We had our wedding at Fishermen's Inn on Friday, July 3rd, 2026. Overall, we had a beautiful…read morewedding and many wonderful experiences with the venue, but there were also several major disappointments that we feel are important for future couples to know about.
From the very beginning of our planning process, Erin, our day-of coordinator, was wonderful. She was personable, honest, extremely helpful, and always willing to answer our questions. She made the planning process feel seamless and did a great job taking stress off of me as the bride. We truly appreciated having her throughout the planning process.
It is important for future couples to know that we were responsible for setting up everything the morning of our wedding. We were not permitted to set up anything the day before, so our family and wedding party had to handle all of the setup on the morning of the wedding. This was a significant amount of work to take on before the wedding even began, but thankfully our family and friends were amazing and made it happen.
Our wedding was in the middle of a Midwest summer, and the day before the wedding, we made the decision to move our ceremony indoors because of an extreme heat advisory. Erin and her team handled that change very well and made the transition as stress-free as possible for us. Our ceremony was beautiful, the dinner was delicious, and we were very happy with how the food accommodated our guests' various allergies.
Unfortunately, the biggest issues occurred because of severe weather and the power outages that followed.
We were not made aware that Fishermen's Inn had experienced a power outage the night before our wedding after lightning struck. As a result, the chandelier in the dining room and the lighting in the overflow seating area were not working at all. This left some of our guests eating dinner in very dim lighting. We understand that lightning and storms are completely outside of the venue's control, but we do feel that we should have been informed about the issue before the wedding so that we could have discussed possible solutions or made alternative arrangements for those tables.
Later in the evening, after our first dances, the power went out again. This created much more significant issues. The bathrooms immediately became a major concern because there was no running water and the toilets could not flush, yet our guests were not immediately informed and continued using the facilities. This became a serious sanitation concern for our guests and was one of the most disappointing aspects of the evening.
We had also paid for an upgraded beverage package, including two specialty mixed drinks. When the power went out, the fountain drinks and mixers needed for those specialty drinks were no longer available. Eventually, the bartenders were also unable to serve mixed drinks such as Jack and Coke. After a period of time, hard liquor was no longer being served unless it was served on the rocks. Given that we had paid for an upgraded beverage package, this was understandably frustrating.
Another major concern was accessibility. Our cousin has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair that weighs over 200 pounds. When the power went out, the elevator stopped working. His wheelchair had to be taken downstairs using a steep, sketchy ramp. Thankfully, the wheelchair made it down without any hiccups, but the situation was extremely stressful and emotional for our cousin and our family. Several of our firefighter guests stepped in to help safely get him and his wheelchair downstairs. Having an accessible backup plan for an emergency like this would have made an enormous difference.
Our late-night snack was also affected by the outage and was served cold. By that point, after everything that had happened, we ultimately did not want to eat it.
We completely understand that Fishermen's Inn cannot control severe weather or a lightning strike. What was disappointing was the lack of preparation, communication, and backup solutions once the power was lost. A backup generator, a clear emergency plan for the bathrooms, communication with guests about the water and restroom situation, and a better accessibility plan would have made a significant difference.
We were also disappointed that we never received any follow-up communication after the wedding. We did not receive an email acknowledging the power outage, checking in to see how we felt about the experience, or even a simple "thank you for choosing Fishermen's Inn." Considering the circumstances of our wedding night, some type of follow-up would have gone a long way.
Despite these challenges, we are grateful for the beautiful parts of our wedding day and especially for Erin, who was wonderful to work with throughout the entire process. She was a bright spot in our experience and truly cared about making our wedding day special.
We hope Fishermen's Inn takes this feedback seriously and considers putting stronger contingency plans in place!
