SEWAGE ISSUES!
(Summary - Their septic system in the main barn backed up during our event, and little was done to make it right)
Before I start, I will give credit where credit is due and mention the helpfulness of the employees they were helpful and accommodating. Now to get into the issues - During the day of our ceremony, the father of the bride noticed that the toilet flushed very slowly, and made the event manager aware. The event manager at that time informed the father of the bride that they had experienced some issues with the plumbing the night before. At the time, this wasn't a big deal and we continued with our day, however, right after our ceremony, as soon as we were seated for our meal, there was an announcement that the in-venue restrooms were "backed up" and that they would be out of service for the remainder of the day. Not only this, but a sewage smell began to fill the catering area where people were being served... This was even observed by the staff. The event manager informed me that this issue "happens sometimes". This all occurred at the very start of the reception, and the venue bathrooms had not been used by our party previously due to the fact that everyone had been immediately seated outside and our ceremony started promptly. Our guests were told by the staff that the only available restrooms were the bridal suite and dude cave restrooms that were 100+ feet of graveled path from the venue, and not easily accessible to our handicapped and elderly guests. This led to many of our guests leaving early - as in nearly everyone was gone by 6:30, which is very uncharacteristic of my prominently German family who love a good gathering (especially when an open bar is involved). We packed up and headed home after the guests left and I contacted the owners, who informed us that we were given the option of an emergency plumber coming to fix the issue (an option that was absolutely not given, and one I would have certainly taken rather than having a 3-hour wedding + reception). At first, he seemed eager to make things right, but in the following emails, he actually tried to blame our guests for their faulty plumbing, even though my guests hardly had the opportunity to use the restrooms, let alone damage the plumbing. They offered what they thought was fair compensation for my reception smelling like sewage and being cut short, which came out to less than 15% of the total bill. I found this laughable, because if I knew that this was a possibility (and according to the staff and the way the owners talked, a somewhat likely one) I would not have used the venue at all. The faulty septic system of the venue was an existing issue that was unaddressed, and not something that we should have had to experience on the most important day of our lives. The owners were not willing to negotiate at all regarding correcting the situation, they were firm on their measly refund, and sent a check without further discussion. I would not recommend this venue, and unless you want your reception to be garnished by sewage issues, I would find another venue. read more