Mississippi Dunes Rant

Anorton1204

Sorry in advance for the length...

We got engaged in June of last year.  In August I made appointments for several different venues as we were going to be in MN in September to narrow down our search.  One of the venues was Mississippi Dunes.  I made the Appointment with the GM at the time, Bill.  Bill said that their current coordinator was no longer with them, but that he was in the process of hiring a new coordinator & that she would be there by the time I came in September.  When I got there in September i went to our appointment and Kathy [the new coordinator] didn't even know who we were or that we had an appointment, and Bill was no longer working there.  At that point I had to pretty much start all over with telling her our story and what we wanted to accomplish.  Kathy was not very helpful in the slightest and we felt very rushed through the whole thing.  We were not impressed with Kathy, but we really liked Mississippi Dunes for our ceremony and reception.  I finally decided to book the venue in October.  I called to speak with Kathy to go over a couple of things before I booked and found out that Kathy was no longer there.   I spoke with the new GM Casey, who was very nice and apologetic he gave me his personal cell and had me talk with the new coordinator Amy.  I went over a few things with Amy and then booked them for my ceremony and reception.  Mostly because it was perfect for what we wanted in the reception area and Ceremony site.  

I am just starting to work on getting things organized for our trip to MN in July.  This maybe our final visit to MN before the Wedding next May.  There is a possibility that we make a short trip back but I am not going to rely on that.  Therefore needing to get a lot of different things accomplished at our venue while we are there.  TODAY I get an email from Amy [the coordinator] that she will no longer be working with Mississippi Dunes.  What the HECK is going on at this place???  I quickly text the 'GM' to see if he was still there, and did not get a response yet.  

This to me is CRAZY and makes me question my choice again for the venue, although I probably cant do anything now, because i have already given them a deposit.  HELP!  What would you do?

TIA

schmood

I knew the coordinator that was there over a year ago (dennis) and he had been there a long time.  But I know since he left there has been a revolving door there.  I personally would be nervous about the amount of turnover there.    Would it be a possibility to eat the deposit and find a different venue?   I do realize that it is tough to plan a wedding away from where you are currently living.  I planned my wedding in MN from a few states away.  Thankfully, I was able to make it back at least once a month to get things done and DH was still here, so he had to do more things than most grooms probably did.
I had my reception at River Oaks - also in Cottage Grove - and was very happy with how everything turned out.  (www.riveroaksweddings.com) They do have an option to have your ceremony there as well.  It's very close to MD - so wouldn't throw off the rest of you logistical plans....

SSaltzman87

The high amount of turnover would really scare me. If you're able to get your deposit back since you're still pretty far out, great- if not, I think it'd be worth losing just to dodge a potentially large bullet TBH.

I switched my venue as well after hearing some really disappinting things, plus the coordinator there was really bad at getting back to me on simple things- so that was an easy decision for me.

sndietz

But doesn't the high turnover just mean it is a crappy place to work, not neccessarily a crappy place to have a reception?

I would ask if you could get 2 or 3 referrals from recent brides that have had their reception there.  Maybe they had a good experience there? 

I don't blame you for being nervous though, I would be too.  I know the venue I am at refunds a percentage of the deposit, depending on how close to the wedding you are (6 months 50%, 3 months 25% etc.), is that in your contract as well? 

If you don't think there is anything they can do to make you comfortable and confident in this venue, you should change.  I would fight for getting at least some of the deposit back. 

PoliceWife104

I agree with PP's.

There's just to many things wrong here, & I wouldn't feel comfortable continuing to work with them. They obviously have some issues there & that would make me nervous about what it would be like when it comes to your wedding day. I think there's just to many discrepancies here.

We lost a deposit on a photographer, because we switched due to her lack of communication & not being sure if we would be able to rely on her on our wedding day. It turned out to be the best decision we could have made.

Lang125

I would go with your gut.  My venue just had some turnover due to a merger, but I still feel like it is going to turn out great.  I have a day of coordinator who will make sure everything is going smoothly the day of - and I just love the space way too much not to stick with it.  

I would definitely see if you can get some referrals just to have some ease of mind - but my impression is that event coordination is a field where people move around quite a bit, so I'm sure it will turn out fine if you are a go with the flow type of person and can brave the unknown until it gets closer to your day.  I am an October 2012 bride so I'm hoping my venue hires someone for my wedding soon - as of right now there is not an event manager assigned. 

tpender13

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_minnesota-minneapolis-st-paul_mississippi-dunes-rant?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:81Discussion:ecc56341-a94a-46b6-8c50-5f55ef60e2c5Post:014c3344-8914-44e3-a474-95c1e47bf27f">Re: Mississippi Dunes Rant</a>:
[QUOTE]But doesn't the high turnover just mean it is a crappy place to work, not neccessarily a crappy place to have a reception? I would ask if you could get 2 or 3 referrals from recent brides that have had their reception there. 
Posted by sndietz[/QUOTE]

I wouldn't want people that were unhappy at work in responsible for making sure my wedding goes smoothly. Also, if you ask a vendor for referrals, they're not going to give you contact info for someone who they know was unhappy. So that information would be skewed.

Lang125

I got my referrals through other vendors who have been up-front with me on their experience with certain companies, etc......i.e my photographer and day of coordinator.  They have given me honest opinions and bride stories - and they are independent vendors who are not just getting a deal by recommending them.  Those are the kind of referrals I would look for, or other brides you know personally.  Maybe someone will post who has used them on the knot?

shan87

Seriously, get out. No one is going to care that the site is pretty if everything else sucks. The beauty will be lost. True story