SanaView Farms Winery & Cafe — Attraction in Donegal Township

We write to lend caution if you are debating using Sanaview Farms. After having just used their facility and staff to throw a 100-person wedding right before COVID hit, my wife and I wholeheartedly cannot recommend Janet, the owner who will coordinate your experience, or their facility. Please, if you wish for a smooth wedding and a competent coordinator, Sanaview is probably not the outfit for you.

What should have been better: Janet’s coordination. Unfortunately, Janet proved to be increasingly unreliable and scatterbrained, that last thing we wanted in someone in her position. We had to remind her many times for simple tasks and even then they didn’t get carried through.

We arrived on the day of our wedding load-in only to find out that the Sanaview property manager with whom we had been working and coordinating all decorations and supplies had been fired. We had no notice and they had not retained any of the coordinating information that had be relayed over the previous 4 months. We had to start from scratch and do it ourselves.

Hours before our ceremony, while in the middle of score of people hurriedly decorating, Janet systematically scheduled 5 different prospective client visits throughout our loading. She didn’t ask, didn’t forward us, nothing.

The day before our wedding Janet decided to personally clean our venue without telling us or coordinating. She moved and moved back all of our decorations and because of it, we were forced into hunting and finding our perfectly setup equipment, creating chaos. We never found many things.

We ended up with no hot water in the barn throughout our wedding day despite locating the problem and asking it be fixed for two days. Our caterer needed to boil their own water outside just to clean things during our event. Then, they needed to transport everything 30 miles offsite to their kitchen just to be cleaned, for quite an extra sum. An extra sum for which Janet continues to refuse to take responsibility or reimburse us.

We had to hire our own electrician as the barn was not wired to code, was jury-rigged, and no one at Sanaview could help. The facility was often wired with extension cords woven in and out and around the structure to exposed outlets and breaker boxes. There was no facility guide, no labels…nothing.

At the end of it all, Janet tried to nickel and dime us by withholding our security deposit for unwarranted and illegal charges. She tried to suddenly charge us for rental items that were contracted as no charge. She tried to charge us for heating the building to warm the pipes before our event when her business partner turned on the heating. She didn’t believe us.

Janet tried to collect her caterer’s commission from US (a deal between the caterer and Sanaview that has nothing to do with us) after she apparently was having her own business issues with them. In our opinion, Janet was totally unprofessional, highly emotional and erratic, and poorly coordinated.

Janet blamed us for taking previously discarded items from earlier weddings and demanded reimbursement through security deposit. She had provided no way of showing us that these items even existed, let alone if we did it. It was shocking.

Janet did not place our security deposit in escrow. While part of our security deposit is still being withheld, Janet has refused 4 requests for a copy of the bank statement.

The list goes on. We were very lucky to have hired our own coordinator and they were able to overcome Janet and Sanaview’s incompetence and we were able to have a fun wedding. Without our outside help, it would have been a disaster.

We just want to warn people to do their due diligence if considering this place. We’re reasonable folks with reasonable expectations who fortunately are resourceful enough to still make our wedding happen despite Sanaview’s faltering. It’s a shame, as their facility is beautiful.

We had a poor experience and that may not be the same for everyone. Please vet this place thoroughly before you decide to take the chance to hold your big...

My husband and I wanted a unique experience for our wedding day, and with our opposite personalities, SanaView Farms was the perfect location to host our dream wedding.

Since many members of our wedding party had a long distance to travel, we decided to rent the farm for the entire weekend. We used the farmhouse, the bunkhouse, and the bedrooms above the barn. This worked out well, for we did not have to worry about traveling and the extra cost of hotel rooms. The ladies were able to use the farmhouse as our “get ready space” and the men used the bunkhouse. My hair and make-up team came right to the property, which eliminated any travel stress and allowed us to maximize our time. We were able to spend quality time with our friends/family before and after each event with a bonfire, a visit to the lake, or a walk around the property.

The gorgeous scenery is a selling point on its own – a lake, pine trees, open land, the historic barn, etc. After booking SanaView, we discussed with our photographer the option of holding a “first look” moment. With no worry about travel or time restraints, this provided us the opportunity to be photographed all over the property throughout the day.

My husband and I chose to use SanaView Farms for our floral arrangements and we were so glad that we did. I could not have been more in love with our flowers! Prior to the wedding date, Janet and I discussed the colors, bouquets, and ceremony arch display. Because we were on-site the day before our wedding for the rehearsal, Janet was able to show me the “rough” display of the bouquets and make a few last minute changes. On our wedding day, our bouquets and ceremony arch display were absolutely gorgeous and exactly what I had imagined.

The food menu was extremely important to us, as I have a variety of food allergies, and did not want to have to worry about a reaction during our celebration. The staff was able to prepare a delicious lactose & gluten free menu which included our family recipes. The food was so wonderful, that many of our guests returned for second and third helpings.

The flexibility of the venue was one of my husband’s favorite parts. We were able to host our rehearsal dinner, bring in our own displays, lawn games, desserts, furniture, and other items needed to help us stay within our budget. The barn itself is so beautiful, that decorations were barely needed inside. I was able to surprise my husband, and our guests, by having “husband & wife” alpacas during cocktail hour. Also, our two favorite parts - my husband was permitted to display his hand-made ceremony arch on the property, and our dog was permitted to spend the weekend with us and participate in all events.

Finally, we would love to compliment the amazing, on-hand staff, George and Kevin. By the end of our wedding weekend, we named them the “dream team”. They made sure that we, the bride and groom, were the number one priority. At times, we felt that George and Kevin were reading our minds - they had furniture moved, containers filled or emptied, and decorations prepped before anyone had to ask. When questions and decisions were too overwhelming, they helped to eliminate choices and focus on the important details. When a storm rolled through 24 hours prior, they worked endlessly to ensure an outdoor ceremony was still possible. Any little detail that was out of place, they slid in to fix it before we even noticed.

As any bride will tell you, the planning process and months leading up to the wedding day were stressful and overwhelming, but our day was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! We are looking forward to returning to SanaView Farms to celebrate our anniversary and relive our amazing...

We had our wedding here September 2021 and would do it over and over again. Extensive details below but the communication, flexibility, support/customer service, value, and their true kindness were top notch. Added bonus for location to hotel proximity, parking, extended weekend venue rental option, indoor/outdoor availability, it’s pet friendly, BYOB and the cost.

Janet, Kevin, Sara, George, and Dani were so fabulous through the time of inquiry to day after clean up. Communication was clear and professional, they were so kind and truly wanted to provide the best possible experience. They helped with anything we asked, or provided resources to get what we needed. They took the time to answer questions and just have honest conversation, which is incredibly valuable when planning your own wedding! I didn’t once feel like a ustome being rushed/pushed to make a decision.

They were more than willing to help provide some decor, stock up the coolers for the bar, and even make our signature drink. I was prepared to have it premade the day before but they wouldn’t let me - literally, they insisted on making it fresh. I’m a bit of a control freak but there comes a time in a DIY wedding you have to let go. SO GLAD I did with the SanaView team, they did not disappoint when it came to craft cocktails or creative setup.

We did the weekend rental and had the best time. The flexibility of setting up Friday and cleaning up Sunday gives you the time to spend with your friends/family instead of rushing day of. They offered to coordinate vendors for rentals but also offer the flexibility to choose your own, within reason.

The options for photos are endless- the barn, farmhouse, the greenhouse, the rolling hills, the pine forest. The venue has really great lighting at dawn and night (per my videographer) so bonus that your photos will look great all throughout the night. We did a sunset 30min shoot and it turned out incredible.

You can do as much or as little DIY as you want. It’s a great option for couples that want a unique wedding to make their own, or for the laid back couple that wants solid bones/surroundings for a minimalist vibe.

If you’re looking for a venue with options, character, and great customer service - I would absolutely recommend...