Rafters

I’d like to start off by saying that our event went off without a hitch. Mary Beth was not afraid to step in when there was miscommunication with other vendors. The venue was beautiful and affordable for its size. We are very pleased with the end result of our wedding reception at Rafters. That being said, during the planning of the wedding my experience with Rafters was nothing short of frustrating. On numerous accounts, Rafters failed to respond to correspondence (phone calls, emails, text messages) within a reasonable time frame. Every time this happened, we were met with apologies and excuses as to why there was a lack of response. However, when one is conducting a business where communication is so important, there must be procedures put in place so that clients are not waiting for days and weeks to receive responses. Things happen and we are very forgiving people but our experience with Rafters showed us that this lack of communication was not a fluke once or twice. It was a theme throughout. In one (and the most frustrating) instance, my fiancé and I sent an email on 12/3 seeking information about COVID guidelines at the time and payment information. I waited until 12/15, and received no response so I sent another email following up. I finally received a response on 12/20. We were given details for our next payment, details about COVID guidelines and a new payment deadline. The day we received the email detailing COVID conditions at the time and the payment deadline we responded by asking for a phone call to ask our questions that required answers in order to make an informed decision by the deadline given. At this point it was 12/20 so we were approaching Christmas. Normal delays were expected (no answer on Christmas Eve/Christmas day/New Year’s Day). After waiting two days for a response, we finally scheduled a phone call for 12/23 and never received that phone call. By that time the deadline was a week away. By 12/27 we were frustrated and flustered as we were given a deadline of 12/30 and were left in the dark with no correspondence that answered our questions. I reached out again. Finally, on 12/28 we received a response apologizing for missing the scheduled phone call, citing many different events as the reason for the lack of responses. Thankfully, and rightfully so, our deadline was now moved to 1/15. However, we still needed answers to our questions. That being said, I tried to set up a time to connect and it was not until 1/7 that I received a response. Finally, we were able to connect and gather all of the necessary information to make a decision. At that point, it was too late to find another venue within our budget and timeframe. This is just one example of the many communication difficulties we had with Rafters. I hate to be the person to drag a business, especially with the trying last year we all had, but again, when you are conducting business that requires correspondence with clients, procedures should be set in place so that we are not grasping for straws and waiting for responses for weeks. The last thing a bride needs is unresponsive vendors during a stressful time. Was our event spectacular? Yes. Would I book with Rafters again? I don’t think so.

WOW. I have so much to say about Rafters but if there is one thing you need to know it's that you NEED to choose this as your venue. Originally, I had booked another venue, but that venue cancelled on me 4 weeks before our wedding. My event designer knew of Rafters so I gave the owner, Mary Beth, a call. Luckily, they were available on my date and I can truly say that cancellation was the BEST thing to happen to us. First, Mary Beth is the kindest woman I think I've ever met. The first time we spoke she was on the phone consoling me and helping to calm me down because of everything we had gone through due to COVID. I knew right away we would now be in good hands. She made herself available every time we needed to see the venue and worked with literally every dream and wish I had. Rafters has their own rental company so they provide the tables and linens. We had to stick to social distancing guidelines which made the layout and rentals a bit tricky. However, Mary Beth still made it work. I said I wanted 4 farm tables, she fit 4 farm tables. I said I wanted bistro lights outside, she got bistro lights up outside. I said I wanted certain chairs, she found enough of them for all of my guests. Mary Beth worked so hard and it was such a pleasure planning our wedding with her. Rafters is a great venue because the layout is awesome and its really a blank canvas so you can make it whatever you'd like. They are also prepared for ANYTHING. Mist on your wedding day? They have a tent for the ceremony. Pouring rain? They have an indoor space as well. Guests nervous of being in large crowds? They have a covered outdoor space for them to enjoy. Truly, Rafters has it all and you can feel confident that they will be able to tackle any issues as they arise. It's also perfect because it's new and updated! The bathrooms are very clean and and the bridal suite is large and beautiful. The bars are also large so that lines don't form and the prices are very reasonable. You can tell this is not just a business to Mary Beth and that she really cares about all of the people who use her space. She really made our dreams come true. What could have been a disaster turned into the best day of our lives and we owe it all to her and Rafters. Please use this venue because I KNOW you will not be disappointed. If you want people to work hard to make your vision come true, Rafters is the place to go. I genuinely have no cons or complaints about Rafters. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all for everything you have done for us. We had our dream wedding in the middle of a pandemic and I will forever be so thankful to you guys for making it happen.