Julie Atwood Events

Simply put — Julie Atwood and her staff gave us our dream wedding! Her attention to detail was impeccable and her staff was so accommodating. Julie has a great eye and is extremely creative. She is willing to go the extra mile to make your vision come true, no matter what your budget is or priorities are. Not to mention, she has a great network of vendors that help make her barn even more beautiful than it already is.
I can’t imagine having our Sonoma County wedding anywhere else.

We had an atrocious experience with Julie Atwood. In the end we had to cancel our use of Julie and her Ranch — things were just too difficult. Dealings were not transparent, emails were returned with far too much drama and overall we lost confidence that the wedding would be successful because Julie was so inconsistent and erratic. Its unfortunate because she has a very lovely space — but not lovely enough to have to deal with so many rules, restriction, requirements and ultimately, Julie.

My wife and I got married at Atwood ranch in the fall 2011, additionally Julie and her team planed our wedding. Really, we could not have been happier with how everything turned out — the event went off without a hitch, the venue was beautiful — and beautifully decorated. All of the vendors that Julie recommenced and we went with were exceptional — from the food and wait staff to the florist to bar staff to the dj. It’s been almost a year and a half later and our guests still tell us what an amazing experience our wedding was, all say its amongst the best wedding they’ve ever been to.
Julie was great for us — we wanted to give her a vision and not have to deal with the tiny details, she suggested several vendors and decore options that really fit what we wanted, was able to change things up when we needed it and took care of all the small details that made the event incredible.

Julie Atwood is the BEST wedding designer/​planner in the wine country. Julie is a visionary so you have to let her run with your ideas. She has such creative insight and understands how to execute events (weddings) well. Not only did she make my wedding day SO special but her team was amazing. I didn’t have to worry about anything day of and I have to say our guests were blown away with the venue, the details and the overall design. Julie KILLED IT. Her venue is breathtaking and special and she spends all week preparing for your wedding day. I highly recommend Julie if you are a busy person, with taste that needs someone to make it happen for you. It’s not an in-​expensive venue but she is very transparent about cost and what services she can provide. She also works with really good vendors who deliver excellent work. She isn’t a «yes-​er» but more «I like that idea, now that me tell how we can make that work». She get’s how to execute a party very well and you will be blown away day of. I can’t wait to share my photos. Again, if you are looking for a private, unique and one of a kind venue, than hire Julie — HIGHLY recommend.

I was recently married at Julie Atwood’s property in Glen Ellen. An amazing, magical, perfect celebration. Julie and her team worked to make the event tailor-​made to us as a couple and they were available to us at all hours for the months ahead of the wedding.
The team was fabulous to work with and they connected us to great vendors (the musicians, DJ, officiant, flower designer, photographer were all top notch). So many of my guests have said ‘best wedding ever” «completely unique» «under-​produced and relaxed» «magical» — and I agree with every comment.
Julie and team also helped us with budget adjustments along the way and were flexible with changes up to the night before. I would recommend Atwood Events for any event planning needs, period. I wish I could do it all over again!
A truly wonderful event.

One of the most breathtaking spaces in Wine Country to have an event…& Julie Atwood can create an event like no one else!!! I have had the opportunity to work with Julie on our Twilight T-​Dance event for the past 3 years and each year she comes up with new concepts to keep the event fresh and exciting!
Whether having a small event on the patio of Julie’s private home or a larger one in the rustic barn surrounded by rolling hills & vineyards, this is one of the most majestic places in wine country!!!

Throws a nice event in the end. I give the location and final product a
4.5. However, In our opinion, Julie was EXTREMELY difficult to work with. She did not listen well, talked over us constantly, never took a note the entire time we were with her (which led to her disorganization), sent us our intro wedding album with the grooms name totally wrong, nickel and dimed us to death, added mystery charges which we refuted with documentation and on and on. She now does require people to sign a legal «non bash» document if you use her so take 5 star reviews with a grain of salt.
We were warned from others who had worked with her that she was difficult, but the location was sooo nice we dismissed it. To save you heartache on your special day, if you choose this event based on it’s location, be ready for a tough, emotional time if you are involved in any decisions/​detail and be prepared for any problems that arise to be your fault. My Wife (the bride) cried out of frustration in dealing with Julie and her disorganization in planning. In the end it came together and was a great night, but at the cost of having the frustrating memory of Julie attached to our special day and the huge stress involved getting there. Oh yeah, bring a blank check, you’ll need it.
*I think most people, especially sophisticated people, want to weigh in on their wedding day and make their special day unique and perfect in their own vision for themselves and guests. In this endeavor you will struggle with this venue… period.
In summary, julie is a perfect corporate event planner where you give her a sum of money, you are hands off and she just makes it happen and you get what you get. Weddings. not so much… we all know that’s not how they work.
*Update 9÷25÷2011. In response to Julie Atwood’s retort claiming we were not in fact married at Atwood Ranch. that is a blatant lie. Julie, of course, does not even know who is posting this review (for obvious reasons), making that assertion impossible. Concerns over Julie’s comment: The fact that Julie is not even aware that she sends each client a wedding planner with bride and grooms name on the front once they agree to use her, had the audacity to claim a less than favorable reviewer never attended any of her events and is lying is EXACTLY the reason I posted this review. It’s always the clients problem. do you need that? Others may have and have had different results, this was ours. That’s the beauty of Unilocal,you get to see it all.

Atwood Ranch is truly a breath-​takingly beautiful venue. We had our wedding at Atwood Ranch on 9÷19÷2010. I must say, my wedding was the best and the most beautiful wedding that I have ever attended.
In the beginning, I didn’t want to hire a planner at all because I knew I could do everything myself. However, we fell in love with Atwood Ranch, and Julie was what came with it. To be very honest, I didn’t expect to let someone tell me what to do or not because it’s frigging my wedding (Sorry Julie!). At the end, both me and my husband both agreed it was the best money we spent for this wedding.
Julie knows what she is doing and she knows everything (about weddings in Sonoma). I had very strong opinions on how I wanted things done (well duh’, it’s my wedding), and Julie provided me the reality of what things are done and how things can be done. In the end, everything just made sense to me.
We live in NYC and we were only able to make 2 trips to Sonoma before the wedding. 1^st trip we saw the venue, chatted with Julie; 2^nd trip, Julie arranged the tasting, hair/​make-​up trial, warehouse tour for us. The rest of the communication was done majorly through email, and some phone calls.
It was a schedule-​packed 2^nd trip. We visited florist, did the tastings, did the hair-​make-​up trials. A good experience working with Julie was when she took us to see the linen and rental warehouse where she guided us through picking the right style and material for chairs, silverwares/​plates/​glasses, table clothe, runner, napkins and so on. It was very educational and informative, which enabled us to make the right decisions. That’s pretty much Julie’s style — she wants you to know almost as much as she does so that you know you are doing the right thing.
We did have our concerns at first whether how it would work out working with a planner on the left coast. And after that 2^nd trip, we got to learn everything about her style and how she works. We left Sonoma knowing that we would be in good hands.
I am a control freak type of person. I want things to work exactly the way I like. And I am glad working with Julie who pays attention to the details I am very likely to nip-​pick on.
One heads-​up for other out-​of-​town brides, especially if you are from NYC: people call Sonoma «Slownoma», which was a culture shock for me. In the beginning, I freaked out a lot when communicating with Julie because she just wouldn’t email back right away. The average wait time for a response is 2 – 3 days, while I always respond to an email within 10 minutes.
Some of my responses to the 1-​star review (disclaimer: I respect your opinion but just thought I could share my experience):
1. If anyone ever feels that Julie wants you to do things her way or no way, that’s really because her way is the right way (at least at her ranch).
2. I agree the wedding should be done the way the bride wants, but the bride should always go with the venue/​event designer who matches up her taste level. Which means, you really can’t do cheesiness and tackiness at the barn.
3. I don’t remember signing a «no bash» contract and I was pretty difficult on her about the contract.
4. About the price: First, I think one should expect a certain price tag that comes with a Sonoma wedding. Second, one should let Julie do her job to get the money worth. Our first-​hand experience was that Julie truly wanted to help us put together this beautiful wedding as opposed to just making money off us. And why you should believe me? Because I am the type of customer who would tip or pay NOTHING if I am not happy with the service.

I had the most AMAZING wedding here. I worked closely with Julie and her staff and had a blast every second. There’s no one more knowledgeable than this crew. The venue is breathtaking and gave us the most perfect day. There’s a price to pay for perfection and it’s worth every penny. They catered to my desires while giving me sound advice and guidance. Where else can you have a ceremony surrounded by luscious vines and then a transformed barn welcome your guests for a magical day??? I’d have another event here in a heartbeat.

Atwood Ranch is such a beautiful venue for a wedding! We were here October 1^st for our friend Callie and Austin’s wedding. We stayed at the Lodge in Sonoma, and buses were provided to the ranch, which honestly is the best way to do transportation to a venue such as this with no lodging available nearby.
We were greeted at the Ranch with cocktails and parasols, and then after about 30 minutes of mingling we were asked to be seated. The wedding was small, about 100 people, and at 3:30pm were under hot sun. We were all glad we had these sun blockers! They were adorable, practical, and made for a beautiful sea of colors. The ceremony was set on the most beautiful, never ending view of vineyards, valleys, mountains, and grapes ready for harvest. It was absolutely stunning.
After the ceremony concluded, we walked back to the covered patio area where there were two bars, light music, and more talking. Then we followed the bride and groom on a short walk to the barn where the reception was being held. We all walked together and then took a group photo (the photographer was up in the balcony of the barn). What a cool idea!
Entering the barn, you could hardly tell it was ever a barn! It was completely transformed to an elegant, dimly light, beautifully decorated hall. Complete with dance floors, live band, photos, bartenders, servers, and what an ambiance! We spent most of our night on the dance floor and had a spectacular time. If you got hot, you could always step outside the barn into the vineyards for some fresh air. It was such a wonderful, elegant, rustic venue. Something different and non traditional. With a summer full of weddings, we truly appreciated the uniqueness!
The only downside is the bathrooms are very nice port a potties. But they have wood floors, handles on the stairs, and real sinks. They still don’t smell great, but they are away from the venue so no one would notice unless they were out there.
I would highly suggest this venue for a small wedding or party. If you love the outdoors, I doubt you could get a more perfect venue than Atwood Ranch!