We had a Spring Fling dance for our kiddos and it was absolutely amazing! The venue was stunning and the grounds were gorgeous, the kids and Parents had a wonderful time! thank you so much, can't wait to do it again!! Matt was incredible to work with! -Natalie K read more

Newcastle Gardens has become my favorite place on earth! My husband and I got married here and it was beyond compare. Magical! Incredible food, gorgeous gardens, helpful staff. It was the perfect venue for our wedding celebration!! Best ever! read more

Newcastle Wedding Gardens made my wedding the most wonderful experience! Matt, Jess and Maggie are an amazing team! The food is amazing, the flowers are gorgeous and Maggie is a wizard at the planning. I can recommend this place enough! read more

Amazing wedding venue for my wife and I!! Matt makes amazing food and Jessica did amazing on the florals. Will recommend this place to anyone I know getting married! read more

Newcastle Wedding Gardens - Wife and I - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Newcastle, California

Beautiful venue and the most delicious food! Thanks for hosting our Homeschool Mom's Night out! read more

Newcastle Wedding Gardens - Barn was cozy on a cold night in early March - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Newcastle, California

Had a great time with our homeschool community moms. Great food and the place was beautiful and peaceful. Truly a hidden gem.

We just got married here over the weekend and I cannot say enough good things about this venue. Matt and Heather were absolutely amazing, we had our dream wedding thanks to them. The food was OUTSTANDING, we have already had people reach out saying it's the best wedding food they have ever had. I would recommend this venue to anyone! read more

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I recently got married and this venue and staff gave me the wedding of my dreams. The food was sensational, the gardens were stunning, and everyone was so helpful and kind. Our wedding was incredible thanks to the amazing team at this venue. Matt cooked a fantastic dinner, Jessica decorated/designed my gorgeous flowers, Jordan coordinated the entire event with ease and grace, and the service staff were top notch. Our guests were telling us that it was the best wedding they've ever attended, and my new husband and I felt so flattered. It was an absolutely marvelous day because of the amazing people that work here. You can tell the owners are passionate about what they do, and I highly recommend booking this venue. read more

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This wedding venue is beautiful! They have everything from coordinator, florist to owner chef who is an amazing cook! Plus they have a list of vendors that you can choose to use for dj and other. We hired a dj not on the list and they canceled 2 weeks before the wedding and one on Matt's list stepped in and he was incredible. He did more than play songs. He MC the whole event also. The ceremony is outside under a beautiful ancient oak and the reception is in a beauties "barn" style building with kitchen and HVAC. read more

If you are looking for an accommodating, and gracious wedding venue that wants to work with your vision and not force you into theirs, then Matt at Newcastle Wedding Gardens is the one for you. We just go married there this Saturday, March 16. I spent so many hours pouring over google and yelp looking for venues that were going to be laid back, and was getting very frustrated with every venue I contacted. Finally, a coworker mentioned Newcastle Wedding Gardens and said the new owner is amazing, and one of the best they had talked to as well. My husband and I went out to check out the venue and I instantly fell in love. I already knew I wanted a smaller wedding, with a max of 100 people, but the garden and barn are the perfect setting for an intimate wedding. The whole atmosphere of the venue is just so vintage rustic foothills that I instantly fell in love. The best part of the whole thing is that Matt is an AMAZING caterer! Like one of the best (my next stop will be to review his catering company - and any event I have in the future, I am reaching out to him!). Matt did a wonderful tasting for my husband and I, and both of our parents and served some warm cookies after the tasting. My Mom instantly loved the cookies and so we added them to our wedding day menu. The cookies were a complete hit on our wedding day. We opted for a grocery store cake knowing we'd be serving cookies and all of our guests absolutely raved about how great Matt's cookies are. On top of the venue, and food, Matt has some of the best service staff I have seen at an event. His staff readily and willingly helped our elderly Uncle who has a hard time walking, creating a plate of food and caring it back to his seat with him. It was so considerate. The bartender was great and made for a fun night. Overall, there is not enough I could say about what a great venue Newcastle Wedding Gardens and Red Horse Barn are. Amazing staff, wonderful owner, altogether made my wedding day so completely perfect. read more

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We recently hosted a 50th anniversary party for an attendance of 100, at this venue. It was top notch in every way. Matt was a pleasure to work with. He was incredibly accommodating and the food he prepared was excellent. read more

My son had his wedding at Newcastle Wedding Gardens and Red Horse Barn (NWG) in April 2018 and we were blown away by the overall experience. The venue itself was exactly what we were looking for when considering atmosphere, scenery, and overall experience. Matt Mermod, the owner of NWG, was thoughtful and helpful with every operational detail and upon our early arrival, the grounds and reception barn were beautifully prepared. The entire property was blown off, the lawn was trimmed and mowed, and the ceremony area was ready with music playing. Additionally, the reception barn had been professionally cleaned leaving no evidence of the prior event held the day before, and Matt was there waiting for us and ready to assist with any last minute requests. Also waiting was Jordan Brushia, the wedding coordinator included with the venue. What can we say about Jordan other than she provided the most wonderful wedding day experience ever! First, Jordan is a coordinator for the venue and not a wedding planner. Jordan's role was to coordinate everything involved on the day of the wedding. She managed every component, including the loading-in and loading-out of items, tweaking last minute details, wedding timeline, reception floorplan, rehearsal management, wedding day vendor management and so much more. Jordan is extremely organized and detail-oriented. The care she provided the guests and both the bride and groom throughout the day was thoughtful and surprising. She is the ultimate reason why our guests and we look back on that day and say "That was the best and most AMAZING day ever!" In addition to TEAM Matt and Jordan, NWG provides a list of hand-selected vendors which are exclusive to their venue and which we were required to use. We were unsure about this at first. However, the vendor selection proved to make this one of the best weddings our guests, or we have had to pleasure of being apart of. The day was perfect and went off without one hiccup primarily because every vendor is intimately familiar with the venue and are specialize in wedding coordination. Jackson Catering - Exceptional food, staff, and service! At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Jackson Catering staff were there waiting for our guests with trays of refreshments and hors d'oeuvres. They also had individuals passing refreshments and food to the wedding party and family while they were preoccupied with the traditional post-ceremony pictures. The buffet presentation was beautiful, and the food was of the highest quality. Even with a buffet, the catering staff hand plated the food onto each guests plate creating a higher level of sophistication. The detail of Jackson's service and quality of their food makes them so much more than a caterer, and they truly added to the perfection of the day! Divine Desserts - Esther made the most visually amazing and delicious wedding cake ever. The cake was reasonably priced, and because of seconds and thirds, the guests devoured the whole thing. O'Shays Flowers - Sheri's wedding arraignment designs made such an impression and were more beautiful than we could have imagined. The reception centerpieces tied in the elegance of the setting and the wedding party bouquet and boutonnieres were put together exactly how my daughter-in-law envisioned. Sheri and her floral team are true professionals! Photo Booth - Fun, Fun, and more Fun! Jeff Sharpe ran the photo booth at NWG and created such a fun environment for our guests. We have enjoyed looking at our guest pictures on the complementary flash drive he sent us after the wedding. A&A Music - Anthony Avery - The music selection was perfectly executed based on Anthony's meeting with the bride and groom. He was also a fun MC who kept everyone engaged from start to finish because he found ways to include everyone in the celebration. He also provided uplighting in the reception barn which further enhanced the elegance of the décor. The best was at the end of the evening where he had everyone circle around the bride and groom for the last dance. This send-off captured the love and joy of the celebration and was the perfect way to end such an exceptional day. read more

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You cannot go wrong with this venue for wedings, reunions, parties, any event. We held a family wedding in May 2020. The event was originally to be in Napa but with the corona virus issues that venue cancelled without notice and not even an option to reschedule. We found Newcastle Wedding Gardens by chance and it was BETTER than the other venue by far!! It's absolutely beautiful, perfect space for any size gathering, The owners/hosts are great people and so very accommodating to make sure you're happy with the result. We chose their food options - delicious! We also used florist and photography vendors from the list of providers the Gardens has used - did not disappoint!! From planning to finish it was amazing! It's reasonably priced and we'll worth your time to visit and envision your event. read more

If you are looking for a place to hold your meeting or reception in Placer County, check this place out! Matt and his team are top notch, genuine people who know how to run an event well and make every detail perfect. I held a reception for 60 people there and everything was spot on- the food, the decor (they created small centerpieces for me when I didn't have any), the service. The spaces, both indoor and outdoor, are beautiful, too. Definitely give them a call! read more

Newcastle Wedding Gardens - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Newcastle, California

It's amazing that in this day and age GEORGIA would rip off clients knowing that we can use YELP to warn people about her sketchy business practices. Here's the deal, my hot husband initially planned to have our wedding at GEORGIA'S Newcastle Wedding Gardens. We were in the planning process and we put $2,000 down to reserve July slot. Later that week I found that I was pregnant with my son and I would be due on the exact date we reserved. How lucky we were, huh?? We were overjoyed and we immediately let GEORGIA know that this date would no longer work and considering the circumstances and may we please have our deposit back. She gave us a stern "no." At this point , having a child on the way, we were in a different financial situation and couldn't afford this wedding. (C'mon people, we were parents-to-be and we had to save every penny. You know how it is ) Please keep in mind GEORGIA accept no 3rd party vendors so you HAD to pay top dime for everything at the NewCastle Wedding Gardens. And though it was less than a week since we put down our deposit GEORGIA wouldn't consider being a human and give us our deposit or at least a partial deposit . It doesn't surprise me that the reviews of this place are very lukewarm. When you conduct your business ( or anything in that matter) without a heart and stick-it-to your customers, word get around. So please beautiful brides-to-be just consider that if you go with GEORGIA, should snags or considerations come up she will not bend for anybody. She is only in it for the money and brides deserve better treatment than that! read more

This is a beautiful location for a wedding. Everything from the picture perfect gardens to the restored white mansion. It is just spectacular! Why the low rating then? Georgia who runs it is not the friendliest person alive. There are no children allowed in her mansion - a bummer to me since I wanted my sons to see me before I was married. She was very controlling. She kept trying to boss everyone around - including my bridal party, grandma, and the photographer. She never stopped to ask me what I wanted and how I planned to have everything run. The night of my rehearsal she sped through everything and got mad when I asked to go over it again. She claimed another wedding was coming to rehearse (we never saw them). While we were handing out directions to the rehearsal dinner she went up to my husband and told him that she was "politely kicking us out." This was before our PAID time was finished. Until she learns people skills, I will not recommend her. read more

I am giving one star to this venue because for the past 2 months I have been trying to schedule a time to set up an appointment and am tired of being ignored. The first time I emailed her, I simply asked when do you have an available weekend time that I can see the gardens? It took her almost 2 weeks to respond and when she did she just emailed me a copy and paste email with info about the gardens and attached pricing info. Great, glad you emailed me that, but it would be nice if you answered my question... I emailed her a couple days later, asking once again, when she had a weekend time I could see the gardens. Two weeks later (7/6) and she responded with a date of 8/4. I emailed her right back that day to say that wouldn't work because I was going out of town and what are her next couple of available weekends? It is now 7/31 and I have emailed her 3 more times with no response. Not even an out of town message, if she is gone and that is why she can't answer my emails. WHO RUNS A BUSINESS LIKE THIS?!?! I felt I was very generous in actually sticking with this and trying to get an appointment even though my friend and mom said to move on because 'is this really who you want to run your wedding? Just think about how your wedding day will go if they can't even get their act together to answer a simple email.' Needless to say, I am now looking for other venues even though this place looked gorgeous. I did have my boyfriend do a drive by before finally calling it quits on getting an appointment here, just to see where it is and if it is close to the road. I wanted him to check because of the other yelp reviews complaining about noise. He said the grounds, from what he could see from being pulled over on the side of the road, did look very pretty, but it is right next to a very busy road. There are alot of motorcycles that travel down this road because it is a nice ride and I can see that interfering with the ceremony part of the wedding. Too bad, I thought I found my dream wedding venue. read more

I attended a wedding here a couple of months ago, and although it was a beautiful venue, the owner made it difficult for my friend, the bride, to get the photos that she wanted. The place was beautiful, but the owner was very difficult to work with. To brides-to-be--BEWARE! She makes life hard for all of YOUR vendors--food, photographers--as well as the bridal party. [additional edit due to owner comment: she brought her own cakes. The food was bought on premises. The cake folks had a hard time with Georgia. The photographer wasn't allowed on certain parts of the ground that appeared public.] But it is an absolutely beautiful barn. read more

I just recently got married at Newcastle and have nothing but good things to say. The grounds are stunning and the barn is so rustic and charming. Both our ceremony and reception were beautiful and every detail was executed perfectly. Everything was beyond my expectations - the food was amazing (we had guests comment on how it was the best 'wedding food' they'd ever had), the ceremony went perfectly (absolutely NO road noise at all), and the reception was a blast (highly recommend the Jensen photobooth). I see a lot of comments about Georgia's attitude. She is not there to make friends, she is there to do business and make sure your day runs smoothly - and she does just that. She knows what works and what doesn't as she's done this way more times than any incoming bride has. She made suggestions, fine-tuned details, and helped me envision what I wanted. I appreciated her honesty, bluntness, and professional attitude. I actually found her and her husband quite friendly and extremely helpful. All of the vendors she recommended were awesome and I'm so glad she gave us direction. On the day of the wedding all she asked I do is relax and she took care of everything. I cannot recommend Newcastle Wedding Gardens enough. We had several guests tell us it was the best wedding they'd ever attended - and everyone commented on how pretty the site was. I can honestly and proudly say our wedding day was perfect - there is not one thing I would change. read more

You haven't seen ridiculous amounts of wedding research until you've met a Virgo bride! Right after I got engaged, I promptly scoured dozens of venues in the greater Sacramento region. I had a specific vision for an outdoor wedding: not too far away, not too expensive, not too casual, and not on or near a golf course! I finally found Newcastle Wedding Gardens and instantly knew I would be married there. The grounds impressed me and I felt serene while touring them. The garden area is lush and green, manicured yet natural, and the victorian mansion is beautifully upkept. Plus NWG was right down the street from my reception venue. Not to say all was perfect; there's truth to other Yelpers' complaints. Georgia, the owner of NWG (and previously Shot of Class), is a nice lady but her personality can be hard to deal with. There can be noise from the road nearby. The white wedding arch is a bit cliche. And I *did* come close to a bridezilla moment when at the rehearsal, Georgia told me that it was going to rain on my wedding day so we'd move the ceremony into the barn... come again? Nice barn and all, but I did NOT pay for a "rustic" wedding! Luckily it didn't rain and bride rampage was averted. Cons aside, my wedding day was amazing. Whether she's high-strung or not, as soon as I walked through the door I became the center of Georgia's universe. She exuded a calm aura which made me feel calm (I'm sure she mastered this technique after years in the wedding business). She ushered me into the bride's room, offered me water, asked if I needed anything. She noticed that I tore a seam in my petticoat and before I could say "don't worry about it" she was on the floor, stitching it up for me. Service, people! She also advised not to change into heels since it'd been raining that morning and my pretty white heels would sink into the ground. So I walked down the aisle in what I was already wearing: black skull-print sneakers. And yes, I'm a big enough nerd to love thatl! Thanks, Georgia! :D The ceremony was beautiful, there was minimal noise from the road, the guests loved the surroundings, and I got beautiful wedding photos on the grounds after the wedding. I suggest using the large willow tree as a photo backdrop, it's gorgeous. If you can deal with a strong personality like Georgia's, then I strongly urge you to consider Newcastle Wedding Gardens for your special day! read more

Newcastle Wedding Gardens is an enchanting place for a garden wedding or any special event. It's a hidden gem, located in Newcastle on a gorgeous private estate. The historic two-story white mansion on Taylor Road greets visitors with charm, character and grace. The well-maintained grounds are beautiful yet natural; not overly fussy. The Red Horse Barn offers upscale yet "rustic" charm. It's a place that will look amazing for your reception, yet comfortable enough to allow you to feel at home. And the food...did I mention the food?? You will not be disappointed! If you are hosting your wedding here, you will have the good fortune of working with Georgia Barron, the owner and an experienced and celebrated award-winning wedding & event planner/designer (think the "David Tutera" of the Sierra Foothills!). Georgia has a great sense of style and keeps current with trends. In her years in the wedding industry she has learned what works and what doesn't when it comes to producing a successful event. She will suggest vendors that "know their stuff" and are truly talented professionals who are passionate about what they do. Despite Jen H.'s comments, I have found Georgia a joy to work with and an extremely witty and warm person with a great sense of humor. I also know that brides can be overly sensitive and emotional on their wedding day and/or have such high expectations of their "big day" which are impossible to live up to, therefore it is not fair to judge Georgia or Newcastle Wedding Gardens / Red Horse Barn on this one reviewer's experience. I would definitely put Newcastle Wedding Gardens on my list of venues if I were a bride. The ambiance is beautiful, your photos will be amazing, the food is to die for and the staff is experienced, trained and "on top of it." There is no place like it in the Sacramento or Auburn area. read more

Newcastle Wedding Gardens and The Red Horse Barn are absolutely breathtaking. My husband and I were recently married here (8/9/14) and our wedding was beautiful. The proprietor, Georgia, is knowledgable and experienced with wedding planning and made our fairytale wedding a reality. From the beginning Georgia took us through several options and at times she could seem pushy, but ultimately she wanted to make sure that we had everything we wanted. The gardens are green with beautiful flowers, vines, a fountain, and an awesome altar/arbor. The walkway is smooth and although I wore boots, it'd be easily handled in heels. The gardens are so beautiful by themselves that you barely need flowers, the bridesmaids' and bride's bouquets are more than enough. The whole property is landscaped and after the ceremony you're whisked away for photos all over (transported via classy golf cart). The barn where receptions are held is impossibly charming. They have done an awesome job beautifying it and it's patio outside. The tables are arranged nicely so the dance floor is big enough and there's a great flow through the room. We had cream linens with silver plate chargers and our colors were pink and brown. The room looked clean and crisp with this arrangement and it brightened it up. We went with the buffet option for dinner and it was perfect. Tables were released by the DJ and the staff served everyone healthy portions. We were even able to do some other options for anyone with allergies or vegetarians which was super helpful! The caterers "Jackson Catering" were phenomenal. We received several compliments about the delicious food and kind staff. They served us (the bride and groom) at our sweetheart table and they were very prompt about clearing our plates when we were finished. The sweetheart table is romantic. It comes with a pretty loveseat which is adorable but turned out to be mildly problematic for my huge ball gown! Haha, maybe if you're like me with a big dress ask to go with some regular chairs instead. It made for some very pretty pictures though! Georgia runs a tight ship with her staff and everything that they did went off without a hitch! The reception goes until 10pm and it had a nice flow through the night with timing for all the activities. Our photographer (Jeff Sharpe) was incredible and knows the venue very well so he caught all our intimate moments and was so helpful. Overall, the entire experience was wonderful and Georgia really made everything easy and smooth. A++ for them and I hope that you don't listen to the other nasty reviews on here because this place is amazing! read more

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Due to family circumstances, my husband and I had to book our wedding in 2 weeks, and on a holiday. Matt worked with us and everything went great! He was so helpful, the venue is gorgeous, and the food was great. He helped make sure our day went perfect! read more

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I recently got married at the Newcastle Wedding Gardens in October 2014. The location was love at first site for me. The barn is extraordinary. It's the perfect mixture of rustic elegance and it barely needs any additional decorating. My husband and I were very busy people, so it was a huge selling point that we wouldn't have to worry about rentals or the food since everything is provided. I booked the venue the same day. It wasn't until afterwards that I looked at the reviews here and on other sites, and some reviews were scathing towards Georgia who is the owner and the main contact. It definitely had me worried and regretting my decision to hastily book with this venue. And over the course of planning my wedding, there were a few disagreements between us. During the rehearsal she gave me slight attitude when I pointed out that I wanted something changed in the ceremony, but she did concede and make my vision work. She also has specific vendors you have to use if you book at her venue. The food will be Jackson Catering, but believe me you will not regret it. I received several compliments on the food. You can choose from 3 DJ's to work with, which was disappointing. However, we chose Pat and I actually really liked him. He's very likeable and experienced and ultimately I'm glad we got to work with him. She also has preferred photographers, which we did not use, but you have to pay a $100 fee to use someone else. But the bottom line is this- my wedding was beautiful, stress-free, and it went so smoothly. She was calming when I arrived and her experience helped smooth out the rough edges. My sister brought last minute wood slices for the centerpieces literally the day before the wedding, and her staff just ran with it. I walked in to the reception and was blown away that her staff arranged everything so beautifully. None of my family had to lift a finger before or after the wedding. The food is AMAZING, and I got several compliments and how smoothly the wedding went. Even if Georgia and I didn't see eye to eye on everything, her venue and her staff are just impeccable. I ultimately had no regrets booking that venue and I encourage everyone to keep an open mind when reading these reviews. If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. read more

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We just held our daughters wedding at Newcastle Wedding Gardens July 2019. Every aspect of the event was perfect. From the initial visit to view the venue (the gate was open so we stopped in unannounced) to the day after the event to collect our items. The venue was perfect. There are air conditioned "get ready rooms" for both the groom/groomsmen and the bride/bridesmaids. The area for the ceremony is really pretty and shaded with a beautiful built in arbor. Water was set out for the guests as they waited for the ceremony to start. After the wedding the guests walk right down the short path to the reception hall/barn. Everything was included, no extra charge for tables, chairs, standard table cloths, etc. They even have an attic full of wedding signage, lanterns, votives, vases, etc. that you can use if you want. Matt and his staff are so accommodating. Everything I asked for I received a yes back as a reply. Matt is a phenomenal chef. The menu he put together for us was delicious and our guests raved about how tasty it was. We had several people with dietary restrictions and Matt made sure the menu addressed their concerns and in one case made up a special plate of food. We offered two specialty cocktails and Matt made the puree for the drinks. The bartender (she is awesome) put it all together for us and it was even better than the drinks we were copying. The wedding coordinator that comes with the venue for the day of the event was so great at her job. She kept everything on schedule and kept asking the bride/groom and parents if we needed anything. She took care of putting the gifts in the car for us, collecting all the bridal parties personal effects and bringing them to one central location for easy grab and go at the end of the night, and boxing up our centerpieces and decorations. If there were any hiccups during the evening, we were not aware of it. Newcastle Wedding Gardens is great. It was stress free and hassle free. If I ever have to plan another wedding or big event I would absolutely have it there. Thank you Matt and staff, you are all fabulous! read more

My husband and I got married at Newcastle Wedding Gardens in September and couldn't have been happier with our venue choice! Everything was absolutely perfect. We have received so many compliments from friends and family about how impressed they were with the venue and food. Matt and his team went above and beyond to make sure everything went smoothly and was exactly how we wanted it. I can't thank them enough! I highly recommend this venue! read more

We were so lucky to have found this venue! Matt was especially amazing to work with! He replied to our emails/calls promptly and made us feel like we were taken care of. Anytime we had a suggestion, Matt's response was always "Of course, no problem we can do that!" He made our wedding day go smoothly, even though it rained 10 minutes before the ceremony started. We received many compliments on how well kept and beautiful the venue was. Thank you so much to Matt and his team for creating such a special day for us! Matt and his team also catered the wedding and the food was absolutely delicious! We could not have picked a better venue!! read more

I was just married here the past Friday and it was such a great time! beautiful venue, the staff did such a great job with my table decorating and bar tending the night! I personally went to every table at dinner and RAVE REVIEWS from every guest on Matt's food. I'm so happy i chose them to start the rest of my life with my husband! They also had a great list of recommendation for other vendor needed such as cakes, DJ and photography that i did use and was so happy to have. Jordan the event Coordinator was the absolute Best and on top of it the whole wedding. Love this venue highly recommend read more

We absolutely LOVE this place. Our wedding from start to finish was handled flawlessly. If there was any item needed, Jordan worked to make sure to accommodate. If anything went wrong with the day, we didn't have a single clue. I HIGHLY recommend this venue. Definitely worth every penny for the quality and peace of mind we had the whole time. read more

Newcastle Wedding Gardens - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Newcastle, California

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I did not get married here and it was not because it wasn't pretty or charming. It was because this is the most rigid venue we looked at. They do all their own catering. No acceptions. You have to use their approved vendors. No acceptions. A lot of places let you bring in your own for an extra cost. Not here. Not even for more money. We had 150 guests and Georgia tried to tell us we needed to pare the list down because their capacity is 120 and that anything more than that is too many anyway. A lot of people have talked about the highway noise. We were told that we'd "get used to it." Seriously? That's what you have to say? When I asked if I could use the restroom in the mansion when we met for a tour, Georgia hesitated as if she really wanted to say no, you cannot use the restroom, as if I would soil it or break something. It's a business, right? It's not like I was asking to go take a nap in one of the bedrooms or something. Bottom line, if all you care about is a beautiful setting, Newcastle Wedding Gardens is your place. But if you don't want to deal with a cranky woman's attitude, want to have a smooth planning process and feel, in any way, like it's YOUR event and not the owner of the venue's, you should probably look elsewhere. read more

Attended a wedding here and thought I'd relate our experiences. First we showed up early and while waiting opened a can of beer in the parking lot. The security guard immediately informed us that there was no drinking on the premises except in the bar area. We said okay, you're probably right we shouldn't congregate in the parking lot drinking beer, and he proceeded to tell us that we could not use the motor home that people in the wedding party brought to serve any type of beverages to anyone at any time. Okay man we're catching on, we are not here to booze it up and steal your profits. The thing that really irked me was his direct nature, not really informing us of the policy, but dressing us down instead. Once people entered the seating area, we noted that the groom's 90 year old grandmother was running late. My wife accompanied her daughter (the groom's mother), who understandably was quite concerned, to an area closer to the parking lot to keep her company and keep the stress to a minimum while waiting for her mother's arrival. My wife mentioned that they were hounded by the lady coordinator, first asking how long they intended to wait (uh, until she gets here?!) and then suggesting that my wife return to the seating area to wait so the ceremony could begin once she arrived. She did arrive some 20 minutes late and the only people it seemed to bother were those running the ceremony. Their attitudes were noted by numerous people in attendance who expressed surprise that they wouldn't be more accommodating or at least appear to be. After the wedding ceremony, we moved to the old barn or packing shed which was totally modernized with plenty of restrooms, tables and a nice bar area. We noted that the staff was running a tightly scheduled event to the extent that everyone was warned several times not to stop and talk to the bride and groom on the way to, or returning from the buffet. Are you kidding me? Then as the staff member dismissed our table to go to the buffet, when we walked by the bride and groom, the groom joked that we weren't allowed to talk to them. My wife didn't hear his comment, but slowed down to ask him what he said. At this point, the staff member directed us to keep moving and not stop at the bride and groom table. Once again, the overbearing staff made their presence noted in a direct, bordering on unfriendly manner. Dinner was good, and the staff serving our tables had dishes cleared once we finished, for the wedding reception events of the evening that we highly directed by the staff on a strict schedule. As the course of the evening moved on, we observed the security officer actively observing the reception from several different vantage points. Those of us at the outdoor tables felt as if we were under surveillance the whole evening - maybe he thought we were going to sneak beer in from the parking lot or maybe have a cigarette in an unauthorized area. It was a nice ceremony and the wedding party probably did not notice the controlling, and abrupt nature of the staff. While it was a nice venue and a nicer ceremony, I could not help but feel uncomfortable due to the attitude of the staff and I was joined in this perception by other guests to the Newcastle Wedding Gardens. If you want your party to be encumbered by overbearing staff this is the place. Lots of rules reign here! read more

The two stars are for the beautiful grounds and gardens. The plant life, trees, barn, and lighting are all just gorgeous. We met with the owner to discuss having our wedding here. Right away, I was uncomfortable and wanted to leave. She was so bossy and overbearing! I'm sure she has a ton of experience, but that doesn't mean everyone else knows nothing about what they want for their wedding. I DID NOT like how you have to use vendors from her approved list. Not just caterers, but djs and bakers too. I did notice other reviews stating that they used other vendors, but she told us this was not allowed. The issue came up when I informed her my mom, who is a baker and does cakes, wanted to make our cake. She said that I would be happier with a baker on her list, and that I would not want that for my wedding day. Excuse me, I just told you I wanted that, do not tell me what I do and don't want. Also, we didn't want a dj, but a swing band. She acted like, well...I may be able to work that out for you if I can find a band. Needless to say, we did not get married here. If you have no ideas or plans at all and you are a push-over, then this place is probably ideal for you. :) read more

We had a celebration of life at this venue and I cannot give this place enough praise. Matt is so gracious and his food is amazing. There was not one guest that that did not give compliments to the meal. I have a foodie millennial son who said it was the best catering he has ever had and trying different cuisine is his favorite pastime. I will recommend this place to everyone and hope to have many more events here. read more

Great Venue, Excellent food, but Georgia just makes everything bad. I overheard my photographer friend talk about the worst experience in his life and how he will never shoot there again no matter how much the bride or groom pays. It's not worth it. read more

If I could give a lower rating I would. My fiancé and I got royally screwed over by this venue and the woman who owns/operates it, Georgia. When we met for our initial consultation and walk of the grounds, we thought it was beautiful and a great place to hold our wedding. We got a run down on details and came to a estimated final cost considering this venue was "all inclusive". So we put $2000 down. We got our contract in the mail and it was considerably more than the estimate. We decided to go forward and find a way to make it work. Until we found out I was diagnosed with a serious illness. We had to put off the wedding completely until who knows when, so we asked for our deposit back to help with medical costs. We gave about 6 months advanced notice. She refused, and had not done a single thing to plan our wedding. How can she keep the $2000?! This woman has no moral standing. We desperately need this money to fund my treatment plan but apparently Georgia has no conscience. PLEASE PLEASE reconsider if this venue is on your list!!!!! read more

I recently attended a wedding as a member of the bridal party. Gorgeous garden setting and perfect barn like setting for receptions- this is all true, however that is where the good stuff ends. 1. Georgia, wow. Major control freak and generally all around unpleasant personality. I overheard her saying how awful another wedding was because it had more than 10 children. 2. Street noise is horrible. I couldn't hear the beginning of the vows due to loud motorcycles screaming down a pretty busy street for such a remote location and I was in the bridal party. 3. Your guests will be followed around relentlessly by the security guard. A few of the guests went out for a cigarette and got a major intimidating stare down from the security guy. Then when the security guard isn't following or harassing your guests, there are DO NOT "Insert Rule" signs everywhere. The location is a beautiful backdrop for pics, but the management needs to chill out and realize that people want to enjoy their weddings. This is a special day for them, not one where they will get bossed around and treated like criminals. read more

Newcastle Wedding Gardens and the Red Barn are absolutely beautiful!! And as long as you want exactly what Georgia (owner) wants you will have the perfect Wedding! She has her idea of the perfect Wedding and it doesn't matter what the client wants, she knows best. My husband and I chose to get married at Newcastle. As soon as we saw the place, we fell in love! Then the actual planning began and things went down hill. You have to use a specific DJ who goes along with everything Georgia wants. I wanted to do the first dance directly after being introduced and was told that I couldn't do that. The DJ played the wrong music when my husband and ushers came to the alter. He introduced the Wedding party a different way that we had planned and didn't use the proper music. I was very disappointed! Also, Georgia changed my seating chart without my knowledge the day of the Wedding. This was very disappointing to me as I had worked hard on the chart and had specific tables placed near eachother or near the bar and that was completely rearranged. =( From the minute I told Georgia we had hired "Artistic Imagery" (Amber & Alan Silva) as our photographers, she kept trying to convince me to change. They were wonderful! Geogia made it so unbearable for them that I don't believe they will ever do a Wedding there again. She even snapped at them in front of my husband and I. I also chose to use a Wedding Planner (Amber Novey from Platinum Planning) and the day of the Wedding, Georgia acted completely unprofessional towards Amber. Yelling at her front of guests/family. This was brought to my attention after the Wedding by the family member. Georgia also requires clients to use a specific caterer. It is annoying that you cannit choose, but the food was outstanding! We chose to have a buffet and I was told by many people that this was the best buffet they had ever had. I highly recommend LaPerla Bistro for your catering needs. Again, the grounds are gorgeous and if you can put up with Georgia and her controlling ways, the Wedding day could be very nice! I'm lucky I had a Wedding Planner to play buffer between me and her which made things fine. read more

Thank thank thank Matt and Jordan for making our day easy! The improvements that Matt and his team have made to the venue were wonderful. I was happy my husband and the groomsmen were able to have their own space ( in the awesome new grooms room) were they could be away from the guests. The staff entire staff was friendly, attentive and helpful. We received so many compliments on the food, service and venue. You all truly made our wedding day dreams come true. read more

We have attended two weddings here, one in early May '08 and one last night. I only remembered one negative thing from the first wedding- the noise. The same held true last night during the ceremony (this one even had the sound of a very loud train) but they were short ceremonies and the noise can't really be avoided-it's just something you remember. As far as the rules and the grounds- my husband and I chose a venue with a lot of rules, but that is why the place is so exquisite. NWG is no different. However...yesterday was nearly 100 degrees, middle of June, and all of the guests looked forward to moving into a refreshing and cool reception after melting at the ceremony. I am also 9 mos pregnant and heat is not my friend. We went tithe reception in the barn and the HUGE doors were all open and they had fans going!!! Everyone continued to sweat. To make matters worse, the cake began to melt and lean, and one of the choc covered strawberries melted so much it rolled off the cake! When the mother of the bride said they needed to do something, she was brushed off by a staff member. It was at least another 30 mins before we saw the cake being whisked away to the back. I am really disappointed and would be ery nervous about attending another wedding there if it is going to be remotely hot that day. They obviously didn't have air going early enough and it never cooled down in there. Our table was in a corner, got no airflow and no relief from the fans. My wedding venue NEVER would have let that happen. Brides, I would seriously re-consider this place if you are planning a wedding in a warm month- and in the Sac area, that can be most of them! read more

This review is late (our wedding was in September 2013), but better late than never! :) Newcastle Wedding Gardens is an absolutely gorgeous venue to hold a wedding ceremony and reception. My husband and I knew we had to get married here the first time we laid eyes on it. This is a former horse ranch that has been beautifully renovated and landscaped by Georgia and Stephen Barron (the owners of the venue which is also their home). Georgia was a former wedding planner and knows all things wedding-related. She is extremely organized, meticulous, and helpful in making sure that your wedding here is planned to perfection. She made everything so easy and stress-free for us as we got to plan off of a preferred vendors list to choose everything from the florist, DJ, officiant, etc. Don't fret though, these "preferred" vendors offer great discounts because they've worked with Newcastle Wedding Gardens before, which makes things very reassuring. About the ceremony and receptions sites--the ceremony is usually held in the garden area that is completely shaded with a beautiful arbor/trellis structure that serves as the altar. The reception is held in the magnificent red horse barn with AC, a bar, glossy floors and a lovely rustic feel. The barn doors also open in the evening so your reception is sort of outside and inside simultaneously. The venue provides tables, table cloths, china, chiavari chairs, etc. so you pretty much don't have to rent any extra equipment unless you want specific items like turquoise table linens which you can rent from the venue for an extra fee. They also will set up and take down everything for you. Oh and they have a photobooth (extra, but reasonable rental fee for 2-3hrs)! I can go on and on. This wedding venue is truly a gem! If you are looking for a wedding venue for both your ceremony and reception, look no further than Newcastle Wedding Gardens! They offer tours by appointment--just contact Georgia. You won't be disappointed! :) :) :) read more