Thornewood Castle

Communication: really great, always got responses by the next day at the latest when I contacted them via email. The tone of the emails was always very kind and professional, and they were always very helpful. For everything they had us do, they provided explanations of what it was, how to do it, and why they required it. They also shared recommendations for vendors that had worked with them before.

Working with them: they were very understanding with any problems we had and had no hidden fees that weren't disclosed before booking. They were not as strict as I thought they would be and worked with us to adjust little things all the way up until the last week. I asked them to set up 14 fewer chairs the night before the wedding and they did. They really worked with us to make everything run smoothly.

Structure: the monthly payment plan made sense and helped us afford the venue. We had an initial tour before booking where they showed us the castle and the garden, walked us through possibilities and limitations, estimated prices, gave a few vendor recommendations, and answered every question we could think of. All of the paperwork was done over email so I didn't even have to do a second trip until the final walk-through a month before the wedding.

Aesthetics: this was of course the best part! If you're looking at booking this venue, you've probably already seen the pictures. It's even more gorgeous in person. The venue decorates itself. We didn't buy any decorations other than led candles. We got some greenery from around my husband's parents' yard and used that and the led candles for all of our decorations. That was it! And it looked beautiful! The art on the walls, the ceilings, the banister, the crystal decorations, everything was just so elegant and beautiful. 10/10 would recommend.

Contract: Make sure you go over the contract with them and confirm details. The contract had a typo in the insurance section and I ended up having to cancel what I had bought and pay for a higher amount a few weeks before the wedding. This was the only bad part of my experience with Thornewood, but I am sure they have fixed the contract now so it probably won’t be a problem for anyone else! Other than that, the contract was rather easy to read and well organized. It was easy to refer back to it during the planning process!