Ashley Manor Brides

brittandjp

My FI and I have already booked our March 2012 wedding at the Castle at Ashley Manor in Chandler. CAM is next door to it's sister venue, Ashley Manor, a Spanish hacienda style venue. Well, my FMIL just sent me an forwarded email from a friend of hers, a wedding coordinator, stating she'd heard rumors about Ashley Manor being in foreclosure and the bank is desperate to sell the property. Has anyone heard about this? The email said that the coordinators at AM have been telling their potential clients that there will be a 2012 remodel. They're STILL booking clients, which obviously isn't okay if this is true.

I did a little research and discovered that the same people own both venues, which is something I had already assumed, yet hadn't confirmed. We've been dealing with Laura, who's been completely awesome. Turns out, her and her husband are the owners of both venues. Anyway, I sent her an email earlier this afternoon and have yet to hear back.

We're obviously panicking, as we've already put down a 15% deposit for our 200+ guest wedding. So, does anyone know anything about these so called rumors?!

[Deleted User]

I haven't heard anything of the sort, but I certainly hope it's not true because we're booked at Ashley Manor for October 8! Please let us know if you hear anything to confirm or debunk that rumor!

Also, it might not mean much, but I should also probably add that we went in to discuss some of the wedding details just last Saturday, and they made no mention of potential foreclosure.

brittandjp

Okay, so I did find out more. Laura, the coordinator and owner, hasn't responded  yet. However, a friend of my mom is a wedding planner and HER friend is Isabelle/Isabella?, who is one of the planners at AM (not the castle). She confirmed that it is in foreclosure and said they are not booking anything for 2012 for this very reason. Perhaps my FMIL's source wasn't as accurate? However, I find it easier to believe someone that actually works there than a random event coordinator. So, I don't know if that means all the upcoming weddings in 2011 are still on... I'd definitely touch base with whoever you're working with at AM. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think it's important for all their clients to know!

My FI and I are still up in the air with what we're going to do. AM and CAM are owned by the same owners, but two completely separate businesses. Isabella said that CAM is not in foreclosure, however, I wonder if that's in the near future since AM is closing. I think we're going to just kind of wait and see what she says. When we booked the venue, we went through her calendar and she literally had every weekend throughout the entire spring booked, including random weekdays, which played a major role in why we're getting married on a Friday. I might have to go stalk her if she doesn't reply to my email sometime tomorrow. I know she'll be at the bridal show on Sunday as well, which I plan on attending.

I'll keep you posted with any additional information I find out and please do the same if you find out anything.

brittandjp

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_arizona-phoenix_ashley-manor-brides-2?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:71Discussion:29e3e7d3-b40a-4080-acf7-1d9f3b45243dPost:4823eddf-04e8-4d0d-9b9f-f85e97c619de">Re: Ashley Manor Brides</a>:
[QUOTE]I haven't heard anything of the sort, but I certainly hope it's not true because we're booked at Ashley Manor for October 8! :\ Please let us know if you hear anything to confirm or debunk that rumor! <strong>Also, it might not mean much, but I should also probably add that we went in to discuss some of the wedding details just last Saturday, and they made no mention of potential foreclosure.</strong>
Posted by mmbandjmb[/QUOTE]

PS. That is not good. Are you getting married at AM or CAM? If it's CAM, perhaps that's why, they're not foreclosing. However, if it's AM then I think it's important for them to discuss that with you. OR perhaps they're keeping all their weddings for 2011 and notifying any 2012 couples, so you're still in the clear. :) Coming from a planner/coordinator that works at AM, I feel that the info is pretty accurate. It will be interesting to see what Laura says.

brittandjp

Sorry, last thing. You can go to www.maricopa.gov, select recorded docs on the left hand side of the screen, type Ashley Manor in the business box and search. You can see all kinds of public records (leins, not paying taxes, etc.).

Maybe AM wasn't doing so well, so they're just kind of letting it go...and CAM is more popular and always booked, so they're keeping that one. Who knows?! I'm dying to find out though, I don't do the patient waiting game very well.

[Deleted User]

We're getting married at the manor, but it's for October of this year. Hopefully we're still in the clear.  We're meeting with Isabelle tomorrow though to talk table settings, so maybe I can get a better answer from her. But based off what you said, it seems likely that they may very well be keeping their 2011 dates.  I hope I'm not just being overly optimistic!
We booked our venue in September 2010 and looked at both CAM and AM.  At the time we put down our initial deposit, Ashley Manor was actually almost completely booked for October already and the Castle still had a lot of dates open, so I kind of got the impression that Ashley Manor was doing better.  I don't know.  It would just really suck to have to think of a plan B, especially seeing as I'm al;ready having to scramble to get bridesmaids dresses sorted out (the boutique that we ordered from went out of business and we hadn't received the dresses yet).

brittandjp

Yeah, I'm guessing you're in the clear. The info I shared with you supposedly came from Isabelle, so hopefully you'll find out more details from her tomorrow. Why AM and not CAM..I still don't get it?

We never looked at AM, but I've seen pictures and it looks absolutely beautiful. However, we went to a wedding at CAM a couple years ago and we both fell in love. I knew that day that someday I'd get married there. We checked out a couple other venues, but our hearts kept taking us back to CAM. I;m sure you felt the same way booking yours. Anyway, we never saw the calendar for AM, but CAM was crazy booked! I couldn't believe how full they were, more than the other venues we checked out for sure. We also only booked it only 9 months out. I assume when you book it further out, it's obviously not as full.

Good luck tomorrow and let me know how it goes!

jbwed1

I looked at CAM about 4 months ago, and when I mentioned this to a friend, she said that an old coworker of ours was the wedding planner there.  We decided not to book there. Just recently (within the last 2 weeks) my friend said "you know, our friend (the wedding planner) said that CAM is going bankruptcy/through foreclosure (can't remember the exact way she stated it)"..sort of saying, 'aren't you glad you decided not to go with it." Sooo, I don't want to make things worse, but did want to let you know that this friend has a GOOD source, and has no reason to make something like that up. I have no idea what this means for any upcoming brides, or what their current situation is - but just wanted to mention that I have in fact heard this. Good luck! Try calling if you have not already - you deserve to know what's going on.

Girlie1030

I just got married at AM in April, so I'm sad if this is true.  I hope everything works out for you girls!

brittandjp

Okay, so I've spoken with Laura. AM is definitely closing, they'll finish up their weddings in November, then it goes back to the bank December 1. They've had that location for 15 years, which at one time was their "baby" as she called it. However, once they built and opened CAM, AM just wasn't able to keep up. It's several thousand cheaper and didn't book nearly as many weddings. So, she said it's just not worth it anymore. Therefore, I was informed incorrectly, they're not still booking, at least after November.

As for the "remodel" rumor, it was partially true. They originally thought they'd remodel the place, amp it up a bit, and hope that it once again begins booking like it once did. However, they just didn't want to put that much money into a remodel when they weren't even sure it would help the place. So, they've decided to only focus on CAM and said that it will be up and running for a long time.

So, there is no need to worry, mmb! You'll def still have your wedding in October and CAM has no plans of closing in the future, so I'm still set for March. Sorry, Girlie, such a bummer..but at least you were able to have the wedding of your dreams before it closes!

Yay, I (we) can finally sleep again!

brandon_ent

I am a photographer, and can also confirm the December AM closing. You are good until November.

If you need any service referrals, please let me know. I am a fountain of info, given that I work with tons of vendors on a regular basis.

mikenaudrey

Did you have your wedding since March 2012 is almost done?  How did it go?  Any regrets?  The CAM is beautiful but I read some negative reviews and was wondering if they were honest in regards to the customer service.  I heard with multiple reviews that once they receive your deposit the customer service goes down hill and that once the reception starts, the coordinator leaves for the evening.  That one should hire their own wedding coordinator in order to ensure all our wedding plans for the entire day regarding setup and the flow of the entire day goes as planned and promised.  I would hate to find out that CAM's customer service and experience of having a wedding there isn't as beautiful as it looks!

agreenhaw

In Response to <a href="http://forums.weddings.com/Sites/Weddings/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_arizona-phoenix_ashley-manor-brides-2?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:71Discussion:29e3e7d3-b40a-4080-acf7-1d9f3b45243dPost:1bfe79ae-fc1e-465e-88a2-eafbbba3f4dd">Re: Ashley Manor Brides</a>:
[QUOTE]Did you have your wedding since March 2012 is almost done?  How did it go?  Any regrets?  The CAM is beautiful but I read some negative reviews and was wondering if they were honest in regards to the customer service.  I heard with multiple reviews that once they receive your deposit the customer service goes down hill and that once the reception starts, the coordinator leaves for the evening.  That one should hire their own wedding coordinator in order to ensure all our wedding plans for the entire day regarding setup and the flow of the entire day goes as planned and promised.  I would hate to find out that CAM's customer service and experience of having a wedding there isn't as beautiful as it looks!
Posted by mikenaudrey[/QUOTE]

<div>Hey there! I got married @ CAM about a year ago and did not have any issues with their customer service. Yes, the coordinator leaves a few hours after the reception starts, but they first come up to you and let you know, and ask if anything else is needed. They don't just disappear. :) We were told during the various sessions before the wedding that the coordinator only stays to a certain point too. I felt like every detail was attended to, and if there was concern I just handled it on my own preemptively. For example to make sure all the reception tables looked how I wanted them to, my mom got a bunch of her friends to set them up beforehand. My best suggestion would be to make sure you have some friends or family who are willing to be onhand to work with the staff in case anything does happen. For example, before the wedding I noticed our cake topper was missing and I had someone go check with Laura and it was fixed. I guess they just hadn't had a chance to put it on yet and my eagle eye noticed it too soon. ;) All in all it's a great venue. My only regret is not having more hours in the evening to celebrate! Seemed like the night just flew by. We would have been willing to pay more for extra hours too but it just wasn't an option. Good luck, it's a beautiful place with many places for great photos. :)</div>

agreenhaw

PS. If you can, work with Jessica - she did such a great job but had to leave at the end of our engagement period for maternity leave! I was concerned about this since we'd gotten to know her during all the planning but didn't have any issues with Isabel who was our coordinator. She took good notes!