Juliane James Place, owned and managed by The Bash Collective, is a beautiful, rustic wedding site near Finlayson, MN. The beauty of the property drew us in. Don't be fooled. There are so many beautiful pieces of land in Northern Minnesota, that are as natural and equally exquisite.
First they are extremely overpriced--$10,000 just to use their land for 6 hours. It includes electricity, use of their space and a tent with a dance floor, a few farmhouse tables and NOTHING else. They do not provide location insurance, as all hotels and most other properties do. And you must buy your insurance from the owner's designated insurer--that felt unethical and very fishy.
Secondly, the property is owned by a married couple, Jesse and Alyson, but Alyson runs it all. They use it in fall, winter and spring. Therefore it is their personal land, and they don't actually want you there.
To protect their property they have a list of rules that are so restrictive that we felt like trespassers on their property rather than invited, paying guests. Given all their rules and regulations, we had to ask permission for each and every thing we wanted to do. And Alyson's attitude is so rigid and controlling, that she said "no" to every single thing we wanted to do. We were not asking to have a rager or to trash their property--we were asking to create "stations" for various games and activities at the wedding, like beer pong, a coloring table, and card games, and she said "no" to each and every request because it didn't fit her cookie-cutter idea of a wedding. Alyson is a very controlling person and likes things her way. I believe that if the bride makes reasonable requests, she should be able to have the wedding SHE envisions.
Because of Alyson's requirements to approve every element of your wedding to ensure you don't violate any of their prescriptive rules, we had to contact Alyson for permission before putting down deposits on anything--and Alyson would not speak to us at all until 60 days before the event, when all the deposits are already paid, knowing that everything we contracted for may or may not be approved. Here is the most frustrating part of all: Each time we contacted Alyson for the permission THEY require, Alyson was NEVER AVAILABLE and DID NOT RETURN EMAILS, TEXT MESSAGES, PHONE CALLS OR WRITTEN LETTERS throughout the planning process--even after 5 different emails were sent about the very same urgent question. We hired the wedding planner recommended by JJP for the day of the event, and Alyson STILL DID NOT RESPOND TO OUR PLANNER, even 3 days before the wedding for critical final questions.
When I confronted the owner to ask why she does not respond, her answer was, "Julianne James Place is not my main business, and I'm much more interested in the other one, so I don't pay much attention to this one." Well, let me tell you something--as the Mother of the Bride--THIS IS A SERVICE BUSINESS AND IF YOU DON'T WANT TO PROVIDE THE SERVICE, GET OUT OF THE BUSINESS!!
The cabin the bride dresses in is not air conditioned, so our makeup and hair were pretty melted by the time we got to the aisle, as it was a typical summer Minnesota summer day, with 85 degrees temps and humidity.Avoid this venue and the Bash Collective, and you'll save a fortune in expenses, and more importantly, your sanity during an exciting, but let's face it--stressful--time.
It's hard to find, but NOT WORTH THE EFFORT. Run the other way! read more
