Our wedding was June, 2018. Tyler Gardens was absolutely beautiful and we couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful day. The gardens were in full bloom, the fountains were on. The tent, bridal suite and restrooms were clean when we arrived.
T...he process of booking and working with Open Aire Affairs (OAA) went smoothly. Our first meeting was a walk-through of the Gardens, the second meeting was at Newtown Rentals, where we chose our glassware and linens. To be clear, the rentals are not included in the price and end up being an additional invoice (around $2,000, we specifically asked about this, I think some brides might end up surprised by this bill, since it wasn’t clearly spelled out in the initial meeting).
We worked with Amanda and she was able to answer our questions and concerns. For instance, we were worried about the lighting. OAA added more lighting to the tent and staircases so our guests were able to see as they were leaving.
We found it easiest to think of OAA as a rental space only. They didn’t help with any of the rehearsal or day-of coordination (this wasn’t made clear when we first met with them. I figured this out through their long list of bad reviews). You, your wedding planner and your caterer will have to do the work of making sure that the site is set up and decorated to your specifications.
We would highly suggest discussing this with your caterer or hiring a day-of wedding planner. We used Joseph’s Premier Event Catering; owner Joe Garvey advised us on rentals and offered many helpful hints to keep costs down while having an elegant party. He did a fantastic job with the set-up and take-down (in addition to serving the most delicious scallops ever!) He made sure that everything ran smoothly and we were able to set up our tables and lock up our belongings before the rehearsal. He’s the real deal.
Although the site claims handicapped accessibility, that is not completely the case. Check out the site, keeping in mind your guests’ needs, as the various levels of the gardens are not accessible to wheel chairs. Handicapped guests need to plan to be dropped off at the kitchen level to enter the party. The restrooms are handicapped accessible.
We ran into issues two days before the wedding. Event insurance must be purchased at an additional cost of about $500. We had reviewed our insurance with OAA and given them copies of the policy a few months prior to the wedding. On the Thursday morning before the wedding, we received a call from Amanda asking where our insurance forms were, then advising that the insurance was incorrect and the wedding might have to be canceled. She didn’t answer her phone or email the rest of the night. Needless to say, it was a very stressful and sleepless night for us and our parents. My parents went over to OAA first thing Friday morning to point out that had the correct insurance and that OAA had misread the form. We were disappointed that there was no apology and they brushed it off like it didn’t happen.
So here’s my advice – book it, it’s the most beautiful venue ever, but pay attention to all the details, read your contracts twice and note anything that doesn’t make sense. Stay on top of OAA! And book Joseph’s Premier Event Catering!