Loray Mill Event Hall

op of it! I do feel bad because it seems the owner can’t keep any employees, for whatever reason, and Hannah had to bear the brunt of breaking the news that a bride is working with another new coordinator and I can’t imagine what that is like over and over again. Positives: we happened to get married on the one day we get snow in NC and the venue was very well prepared and called me ahead of time to make a plan. The wait staff was stellar and everyone said they were kind, helpful, and just overall wonderful. Kim was an absolute delight to work with on the menu and she did a phenomenal job helping us pick our menu and got us a great deal on our rehearsal dinner menu! Negatives: I went through 3 different coordinators from July to December. Which means I had to explain my wedding plan to 3 different people. Every time I went it, they had no idea what my plan was or when it was happening. The owner also changes the packages and pricing quite a bit. So when I went to finalize my details, I was presented with bar packages that I had never seen and the coordinator had no idea what packages I was even presented. (Side note: they did honor the bar prices I was originally presented and I was extremely grateful of that.) I also left my veil at the venue in the bridal suite and contacted them a few days later to see if I could pick it up and it was nowhere to be found. This was extremely disappointing news. If a veil was found hanging in the closet at a wedding venue, I would fully expect the staff to contact the bride. It was an extremely expensive purchase and for it to just go missing is unacceptable.

as the absolute best day ever. Yazmin is the director and coordinator there and she is a rockstar at here job. Yazmin worked with us to book over a year in advance amidst the COVID-19 chaos and made the entire process of wedding planning seemless, even with everything going this year and with last year. Working with the Loray Mill catering team was also super easy and affordable for our wedding of 150-160 guests. We used the Dj that works with the Mill and he was so much fun and definitely made our reception playlist dreams come true. I have nothing but great things to say about Loray Mill!

and was a little skeptical. However all of my fears were put to rest after working with Yaz the Events Manager @ Homestead Events. She is very, very professional. She made me feel as though my event was the ONLY event she had going on. The amount of attention she paid to detail is out of this world. The venue itself is absolutely beautiful. She made our event so special.

was 30 mins late, which in some circumstances is reasonable but I had my whole family calling for 30 mins straight and no answer or call back. The office was open and no one was there to greet us or tell us where to go to find the tour guide. After 30 mins the tour guide had showed up and didn’t say a word to my entire family, no apology or reason why he was late. He then blamed me and said I had gotten the time wrong and it was suppose to be at 1:30 not 1pm. When in fact our messages said 1 pm. After touring the venue I told my family I was ready to book the venue because it was so beautiful. The tour guide told us he would send over the necessary paper work to book the venue online that same night we toured it. After going home we had multiple questions we wanted to answer about the venue, we called multiple times that night and left voicemails and emails. No answer or call back for days. We finally got a call from a completely different person 5 days after the tour wanting to finally answer my questions. He didn’t even send me the paper work to book the venue or a catalogue to view the decor they had for me to use that he promised he would send. After reading some bad reviews I’ve seen on this venue and the bad experience I’ve personally had. I thought there was to many red flags and proceeded to book a different venue instead. PLEASE READ THE REVIEWS BEFORE BOOKING THIS VENUE.

ep our wedding in April due to Covid. Caleb worked with us while we got up with our vendors to compare dates. We were moved to November14th, 2020. Let me tell you, they did an amazing job working with us. What a crazy year it has been and it was so refreshing to have something go PERFECT. We are over the moon so impressed by the staff at Loray Mills/Homestead Events. Caleb, Yazmin, Byron and all the staff went above and beyond to make our day go by smoothly.

for our wedding day as they have helped make our wedding dreams come true.

appetizers were the best (Watermelon Feta and Shrimp and Grits). Originally, we had set our date on May 2020 but Covid19 hit which changed our plans completely. Caleb understood our situation and we rescheduled it easily. The best part is that Byron let us keep our contract the exact same but with new dates. As months goes by, Yaz and Caleb kept us in the loop and provided us the best service ever. They were able to setup on time, provide warm meals, and assist us on anything we needed on short notice. They took precautions with temperature checks and seating 6 per table and separating the dance floor in the other room. The Grand Hall was very large where it felt comfortable to host a reception with 90 guests. They also provided us a beautiful apartment for the bride and groom on the wedding night. I could not be happier with this venue.

he original planning process AND the re-planning with the new date. The venue is beautiful and elegant. The food was delicious. The guests loved every moment of the reception and raved about the venue. Of all the many places we considered for this wedding, this was THE PLACE to be and we couldn't be happier with the results. Thank you Caleb, Yazmin and Byron for making this a truly magical event! I highly recommend this venue!

de this just the perfect backdrop for our minimalistic and contemporary wedding. Second, the food is AMAZING. The owner, Byron, was super attentive to us when we did our food tasting and the day of our wedding. Many of our guests were gushing over how beautiful and delicious it all was. Lastly, the staff is simply the best. Caleb and Yazmin were simply remarkable. They were incredibly friendly and responsive. They truly made my now husband and I feel special and not needy. Working with them was honestly like planning my wedding with some good friends. I felt like everyone (Caleb, Yazmin, and Byron) were just as invested in making my wedding a hit as I was. I could go on and on, but you get the picture. I can't wait to see how our photographers photos come out! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

. They have a wonderful venue and staff. They are a great team with many options to make anyone happy.

ry question I have had. They have had a great plan for us despite COVID and we cannot express our appreciation for them enough! Definitely a great venue to book with.

found out were we expecting. The due date was going to be very close to the wedding date so we decided it would be best to push it out a little. They were extremely accommodating and let us push the wedding back, two months. We have no complaints. The space is beautiful and they go above and beyond to make sure that you are pleased. Definitely recommend this venue!

al, and more than accommodating, especially with the craziness this year has brought. The venue speaks for itself in the pictures, but just for giggles, go and give it a look for yourself in person. You won't regret it!

as been great to work with since taking on his position. He is quick to respond to any questions or concerns we have- especially though COVID. Our wedding day is quickly approaching and we can’t wait to have our perfect day at Loray!

d calming throughout this transition. We’re excited for our big day!

always available to answer any of my questions. They made sure our wedding turned out perfect!

and have great packages that help make the process easy.

ticular Caleb Sisk, has been nothing short of amazing. He has helped us navigate throughout the pandemic & is always there to take our (many) phone calls. Would definitely recommend this venue!

the bridal suite, which I paid for in the all-inclusive package. The bridal suite was dirty and unsanitary. We found un-made beds, dirty towels in the bathrooms, trash piled up, old food in the refrigerator, and debris on the floor from the last event. There was no toilet paper or paper towels. Throughout the day and leading up to my ceremony, it was difficult to find any staff members to assist and they were unresponsive to our calls/texts. There was a leak in the reception area and a puddle under a table. We could never find a staff member to help with this. This is just one example of all the things that went wrong. My friends and family did the jobs that I hired the staff at Homesteads events to do. The staff that show up were temporary hires that came in no uniform (casual clothes) and did not follow the directions clearly outlined in my contract. On the bar they set out 9 used/old half empty wine bottles to serve guests. Our wedding was during the Covid pandemic and staff assured me that they could safely have our events with protocols like temperature taking. There was no staff member to take temperatures. I later found out that the operations manager for the venue was missing all day, because he was preparing our food. This staff member shared that he has never cooked the food and they had no catering team the day of my wedding. In my contract I paid for an off-duty police officer. Our flowers were stolen before the ceremony and when I called the police department, they informed me that no officer was on duty at my event. The staff at Homesteads events claim they paid the officer and they have yet to be responsive in resolving any of these issues. It should also be noted that the staff offered money for reviews on different websites and insisted the review had to be done before the event. This is another example of their the deceitful behavior.

ziness with COVID plans changes. Planning a wedding can be stressful at times, that's for sure, but the team at Loray Mill has certainly made it less so! Can't wait for our wedding day and it helps so much knowing that their team will be there to keep everything running smoothly.

nd ready to put your mind at ease/ answer questions/ or give you a laugh! 2020 has been a heard year but Loray mill staff have made my fiancé and I feel like top priority! We can’t wait to tie the knot in 2021 and have the dream wedding we have been waiting so long for at this amazing venue with fantastic people! Caleb and Byron you are wedding fairy godmothers!

ms is happening as planned and that I do not have to stress! This venue is absolutely gorgeous and has picture perfect places, as well as an amazing caterer and options for beverages! I highly recommend Loray Mill as the place for your wedding!

eals for us at our tasting even told us not to hire a day of coordinator cause it’ll be so smooth. Since the catering is owned by the same man it was so easy to make sure everyone was in agreement on how everything should go. Kim has been very helpful with the catering by making sure we received copies of everything. When we had to be postponed due to COVID they have been extremely flexible and helpful every step of the way. Caleb there is always super responsive every day even if you text or call 100 times. Definitely a great group there and a very gorgeous venue! We look forward to our special day a week from Sunday!

efore our wedding date. At first, my husband and I fell in love with this venue, it was absolutely breathtaking, and it was affordable when we looked at the pricing packages that they included. There are several different options to choose from as far as packages are considered to ensure that it fits in everyone’s wedding budget. I truly loved that there was a place for the bridal team to get ready and that the newlyweds were able to stay in the suite the night of their wedding (included in all packages when we booked the venue). I also loved the wedding coordinator at the venue, she was very honest and stuck to her word. Everything was great until I received word that the event coordinator was accepting a new position. I would set up meetings periodically to check in with the venue and see what would be needed at that specific time...each time I would email someone there was a new person in charge of the event planning..all in all, in 9 months, we went through 6 event coordinators leading up to our wedding day….this was extremely frustrating as I would have to go back and explain to each person my vision for my day, and verify all was taken care of. It became so much of a joke with this place and how the business can’t keep anyone that my family and I had a bet on how many people would quit before our wedding day. It became really interesting when it was 2 WEEKS before my wedding and I was informed (by me calling and calling and calling because no one emails back) that there was yet another event coordinator that would now take over my wedding. The phone conversation did not last long as she left me in tears when she told me 2 WEEKS before my wedding that my file had me misplaced….so everything in my file was suddenly gone. Essentially, my wedding vision disappeared. At that point I decided it was best to get off the phone because I now had to scramble two weeks before my wedding to figure out what all they needed AGAIN so that my wedding day would be as smooth as possible. My now husband quickly became involved and asked for a refund for the venue and just like that the company found our file ONE week before my wedding. And the girl that I previously talked about had already quit and now I am dealing with another new person ONE WEEK BEFORE MY WEDDING. So, now I am having to go over everything……..again. It was just an extremely unfortunate experience as it is not something that a bride should have to stress about. I felt uneasy most of my wedding planning experience because of the event staff. Meanwhile, I never received a phone call, text, or email from the owner Byron to apologize for what was happening or to even give me an explanation. He simply wanted my money initially (he is apparently known to make a lot of promises so that couples will choose his venue and then not communicate such with his staff leading to so many other issues). Once he received the money for the venue, I never heard from him again. Overall, it was an extremely stressful time and not needed in the slightest. Don’t be fooled by the beautiful pictures, the event staff is not worth the hassle, pick another place that you can actually trust.

es not seem possible. I just had a wedding reception at this venue this past Sunday, and it was one of the worst experiences of my life. I would never have another event or ever do business with anyone from this facility again. They promised so many things, then completely changed this the day of our reception, which completely blinded side me, my wife, and our families. When we arrived the day of the reception, the main event hall was completely dirty and had several puddles of water that leaked from the air conditioner. The back room that is attached to the main event hall was filled with rocks and cleaning equipment. Which the staff refused to clean, so I was forced to do it myself. The incorrect color chairs were put out at each table. The entire hall smelled awful and was extremely dirty. Stains, tape and marks all over the floor. The newly hired event coordinator Todd and the owner assured us that they would help us in any way we needed. Unfortunately, the day of the reception it was the complete opposite. There was nobody available to greet the vendors that were delivering items for the reception. I had to go downstairs and guide some of the vendors instead of getting ready for my own reception. There was nobody available to tell guest the location of the event hall, even though Todd assured us there would be. Todd also promised to cut our wedding cake, which was written in the contract, but left the venue and did not response to any phone calls. Additionally, there were zero trash cans or trash bags in the hall so my father in law was forced to leave our reception to buy trash bags instead of enjoying the even that we paid for with his family. So, my wife called Todd, and politely asked him where we could throw away the trash. I overheard him being very disrespectful to heard, and being dismissive of her question. So, I picked up the phone to try to explain to him that I did not appreciate how disorganized, and how poorly they handled our event after making so many promises. If you do not want to provide a service for someone, do not offer it. Be upfront and honest, so that people know what to expect the day of their wedding. This is something that this company failed at spectacularly. The full length of this review along with pictures is posted on https://www.weddingwire.com/biz/homesteads-events-loray-mill-gastonia/45bb73aea622eff2.html. Todd had also called the police and verbally attacked my wife.

get decoration ideas together. They were very accommodating and everything turned out perfectly. I wouldn’t have had a single thing go differently.

ct with them before the buyout and everything was a mess. We originally chose the venue because you could choose your own caterer but after the buyout, it was not the case. I gave Homesteads (the caterer) a chance and was impressed with the food but it was a headache constantly trying to get everything right. It was very difficult to try to get anyone to respond to emails/phone calls. If you have someone who can deal with all of this headache for you, I'd say go ahead because it is a beautiful venue. Otherwise, I'd find somewhere else.

bought out the venue (they are the current owners). Since the buy-out, the whole planning process was a mess. They did not want to originally honor our contract, luckily I hired a wedding planner who was able to negotiate with them, and in the long run we did have to pay extra. Loray Mill Event Hall (owned and operated by Homestead Events) requires you to use their own catering services. Under our original contract, we could use whichever catering service we wanted to, however with the buy-out they did not honor this. So we had to pay an extra fee per person because we had already booked a catering company (before this buy-out) and we were not using them. Then throughout the process, I would receive numerous calls from their employees when they were supposed to be contacting my planner, and it was always the same questions.... it was like no one was on the same page/talking with each other nor writing any of the conversations down. I received numerous phone calls about us needing to schedule a tasting session for the food when I kept telling them I had outside catering, and this was also in the new contract. During the final walkthrough, the on-site coordinator kept telling me I did not have this or that included in the rental/contract, when in fact I did (linens, tables, apartments, etc). Once again, my planner saved me and it all worked out in my favor. My biggest concern came Sunday morning after the wedding... we accidentally left a few items in one of the apartments we had rented out (my husband's medicine and a steamer I had just received as a gift, plus a good bit of food) and we know exactly where we had left them, yet they would not let us look for it on Monday morning. They are also really bad about not returning voicemails. In all though, the day of the wedding went amazing. If anything went wrong, I was not aware of it. If you choose this venue, I highly suggest hiring a wedding planner as I felt pressured a couple of times by the employees/owner to agree to stuff that contradicted our contract. The venue itself is beautiful and we had so many compliments from our guests. In all, it was worth it... however just be prepared because the employees there really need to get more organized and on the same page. I am so glad that we decided to use Loray Mill, the apartments to get ready in were perfect and exactly what we needed, and our wedding day was completely stress free. Honestly, the look of the venue is worth 5 stars, however the stress leading up to the wedding day was very hard for me and the lack of support we received when trying to look for our lost items was what made me give them 3 stars. As well as the disorganization.

it. Everything leading up to the wedding was wonderful and caused us to really trust the folks at Loray. Ultimately, it was all for naught. The room was not set up as promised despite us meeting and drawing up several room layouts. Our appetizers were placed in a location where no one could see them and when my mother arrived, the guests did not even know they were there to eat. No one from the venue directed them to partake. We asked for two high-chairs but received only one. There is a required caterer (run by the same folks) at this location and they were completely unprepared. Dinner was almost an hour late and there were not even plates on the tables by the time guests began arriving. There were several issues with the bar as well. I could continue and may come back at a later time to do so. The bottom line is, Loray is a GORGEOUS venue because of the qualities of the building itself. The building itself earned 1 star....But don't be fooled into booking here by the curb appeal like we were. Too much false advertisement and too many broken promises.