Reviews for The Briars

Reviews

+24 User photos

• Featured

  Jordan M. Sent on 06/09/2023
  4.2 out of 5 rating

  4.2
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    4.0 out of 5 rating
    4.0
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    3.0 out of 5 rating
    3.0
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    4.0 out of 5 rating
    4.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0

  Wonderful! Great to work with!

  Gorgeous venue, amazing food and very helpful throughout the whole wedding process!

  Gorgeous venue, amazing food and very helpful throughout the whole wedding process!
• Corinne M. Sent on 22/01/2024
  3 out of 5 rating

  3.0
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    3.0 out of 5 rating
    3.0
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    3.0 out of 5 rating
    3.0
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    2.0 out of 5 rating
    2.0
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    4.0 out of 5 rating
    4.0
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    3.0 out of 5 rating
    3.0

  Wedding Venue

  I’ll preface this review by saying at the end of the day, if you end up married to your person that’s all that really matters. It’s taken me some time to write this but I do think it’s important couples who are newly engaged be aware of our experience.
  
  Initially everything seemed to go quite well. We fell in love with the grounds and the old fashioned style. Their wedding package and what they said they offered was a bonus. Everything could be done in one place, they had a list of preferred vendors they worked with and we had a venue coordinator to support. It’s important to note, there is a difference between a venue coordinator, wedding coordinator, and wedding planner. We recognized and understood the Briars offered a “venue coordinator”.
  
  There were a few things we picked up on, however we are a very laid back couple and chose to roll with it. Our primary concern was the venue coordinator. They didn’t seem to know what they were doing, continuously forgot to do their job, requiring us to chase them down and remind them, and despite telling us they had what they needed ultimately fell through.
  
  The closer our wedding came, the worse the venue coordinator was. Ultimately it seemed they continually forgot about our wedding and were playing catch up even on the day of which made things exponentially more stressful. They neglected to do the basics of their job, were ill prepared and perhaps most egregious, doubled down and refused to take accountability. Everything from forgetting our final details meeting and needing to be reminded repeatedly, then seemingly not doing anything during the meeting? Not coordinating with our vendors, forgetting to do our timeline, forgetting who we assigned rooms to, forgetting the rehearsal ceremony, arguing with family day of about where things should go, and in general just not doing their job.
  
  To put it simply the venue coordinator was an absolute mess. We were incredibly disappointed. It was clear the venue coordinator’s communication with the Briar’s staff was also poor as no one seemed to be aware of what was going on. In the end, the venue coordinator hurried through the day and took off asap.
  
  The mess continued as we tried to pay our final bills and eventually I had enough of the rude, ignorant behaviour of the venue coordinator and demanded to speak only to the resort manager. Whether they simply were incompetent in their role, had too “high of a workload”, or any other excuse they came up with it just was not acceptable. A wedding should not be the casualty of someone else’s poor performance. We received no apology from the venue coordinator who spoke over us and insisted we were to blame for everything. After finally speaking with the manager we came to a satisfactory resolution. But our memories of our wedding day will always be somewhat tainted because of this experience.
  
  While the Briars is a beautiful place, and the general staff were friendly and apologetic for the lack of support we received from our venue coordinator I simply would not recommend them as a venue. I would not want another couple to go through the stress we did. If not for our other vendors and family it might have turned out quite different.

  I’ll preface this review by saying at the end of the day, if you end up married to your person that’s all that really matters. It’s taken me some time to write this but I do think it’s important couples who are newly engaged be aware of our experience.
  
  Initially everything seemed to go quite well. We fell in love with the grounds and the old fashioned style. Their wedding package and what they said they offered was a bonus. Everything could be done in one place, they had a list of preferred vendors they worked with and we had a venue coordinator to support. It’s important to note, there is a difference between a venue coordinator, wedding coordinator, and wedding planner. We recognized and understood the Briars offered a “venue coordinator”.
  
  There were a few things we picked up on, however we are a very laid back couple and chose to roll with it. Our primary concern was the venue coordinator. They didn’t seem to know what they were doing, continuously forgot to do their job, requiring us to chase them down and remind them, and despite telling us they had what they needed ultimately fell through.
  
  The closer our wedding came, the worse the venue coordinator was. Ultimately it seemed they continually forgot about our wedding and were playing catch up even on the day of which made things exponentially more stressful. They neglected to do the basics of their job, were ill prepared and perhaps most egregious, doubled down and refused to take accountability. Everything from forgetting our final details meeting and needing to be reminded repeatedly, then seemingly not doing anything during the meeting? Not coordinating with our vendors, forgetting to do our timeline, forgetting who we assigned rooms to, forgetting the rehearsal ceremony, arguing with family day of about where things should go, and in general just not doing their job.
  
  To put it simply the venue coordinator was an absolute mess. We were incredibly disappointed. It was clear the venue coordinator’s communication with the Briar’s staff was also poor as no one seemed to be aware of what was going on. In the end, the venue coordinator hurried through the day and took off asap.
  
  The mess continued as we tried to pay our final bills and eventually I had enough of the rude, ignorant behaviour of the venue coordinator and demanded to speak only to the resort manager. Whether they simply were incompetent in their role, had too “high of a workload”, or any other excuse they came up with it just was not acceptable. A wedding should not be the casualty of someone else’s poor performance. We received no apology from the venue coordinator who spoke over us and insisted we were to blame for everything. After finally speaking with the manager we came to a satisfactory resolution. But our memories of our wedding day will always be somewhat tainted because of this experience.
  
  While the Briars is a beautiful place, and the general staff were friendly and apologetic for the lack of support we received from our venue coordinator I simply would not recommend them as a venue. I would not want another couple to go through the stress we did. If not for our other vendors and family it might have turned out quite different.
• Abby Sent on 31/10/2021
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0
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    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0

  Our dream wedding

  The Briars is not only a beautiful resort but also a dream venue. The rustic decor and charm is unmatched to another venues. The staff are amazing and made our weekend so much more amazing.
  Michelle is amazing and it was so nice to work with her, and Jame the chef is UNREAL! Everyone loved the food!!
  My husband and I can’t wait to go back! We have decided every year we will go back for weekend on our wedding anniversary!
  The briars gave my husband and I our dream wedding!

  The Briars is not only a beautiful resort but also a dream venue. The rustic decor and charm is unmatched to another venues. The staff are amazing and made our weekend so much more amazing.
  Michelle is amazing and it was so nice to work with her, and Jame the chef is UNREAL! Everyone loved the food!!
  My husband and I can’t wait to go back! We have decided every year we will go back for weekend on our wedding anniversary!
  The briars gave my husband and I our dream wedding!

  The Briars's reply:

  Hi Abby,
  
  Thank you for the kind words. We were happy to make your dream wedding come true! It was a beautiful event and we cannot wait to welcome you back next year!
  
  Congratulations!
  
Are you interested?
Send a message
• Michelle B. Sent on 10/10/2021
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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    5.0
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    5.0
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    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0

  They saved our wedding!!

  I can't say enough good things about the Briars. We got married there in October 2nd, and the entire staff was incredible!!! First, they went above and beyond to ensure that our "COVID" wedding was just as special while still adhering to all regulations and ensuring all our guests were safe. Second, the staff was incredible!!! Our bar tender knew his stuff and was so fun; all the wait staff was kind and helpful. I can't say enough about them. Third, the food was out of this world!! Everyone of our guests talked about this being the best meal they have had!!! My hat goes off to the chef. When we realized we would be married during a pandemic, our hearts sunk, but everyone who helped us at the Briars (Dave, Michelle, the wait staff, the chefs, the bartenders, etc.) made sure that we had a wedding that far exceeded our dreams. We can't thank them enough for our lifetime of memories!!

  I can't say enough good things about the Briars. We got married there in October 2nd, and the entire staff was incredible!!! First, they went above and beyond to ensure that our "COVID" wedding was just as special while still adhering to all regulations and ensuring all our guests were safe. Second, the staff was incredible!!! Our bar tender knew his stuff and was so fun; all the wait staff was kind and helpful. I can't say enough about them. Third, the food was out of this world!! Everyone of our guests talked about this being the best meal they have had!!! My hat goes off to the chef. When we realized we would be married during a pandemic, our hearts sunk, but everyone who helped us at the Briars (Dave, Michelle, the wait staff, the chefs, the bartenders, etc.) made sure that we had a wedding that far exceeded our dreams. We can't thank them enough for our lifetime of memories!!
• Charlotte T. Sent on 30/08/2019
  4.6 out of 5 rating

  4.6
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    4.0 out of 5 rating
    4.0
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    4.0 out of 5 rating
    4.0

  Gorgeous Venue and Excellent Staff

  Overall, the experience with the Guild Inn was wonderful. Our coordinator Cassandra was great to work with since we booked the venue in January. In the 8 months we had to plan our wedding, she was very responsive and informative. She communicated all questions and details to our planner and cc'd us along the way for transparency. Our 'Day-Of' staff was excellent. I can't remember the Hall manager, but she was super helpful and friendly. She provided any help to our guests and vendors. Meyer was AMAZING! He was great to work with and coordinated between our AV supplier, the band/DJ and our MC. The music and speeches sounded great, and the lighting was beautiful.
  
  The food was delicious, even though my wife and I didn't get a chance to get a lot of it as we were non-stop running around! Our guests mentioned they really enjoyed the main dining meals, hors d'oeuvres and drinks. Depending on your bar package that you select, there may be limited variety of liquors so make sure to double check with the venue before you choose your package.
  
  The bridal suite was great, there is a sink and plenty of natural light, coffee table and couches around. However, it would've been nice to have a bathroom stall available as well, as people had to change in the public bathroom next door. A few of us had to use the accessible restroom to change/freshen up - not a huge deal though just not so much privacy. It would also be nice to have a hook or a rack for keeping our dresses/suits/change of clothes organized and easy for changing/steaming. They gifted us chocolate dipped strawberries which was a nice touch. It would be nice if there was larger mirror (full length would be ideal) and more counter space or table to place stuff on.
  
  We had a wonderful time at the Guild Inn. We would highly recommend the venue to anyone looking for a beautiful space to get married or hold any special event. The space and public park behind the venue is really special and the staff was excellent and accommodating. Thank you Guild Inn all your effort this past year with helping make our special day feel perfect.

  Overall, the experience with the Guild Inn was wonderful. Our coordinator Cassandra was great to work with since we booked the venue in January. In the 8 months we had to plan our wedding, she was very responsive and informative. She communicated all questions and details to our planner and cc'd us along the way for transparency. Our 'Day-Of' staff was excellent. I can't remember the Hall manager, but she was super helpful and friendly. She provided any help to our guests and vendors. Meyer was AMAZING! He was great to work with and coordinated between our AV supplier, the band/DJ and our MC. The music and speeches sounded great, and the lighting was beautiful.
  
  The food was delicious, even though my wife and I didn't get a chance to get a lot of it as we were non-stop running around! Our guests mentioned they really enjoyed the main dining meals, hors d'oeuvres and drinks. Depending on your bar package that you select, there may be limited variety of liquors so make sure to double check with the venue before you choose your package.
  
  The bridal suite was great, there is a sink and plenty of natural light, coffee table and couches around. However, it would've been nice to have a bathroom stall available as well, as people had to change in the public bathroom next door. A few of us had to use the accessible restroom to change/freshen up - not a huge deal though just not so much privacy. It would also be nice to have a hook or a rack for keeping our dresses/suits/change of clothes organized and easy for changing/steaming. They gifted us chocolate dipped strawberries which was a nice touch. It would be nice if there was larger mirror (full length would be ideal) and more counter space or table to place stuff on.
  
  We had a wonderful time at the Guild Inn. We would highly recommend the venue to anyone looking for a beautiful space to get married or hold any special event. The space and public park behind the venue is really special and the staff was excellent and accommodating. Thank you Guild Inn all your effort this past year with helping make our special day feel perfect.

  • +4 Photos
• Alli Sent on 12/08/2019
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0

  Amazing Wedding Venue

  We had our wedding at the Summer House. It was absolutely beautiful. Martha was outstanding to work with! The food was absolutely delicious, our guests kept raving about it!! We stayed in the Mayfair lodge which had 10 private rooms and a common area where we hosted a laid back rehearsal dinner on the Friday. Everything about the Briars was absolutely perfect. Thanks to Martha and everybody there!!

  We had our wedding at the Summer House. It was absolutely beautiful. Martha was outstanding to work with! The food was absolutely delicious, our guests kept raving about it!! We stayed in the Mayfair lodge which had 10 private rooms and a common area where we hosted a laid back rehearsal dinner on the Friday. Everything about the Briars was absolutely perfect. Thanks to Martha and everybody there!!
• Yao S. Sent on 06/06/2019
  4.6 out of 5 rating

  4.6
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    4.0 out of 5 rating
    4.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    4.0 out of 5 rating
    4.0

  Great Wedding Venue

  We had our wedding there in May 2019. Martha was very helpful, she respond our emails and inquires pretty quick, and everything was set us as planned. We had our wedding in the summer house and had BBQ Buffet. The summer house is really nice and it's the right size for our 70 guests. The food was really delicious. We had our band/dj set up at the balcony of Summer House and it worked pretty well.

  We had our wedding there in May 2019. Martha was very helpful, she respond our emails and inquires pretty quick, and everything was set us as planned. We had our wedding in the summer house and had BBQ Buffet. The summer house is really nice and it's the right size for our 70 guests. The food was really delicious. We had our band/dj set up at the balcony of Summer House and it worked pretty well.
• Sarah L. Sent on 24/11/2018
  4.8 out of 5 rating

  4.8
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    4.0 out of 5 rating
    4.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0

  Outstanding!!

  Thank you, thank you so much for all that you did to make our wedding day a success!! I had such a positive experience with the Briars as our wedding venue and heard nothing but compliments on the location, the history, the wonderful staff and just overall what a wonderful day it was! John in particular was a wonderful help the day of setting up and helping with little details! My husband and I both said how much we appreciated the staff being there if we needed them, without being too much, what a comfort it was to know that you had everything in order. The venue is of course one of the most important aspects of a wedding and the Briars did not disappoint! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day! We are already looking forward to our next visit to the Briars and will highly recommend you to anyone.

  Thank you, thank you so much for all that you did to make our wedding day a success!! I had such a positive experience with the Briars as our wedding venue and heard nothing but compliments on the location, the history, the wonderful staff and just overall what a wonderful day it was! John in particular was a wonderful help the day of setting up and helping with little details! My husband and I both said how much we appreciated the staff being there if we needed them, without being too much, what a comfort it was to know that you had everything in order. The venue is of course one of the most important aspects of a wedding and the Briars did not disappoint! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day! We are already looking forward to our next visit to the Briars and will highly recommend you to anyone.
• Paul V. Sent on 26/09/2018
  3.4 out of 5 rating

  3.4
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    3.0 out of 5 rating
    3.0
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    4.0 out of 5 rating
    4.0
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    3.0 out of 5 rating
    3.0
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    3.0 out of 5 rating
    3.0
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    4.0 out of 5 rating
    4.0

  Beautiful, do your due diligence

  Beautiful grounds, delicious food. Newer wedding manager was very helpful and accommodating but because we had initially booked with the last wedding manager many miscommunications occured. Happy overall, but cost and promises made weren't fully held up due to the changes in management.

  Beautiful grounds, delicious food. Newer wedding manager was very helpful and accommodating but because we had initially booked with the last wedding manager many miscommunications occured. Happy overall, but cost and promises made weren't fully held up due to the changes in management.
• Karen J. Sent on 08/09/2018
  4.4 out of 5 rating

  4.4
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    4.0 out of 5 rating
    4.0
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    3.0 out of 5 rating
    3.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0
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    5.0

  Review of the Briars

  I recently had my wedding at the Briars and the whole day exceeded my expectations.
  
  Food: Top quality with good size portions. They are also very accommodating. I am vegetarian and dairy free and there were a couple guests with severe peanut allergies who were well looked after.
  
  Venue: Beautiful location and lots of great places for pictures, the place is also quite interesting and has a neat history to it
  
  Staff: Overall decent, everyone was very helpful and polite but the overall service was a bit slow. I had to ask three times one morning for more coffee and then when we were finished breakfast and was asked if we wanted something else, I had to remind her I never got my coffee. I found the front desk manager probably the most helpful throughout the day of the wedding. Whenever we needed anything at all, he got right to it.
  
  Communication: It went in spurts I found. Some weeks I would get a reply back the same day, other times weeks would go by and I would not get a reply. Maybe my emails were going into their junk mail. When in doubt just phone, you always get a reply back the same day if you phone.
  
  Value: I really think for the cost you get a lot. The food is top quality (seriously, I think every single person commented on how delicious the food was, I have been to a lot of weddings and am always hungry so food is super important to me.) The place is beautiful and you get enough help planning. There are lots of neat places for guests to mingle throughout the wedding too, which is nice as they are not just confined to your dining hall. I looked at a few wedding venues and this place just ticked all the boxes-- beautiful scenery, delicious food, they allowed my dogs, accommodating for dietary issues and convenient (we had our rehearsal dinner, wedding and then also stayed over as did many guests.)
  
  If anything went wrong on the day of my wedding I had no idea of it, which means everyone working in the back was keeping everything under control. The day was like clockwork and everyone was keeping everything on schedule. I had an amazing wedding and would not have changed a thing, if you are thinking of this place for your wedding, you will not regret it, this place is beautiful and the compliments kept coming even days after the wedding was over.
  
  I also wanted to make a quick mention about how amazing the staff were for my dogs. I had 3 dogs in my wedding so we were put up in a nice cottage and everyone was so nice to them. Thank you Briars, my wedding was beyond what I could have hoped for!

  I recently had my wedding at the Briars and the whole day exceeded my expectations.
  
  Food: Top quality with good size portions. They are also very accommodating. I am vegetarian and dairy free and there were a couple guests with severe peanut allergies who were well looked after.
  
  Venue: Beautiful location and lots of great places for pictures, the place is also quite interesting and has a neat history to it
  
  Staff: Overall decent, everyone was very helpful and polite but the overall service was a bit slow. I had to ask three times one morning for more coffee and then when we were finished breakfast and was asked if we wanted something else, I had to remind her I never got my coffee. I found the front desk manager probably the most helpful throughout the day of the wedding. Whenever we needed anything at all, he got right to it.
  
  Communication: It went in spurts I found. Some weeks I would get a reply back the same day, other times weeks would go by and I would not get a reply. Maybe my emails were going into their junk mail. When in doubt just phone, you always get a reply back the same day if you phone.
  
  Value: I really think for the cost you get a lot. The food is top quality (seriously, I think every single person commented on how delicious the food was, I have been to a lot of weddings and am always hungry so food is super important to me.) The place is beautiful and you get enough help planning. There are lots of neat places for guests to mingle throughout the wedding too, which is nice as they are not just confined to your dining hall. I looked at a few wedding venues and this place just ticked all the boxes-- beautiful scenery, delicious food, they allowed my dogs, accommodating for dietary issues and convenient (we had our rehearsal dinner, wedding and then also stayed over as did many guests.)
  
  If anything went wrong on the day of my wedding I had no idea of it, which means everyone working in the back was keeping everything under control. The day was like clockwork and everyone was keeping everything on schedule. I had an amazing wedding and would not have changed a thing, if you are thinking of this place for your wedding, you will not regret it, this place is beautiful and the compliments kept coming even days after the wedding was over.
  
  I also wanted to make a quick mention about how amazing the staff were for my dogs. I had 3 dogs in my wedding so we were put up in a nice cottage and everyone was so nice to them. Thank you Briars, my wedding was beyond what I could have hoped for!

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