I ended up moving the location of my wedding away from the Old Sandmeyer Barn just THREE WEEKS before my wedding. Dawn - the rental manager - proved to be too unpredictable to work with.
She promised us the moon until the day we paid in full. Up until then, she offered to let us use the back room of the barn for our caterers to prep the food; she said we could move the string lights on the ceiling because we thought they were draped too low; she told us she was going to buy folding tables and chairs, then it was a big chandelier, and then it was a front lawn (none of these plans ever came to fruition by the wedding); she said we could borrow wooden chairs and tables and wagons and even furniture from her own house! When we paid the entire rental fee one month before, she immediately started making new demands: we needed to pay a non-refundable security deposit of $250, we couldn't use the back room unless we paid $200 extra, we couldn't adjust the string lights on the ceiling unless we hired her friend to do the job and it would cost a few hundred dollars. It became very clear that she is the kind of person you want to avoid doing business with, so we cancelled. We did not get our money back.
On another note, I find it very odd that she has photos posted from a wedding in August, and the family CLEARLY does not want them posted - they have even threatened with an attorney if she doesn't take them down.
From what I've heard from other people who have worked with her, this is typical behavior. If you are going to rent the barn, please be very cautious. read more