The Griffin House on the Columbia River Gorge

an undeniably & ridiculously romantic decision - and were enamored by the vision you had for a winter celebration. So happy you're happy. We loved every second of it and wish you two endless love.

re was one instance in which I did not receive communication from the catering vendor regarding licensing; this was cleared up through my verbal communication with the vendor, whom we recommended to you. All other accusations of lost paperwork seem to be non-existent in our email threads. We have an undisputed signed contract from your wedding party on April 7th, 2018. This signed contract also states that, “Client shall provide Owner proof of Special Event Policy by June 15, 2018 (in addition to any other insurance or rider to existing homeowner’s policy) naming The Griffin House and Venue Owner as named insured in the amount of Two Million Dollars ($2,000,000).” We in fact did not receive proof of a $2m insurance policy, as stated in the signed contract, until August 1st, 2018. We understand that there was difficulty using our recommended insurer, yet you did not inquire to the insurer about payment for a $1m policy until Saturday at July 28th at 5:43pm. Our “demand” for you to provide proof of insurance at 10:06pm on the same evening was for you to pay for a $263 standard $2m insurance policy through Wedsafe.com. 2)  Late Night Communication: I tend to reply to emails later in the evening and I am sorry if the lateness of these communications offended you! 3)  Peppering / Hostility: I refute any “hostility” you refer to. Anyone is welcome to see the other reviews about our property, where you will notice that all instances refer to a “friendly and helpful proprietor.” Let me please also quote the bride, “Thank you for taking the time to meet with my mother yesterday and for being so thoughtful and helpful during our wedding planning. Your kindness and generosity is incredibly appreciated.” I am the grounds manager and have a duty to make sure a schedule is followed. I acted as I always do and contacting your planner at the scheduled closing of the event is essential; this is the only time it has been viewed as problematic. 4) Morning of wedding: Let me refer once again to the contract, “All activities associated with the Saturday event including set up and clean up shall occur between the hours of 10:00AM until 11:00PM... Rental Equipment...Client shall ensure that Wedding Planner is available for receipt of all equipment and that it causes no damage to the property, lawns, porch, sprinklers, plants, etc. Rental Items must be removed by 10AM the day after the event.” At approximately 8:30am on the day of the wedding the rental company arrived and luckily I was there to receive them. They had zero idea where to put the equipment and without the contractually agreed upon wedding planner being there to direct them, I happily helped for a few hours. It was after this that I light heartedly texted your planner about her day-of fee. When you arrived later I was irritated at missing my other scheduled appointment but offered to help you unload and in the midst of this interaction I accidentally dropped a box. Personally, I remember apologizing and you assuring me that they would only need to be reorganized and that there was nothing breakable... but who knows. 5) Deposit Protection: We do ask that, at the end of an event, no tables or chairs be left on the grass, as known by the rental company. Thanks to your comments, we will be more clear in the future that we have a cement patio where these items should be left as it is not currently mentioned in the contract. Our contract does state that items need to be removed from the venue by 10am the next day. The rental company could not make this time and we allowed pickup to be pushed back. Unfortunately rain occurred and an owner of the rental company claimed some of the tables and chairs were damaged. We allowed the tent to be picked up on Monday as requested by the company. And yes, we held the deposit until the grounds were inspected and all issues were cleared up. I absorbed the cost of a punctured irrigation pipe repair. Generosity: I would also like to add that you failed to mention that we provided our venue to you at a steeply discounted rate due to some unfortunate circumstances mentioned in our first encounter.  As a generous host, I felt grateful that you had chosen our special property to host a small intimate gathering with your family after our warm, friendly connection which continued in the months prior to the wedding. Aimee, it is unfortunate that you felt the the need to negatively post across the internet that yet I am also appreciative on many fronts and hope that the bride and groom as well as you and your families have a wonderful rest of your lives! Sincerely, The Griffin House on The Columbia River Gorge “I understand we each have our own path, I understand we each have our own burdens. My compassion extends to your path. My kindness extends to your burdens. My heart embraces you and your family. I smile upon your wellbeing.”