Thistlewood Manor & Gardens — Attraction in Kyle

Let me start off with the positives:

The venue is visually appealing and beautiful. There are a lot of different options to choose from in regards to ceremony locations. Meredith who was our day of coordinator was very sweet and did a great job at making sure our day ran smoothly and that my husband and I are were comfortable and taken care of. The food was tasty.

Although all of these points seem great, I would NOT re-book or recommend this venue to anyone. Tricia who is the owner, made my entire experience stressful and frustrating. I had to plan my wedding long distance from a different state, and having her as a coordinator made it so difficult. The first few interactions I had with her went well, I had no complaints. But after about the third time, it was like someone flipped a switch.

We chose the “intimate” wedding package they offered because we were wanting a small wedding. Not because we couldn’t afford a bigger wedding, but because we preferred to have our close family and friends present only. However, she made me feel the entire time like we chose that package because we couldn’t afford anything else. She was condescending, kept reminding me of what a “great” deal I was getting, and kept “forgetting” things we had agreed on. We paid a base cost that would cover up to 40 people, and that price wouldn’t change even if there was 10 present (which I was okay with). However, I feel like she did the bare minimum on our wedding day in order to cut costs wherever she could.

We only had 24 guests and they left hungry because there wasn’t enough food. I even found out that they didn’t serve my brother and his wife mashed potatoes because they didn’t want to open a new tray of potatoes. The whole thing screamed stingy, and I personally don’t feel like we got our money’s worth out of it. I had even asked her if two of my wedding vendors could show up to the venue 10 minutes early, and she said no because “I was getting a really good deal” which was from 4-8 only. I’ve never seen a venue that didn’t let the vendors come set up 10 minutes early.

On top of all of this, she was in no way reassuring when I was stressed about the upcoming weather which showed rain. My photographer even reached out and told me not to worry. If you decide to choose their “intimate” packages, just know that your wedding will be bare minimum. Barely any decoration, food, or support. I could write more, but I’ll stop here. If you decide to choose this venue, here are a few suggestions:

Have everything in writing. Tricia went back on her word multiple times of things we went over on the phone or in person. Although even in writing, there were items she was confused on. Don’t use their “basic” package. Your money won’t be used the way you would want. You’re better off planning your own wedding and using your own vendors for everything. Avoid the heartache. Don’t get married here if you’re planning long distance. It was a nightmare and it caused me more stress than anything.

Overall, if I could do it again, I would not choose this venue due to my customer...

Had a very enjoyable evening the other night at a cooking class offered by Chef Tricia of Thistlewood Manor and Gardens. I chose this class because the entree was Chicken Alfredo, one of my favorite dishes yet one I’ve never attempted to make. Turns out the dish is surprisingly easy to prepare and could be enjoyed as a weekday family meal at home or served at an elegant dinner party. We also made homemade pasta, side dishes and dessert. The pasta is a little time consuming, but not difficult to make – truly worth the effort if you appreciate fresh pasta. Also, many of the ingredients were fresh from Tricia’s garden, including the lettuce, which was delicious! Some of the mundane task were taken care of before the class started, but keep in mind if you go, this is a hands-on class, so dress accordingly. All recipes were given to us and we worked in groups under Tricia’s expert supervision to prepare the entire meal. The kitchen is a professional kitchen, with a beautiful and huge quartz counter height island where we chopped, mixed, measured, laughed and got acquainted with each other and of course, discussed food! This is certainly not the kind of kitchen most of us have at home so it was a little intimating to me at first, but we all quickly got comfortable with using the ovens and cook top. During the class Tricia kept us entertained by sharing with us tidbits about the origin of the food, how to correctly sauté, cut chicken, use utensils, etc. Turns out after 30+ years of cooking I didn’t know how to correctly hold a knife! Unlike other cooking classes I’ve attended I didn’t have to purchase any specialty utensils in order to duplicate this recipe at home. Another helpful hint I learned was its worth the effort to prepare a timeline when preparing several dishes for a crowd. It’s so frustrating to have something get cold while you’re waiting on something else to come out of the oven. Tricia had prepared the timeline and we stuck to it and sat down for dinner precisely on time. The table was beautifully arranged with fresh flowers and placed at the large doors overlooking the beautiful gardens and gazing pool of Thistlewood Manor. Tricia joined us for dinner and the remainder of the evening was spent enjoying great food and conversation with new friends. One other point I should mention, the cost of the class is extremely reasonable and I highly recommend it if you are looking for something different and fun to do or just want to learn a new recipe. It would be super fun for a girl’s night out or couples date. Having an enjoyable evening with great food and friends just can’t be beat! Bon Appetite to Chef Tricia – thanks for a...

I don’t know where to begin! My husband and I had planned on having our reception back in October 2020, but with the pandemic, decided to postpone it to November 2021. Tricia was very accommodating with this decision, and didn’t require I pay a fee to postpone the date (which I’ve heard of other venues doing).

We went with the DIY plan, and I honestly thought that meant I would be doing absolutely everything on my own…I was wrong! We got to use the venue’s inventory of decoration (which has a huge variety of vases, easels, cake stands, lanterns, candles, etc.). And after meeting with Meredith and Tricia, I got to share my ideas and Pinterest board with them so they could really get a feel for what look I wanted. Tricia and Meredith set up the vases, tables, chairs, linens, welcome table, China and silverware on the day of our wedding. The florist just had to come in and place the floral arrangements on the vases, and we were good to go.

We had also decided to go with a “ticket” system for the bar, which meant each guest would get a free wine/beer as their first drink during cocktail hour. The day of the wedding, Meredith mentioned to me they had created some personalized “tickets” for us to pass out at the wedding. I thought this was such a nice gesture on her behalf, as she made sure to match the colors we were using for decor.

I really can’t emphasize how great of a venue this is. From the day we signed our contract, to the day of the wedding, Tricia and Meredith were very easy to communicate with over email and text. Any question I had, they were able to answer it for me. And despite the many changes I made throughout the planning process, they were so accommodating and made sure my vision came to life.

The day after the wedding, I was planning on leaving town with my husband but I was stressed about returning the cake stand to our baker. Meredith took this weight off my shoulders and offered to return the cake stand to our baker the following morning. How nice is that?

The day of the wedding, Meredith handled everything for my husband and I. She was checking in on us periodically throughout the night, and brought us anything we needed. To top it off, I saw her helping out the caterers to clean up after dinner. This clearly wasn’t her job, but tells you how much she cares about ensuring weddings/events go smoothly!

If you’re doubting booking this venue, GO FOR IT!! Our guests were asking us all night how we found the venue as they had never heard of it before…not even our photographer! Everyone was talking about how beautiful the venue was, and how everything came out...