Bodega Ridge — Hotel in Southern Gulf Islands Electoral Area

Here is my review for future brides looking into Bodega for their dream wedding. This is simply my personal experience – everyone has a right to be respected and heard. Sadly I was never able to step foot on the property, I was a COVID bride, & ultimately got the short end of the stick. We were set for September 2020, but then moved it to June 2021 once COVID took ahold & as we waited for the situation to develop. As of today (July 8, 2021) tourists are still not even allowed into Canada. So we had to cancel completely and are reasonably upset to have lost $2,500 (25%), as I'm sure most would be.

By November 2019 our hearts were set on Bodega, so we paid the venue fee (which is the steepest I've seen still to date), told everyone “let's go to Canada y’all,” & took a big sigh of relief. In my opinion, the venue is the toughest part of the wedding planning process. But we had no idea what was just around the corner in 2020. Unprecedented times. A global pandemic.

If you scroll through other reviews, you will find my fiancé’s post with more specific details of our experience. Minutes after he posted it, Angie Allen (wedding coordinator & the only person we ever spoke to) reached out asking to schedule a call with the owner. We agreed but then a few days later we saw Jesse’s response to Alex's review. No call was scheduled. So, I’d like to clear a few things up:

1. We are not here spewing lies. We have all the texts and emails with Angie to validate our side of the story. Jesse, I promise you I do not enjoy this back-and-forth confrontation; it is not gratifying whatsoever. Everyone who knows Alex and I know our characters and that we follow a strong set of principles (fairness is one of them). We have been burned in the past and had to learn the hard way that if you do not use your voice then you will get taken advantage of.

2. I am so happy to hear that Bodega was able to keep their staff! I did see a new restaurant open in 2020, Nimma Nimma, which looks like a great addition. So yes, they may care about people – just not us as much. There is a tendency to disassociate & dehumanize when you have not personally met, never directly spoken with, & live miles apart.

3. Alex and I love supporting local in our daily lives. We proudly shared with friends & family that Bodega is a small family-run business. But small business shouldn't warrant a “get out of jail free card.” Yes small businesses were hurt during COVID, but unfortunately everyone was. INDIVIDUALS also experienced/are continuing to experience tough times too. Are small businesses more important than individuals? Small businesses claim that they are better than corporations because they care & act like family, yet just like big business they will choose themselves over their customers when times get hard. At least corporations are typically held more accountable since they are in the limelight.

4. We were so sad to have to cancel, but the health & safety of our guests was most important. My fiancé & other family members have autoimmune conditions. We were literally told (in writing by Angie) that we would NOT be able to get any money back until someone else booked our weekend. So this “full refund if someone else booked a wedding on the weekend that we cancelled” was never an option. Perhaps it was a miscommunication between Angie and Jesse. Weddings are already a huge financial burden and during the pandemic we were beyond grateful to get ALL OTHER deposits 100% refunded. This was from individuals and small businesses whose compassion shone through.

Future brides, I completely understand the stress of planning a wedding. I don’t know Bodega's normal operations, but during hard times they have shown they will put their business interests first. With this in mind, good luck!

Last note: I wish only good health & happiness to Jesse, his wife & daughter, Angie, & all Bodega staff. If we learned anything during COVID it's have compassion and...

My daughter and now son-in-law discovered Bodega Ridge while seeking the most “ comfortably chic, immersed in nature” wedding venue. They found it at Bodega Ridge on Galiano Island, BC. Following their extensive search in Vancouver as well as Vancouver Island my husband and I concurred fully— what a fabulous wedding venue on every front.

Galiano Island is a beautiful location, readily accessible from Vancouver, as it’s the first ferry stop from Tsawassan and a short beautiful ride. We also heard that good weather was highly probable from this particular Bodega Ridge site — indeed we enjoyed a sunny blue sky wedding June 2019!

This is a spectacular property of trees (many arbutus) and meadows, with charming, well appointed log cabins, at the Ridge and Cove, a bright beautiful lodge with sweeping views to the ocean and outlying islands. Adding to this, is the very special Ridge Point where the wedding ceremony takes place — this is indeed an outdoor chapel — full of divine energy.

The property owner Jesse and his staff are a dream team! Jesse is very personable and with a friendly ease, welcomes and accommodate his guests as though welcoming friends into his home. His calm nature is in tandem with the zen environment. Of special note is the wedding coordinator Angie, who not only is a beautiful and caring person, her communication, organizational, and professional skills are stellar. Right out of the gates, Angie was on top of everything. We so enjoyed our meetings with her where she kept the momentum of the to-do list right on task. On wedding day she filled in picking up a few stray pieces which I know added to the already fullness of her responsibilities that day — thank you Angie!! Orchestrating the rehearsal with her forever smile, overseeing the wedding — where she magically ensured people and program were on queue, then afterwards, breezed through the guests with her beautiful energy to personally deliver champagne, appetizers to the bride and groom, and parents . Angie worked enthusiastically, yet somehow was invisible.

The kitchen’s reputation was another reason for hosting the wedding at Bodega Ridge - they exceeded their reputation: Let’s just say this kitchen’s food headed by Chef Elmark Andres was exceptional. Each and every one of our guests were delighted above and beyond with the tastes that came out of this kitchen. From their Angus and vegan burgers, to the amazingly fresh and tasty potato salad, fresh garden greens salad, to the superb paella (artfully prepared on the patio for all the guests to marvel) and the ling cod, caught in the pacific right in our midst; everything was fresh, local and beautifully prepared. Family style is the theme and we loved that for it added to the wedding warmth as guests shared both good and company. The service and presentation was also top notch! Sunday’s breakfast scones, vegan banana bread, homemade fig jam simply divine and with the other breakfast items also beautifully presented. The food and details went beyond our expectations.

The warm, welcoming, happy-hearted staff were shining stars too- friendly, personable and professional - a pleasure to meet.

Thank you to Jesse, Angie, Danika and the entire team at Bodega Ridge for making our daughter and son-in law’s wedding the absolute best and most beautiful celebration. We wished the time didn’t go by so fast for we wanted to linger longer, in each and every moment of the experience . . . not only with our family and friends but with the Bodega Team too.

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If we could give a better rating we definitely would. The entire venue, weekend, food, staff were beyond exceptional. The Venue is beautiful, and in a remote location which was exactly what we wanted. It is a beautiful piece of property that is wild and natural with amazing architecture, all the buildings and venues spots have been well thought out to allow for the beauty of Galiano Island to show. We chose Bodega as it was important to us to get to spend an intimate weekend with our favorite people. We were a COVID weeding that was postponed from 2020 and Bodega Ridge was amazing with how they handled navigating a new date. We were always planning to have a smaller wedding when we picked Bodega (70 People) after moving our date to the same weekend in 2021 we chose to pair it down even more to 48 people which was a great number for us. One thing we loved with having a smaller number of people was everyone could stay between the two properties (Bodega Ridge + Bodega Cove) which allowed for us all to hang out together all weekend. We chose to stay up at Bodega Ridge with most of the guests which was amazing and convenient to be able to run back to your cabin if you needed anything. The island does not have cabs and only a couple transportation options so having people stay off the properties will require more around planning and logistic since many cabin rental are 20+ minutes away. The weekend was the type of weekend we wanted; laid back, easy going, and fun. We did a small hangout on the property with anyone who arrived Thursday, welcome BBQ on Friday, Wedding on Saturday, and Brunch prior to departure on Sunday. During the days we would go to a near beach, kayaking or out for a bike ride. The food was hands down unreal, we have travelled the world and love eating out – the food at each event over the weekend was some of the best food we have ever had in our lives, which is rare to hear for food at a wedding. Chef Elmark is an amazing chef and genius with his food pairings. The Wine selection was also amazing, and the bartenders signature cocktails were outstanding. Our group of guests like to have a good time and indulged in the cocktails. One thing we would have changed was not having a rose, white and red bottle of wine on each table for the dinners since the cocktails were such a hit – we had a full open bar with all the cocktails. James, the GM is amazing and was beyond accommodating to last minute requests we had. Jesse the owner of the property was also great – we feel as though we have gained a new friends and area excited to keep in touch with them. The staff at Bodega were absolutely amazing, you can tell that they loved their jobs and were beyond friendly and made us feel extremely welcome all weekend. We and our guests did not have one bad experience during our time at Bodega Ridge. Working with Angie (Angie Allen Weddings + Events) was well worth the money, she was instrumental to how our wedding turned out at Bodega. She knows the island, knows Bodega and is full of great suggestions and recommendations. Bodega Ridge made it easy to plan, re-plan and navigate a wedding during COVID times. We cant wait to go back and visit Bodega and stay at the Cove. We would be beyond excited to have friends get married at Bodega so that we could attend...