Overall, a beautify venue located in the heart of Tucson. The staff are professional and well organized. The food is delicious, and I don’t think you will find a better deal for such quality in Tucson. I highly recommend Stillwell House and Gar...den! Here are some of my experiences:
We had two priorities for our reception, good food and a good bar, and Stillwell house delivered on both! We chose the prickly pear BBQ chicken and green chili mashed potatoes and it was a hit. Even the picky eaters in the family loved it. We served two signature cocktails and some varied liquor, wine, and beer. We loved that you provided the alcohol so you are paying for what you want to serve, and not for things your guests won’t drink! The bartender got both our signature drinks perfectly (whiskey sour and cranberry margarita) even though I forgot to give him a recipe. He even through in cute garnishes. We loved that Stillwell house serves all drinks in glassware, no un-classy clear plastic cups here!
Other bonuses to having your wedding at Stillwell house is that they have a wide variety of tablecloth colors for you to choose from at no extra charge. They also have items for your centerpieces such as vases, containers, picture frames, and mirrors. All you need to do is provide candles, flowers, etc. I forgot to order flowers for the guest book table, and Wilma made sure that the table didn’t look empty. Other than a few items for the tables, I loved that the venue needs very little decoration. My mom was delighted that they do so much of the set-up and tear down for you!
We did not have our ceremony at the Stillwell house, and I would agree with some previous reviews that this venue has wedding receptions down to a science. If you want to deviate from their set path, you will receive some push back. Honestly, in the end I would say push for what you want, but remember that Wilma and her team had years of experience and they are really trying to make your life easier you your wedding day perfect. I also read some reviews about sales and different price quotes. I was concerned with this as I was getting married on a holiday so they would be charging an additional “service fee”. Additionally, the 1 week promotion for signing after you visit fell on a holiday, so they said they would extend it to 2 weeks. Hold your ground and learn to negotiate and you will get a fair and excellent deal! Finally, we were also a small wedding, and some things were forgotten like serving cider to the kids for the toast. Oh well, nothing is perfect. I notice this, but my guests were non-the wiser.
One downside I found in planning was that the since it is a wedding venue, most weekends are slammed with events. Therefore, you will need to schedule most of your meetings during the week, during business hours. This was a challenge for me as I had a full time job in PHX. Even when I was able to schedule a meeting, my meetings were often interrupted by another client.
One last work of advice, don’t miss out on their open houses!