05/18. Toured & impressed that VWR doesn't believe in "nickel and diming" over extra expenses. Venue included DJ, bartender, & day of coordinator. Paid in full & signed a contract for 250 attendance 1/5/19 wedding. In July, attend an open house, won hour early check in for day of wedding. Also, booked all cabins for night of wedding. At tour, Joe mentions transitioning round tables to farmhouse. Says they were surveying current brides & should know soon. September, email asking status on tables so we know how to decorate. Receive an email back, "haven't decided yet".
October, schedule to go back out to do floor plan. Shelby greets us & is super helpful. Informs us still not sure on table situation. We also share we are very concerned on time frame to decorate due to 4:00 Saturday wedding & ask if we can set up day before. She says "as long as there is not a Friday wedding, NO problem & we can reserve 3 months prior at no charge".
October 5, email VWR to reserve Friday to decorate & schedule rehearsal. A return email from Nicki replies "you have 1 hour per our agreement for rehearsal and to decorate. After that they we will lock the door." I email Nicki that we had spoken with Shelby, 1 hour was simply not enough time for us to set up, decorate, and rehearse. We kindly requested 2-3 hours & Shelby said that it was Ok & no charge. Receive an email from Joe, Shelby no longer there and he would ok it but was not giving us "free reign of the venue. We needed to make sure that the vendors VWR was providing was not going to charge us extra for our earlier than usual wedding". Yes, the wedding was going to be a little earlier, but also ending earlier. Same time as stated in contract. SO, we had no idea what he meant.
November, email from Bar Butlers RECOMMENDING an added bar assistant.
DECEMBER 14th, FINALLY find out for sure farmhouse tables! Email from Bar Butlers REQUIRING an extra bartender and bar assistant for 250 count wedding, extra $500. Our count never changed from our original signed contract. VWR does not forward the contract to Bar Butlers! Bar Butlers did send a questionnaire email a week after booking the venue with specific questions. However, this early did not know the answers.
JANUARY 4TH, arrive at 1 to decorate & set up as approved by Joe on October 5th. Ashley, (another new name!) greets my friends. Asks what we are doing there & informs us we aren't to be there until our rehearsal time at 3:00. She calls Joe, tells her it's ok but to be sure & let us know it's a COURTESY he is giving 1 time. (I Email Ashley after wedding.I received approval from Joe. Responds rudely "Yes, it was I who spoke to your guest as I was in the middle of a tour and we had you on calendar for Saturday for early check-in at 1pm not on calendar for Friday prior to your rehearsal. I contacted Joe immediately & he didn't know anything about it but allowed you access since everyone was there and my tour was wrapping up". I forwarded the email thread that Joe & I had. Tone softened quickly with "Thank you for sending that over there was no indication on our calendar & when I contacted Joe he was unaware of it I'm sorry for the miscommunication since I was not informed about it.)
WEDDING DAY! Day of coordinator, DJ, & Bar Butlers was good!
Bridal Suite was dirty. No toilet paper, no paper towels.
Our caterer was set up under trees by fire pit. Also had s'mores & hot cocoa bar. ALL light bulbs along side of building were burned out. DARK! Caterers & our guests could not see, especially elderly. S'mores & hot cocoa bar hardly got touched! Told coordinator, but nothing done. Many people complained. Much food & drink wasted because no one saw it. Wedding ended at 10, had till midnight. Coordinator had everyone loading all our stuff on tables outside & getting us locked out of venue by 11, or we would be charged extra! Won early check in at open house, didn't get relayed to coordinator. SO much miscommunication & fear of extra fees. We were shorted an hour, & stuck with a HUGE mess of decorations outside & locked out of venue!
VWR cabins. Bedding had not been changed in months. In addition, there are signs everywhere, "IF YOU ARE STILL HERE WHEN CLEANING CREW ARRIVES, YOU WILL BE CHARGED OR YOU HAVE TO HELP CLEAN!"
Was told by coordinator to make sure everything was picked up including all flower petals or it would be deducted from our deposit. Did receive our full deposit back, took 4 weeks! Ashley told me it would be cut on the 15th. Then, she told me on the 27th, wasn't sure what happened to it. Then, Joe said the accountant had been sick so he went down, signed it & it would go out in the mail.
Right hand never knew what the left hand was doing. Joe had to be involved in everything, but too busy with 3 venues & brewery. It appears to be all about the money. "Get one wedding in & out, and the next one coming in". As we were driving out, the next wedding family was pulling in to unload. read more