I have loved Manson my entire life. My dad was born and raised there, we spent a lot of time there…read moregrowing up, and we still have family there. We visit as often as we can, so it meant a lot to our family when our son and daughter-in-law chose to get married near Lake Chelan.
They found Harmony Meadows, and the venue itself is absolutely beautiful. The setting was exactly what they envisioned for their wedding day.
Unfortunately, our experience with the owner, Jacqueline, was extremely disappointing. As the mother of the groom, I didn't have much direct interaction with her leading up to the wedding, but I witnessed and heard enough during the wedding weekend to be concerned. The bride, the bride's mother, and several bridesmaids were treated rudely both the day before and the day of the wedding. Rather than helping create a positive, memorable experience, there were unnecessary confrontations and comments that added stress to what should have been a joyful occasion. She spoke negatively about other weddings at the location and also spoke unkindly about our son and daughter in law's wedding before it even happened. She ended up storming off before the wedding happened so didn't see her the rest of the time. She made it more about herself than what it was meant to be.
The cottages also presented problems. My sister and sister-in-law stayed in one of the units, and around 1:00 a.m. on the first night, the fire/carbon monoxide alarm began sounding. They texted the emergency contact number but received no response. After calling, someone eventually came and moved them upstairs, but they were never told what caused the alarm.
While getting ready for the wedding, my daughter used the hair dryer in our cottage. It was already damaged when she first unfolded it, the handle was loose and flopped while in use. I immediately requested a replacement. Despite explaining that it was already broken, we were later charged $50 for that hair dryer. Jacqueline ultimately agreed to remove that charge after I contacted her.
After the wedding, the mother of the bride received notice that several deductions would be taken from the security deposit. These included another $50 charge for a hair dryer in my sister's room that they never used. We were told it had been "broken in half," but no photos or proof of damage were provided. They were also charged $40 per furniture item--$160 total--for moving beds slightly to make room for a baby's crib, despite no evidence that the furniture had been damaged. Additional charges included "excessive food" on a tablecloth and rental fees for two DJ tables that were never used. We have photos and video from the reception showing the DJ did not use those tables.
The venue itself is stunning, but customer service is just as important as the location, especially for weddings. Couples invest a significant amount of money and trust in a venue to help make one of the most important days of their lives special. Sadly, our experience left us feeling disappointed and frustrated. Harmony Meadows has tremendous potential, but based on our experience, the customer service, especially Jacqueline did not reflect the level of professionalism we expected.
