Ok, I'm a Groom and not so familiar with this site, but our experience with Swiftwater Cellars was so unbelievable I told my wife I wanted to be the one to leave the review. In sho...rt - Swiftwater Cellars was unbelievable. They blew away our wildest imaginations for what a wedding could be.
○ In some ways, it was the food (that was absolutely amazing - lots of comments from our 150 guests how it was the best wedding food (or food in general) they'd had in a long time).
○ In some ways, it was the beauty of the venue (which is breathtaking and has so much natural character) and its flexibility (which works for any size wedding, indoor or outdoor --- we saw other places that were lovely outside but if it rained you'd be inside in a box. Swiftwater is unique and wonderful no matter what happens).
○ But far and away, their service, their staff, and their planners (we worked with Gaby and Emily) were unbelievable. If there's one thing getting married taught me, it's the importance of hiring the right people, and people you trust. We looked at other venues (including The Lodge at Suncadia) and are counting our lucky stars we didn't pick them.
Swiftwater's staff was without a doubt the most accommodating, helpful, customer-oriented group of folks I can possibly imagine. Every single request we had was respected, considered, and they bent over backward to make happen. They took ownership of executing the décor we wanted so we didn't have to worry about setting things up once we handed off to them. Their service staff literally walked around to our guests during cocktail hour to ask if they needed drinks refreshed (so not everyone had to stand on line). Both my wife and I are Type A planners; so it takes a lot for us to trust and be comfortable with others executing our plan. Well, Gaby and Emily exceeded all expectations possible, and more.
When you pick Swiftwater, you're picking a lovely venue with I think the best food and wine I've ever had at a wedding. But more than that, you're hiring the Swiftwater Staff. And you won't be sorry you did. I'll be honest - I thought the alcohol prices were expensive and agonized over whether it was the right call to pay. It was. I respect that Swiftwater has to fund lots of things to make an event experience happen, and they have to make money themselves. What they offer is more than fair for what they charge.
We got a lifetime of wonderful memories and, though I'm biased, the best wedding either of us have ever been to, confirmed proactively by lots of our attendees. If you're thinking about Swiftwater vs. other locations (including The Lodge - which incidentally is horrible to work with - we had a room block with them and dealing with them was awful), stop thinking and book now. You won't be sorry.