I am disappointed to be writing this review, but if there is someone who it can potentially help, I want to put it out there.
Tl;dr: This venue refuses to offer contracts/invoices for their clients. Their offerings and packages seem fantastic, but without a written agreement, there is no promise of what is to be delivered and expectations.
We reached out to Jordan Springs and were very impressed with the offerings they have and the price. They have great reviews on Yelp, The Knot, and other websites, so we decided to book a tour of the venue. The tour required the house tour rate of $16/person.
We enjoyed the tour and got more information from the Events Director, from the standpoint of just getting the most basic offerings (venue and food/drink) and their all-inclusive package (venue, food/drink, photography, DJ, cake, and lighting). Offerings were stated on a handout we were given, and then he went through and wrote down all the pricing for the differing offerings on the back.
After taking the time to think about our vision for our wedding, we reached out and asked to book Jordan Springs as our wedding venue. We picked a date and wanted to confirm the rate since we had inquired about a different day of the week. The Events Director gave us a rundown of the costs via email, but we did not receive a detailed invoice.
We were told the next step was to lock in our date by paying the deposit. I asked if it would be possible to get an itemized list of everything included in the pricing before putting down our deposit since we just had the pricing written on a piece of paper. We were also told about additional offerings, via their online brochure and while on the tour, that we wanted to learn more about and have added to our package. I asked if we could begin building an invoice of what was included, as well as learn about optional add-ons. I figured even if prices were not solid for things next year, I could at least receive information.
The Events Director sent a Sample Invoice and let me know that the salon for hair and makeup was a separate entity, but I did not receive any other information such as the salon name/point of contact/pricing. I was grateful that what I wanted was sent over, but disappointed that we did not have our own contract or invoice.
I was also concerned because alcohol was a separate choice for your wedding, so I again expressed interest in us building our own invoice and making our choice for how we wanted to handle alcoholic beverages at our wedding. I shared that we would just feel more comfortable having a contract first, and then we would be happy to pay the deposit after review.
I heard back from the Events Director, and he expressed that they were not able to plan the whole wedding in a single invoice, which I understand. However, I was just asking to have a breakdown of everything that could be included, on the invoice, and information on optional add-ons (pricing, points of contact - if applicable). He said it sounded like we were looking for a more "corporate entity" to host our wedding and said that Jordan Springs may not be the best fit. I responded, apologizing if my intentions were not clear, but clarifying what I was looking for, and offering feedback on utilizing invoices/contracts.
I found this experience unfortunate, mainly due to the fact that the Events Director would not provide us with an invoice for our wedding or any sort of contract. I have read many websites and forums about couples not having contracts with wedding vendors, resulting in mismatched expectations. I do not understand how they do business without contracts, and now, looking deeper into their reviews, it appears others have experienced some upsetting situations because of it.
Contracts are important to create a shared expectation around what is being delivered, and weddings indeed are a business transaction, so we chose to host our wedding elsewhere. I hope this review can prevent someone from potentially making a mistake and losing out on a deposit or otherwise having an unpleasant wedding experience. read more