Stillwaters Retreat

quitting (for very understandable reasons). We were told they would be there all day to help set up and that was not accurate. I didn’t trust that they would be able to carry out what they promised so we hired a day of coordinator to help. All I have to say is THANK GOD we did!! If we had not, we would have been in big trouble because not only were they not there to help, they were too busy hosting an open house at the same time on the other end of the property. Clearly the priority was to get new business instead of taking care of people you have already gotten money from. They were to provide the linens and they were HORRIBLE! Four of the tables were on inside out so the seams were showing. When we flipped them we realized they were put that way intentionally because they were COVERED in food. That’s right, they used dirty linens for three tables and just flipped them. Wrinkles in all the linens and looked like they just got pulled out of a trash bag. Also, due to them thinking it would be a good idea to host an open house at the same time, there were strangers roaming the property as we were trying to do first look pics and right before I was to go down the isle. Four separate occasions someone literally looked in the windows of the cottage we were getting ready in. I was BLOWN away and would never ever recommend this place to anyone.

se by Jessica (old management) that we would have multiple things that turned out to not be true this included the bartender, a day of coordinator, ice, set up and tear down, the farmhouse rental (to stay on property all weekend), and much more. After new management came we got a talk about what was really included. Here are a list of things that went wrong due to the venue for my wedding weekend: - In the farmhouse there was a mouse and lots of stink bugs on the curtains. I am not being dramatic when i say we opened the curtain and there was at least 10. - The water in the farmhouse was straight up egg smell, we ended up going to a family's hotel room to shower it was BAD - The venue building structure leaked water all over our tables and decor when it rained - When we got there for rehearsal dinner there was not enough tables or chairs for the guests dinner. I gave the total around 30 and there were only 25 seats. We had to take linens/tables from the reception to give our guests more room to eat at rehearsal. -The heaters were not on and 1 did not work. The heaters were not on for the rehearsal or the wedding day. Only 1 worked and our guests were left freezing. -No cigars were supplied for the groomsman or groom. (This was promised by everyone I spoke to so it was clearly just forgotten) -The bathroom lights kept going out because of the generator. If someone came to check up on us that could have been something they checked when stopping by but no one came to check on us at all. - I was told I would get a card acrylic box and that never came, there was no table for that so guest came in with cards and gifts and we had to stuff them somewhere else with no sign. - We were told cocktail tables would be set up at 8am. No one showed up till 9:00-9:30am and the cocktail tables were thrown into the reception and not set up at all. THE WORST FOR LAST: We were told by Kate she would be there Friday for rehearsal but Rosie said no one coordinate its with us. Either way was fine because I gave Kate a complete wedding timeline with our ceremony songs and who was walking down to what. Because Kate did not read that and did not show up to the rehearsal she ruined our ceremony. When everyone was walking down it was time for the ring bearer, she told him no and tried to shut the door on him when he was supposed to walk, this made him storm off into the reception room and cry. He never went down and Kate looked clueless while she ruined our ceremony. Our DJ ended up taking the rings down while our nephew sat crying and saying how he ruined our wedding because of her. This is the worst thing that happened that day. Kate had a booklet that showed who was to talk down to what and she should have NEVER told our nephew it was not his turn and try to shut the doors on him. This broke my heart the most and the venue could care less when I called and complained. When I called the manager just said "we will try to do better for our next events"

2023. During that time they had 3 different site managers and whenever a new one started, they never notified their couples of the changes. We had a walk through of the entire venue wirh the first site manager we worked with and had planned our entire wedding with her. Unfortunately, when she left the new manager did not have a copy of our contract nor were any of the plans from our wedding walk through documented. Coming with that, many of the promises we were made were not what the venue was offering any further. Luckily for us, we sat down with the new manager and she was understanding and we did the best we could with what she was offering. Then a week before our wedding a new manager was again hired. It was definitely a stressful experience to say the least. We were lucky to have a clean venue, no issues with garbage, etc. I will say, each new manager did not have nice things to say about the last manager and that was off putting. However, there was swan droppings all over the outside area and we did have to warn guests to watch their step, the bridal suite had broken doors that would not close properly nor would they lock which caused a safety risk, linens were strained the day of the wedding, the bridal suite was dirty/dusty, my husband and I stayed in the bridal suite the night of the wedding and the venue kept the spot lights on until late in the night and were talking loudly outside of the bridal suite, and during the reception they have a "beeper" that makes an obnoxious noise if the sound goes over a certain noise level. Ultimately we ended up hiring a day of coordinator that took care of everything for us and we did truly have a beautiful day. We were lucky to be a Friday wedding so we did not run into many of the experiences others did. I will say our coordinator is the entire reason I felt sane and could have a beautiful wedding. Overall, the venue is absolutely gorgeous, our wedding day was more than we could've dreamed for, but they have some many needed kinks to work out along with having their entire staff on the same page. And for what they are currently offering, the pricing is quite outrageous. If we wouldn't have went with a day of coordinator, I truly believe my rating would be lower.

out it was their fourth or fifth wedding that weekend but they still found little ways to go above and beyond for us. They decorated our backdrop behind our ceremony space, put ferns and lanterns down the aisle, set the ceremony benches up, and prepped the whole reception space including the sweetheart table and head tables (helped us source artificial floral centerpieces and white linens). We ended up having 250 guests (including kids) and had enough room for a dance floor. Because we couldn’t rehearse at the venue due to another wedding happening the night before, they let us rehearse at their other newer venue (the barn) and Kate met us there to make sure everything was good. They had coffee going at 6:45am when we arrived on-site and even though they had so many weddings that weekend, they made us feel like a priority. Daniel was very helpful all day long!! He even put flowers out where I was meeting my bridesmaids that morning. They do not have a ton of workers, but the ones they do have as of September 2023 are high quality! Kate (event manager) is AMAZING!! I gave her a list of all the things we’re were bringing in and all the things that I believed they were providing so communication could be clear (and helpful as they do have many weddings at this beautiful location). My bridal party used the new spa to get ready in which had plenty of outlets and mirrors for everyone to do their own hair and makeup. We did our first look by the lake and it was a top 10 moment of my life. Then we transitioned to using the bridal suite to stage and get ready to walk down the aisle. We did bring in our own AV as they didn’t have a sound system that would have worked for what we needed in the ceremony space. Reception space was beautiful with greenery in the chandeliers and a huge fan for the hot day. The music system had an aux cord to plug into Spotify. We didn’t hire a DJ but they would have a space for a DJ to get set up there. The lodge was the perfect place to stage our food and the airstream is where we set up our coffee bar/drink bar. We stayed in one of their properties (called the treehouse- a beautiful home surrounded by trees and has a hot tub) after our wedding and it allowed my new husband and I to relax and debrief the most perfect day. The water in the treehouse shower was a little temperamental (sometimes piping hot and sometimes freezing but that wasn’t too bad). The TV had access to watch shows and the beds were really comfortable! Overall, my recommendations if choosing this beautiful venue is to… 1. Visit 1-3 times if possible (I went twice to get a good idea of space and how I wanted my tables set up given the space) 2. Take tons of notes and make sure both you and the venue have a copy of the most recent note so expectations are clear from both sides. 3. Have a day of coordinator (friend or professional) to work with the venue event manager to make sure everything is set up the way you want it. 4. Sit back and ENJOY THE BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE!🥰

t getting fired or quitting. Each new manager changed things from the previous one and we were promised ALOT of things and then all of those things were taken away when a new manager came around. The entire planning process was stressful and awful because of all the change and lies we were told. Anyway, Kate one of the workers, called me a week before the wedding asking how many linens were needed and i told her 27 linens not including the head table and she also said they were now proving air mattresses for the cabins if we needed any. So i told her we needed 3 air mattresses all together. Now fast forward to the day of the wedding, my husband arrived at 9am to unload all of our decorations and things. Thank god he got there early because when he arrived, the place was a mess, nothing was cleaned up from the wedding the night before, Kate told him she only had 15 linens for us AND when my husband went and looked in the cabins, no air mattresses were supplied. So i am not sure what the point was of her to call me and ask me these questions when she wasn’t going to do anything of the things she said. So we had to scramble to get someone to bring linens, and air mattresses considering they already paid to stay in the cabins. Kate was only there a few hours, when we were told Rosie, the manager was going to be there all day of the wedding and she also was never there at all. So they had ONE worker the entire day named Brent. Brent was amazing and did literally everything he could do to make our day wonderful but there are way to many jobs for one person to handle. The honeymoon suite we were staying in was dirty, cob webs in all the corners, fan blade broke so you couldn’t even turn on the fan because it looked like it was going to fall on you any second, only one towel that we had to use for our hand towel so we couldn’t even shower if we wanted to. The men’s bathroom during the wedding was out of soap and the trash was over flowing the entire time. So i am unsure how Brent was supposed to be dealing with all of these things, along with directing people where to park, cleaning up spills, cleaning up from the night before, cleaning all the cabins used from the night before. We were also told there would be a worker shuttling guests from the parking lot to the ceremony on a golf cart, which never happened since they only had one worker. I am just extremely thankful it didn’t rain because we would have been screwed only having one worker set up all tents and everything. I am also extremely thankful we hired day-of wedding coordinators from another company because without them, we also would have been screwed considering they were the ones to completely set up for our wedding. The owner of this venue needs to hire WAY more workers than there are and also needs to hire a professional cleaning company to clean all of the cabins after each wedding. I would NEVER recommend this venue to anyway unless the management gets under control, they get way more organized, and the owner hires way more workers. Also come to find out, Rosie the manager who promised she was going to be at our wedding all day, ended up also quitting a week before our wedding. So, they are now on their FOURTH venue manager in 1.5 years.

had one person working the entire venue (he did a fabulous job) just not enough help. we were promised alot and they did not deliver. very disappointed. would NOT recommend this venue at all. we went through 3 different managers from the time we booked to the day of the wedding. they all quit. Thank goodness we did not have a stormy day or we would have had the wedding party setting up tents since there was not enough help. the cabins were not clean, they need an actual cleaing co. to come in and clean, the prices are like a 5 star hotel but the service is not. If you want a stress free day I would not book this venue, go to a park to get the same type of pics.

hings by word of mouth, shame on me for not getting it in writing. The day of the wedding, we arrived at 9am. The venue looked like a college party with beer cans all over the ground, garbage cans overflowing, and the bathrooms were a mess. It looked like nothing had been cleaned up from the previous wedding. Also, Rosie, the manager, told us she would be there the whole wedding day but only her assistant showed up at 10am till about 1pm to tell us they only had 15 out of the 30 white linens we needed when she specifically called my wife the week before the wedding to know the amount of linens they needed for all the tables and she also told us they are now supplying any air mattresses we would need in the cabins. My wife told her we needed 3 air mattresses and 27 linens, not including the head table, but when arriving to the cabins, there were no air mattresses and only 15 linens. We were also told they had employees to help with transportation from the back parking lot to wedding venue, but considering they only had one employee that ENTIRE day (Brent), he was over-worked and couldn’t accommodate that. Brent was the only employee that was there the whole day. He did his best to go above and beyond for us, but being the only person working, there’s no way he could keep up with cleaning up the prior wedding, cleaning cabins, taking groomsmen shooting, fueling generators, directing people where to park, making sure toiletries and garbage cans weren’t over flowing, fire pit burning. With that being said, if there was rain on the day of the wedding, I would have to think the groomsmen would have to help set up tents. I wouldn’t recommend this venue to anyone… yes it’s a very beautiful place, but it needs major work in the ownership and management areas. The day of your wedding isn’t supposed to be stressful and at Stillwater’s it’s VERY. They need WAY more workers than what they have because the place is so big. Also, we had a couple brides reach out to us telling us about the many complications they had at their wedding and when we asked management about the issues that were addressed, we were told that those brides were basically lying to us and that it wasn’t all true… and after then having my wedding, it looks like a lot of the complaints were true. So just be cautious about what they tell you.

ured by Kylee, LLC

pful throughout the process of preparing for our big day, set up, and helping to keep things running smoothly the day of!

choose all of our own vendors and alcohol. Unfortunately, the communication was horrible. They changed venue coordinators as we were planning, and the transition was not great. We booked before the contract was prepared, so when we returned to sign, all of the things we thought were "included" were extra costs. We both also called and emailed the new venue coordinator numerous times, and she never responded to us or our external day of coordinators we hired. We didn't know when the rehearsal dinner was even going to be until 2 weeks before the wedding because we both kept calling to ask. When she finally responded to our emails, it was after the wedding when our questions were no longer relevant. The venue staff did not help with a single aspect of our special day apart from driving guests from the parking lot to the ceremony space and back. The venue coordinator wasn't present, which was also unexpected. All tables and chairs had to be set up and cleaned up by us. We even had to dump the trash throughout the reception ourselves. We stayed until 1:30 am cleaning because (to our understanding) everything had to be done that night. We were not told this, but in the cabin on the fridge there was a sign that stated we had to sweep everything as well. We could not find a broom or dustpan anywhere. We had to drive home to get those to ensure it was all cleaned. Overall, it is a beautiful place to get married, but in our honest opinion, it is overpriced for what you get. You only get to use the space, nothing else. We provided all linens, decorations and tableware myself. Without the external coordinators, my wedding would not have been a success. We also have not gotten any of my security deposit back, as originally promised by the first venue coordinator. We hate to say so many negative things, because our day was perfect (even with the rain!), but we (and our family) truly felt that we were ripped off. We hope this helps you make an educated decision for your big day!

ning. Molly was excellent with all her help and made it extremely easy. She is willing to help with anything!! Our day was perfect and I would 100% recommend this venue!!

tely recommend this venue!

made the perfect outdoor bar. There are several areas for guests to relax and mingle while pictures were being taken of the wedding party and family. The reception was in the open-air pavilion. Everything here is gorgeous, yet functional. A special thanks to Molly (manager) and Tyler, who were on site the day of the wedding and helped everything run smoothly. The bride and groom, and guests were delighted with this venue, as was I! If you're looking for a beautiful setting for an outdoor ceremony and reception, it doesn't get any better than this!!

te retreat for the bride and her attendants, to spend the hours before the big event in a bridal suite that provides plenty of natural light for hair and makeup. The ceremony area boasts a canopy of trees that provides a perfect mix of shade and rays of sun for guests’ comfort even in the middle of July. The Chapel structure gives the outdoor wedding a feeling of being in a small country church. Behind and around the Chapel is a picturesque pond whose fountain and two resident swans create magical picture backdrops. Locations around the Lodge (air-stream bar, fireplace patio) allow mingling during cocktail hour and the entire evening. Our 240 guests enjoyed dinner and dancing in the open-air Pavilion. The trails, bridge and multiple hanging-light areas, give Stillwaters Retreat a fairytale feel. But the venue’s greatest asset are the event staff, who make sure every aspect leading up to and more importantly day of, is handled seamlessly. We cannot thank Ken, Molly Fae and Tyler enough for their part in making our daughter’s wedding day everything she dreamed of.