Willows Bend

My (now) husband and I had our wedding here a couple of weekends ago, and it was an amazing experience! The venue is beautiful, and many of our friends and family commented on how beautiful it was! There were also lots of fun options to choose from, such as fireworks and a cold sparks send-off that many other places don't have. Further, the owners were very helpful and quick to respond to any questions that we had. All of the vendors that we chose have worked with this venue before, and it made the whole evening flow seamlessly. If anything went wrong, I had no idea. (It was pretty windy and some rain storms came through later in the night, but we all worked together to come up with a plan that allowed us to still go outside for the fireworks and cold sparks!). I HIGHLY recommend this venue if you are looking for a beautiful venue out by the lake!

Our son and daughter-in-law had their wedding at Willows Bend this last weekend, and it was amazing! The owners were so helpful and gracious, and their venue was absolutely perfect. They provided a list of vendors that they have worked with over the years (caterer, officiant, photographer, etc.). The bride and groom could select from the venue's list of vendors, or they could have chosen someone else. The wedding came off without a hitch (with the exception of extreme wind), and guests absolutely LOVED it! This was the perfect venue for what our bride and groom wanted, and we couldn't be happier that they chose Willows Bend!

I write this review to allow other couples considering this venue to have knowledge of what to expect when booking. Upon touring the venue, I asked the owner, Jim, if there were any hidden fees that we could expect upon booking. He told us that he could not think of any, so we decided to book this venue for our wedding. We quickly realized this was not the truth. While booking our caterer, they gave us their prices and asked where we were getting married. They quickly informed us that our total cost would be higher because the owners of Willowsbend charge them 10% of what we paid to be there. I was shocked. Our caterer informed us that it is not just their company that is charged; they told us that any caterer who goes into that venue is expected to pay the 10%. I reached out to Jim about this, and was told that he was not sure how they chose to charge their clientele. We started talking about this with people we knew, and one of our pastor friends informed us that he has performed a wedding at that venue, and was also charged 10%; ultimately, this was charged to the bride & groom when he refused to pay it. While I can only speak to my experience with the caterer and our pastor friend being charged, I can assume any vendor that steps into that venue will be charged for their presence. 10% may not seem like a lot, but it quickly adds up. The venue is beautiful and offers great scenery for a wedding, but I wish I knew this information before booking with this venue because it would have changed my decision. Prior to booking, I read the negative reviews this venue has and didn't believe them because of the owner's responses to those reviews. I wish I had. Unfortunately, due to personal circumstances, we had to cancel our wedding 5 months before the date. So I cannot speak to the actual day-of-event, I can only speak to my experience with this venue when planning and leading up to it. As I said, I wish I had taken the reviews I read to heart and knew that after my experience, I wanted to warn other couples considering this venue of what they could expect financially upon booking.

We just attended a wedding at Willows Bend and I am amazed ! Absolutely beautiful setting. Jim and Michelle have thought of everything - surprise entrance for bride and groom, no steps at any of the entrances, turf under the outside pews, cold sparklers for the couple's exit. Immaculate landscape and lawn. One of the best venues I have been to .