Strongwater Events — Attraction in Columbus

We had some trouble with parking, it was extremely uneven ground with holes. My wife and her friend had issues walking in their heels. Each of them almost fell twice but not a huge issue, just a minor annoyance. Our group arrived for our 7pm reservation to celebrate our friends engagement. We were seated promptly at a high top table in the bar area which we loved since the bar area is usually a bit more lively compared to a table in a dining area. Unfortunately it took over ten minutes for our server to greet us and only to say he’d be right with back to help us. Once he came back he started off with a “Are you ready to order?”. We would have loved something a bit more hospitable or friendly..at least a “hi how are you”. We asked some questions about the menu and received generic answers, it was obvious he didn’t know a lot of details about the menu but he knew enough to get by. We ordered drinks, the bartender and server NAILED my modification on my drink! Great job! Although he still forgot to bring water. Once he dropped the drinks we got another monotone and unenthusiastic “are you ready to order?” Orders were placed and appetizers came out quickly:) we requested water again but he must not of heard us because after a few minutes we just asked the host, which she happily got right away! Food came out extremely fast too and my Nashville chicken sandwich was amazing along with everyone else’s food! BOH did fantastic. Server came once during the meal to ask if everything was ok and brought another round of drinks which were again amazing but no more water...No dessert was offered. We cashed out and left. When we walked outside after cashing out we saw our server standing on the side of the building smoking a cigarette...maybe he should have been impacting a guest experience and not taking a break. I will add he seemed nice enough and pleasant, probably a cool guy but just wasn’t on his A game.

So what would have been a five star dinner out with friends, full of delicious drinks and mouth watering food turned into a mediocre experience. Food and drinks were executed perfectly but if you are going to compete with the competition you have to make those genuine guest connections and be present at your tables.

Side note host was pleasant and helpful along with another server who checked on us twice and pre bussed our...

My husband and I got married at Strongwater last year. Our wedding coordinator was Sam in the beginning and then Sam handed us off to Sara shortly before our wedding day. Both Sam and Sara went above and beyond helping and answering all of our questions and coordinating our wedding day. The food was amazing, and they even accommodated my food allergens. The aesthetic of the venue was just what I pictured, it was beautiful.

My only complaint with our entire experience with Strongwater is this. So we did a cash bar, however, we still had to meet a minimum amount by the end of the night. In other words, whatever my guests did not spend in alcohol, my husband and I had to pay the difference. Which was fine with us because we were told they would sell us alcohol to take home. Cool. Well, the end of the night comes around and the bartender comes up to me shows me the final tab with what we are required to pay, I agreed and signed to have my card charged. This guy loads up our vehicle with 40 bottles of the SAME wine. I had a few drinks in me, and it was my wedding night, I did not think I had to double check what alcohol they were selling us. Plus, everyone had been so good to us thus far. We tried the wine and it is awful. It all makes sense why they pushed all this wine on us because they cannot sell it. We have given out so many bottles of wine to friends and family and no one wants more because no one likes it. Here we are still stuck with about 25 bottles of this wine. I guess in my head when we were told they would sell us the difference in alcohol, I assumed we would be sold a bit of a variety.

Also, my husband and I were still charged for 20 percent in gratuity at the end of the night (which is also fine) however, they still were accepting tips (via card and tip jars) from our guests. If you were collecting tips all night from our guests, don't double up and charge the bride and groom another 20 percent. In my opinion, it should be one or the other?

Long story short, if it wasn't for this aspect of our wedding day, I would still recommend Strongwater for your special day, just know what you are getting into with the bar situation. And ask the...

We booked Strongwater for our September 2023 wedding, and we think it is the most perfect wedding venue in Columbus. The industrial sheik vibe is the backdrop to a beautiful outdoor ceremony space, and two hip indoor spaces that get set for cocktail hour and the reception.

Additionally, there are two bridal suites so the couple and their wedding party can all get ready on site together. We ended up doing the rehearsal on the day of the wedding at noon. When we finished up, we had food delivered to the bride's suite and the groom and groomsmen went across the street to Land Grant to watch college football and have lunch before they had to walk back over and get ready. It's nice that Strongwater is so close to Land Grant and also BrewDog in case guests want to meet up with other guests for a drink before the wedding.

There are huge parking lots for guests right next to the building. And cars can be left overnight if guests end up needing to call a rideshare at the end of the night.

The venue offers family-style dinner. We weren't sure about that at first, but it ended up being pretty perfect -- more options than a plated meal, while still receiving table service.

The best part about the venue is that you get assigned a wedding coordinator who starts working with you from six-months out up until reception. We worked with Elenore Starkey and I can't say enough great things about her. She was so great at responding to emails and answering all of our questions. If she didn't know the answer, she would ask somebody else and get back to us. She worked with the vendors. She met with us for the menu tasing and the final walk-through. She ran a super efficient rehearsal and executed perfectly the day-of. I know many people talk about hiring a "month-of" planner, but Elenore was so good at her job, we didn't feel we needed any extra outside coordination.

Just overall a perfect space to host the ceremony, cocktail hour,...