Lone Star Lodge & Marina

es with far better service. We got engaged in November 2024 and planned to privately elope in May 2025, then hold a wedding reception in November 2025. We booked a “wedding event” tour at the Lodge in December 2024 and were sold on the lake view. We clearly explained the event would be a wedding reception (cake, dinner, dancing, flowers, wedding attire) but without a same-day ceremony. Jennifer even gave tips like using Costco flowers for centerpieces and bouquets. We estimated 30 guests, which she said was fine since the room seats 150. She seemed to struggle with the booking system but assured us we had the full day blocked and could later add hours for $200/hour. The initial contract was about $1,600 for 3 hours plus tables/chairs and a ~$300 alcohol fee. We paid a ~$700 deposit and she gave us their Wedding Package, Wedding Planning Timeline, and Wedding Vendor List. Over the next few months: January: I texted that our guest count might rise to 40–50. She said “sounds good” and blocked all 28 lodge rooms for our group, giving us the bridal suite for free. March: We decided to add an on-site wedding ceremony and asked about using the gazebo. Jennifer said yes—for a $50 chair-setup fee—which was added to our invoice. June: With my timeline and vendors finalized, I texted to confirm 4–10 p.m. hours, acknowledging the extra $200/hour and the $50 chair fee previously agreed to. Jennifer approved the time but began questioning guest count and if I was serving alcohol, even though both had been discussed and the alcohol fee was already in the contract. She texted we were “way off on pricing,” that she “should have changed it when you said ceremony,” and that she was “really stuck what to do.” She then sent a revised quote for about $4,800—a 140% increase for the same room. I called, shocked. Her tone was defensive; she accused me of trying to get her fired and said the lodge charges extra if an event is labeled a wedding. When I reminded her that she had known from day one it was a wedding reception and had agreed to add the ceremony in March, she dismissed it. When I asked her to contact the owners to find a reasonable solution, she hung up on me. My coordinator reached out afterward. I wasn’t part of the call, but was told Jennifer claimed the price increase was due to serving alcohol—even though the alcohol fee had always been in the contract. A few days later, my coordinator relayed that Jennifer said the owners would offer a 10% discount. However, the revised contract only included about a 6% discount (~$320), bringing the total to ~$4,450. To make up the difference in the discount, I asked them to instead include something like place settings as well as clearly listing everything she had previously confirmed to avoid future confusion. In response, the lodge emailed to cancel our event entirely and said they would be keeping our deposit. Only after I pointed out their own contract required a refund if they canceled did they return it. To top it off, even though they had canceled, two weeks before the event date they sent us a bill for the remaining balance—and a “past due” notice the next day. The lake view may be gorgeous, but my experience was extremely poor. I cannot recommend this venue to anyone.