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| - I am writing this review from a guest's perspective. I rated this a 2.5, so I bumped it up to 3 stars because it was "A-OK."
Location: It is a pretty place, but there are some interesting things concerning the surroundings that one should be aware of. First, it's surrounded by homes. on two sides, directly bordering the guest parking lot as well as the back side of the "orchard" section where ceremonies take place. I assume photographers have to be pretty creative to keep homes from showing up in the backgrounds of photos.
Also, there is a bird sanctuary bordering the reception hall. You can hear birds squawking quite easily. As we took our seats for the ceremony on the lawn, I noticed that several seats had "presents" from the birds. It's a wonder nobody received such a present while sitting.
The ponds are a strange orange color, with absolutely no pizazz. The water sounds so nice, but the ponds just look so basic for a wedding venue. It would be nice to see some decorative touches, lights, pebblestones, something. They seem so empty and cold. And beware, the bridge that crosses over the pond and the ramp that leads to the gazebo are made from a very slippery, plastic type material that does not work well with heels or dress shoes. I saw 4-5 people slip.
Ceremony: The wedding we attended had an ultra short ceremony, it literally was around 10 minutes. The entrance of the bridal party and bride was done very well; they come from opposite sides and walk down a path. The music for this wedding took place through speakers mounted outside the reception area, so it was turned up quite loud and sounded cheesy. Also, when the bride was given away to the groom, the music continued to play. The Reverend (Jimmy) gave it a moment to stop, and when the music continued, he literally screamed out for them to "SHUT IT OFF!" Way out of place at a wedding, in my opinion. He was very laid back (I think he may have even cursed a time or two), so if you aren't into the traditional/stuffy kind of ceremony, I guess he would be a good choice.
Personnel: Least friendly wedding staff I have ever come across. The food servers and bussers were robotic and quiet. The bartender was the least friendly, most arrogant bartender I have ever come across. The DJ was boring. The wedding coordinator was a total grouch with a perma-scowl. Every staff member seemed ultra annoyed.
Reception Area: The dance floor is a nice size. The bar area is tiny. The food serving area is small. The bathrooms are small and cramped. The plates, silverware, glasses, etc., are old and well used. The place smells like bleach. Almost like they have to go through buckets of bleach per week to keep the old mustiness of the place at bay. No doubt about it, the reception hall is aging and needs a facelift.
Food: The food was served buffet style. It was just "ok." There was nothing special, unique, interesting, etc. It was edible and it was fine. It felt like the food you throw together in 15 minutes on a Monday night. I don't believe that "boring" should be anyone's goal when it comes to wedding food.
DJ: During the 70 minute timeframe where guests were waiting for the wedding party to finish photography outside, the DJ played at least 5 songs twice. And then after the wedding party made its entrance, some songs were played again. I don't know if he forgot to "turn off" repeat or what, but it quickly became embarrassing. He wasn't very good at getting people involved or pumped up. Yawn.
TL;DR: I think this is a fair option for a wedding on a budget. I think this place is missing the "spark" that a lot of other wedding venues have, from budget-friendly to extravagant. It feels a little bit like an old, tired, "wedding mill."
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