Apiary Fine Catering & Events — Attraction in Lexington

My husband and I booked (what we thought) was our dream wedding and reception venue. From the very beginning of booking our venue, about 1 year out from our wedding date, it felt like every time we spoke with the owner and his team about logistics (menu, layout, etc.), we had to start over at square one. His team NEVER remembered what our plans were (were we hosting both our wedding and reception there, what style of reception did we want, are we having a band or DJ, etc.) - keep in mind all of this information was included on our original contract and paperwork we signed with the venue. All they needed to do before our infrequent meetings was glance at our contract - it was extremely frustrating having to repeat this basic information to the team every time we connected.

Without the added stressor of COVID-19, there are many factors that the bride/groom and wedding planner have to juggle, and it just felt like the Apiary team didn't care about our wedding, aka the biggest day of our lives thus far.

COVID has obviously changed many events this year, including our wedding, and we were completely fine with the necessary changes the governor required for weddings and events. However, for the 5 months leading up to our wedding, every single time we spoke with the team at the Apiary, they were changing what their self-imposed "guidelines" were (outside of what the governor was requiring at the time for weddings and events). Which was fine, my husband and I were open for the first few conversations with changing our expectations to adjust to what the team at the Apiary felt comfortable with.

However, we were dealing with these changes every single time we talked to the team, and some of their demands were nonsensical (for example - they wanted our open bar to stop serving liquor at 10pm, but the party could continue to take place until 11pm). They would make up random rules, and then when asked about why they wanted those rules, they had no explanation. We were told "this is our venue, and if you want your event to take place here you just have to go with it." We had agreed to have every rule they imposed, but it began to feel like they were just making up rules just to do it.

1 month out from our wedding date, we had what was supposed to be the final menu meeting with the owner and his team (we had to change our plans from the original menu we set because we needed to make it a seated meal instead of stations to comply with COVID regulations - no problem!). We got on this call, 30ish days before our wedding, to finalize the menu. However, for the first 15 minutes of the call, the owner explained to us all the new rules he decided to enact. Our wedding planner was on the call with us, and THANK GOD for her, because she could sense our frustration with how the call was going. We ended the call, and at that time my mom, husband and I decided that this was not how we wanted to be treated from a venue owner.

With all the other stressors of planning a wedding in the time of a global pandemic, we didn't need this one too. We were worried that the owner and his team would continue to change things and make up more rules all the way up until the day of the wedding. Not something I was willing to worry about.

One month before our wedding, we had to find a new place for our wedding and reception. Our wedding planner was a life saver, and we ended up having the most beautiful and intimate family wedding at a new venue!

Although this is a beautiful venue, I am thankful we got out of...

We had such a great experience working with Cooper and his team at The Apiary to plan our wedding.

We chose the destination of our wedding specifically for this place. Neither my husband nor I are from Kentucky, in fact, never had visited Lexington. We wanted our day to be filled with everything we loved, and for both my husband and I, that was amazing food, paired with the perfect drink. As we started our search, we discovered The Apiary. Only going off pictures, we knew this was one place.

We made a trip out to Lexington from San Francisco, and blown away walking into the venue. Hidden behind beautiful brick walls, and fern covering the main door, we instantly fell in love with every detail about the place. We also had a bee thing of our own going on, which made it an even more obvious choice.

We wanted our wedding to be in the style of a dinner party, featuring long intimate table seatings, a tasting and pairing menu for our guests. Every detail of the menu was important, and Cooper and his team listened to our vision, and executed flawlessly.

We started with passed hors d’oerves that were local favorites for our cocktail hour. Paired with his (gin tonic) and her (old fashioned) cocktails made perfectly by Tyler.

Dinner was a seated 6 course tasting menu, where we gave guests the option of either lamb, chicken or vegan for their protein. The menu included a Salad Course of a beautiful beet salad, a Seafood Course of scallop Vierge, an Intermezzo of Zucchini Vichyssoise, Entree of Chickwn Ballotine, Loin of Spring Lamb, a plated Dessert Course featuring a Strawberry Mascarpone Mousse, finished with a Mignardise Apiary Honey Comb and a Southern Old Fashioned Truffle. The entire menu above was also turned into a vegan option as we had several guests with vegan preference and it blew them away, substituting a Sunchoke Vierge for the Second Course, a Seared King Oyster for the Entree, and a Macadamia Panna Cotta for the Dessert. The entire dining experience was executed flawlessly, with the team pairing each course with wine or a non-alcoholic beverage.

Upon conclusion of the two plus hour meal, we moved to the tent for our digestive: coffee, bourbon tasting and a cigar bar.

We finished the night with passed “truffled bikinis”, a popular ham and cheese sandwich in Catalunya and custom mini Coca-Colas. A perfect end to the night.

I highly recommend the team at The Apiary. Beginning working with Ewing-Anne and Cooper to carry out our vision, to Tyler and Chef Tony for executing it. We will never forget the experience you gave us on our wedding day!

Photos: Firm Anchor Event Planning: Shelly Fortune Events Floral:...

In looking for a venue, we did so many site visits. The Apiary knows they have a unicorn - there is no place quite like it. It's gorgeous, it has a layout perfect for weddings and the food is unparalleled.

From the moment we worked with Ewing Anne to book the spot, we felt super attended to. We had so many questions about the flow of the day and Ewing Anne always answered them quickly and clearly and it put us at ease as we planned.

Our Chef's table day was also a huge fun part of the wedding planning process. I'm still dreaming about the lemon tart with honeycomb crunchies (I don't think that's the official name, but my mouth waters every time I think about it nonetheless). When we had our calls with Chef Tony to build out the menu, we had so much fun. I am from KY and my husband is from Japan, so we had a great time designing a menu with Tony incorporating both of our cultures and were so impressed with his culinary knowledge on how to incorporate aspects of both. He had so many great ideas that we were excited to use.

The Apiary also worked so well with all of our vendors as I think they almost all had experience working with each other, so that made things smooth and easy. The day of our wedding, everyone was complimenting the venue and during the reception - we had many people tell us they thought it was a bold choice to serve steak to that many people, but it was one of the best steaks they had ever had.

All in all, I'm so glad we went with The Apiary. There are also so many great places for photos! Our photos in front of that gate are gorgeous and the memories will be worth it.

Photos by Katelyn V Photoraphy, Florals by Belfleur Florals, Stationery by...