Hi All,
This is my first time writing so hopefully this is the right board.
I guess I just want opinions on what you all would pick for a venue. Fiance and I really want an orchard/farm/outdoor wedding. We are down to our last two venues and I'm so torn. The place that we really like is great in pictures and has all the features that we want however the reviews that we've read on The Knot make us a bit concerned. We are going to check it out on Tuesday.
Namely, the reviews state that the event coordinator there is super disorganized and unprofessional. I'm not too concerned about that part because we have a wedding coordinator of our own so I feel like I'm paying my coordinator to handle all the organization and what not. The concern about this place is that apparently they've had a lot of issues with the neighbors and noise complaints. To the extent that the town has gotten involved and threatened to take away their event license. Next, there were some shady issues with the exclusive bar service they make people use. They lost their liquor license and couples had to scramble to get things sorted before their wedding. The couples had to pay more and there was some debate about how long the farm knew there was an issue before the farm told the couples. Lastly, one bride and groom had some cards/belongings stolen. We're really concerned we're setting ourselves up for headaches. Part of me thinks that's why we're hiring the wedding coordinator though - to manage all that stuff for us so we can enjoy the amazing setting and not worry about that stuff.
The other place is more of a mansion/garden feel. It's not the rustic setting we originally thought and it's a bit fancier than we really envisioned. The event manager there was super nice and prepared. She also had all the info we needed and we just felt like it would be an effortless and stress-free experience as possible... as much as any wedding can be at least! We would have a beautiful wedding there and we wouldn't go wrong with this place either. It's really gorgeous.
So, I guess my question is, what do you think? I am leaning towards the mansion/garden place but it's just hard to give up on that original vision we had. Any thoughts or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much in advance