151-200 guest capacity
This venue can host up to 200 guests
About this vendor
Timeless and Enchanting Thornewood Castle
Located in Lakewood, WA, Thornewood Castle Inn & Gardens is a historic wedding venue with plenty of character to offer. Situated among four acres at American Lake, this destination comes with many charms, such as its old-growth fir trees and its Gothic Tudor style. The building was originally established in 1908 by Chester A. Thorne. It is inclusive of approximately 27,000 square feet, and it is a unique gem on the west coast. First inhabited as a single-family residence, Thornewood Castle Inn & Gardens has since been lovingly restored and opened to visitors.
Thornewood Castle has been graced by the footsteps of presidents and dignitaries, leaving it with a storied past that is sure to add some intrigue. In fact, both Presidents William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt spent the night in the castle's presidential suite. Beyond this, there's plenty more to explore, including the half-acre sunken English perennial garden and the beautiful, recreation-friendly American Lake. From a hand-tiled lakeside patio, you and your guests can even take in sunsets and stars. Inside, Medieval stained glass window insets can set the tone, as can complimentary antique furniture and paintings. There is plenty of space both inside and out, so you will have your preferred option when choosing from Thornewood Castle Inn & Gardens' many rooms and lawns.
As a private retreat, Thornewood Castle Inn & Gardens offers a serene space to celebrate tying the knot with your partner. The 400-year-old Gothic-English Tudor manor is a Wales original, having been transported stateside over 100 years ago. A true fairy tale setting, this destination is perfect for those who love romantic ambiances. Since the castle is a family-run endeavor, you can feel confident that your event will be taken care of with diligence and dedication. At Thornewood Castle Inn & Gardens, timeless, precious memories can be made at a wondrous and unforgettable destination.
Pricing details
Starting prices
Reception:
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Ceremony:
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Bar services:
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Catering:
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Starting prices don't include service fees, taxes, gratuity, and rental fees. Guest count and seasonality may also affect prices.
Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Liability Insurance
Business Attributes
- Veteran-owned Business
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Guest Capacity
- Up to 200
Settings
- Ballroom
- Beach
- Waterfront
- Castle
- Garden
- Historic Venue
Awards and Affiliations
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
4.4
out of 5.075 reviews
Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Thornewood Castle is highly recommended by multiple reviewers for weddings due to its beautiful setting, professional and helpful staff, and thorough planning assistance. The venue's stunning gardens, castle, and grounds provide an enchanting backdrop, with thoughtful details such as preferred vendor recommendations and indoor/outdoor options in case of inclement weather. Guests appreciated the castle doubling as a hotel for added convenience, with reviewers highlighting the support of specific staff members like Brittany, Corey, and Kiera in ensuring flawless execution and a magical experience. Positive feedback includes the historical charm of the venue, spacious layout, and exceptional service, making Thornewood Castle a top choice for couples seeking a fairy-tale wedding.- Top reviews
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We had our wedding at Thornewood and cannot recommend it enough! It was the most beautiful venue, and many of our guests even said it was the most beautiful wedding they had ever attended. Kiera was a great help in planning and coordinating our time at Thornewood; staff was present, professional, and helpful. We had the best time. The gardens in August were an absolute dream.
Response from the Vendor on 10/08/2024
Thank you very much Hannah for your kind review! We are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your special day here at Thornewood Castle and that you found the staff to be helpful and professional. Providing exceptional service is a high priority, ...
and we're delighted that your experience reflected that. The florals and design for your day were spectacular and dreamy. We hope to welcome you back for an anniversary trip!
Very professional and quick to respond, we are so fortunate to have had the Thornewood Staff there to help answer any questions we had or to make and decisions.
We absolutely loved getting married here, great location and beautiful venue. Highly recommend!
Response from the Vendor on 09/09/2024
Thank you Rachel for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that you had such a beautiful wedding experience with us and that our team's professionalism and responsiveness met your expectations. It was an absolute pleasure to be part of ...
your special day, and we are so glad you enjoyed the venue. We wish you the best in this exciting new chapter of your life together!
Such a beautiful space, the staff were easy to work with and very nice. However, maybe not the best setup for getting ready if you’re the bride. My wedding was at 5:30, but doors only opened for me at 4. Due to a mixup with my bnb they allowed me in earlier which was nice. I did my own makeup which they aren’t set up for so we had to drag some tables and mirrors around, so either hire your makeup done or do it somewhere else haha.
Overall, gorgeous setup and location, nice staff, but maybe save the getting ready part for elsewhere :)
Any questions?
This is a beautiful location that will transform your day into a fairy tale and make you feel like you are somewhere else and not in Lakewood.
Brittany was great to work with and helpful. But the castle is so strict and really is a nickel and dime venue.
My husband and I had rented the castle rooms for Friday night to allow our daughter and son in law to stay with their wedding party and make it easier for getting ready in the morning. This was also necessary to do for our hair and makeup artists to be able to arrive early enough to do makeup/hair for 7 girls.
If we did not have them staying there the vendor would not of been allowed on the grounds until noon. Our wedding was set for 3pm.
Despite paying a large sum to rent numerous rooms we were still unable to have our planner and her team come early. To do so we had pay an extra fee for our planner to come on the grounds early.
Also despite having rented the rooms for Friday and the adjacent apartments, we still could not take any of the decor, alcohol or anything out of the rooms until 11am or would risk losing our hefty deposit.
This I found ridiculous as it was our wedding happening on Saturday and we just wanted to stage bins or alcohol in the respective areas to avoid running around at 11am plus trying to get ready.
We also had 15 umbrellas that needed to be placed in the yard where dinner would be and these also could not be set up until 11am.
We had a string quartet for guest arrival and cocktail hour but due to the fact they will not allow amplified music our guests could not hear them.
We also asked if we could place tables for dinner on the lawn (lakeside) a specific way to utilize the shade of the trees and were told no. Not sure why.
The castle is in a residential area and the entrance is gated. This was quite an issue. The gate was always locked and guests and vendors had to go through the directory on the call box to be rung in. It would be nice if there was a staff member at the gate, at least during the arrival of vendors and guests to let them in. If I would have known, I could have notified the vendors and guests of what they needed to do to gain access.
The only truly rude person we came in contact with was I believe the security guy named Corey. He was rude to guests, wedding party, planner and myself on more than one occasion. I understand he was there to make sure things were under control but his demeanor was very off putting and unnecessary.
The contract allows for 50 people and then you must pay for each additional 25 guests added. We had 138 guests.
This is truly a beautiful venue but expensive and strict. You also start to feel a bit stressed knowing ALL guests, vendors and your decor must be gone by 10 pm. Therefore you can not truly enjoy the end of the night.
I would say this is a venue for a small wedding 50 or less and anything over that get ready to shell some cash.
You can’t beat the beauty of this venue. Everyone's pictures speak for themselves. It’s a freaking castle and it’s huge and romantic. However, navigating the venue's strict policies and inflexible staff proved to be the greatest source of stress in all our wedding planning, especially early on. Read on to see how Thornewood’s ridiculous policies can lead couples to throw good money after bad to make their day what they want.
Planning a large wedding here, with 165 guests, turned out to be far more challenging than we anticipated. Despite the assistance of some helpful staff members like Brittany, our overall experience was marred by the castle's rigid rules and regulations. Context: The reason that Thornewood is so touchy about some of these things appears to be that they are in a residential area and they are clearly very concerned with not disturbing the neighbors who are close by. That being said, their policies they use to achieve these ends are very rigid and at times illogical.
One major issue we encountered was with setting up a tent for our outdoor reception. When we initially discussed our plans with the venue ONE YEAR in advance, they assured us that hosting a reception outside with a tent would be no problem. However, when it came time to coordinate the 40' x 60' tent rental, we had a TERRIBLE time. The castle's limited rental hours clashed with the setup and takedown times required by tent rental companies, leading to additional fees and logistical headaches. Thornewood did not seem to anticipate this would be a problem, nor did they offer any helpful solutions until we were at our wit's ends. In the end, they graciously offered to let us pay them a couple extra $500/hour for Sunday morning just to accommodate the tent breakdown.
Music was another area where we ran into trouble. Thornewood's policy only allowed amplified music indoors, except during the ceremony. Despite wanting to have some low-key background music during our outdoor reception, we were told that even small speakers at a conversational volume level were not allowed due to noise ordinances. This meant we had to shell out even more money for a live string quartet, only to find that their unamplified music was difficult for guests to hear during dinner. Our best man checked and was told that yes, a brass band (120 decibels) would be okay but a cell phone speaker (70 decibels) would not. Despite being told we could have speakers outside for the toasts, they made us set them up inside the castle, pointing speakers at our tent. Many could not hear our toasts. :(
Another frustration was the venue's strict rules regarding children. We ended up paying for childcare for 40 kids, fearing that they needed constant supervision to comply with Thornewood. In hindsight, the kids were perfectly content dancing and playing games around the adults.
Despite these challenges, the day of our wedding went relatively smoothly, thanks in large part to our amazing wedding coordinator, Chloe Hix. But I can't help but wish we had been more aware of the difficulties we would encounter at Thornewood. The additional expenses and stress caused by the venue's draconian policies sucked.
Really consider the challenges and expenses associated with hosting your wedding here. While the beauty of the venue is undeniable, it may not be worth the hassle if you want a more flexible, accommodating setting for a larger group, and a more laidback wedding planning experience.
Beautiful castle and an excellent staff.
The staff were excellent day of and the venue was stunning. If it were on those two things alone, this would be 5 stars. However, at $10,000 for an 8 hour wedding in Lakewood is just silly. I do think it was over priced and the rules were too rigged. (We paid an additional 275$ for a higher audience count and just lost out on it when folks didn't show. The contract had a clause where any changes to guest count of time within a 30 day window of the wedding resulted in even higher fees. We should have just gambled that more folks wouldn't show or had a vendor that wouldn't make us pay for people who weren't there.)
Beautiful venue, staff is very nice and helpful, answered emails promptly and is always very wonderful. It's such an amazing venue and they let you make payments on your event rental cosr. So happy with my decision to book Thronewood for my wedding.
Thornewoods team was so incredibly easy to work with. They were so communicative when we had questions or issues. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a magical place to get married.
Great venue, but pricey. And limited hours for set up and clean up. Great staff and beautiful venue!
Thornewood Castle was the perfect place for our wedding. The staff was incredible to work with - Brittany and Corey took care of every detail and were so helpful. One of the best thing about Thornewood was they provided a list of preferred vendors, these vendors were all 5 star and knew the ins and outs of working at Thornewood. 5/5 stars, if I could give it 6 stars, I would!!
Our wedding in May at Thornewood was everything we could have hoped for! The garden was in bloom which provided an excellent backdrop for our ceremony, and the garden area was also shaded by 5 pm so none of the wedding party or our guests were in any kind of direct, hot sunlight.
Thornewood was also excellent to work with, giving us an option A and contingent option B if the weather was not cooperative (which is a must in WA). They were very prompt in answering any questions, and assisted in a very unique setup for the ceremony.
It is possible for guests not included in event guest lists to rent rooms during events, so there is the possibility of seeing others wandering around that aren't part of your guest list. However, Thornewood is very mindful of managing the two in the case this does happen.
All in all, wonderful experience, and we were so happy with our choice!
Thornewood Castle exceeded our expectations, creating an absolutely unforgettable wedding day. Its timeless charm and rich history provided the perfect backdrop for our celebration. The castle's beauty and intricate details were so picturesque that the venue stood on its own, requiring minimal additional decoration. We were overjoyed to share such a stunning venue with our loved ones. The anticipation from our guests to explore the castle and its grounds added to the excitement leading up to our special day. An additional bonus of the venue is that it doubles as a hotel. Having our families stay overnight at the castle added an extra touch of magic because it extended the celebration and it also made the morning preparations on our wedding day incredibly convenient. Given that Thornewood Castle is located in Washington and because we were getting married in April, rain was a concern. We loved that Thornewood Castle has a goregous indoor and outdoor option. We didn't end up having any rain on our wedding day, but we still decided to get married inside because of how beatiful the castle's interrior is.
The exceptional support and dedication of Brittany, Corey, and Kiera were invaluable in ensuring that our wedding day went flawlessly. From managing the complex aspects of the event to attending to every detail, they effortlessly orchestrated the day, which allowed us to relax and fully embrace the joy of the occasion. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the staff at Thornewood Castle for being wonderful to work with and for the role they all played in making our wedding weekend everything we hoped it would be. Their event-planning expertise and genuine passion for their venue were evident. We highly recommend Thornewood Castle and its incredible staff to anyone in search of an extraordinary wedding venue.
-Hayley and Jason
Thornewood Castle was the perfect venue for our son and daughter-in-law’s wedding. We were so lucky to have perfect weather for the outdoor ceremony in the secret garden but even if that hadn’t happened, the interior is so stunning, that would have been just as lovely. Thank you to all the staff, especially Brittany, for being so professional and helpful in the lead up to the day and on the day itself.
Response from the Vendor on 05/28/2023
Thank you Elizabeth for such a kind review. We absolutely adored your guests and the small touches and beauty of the wedding. We hope we get to see you all again in the future!
Our wedding was magical. Of course you'll see in the other reviews and during the walk through. There's no way it can't be magical. Here's my own personal experience. The night before my wedding, my best friend Christina and I stayed in the castle. We were the only ones there. We had the whole place to ourselves! I didn't know until check in that there's a game room, a TV room and a copy of rose red in every room!! There's also complementary snacks and sodas!!The morning of my wedding, I was back and forth in the main areas in my pajamas. I apologized to the staff, but they assured me that the castle was my home during my booking. Tammy was awesome! Tammy really made me feel comfortable, but she also gave us enticing information and education of the castle. She REALLY turned us into return customers.
Response from the Vendor on 05/02/2023
Thank You Mele for taking the time to review us. We could not have asked for a better one! We loved having you and Christina around the morning of your wedding, it was magical. We are looking forward to having you back someday in the future. We...
wish you and Rory the most beautiful marriage.
-Brittany, Corey, Kiera, & Tammy!
Our wedding was on September 22nd, 2022. Thornewood was very up front about what they could and couldn't do to help with our wedding, as well as rules and policies regarding covid as well as other things. it was refreshing have all the information up front and suggestions for other vendors.
Staff was amazing the day of and helped in so many ways. We are so happy to have had our dream day at the castle.
My hubby and I recently had our wedding(08.19.22) at Thornewood Castle! This was the best decision we made in celebrating our happiness with our family and friends! The staff was very professional and communicated with us during our entire wedding preparation and until our wedding
day. Thank you Amber and Christian! Thornewood gave us what we were looking for in a venue, wanted a venue; history, style, and class. Thornewood Castle provided us with an endless variety of space, leisure, and photos for our wedding guests! The venue is very large with private gating. Thornewood Castle is one of the only few active castles here in the US and if you plan to stay here or even host an event, it is worth it!!! Thornewood Castle made our wedding day magical with it's majestic and scenic views of its entirety, American lake, and their secret garden! Thank you so much Thornewood Castle for making our special day a truly unforgettable event of our lifetime!!!
The short version: in the midst of a pandemic, they took our money and didn't let us postpone, cancel, or transfer. A several-thousand-dollar mistake after months of being given the runaround.
It's taken me several months to be calm enough to write this review. We were supposed to get married at Thornewood on February 15. We reserved the space over a year in advance, and paid in fully up front to avoid the hassle of installments.
COVID hit. Our families all live out of state, and severe restrictions to gathering sizes were in place. My mother has an autoimmune condition, so traveling was out of the question. We also did not feel we could have a gathering of any significant size given the unknown risks of the virus.
We reached out to Thornewood to ask if we could bump our date back a year. We were told the date was non transferable and non refundable. We asked for a partial refund since we paid in full instead of just a deposit. They said no. After weeks and weeks of the front desk staff being friendly but unable to give me answers, I got a very terse email, which included a lot of moaning about how hard the pandemic had been on them, and stating that "as a kindness", we could move our date to another available date in 2021, but only if we paid an additional fee of half of the deposit amount for that date! After being unresponsive, this "offer" had an expiration of 48 hours.
I understand that COVID was unforeseen and difficult. But every other vendor we had were understanding and worked with us to come to some sort of arrangement. And again- these folks already had our money, and we got absolutely nothing to show for it.
Avoid this venue at all costs.
If you are military think twice about reserving here. The policy they have against refunding money is archaic. Before you book your wedding with Thornewood please look into Manresa Castle as they have a much more appropriate refund policy; they told me they would consider a refund in the circumstances I have today. We had a military wedding planned @ Thornewood during the middle of the week (read not a weekend at all; we as military could not afford a SAT wedding; now Thornewood has taken all the money and cannot even refund a little) that was cancelled due to guest concerns over COVID-19. Thornewood told me at the time of the reservation that the only reason they would refund money is for COVID-19. So I went forward. That is EXACTLY why this wedding is being cancelled and only because 2021 is better (read we are NOT out of the woods) that should NOT impact the refund like you did for so many other people for the same reason. Why is it that since Thornewood Castle in their judgement (not based on science) that this cancellation DOES NOT warrant a refund like other COVID-19 cancellations. This is a very obtuse way of thinking of this since we did not magically all become well and COVID is solved on JAN 1, 2021. To the contrary we are as a nation and as a state STILL struggling to deal with the pandemic. Also seriously this is a mid week reservation; why not refund part of the money?? I DO NOT RECOMMEND going to Thornewood Castle as they are very obtuse and unbending when a situation like this clearly warrants some form of refund. Military do not have a lot of money but OK if you want to take more from them, then I guess that's how you treat men / women of the military.
My now husband Toney and I searched for the perfect venue for a while. Based on a friend's suggestion we checked out Thornewood. It was breathtaking and felt special. The premise is in a very quiet neighborhood and is perfect for a fairytale ceremony. After the friendly walk through with Christiana, we were set to book the Thornewood Castle! They provided a preferred vendor list; we ended up hiring most of our vendors from that list and very happy. They allow outside vendors as well as BYOB which is a huge plus! We postponed our wedding (due to COVID), and the owner and everyone was very accomodating. The total rent hour @ the venue was 6 hours and we had a very short and sweet ceremony; I would say to consider extending hours. While our wedding was perfect, we could have enjoyed this beautiful venue a bit more by extending an hour or two. Everyone had so much compliments to make about the venue - it was very gorgeous, peaceful, and intimate. Would highly recommend to couples thinking of dream-come-true wedding at a classic & classy venue, this is it!
Such a beautiful place! We booked this castle last year before the pandemic lock down, the planned wedding time is on a weekend in July 2021 - 07/25/2021. Due to the travel ban, I don’t think our parents can make it, so we would love to transfer our contract to someone else whoever is interested in this date for a wedding. We paid over $5500 for this place. Now we would like to transfer it for a much lower rate: $3900 (negotiable). Please let me know if you are interested in this place and this date (07/25/2021). You can either text me or email me, my cell phone number is 281-624-9303, my email address: yongli.zhang520@gmail.com.
Beautiful castle, but brides beware - not only do they already have very hardcore rules and scheduling, if you're a covid bride needing to reschedule but the county says you can have literally anyone in one of their rooms, you're apparently screwed. I called early into the pandemic after reviewing the projected numbers and determining it was unsafe for my family to travel. I wanted a date in Oct2021 (my original date was in Oct2020. After calling multiple times and over a week of waiting, they came back and offered me Jan or Feb 2021. I told them I wasnt comfortable with it, but they told me that was all they were willing to do at that time. I had to call multiple times and go through multiple people for well over a week to even get that done.
After reviewing the most recent reports, the added risk of the flu as well as the prospect of a holiday spike had me calling again. This time, they told me the county says they can have up to 30 people in a room, so there's nothing I can do. Basically, pick 30 people closest to you that you're willing to put at risk. The worst part? NO REFUNDS. AT ALL. Pandemic on? Not our problem.
This venue was a damn near $5000.00 mistake. I was told that I should feel better because "the wedding will be beautiful and you can send people pictures." and "we lost money because we could have booked movies or photoshoots but instead we're hosting your wedding." Seriously guilted into feeling bad because they couldn't book a date they already sold me. Gross. Be sure to read your contract, and know that if the worst happens, they will stand by contract over decency and integrity 100 percent of the time.
As of now, my only option is to keep my date or be out of my money entirely. So I'm keeping my date for now. If I need to cancel, I'll be sure to call the required minimum of 3 times to have a manager call back over a week later to let them know.
3.5 stars as long as you know what you're getting into...
The venue is amazing, the castle is unique and perfect for a small wedding (we had less than 30). If the weather cooperates, the outdoor garden is perfect for a ceremony.
The castle recommends vendors who have worked there before. The vendors we chose were a pleasure to work with.
The rental prices are on par for unique wedding ceremonies with overhead.
The main reason this is not 5 stars is the way the venue is operated. The castle is family owned (not the original family), and it seems like they are trying to milk more money out of this place than they can. Trying to add an hour at the beginning was an ordeal - despite our willingness to pay the penalty rate in the contract. The staff were not consistent with info (answers depended on who you asked...). As someone who deals with large contracts as part of my career, the Thornewood contract is laughable. In general, this was one of the least pleasant interactions of the whole wedding. With that said, the venue is worth it if you go into the arrangement knowing the owners might be a pain to work with.
It was beautiful. They were so sweet. The place is amazing. I cannot wait to see the pictures. We stayed their that night too and it was so peaceful and relaxing. Love it her. Will be back for a stay sometime!
Response from the Vendor on 01/30/2020
We can't wait to see the pictures either! We always love seeing photos from the weddings we host. Hope you are enjoying your new life together and we look forward to your next visit.
Beautiful venue! We loved our wedding here. It was great that the seating and tables were provided.
The downsides of this venue is the pricing and the limited hours included in the base price. However, even with those two downfalls, this venue is absolutely perfect. Though you may not be able to get ready at the castle, the staff is amazing, the venue is so gorgeous with many decorations included so you really don't need to worry much about flowers or rental pieces, and the opportunity for amazing pictures are endless! The history of the castle is such a great talking point, and my guests had fun even just exploring the grounds and taking in all the views. I'm so happy we went with Thornewood for our venue!
Beautiful venue everyone was very open with answering any questions. The wedding and the Castle were a hit on our day! Made for some beautiful pictures
Absolutely stunning venue for a wedding. Our ceremony in their sunken garden and cocktail hour on the back patio was beautiful. Our ceremony and reception was perfect, and the two thornewood staff members there all night were so helpful and nice. Only downside is your event is shut down by 930 and everything & everyone has to be out by 10. They include tables and chairs, as well as linens if you choose to use them. Highly recommend using Florablume as your florist if you get married here.
The Thornewood Castle was a dream come true! The moment my now husband and I set eyes on it, we knew it would be the most beautiful place for our wedding. The whole process from picking a date to last minute changes was flawless! We loved how communicative and responsive the staff was and would highly recommend!
The venue is amazing. We loved every minute of it. The only gripe I have is the cost for how many hours you get with your booking fee. You can get way more time else where. The other thing was the unreliability of the outlets in the sunken garden. They are not GFI and our ceremony music was delayed and our recessional was not able to be played. Other than that the rooms were amazing and everything else went well! Christian is the best staff member by far.
If you’re going for romantic, fairytale wedding and really want to wow your guests with the venue, Thornewood is the place you’re looking for. I knew immediately after our tour that this was the place I wanted to get married, and my guests have not stopped talking about how amazing the venue was. The two staff members we had on site were awesome at helping my day-of coordinator get everything ready. Getting married here was one of the best choices we made in the planning process, and if I had to plan it all again I would choose Thornewood without a second thought.
However, since I know the majority of people reading this will likely be people considering booking, here are some important details you may need to know. Thornewood will be expensive, so prepare yourself. When booking a wedding you start with a 6 hour time block, which has to include setup and teardown (as well as guest arrival and departure). Any additional time you may need will need to be purchased separately in one hour blocks, and it will add up fast. The same thing will happen if you want to invite more than 100 guests (we didn’t do this so I don’t remember pricing or increments). Thornewood is a historical site and is in a private neighborhood, which means you’ll have additional rules and restrictions to keep an eye on (all included and listed in your contract). There are also some restrictions with their kitchen, so make sure to talk to the staff about that BEFORE booking your caterer (or just choose from their preferred list). The venue is also a bed & breakfast, so you may see a guest or two throughout your wedding day (the staff does a great job of making sure they don’t interrupt important moments, but we definitely saw some people coming and going while we were on the dance floor). All of the information you need is in the pamphlet and contract, so make sure to read that thoroughly.
I gave 4 out of 5 stars due to the time block cost as well as some issues we had with the staff the morning of. I still don’t understand only giving couples 6 hours for the whole wedding. No other venue we toured had the same time restrictions, and it meant if we wanted the photos and time with our guests post-formalities then we needed to pay a lot more. The issues the morning of: Both myself and my day-of coordinator checked with them about having the bridal party and hair & makeup artist on site early to get ready (which they gave permission to since we spent the night there), so it was a really frustrating experience to hear people were being harassed at the gate for “being early.” I had my coordinator reach out to the venue to correct the issue, but it was not the best way to start off my wedding day. They also tried to clean the room my bridal party was in while we were all getting ready, which was mildly irritating since we obviously couldn’t clear out.
Overall, we would still book again no questions asked. We knew what we were getting into as far as the price went, and while there were some small issues in the morning they were overshadowed by how BEAUTIFUL the venue is as well as the two staff members who made sure our wedding was perfect.
They were very accommodating. At first, there was thought to be an event after ours in early January that they thought did not want the Christmas decorations up (we wanted them) and they were willing to leave them and work with us. Ended up all working out, but I thought that was awesome. Staff the day of were super sweet and helpful. My event was a little chaotic, as I was coordinating my own. I was a little hard to pin down and needed a few helping hands, but they made it work and made us feel super welcome. They were very attentive to my needs and faded into the background when things were running smoothly. This venue is absolutely beautiful, and I can't think of one complaint about the venue or the staff. Two very large thumbs up from us!
Response from the Vendor on 01/05/2019
It was our absolute pleasure to help make your day everything you wanted! We wish you many happy years together. Thank you for adding to our home's love story.
My husband and I held our wedding at Thornewood Castle August 2018. I selected Thornewood because I had a vision in mind of an elegant, fairytale, destination wedding in Europe without having to leave WA. Thornewood Castle was stunning and fit our whimsical, sophisticated, Scottish highlands/classic garden wedding theme to a T. The grounds are stunning English garden style, beautiful statues and spectacular architecture and decor inside and out. The location on American Lake was lovely as well. Our guests are still talking about how very beautiful everything was, the garden is just to die for! Inside the beautiful wood, paintings, staircase, fireplace, stained glass windows and statues complete the feeling of being in your own classic fairytale. Plenty of room inside and out, we had a guest count of 130. Leanne was a good contact, responsive and clear and the walkthrough of the venue was helpful. I would recommend having a day of coordinator of your own to help coordinate your event though.
Thornewood is very upfront about what the do and do not allow, we were willing to be ok with only having music outside during the ceremony and their strict start and end times, as the pros of hosting our wedding at this venue mattered more. Be cautious of your guest count/adding extra hours/ knowing that they do not allow you or vendors to be on the grounds before the time you’ve paid for. To others this might be something to consider.
My guests had an amazing time, we are currently gushing over the photos. My husband and I stayed the night at the Castle in the Presidential Suite, the room was absolutely gorgeous with a huge bed, view of the lake, and hot tub bath. Only other note, I have Celiac Dusease, so no gluten, and I am severely allergic to dairy and eggs. For breakfast i was assured that they would make a meal especially for me, but I was served toast, eggs, and yogurt... All in all I still give Thornewood Castle five stars and would highly recommend. It was the most beautiful venue, every place I looked at afterwards completely paled in comparison.
Thornewood made our wedding a dream come true! Never felt more like a queen! Stunning interior, gorgeous gardens, and friendly staff! They were amazing!
Response from the Vendor on 10/26/2018
It was our pleasure! We hope you have a happily ever after.
The beauty that is Thornewood is impossible to replicate in photos. Not only was this venue absolutely beautiful and magical, but the staff was helpful, cheerful, and punctual. Prior to the wedding, their response was always timely and thorough, and they did their best to accommodate my schedule since we had a destination wedding. On the day of the event, everything was set up on time and in the agreed upon manner, and Thornewood staff was on standby for any of our last minute needs. I would recommend this venue over and over again!
Response from the Vendor on 09/27/2018
We are always happy to help! So glad we had a hand in creating your perfect day. We wish you many years of happiness together.
Everything was set up exactly how we wanted it and taken down for us at the end of the night. The staff was barely even noticable throughout the wedding day and they we super amazing. The castle was magical. It was literally like a dream and I was so in love with our day. I would do it over and over again at this castle and I would 100% recommend it to anyone wanting to have the perfect wedding day.
Response from the Vendor on 09/05/2018
It was our pleasure to be part in creating your perfect wedding day! We wish you all the best, maybe you two can come spend an anniversary with us. Thank you for your kind words, they inspire us to keep making magic.
Professional and great to work with! Our wedding there was breathtakingly beautiful!
Response from the Vendor on 09/05/2018
Thank you! We are pleased that we could help make your wedding beautiful.
Thornewood was a dream-- the venue was beautiful, staff was helpful, responsive and answered questions promptly. We added two extra hours and wish we had gotten more, the day flew by. We stayed the night of the wedding and they upgraded our suite so that was really nice! They provide groomsmen and bridesmaids rooms for the time you have the venue rented. They have a list of preferred/ recommended vendors, use it. It helps when your vendors are familiar with the venue, Thornewood is also a Bed and Breakfast & part of a neighborhood, so there are several rules and restrictions (nothing unreasonable).
We booked Thornewood as our wedding venue a year in advance and made a payment plan! Everything about our wedding day was a dream come true. The castle is amazing!! We got lucky with amazing weather for a June wedding here in Washington. The staff is so friendly and so helpful. Everything about it was perfect. Thank you Thornewood for making our dream fairytale wedding a reality!
Response from the Vendor on 07/08/2018
It was our pleasure to help make your wedding day a dream come true. We hope you have a happily ever after!
Beautiful venue! Couldn't have been better!
Response from the Vendor on 07/08/2018
Thank you for your kind review, we hope you are having great new adventures.
Thornewood is a beautiful venue with staff who really know what they are doing. While the time limitation can be a bit frustrating, I echo other brides' advice to stay there the night before and night of your wedding to ease some scheduling headaches. Those were my only complaints the day of.
We had our ceremony in the rose garden which was perfectly in bloom. The great hall and ball room were excellent locations for our reception. We were forever getting complimented on our choice of venue. If you are hoping to have a wedding that is short and sweet, with competent and involved venue workers, this is the place for you!
Response from the Vendor on 07/08/2018
We are so thankful that you chose to get married here at Thornewood and we wish you and Sam all the best!
Very difficult staff to work with, actually pretty spendy for the terrible customer service they offer. Save your time, money and energy and stay FAR away from this place
Response from the Vendor on 06/26/2018
This person called our office and asked us to refund the money for their upcoming wedding, stating that they would like to come on another day and be married for "free". We could not accomodate this demand. They became angry and hung up. They...
posted this review 30 minutes later.
The castle was absolutely amazing so beautiful. We spent our first night as husband and wife in one of the rooms which was nice to just be able to enjoy our whole wedding and then just head upstairs. The only thing I wish they would change is adding that you may arrive an hour before your booked time. They do not allow you to arrive before the time you have booked not even 10min early you have to wait at the gate. which makes it feel like the night/ setting up is chaotic. When we went in for our initial walk through before booking they said it would be plenty of time but we decided to pay to add another hour but even with that it wasn’t. For how much we paid it would be nice if they offered arriving early like most venues do. Other than that, it’s an amazing place our guests were amazed about how beautiful it is you don’t need very many decorations.
Response from the Vendor on 05/27/2018
Thank you for your constructive feedback, we will pass this information on to our managers. We wish you many happy years together and thank you for celebrating with us!
This is a beautiful venue! I loved that we would have a gorgeous ceremony - rain or shine! It was nice weather for the ceremony - but clouded up and rained a bit later. We still got incredible photos. The staff is very friendly and worked to make sure that the entire day fit our vision.
The entire wedding party stayed at the castle that night. Everyone raved about the rooms. A couple of our guests have food allergies and Thornewood accommodated them easily - and their food was delicious, too!
We highly recommend Thornewood Castle and are looking forward to returning for our anniversary!
Response from the Vendor on 05/26/2018
We loved working your event, it was flawless! We can't wait to celebrate your anniversary with you. Thank you for choosing to add to our home's Love Story.
Thornewood Castle is a unique and beautiful venue!
I booked this venue because of its charm. After paying I read a lot of reviews and though some are very negative I feel that if you stick with the rules, you won’t have any issues.
They have spaces for either an indoor or outdoor ceremony. We ultimately wanted an outdoor ceremony which in April in Washington State can be a challenge. During our tour the staff asked us to detail a plan A and a plan B which can be adjusted on the day of the event!
We chose the Rose Garden for our plan A and had a beautiful outdoor ceremony. If we had to go with Plan B the Great Hall would also have been a wonderful space!
They provide you with a day of coordinator to get everything set up and vendor deliveries situated.
Our coordinator was Christiana and she was marvelous! I was a bit worried since our wedding started at 3pm and I didn’t get downstairs until 3:15pm but everything was set up and ready for our guests’ arrival!
I would recommend staying the night before your event for a couple of reasons.
First, it allows all the bridesmaids and hair and make-up vendors early access to your room. This helps with the rule that nobody is allowed onsite until your event and for us, that was at 3pm.
Secondly, as a guest you can wander throughout the castle and every room that is unoccupied for the evening is opened so you can explore!
We stayed both the night before and the night of our Wedding which eliminated the last-minute scramble of getting things done and made for a relaxing and amazing wedding day!
I would absolutely recommend Thornewood Castle for a unique, beautiful, and memorable Wedding!!!
Response from the Vendor on 05/11/2018
Thank you for taking the time to write such a nice review! We are overjoyed that you had such a wonderful experience. We hope to see you again for a visit!
We had our wedding and reception at the castle in January, 2018. What an incredible experience. From the initial consultation to the end of our reception, the staff was incredibly helpful, organized and knowledgeable. The castle is magical and it was a huge bonus not to do much to decorate as they provide linen, crystal, candles and more. We made some unique requests for the service and the staff was able to accommodate our every need. An additional bonus was that the castle (inside and out) is a wonderful location for wedding photos, which was very convenient. We spent our wedding night in the Grand Suite, which I highly recommend. Not everyone can say that got married in a castle and our guests thought it was very cool. We could not have been more pleased with our experience and we highly recommend Thornewood Castle for your special day.
Response from the Vendor on 01/25/2018
Thank you so much for your kind words! We love helping couples add to our Home's love story and are so glad you chose to be a part of it. We can't wait to see photos from your unique celebration. We hope that you have a Happily Ever After and t...
hat you'll visit us again.
Thornewood is GORGEOUS and worth every penny! We got married in August so you pay more for the peak season but trust me we are so happy. We had our ceremony and reception at Thornewood and we used the garden for our ceremony and it was fabulous. It was prettier than any other venue we looked at and they provided tables, chairs, linens, and the best sunsets. People had warned me that they were very strict with their rules like no outside music other than during the ceremony and you have to have everyone out by 10 pm, but nothing they ask is unreasonable. We loved our wedding and we felt that Thornewood was a fairy tale wedding that we could have only dreamt of being so perfect. Our guests loved the historical aspect of the castle and spent a great deal admiring the grounds inside and out. A good tip I got when we were researching venues was if you want an outdoor ceremony to find a place that is just as beautiful inside so if the weather isn't agreeable and you need to go inside you won't be devastated because the inside is just as beautiful. Thornewood fit this description perfectly. The staff is incredibly kind and helpful organizing things the day of, but there is one person who was difficult to get email responses from, but otherwise they are thorough with their answers. We are incredibly grateful for the chance to have our big day there and stay the night in the Grandview room as the venue doubles as a B & B. Thanks Thornewood for the lifelong memories we made there!
WOW, what an amazing venue for a wedding. Leann and Stephanie made the day perfect. The grounds are beautiful and well kept, the castle is spectacular and the service was great. We had so many guests that loved the venue. It makes for great photos that will last a lifetime. I would recommend this venue in a heartbeat. They are reasonably priced and very well worth the money.
This place is truly amazing. It is just so beautiful and magical it really is a gem. The staff here were truly amazing especially the wedding coordinator Stephanie is really great and helped figure things out - especially with the catering as they do not offer their "private" kitchen for your caterers to utilize. All food will need to be made offsite and reheated with their own equipment. This also means there is no place for them to prep, so it makes things a little tricky. There are regulations in regards to music - nothing but ceremony music played outside, so if you want to have the party outdoors - it will be difficult. The venue is really pretty pricey for the small window of time you get - 6 hours. You can pay additionally per hour but that really starts to add up. I wanted to stay the night before so I could wake up there and start getting ready - this was great. All my makeup, hair, and photo were allowed on the property the morning of, the bridesmaids that did not stay there the night before weren't allowed on the property until a hour before the event booking window. We also decided we really wanted to be able to stay the night here before leaving on our honeymoon the next day - they give a very minor discount for that and extend it to your guests to prebook. Your guests will not be able to book the night of the wedding - even if there are rooms available. The great part about this location really comes down to - you don't really need to decorate. It's a beautiful castle with amazing views, art, statues, decor, and they also provide basic linens, candles, vases - if you need for your tables. We are a little sad as we wish we would have paid for even more time but with their payment plan - which includes markup, and the basic starting rate - it just wasn't in the books for us. My recommendation if you have the funds - stay the night before (if your bridesmaids can too - even better), book at least 8 hours for the event, and also stay the night of, find a catering company that can work around the no kitchen issue, and really just have a great time!
I have been in communication with the staff at the Castle for almost 2 years. So, I have a lot to say!
First, I fell in LOVE with Thornewood Castle instantly. They were the first venue I toured, and I refused to go look at any other venue. We are both old souls; I knew it was the place for us.
Second, since we had a 2 year engagement, it gave me plenty of time to annoy the staff with questions almost monthly lol. Each time they answered within an hour to a day or two, I NEVER had any issue getting a hold of someone or having a question answered.
Third, Deanna was fantastic and extremely sweet, she answered every question I had when we toured. Her daughter, Leann (not sure of spelling) has become the go-to person now and she is just as lovely as her mother (she came up right before the ceremony to make sure everything was going ok- so sweet! Most venue owners don’t care, but they do). Stephanie (also unsure of spelling) was a pleasure on the day of- I came down to clean up after the wedding and she kept shooing me away saying the bride shouldn’t be helping with the cleanup (but I wanted to make sure everything was out and cleaned before we left).
Fourth, I don’t understand why people complain so much about the time limit, YES it is strict. BUT, you are TOLD THE TIME LIMIT BEFORE YOU SIGN THE CONTRACT. Seriously, they are super clear on the details. It just comes down to what is more important to you? Having a longer day to celebrate, or the location? For us, we did our ceremony in 10 minutes, took 60 minutes for photos, and had the rest of the evening for dinner and dancing. Just book venders who are familiar with the venue and you are good. In all honesty, we SAVED money since they didn’t nickel and time us for all the normal wedding fees (no corkage fee, no cake cutting fee, they let you bring outside catering, etc). Not only that but the castle is BEAUTIFUL and you don’t need a ton of décor.
All in all: They were great, the staff was wonderful, and the whole evening was amazing! I had no trouble getting in contact with them. They are pretty flexible to an extent- I think some people forget where they are getting married at. Its historical building, it’s not a barn or a hotel, it’s a classy place. I do not regret choosing Thornewood Castle as our venue. I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect day thanks to their beautiful venue and amazing staff. Thank you Thornewood Castle, for giving me memories I will cherish for the rest of my life. I look forward to when my husband and I can come back to spend a night in one of your amazing B&B rooms.
Response from the Vendor on 01/19/2017
Thank you SO much for taking time to write us such an amazing review. We truly care for every single couple that chooses to share such a special moment with us. Your questions and emails were never annoying, we want your wedding to be perfect j...
ust as much as you do. It really is nice to hear from one of our brides all the things we try so hard to express. There really is a perfect Venue for every couple, we feel honored that we got to share in your big day and look forward to seeing you again in the future. Congrats again!
-Stephanie, Leann and Thornewood Staff
Every step of the way the staff at Thornewood were so pleasant and helpful. We got engaged there, celebrated our wedding and reception and stayed in Lord Byron's Attic that night. The castle is beautiful and cozy. Every aspect of our day fit our storybook romance theme and we could not be happier that we chose Thornewood for our venue.
Oh what a wonderful place this castle is. So beautiful. My wife and I were so fortunate enough to have the sun shining on our wedding day! Having the wedding on a fall day next to American lake and the beauty of this castle... oh my heart.
We worked primarily with Leann to plan and make payments (very reasonable payment schedule) and how wonderful she is. Such a kind woman who works to make sure everything is ready for the big day.
On the day of we met Stephanie and she got straight to work making sure everything was set up (not the tables and chairs, those are pre-set before you arrive) and would flow without a flaw.
Our guests raved of the beauty of the castle and cannot get over how wonderful their time with us was. It's a bit pricey, BUT SO WORTH IT.
Thank you so much Thornewood!
Response from the Vendor on 11/15/2016
Thank you so much for taking the time to write us a review. We truly do everything we can to try to make sure everything is perfect for you Big day! Congratulations and we hope you come and celebrate an anniversary at the castle! Best Wishes,
...
Stephanie & Leann
Thornewood is so beautiful! I had my wedding on june 11 and we were so worried it would rain but they were very helpful! I had Stephanie there on the day and she helped make the day seamless. Her and my caterer Snuffins, worked awesome together! They always made sure to check the info they had between them so that everyone was on the same page. I had my reception there, and it was indoors (we used the garden and lake for photos). It was so perfect. The castle itself will keep your guests occupied if they dont like dancing because there are so many photo ops on the grounds. I had my bar out on the loggia and the buffet in the dancing hall (but it was cleared out very quickly by my caterer). Thornewood had someone there on site to help with traffic and Stephanie worked with my caterer, DJ, and florist, to make sure everything was put where it should be. Also, thornewood was awesome about letting me coming in when they were available so I could show my vendors the location (and then my family just because they were curious). I keep saying it was so beautiful but it really was.
Response from the Vendor on 07/07/2016
Thank you so much for taking the time to write us such an awesome review! We work really hard to make sure everything is as perfect as you imagined! Congratulations on a beautiful wedding, and thank you for letting us be part of it.
Our happily ever after indeed started at Thornewood Castle. The venue itself is absolutely stunning. Since we had a late October wedding, our ceremony and reception were indoors. The weather was lovely, so the guests were able to walk the grounds to take in the beautiful gardens and statuary. The service was very professional, the set up and take down happened seamlessly.
I would absolutely recommend Thornewood Castle as a venue. We are looking forward to keeping our end of the bargain of being married for at least 50 years and plan to revisit the magical place that started our happily ever after.
When we saw Thornewood Castle for the first time, we KNEW that it was where we wanted to get married! We chose a December wedding and the castle was already decorated with lights and Christmas trees, very little for us to do. Deanna, Stephanie and the staff were very easy to deal with and clear about what would happen. At the event, they were there to help with anything we needed, but stayed in the background. Thornewood also allows you to bring in your own liquor and choose your caterer, which helped tremendously with the cost! We had a number of family members coming in from out of town, and they were all able to stay in the rooms. It was very neat to experience the vintage charm of the rooms and the castle as well.
Response from the Vendor on 01/19/2016
Thank you so much for taking the time to write us such a wonderful review. It was such a pleasure working with you and we are so glad your special day was everything you hoped it would be. Congratulations again!
We had our ceremony and reception at Thornewood Castle.
The Ceremony:
We had our wedding in early August and the sunken gardens were in full bloom. It kept costs down when having to plan for flowers. They set up all the seating and allowed our vendors to come in 30 minutes earlier than our allotted time. It was beautiful.
The girls and I were able to get ready in the bridal suite while the men got ready in the library across the way.
The Reception:
Our reception was indoors. It was a little hot, but had decent air circulation. The buffet we had (which we were allowed to cater and bring in our own beer and wine), set up under the covered patio outside. There was plenty of room for seating both inside and outdoors. We only had about 75 people. If you have more, I'd suggest setting up outdoors.
Response from the Vendor on 08/24/2015
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We feel honored you chose us for your special day and are glad that things were as you hoped they would be. Congratulations again from all of us at Thornewood! We wish you many years of love and happ...
iness.
I chose Thornewood Castle, because it was definitely a beautiful place to be married. My husband and I fell in love with the pictures on their website and was the only venue we looked at for our wedding on Sept 15th, 2013. The only complaint I have about the venue is the STRICT time restraints we had on the day of the wedding. If you are any earlier or later on the grounds beyond the contracted time you are charged another $900 for going over a few minutes. I felt like I was rushed through my wedding, because I was afraid I would go over the time limit. And I also paid for an extra hour (which was another $900) just to make sure I had time for everything. We had 7 hours which included set up AND take down. So really our wedding was only about 4 hours long, because we took 2 hours for set-up, family pictures, etc. and an hour for take down and clean up. If you want a rehearsal at the castle, it's another $325 for ONE hour! The owner was very nice, but I heard from my family members on the day of the wedding that the castle employees, directing the parking, were VERY rude to our guests! I am happy we got married at Thornewood and know we will have beautiful pictures from there, but if I had to do it again, I might have researched more venues around the Seattle/Tacoma area that are probably just as beautiful and not with such strict time restraints!
I highly recommend Thornewood Castle when looking for the perfect, vintage venue! It is so beautiful and the owner is so kind! She is very knowledgeable as well. The only disappointment was one staff member but, all said and done we were so pleased.
I couldn't have asked for, found or picked a better venue for our wedding day! Thornewood is the complete package like no other. The venue itself will put your guests in a constant state of awe. The sunken English garden is spectacular in the summer/fall for an outdoor wedding. Also, jaw-dropping. Having our ceremony and reception in the same place was so convenient for us and for our guests, which allowed the day to not drag (like some can...) and it kept our guests entertained.
Thornewood's staff was incredible. With the rental of the venue comes use of their tables, linens, chairs, staff, parking lots and parking attendants. They worked directly with our other vendors and even the tent people, becuase there was a chance of rain. I wanted a garden wedding SO badly, and the owner, Deanna-worked with her staff up until the last minute to accommodate this. (not only for the ceremony, but where our dinner tables went, inside or out-catering, inside or out, etc etc)
Yes, The prices at Thornewood can be off-putting for some, but honestly-if you have it or can manage it-its worth every single penny and even more. Considering that so many of the included amenities (listed above) would cost you extra anyway-its almost a wash. I visited almost every venue imaginable in the greater Seattle Tacoma area. Thornewood may not be for everyone, but it was most definitely the perfect venue for us, and I have absolutely no regrets after getting married there.
Also, being a B&B, the wedding party stayed the night before, and the bride/groom and so many of the family stayed the night after, which was so nice to relax and enjoy the castle alone after the party was cleared out with your dearest and closest that decided to stay. We were brought breakfast in bed the morning after, which we enjoyed with a view of the garden where we shared our vows of love with the people that mattered most the day before.
I could think of no better place to have spent the best day of my life.
Getting married at Thornewood Castle in the Garden is like something out of a fairy tale! I wore a beautiful princess gown and had a tiara! It was perfect!
There is no other place in the area that is as beautiful as Thornewood Castle. If I had to do everything all over again I would still have gotten married there despite some difficulties along the way. Their communication is lacking to say the least; it took me several months to get someone to take my deposit to secure my wedding date! There is now a new employee that I believe handles all of the weddings so it did make it a lot easier to get an emailed response in the last few months of planning. If you are going to get married here, just understand that they are very strict and particular. I can't say I blame them as it is someone's home and a historical building. My biggest complaint about my wedding day was not being able to find a staff member when we needed something. They seemed to just disappear at various points (just so happens that is when we needed a question answered). The biggest disappointment was that there was a hotel guest's car parked right in front of the home at the end of my wedding spoiling all of our pictures. There was a full scale hunt to try to find someone to move the car, but to no avail. We had rented a vintage Rolls Royce for our send off and were really upset that we couldn't get a shot of our car and the castle without a Kia being in the frame. Also, their strict time to be out by 7 PM made the entire day very rushed. Looking back, I wish I would have just paid the extra several hundred an hour for some extra time so my guests didn't have to rush around to get everything cleaned up. But, in the end, you just can't beat the beauty of this place.
We loved having our wedding at Thornewood Castle! Was a little hesitant at first because other reviews said they were mean and non-flexible, but we had an excellent experience. Our guests were awed by the grounds and castle, the garden was in full bloom with beautiful colors everywhere (in August)! Staff worked well with our preferences and would always answer our questions and met with us several times. Thornewood made our wedding FABULOUS.
Only down falls(Reason for 4 stars): Traffic. Not completely Thornewood's fault, but please be very prepared. We planned our wedding in early afternoon in hopes to miss the rush hour traffic, and left with double the time needed (from Seattle) but it was still really bad. We ended up starting over an hour late and I wish they would have told us to plan two hours for the trip just in case! However, guests forgot all about the horrible traffic once they arrived! Other reason for 4 stars, the add-ons are really expensive. The beginning cost is reasonable, but it only covers rental for 6hrs. With vendor set up and break down that leaves 4hrs for the wedding and reception. It was an extra $750 to add one extra hour and this time was lost due to traffic! Its also very expensive if you go over 100 people, but we didn't end up having to worry about that.
Overall i would absolutely recommend this venue to anyone that love timeless, classic fairy tail or garden weddings! :)
I'll preface this by saying that I'm an event coordinator and have worked with A LOT of venues for various types of events over the years.
If you're looking for a beautiful, romantic setting, this is your spot! It's got the classic castle look and a stunning garden (most fully in bloom in late-July and into August). It's also great for having the ceremony and reception in one spot. We had our ceremony in the garden and the reception partially in the main hall of the castle and partially in the covered patio area.
We got a 6 hour time block (2-8 pm on a Sunday) and had our ceremony at 4, followed immediately by the reception. This allowed for enough time for vendors to get set up and for us to take pictures before the ceremony. Our reception wasn't super long (4:40-7 to allow for people to clean up without going over time). We did buffet hors d'oeuvres and a beer and wine bar. The venue does not allow kegs or hard alcohol, and it does have some noise restrictions since it's in a residential area, so if you're looking for a wild party, this isn't the place for you.
They offer a room for the bride/bridesmaids to get ready in, and one for the groom, upon request, which was nice. No kids over 12 are allowed in the upstairs getting-ready area.
Another plus for this venue is that they're willing to move the wedding from outside to inside up to 2 hours before the ceremony begins - an important thing if you're getting married in the Pacific Northwest!
I overall enjoyed the venue, but the one piece that was somewhat lacking was the full customer service experience. The staff was very friendly and helpful when I got in contact with them via phone, but the only time they got in touch with me about anything was on the day before the wedding, to confirm one or two details. They never responded to email, so don't bother trying.
We were supposed to be able to do our rehearsal at the venue, but they were totally booked and had no room for us (we discovered this after trying for about a two weeks to get in touch with them, about 7 or 8 months before the wedding). They also charge you $300-500 (depending on the day) to hold your rehearsal on site.
You're also supposed to get a final walk-through 2 months before the wedding. At a good venue, and given what this site costs, I would expect a staff member to get in touch with me to set this up. Again, it was me initiating the conversations.
On the day of the event, the basics were set up and ready for the vendors when I arrived. The staff was helpful and got things done without too many questions for me, my parents, or my maid of honor.
Overall, the venue was the exact look and feel that we were looking for for our wedding. However, for the cost (we paid about $4,500) I would expect a much more solid customer service experience than I received. However, that did nothing to ruin the day.
Such a beautiful venue! My planner could not keep everyone out of the house while I was taking photos before my ceremony because everyone was so captured by the beauty of this castle. The owner is very strict about timelines so keep this in mind and it is a bit pricey. Even though it's a bit pricey, it's worth every penny. Plus, the venue supplies the tables, chairs, table clothes and provides set up of these items and will take care of everything if the ceremony must be moved inside from outside if it rains. I also didn't have to use many decorations so the price evened out in the end, in my opinion.
I was a little afraid about the timelines but everything worked out perfect. Only complaint I had was that it was hard to contact the venue via email and a few times I left phone messages and never received a call back. They were very responsive, however, closer to the date. Their flexibility is limited just because it's a very popular place.
Response from the Vendor on 09/23/2012
Thank you for taking time to write such a great review for us! We understand that things such as reception tables, ceremony and reception chairs, and tablecloths can add up, especially for larger weddings! So we include them in our wedding and ...
reception packages to help bring down our brides' extra costs in that sense. We also offer centerpieces that all of our brides are able to use if they choose. We are so glad you had such a positive experience with us!
The Thornewood Castle was a beautiful location for our wedding! The garden is amazing and the castle is breath-taking. My husband and I could not have chosen a more perfect location!
Knowing we could change from outdoor to indoor even at the last minute saved so much stress when it looked like the rain was going to join us. They were great when we called the day before to ask about moving dinner inside. They even reassured us it would be fine to plan for an outside ceremony and if we needed to move at the last possible moment, they'd take care of us! Lucky for us the northwest sun decided to shine!
Response from the Vendor on 09/23/2012
Living in the Pacific Northwest has its perks, but there is always the chance of rain here! We are unique in the fact that we have a "Plan B" for a rained-out ceremony, and it only takes minutes to set up, so we can wait until the last possible...
minute before making that final call. Thank you for such a great review, we are so glad you had such a positive experience with us!
Deanna was very helpful beforehand and worked with us a lot to find vendors that would work well for our wedding.
The venue is absolutely beautiful and has an incredibly large selection of places to take photos. We had an indoor wedding in January, with our ceremony by the fireplace and the bridal party entering down the staircase. The castle's interior is even more breathtaking when it is decorated for Christmas during the winter months. They also have a beautiful English Garden which was incredible for photos during the winter, and also a beautiful place to have an outdoor wedding during the summer when it is in bloom.
The time allotted, 6 hours, is a little tight for fitting in a full reception, ceremony and photos. They had everything set up for us when we got there, but started cleaning up before our rental time had ended, while guests were still there, which was a bit frustrating. Also, they have some heavily enforced polices, such as, no guests outside the wedding party are allowed upstairs, and no one under 12 were allowed upstairs (which is a little disappointing if you want your flower girl/ ring bearer coming down the staircase.
It is a bit on the expensive side to rent the castle, but they are very upfront with their costs, and they provide almost everything you need (chairs, tables, centerpieces, etc.) and the castle is already completely decorated so you don't need to spend any extra money on decorations. Also, the off season months, Jan., Feb. and March are more affordable than the peak months.
Overall, our wedding was beautiful and turned out just how we had imagined. For anyone who wants to have a magical castle wedding, I would highly recommend this venue.
Sadly, though the venue is BEAUTIFUL, there were things like a rehearsal having to be the week before (which was impossible for us because we live in new york) and $500 extra. Also, they said nothing to us about a damage deposit and about an hour before the wedding they asked for a credit card for one while we were trying to set up without their help. They then tell us that if we aren't out of the venue before 9:30pm they will charge us an extra $800. That meant guests out and our decorations torn down and cleaned out. HORRIBLE. Not nice at all, milk you for all your worth. DO NOT BOOK.
The place was absolutely gorgeous. It's a little expensive but it really does save you a lot (flowers, decor, etc.) I wish they were a little more lenient with the times. My wedding was 45 minutes late getting started due to traffic and we asked if we could have the venue a little bit longer because of it and they said no. We were playing catch-up the rest of the night but other then that it was amazing!
The Thornewood Castle was a beautiful location for our wedding. We especially liked that we could use our own catering company and bartender. The castle also provides all the tables, linens and chairs for the event. The only things that we did not like about the venue was the stress of the numbers game. You are allowed 100 guests, and have to pay extra if you have additional guests. We paid an extra $1,000 to have 50 additional guests... and they kept out $600 deposit when we had 20 non-rsvp people show up. All in all, the venue was absolutely stunning and our guests loved it, but stressing about the numbers for the castle was my biggest area of stress for the wedding.
We went and took a tour of this place for our wedding, though we ended up going with a backyard country wedding this Thornewood was both our first picks. Amazing staff and would be an amazing place to have a wedding.
From the moment my Fiance and I stepped foot on Thornewood property we knew we had found the right place. The owner of the castle, Deanna, is so sweet to work with. She gets down to business and makes sure all of the details are worked out perfectly. They have plenty of linens, centerpieces and tables that you are free to use at no extra cost. The fact that it is also a bed a breakfast is extremely convenient. We had the whole wedding party stay with us at the castle the night before. It made the experience that much more of a fairytale. The history of the castle is the best thing about it. If you are looking for a venue you MUST look into Thornewood Castle.