Hidden Hill Venue — Attraction in Morganton

I'm writing this honest review because I wish there would have been one for us to read.

Hidden Hill is one of the most beautiful wedding venues in the area. When my wife and I booked it for our wedding, we met the daughter and son-in-law of the property owners. They themselves had gotten married at HH. They had an incredibly unique perspective having hosted a wedding in the past 5 years, that other venues just could not match. Their charisma and integrity was so appealing.

A few months after choosing HH, paying the deposit, and being well underway with planning, we found out the Ashley (the venue director we had met with) had moved away to pursue another career and left her parents (the technical property owners) to run the venue.

Immediately, communication went from friendly, kind, and accommodating to cold, condescending, and absent.

I've listed a few things here that in reflection stand out to us.

Throughout the process, we felt judged that we were only using a day of coordinator and not a full service wedding planner.

Terri was inaccessible to answer questions, most of which were only being asked because basic resources (like a venue map for example) weren't available.

The preferred vendors we interviewed had low reviews and it was obvious they would not meet basic standards. When we mentioned this to Terri, she implied we were lying because "she knows them and that doesn't sound like them". One of catering vendors on their preferred list, they had never even met at the top. That vendor was on a separate list that was bought with the venue from the original owners, so they "assumed" they would be good and made no effort to vet.

Terri wouldn't honor handshake agreements that her daughter had made, and again made implications that us and our Day Of were lying to her to get free stuff.

Terri has an ego, if she had "never had anyone want to do that" at her venue before, she would make it known and express concern.

Terri made our vendors feel uncomfortable. We had several vendors reach out to us to check in on our mental health because during 30 day out check in's, she attempted to talk about us and our plans harshly and negatively to the vendors who we had close relationships with.

Terri questioned the professionalism of vendors she claimed to have never worked with before, even though they had been to her venue before since her family took ownership.

During our brief private last dance that was on our timeline, Terri chose to allow her small tear down team to carry large pews from the ceremony space past us (on the separate dance floor) within 10 feet of where we were dancing. They wore camo hoodies, baseball caps, and jeans in these photos and made no effort to respect the situation.

While packing up, my best man jokingly gave Terri a $60 bottle of vodka to attempt to get her to leave them be so they could work quickly. She kept the bottle. I don't think it was misinterpreted as a tip of some kind, it felt situationally unprofessional.

Every wedding will have at least vendor who you have to warn the others about to make sure the day goes smoothly. Terri was that vendor for us. She owns a beautiful venue with the resources to make it a premier location in the region. But, she has chosen to let her ego and personal taste guide her decision making and how she treats people.

The question you may be asking, is it worth it? Yes, it's gorgeous and your friends will remember the wedding as "the one on top of a mountain". However, you deserve to know what you're signing up for with the management and be able to prepare mentally accordingly.

Terri will respond to this either coldly, with an excuse, or with accusations, and that's what you should expect if you chose...

We got married at Hidden Hill on October 20th, 2024 and it was a fantastic experience through and through. From the very first time we spoke with her, Terri answered any and all questions we asked and some that we didn't! She staying in constant communication with us for over a year while we planned the wedding and reception. She worked with us on many things throughout that time, and was very transparent about every facet of the process. You can definitely tell that she takes immense pride in her business and that shines through in everything she does. Whenever we had a question or concern, Terri was right there, ready with an answer or a solution. On the day of the wedding, I constantly saw her doing this and that, helping where she could and double checking that we wanted for nothing. Her husband David was on-site the morning of when we arrived at 9am and was also a gem to work with. He made sure that everything was like we wanted it and was available for any other tasking that we had. The venue is absolutely amazing. We looked at one other place before we stopped at Hidden Hill, but when we arrived there and got out of the car, I knew this would be the place. The views and sunset are incredible and the venue building itself is also top notch. The bathroom facilities were spotless and accommodating, as well as the separate Bride and Groom rooms. The kitchen was great for a venue, and worked wonderfully for the catering staff. Countless people approached me to tell me how beautiful the surroundings were, and complimented us on our choice of location. We highly recommend Hidden Hill and Terri! 20/10 and if I could leave 10 stars instead of 5, I would. Thanks again...

Hidden Hill Venue did a fantastic job hosting our wedding in October 2023. We had booked over a year in advance and during that time we were so thankful for the updates and guidance from the venue owners. They make themselves available to answer any and all questions in a timely manner and did their best to make sure we felt supported through the whole process. They are knowledgeable of the area and have great recommendations on vendors, coordinators, etc. Day of the wedding, they were present the whole time to help with arrangement of the tables, ceremony chairs, furniture, anything we needed. We also highly recommend the wait staff and bartender available to hire through the venue. We could not have asked for a smoother, more perfect experience from Hidden Hill Venue. Some highlights of the venue include the view atop the mountain. It was so serene and peaceful up there despite only being about 15 minutes from town. We also love the layout of the reception area and patio. It allowed us room to spread out and not have to worry about moving around decorations in between activities (dancing, eating, ceremony, etc). The loft was the perfect place for first looks with my grandpa. The whole building is climate controlled, which was a huge plus for us knowing that no matter what the weather our guests would be comfortable throughout. Thank you Hidden Hill for making our day everything we...