Corona Ranch Tucson

If you’re looking for a rustic wedding venue that really accentuates the feel of Tucson and Southwest culture, then look no further. Corona Ranch is a wonderful place for a wedding. Its location in the Catalina Foothills adds breathtaking views to the experience. Does it have its shortcomings? Sure. The second, larger parking lot isn’t paved, the mesquite tree bleeds unsightly sap and there are cracks in the pavement on the main outdoor patio. Some people might be turned off by this, but to me it gives the place charm. Not all of us are looking for that venue that looks like it could be in a Wedding Planner-​type movie. What does it offer? Well, you can bring in your own food and alcohol which will save you a bundle. You can also bring in any outside vendor you want (DJ, caterers, entertainment, seating equipment, cutlery, etc.), but they also have fairly priced working arrangements with certain vendors to make this aspect of the planning easier. The venue can easily accommodate 200 people inside, which means it can be utilized during anytime of the year, rain or shine, hot or cold. When the weather allows for it (which is about 90% of Tucson weekends) the outdoor patio with fire pit is very nice and gives guests room to spread out. Their pricing structure is clear and upfront; they don’t really nickel-​and-​dime you with extra add-​ons and services on top of the base price. The venue polishes up well and can be decorated very nicely. The manager, Samantha, is easy to work with and helpful. If you’re a fan of charm and Southwest culture, definitely make a site visit to Corona Ranch.
Note: If you decide to choose this venue, read the contract carefully with an eye of how you want to use the space before signing. The contract is straightforward and clear, but if you see language you don’t like or think could present an issue and would like to modify, Samantha is very reasonable. This can help prevent miscommunications, false expectations and headaches during the wedding planning.

I just attended (and participated in) the wedding of a couple close friends here. In short, it was a wonderful experience and the staff/​ownership was pleasant, flexible, and accommodating all along! We did have some slight difficulty with setup the night before the wedding, but it was no big deal and all problems were addressed without the least bit of attitude. Plus, they had already given the wedding party a great deal and a lot of leeway in how to plan the event. Especially worth mentioning is the fact that Corona Ranch doesn’t try to gouge its guests on mandatory service contracts and all the other add-​ons that event facilities are known to force on people. Having worked in hospitality, service, and meeting planning for the better part of my adult life, I have to give these guys kudos and let them know that everyone seemed very happy with the facility and service we received. Oh, and the views of the Catalinas are amazing!

First, this review is based on an experience three years ago when my mom got married here. I know that they must have chosen this venue based on price alone as they were on a tight budget (and shouldn’t have been getting married in the first place – different story for another day).
The day before their wedding (June 30^th, 2006) was a wet one in Tucson. Everyone in the wedding party went here to rehearse and it was an okay place. It wasn’t like the fancy wedding places I would have chosen, but it was my mom’s taste as she was having a hill billy — er, I mean, «cowboy» themed — wedding. It was Southwestern-​y feeling, for sure.
Her minister didn’t even rehearse as the ground was too wet to practice on. No one working there insisted that we go ahead with a rehearsal to make the wedding went off without a hitch (ha! Irony). Instead, they kept to themselves until the «rehearsal» was over with. The next day, the storms came even harder just before the ceremony. No one working there offered to dry off the seats for the guests; we had the ushers do it. No indoor options were arranged or even avaliable for that matter.
My mom had her joke of a wedding, cowboy hats on all the men and all. We all went inside where the reception was to be held. It was pretty basic. If they had done something to the chairs, it would have made a spectacular change and even looked a little classier. Instead, we were all seated on plain metal folding chairs — fitting, I suppose, for the Cowboy wedding.
The people who catered the wedding (Golden Corral, of all places!) weren’t worth making note of, but I’m going to. They served up the food, but for the bridal party, well my sister the other bridesmaid, they said she only had the option of _​_​_​_​instead of the white meat chicken she was pointing to. Had I known this took place, I would have reminded them that my mom was the one paying them to stand there and be rude (and everything else as her husband is a cheap bastard), so they could at least be nice enough to the bride’s daughters.
People enjoyed the open bar and a lot of drunks took it upon themselves to act stupid. The entire time I was wondering where the hell the people running this place were to put a limit on the number of drinks people could get, or to at least lasso the drunks still parading about the dancefloor picking up the flower girl and tossing her around. She giggled the whole time, but I’m sure she’ll have strange flashbacks later in life.
Anyways, this place is okay if you don’t have the funds to have a big fancy wedding (or don’t want one, for that matter). However, it’s not somewhere I would choose to marry.