Legacy Acres

expansive windows that create a perfect setting for any event. The property appeared clean, open, and picturesque, and it truly sets the scene for a dream wedding. That said, while the venue itself deserves recognition, I feel it’s only fair to share our deeply disappointing experience with Candace Wilson, who coordinates the venue’s wedding packages and offers her own services as a “planner.” Where Things Went Wrong – The Package Misrepresentation During our first tour, Candace greeted my parents and I and showed us around the property. When we returned to the cottage to discuss pricing, she presented several “new” wedding packages that she said would simplify the planning process and offer great value. We chose one of those packages because we were assured that Candace would take care of everything. Her name was listed in the package, and she personally stated that she would handle: Ordering and coordinating with the caterer Ordering and coordinating the cake Scheduling and ordering florals Handling linens and napkins General rehearsal & day-of coordination Since we already acquired our own photographer and hair stylist, and we chose to opt out of using an official videographer, DJ, or custom dance floor, we made it clear that we did not need those services listed in the package and were told the price could be adjusted accordingly to fit our needs. Candace reassured us that even with those omissions, everything else listed would be covered in the package under the agreed-upon amount and that she would manage the rest within our budget. My mom was willing to pay almost everything upfront — quickly and without issue. However, later in the process, Candace informed us that she was still owed an additional $2,000 for her services. This was shocking, as we had been under the impression that her services were already included in the package we had purchased. It felt deceptive and misleading, and she required that we give her a $500 down payment upfront despite all of this. My mom did so, even though she wasn’t comfortable with it. Communication and Planning: Unreliable at Best From that point forward, communication with Candace became increasingly unreliable. Calls or meetings were rare, and nearly all correspondence took place over text messages—often after long, unexplained delays. Whenever we reached out for updates, we were met with a revolving door of excuses: she was sick, her kids were sick, she was on vacation, she was at a ball game, or she was otherwise unavailable. Each of those reasons on its own would be understandable, but the issue was that they became a pattern—a constant justification for why nothing seemed to be progressing. A brief update or even a simple acknowledgment shouldn’t take more than a few seconds to send, yet days would pass without any real communication. This cycle went on for months. My mom and I were left in a constant state of uncertainty, wondering what—if anything—was being handled behind the scenes. To her credit, Candace did schedule a successful cake tasting and catering tasting, and she placed orders for our linens and napkins. Unfortunately, that’s where her meaningful contribution stopped. She also arranged a floral appointment with Three Poppies in Conway, but that experience was disheartening from the start. We provided a clear, reasonable budget and were later presented with a quote that was significantly over budget—for only the bare minimum of arrangements. My mom and I both left that meeting feeling deflated, as if our budget made us less worthy of quality service. What made matters worse was how long it took to even receive the quote in the first place. We were left waiting for days beyond the promised date, uncertain whether anything was moving forward. During that time, we began exploring other options on our own—but Candace discouraged us from doing so, insisting that we hold off because Three Poppies was her vendor of choice. The dynamic made it feel as though there might be a personal or financial incentive behind her push for that particular vendor, which only added to our frustration. We fully understand that floral design can be expensive, but there are countless creative ways to stay within budget—mixing flower varieties, incorporating greenery, and prioritizing focal pieces. We were more than open-minded, with only a few specific floral requests for my bouquet and my husband’s boutonniere. In the end, we made the decision to work with a local florist near us, Artistic Florist, and the difference was night and day. They not only provided everything we wanted but did so under our original budget. Their professionalism, transparency, and artistry highlighted just how little effort had been made on Candace’s part to find the right fit for us. The experience with Artistic Florist was everything we had hoped Three Poppies would deliver — thoughtful, communicative, and fully aligned with our vision. The $2,000 Dispute Given Candace’s minimal involvement, my mom asked to renegotiate the $2,000 fee, suggesting $1,500 instead. Even Candace admitted during the floral meeting that there had been “confusion and miscommunication” and that she was willing to negotiate. However, when it came time to finalize payment (the week of the wedding), she refused to accept anything less than the full $2,000 — claiming it covered all the work she would do “the day of.” Unfortunately, that day-of support never materialized in any meaningful way. The Rehearsal: Unprofessional and Unprepared In the days leading up to the wedding, communication with Candace reached a new level of chaos. Instead of having a clear plan in place—something that should have been established weeks, if not months, earlier—she bombarded both my mom and me with a flood of last-minute questions. Rather than organizing a single, structured planning call to address everything efficiently, she chose to text incessantly, which only created confusion and frustration. When she finally did schedule a FaceTime call, it was canceled at the last minute and later rescheduled. Even then, the call proved largely unproductive. During that conversation, she: Tried to pressure me into changing my first look plans—again. I had been very clear from the beginning that I wanted my first look to be at the altar, yet she persisted, insisting that doing the photos beforehand would “save time.” It was a discussion that shouldn’t have even been revisited. Repeatedly pushed to move our rehearsal time up by an hour and a half to accommodate her child’s ballgame—the one and only day I truly needed her full presence and professionalism. I told her “no” multiple times, explaining that several of my husband’s groomsmen were traveling from out of town after work, some driving more than an hour, one doing so while very sick, and another on very little sleep due to working a night shift schedule. My bridesmaids and family were also commuting after full workdays. Adjusting the schedule simply wasn’t fair or feasible. Despite being told no repeatedly, Candace continued to press the issue. The next morning, she texted again, pleading with us to rearrange the rehearsal and even suggesting that everyone should rehearse before eating. It was exhausting and unprofessional. Rather than prioritizing our needs as her clients, she made it clear that our rehearsal was an inconvenience to her personal schedule. When rehearsal day—October 17th—finally arrived, Candace directed the catering team to the pavilion for our rehearsal dinner and brought ice, but then vanished. She didn’t introduce herself to anyone in the bridal party. We later found out she had gone to the chapel, where she sat on her phone instead of assisting or engaging. At one point, we ran out of chairs at the pavilion, so I called her for help—no answer. My husband and his groomsmen eventually had to leave the dinner, walk to the chapel, and found her there still sitting on her phone. Her disengagement was noticeable and disappointing. Several members of our bridal party and my husband’s family even asked who she was and why she was there, which was both embarrassing and disheartening. As the evening went on, things only got worse. While my husband and I were giving a heartfelt speech—thanking our loved ones and presenting them with handwritten letters—Candace texted my mom, rushing us to wrap things up so we could start the actual rehearsal. The timing and tone of that message were insensitive and unnecessary, especially during such a meaningful moment. Once we transitioned to the chapel, the rehearsal itself was disorganized and chaotic. Candace wasn’t assertive, prepared, or even aware of what needed to happen next. I ended up taking charge myself, gathering and lining up the wedding party. When the sound system malfunctioned, it was my father-in-law—not Candace—who fixed it, as she had no idea how to operate it. This issue could have easily been prevented if she had tested the equipment at any point before that evening. By the end of the night, what should have been a calm, reassuring rehearsal had turned into a stressful, uncoordinated ordeal. It was the opposite of what we expected from someone hired to bring structure and support to the process. The Day Before and Day Of: Stress and Disappointment When we arrived at 9 a.m. on the morning of October 17th, the day before the wedding, to begin decorating, Candace had not laid out any linens. The tables were sticky, stained, and covered in waxy residue from previous events. Some of the linens showed small stains and snags. The beautiful farmhouse table we had chosen for our sweetheart table was also filthy and covered in wax, forcing us to cover it completely. The white chairs provided were chipped, wobbly, and dirty—one even left wax on my dad’s clothing, which he had to clean himself. On the wedding day, Candace and her assistant were constantly missing in action. My photographer ended up doing more to keep everyone on schedule than she did. The ceremony music was played incorrectly—my husband’s walk-out song, which was clearly labeled and placed in the correct order on the playlist, was played with lyrics instead of the instrumental version. Candace also made an incredibly inappropriate comment about my vow book, saying it was “too colorful” (it was navy with light pink florals) and asking if we could “rip out the vows” to make it less distracting. This book was extremely sentimental—one I had been writing in for eight years for my future husband to one day receive and read. It held countless letters, with the final page containing my vows. Her remark was deeply insensitive and unprofessional. During the ceremony and reception, Candace leaned heavily on my family—especially my brother—to handle tasks that should have been part of her and her assistant’s responsibilities. He ended up missing family photos when my photographer called for him because she had him running errands at the ballroom. My dad eventually had to call her and insist that she send him back. At the reception, when my husband and I entered the ballroom, it was completely silent. No music was playing for guests, which was baffling considering the sound system had worked perfectly during testing on Friday, and all songs were clearly placed on a playlist set to shuffle. Once again, my dad had to step in to troubleshoot the system while we stood awkwardly in the middle of the dance floor waiting for our song to start. As a result, he barely got to enjoy the food or cake. There was little to no music throughout the entire night. My husband and I barely had time to eat before the food and cake were cleared away. We were left hungry until my sister-in-law thankfully grabbed us to-go boxes so we’d have something to eat later. I’m not sure why our food was thrown out and the tables were cleared nearly two hours before the wedding was scheduled to conclude, but before we knew it, we were being rushed into our petal toss and exit. Even after the wedding, communication continued to fall apart. My mom tried to pay the cake vendor directly because Candace had failed to facilitate communication properly, but her texts and calls to the baker continually went unanswered—even a week after the wedding. My mom finally gave up and just mailed the vendor a check herself. In fact, all the way up until the morning of the wedding, I wasn’t even sure if I would have a cake to eat, since Candace refused to communicate with the baker to confirm whether it had been baked at all. There was little to no communication throughout the process, and I felt as though I was on the verge of having to get the baker’s number myself just to take matters into my own hands and get an update. Final Thoughts This review is not a reflection of Legacy Acres as a venue. The space itself is gorgeous and the setting unforgettable. But I can’t stress this enough: If you’re considering one of the Legacy Acres wedding packages, read every line VERY carefully. Ask detailed questions about what’s included and who is responsible for what. And most importantly, do NOT hire or rely on Candace Wilson as your planner or coordinator. Her lack of professionalism, disorganization, and communication created unnecessary stress during what should have been one of the happiest times of my life. I would have been calmer and more confident handling the wedding myself or hiring someone outside of the venue. In conclusion, if you value responsiveness, reliability, and genuine care for your event, hire an outside planner. “Candace Wilson Creative” is not it.