I want to start by saying that The Secret Garden is an absolutely gorgeous venue. There is no question about that, and I don’t regret having our wedding ceremony there. However, I do regret relying on the venue for coordination and ceremony music rather than hiring my own wedding coordinator and using my own DJ.

Communication throughout the planning process was incredibly frustrating. Communication is essentially limited to email or speaking with someone in person. They would not speak with us over the phone, even when I specifically requested a call to clarify details that we were receiving conflicting information about.

The information sheets we were provided were very minimal, so naturally I had quite a few questions leading up to the wedding. I was told that someone from the venue would be at our rehearsal and would be able to answer all of our questions then. When we arrived for our rehearsal, however, no one was there to greet us. We eventually had to ask the winery staff to find someone for us. A staff member came and spoke with us for approximately five minutes before we needed to begin rehearsing the processional and ceremony with our commissioner. By the time we finished, she had completely left the venue, so we never had the opportunity to finish asking our questions.

After that, I specifically tried to arrange a phone conversation because we had questions about the ceremony music and had been given different information in person than we had previously received over email. They still would not call me. Instead, we went back and forth through multiple emails before I was finally able to get clear answers.

Unfortunately, the biggest disappointment happened on our actual wedding day.

The speakers used for our ceremony music were awful. The music was skipping and cutting in and out so badly that my fiancé didn’t even realize his processional song had started because he couldn’t tell whether a song was actually playing.

Then it happened again for my entrance.

When my song began, the audio was so poor that I didn’t even realize it had started. I completely missed the part of the song that I had specifically planned to begin walking down the aisle to. Instead of immediately recognizing the issue and restarting the song, the staff looked at me as though I should simply start walking to the music while it was cutting in and out. I ultimately had to ask them myself to restart it.

Walking down the aisle was one of the biggest and most anticipated moments of my entire wedding day. Having to troubleshoot the venue’s audio problem seconds before walking down the aisle created so much unnecessary stress and confusion. In the commotion, I didn’t even get my dress fluffed before I began my walk.

There was also an issue with our celebratory toast. Our intimate wedding contract included a celebratory drink for all 50 guests, yet only 35 drinks were put out. We were told this was because we had “ordered for 35 people,” but that was referring to the charcuterie board we ordered for 35 guests. The celebratory toast was separate and was included in our wedding contract for all 50 guests.

The venue itself is undeniably beautiful, but the communication, organization, and execution need significant improvement. After our experience, I went back and read some of the other 1-star reviews more closely and realized that several of the issues we experienced were very similar to those described by other brides. I wish I had paid more attention to those reviews before booking.

Ultimately, my fiancé and I are very thankful that we chose to have only our ceremony and photos here and held our reception at a different venue, where everything went amazingly.

The Secret Garden is a stunning setting, but based on our experience, I would strongly recommend that couples considering it hire their own coordinator and, if possible, have their own DJ handle the ceremony music.

Booking Ripples as our wedding venue was hands down the best decision we made. They handled so much of the setup and takedown, which took a massive weight off our shoulders and allowed us to focus on the rest of our big day. Their team was incredibly responsive to every follow-up question and last-minute change, making everything run smoothly and seamlessly from the moment we arrived. They do rely on detailed planning info to bring your vision to life, which I really appreciated because it meant every detail was executed exactly how we wanted. All our Guests raved about the venue space for how gorgeous it was and the Cocktail Fountain drink, highly recommend that purchase!

we had our wedding here this August and everything about our day was above and beyond our expectations!
The Ripples winery team made planning a wedding incredibly easy and stress free!

The venue is so incredibly beautiful! our guests continue telling us how amazing our wedding day was. the secret garden team had our day flow so smoothly and everything went according to plan. We truly couldn’t have imagined a more perfect day. There isn’t one single thing that we would change about our experience here and We are so grateful to have had our wedding at the secret garden!

Even when booking vendors every one of them also mentioned how much they love working weddings at ripples and how great their team is

The venue was amazing. From the natural decor of the plants placed in the reception area, to the beautiful floral around where your ceremony takes place, the venue is absolutely stunning. Included you do have a day of coordinator who assists in helping set up and discussing plans, and ensuring your vision is met and moving the activities along with the timeline you provide for them. All staff that we interacted with for our wedding were extremely professional, anf charismatic which helped keep the party going! We highly recommend this venue to any and all, and additionally they allow you to customize your experience for a price, or allow you to bring in and set up your own decor! We tried to stay minimal with our own decor as the venue was already plenty beautiful, and it really paid off!

The Secret Garden at Ripples Winery is an absolutely stunning venue — beautiful, romantic, and the perfect setting for a special celebration. From start to finish, Caroline and the entire Ripples team were incredibly supportive and truly went above and beyond to ensure our night was flawless. Their attention to detail and genuine care made all the difference, and our guests couldn’t stop complimenting how much they loved the venue.

Although we hired a DJ from outside who unfortunately was unprofessional and did not play the music we had requested, the Ripples team stepped in without hesitation. Our bartender, Anna, was kind enough to take over the music and played exactly what we wanted, completely turning the situation around. That level of initiative and care meant the world to us.

We are beyond grateful to Ripples Winery for their professionalism, flexibility, and commitment to making our event perfect despite unexpected challenges. Truly exceptional service. I would 10/10 recommend Ripples Winery for any event — you will be in amazing hands.

Leading up to our big day (sept 2025) any time I would ask a question I received an annoyed response and no answers. When i did get answers it would be contradictory to what I was told before.
They send out generic info sheets to both the regular wedding clients and the intimate wedding clients even though the intimate wedding package does not include majority of what’s stated.
Our package included a complimentary sangria toast after the ceremony, my husband and I stepped outside to take photos immediately following. I only found out weeks after our wedding that the sangria toast was never given to my guests.
One of the few things I was told was that my bouquet and the table center pieces would be whites, creams, and greenery. I was shocked and disappointed to see a bright pink and purple bouquet and the center pieces all colourful.
I’m not sure if they treat their clients better when they are paying full price instead of with the small package, but asking for the table seating layout, or what decor is included does not make me a difficult client.

My heart swells every time I think about my wedding day, and a huge part of that is the incredible wedding venue and team at Ripples Estate Winery. From the moment we stepped onto the property, we felt drawn into the cozy patio, the beautiful ceremony gardens, and the whimsical greenhouse space of the reception venue. We dreamed of a space that felt romantic and intimate and this venue hits the mark. There is no corner of the venue that isn't picturesque. We got married October 2023 and had the perfect fall colors and made for beautiful photos. From when we booked to our big day, email communication was timely and clear, there is a great website that allows you to browse and price out their options, and pamphlets with suggested vendors and information that made wedding planning easy. Both Caroline and Marni answered every question and met with us multiple times to ensure everything smoothly. There was not a moment of stress on the day as they followed all my directions and timeline perfectly. All décor was set up beautiful and exactly how I envisioned. My biggest suggestion is to place your trust in them as they delivered above and beyond. The clean up service was incredibly convenient as we showed up the next day with everything nicely boxed up and clean. Our guests still rave about the kind staff, the beautiful venue, and the incredible cocktails and wine (the Foley white wine and the Mango Mojito were top hits)! Thank you again Caroline, Marni, and the whole team who were a part of our day. We love getting to go back now and sit on the patio and relive our magical day.

This is our 3rd wedding at this beautiful venue. All 3 of our daughters have had their weddings here. Once we found Caroline and her fabulous team, not to mention, stunning venue, there was no other place for us for a wedding. We highly recommend this wonderful garden for your special day!

The secret garden was a dream venue. All our guests raved about the location being so romantic and beautiful. We had many out of town guests who had never been and were so surprised by the beauty. The plants, garden, pond and tent were stunning. Onto the staff. I’ve seen a few reviews saying communication was lacking. That was not the case for us. Communication was great. I emailed any small question and received my answers within a day. Any phone call was answered. Loved working with Caroline, Marti and everyone else. I had a binder of pictures and plans to follow and it was completed perfectly. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful . Anyone could answer our questions. This made for a great day and an awesome experience. I also loved how the whole venue was wheelchair accessible with options for entry to the ceremony and ramps to the washroom. Would recommend this place to any bride or groom to be ! I will upload pics when I get them.

just now
NEW
If I could rate Ripples Winery/ the Secret Garden wedding venue a 6/5 I would. Carolyn and her staff were absolutely incredible and hosted the wedding of my dreams! The ceremony was absolutely stunning and the party after was even better. Not to mention the whole venue is incredibly picturesque with multiple spots for the most beautiful photos. Carolyn and her staff handled everything, and made sure that everything was taken care of. The whole day went more smoothly than I could have ever imagined. I was worried about the heat, and while the ceremony was warm (as outside weddings in August will be) the reception area totally cooled down by dinner/dancing time. A special thank you to our bartenders, servers, and day of coordinator, Mardi, as we were a large and rowdy crowd that liked to party and the staff worked hard all night making sure that drinks were being served quickly, tables cleared, and everything was going according to plan. If you are thinking of having your wedding at Ripples you are not making a mistake. It was the wedding of my dreams followed by a whole night of dancing, and fun! Thank you again Ripples Winery!