Overall a great venue. We got many compliments on how gorgeous it is as soon as people walked through the gates.
PROS:
-Beautiful venue- flowers and greenery galore, lots of detail spent on decor. Really gorgeous!
-Lots of photography o...ptions- trees, field, garden, barn, etc.
-Ability to choose own vendors. Do it up, or DIY- it’s all allowed.
-Clean porta potties
-Secluded
-Great price point
-Venue owner was very responsive to questions
-Owner was proactive with possible issues
-Preferred vendor list as a starting point was helpful
-Provided great ideas for DIY options
-Allowed multiple visits to the venue
-Areas to get ready were super cute
-Old truck photo booth area is adorable- loved the flowers in the bed.
-Chairs and tables were set up.
-Well-lit with charming string lights.
-Kitchen, bar, and dressing rooms were super helpful.
CONS:
-Little communication with my hired coordinator- owner did not participate in a tour of the venue with the coordinator that we had mutually scheduled weeks in advance, did not tie in to discuss rules and restrictions, placement of items, expectations, etc. This put yet another stress on me during wedding planning trying to remember all details to relay.
-I awoke on my first morning as a newlywed to texts that had us come back right away to move barrels and pick up a pop up tent left behind. Owner was not present during final walkthrough to see these items were taken care of by my team the night before, and thus became our emergency the next morning.
-Lack of guidance during setup
-Strict start and end times (to the minute)
-Owner was not present during the event or after. Some sort of check in, as stated there would be in the contract, would have been fantastic customer service.
-Some equipment was not available as stated on tours or was replaced which put a kink in planned decor and logistics. An itemized list of what is included versus what is for show during the tours would be helpful.
-Had last minute to-dos come up (IE needing our own pop up tent for DJ and tables for the DJ) which added stress.
-No trash disposal available- must haul it out
-No hand wash station for porta potties- we had to build one among COVID concerns
-Back-to-back scheduling- no buffered time between appointments for site visits and the rehearsal meant we were rushed out or intruding on others.
In the end, it’s an absolutely stunning venue. The grounds are kept beautifully to where if you really wanted little decor or flowers you could get away with it. The price is hard to beat and the venue looks incredible, but hiring itemized services (IE coordinator, cleaning, trash removal, setup and takedown, hand wash station, etc.) does add up in time, complexity, and cost. The owner was overall great to work with. More guidance and communication (especially with my coordinator) the day-of or on a scheduled tour would have been appreciated and helped all parties involved.