The Club at Castlewood

ere so receptive and responsive to everything my husband and I wanted. I used an outside caterer as my husband and I wanted family-style Asian cuisine so I cannot speak to the food here. I had a guest count of a bit less than 200. Pros: - Multiple locations for guests to hang out and mingle that wasn’t the reception hall (outside patio, indoor bar area with couches, lobby area with more couches) - Bar area was huge and quick to serve my guests. Many guests told me the bartenders that worked at our wedding were some of the best ones they’ve seen. We upgraded the bar package at the last minute, and it was worth it to us. - The men and women’s locker room has a cute area to get ready in, chairs, couches, lounge chairs, make up stations (and showers)! They also have a lot of amenities including razors, combs, hairspray, deodorant, etc. - Service was awesome. They refilled waters, bussed tables, all of the above. - Allowed us to leave our decor there the day prior so we wouldn’t have to do it the day-of (even though there was an event the night before!) It was about 4 large totes, 6 smaller ones, and a few easels. - We had asked for a golf cart to wheel some older guests back up to the reception area after the ceremony. They almost forgot this until my coordinator asked the banquet manager. Thankfully they were able to do it for us in the end. Cons: - Outside caterer has to cook outside which is one level below the reception hall. This is particularly difficult without an elevator to help get to the reception area, especially since we were doing family-style and not buffet, which means plates for each and every table. We were able to come to an agreement on how to make it work, but it was a bit challenging on all parts. - There’s no dedicated bridal suite so my things were out in the open for the club members to see and possibly take. On the day of, it didn’t matter too much as nothing went missing, but it was stressful thinking about it leading up to the event. I also felt bad I basically took over the whole area away from the club members. It would be helpful to have our own space to change. - That being said, there isn’t a designated groom suite either. He had to leave his clothes in the women’s locker room after changing. We knew about the cons before booking with Castlewood, but due to how beautiful it was and that they could hold my guest count indoors in a reception room, we went with them anyway, but I still wanted to point those out to future brides and grooms.

a fabulous experience with Castlewood. We wanted someplace that was lovely but not over the top. The venue delivers. I especially love the vaulted foyer, the giant tree on the south lawn (southwest? Oak?), and the ballroom. My wife was not exaggerating - they really did a terrific job with the decorations. From the flowers to the table settings to the backdrop, I felt it set the tone we wanted for our guests, that it was a special occasion but also a relaxed one. Juliet was a star for us. First, she worked hard with my family to understand and execute what we wanted. Having to balance the many, sometimes differing needs of all the parties (bride/groom/family; different cultural needs) can be quite a challenge, but she was up to it. Second, on the day of our event, some things (through no fault of Castlewood's) didn't go quite according to plan. Juliet provided an air of calm at a time not everybody was calm, and things got back on track. This I appreciate perhaps more than anything Castlewood did - it's that Juliet really set a tone of, "this is gonna be OK." Really helped me enjoy, rather than worry. One thing to note is that Castlewood is a functioning golf club, so you may not -- as we didn't -- have full dominion over the property. If I were shopping this place, I would definitely ask Juliet about the needs of club members and how they may or may not conflict with what you want to do. For us it wasn't a problem. Get married here!

overlooking the valley, and set on the grass underneath a huge oak tree. It is located in the tri-valley, so it can get very hot on summer days. Fortunately, we were blessed with beautiful weather, which made for a perfect day. Castlewood is truly is a lovely site with lots of natural beauty--between the hills, the views of the valley/distant Mt. Diablo, the old oak trees, the palm tree-lined driveway, and the golf course greens--it has a wonderful display of tri-valley's natural beauty! Lots of good great spots for photos, although be warned: photos on the golf course aren't really condoned (for obvious reasons like flying golf balls), and photos of the impressive palm tree driveway can be tough to get (due to traffic coming to/from the club). All in all, the site is gorgeous. We especially loved working with Castlewood because so many services were provided under one roof and we didn't need to rent our own chairs, tables, dishware, or linens (such a relief!) like at many other venues we considered. They also do all of the catering on site--so one less vendor to worry about! The service was terrific at the bar and throughout the food service. We had relatively big wedding (about 230 guests), so we were a little worried folks may be served at different times, etc. However, we didn't need to worry, because all the food came out together, with consistent quality across the board. The food was delicious, and we heard great feedback from our guests on all of it. The outdoor patio (with valley views) off of the bar area is a great added benefit to the reception site. We were so happy we chose Castlewood as our venue, and would recommend it to other couples looking!