The Rustic Barn at Half Moon

I used the Rustic Barn for my wedding. Everything went perfect. The venue was set up beautifully inside and out. Rose Marie and her team did great. They helped make my center pieces which also came out beautiful! I loved being able to let them set up things and not have to stress about it!

Part 2 6) We got the bar package at $24.95 per person plus gratuity. They said we would be charged for every guest. We should only be charged for guest over 21. The manager then said that guest over 21 would have to wear a wrist band. This is a formal event with a plated dinner, NOT A CLUB. We understand need to ID guest , but it was a HARD no to ID and wrist bands at the door. The invoice for the bar package was incorrect. The charge per person was increased $1 from what the package states. I requested a corrected invoice and continued to receive incorrect prices / balance. I was told that it is unusual that I had an issue because they always rounded up. I want the invoice to reflect the cost I agreed to, $24.95 per person, not almost $26 per person (more than rounding up). I noticed the ABC tax. I am not sure if that tax is legally allowed to be passed on to customers, but there was no indicator of what the % was, just an overall charge. I asked about extending our 4 hour package by an hour. The manager said she could do that for $750. That would not be the breakdown of the package pricing, just a made up number, so we declined and stated if we needed more time we would provide a card and pay per drink. Cocktail hour on the patio was to begin when the ceremony ended. The manager told the staff to serve NO ONE until 4:30 because that is what the wedding timeline indicated as end of ceremony. The ceremony ended at 4:15 and the staff stood there and refused to serve our guest until 4:30. Our caterer was serving passed apps, everyone was excited exiting the ceremony and then this. It was as if they had never had a formal wedding before. 4 hours is 4 hours no matter when it begins. The staff completely shut down the outdoor bar and transitioned to the interior bar during cocktail hour before the doors were opened for guest to go inside. That 30 minute switch was not credited to our prepaid 4 hours. Typically there would be continued service outside until guest go to the reception. They continually carded people. Professional bar staff would not continue to card the same people at a 4 hour event over and over again. They had a tip jar out which is tacky for an open bar at a private event like this considering the large mandatory gratuity had been prepaid. 7) The TV and speakers in the bridal suite were not working and needed a password. We asked the staff and they said there was password, but the manager had it and would not be back for a few hours. 8). We were told that the golf cart would be available to take my daughter around the property for photos. The staff told us the manager said that they are not using it today. We had to take my vehicle, with my daughter fully dressed, to drive around the property. 9) The venue is paid through 10:00 PM. My daughter and her husband were having their last dance while everyone lined up outside for the grand exit at 9:15. The staff and venue manager began turning on all the lights, stripping the tables and sweeping DURING this time. So tacky and completely inconsiderate. The venue made everything so difficult, but we had amazing vendors who helped us navigate this. The wedding was beautiful thanks to all of them and all of our friends and family who came to celebrate their love. This venue is fine for prom, community and organization events, but I discourage anyone from having their wedding here if you expect clear and fair pricing, professionalism, customer service, and good etiquette.

Part 1 It is very difficult to write a negative review and not something anyone should ever want to do. I have thought about this for almost 2 months and I still feel our experience needs to be shared. There is a lot to unpack, so this is a two part review. The only regret about our daughter's wedding is choosing The Rustic Barn as the venue. It is beautiful, but the management and staff were unprofessional, very difficult to work with and refuse to engage in clear communication. 1) Management changed after we signed our contract and the new manager spoke very poorly of the previous manager and shared things that we as customers should have no awareness of. This is highly unprofessional and red flag #1. 2) We received calls in the months prior to the wedding citing a different date then ours. Each time we had to correct them and they always said they needed to look up the contract. That should have happened before a call. 3) New management discontinued communication via Honeybook and would only respond with vague emails and request to speak over the phone to answer questions versus having the responses in writing. Our contract was sent to us via Honeybook by the previous management and we had that documentation to dispute any contract changes they attempted to make 4) The venue manager called the bride, 48 days before event and said our caterer was not approved. She gave no explanation and said that if we chose to keep our caterer we may not be able to use the venue. 48 days away AND paid in full. I requested a meeting with the owner. We called the caterer. He spoke with the owner who was unaware there was an issue and confirmed that our caterer is approved. This caused unnecessary panic. She also should have communicated directly with our coordinator if there was an issue. There was absolutely no issue with our caterer and we had chosen him 8 months earlier at The Rustic Barn Wedding Expo. 5) We got calls asking about vendors. We had submitted all required paperwork for each vendor to them. Thank goodness for email, Honeybook and the reply all function as documentation. Look for Part 2 for bar package issues and wedding day concerns.

Rustic Barn for the WIN!!! Our wedding was absolutely enchanting in every way. A place that is beautiful and elegant all in one. Staff was absolutely amazing and very helpful during the entire process. They are very quick with communication and like any bride with nerves everywhere as the day grows closer, they all helped put those feelings at ease and remained so professional. Thank you Rustic Barn!!!