Help with some Lancaster outside wedding venues?

rm1259

Has anyone heard reviews or have feedback from Lancaster County Winery, Lauxmont Farms, and Historic Rock Ford Plantation for wedding receptions? I'm scheduled to go visit Lancaster County Winery this saturday, but I've read a few bad reviews and wasn't sure if it's still worth checking out. Any advice for these places would be greatly helpful! Thanks everyone!

Redpen888

I can give you some feedback on Lauxmont. Visited the rotunda area and was very unimpressed with the condition of the property for the price it was. Crummy ikea curtains (no joke, I own the same ones) & peeling paint. A concrete floor and chipping  paint. In pro pics the place is a beauty, but up close I could see all the stray ends coming apart. For the rental price which includes NOTHING, by the way, I think they could upkeep it a bit more. However, their other wedding spots on the property I did not see-perhaps the rotunda is just the forgotten one??

Goodluck!- there are so many beautiful venues in the area. You'll def. find the right place for you.

bridalgal50

I agree with Lauxmont Farms- beautiful photos, but the condition of the venues and the lack of staff assistance on the day of the wedding is not worth your time or money.

Stone Mill Inn is in Wrightsville-not far from Lauxmont-and very nice.

Lime Spring Farm - large tent area available
 
Riverdale

Pheasant Run B&B -south of Lancaster. Beautiful grounds and quaint barn reception room (although small).

Rockford Plantation is beautiful- but be aware that there are really no facilities to accomodate the bridal party to get dressed; everyone would need to come ready (except the bride could slip into her gown there).

There are others that I just can't think of at the moment....

Kaytee241

I'll third caution with Lauxmont Farms. There were a lot of knotties not too long ago who got married there and had a lot of trouble on their wedding days with broken promises and bad service. It seems to me that they're very good at selling you the place, but suck at the follow through.

We got married at the Stone Mill Inn in Hallam and loved it. It certainly wasn't cheap, but it was worth what we paid for it - great location and wonderful service. We were married over three years ago and we still get compliments on how wonderful our wedding was Let me know if you have any questions!

writergirl28

I will add another note about Lauxmont Farms: avoid it! We toured all of their sites and I was not impressed.  Also if you choose a site other than the Rotunda (which is as bad in person as everyone else says ) and it rains, you'll have major problems! The only coverage in case of rain is the tent you have your reception in and the only parking for their wedding sites (except the Rotunda) is back a bumpy dirt road (use to be a field) and guests park on a hill. It will be a muddy mess if it rains. Also the site was expensive and didn't include much.

Lime Spring Farms is absolutely beautiful! I REALLY wanted to get married there. Until I found out that the rental fee was $6,000 (we were looking for a Saturday in May or June at the time) and that didn't include anything except the buildings.  You still had to rent you ceremony chairs, reception chairs and tables and all the linen and get your own caterer. 

Stone Mill Inn is very nice, but not cheap as they charge you seperately for room rental, linens, china, etc. and you have to use one of their caterers.  However, their coordinators were great to meet with and asked me about details I never even thought of. SMI does book up quickly, so if you're interested, meet with them asap.

I looked into the James Buchanan mansion as well. Historic and beautifully landscaped grounds. The site coordinator did tell me that they're going to be doing construction, so it wouldn't be a good idea for  my June 2011, but it would be ready for Fall 2011. I'm not sure when you want to get married, but a suggestion. I found out about the site from the Cork Factory and the Hamilton Ballroom (sister sites) where you could hold your reception.

In Columbia, there is Breezy View park (can be rented for 4 hours for labout $70 I think) but you'd have to rent and set up your own chairs for the ceremony. I found out about that site from Daizy at Perfect Settings (great place for a reception of under 100 people) and there's also A Taste of Style restaurant in Columbia that has a reception area downstairs. 

Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any questions!

rm1259

Thanks so much everyone! I'm so glad I was able to get such great advice to save myself lots of time and money. We have a pretty limited budget, so right now we're actually looking at finding a nice church and then renting a tent to have the reception right outside after. I just need to do some looking around to see if they would allow a tent and what the surrounding area looks like. That way if it does rain, I still have a back up, and am saving a lot too. My dad's a pastor and knows a lot of people so finding a church shouldnt be very difficult. Thanks again!:-)

SCBojangles1138

So this is kinda late but...yeah, just say no to Lauxmont. My family's land borders their property and we have nothing good to say about them as business people or otherwise. Do NOT trust them with your money.
 
There's a place near Mountville (I think) called the Country Barn and they do outdoor weddings. Or maybe the John Wright restaurant in Wrightsville - they've got an open lawn right there on the Susquehanna.

kgarrety

I might be a little too late commenting on your board, but I wanted to chime in about Lauxmont - I visited there and I was  unimpressed.  for the money they are asking, you would seem that they would be able to fix up the place more.  The dancing floors have crackes and bricks are uneven, so i could see someone falling.  They have outdoor bathrooms are unkept and seemed gross as well.  I went in september to visit and it just didn't seem kept up.  I really thought I wuold like the place from the pictures online and other professional photos looked beautiful.

I visited two other places both outside as well and settled on Riverdale Manor in Lancaster.  They only do one wedding at a time and have a pavillion incase it rains.  So you don't need to rent atent you just get married in a pavillion.  I am going January 9th to test the dinners that I picked out for my wedding day.  I am working with Monica and she is very nice and will answer any questions you may have.  I believe the rental fee is very reasonable.  Please let me know fi you have any questions!

mb2712

I agree with all PPs about Lauxmont Farms, but also would highly recommend Stone Mill Inn as well.  Erika is who we worked with when we were looking there, and she's AWESOME!  The only drawback of the Stone Mill Inn is that depending on your party, a huge party wouldn't fit too well there.  Good luck!

rm1259

kgarrety, do you remember what the range of the rental fee was for riverdale manor? I was looking at the food menu, and the prices were pretty good, but I had a hard time finding what the rental fee was. Thanks!