Celine and Company Catering "The Hideaway"

self, Kim shifted her focus to the catering side of the business and transferred ownership of The Hideaway event space (now Ella). Our original pricing was honored – just as Kim assured us it would be – and other than some additional conversations, there were no major issues during the transition. Communication: Kim’s personality makes you feel right at home and we felt that from our first conversation with her. Her positive energy is contagious and put us at ease since we live out of town and were only able to visit once while planning. At times responses were a little slow, but we always received answers to our questions and it became apparent as our date neared that Kim was tracking all along. No detail was missed. She and her team are pros. Pricing: The catering and venue pricing was clear and reasonable. There was absolutely no upselling or nickel and diming with Kim. We were blown away by the food we were able to serve our guests at the cost we wanted. Noting the venue ownership change, future couples may have a different experience as the bar and venue pricing is now separate from catering, but we couldn’t have asked for better. Venue: Again, the venue is no longer run by Celine & Company, but we wanted to mention it. We liked the idea of having our wedding in downtown Asheville so guests could walk to and from the venue. Once we visited the venue in person, we were sold. The venue has a classic and warm vibe, and in our opinion, didn’t need much additional décor. We had our ceremony and reception in the space, and with 100 guests, it was the perfect size. The dance floor really warmed up as we started dancing, but that’s expected from an older building. Having in-house catering was a huge plus, as we had fewer vendor decisions to make. Food: Without exception, all of our local vendors raved about Kim and her team’s food. Our tasting was wonderful, and menu options were practically unlimited. We originally envisioned a unique menu to reflect our adventures together but in the end we went with something more classic that would better suit our guests. We picked a few main items and let Kim run with the details. That said, the menu was phenomenal. Kim and her team’s creativity and execution made every part of the meal memorable. A few guests had dietary restrictions and Kim went above and beyond to ensure they had an equally great experience. Our guests are still talking about the delicious food. Staff and Service: Kim’s team is amazing. We had the pleasure of dropping in on the kitchen earlier in the day of our event and everyone was so friendly and seemed to truly enjoy working there. The staff on the evening of the wedding were buzzing around all night and so pleasant and friendly. They quickly moved the chairs from the ceremony space to the reception tables while we were enjoying cocktail hour. Everything happened on time and seamlessly. We loved our cooler bag full of leftovers! Can’t wait to pop in and say hi when we visit Asheville in the future. Bar: With the earlier mentioned changes, Celine & Company didn’t run the bar for our reception, but Ella did honor the cost for the bar package that we had agreed to with Kim. The service was good and our guests had plenty of alcoholic and non-alcoholic options and commented on the friendly service.

decided to proceed with this venue. Granted, when one is planning an event in another state, communication is key, and I found Kim's responsiveness to be extremely slow via email. I found I had to follow up at times. Unfortunately, we were unable to celebrate our special day due to Hurricane Helene, but we were extremely understanding of the situation. We checked in with Kim and the events company (Ella Asheville), hoping they were safe and if we could do anything to help. I also followed up inquiring about our deposit and if we could get any of it refunded back to us. As a paying client, I was hoping somebody would get back to me, but it was silence. I followed up again in December about our deposit and no response. I was extremely disappointed in their customer service and would not recommend this venue.

d. She told us she would get us the quote next day. We didn't hear anything for 4 days and then we reached out again. She told us she was sick and would get back first thing the next morning. 2 more days went by and we ended up calling the office. Her co worker let us know she was in a meeting and she would relay the message. We got an email later that night stating that we were important to her and she would give us our quote first thing the next morning. Needless to say, its been now 2.5 weeks and we haven't heard back at all. We ended up going with another caterer and we were really disappointed in her lack of response and how unimportant we felt to Kim.

han other caterers we talked to--basic price per person plus staff, instead of individual prices per different dish and appetizers. But they were very difficult to communicate with. Would not respond to emails, and then when I would call I was told I would get a call back that day and never would. Being ghosted by the caterer was not something I wanted to stress about before our wedding. When you can get the owner on the phone, she is very nice and helpful--but it's difficult to do. And I think we were low maintenance. They probably need to hire another administrative person to handle client communication. That being said, the food itself was excellent! Everything went off without a hitch at the wedding. They packed us a to go box after our wedding with a ton of extra food. They even covered vendor meals at no cost to us, which was very much appreciated.