Crow River Winery

Wedding Date: Sunday, August 11. First, let’s start with the positives: the ceremony went smoothly, the venue itself is beautiful, and the wine was a hit with our guests. From their perspective, the wedding seemed perfect. As the bride and groom, we faced several challenges. During our January 13, 2024, tour, a snowstorm prevented us from viewing the outdoor areas. Despite this, we chose the venue and their top-tier package, which included décor. Excited to avoid sourcing décor ourselves, we requested images of their décor before signing the contract. The venue sent photos on January 15, and we liked them, so we booked the venue a week later. On February 4, we asked when to select décor. The venue said anytime but recommended a few months before the wedding. At their March 3 bridal fair, we asked if it was a good time to discuss décor. They said, “Yes, that would be a perfect time!”. However, when we arrived, they seemed uninterested on selecting the specifics, saying we had plenty of time. So, we focused on speaking with other vendors like the DJ, caterer, and makeup artists. By June 14, we contacted the venue to finalize décor. They said the General Manager would reach out soon. After no response by July 15, we followed up and finally scheduled a meeting for July 26, just two weeks before the wedding! Before the meeting, we reviewed the January décor images and listed our preferences. To our surprise, none of the décor we liked was theirs! It had been brought in by other weddings. This left us scrambling to buy our own décor just two weeks before the wedding, causing stress and added costs. During the décor meeting, we discussed ceremony locations. Options included Box Elder, North Lawn, Vineyard, and Courtyard. We loved the idea of a vineyard wedding in August, but the venue told us no one had married there before, and they only had two wine barrels for setup. Disappointed, we moved the ceremony to the North Lawn. On the wedding day, we arrived at 7:30 AM, expecting breakfast and a ladder for décor setup. However, the reception area was still being cleaned from the previous night, delaying us by over an hour, and we had to request both the ladder and breakfast. Once cleaned, staff set up décor, but the head table was missing decorations. They initially claimed we chose not to have any, but after finding the correct picture, they resolved it, allowing us to proceed in time for the ceremony. Despite these challenges, the ceremony and dinner went well. We planned to end the party at 10 PM, as our contract allowed us the venue until midnight. However, at 9:30 PM, while still on the dance floor, staff told us to start cleaning the bridesmaids' and groomsmen's suites. It was frustrating to leave our guests to handle cleanup with 2.5 hours still remaining at the venue. In conclusion, while the venue was beautiful and our guests enjoyed themselves, we were disappointed with the venue’s communication, planning, and execution. These are just a few of the issues we faced. If we could do it again, we wouldn’t book this venue or at least choose the most expensive package, as it didn’t deliver the value expected. **A suggestion for the venue: please take individual pictures of all available décor options to make it clear what is included for future brides and grooms.