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| - This review concerns wedding facilities & catering not the Spring Preserve in general since there is no specific yelp section for this.
First off this place is quite large and getting to the ceremony area is a long walk. Mobility challenged individuals could have some issues. There are several facilities that are available, for both indoor & outdoor ceremonies. The path to the ceremony area was not well marked, and, in fact, the parking wasn't obvious either. In my opinion, this is not a minor issue, since there are several parking areas and the long walk isn't good for the elderly or mobility challenged. 3/5 stars
This is a stock picture of the ceremony area, Gardens Arboretum:
http://www.springspreserve.org/assets/images/book_wedding_ceremony.jpg
No doubt, the place is gorgeous. The settings are quiet and well groomed (pun intended). I give this area 5/5 stars.
The reception room is another longer walk, and there were guides to help us get to the location. There is a stair climb and a separate elevator for the mobility challenged. We were in, I believe, the Gardens Terrace:
http://www.springspreserve.org/assets/images/book_wedding_reception.jpg
This room was great with great views of the lights on the Strip once the sun had set. It was plenty big enough for the number of guests (75, i think). I give this room 4/5 stars.
Our hosts provided a bar with a couple of drinks, complimentary, provided for an hour before the formal reception & dinner; I believe they were a white sangria and Mai Tai. I only tasted the sangria and it was good. Nothing too exciting, but good. The Mai Tai looked a bit strange in that it was a cloudy white, like a Mojito and not red/orange. Additionally, the bar was hard pressed to keep up with the number of drinks. I heard there was an issue with a bartender getting injured before the drink service. The bar service was 3/5, at best.
Also, pre-dinner, was an antipasto type Hors d'oeuvre setup. Very tasty, but was surprised that the great quality of the cheeses, meats, & vegetables was served with some type of grocery store crackers and no bread. I just looked at the online menu and there was supposed to be "Rustic Italian Breads" 4/5 stars.
The food served was very good. Dinner main dishes:
- Salt Crusted Prime Rib of Beef served with Horseradish & Au Jus: I like my beef rare and the carver was able to cut me a great end piece. Very tasty and would be something I would order at a regular restaurant
- Crusted Chicken Seasonal Vegetables served with Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes & Natural Jus: This was cooked well and, let me tell you, the mashed potatoes were GREAT. Again, another dish I would order at a conventional dining venue.
- Not sure if this was it, but the Glazed Pork Loin with Apricot Chutney looked sorta ok, but the flavor was really good. The pork was moist & tender and flavorful in its own right. Adding the apricot chutney made this my favorite of all the main dishes.
The sides were standard fare salad, Caeser salad, penne pasta in a red sauce, breads, and some other items. The only item that wasn't up to the standard of the main dishes was the penne. It was kinda limp and bland. Not bad, but definitely not special.
Food, 4/5-5/5 stars.
Overall, I enjoyed the event (wedding) and facilities, though I wish directions to the actually ceremony area was better laid out or marked and that the bar situation was better handled. The Springs Preserve & Culinary Arts Catering seem to have a good team handling this, they just need more polishing. 3.75/5 stars, rounding up to 4/5.
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