My wife and I hosted our wedding at Villa Olivia in September 2014. Overall, our experience was very good; hence the 4-star review. Starting first with the positives:
- Received numerous compliments from our guests on the food. Portions were large, prices were reasonable and, most importantly, the taste was good.
- The venue itself is gorgeous. We hosted our event in the Emerald Room, and were particularly happy with the wooden, vaulted ceilings.
- The bartender at our event was excellent.
- Overall, the value is excellent. Compared to other venues we looked into, Villa Olivia offered significantly more for our dollar. The look and feel of our event was significantly more high end than the price we paid.
- The planners/organizers (Started working with Teresa, who retired, and finished working with both Jessica and Courtney) were quick to respond to inquiries and always seemed intent on solving whatever problem we had in an expedient fashion.
Unfortunately, the planners/organizers are also the only real con of this venue.
After having an excellent experience with Teresa (genuinely the most helpful and accommodating organizers we could have imagined), she retired mid-way through our planning process and we began working with Courtney and Jessica.
At first, the transition was entirely seamless. In the immediate lead-up to the wedding, though, things became a bit more difficult. The general root of all the issues seemed to be a basic lack of communication between Courtney and Jessica. Having met with one of them for our food tasting - which also served as a last-minute reminder of when head counts, seating charts, and ribbon (We selected a cake with a ribbon encircling it) were due to them.
However, as our event approached, we received an email telling us our seating chart AND guest count was due TODAY (originally, we told they were due on separate days, and neither of them that day). We were able to resolve the situation, but it caused some un-needed scrambling on our part.
The next issue was with the ribbon. We were never told we needed to bring the ribbon in early, and assumed it would be turned in the day before when we brought the rest of our decorations. My wife received a call about a week before the wedding, at work, asking if she could deliver the ribbon to Villa Olivia (40+ mins from her place of employment) TODAY because the bakery needed it. In the end, after a few stressful phone calls, we ended up over-nighting the ribbon to the bakery (at our expense). Again, the issue was easy to solve, but it was entirely unnecessary and would've been easily avoided by one planner talking to the other.
Another issue was with the set-up on the day of the event. Twice during the lead-up to our wedding (once with Teresa, and once with one of the new planners) we were told that I could come in the morning of the wedding and do some final set-up on the room. I arrived with my best man around 10 a.m. (Wedding at 5;30) and nothing was set up whatsoever. When I inquired, I was told that no, they never tell people they can set up this early, the staff doesn't even start until 3. In the end, they pulled out the few items i needed from storage and allowed me to make the necessary final touches. But, again, clear communication prevents this issue.
One of the biggest issues was with the "Final Invoice." A week or so before the wedding my wife received an email entitled "FINAL INVOICE," giving us our final balance for the event. So, we prepare to pay that amount (Which was exactly what we planned/expected it to be.) Then, a little later, we receive an email that says (paraphrasing) "Actually, we added wrong. You owe [about $200 more than we initially told you]." Not a big deal in the long run, but in a perfect world, Final Invoice should mean Final Invoice.
Lastly, and this is more of an annoyance than a legitimate problem, was that on wedding day - after having paid the final sum - my wife was approached during the reception and told she needed to come sign some quick paperwork about our reception AND pay the final balance of ~5 dollars. Really? You approach the bride on wedding day for $5 after you've already screwed up our final invoice once? How about waiting until the next day and emailing us. It's $5. You have our credit card information. We're not going to escape a $5 bill.
Anyway; despite the word count differential between my pros and cons, the overall experience with Villa Olivia was excellent and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a wonderful wedding experience. Just be sure to stay on top of the planners when final details come around. read more