Perfect! Our wedding and reception went great at Maple Lawn. The house and given areas/rooms pre wedding for the Bride/bridesmaids and Groom/groomsmen spot on, the Greco/Roman terrace for the late afternoon ceremony just right, then spinning around and having the toasts/meal/cake/dance floor right there all flowed naturally, supported by great staff (including the months ahead meetings to pre plan). Thank you Maple Lawn, lucky to have this in Marin. read more

Melanie, Bridgette and Kathleen were amazing hosts to our venue. Definitely recommend! Every aspect of the experience was amazing and perfect. Highly recommend the terrace for an outdoor wedding that you will not forget. Entire staff who contributed were helpful and had our best interest in mind while preparing for this event. The vibe from the entire property matched what we were looking for. Perfect! read more

My daughter just got married at Maple Lawn and the garden is a hidden gem. It was turned into an enchanting venue. The wedding planner, Vanessa Olivetti was professional and attentive to all our needs. The Elks Supervisor, Kathleen, was friendly, helpful, and available for any of our needs. The caterer, Stacy Scott offered what many guests said was the best food they've ever had at a wedding. The Event Planner, Melanie, was very responsive.....all of the staff were very helpful. My daughter said that her wedding exceeded all her expectations! Daniel Neal, the photographer was kind, obviously very experienced and put everyone at ease. Highly recommend! read more

The Maple Lawn was the perfect place to have our daughter's wedding. Everyone loved it. Highly recommend it.

I just want to inform anyone looking to book this venue to know that you are better off paying the small fee to bring your own alcohol than having Maple Lawn Estate's bar service do it and charge you whatever they claim the alcohol tab was. No guarantees that it will be anywhere close to what they estimate your cost will be. My daughter and son-in-law got married here in August 2019. I went with her to discuss arrangements, costs, etc. They wanted to bring their own alcohol, but the wedding administrator convinced them that it would be reasonably priced to use their bar. They got a quote of approximately $2000 for 150 people, half who don't drink and the other half who moderately drink. After the wedding, they were charged an alcohol tab of $4000. She paid the bill without fuss. Only now, 3 years later, she told me about this. read more

We made the last minute decision to have our wedding reception here. Fortunately they had that one day still available. It was a beautiful space. The tent lights up at night and the lights around the fountains make it look magical. They allowed us to bring in our own outdoor furniture, making it feel very personal and unique. I highly recommend this space for weddings and parties! read more

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Maple Lawn is a hidden gem in Marin. After searching high and low for a venue for a ceremony with 100+ guests, I was delighted to find this grass lawn oasis lined by giant trees -- spacious, set in nature, beautiful but not stuffy. My daughter also loved the vibes of the adjoining historic house with its indoor bar and dining space. Coordinator Melaine and the staff I interacted with were all welcoming, responsive and flexible. read more

We hosted our wedding at maple lawn and it was a HUGE success. I am only giving 4 stars due to the change in event staff and break down in communication with the new event staff. I would suggest having a communicative and capable coordinator if you have your wedding here. Debbie Ghiringhelli catering and the Elks bartender, James, were extremely helpful and professional. Would recommend them 10/10! read more

I got married at Maple Lawn on August 20th, 2016 and thanks to them I had the wedding of my dreams. Let me start by saying, I am one of the worlds pickiest persons and hold really high standards and expectations for everything I do. Yes I am that annoying OCD person with a million questions and needing everything to look and feel perfect down to the tiniest of details. During my initial search for venues I found Maple Lawn and knew this would be the place I would get married, and after my one and only site visit I knew I had found the place. I work as an Event Manager, and never have I worked with a venue that is so accommodating AND professional. In the hospitality industry most vendors should always use the word yes, but it is a rare find when vendors really follow through with their "yes" answers. Working with their event coordinator, Lena was one of my favorite parts of picking this venue. She is kind, very knowledgable, and will always do whatever she can to make sure you are happy. From the beginning, I had a long list of questions for Lena and not only did she answer them (without making me feel like I was a bother), but she also offered suggestions. It is rare to find venues and vendors that will be so accommodating to your needs and my whole wedding experience I was delighted and in awe that everything was so easy and focused only on my happiness and what I wanted. Again, I have worked with millions of vendors and venues and that just has never happened for me! The venue is a whole different 5 star experience. It is simply gorgeous. I dressed it up a little for the theme of my wedding, and a few visions I had, but you could add nothing to this venue to dress it up and go with the bare bones and it would still be the most beautiful garden setting you could hope for. The grass was green and soft, the lighting was magical at night, the arch you get married under is romantic, and the magnolia trees lining the terrace is just simply amazing. It really is as pretty in person as it is in the pictures. Another fantastic part about this venue is the value you get for the space. Lena was constantly giving me suggestions on how I could save money and truly looked out for my well being. They allow you to bring in your own caterer, and because of that I saved so much money going with the caterer I wanted to use. They do have a list of vendors they have worked with that they can suggest to you, but the fact that they give you the option is great. Most venues make you work with their one or two caterers they have pre selected. Additionally, you can rent out the Drake bar, located inside the Elks lodge for an after party of sorts. This was so fun that we were able to do this! Lastly, the getting ready spaces were beyond words. The bridal suite is two large rooms with two bathrooms, huge mirrors and plushy carpet. I felt like a queen getting ready in that space, and it is really special that they have that available for brides so that your hair and makeup people can come to you. The mens getting ready area has this beautiful wood wall with a pool table that makes for the most amazing backdrop. It also gives the guys something to do since there is normally a good amount of sitting around if you take your pictures before the wedding like I did. I could keep writing, but there are probably few reading at this point. Just do yourself a favor and go look at this venue. I smile just thinking about my whole experience and wish everyone the same happiness I found! read more

Maple Lawn - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - San Rafael, California

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My husband and I got married here in September 2012. This was a beautiful spot to hold the ceremony and reception. The staff was very accomodating, and the venue was resonably priced. The only downside was that we had to stop the music at 10pm sharp, and we had to use their bar service (a little expensive but great service). Other than that, the venue was perfect for our wedding. There was enough parking for our 165 guests, and we were able to hold the ceremony and reception in the same place. There is a nice room upstairs in the mansion for the women to get ready in, and a room with a pool table for the men to hang out while they wait. There were lots of great options for photos. They also gave us a lot of time to set up the decorations beforehand. The outdoor dance floor worked great for our crowd. read more

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I was the "day of" wedding coordinator for a wedding at the end of August 2015 at Maple Lawn. I had never worked with this venue before and I came in roughly 3 weeks prior to the wedding and started working with Lena, the venue coordinator and her associate Rosina, right away to lock in the final details for the wedding day. Lena's email responses were very quick and thorough as well as her response to voicemails. I had A LOT of questions and she was patient with me during the whole process. Both Lena and Rosina were on hand for the rehearsal as well as the wedding day and it was so wonderful to have access to them for things that would come up. Mark, in charge of the bar and onsite maintenance guy, Mark, were just wonderful and so very helpful as well! They were very flexible with requests and open to suggestions for the overall layout and use of their property. Maple Lawn is so beautiful and peaceful and a great place for an event because everything can be there onsite (ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, dancing)! They also allow you to have access to the Elks Lodge which is a fantastic bonus. The whole bridal party was able to get ready at the lodge; they have a beautiful, very comfortable bridal suite upstairs for all the ladies and a great men's lounge with pool table for the groom and his groomsmen!! I hope to do an event/wedding here again in the future! It's not everyday you come across not only a beautiful venue but also one that has such a wonderful staff to work with!! read more

Maple Lawn hosted the Closing Night party for the 36th Mill Valley Film Festival. 750 attendees in all, including use of the Elks Lodge. The venue and staff were fantastic, and I highly recommend having your event here! Great ambiance, easy on site and off site parking, plenty of space. It's been almost three months since our event, and I'm still getting kudos for it. read more

My now husband and I got married at Maple Lawn on September 19, 2015. We cannot say enough about how perfectly our wedding unfolded and how happy we were with the venue, the event coordinators and the bar staff. We had two live meetings with Lena, the event coordinator and Mike, the bar manager, before the event. We met our day of coordinator, Shelley, during the second meeting with Lena. After each meeting my husband and I talked about how great the people involved were and how happy we were to have them be a part of our day. That feeling stayed with us throughout the end of our wedding day. Once everything was dropped off the morning of, they left us feeling confident that they would take care of us and there was nothing to worry about. I arrived at the bridal suite with my maid of honor early in the day, which heated up into the 90's. My make-up artist commented on how nice it was to find an air-conditioned bridal room in Marin. During the course of my time in the bridal suite, both Lena and Shelley stopped by several times to check in. Mark, the bar manager assistant stopped by to ask where the champagne was for the toasts. My only moment of stress came when Shelley asked where the pens for our guest signature canvas were. I gasped realizing that I'd never bought/brought them! Shelley volunteered to go to the downtown art store and bought them, resolving that one potential issue for us. The venue itself was awesome for an outdoor wedding with the ceremony, dinner reception and dancing all taking place on the terrace, first under the sunlight then under the wonderful terrace lighting. Our guests have raved about how lovely it was. We highly recommend! read more

We loved working with Lena, Sue, Mike among many others at maple lawn! We had the most perfect day for our wedding and a lot of that had to do with the gracious and helpful staffing! The grounds on the terrace are beautiful, and the mansion was so fun for the entire wedding party to get ready prior to the ceremony! We felt like family our entire wedding weekend and staff was so helpful with bringing our decorations to site and giving great direction via email for the year prior to our big day! Quick responses from both Sue Grant Marsh and Lena! The venue was amazing for our wedding size of 140 and very easy to have music, photos and a beautiful dinner in the fall evening. We love the natural beauty of the trees, the fountains, the area for dancing, everything! Maple lawn was a dream come true for us for our wedding day! read more

Maple Lawn is a beautiful setting for a wedding with the outdoor courtyard, fountains, built-in dance area/floor, and amazing lights. I loved that we could have the ceremony and reception in the same place so that guests don't have to travel to the reception. I also loved that they have a beautiful space to get ready in (a bridal suite) and place for the groomsmen to hang out in as well. It was important to me that I could relax day of so not having to get ready in one location and travel to the wedding was great! We decided to do an after party in the bar inside the house as well and that was so much fun! I thought the whole property was overall a beautiful place and my photographer got many great shots of us around the property. One of the great things about this venue is that you have the ability to select your own catering (except alcohol which is done through the Elks Lodge) and other vendors. I thought the over all cost value compared to other Bay Area venues was excellent especially since it includes reception/ceremony location, a place to get ready at, and possibly adding an after party in the bar. The only thing that was a little confusing was doing the alcohol through them (in figuring out which package to go with or not), but I know they are working on that process. However, the bar tenders and bar manager of the Elks Lodge were amazing and our guests really enjoyed them! The other great part about this venue is that they provide an on-site coordinator. She was very helpful and easy to contact via email. I still hired a month-of wedding coordinator to help out (because I really wanted to be hands off on the wedding day), and together they made my wedding a breeze- I didn't worry about a thing! read more

I LOVE working with Maple Lawn! I run a training program for 45 teenagers, and after the MYC closed (where we used to meet), they were the only venue in town that could accommodate us. They have excellent customer service, amazing meeting spaces, ample parking, and did I mention how EASY they are to work with? The property is gorgeous. The historic mansion and manicured gardens are truly inspiring to work in. This is truly a hidden gem in Marin. All future brides and event planners should book the Elks Club, before the word gets out. They can take a little bit to respond to rental inquiries, but it's worth the wait. Once you're connected with them, they are a breeze to work with. Great communicators that go above and beyond to make sure your meeting needs are met. read more

Moviemaking Throughout the Bay held a short film event at this house. I had no idea what to expect, but it turned out to be an old-fashioned house that was creepy. It seemed like a fraternity house for established men, and that's because it's home to the Elks Lodge. It's rare to step foot in a place like this. It has a creepy ambiance, but it's cool to experience a taste of Bay Area history. read more

My wife and I got married at Maple Lawn just a couple weekends ago. We couldn't have been more pleased! We looked at so many different venues in the Bay Area, and really none that we saw compared to Maple Lawn. The outdoor terrace is absolutely beautiful, and easily accommodated all 180+ of our guests. The bridal suite was stunning, and there's even a small room practically designed for beautiful bride/groom photos. All our guests raved about how beautiful everything was. Honestly for my wife and I, the thing we were MOST pleased about in choosing Maple Lawn for our big day wasn't the venue itself, but Vanessa our venue and day-of coordinator. My wife and I were as green as it gets about weddings, about how everything works, about best practices etc... Vanessa was an absolute pro, and so kind and understanding about everything. She walked us through everything, and really provided us with so much peace of mind about the whole thing. And at the end of the day, isn't that what you want most about your wedding? Just knowing things will be taken care of. And they were. On top of all that, for let me add that for the price, there's no way you'll find anything better in the bay area. We highly recommend checking out Maple Lawn if you're looking for a great local venue. read more

The Perfect Venue This was the absolute perfect venue for me and my husband. Maple Lawn's "Magnolia Terrace" is where their outdoor weddings take place, and it's gorgeous. Summer in San Rafael has perfect sunny weather, the dark green redwoods and magnolia trees provide a shaded perimeter, and a bright red brick walkway leads up to the white arbor. We also loved the two white fountains, outdoor string lights, and the covered dancefloor. The historic Elk's Lodge on the property has a beautiful bridal suite and an old fashioned wood-paneled gentlemen's room downstairs. It's photo-op central on the rooftop, grand staircase, pool table, and more! I experienced nothing but professionalism and passion in working with Maple Lawn. Sue, the venue liaison, was so easy and FUN to work with, always prompt, and was always available in the planning process. Their bar liaison, Mark, was also an absolute treat to work with. When they didn't have a rosé brut sparkling wine on their bar list, he went and tasted rosés to find an option within budget so we didn't pay anything extra for the special request. It was incredible! Everyone I worked with just seemed to really like one another and be so happy and satisfied with what they do. Did I mention they have AMPLE parking? It was so nice not to have any concerns about my family and friends arriving comfortably. I can't say enough about how perfect this venue was for our special day. read more

I coordinated a corporate appreciation event at Maple Lawn on August 21st, 2015. And I have to say the event turned out perfectly! The venue coordinator Lena (pronounced like henna) was so sweet and helpful. She was responsive to all calls and emails and was there the day of the event for anything that I needed. The venue itself is beautiful and is a very versatile space for any kind of event that you may host. Most of all I can not believe how inexpensive it is!!! No other place can touch the cost of this one! Plus almost all profits go to charity! I mean how can you beat that?? If given the opportunity I would definitely host an event here again, and I would recommend it to a friend for sure. read more

I was really excited to check out Maple Lawn as a potential venue for my wedding. I had about a week in which to check out venues because I was about to start a new job that would keep me too busy to traipse around the Bay Area. So, I tried to get a hold of Vanessa at Maple Lawn several times. I thought I was calling a place of business, so I tried twice a day to reach someone during normal working hours because I was on a time crunch. Finally, after a few days of complete radio silence, Vanessa picks up the phone and informs me that she actually doesn't work on Mondays and Tuesdays but she saw me calling a few times and decided to finally answer. Her tone seemed to suggest that I'm the weirdo for expecting people to work during regular hours. Ok. 1) I had no idea she had such an odd schedule and 2) I didn't know the number was apparently a cell phone. Anyway, we make an appointment to check the place out and I make appointments at other places in the area cause I don't live in Marin and don't want to drive up to San Rafael a bunch of times. However, Vanessa cancels on our meeting the morning of and once again drops off the grid when I try to find out if I can see the place without her there, because that's all I really needed to do to see if the place is right for me. After that, she never reschedules or follows up and that to me screams "unprofessional." There's not a single other venue that didn't respond in a timely manner or follow up with me. Frankly, I feel like I dodged a bullet. I can only imagine what a headache it would be to have such an incommunicative coordinator. read more

I recently got married at Maple Lawn and the venue was perfect. I worked with both Lena and Sue and they were both super responsive and great to work with. The bar manager Mike was great too. The venue has a great place for the bridesmaids and groomsmen to get ready in, which made the entire day much more relaxing and fun. read more

I had the privilege of getting married at Maple Lawn at the Elks Lodge in August 2016 and it was absolutely magical! One of the reasons I decided to use this venue was that I could use my own caterer to help save on costs. I was very stressed about having our big day all outdoors because of the unknown about the weather, but it all turned out great! It was pretty hot on my wedding day but that made the night just absolutely beautiful and perfect. If you're using this venue, I would recommend having your own wedding planner that helps manage all the vendors, as their event coordinators are great (!) but won't be able to manage every single detail. That being said, Lena and Erin were amazing, even if it was hard to sometimes get a quick response early on. You're dealing with a venue where many of the people that work there are volunteers or part-time (it's a non-profit) so just be aware. That being said, everyone in the staff is super helpful and so professional. And the venue is just gorgeous! An absolutely beautiful day I will never forget. I would definitely recommend! read more

Maple Lawn - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - San Rafael, California

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My review will be on the current day-of-coordinator (Lena) and the bar tender (Mike), not so much the venue itself. My husband and I got married on 7/12/15. Overall, it was a beautiful day full of love, laughter and smiles, but behind the scenes was a mess. Day-of-Coordinator: Short version... -Not prompt on responding to e-mails -Unsure of a handful of things that you would hope a coordinator would know about the venue -Changed the number of umbrellas that were available for our use -Didn't post a parking sign (as promised) that caused many guests to get lost and come late to the ceremony -Wasn't very helpful at the rehearsal and disappeared a few times throughout that time frame -Told 2 guests that she wasn't in charge of the seating chart, so she couldn't help them find their seats +Sweet person Long version... I will start with pre-wedding planning that first made me unimpressed with Lena as a coordinator. At the beginning of booking the venue, she did not follow up with an e-mail to see how things were going, thank us for booking, or to clarify things we had discussed. My mother-in-law and I had to reach out to her many times via e-mail, and there were a couple times that she didn't get back to me for literally a whole week. As time came closer to the wedding, she would respond every few days to e-mails, then the month of-she did respond daily. This was a relief but should have been the case the entire time. When asked to add touches to the bathroom, she did a nice job of making it more homey. About a week before the wedding day, she said that she would have signs posted for overflow parking, as there is not enough room for 200 guests to all park in the back. Lena even talked about putting the signs up at the rehearsal. On the day of, she never did this, which caused guests to get lost, and many were late to the ceremony. :( During the wedding, I only saw her one time. This was post ceremony, during photos with the bridal party. She told me that we were behind schedule, but there was nothing I could really do, (as I wanted the pictures taken and they were taking a little more time than expected). Lena didn't offer advice, she just told me what was wrong. As a first-time bride, I think I would have benefitted from her telling me the problem and offering a couple solutions instead of just stating the issue. Two of my guests were forgotten on the seating chart, so they asked Lena where they were supposed to sit. Lena said that she "wasn't in charge of that, so [she] didn't know." Yes, it is true that she wasn't "in charge" of this, but professionally, she should have done her best to accommodate and help them figure out where they could sit. Instead, she said that they should just "wait until everyone else sits to figure out where they can sit." Also, when we went to cut the cake, no cutting utensils were out. Something that I would have hoped Lena would have caught and or helped me with when I realized there were none. She was no where to be found, so I had to ask my mother-in-law and bridesmaid to find them. Lena is a sweet person, but I personally do not feel she is cut out for this job. She doesn't take the lead and quite honestly, doesn't do what a day-of-coordinator should do... ease the stress and help the timeline run along smoothly. It's sad to look back on our special day and think about how stressed I was. Bar Tender: Mike seemed easy-going and down to earth when we first met him. The bar package allows for outside wine bottles with a $15 corkage fee. We chose to use the kegs at the bar and beer which the Elk's Lodge already had. The cool thing about using the bar is that whatever is not used will not be charged. For example, if the keg is half used, the bride and groom will only be charged for half of a keg price. -The problem was that the alcohol contract was not given to us until about 1.5 weeks before the actual wedding date. The contract says that it was supposed to be given out at least a month in advance. Also, Mike and Lena did not tell us that we were to pay $20 per head for each person that was coming to the wedding, whether under age or not. This was an upfront fee and then however much of that money wasn't used would be reimbursed. To my family and I, this seemed ridiculous. For instance, we would have to fork out $4,000 (at $20 a head), plus we had already paid for many cases of white wine, red wine, and champagne that were going to be used at the reception. Supposedly, Mike talked with the board and was able to work it out with us. We were able to put a total limit on alcohol, and Mike told my mother-in-law when we getting close to that limit throughout the night. Venue itself was beautiful though! Hope this helps. :) read more

Finding Maple Lawn for our October 2018 wedding was a dream come true! My husband and I wanted a Bay Area wedding that was outside and reasonably priced. When we found it online, we immediately wanted to check it out. Maple Lawn was the only venue we saw and we immediately knew that we wanted to have our wedding there. We liked that in the event of rain, there was an indoor option. We liked that the ceremony would be under a beautiful canopy of trees and dinner would be under the string lights on the lawn. We liked that the dance floor was under the bright lights with the canopy. The space is incredible! We loved the beautiful views of Mt Tam and the cozy terrace. The inside of the mansion is perfect for couples to get ready in with lots of space and beautiful places for photos. Their recommended caterers were phenomenal- we used Debbie Ghiringelli and were not disappointed. Mike and his bartending team made our party continue through the night and even made special drinks just for me that they brought up to the bridal suite after the ceremony. The entire planning staff, from Lena to Sue to Mike, and all others made the planning so easy and fun. Their expertise is worth way more than the price of the venue and we both felt like they cared about our wedding and our family and friends. A special shout out to Sue Marsh who we also hired as our day-of-coordinator to execute our plans. We planned most of the wedding ourselves- flowers and decorations and seating and desserts- but the day of, we wanted to enjoy ourselves and let someone else take the reigns. Sue was our person! We cannot thank her enough for what she did to make our day run smooth and the decorations look AMAZING. She also helped us find a rehearsal dinner place as well through her connections in the community. Our wedding day was so fun and memorable and lovely all thanks to the amazing people at Maple Lawn and an amazingly beautiful space. You should check it out, it's literally the best kept secrete wedding venue site in the North Bay! read more

A friend and I had a large (200 folks) co-birthday party here. The event was a huge success! The facility is funky in a good way, the staff incredibly helpful and resourceful and the suggestions they made were spot on! I highly recommend the San Rafael Elks for your next event. In addition, the caterer, Debbie Ghiringelli gets 5 stars as well! read more

Held our September 27th, 2014 wedding at Maple Lawn and could not be more pleased! The outdoor space is absolutely gorgeous and the interior was perfect for pre-ceremony prepping and an after party. And, as others have mentioned, the price is RIGHT! My husband and I visited and booked the site about a year in advance and worked with Vanessa and Mike periodically over the next 12 months. LOVE them both! Was so happy that Vanessa was there the day of to make sure everything ran smoothly and so happy Mike was the bartender. All in all, it was an absolutely perfect day and the venue and help of it's staff ensured that. read more

Maple Lawn - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - San Rafael, California

Hands down the best place to have your wedding. The event coordinator there Vanessa O. is AMAZING! So is Mike the bartender. They both were so attentive to our needs and wants, and work around our every request. The price is def. right too! In Marin, you mention the word wedding, and you prices immediately get jacked 300%. In fact, you cannot touch a venue for anything less than 6 or 7 grand. This place was less than that and is so quaint and unique and beatiful, I absolutely recommend it without any reservations. read more

I had my cousins surprise 40th at this venue in August. I never new this place existed in Marin! The Terrace was like a Mediterranean backdrop. The coordinator Lena was very cooperative and helpful throughout the entire process. We moved inside for an after party since music had to stop at 10pm. The bar manager Mike was very accommodating with our drink selections and budget. He was also very helpful while we brought our decorations inside. Overall this place was perfect for our event and our guests had an amazing time. Thank you Maple Lawn. read more

We hosted our sorority's bid day this year and the venue was absolutely awesome. Lena and Shelley were so helpful and accommodating. They helped us set up tables and chairs because we had so few people there to help. Honestly can't thank them enough for how accommodating they were to our needs. We brought 150 girls through for a picnic-ish event and it went so smoothly. The venue is gorgeous too! read more

My husband and I hosted a Memorial for a friend this past weekend. Lenah, Mike and Mark were wonderful to work with, very responsive and extremely attentive to our needs the day of the event. Can't speak highly enough of the professionalism and kindness they extended. The venue is beautiful though I must say for our event it was less about the venue and more about honoring the person we were there to celebrate, Couldn't have gone smoother. Highly recommend! read more