PROS - Beautiful venue, Chef Caleb's food was outstanding (except for totally wilted salads), Good price point, bar tenders and servers good - but not nearly enough; Other vendors we hired - photographer, videographer, DJ, florist - fantastic!!...!
CONS - So many promises, SO MANY DISAPPOINTMENTS!🤬
Coordinators changed 4 weeks prior to wedding. We were told OVER AND OVER - trust us, we got it, this is what you pay for!
It rained evening before and a little in the morning - we all knew that and were told we have an ARMY of people to take care of things - don't worry! (EVERTHING discussed was in writing in bullet points of what was promised/expected and given to coordinator & chef)
There were NO events the entire week prior - my family came and helped set up centerpieces and move tables on Thursday as they were in wrong position - were told, "don't do that, that is what you pay us for."..no one there on Friday - things still needed to be done.
2:00 before wedding at 4!
1. No one in venue setting up remainder of items. (coordinator and mgr wiping off chairs in pavilion and mopping floor.) Army?
2. Notify coordinator of boxes in venue and the carpet still needed to be vacuumed! Boxes were in our wedding photos!
3. Son sweating with suit on and sister started helping coordinator set up tables/details etc.
4. Florist literally running to fill all vases - "Army" was supposed to help - non-existant - as people entered for dinner the CAKE TABLE WAS NOT THERE! Florist notified kitchen and left flowers. Someone in kitchen put a rose sticking straight out of the top like a torpedo - who does that?
5. Toasts - Champagne on all tables, not in coolers and NOT CORKED - attendees had to open their own and one had it explode all over his suit. The bride and groom toasted to water.
6. NOT ONCE was there a person tending to the B&G. The groom had to leave his bride several times to get drinks. Bride said, "I was so sad and lonely sitting up there alone." Absolutely NO VIP treatment for the Bride and Groom!!!ðŸ˜
7. Salad was totally wilted! Just told yesterday - 6 weeks after - people left it....and the stories keep coming in of all the mistakes!
8. Coordinator completely MIA - saw once when we entered - inappropriately dressed - then nothing, no help for the entire evening!! My sister had to constantly get up and ask for this/that.
9. Plates not cleared when people tried to get desserts.
10. We were told we could have golf cart to bring elderly people to pavilion, I had it all coordinated with nephew knowing who to take where - then we we not allowed...they HAD to do it - spent more time running back and forth trying to make sure everyone was taken care of! As MOB, I do NOT need to be doing this. People can surely drive a golf cart!
11. The camels back is broken. For a year we discussed how important the pastry tables were! We were given photos of what it would look like. It was in writing we would have 1 table of pastries and 1 with cake. I went out to see one meager table with a few trays of cookies - not my crystal dishes I brought, and only 3 pieces of chocolate cake and a line of 50 people!! I had to go to the kitchen and blow up! It was completely embarrassing! For six weeks I have been told that "people did not get cake", "they only took 1 cookie because there was not enough", "What happened, we know you baked for a week straight?", Where were the biscotties and lemon bars?" Where were the caramels?" We discussed this fully and were told all the pastries would be plated and put in the cooler and brought out. The day before I confirmed. They were not plated, tables were not set up, some of the items came out - but after 90% of the crowd went through the line. IT WAS A DISASTER! At the end of the night we left with 1 cake, about 500 cookies, unopened caramels and threw out about 40 pieces of cake! (the food was in a different room, so no one knew the items FINALLY arrived.).
The next day we met, for the first time!, a GM - he asked for all the details of what went wrong - we sent to him and finally heard there were higher ups that we sent as well. The response from the head of Moven was, "sorry some things went wroing, can we take the bride and groom to dinner... and possibly you?" My husband was not so keen on the fact we paid 18,000 on this and that was the pathetic response. He was not included, there was NO indication that these things were discussed or going to be taken care of. My family did the job of coordination, yet we had to pay a non-existant coordinator. We replied that the attempt to make things right by taking the couple out to dinner was feable. We have not received ANY communication since then, or any attempt to make things better for the next person.
So, saying all of that, if you are bent on having an event there - the food is good and the place is pretty...I would totally have everything written out, signed by the chef, coordinator, GM, and Moven group that these items would be as discussed....they make you sign a contract for everything they are supposedly providing - so do the same. I would TOTALLY hire your own coordinator as someone you can trust to pick up the loose ends. We had everything in writing, but it still fell flat!
Note to Gleneagles - Do NOT put a new coordinator at the beginning of the season with meager help and skill - this is on you as your leadership was completely non-existant. And STOP promising everything until you KNOW you can provide.