.
Suzanne Karp Photography
Carrie Patterson Photography
Milou and Olin Photography
4. Stanly Ranch Weddings are highly customizable
Planning a wedding at Stanly Ranch is highly customizable, offering couples the flexibility to tailor their special day to their unique vision. Each Stanly Ranch wedding is truly one of a kind and a reflection of the couple. Here are a few ideas to make your Stanly Ranch wedding truly unique:
Design your bespoke wedding menu with their culinary team, incorporating favorite dishes, dietary preferences, and local produce
Serve a specialty cocktail and name it after something special in your relationship (like your dog or place you got engaged)
You can dress up the event spaces as much as you like with custom design with the help of a wedding planner or keep it simple and classic using the tables, chairs, linens, glassware and flatware that Stanly Ranch provides.
Guests can stay on property at Stanly Ranch or in a nearby Napa hotel, giving them many options
Customized Welcome Baskets: Greet guests staying on-site with personalized welcome baskets filled with local goodies, such as Napa Valley wines, artisanal chocolates, olive oil, and a handwritten note.
Add Late-Night Snacks: Surprise guests with a late-night snack station featuring comfort food favorites like mini sliders, truffle fries, or personal size pizza in customized boxes with your wedding logo
Suzanne Karp Photography
Arrowood Photography
5. Unique wedding spaces to pick from
Stanly Ranch provides a variety of unique indoor and outdoor spaces, each with its own charm, allowing for personalized.
Cutting Garden - wedding ceremony space - Next to the Garden House, this stunning lawn offers the perfect outdoor wedding setting. With its immaculate landscaping and a charming trellised area overlooking the space, it provides an enchanting backdrop for an unforgettable ceremony and celebration.
Infinity Hill - wedding ceremony space - A truly unforgettable wedding ceremony space, a giant steel infinity sculpture is the backdrop for wedding vows.
PRO TIP: Even if you don’t have your ceremony at Infinity Hill you can still go there for sunset photos.
Glasshouse Barn - dinner and dancing - With expansive floor to ceiling windows offering breathtaking views of the vineyards and rolling hills of Stanly Ranch, the Glasshouse Barn is largest wedding space. This spacious and contemporary barn is ideal for weddings of any size, combining modern elegance with a warm atmosphere. The venue features both indoor and outdoor terrace areas, allowing for flexible arrangements to perfectly match your wedding vision and needs.
Glasshouse Terrace - cocktail hour option - The Glasshouse Terrace offers stunning views of the Mayacamas Mountains and evening sunsets. With a seamless indoor-outdoor flow, this elegant and intimate space is perfect for hosting a cocktail hour before moving to dinner and dancing inside the Glasshouse Barn, creating an unforgettable wedding experience.
Garden House - cocktail hour option - This is adjacent to the Cutting Garden and features warm wood tones and large windows that flood the space with natural light. This inviting wedding space, complete with a large fireplace, is perfect for a wedding cocktail hour, offering a seamless blend of indoor and outdoor flow.
Bell Suite - getting ready room - The Bell Suite at Stanly Ranch is a stylish, light-filled space perfect for getting ready on your wedding day. With elegant interiors, a spacious lounge, and space for hair and make up stylists to pamper you, it offers a serene setting for pre-ceremony preparations and beautiful getting ready photo moments.
Bell Suite for getting ready, hair and make up on the wedding day
Infinity Hill
Stanly Ranch property map
BONUS: 4 Tips for an elegant Stanly Ranch wedding going over budget
Consider hosting your wedding on a Friday, Sunday or even a weekday to take advantage of a lower venue site fee and more flexible availability.
Use the tables, linens, flatware, tables, chairs and glassware that Stanly Ranch provides to save on rental fees, while still maintaining a refined and polished look.
PRO TIP: The ceremony chairs are timeless (not your boring white poly folding chairs), so use the ceremony chairs from Stanly Ranch and focus your budget on ceremony flowers which will be heavily photographed and the backdrop for your vows.
Since Stanly Ranch provides tasteful in-house items you can use specialty rentals sparingly and build on what Stanly Ranch provides. For example, use the table linens that Stanly Ranch provides and use a specialty napkin (like floral in spring or velvet in fall) to personalize the design without the additional cost of table linens.
Host your welcome event off-property to share another part of Napa with your guests and ensure the wedding day does not feel redundant. For example a winery, a bar in downtown Napa or your favorite Napa restaurant are all memorable ways to welcome your guests to wine country.
Suzanne Karp Photography
Suzanne Karp Photography
A Napa Wedding Planner Opinion on Stanly Ranch Weddings:
Stanly Ranch Napa weddings are in a class of their own. The venue is located at the entrance to Napa Valley, making it easy to get to from San Francisco International Airport, Oakland International Airport and Sacramento International Airport. It is close to downtown Napa (lots of shopping, tasting rooms, and restaurants) and has the sophisticated feel that weddings have come to expect in Napa. I like that it has multiple indoor and outdoor event spaces so that couples create a truly unique wedding day.
Suzanne Karp Photography
Suzanne Karp Photography
Adrianna Klas Photography
