Ashton Gardens Atlanta

ran through the cocktail hour. She was also wonderful managing the rehearsal with our officiant, who had quite a big personality. All the guests I spoke to had only positive reviews of the food and the venue. And overall, we got what we wanted -- that big glass chapel and reception hall. However, I did find myself frustrated during the planning process, so I can't give a higher rating. This is true of the whole wedding industry, but dealing with Ashton Gardens felt like Disneyland -- seems like a great time but comes with all sorts of hidden costs. We first toured the venue in December 2024 and were only told as we signed the paperwork a few weeks later that -- surprise! -- Ashton Gardens had changed their policy for 2026 weddings. Couples would now be required to use 3 of their in-house vendors as well as their caterer. The in-house vendors, of course, are far from the most economical choices around. But we said OK, at least we can save some costs on a wedding planner since we wouldn’t need help sourcing as many vendors. (A mistake.) Ashton Gardens seemed to constantly bait and switch us. We were told during our first tour that menu tastings would be held for all couples who signed with the venue. What they really meant was: couples were welcome to pay $20-$25 per person (just like everyone else) to sample some of the food at Ashton Gardens’ public open houses. Ashton Gardens states they can accommodate up to 300 guests. There were a little over 200 in my party. Only in the month leading up to the wedding were we informed that our "linens package" (for which we paid extra in order to "upgrade" our tablecloths to ivory instead of the default black) did not come with enough linens to cover all our guest tables, the cake table, the memory table, and the guest book table. If we wanted more than 25 linens, we would need to pay extra. (Mind you, only 10 people can sit at a table, so how this venue accommodates 300 people is beyond me) When discussing menu items, I mentioned that I would like to provide ice cream to go along with the wedding cake. The coordinator I was assigned, Dominique, first said we would have to hire another vendor (like an ice cream truck) to provide this. Luckily, some other coordinator was walking by and said no -- we could just buy it from Kroger --- and Dominique seemed legitimately surprised. Later, I was told that our "exceptional" bar package (the middle tier) only came with a signature wine drink, not a signature cocktail. I dug up the pamphlet from the very first tour we took of Ashton Gardens and showed Dominique where it clearly stated the exceptional bar package came with a signature cocktail. She explained that the policy had changed, but she would honor the pamphlet. Overall, Ashton Gardens seemed to constantly have some new/changed or just obscure policy that was never stated in our many contracts/invoices (like only providing 25 linens). I don't blame any one person; it just made for a frustrating process during an already stressful time. If I had to go back and do it again, I still might choose Ashton Gardens for the aesthetic. But I would have hired a wedding planner -- because experienced wedding planners would be able to anticipate the nonsense that venues pull in a way that I, planning my first wedding, could not.