As much as I hate to write this review because I truly do like the owner, Kristy, I would be remiss…read moreif I did not share my recent experience. I hosted my son's 5th birthday party at The Children's Social Club on Saturday and could not have been more disappointed.
I purchased the Soirée party package, which included all of the bells and whistles and was intended to provide a seamless experience where my family and I simply needed to show up and enjoy the celebration. Unfortunately, that was the complete opposite of what we experienced.
My party was scheduled to begin at 5:00 PM, and when I arrived at 4:50 PM, setup was still incomplete. Jacqui, the party planner/manager, was frantically trying to finish the balloon garland, the children's table was not set, and the overall décor was unfinished. My photographer intentionally arrived early to capture photos of the decor before guests arrived, but he was unable to do so because the décor was not completed until approximately 5:30 PM.
Guests began arriving promptly at 5:00 PM and were met with staff scrambling to finish setup, including assembling the dessert table that should have already been completed. Rather than apologizing for the delay, Jacqui became defensive and repeatedly told my husband and I that she had planned "million-dollar events" so a party of this size was a piece of cake. She also blamed the party scheduled before ours, stating that they stayed longer than expected and delayed setup for our event. Regardless of the reason, the lack of preparedness was completely unacceptable.
To make matters worse, there was also a significant delay with the adult food service. Jacqui immediately blamed the owner for not correctly placing the order and then left in a frantic state to purchase additional food from the restaurant. As a result, my guests did not eat until after 6:30 PM, which was actually when the children were supposed to eat.
The owner ultimately extended my party by 30 minutes to accommodate the delay with the food and the fact that the children still had not eaten by 6:30 PM. However, Jacqui presented the extension as though they were doing us a favor, despite the circumstances being entirely caused by poor planning and execution on their end.
To add to the frustration, we then felt rushed through key moments of the party, including singing Happy Birthday, cake cutting, and taking photos. One of my guests even commented on the poor level of service, noting that Jacqui appeared visibly overwhelmed and in need of additional support.
I have never experienced this level of disorganization and lack of service while hosting an event. Instead of enjoying time with my guests and celebrating my son, I spent much of the evening managing issues related to décor, setup, and food delays. This was not the seamless, stress-free experience that was promised or expected, and it was incredibly disappointing.
