-
December 2023 by Kasie
I write this review to allow other couples considering this venue to have knowledge of what to expect when booking. Upon touring the venue, I asked the owner, Jim, if there were any hidden fees that we could expect upon booking. He told us that he could not think of any, so we decided to book this venue for our wedding. We quickly realized this was not the truth. While booking our caterer, they gave us their prices and asked where we were getting married. They quickly informed us that our total cost would be higher because the owners of Willowsbend charge them 10% of what we paid to be there. I was shocked. Our caterer informed us that it is not just their company that is charged; they told us that any caterer who goes into that venue is expected to pay the 10%. I reached out to Jim about this, and was told that he was not sure how they chose to charge their clientele. We started talking about this with people we knew, and one of our pastor friends informed us that he has performed a wedding at that venue, and was also charged 10%; ultimately, this was charged to the bride & groom when he refused to pay it. While I can only speak to my experience with the caterer and our pastor friend being charged, I can assume any vendor that steps into that venue will be charged for their presence. 10% may not seem like a lot, but it quickly adds up. The venue is beautiful and offers great scenery for a wedding, but I wish I knew this information before booking with this venue because it would have changed my decision. Prior to booking, I read the negative reviews this venue has and didn't believe them because of the owner's responses to those reviews. I wish I had. Unfortunately, due to personal circumstances, we had to cancel our wedding 5 months before the date. So I cannot speak to the actual day-of-event, I can only speak to my experience with this venue when planning and leading up to it. As I said, I wish I had taken the reviews I read to heart and knew that after my experience, I wanted to warn other couples considering this venue of what they could expect financially upon booking.
-
September 2023 by Cole Clanton
Owner / bartenders were unpleasant to be around and quiet, honestly, just rude. The dj is a tool. Beautiful place. Great set up. Not the best people
-
August 2023 by Mark Kern
Went for a wedding. It was a really nice place with both indoor and outdoor spaces
-
August 2023 by Eric Gifford
Went to a beautiful wedding here yesterday. They really paid attention to every detail. Did a tremendous job with the wedding and reception. Kept everything flowing perfectly . Facility is beautiful with a picturesque waterfront view including sunset fireworks.
-
August 2023 by Matt Kessler
Start to finish an amazing experience. Owners are passionate about and proficient at making the best wedding and reception possible. And they are real cool too. I wish I could give them bonus stars ⭐️ !
-
July 2023 by Scott K
Great venue! Very clean and impressive in main building. Overall look of the grounds was beautiful. Paving the parking lot would be great, considering most come here wearing non-casual shoes.
-
March 2023 by Michele Carlyon
Jim and Michele were amazing to work with. They not only ran with our crazy ideas but they also embraced them. They provided the most beautiful backdrop for such an important day in my life and I’ll be forever grateful. Thank you Jim and Michele.
-
November 2022 by Jordyn Johnson
It was great! The chandelier in the middle of the room was GORGEOUS ? ? ? 10/10 treatment, now this was not my wedding but I would definitely go there again . But the problem was #1. We waited almost 30 mins to get our food served to us after they said we'll get it soon#2. The bride and groom cut the cake like normal but we waited TWO FRIKIN HOURS FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE IT! and guess what, almost everybody left from waiting too long and to add to that, they didn't even tell us they were serving cake! We found it when we were leaving so, I'll give this a 4 star
-
November 2022 by Cheryl Barker
My son got married here a couple days ago. The venue is absolutely gorgeous and perfect for a wedding! The owners are awesome to work with! Very happy with our experience and highly recommend this venue!
-
November 2022 by Brandy Watkins
I attended as a guest. The venue itself was nice.enough but I would never have my own wedding here. The owners were mopping the floor while people were dancing and did not even put up wet floor signs. My niece was on crutches and this act was not safe! The owners started breaking everything down very early in the night around 9:00 pm. They even changed the light monogram to the next couple’s name in front of the current bride and groom! Couldn’t that have been done the next morning??!! The guest and family felt like they were being pushed out early.
-
November 2022 by Amber Miller
Everything was great. Dj was outstanding! But the bar was quite a let down. $5 for tiny one ounce shots on an “Open bar”? worse than a bar. We purchased a good package for the bar but still was charged quite a lot. And the bar staff just seemed to be quite annoyed and unhappy which is very frustrating on such a special day. Every time people PAID for a shot they seemed annoyed. And honestly alcohol seemed quite watered down.
-
November 2022 by Andrea Mann
We got married at Willows Bend in May 2022 and had a wonderful day! Both inside and outside the venue is absolutely beautiful, and was a big reason we decided to book with Willows Bend. The owners were also very helpful throughout the process. They were prompt in responding to our questions and helped us setup the morning of the wedding. Overall, we had a great experience!
-
November 2022 by Chad Follmer
Visited for a friends wedding this last weekend, was such a wonderful experience, they were organized and well equiped for all the guests. Only thing i noticed was the photographer was a little overboard with pictures but other than that outstanding experience from a guests prospective. From the outdoor areas to the high tech indoor reception was great. Off the beaten path and next to the lake. Highly recommend.
-
November 2022 by Connor Moore
Honestly this place is beautiful and the wedding was great, but the owners really need to learn to be hands off on day of the wedding and let the people who paid all the money for their place to have fun.Stop mopping in the middle of the dance floor in the middle of the wedding, don’t make comments to people when they spill a little tiny bit of beer on accident “don’t you think you should clean that up before getting another beer” the lady is just plain rude to be honest, if you can’t be nice to your guests then outsource your servers and bartenders. Wedding was over at 11 pm and they are asking when we are leaving at 11:05. Give us some time pleaseThis place is truly beautiful, but please in the future for other peoples wedding let them and their family and friends enjoy the day without feeling like you’re watching every move we do.*** reply to their commentMichelle did ask a groomsman when they were changing “are you going to get out of here soon” she is so rude. She also did indeed Ask someone if they think they should clean up before getting another beer. You are both liars and thief’s. Really hope no one ever books this place if they truly want to enjoy their day! There is zero reason for me to make this up, you just think you need to respond to any negative review on why you are right.
-
November 2022 by Casey Keatley
My husband and I got married here a little over a week ago and the day itself couldn’t have gone more perfect. Michelle and Jim made the wedding planning process a piece of cake. DJ Ako (Willows Bend DJ) was very helpful in ensuring the evening went smooth. Any issues were brought to our attention before any decisions were made. It was by far way less stressful than either of our families thought it would be, which allowed us as a couple to really enjoy our special day!The venue itself is remarkable. We chose to have a simple rustic mountain theme and the venue accommodated that very well. All the decorating we really did was for on the tables.
