Magnolia Hotel v. Fontenelle Nature Center

Re: Magnolia Hotel v. Fontenelle Nature Center

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  tarmar81 member

  

  April 2010 edited December 2011

  I loved having my ceremony at the Magnolia.  Loved making the dramatic entrance down the staircase and having an outdoor ceremony with a built-in back up plan in case it rained.   I wasn't able to have my reception there because it was booked that night, so I can't review their receptions, but I've heard they're beautiful and well-executed.  The rental fee for the ceremony only was a bit high, but it did include the cost of our loft suite, which we got ready in and also stayed at on the wedding night, complete with champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. It was worth it, in my opinion, but The Magnolia is definitely not cheap.
  
  The wedding coordinator is a strong, no-nonsense personality and my wedding party referred to her as "The Drill Sergeant."  I noticed one girl on here said she has had a lot of problems with her, but we didn't have any issues, probably because she only orchestrated our ceremony.  I think she did a great job of it though, everything went very smoothly, so I was happy.

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  vballbabe17 member

  

  April 2010 edited December 2011

  Our wedding ceremony is booked for the Magnolia.  LeAnna is a little headstrong but she is great to communicate with and will go above and beyond if necessary.  It is a little pricy but we negotiated to include rooms and some other rentals.  It is great knowing there is a back up space in case it rains!  So far, everything has gone smoothly with them, even though our wedding isn't until next year.

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  AMplusSK member

  

  April 2010 edited December 2011

  We considered both of these locations for ours. We ended up going with A View in Fontenelle Hills. I highly recommend that venue, if you haven't checked it out. If you want to know more about that one, let me know.
  
  I was a guest at a reception at Fontenelle Nature Center. It was very pretty there. The wedding we were at was rather large, so they split it up between two rooms. We didn't go with it because we wanted a Sunday wedding, and you couldn't get access to the venue until 5. If we did a rehersal, it would have to be on Thursday, and I didn't want to do that. I also wanted a place that had a coordinator. With the nature center, you just get the space. You'd have to coordinate all rentals and plans, etc.
  
  We liked the Magnolia. The  ballroom is really nice, and I love the courtyard for the ceremony. They also give you a honeymoon suite for the night of your wedding and block off rooms for your guests.  We didn't go with it because we are having a small wedding, and weren't gaurenteed the ballroom for the reception. If a bigger wedding came along, we would get a meeting room. You have to use them for your caterer. I've had meals there before. The food is good, but definitely not great.
  

  

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  bjensenwedding member

  

  July 2010 edited December 2011

  I've been working with LeAnna for several months now. She is very organized, knows her stuff and is always there for me. She works tons of hours too, I get emails from her on her days off, late at night, early morning - all the time which tells me how much she cares and is committed to our wedding. While she takes her job serious and isn't "giddy", we still have fun here and there along the way. I would book my wedding wherever that girl is!!

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