This is not a place you want to get married or the people you want to be dealing with during your wedding, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is definitely a beautiful venue but the owners have completely mistreated their couples and have employed some incredibly illegal and unethical tactics. When the Pandemic hit,and they were not able to provide the wedding as contracted (which of course wasn't their fault) all they needed to do was to either refund the couples money or reschedule them to a similar date. Instead, they misled couples by telling them that they were entitled to keep their money (which they aren't) and that their only option was to accept a Monday through Wednesday wedding the following year, pay another 40% on top of what they already paid to get a similar date, or forfeit the thousands they had already paid. (see screenshots below). Not only is what they are doing illegal, in terms of forcing people to pay for something they are already owed, it is completely unfair and unethical. They've also said that they will not reduce the price one dollar even if there are significant restrictions on the wedding. So if you add one extra person it costs you hundreds of dollars, but if they cut their capacity down for social distancing, you still have to pay full price? Just another example of how completely inflexible they are.
Now, since I've posted a couple of times now, I know that they will probably respond and say that they had to do it this way or they will go out of business. First of all that's not true. They have enormous financial resources and essentially just have the business as a pet project for their family, so the thought that they can't simply take a loss this year, instead of putting the cost of the shutdown entirely on the couples, is ridiculous. They also have accepted $150,000 or more from the government in assistance, so the crying poor rings a little hollow. More importantly, it's not a fair response to say that they HAD to screw over their customers in order to pay costs, which they claim haven't been reduced even though they've been closed for several months.
They will also probably say something about how they didn't want to do this but it's an act of god and their not like other venues because they don't have other income. Again, they make money every year (saying you are "not for profit" doesn't mean their assets don't appreciate and their family members don't take salaries or other compensation) and other people's businesses are struggling too. Every other vendor I had refunded the majority of my deposit when I had to cancel because of COVID, so it's not like it isn't possible. I asked Nestldown to just return a reasonable portion of mine and they wouldn't even write me back.
Lastly, if they say anything about how I'm just upset because I didn't read the contract, that's untrue. I'm an attorney and I read every word. I understand the contract, which says that if there is an act of god, the contract is canceled. What they seem to not understand is that means they have to give the money back (because there isn't a contract anymore). So whatever they say in response, just know that although it may sound like are super reasonable, it is just them trying to maintain their image, which has been significantly tarnished by their incredibly poor customer service.
Do yourself a favor and book with someone that will work with you when there is a problem, and not just look out for their...
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