Exchange your wedding vows at the charming and rustic setting of Bow Valley Ranche Restaurant. Located in a valley in the verdant Fish Creek Provincial Park, the venue serves as an ideal wedding destination for couples seeking a perfect country wedding. Plus, ample space for parking is offered for your guests' convenience.
Facilities and capacity
The venue offers event spaces for both indoor and outdoor wedding celebrations. A spacious bridal suite in the main ranch house is offered for use on your special day. There is also a groom’s room that features a lovely fireplace. Surrounded by two and a half acres of artisan gardens, the park features a wonderful gazebo where ceremonies can be held. Some of the event spaces include:
Grand Salon: Considered as the largest room in the venue, it can comfortably seat up to 110 guests for a banquet. It features a lovely stone fireplace, huge pillars, hardwood floors, and magnificent ceiling beams.
William Roper Hull Room: Huge windows adorn the lavish room that is ideal for celebrating intimate events. It can accommodate 32 people for a banquet-style dinner and 37 people for a standing cocktail reception.
Senator Patrick Burns Room: This event site can comfortably accommodate 30 guests for a sit-down dinner and 35 guests for a standing reception. It features an attractive wooden mantel that creates a romantic and cozy atmosphere.
Meadow Muse Pavilion: The Meadow Muse Pavilion is located in the heart of Fish Creek Provincial Park. It features gorgeous hardwood floors and subtle lighting. Plush greenery surrounds this location, which makes it all the more appealing.
Services offered
The friendly and accommodating event coordinator at the venue will assist you in every step of the planning and execution of the event. The staff offers various items for weddings, such as a podium and audio-visual equipment including a projector, screen, wireless microphone, and exterior public address system. Some of the venue's services include:
We were taken with Bow Valley Ranche from the first time we went to look. (We even changed our preferred date as it fell on a day they are closed.)
We had a small group and booked one of the side rooms for our reception, with our ceremony on the front lawn. Communication between us and their Events Coordinator was always timely. There were a couple of hiccups, the most notable one being that we had no idea the person we had met with and been in touch with through the entire planning process would not be at the venue the day of the wedding. This led to delays on an already tight timeline as we were being told one thing by some of the staff and something else from others, and the ceremony chairs had to be reset as they had been set-up incorrectly. No one came to introduce themselves as the contact person for the venue until our photographer requested to speak with them. Because of the lack of communication and the fact that our reception decor items were placed in an office we weren't allowed to access, we ran quite late.
That being said, the experience overall was still five stars. They were even willing to let us go ahead with our ceremony outside during a September snow storm and had blankets available to our guests, as well as hot tea in the bride's room following the ceremony. The bridal room was perfect. The servers were all top notch and beyond helpful. It was amazing to be able to have our photos, ceremony and reception all in one location. The food was out of this world and the pastry chef did an amazing job on our wedding cake!
Everyone who attended has done nothing but rave about the entire experience.
I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to recommend Bow Valley Ranche Restaurant to any bride or groom!
Thank you for your review and congratulations! We are glad to hear that everything went well on your day despite the weather not cooperating! On behalf of the BVR team we apologize for any errors in communication and I am glad that we were able to end on high note!
-BVR Marketing Team.
Jennifer
· Married on 07/09/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Amazing Venue
We are so happy that we got married at Bow Valley Ranche. Since the moment we decided to get married there, they were responsive and easy to work with and ensured we had considered all the details. On the day itself, the staff and BVR were incredible! They were all so kind and attentive and made the day run smoothly!
In addition, all of our guests were blown away by the beauty of the venue and the quality of the food!
It was perfect!
Sent on 15/09/2019
Marley B.
· Married on 04/05/2019
4.8
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
4.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Beautiful venue with amazing food!
The pros of this venue are definitely the aesthetic, the food, and the excellent customer service! The event coordinator Suzanne did an excellent job communicating with me about room setup, timeline, menu, and drink selections. We had a lunch buffet of salad, potatoes, beef, and cheese, as well as appetizers, cake, and a dessert table. All the food was absolutely amazing. The cake was gorgeous and tasted great. They were willing to put our breakable crystal topper on the cake, which some other venues may have refused to do. The look of the venue is so beautiful! Even though it was only 0 degrees Celsius on our wedding day, our indoor pictures couldn't have been better. We were also able to get a few quick ones done outdoors, and the restaurant made for a beautiful backdrop. The weather will never ruin your day if you have your wedding at Bow Valley Ranche, because you can get beautiful photos both inside and out.
The only cons would be that the really amazing coordinator Suzanne was not available to be at our wedding, because she was instead needed at the "dinner under the dome" event being hosted by the restaurant, which was happening next to the restaurant. The other staff did an amazing job, but I would have preferred that the coordinator be at our wedding since she is who we discussed our details and preferences with.
My only other comment which may be considered a con, is that you are only allowed a strict 5 hour time slot from the time your ceremony starts until the time your reception ends. You are allowed to start setting up 2 hours before the ceremony starts, but your actual wedding can only be 5 hours long. This was fine for me since in my opinion (or at least with my crowd), most guests don't want to be at a wedding for more than 5 hours anyway, but I thought I would list this in my review since some people are looking for a venue for the full day. It did make it so that I had to get creative with photo timing to fit everything else in; my husband and I left our reception for half an hour to go take photos around the building, and our bridal party photos were done after the whole wedding, when the reception ended at 4. You can either have your wedding from 11am to 4pm, or from 5pm to 10pm.
Overall, I am very happy I chose to have our wedding at Bow Valley Ranche! We had very happy guests and have the most amazing pictures from that day!
Sent on 11/01/2020
Bow Valley Ranche Restaurant's reply:
Hi Marley!
Thank you for your kind words and congratulations again on recently tying the knot! We just wanted to clarify that the PM booking time slot is actually from 4pm to close (1:30am) not 10pm.
We will pass on your compliments to Suzanne and the rest of the Bow Valley Ranche staff!
-BVR Marketing Team
Aleah D.
· Married on 11/08/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Wow! Best wedding food we've had
Wow! All I can say is wow! They were amazing, super accommodating and incredible. I'm a celiac with a ton of allergies as my guests have similar allergies and there was not one cross-contamination or issue with food through the whole day. They were incredible to work with, super responsive and the food...the FOOD!!! Wow!
We looked at several places around Calgary and found the Bow Valley had the best food and best prices (me and my hubby are foodies). They offered a tasting menu which was incredible. They did a very thorough tour and never once did I worry about the venue while planning or leading up to the day. Everyone came to us after and said that hands down it was the best food they have ever had at a wedding. I agree the steak and salmon were done perfectly. The appetizers were awesome and the service was outstanding. If I could do the day all over again I would do it here in a heartbeat. Amazing.
Sent on 11/10/2018
Steph L.
· Married on 26/05/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Bow Valley Ranche
BVR was an amazing and beautiful venue! I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a place that's away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The food was also fantastic. The staff was incredibly helpful and professional. They made sure that everything was taken care of on the day of the wedding so I didn't have to stress. They also ensured that my husband and I were fed throughout the night and didn't miss out on the delicious food!
