Morning Glory Inn

ract even though we were there to book & sign the contract nor could answer any questions we had pertaining to the contract. He then stated if you don’t book it’s going to be double cause COVID is over! Dave told us he was losing his patience w us because we were only trying to get clarification of what we were getting for the contract. Obviously we ran from there booked another venue who is amazing. The outside courtyard is pretty but was looking run down the last time we visited. The pavement is uneven & dangerous especially for woman wearing heels or the elderly. I’m so glad I read others reviews before we went but thought we could work w Dave but we didn’t want our day being ruined by him.

very rude. Would not accept small changes that were asked of by the bride. Did not do a good job of keeping the property clean of garbage or snow and ice removal. Hovered the entire night (not in a good way) making guests very uncomfortable. And kicked everyone out extremely early. The day-of coordinator, Melinda, was a gem. I actually did not expect her to be there (the owner did not mention her once) but she made a world of difference after she showed up and I don't think the wedding would have happened without her. She cleaned up for us, asked the bride what she wanted, and directed us all. Food was excellent! The caterer did an amazing job! He was also very helpful & knew the venue well enough that if I had a question he was able to direct me. The parking situation is very confusing and if you have guests that need assistance I would not recommend it here as the parking is blocks away, the side walk on this part of town is treacherous, and there is not much seating available at this venue. It is mostly standing only. At night, it does light up quite beautifully and as a guest I'm sure there was enough alcohol flowing that no one quite minded (or knew) the events that unfolded throughout the day. Although it was freezing and I don't know why this venue says it can accommodate a winter wedding. IT CAN NOT. There were a few fire pits and a few heaters going but please do not get married here in the winter. You will freeze and your guests will be uncomfortable. Not to mention go home smelling like a bon fire. Overall it was obviously a beautiful day watching my two favorite people get married, but sadly I was uncomfortable with the accommodations and very anxious about how everything was going to play out. As the maid of honor that can be expected, but I also would have liked to relax and have fun instead of worrying what needed to be done the entire day/night (when that should have been handled). I wish the best for this place and I hope it can turn itself around bc it is a beautiful historic home & garden. PS- as of today the bride still has not heard back from the Owner, Dave, after contacting him several times after her wedding on 2.21.2021.

elcome and as If we were a burden to him. The place had an awful smell the day of the wedding which was not there she we toured it. We were told we weren’t allowed to use some of the rooms that The bride was supposed to be allowed to get dressed in. She was told they could accommodate a winter wedding. Well that is NOT true!! There was snow mounds and thick sheets of ice everywhere. During the ceremony one of the bridesmaids had a huge icicle fall on her. The brides father fell TWICE by the bar where there was huge sheets of ice. We were told there would be heaters outside to keep the guests warm so that way we wouldn’t have to cram inside. There were maybe 4 heaters for over 100 people. The bride was freezing and decided she and the groom wanted to leave by themselves while their guests enjoy the rest of the night. That did not happen. As soon as the bride left Dave started kicking people out immediately!!! We had almost 2 hours left!! That SHE paid for! I was in the bridal suite packing my stuff with a couple other bridesmaids and Dave came up and stood in in the doorway watching us to try and rush us. It was more than uncomfortable and he was beyond rude!! He was even rude to the guests . I could keep going on about this place but I don’t think there’s enough characters. This man should not be allowed to be responsible for someone’s special day. He does not care AT ALL. Save your money and make happier memories somewhere else. This guys a crook.

in the back room. Dave was a nightmare to deal with. I’ve never met an owner of a place that was so rude not only to the wedding party but the guests as well! He was so rude about any and everything we requested. There were piles of snow and patches of ice everywhere. I was a bridesmaid and had an icicle fall in my head during the ceremony. The brides dad fell in front of the bar area that was a sheet of ice. I would steer clear of this place! I wouldn’t want another bride to go through what my sister in law had to on her special day.

s. There was snow and ice EVERYWHERE. He blamed people being drunk for falling when it was clear that people fell bc there was ICE ON THE GROUND. He brought a shovel out DURING THE RECEPTION because guests yelled at him for not already having it done. When the bridesmaids first arrived there was an awful smell that apparently Dave had no idea of. It was not until I said something that the lady working there found where the stench was coming from. The groom and I left an hour early. Dave kicked out all the guests as soon as we left WHICH WAS NOT WHAT WAS PAID FOR. I emailed him a few days after the wedding asking for money back. I never got a response. I called today and DAVE HUNG UP ON ME AND THEN BLOCKED MY NUMBER FROM FURTHER CALLS. It makes sense why he doesn’t want to make things right considering the building is up for Sheriffs Sale. I 100/100 DO NOT RECOMMEND this place for what is suppose to be the best day of your life. He is a complete asshole.

m a deposit and he says your contract is your “receipt”. He saved our debit card number and took a second payment without consent. We never signed a contract and informed him 6 months prior to our July 2021 wedding date that we were no longer interested in pursuing hosting our reception at his venue and he refused to give our money back. We’re now adding to his wrap sheet and suing him like several others have done in the recent past. He wanted us to sign a contract for a wedding of 60 guests while he’s not even legally permitted to have 60 guests in his venue right now because of COVID occupancy restrictions in the county. It’s a mess.....STEER CLEAR

xing us up. Despite having multiple signs up about increased safety precautions for covid, the owner, Dave never put a mask on during the entire meeting. Even though we were very clear we wanted to book long after we needed to worry about our wedding being a super spreader event, he boasted about getting around restrictions with how many weddings they were still able to do that had guest capacity well over legal guidelines and kept trying to pressure us into booking a date in only the next few months rather than almost 2 years from now as originally planned. He also seemed incredibly floored and uncomfortable with us being a same-sex couple and kept saying things like “I’d have no idea how you two would do it” and “*normally* we do this” and “well there’s no groom of course in your case”. It made us both feel very ostracized and uncomfortable, and I was hesitant to even ask if he had ever done a wedding for a same sex couple before. That in combination with the lack of structure to the wedding, the almost complete lack of seating available for dinner, and the getting-ready space being attached to someone’s room made it extremely uninviting. Girls, gays, and theys, don’t bother touring this venue, I would never recommend for a queer couple. And don’t even get me started on the racist statues in the library...

ith, so we only planned for a 40 person wedding. We did have to reschedule once due to limitations on groups at the time, which the Morning Glory worked with us to do without much difficulty. Aside from the mask wearing, you wouldn't have felt anything different from any other wedding! We had multiple compliments on how lovely the venue was from our guests and many people said it was the best wedding they've ever attended. The outdoor patio, where the wedding primarily took place, is so enchanting with tons of greenery and candle lighting - you totally forget you're right in the city . We also had the entire Inn for use, so guests were able to enjoy the inside if they wanted. It provides the perfect setting for guests to dance and party, as well as to get away from everyone and have an intimate conversation, if they wish. The venue handles a lot of the details of the day which is nice. Dave, the owner, is definitely a little odd. He isn't a very good communicator and there were some details we were unsure of until the day of the wedding. Luckily, despite this, everything worked out perfectly. He also looked a little suspicious during the entire duration of the event, like we were getting too crazy or like someone was going to break something, even though it was only 40 people. Malinda, the coordinator, on the other hand, helped make us feel more comfortable with the details and really made the day run smoothly. She was extremely accommodating and kind to all of our guests. Overall, I would choose this venue again and again. I can't imagine having our wedding anywhere else.

lings went through him. Dave was agreeable in moving our wedding date when COVID hit, but that's where his agreeableness ends. He regularly shared that he felt COVID was not a concern and it will go away. This was disconcerting to hear as people who take COVID seriously and wanted to keep our guests safe. During the wedding, there was only one hand sanitizer station and it was inside by the food. When he turned the water fountain on during the wedding, it smelled so bad that many of our guests commented on it. In addition, the bridal suite is used by guests during the wedding (including the bathroom), and when Dave “flipped the room” for us to sleep in, he did not clean it at all. I was uncomfortable even going to the bathroom as it was used by our guests during the wedding. The tub was filthy and the room reeked of mold. The bride was so upset at the end of the night that this was our wedding night room. She could hardly sleep with the smell and filth. We also had guests in the inn share that their bathroom light was out and wallpaper was peeling. Dave was not polite to us, our families or our wedding parties. The day of, when the bride arrived, he was in a bad mood because we were 15 minutes late. He rushed us into doing the run-through (even though we still had 2.5 hours until the wedding started). He snapped at a bridesmaid who asked simple questions – in front of everyone. He also fought back with the bride on the way the show would run… he wanted everything done his way. We ended up having a coordinator during the day – it was only her second MGI wedding. Dave didn’t help a bridesmaid setup a checkin table, so none of our precautionary measures were used (we had a self temp check and wristbands to indicate comfort level). All of the effort we put into COVID safety was for naught. He was also rude to our parents when they asked questions. Finally, he hovered the entire night, watching over the wedding like he was a chaperone at a school dance. He ended up driving off in his expensive SUV, leaving no one at the venue to assist at the end of the wedding. Dave did not do the math and paperwork appropriately for his offer. Because of his errors, Dave shared said he would pay for the bar. This includes beverages and the bartender. During reception dances, Dave asked the Groom to pay the bartender. Before COVID we planned for food with 80 guests with Fishhawk Acres, who regularly works with MGI. When COVID-19 hit, we cut the guest list in half, thus reducing food cost by $2400 (Fishhawk operates on a per-guest cost-basis). Dave required payment in full from us very early on, which included his payment to Fishhawk. He fought with us to give us money back saying he already paid Fishhawk in full. When we reached out to Fishhawk, they expressed that he hadn’t paid in full yet for our wedding. He was trying to pocket the difference in catering fees. He agreed to give us $1000 back when we called him out and we accepted because we didn’t think we’d get any better out of him. Two months out from the wedding and we still haven’t received a dime. This is all just a start on how unhappy we were with the MGI experience.

I have been a part of.

l and answering all our questions. I can’t say enough about everyone we worked with (dale, Chelsey, joy, Brittany, Emily). If you want a unique place that takes care of tough decisions and planning this is your place. It was some memorable and our guests are so complimentary about the wedding. We look forward to staying there in the future.

ain to Dave and his staff for a memorable day.

I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone looking for a stress-free, memorable wedding and reception. 10 stars! 😉

. Joy's food was so delicious, and the coordinators are all incredibly nice and helpful. Chelsey was so amazing and answered all of our questions no matter how many times we asked. Brittany and Emily were so kind and helpful too, and we truly appreciated all of their hard work to make our day as special as possible. If we had to do it all over again, we wouldn't change a single thing. At the end of the night, my husband and I sat in the courtyard by ourselves just enjoying the beautiful night. We didn't want the night to end and tried to soak it all in for as long as we could. Absolutely 100% the most perfect and gorgeous venue. Thank you all again SO MUCH for everything. <3 <3

over the entire weekend was outstanding...We will definitely be recommending this venue to family and friends.

legant! Success! exactly what we received. The food was beyond exquisite and delicious. We chose not to have a "wedding" cake but a ceremony cake, which was out of this world amazing!! The fact the our families could also stay in one place and we did not have to drive anywhere else was a huge bonus. The entire staff , caterer and caterer's staff were so kind sweet and Fun!! We loved them all. Our bartender was also outstanding. We had the wedding of our dreams and BTW, this was neither of our 1st marriages so we knew exactly what we wanted and did not Want! MGI had no problems with our wishes. We felt like this was a destination wedding, like we were down south somewhere and not just the Southside of Pittsburgh. If I could do this every year for anniversaries I definitely would.

n begin to describe it. The setting is beautiful and welcoming. Planning the day was so easy with the wonderful team of Brittany, Emily, Joy and Chelsey. Chelsey is the most amazing coordinator you could ever hope to have. We had the rehearsal dinner there as well as stayed at the Inn and Joy made the most amazing food you could ask for. Catering by Fish Hawk Acres and Chef Dale will leave you speechless the food is that fantastic. They wanted something that wasn't mainstream and if you do too, this is the place to go. Atmosphere, ambiance, wonderful staff, absolutely beautiful and overflowing with charm make this a five star choice every day of the week.

e staff had the AC blasting inside. The food was fabulous, the bar set up was super cute, the DJ was poppin and the staff was wonderful. Coming from Michigan I was staying in a room upstairs in the most comfortable bed and felt right at home. Literally the best wedding I have been a part of as well as ever been too!

our deposit and eloped or found an alternate venue due to problems working with the owner, Dave. Dave is incredibly difficult to deal with. From the first time I called him, I was extremely clear about our budget and told him I only wanted to come to see the venue if our budget was doable. He assured me it was. When we went to visit the venue, I reiterated our budget and he again said that it was doable. When we went to negotiate the contract with Dave, he acted like our budget was a surprise and was not possible. He ended up working with us on price (it seemed). When we signed the contract, he explained that our total cost (aka our budget) included an amount we owed to Morning Glory Inn, plus an estimate for what we would pay for food and alcohol costs based on our estimated head count. It turns out the amount he estimated for food and alcohol was not even close to be enough for just food for our guests. Dave's estimate was off by 40%. The Inn's preferred caterer, Fish Hawk Acres, is also wonderful and worked with us to select a cheaper menu, but we were still thousands of dollars over budget before spending a cent on alcohol. Because the Inn works pretty much exclusively with a preferred caterer (and because Dave knew our number of guests), there is no way he could have reasonably believed that the estimate he gave us was accurate. The woefully incorrect estimate was not the only time that I thought Dave with misleading. Many of the things he told us when we visited are the exact opposite of what his contract says. When I pointed that out, he was extremely defensive. We received emails saying our payments were late when they were not. Our guests paid for their hotel rooms. When we received our final invoice, it showed a deduction for the cost of the hotel rooms, but that amount was not actually subtracted from the balance due. I would not be surprised if he thought we just would not notice and would pay it all. The Morning Glory Inn markets itself as a turnkey, stress-free wedding planning experience. That could not have been further from my experience given the above. If we were to do it all over again, and Dave was our only option for conducting our business, we would find a different venue. That said, it is a very unique venue and we had the exact wedding day we wanted. My advice to you if you are looking to get married here is to deal exclusively with the staff from day one and ask not to deal with Dave. Emily, Chelsea, and Joy are honest, wonderful, responsive, hardworking, and helped to deliver the day we wanted and paid for.

y gorgeous. The courtyard is so beautiful (during the day and lit up at night!), and the inn itself has so much character. One of our favorite things about it was the flowing style of the wedding and reception. I support every couple's decision in having their day - but trust me when I say the folks at the Morning Glory Inn have the formula for the perfect wedding figured out! Our guests (there were about 90) loved that they could relax, snack, drink and mingle before the ceremony even started - and we felt that energy during our ceremony which was awesome! Having our friends and family literally surround us as we said "I Do" under the beautiful arch in the courtyard was amazing. From there, everything was on our time, which had us both feeling so relaxed and able to fully enjoy every moment of the day. Our coordinator, Chelsey, told us the order things would happen and we just had to let her know when we were ready to move onto the next thing. While I admit I'm very "Type A" and love schedules, it was amazing to have this kind of flexibility and let the day flow naturally. Speaking of Chelsey - she is AWESOME! She was so incredibly quick to respond, relaxed yet organized and always had the answers to what we needed. We can't say enough wonderful things about her and are so thankful she was with us every step of the way! The entire Morning Glory Inn staff is also incredible, it should be noted. I can honestly say wedding planning was so much less stressful than I thought and I know that is only because we chose the Morning Glory Inn over any other venue! Back to the wedding day, the reception was a blast! There's room for dancing (which there was a lot of at our wedding!) but also places for people to gather in the courtyard and in the Inn. Everyone was able to enjoy the night in their own way and feel comfortable, which was so important to us. We got married on a chilly October night - but brides and grooms do not let that worry you! Their outdoor heating system they have in place kept things comfortable and in fact I think added to the ambiance of the night. It was also so unique to have some guests stay with us at the Inn - and breakfast the next morning was wonderful as well! If you are looking for a unique, beautiful wedding and reception venue that puts not only you, but your guests first - look no further than the Morning Glory Inn! I would choose it 100 times over if I had to do it all again.