*An Overlooked Gem*
Weddings are expensive, & when you boil it all down the top two expenses are Food & Venue. Some venues have a nice view, but either don't provide food or have mediocre food at best. Some venues have decent food, but no view.... And of the above nearly all start at premium prices (I'm looking at you Hilton with your $125/plate chicken).
So it is a rare gem to find an affordable venue with not only a beautiful view for ceremony & photos, but spectacular food prepared by chefs who have personally cooked for celebrities at previous points in their career. But that's just scratching the surface of what Mystic Dunes has to offer.
Lets start with affordable. Included in the very reasonable venue price is seating with chiavari chairs, tablecloths of your choice of color, champagne for the toast, private space for the bridal party to get ready, & use of Mystic Dunes' table numbers, cake cutting set, dining ware, & champagne flutes. Let's also not forget included in the price is a honeymoon suite for the night of, champagne & chocolate covered strawberries, & a free round of golf for the newlyweds.
Discounted rooms are also available for your Guests, & not only are they cheaper than your standard hotel room, they're full suites - kitchen, fridge, & hot tub included. We didn't even bother to list alternate hotels, that's how good a price it was.
Oh, & by the way your Mystic Dunes point of contact is also included as your day of coordinator (a job that typically costs a few hundred in itself). But more on that later - I dare you to find a venue package with the same level of benefits at the same price.
Let's talk food. Plated for our event was well under $100/entree, helping us save hundreds of dollars that we were able to use elsewhere in our wedding budget. You have a wide variety of appetizers to select from, several different entrees served buffet style or plated, along with a good selection of sides & salads. They are all delicious - honestly some of the dishes we had during the tasting were the best of their kind we've ever had. You don't go into a wedding expecting that. Most of the time you hope the food is at least acceptable & that's pretty good already. Needless to say we were excited for our guests. Rehearsal dinner (buffet style) at the venue was also incredibly affordable, convenient, & just as delicious.
Lastly, let's talk about Rick Martin, the Catering Manager & Day of Coordinator. Rick is a sweetheart whose role is to make everything in the background run smoothly on your special day. While we ultimately planned our wedding on our own, Rick was there to provide tons of helpful advice, options, recommendations, & peace of mind that everything would be handled the day of - which he did. Rick was friendly, professional, responsive, flexible, & organized. He was genuinely interested in doing everything he could to accommodate us & our guests & make our day special - without him, our event would not have come together as perfectly as it did. As much as the venue & food stood out at Mystic Dunes, Rick is honestly what we remember the most fondly. With adequate planning & communication from the couple/wedding planner, there should be absolutely no reason that your event wouldn't go just as wonderfully under Rick's watch.
So new couples, do do your due diligence & search around. But don't search too long - someone else might snatch up your date for this venue. You'll find yourself back here soon enough anyway.