Inn at The Old Silk Mill

best to make sure that every couple has a wonderful experience. The Day of Coordinators do a lot of the work prior to the day of the wedding. Coordinating with vendors (emails, phone calls, timelines, set up times, etc.), a 30day meeting with the couple, the rehearsal the evening before and from noon- 10 pm on your wedding day (10 hour day). The venue was set up by the coordinator in time for the wedding. They are experienced with how long it will take them to set the room with your personal belongings and decor. The front desk did inform me that the coordinator and herself had gone down to the Bridal Prep room to check on things and you all were getting ready. I do apologize there was not clear communication for you. They handle issues that are unforeseen by the bride so she can get ready for her wedding trouble free. For instance., the florist arrived with a bucket of greenery to be placed for the centerpieces. She left it there for the Day of to do. The Day of and another staff member tried to perform the task, but not being florist, had to call the shop to get someone with floral design back out to the venue. It was not prearranged with the florist to give the Day of this Task. The Day of made sure she did the right thing to have the greenery design you ordered. These are things brides do not often see, there is a lot of behind-the-scenes things. We do not have central heat in the Silk Mill Chapel but do however have heaters that heat the space. I believe with a record low that weekend and a wedding of 180 guest coming in and out to the chapel, we were not able to heat it to what we normally do. It is mentioned at the tour that the chapel is not central heat. In the case of the record low weekend, in hindsight, we should have moved the wedding inside the Mill. The staff working the event felt it was comfortable inside. We do have to start cleaning up after the wedding timeline ends to get guests to know the wedding is over. We turn on the lights and start bussing tables, Otherwise, guest linger, chatting, going to the bar, & sitting at the tables. It's hard to have a wedding end when family & friends are having fun. If hotels rooms are rented, guests can move inside the Inn. We also encourage guests to head downtown to our local nightlife. Our staff cannot wait until the guests are ready to leave. The DJ's, photographers, photo booths, all leave. The rental is for a certain amount of time. Our staff coming in 2 hours prior to the event and 1.5 hours after, plus during the event would be in overtime. The contract is for a specific number of hours, and this is all agreed upon prior to the wedding. The food is paid for on a per person price. We make a to go box for the Bride & Groom as a courtesy in case they did not have a chance to sit and enjoy their meal. We do not send home leftover food- we are cooking per person. Another reason for not sending home food, if anyone keeps it too long, overnight in their car, not refrigerated it could go bad, it is our policy, for safety. If there is an outside vendor that brings in cake, usually there are directions on what to do with that- Boxes provided, and details from the baker. If the staff did not have that, I am glad the grooms Mom offered some instruction. Our staff is happy to help outside vendors. As you mentioned above, I am glad none of these things affected your guests. We noticed everyone having a fantastic time. However, we are deeply saddened that this was not what you expected. We cannot change the rules with our closing and to go meals procedures. The coordinators usually perform their setup/ breakdown procedures efficiently. I saw all your personal belongings were collected and packed up nicely. I will talk to the coordinators regarding communication practices to make sure the bride is feeling comfortable with their timeline and service. We wish you and RW the best and appreciate your feedback.

r everyone. Our hearts go out to our couples who have had to rearrange their plans on such an important time in their life's. We are so grateful to carry on your dreams and plans in the Silk Mill. We have the most beautiful, memorable events in the space and want you to experience such a joyous occasion in our venue. We can wait to accommodate all your friends & family on you Big Day. BONUS~ that you changed your date to December. The Silk Mill ( and Fredericksburg in general) is Stunning around the holidays!!

o be switched. Unfortunately the hotel rooms were not open on the new date. They had been booked for awhile with another wedding .There is a Marriott in town and a Hyatt, and often when the hotel is booked, many of our clients will have their wedding & reception here and stay offsite. This was not an option for this particular couple. We offered to block rooms at another location and provide transportation. No one was blamed, we only wanted to do the best we could to solve the issue of our Inn being booked. There was some miscommunication with the coordinator with the rooms. No one blames anyone, we admitted we did not know where the miscommunication was. No one would of showed up with not rooms, because we told the couple one week after the change when they came to the hotel to sign for the change. This is another reason we suggest to use our onsite coordinators who are in tune to our entire facility - The Inn and Mill so we are all on the same page. I know this couple would of had a wonderful ceremony & reception at the Silk Mill, but totally understand they wanted overnight accommodations onsite. They did receive a full refund, even though we had the reception area available for their wedding. We wish them the best of luck and stress to our future clients the importance of checking the availability and booking the rooms if it is crucial and must go hand and hand with the wedding reception. We in turn mention consistently after this episode to verify rooms if any changes are made. It is still possible to have a wedding at the Silk Mill and trolley to the Marriott or other close by hotels.