By Mother of the Bride: The Bascom is a beautiful setting for weddings but don't let them sell you on a winter wedding unless they can guarantee the staff is trained, prepared, & communicating with the wedding planner, particularly for a winter wedding reception on the terrace! About two weeks before our daughter's wedding at a local church to be followed by a reception at The Bascom, the Internal Events Manager left to take another job but assured us that all would be ready with her replacement. On the day of the wedding, my husband (father of the bride), our friend who had flown in from Europe, and our weekend wedding coordinator's assistant, graciously and with unselfish devotion, spent the entire morning in the cold mountain air, preparing & decorating the terrace for the reception! This should have been handled by the staff who obviously had not worked with the party rental supplier or our wedding coordinator to assure heaters were on and side flaps were secured (this my husband tended to instead of spending the day with our daughter, the bride). Side flaps & heaters should have been in place & ready in time for the terrace to be cozy enough for staff to work and later, for guests to shed their coats & sweaters during the reception dinner. Thankfully, the atrium was warm and the gallery was open (though few guests were directed to see the art in the gallery as no signs were placed or staff to guide them). Fortunately, we had a great family/friend wedding prep team of our own (no compensation from The Bascom forthcoming) and a fantastic caterer who worked fast and brilliantly to keep his scrumptious food as warm as possible. We were also blessed with the most fantastic and ultra professional wedding photography & videography team, bagpiper and band on the planet! Most importantly, our wonderful, fun-loving guests came prepared for a Scottish Highland themed winter wedding and made it all spectacularly memorable! Many of our guests told us that it was the most beautiful & most enjoyable wedding they had ever attended. We were favored with a gorgeous, crisp, clear winter day, expecting it to be brisk and chilly outside. Our daughter chose The Bascom, not only because it is a beautiful structure & location but also due to close family associations, never expecting the lack of professional service we experienced. We would only recommend The Bascom for events as long as they have qualified, experienced & trained staff and can give assurances they will fulfill their contract, no matter the season.
