Rose Bank Winery — Attraction in Newtown Township

Alright this is going to be a long one, but I promise it's worth reading if you are looking into Rosebank for a venue. Long story short, Rosebank is beautiful, but the management is horrible and your dream day can easily become a disaster.

We booked Rosebank in 2018 for our 2020 wedding. It was beautiful and we were really excited. We were contracted for 180 people and it was written explicitly on the contract.

When the pandemic hit, weddings could only be outside so they put up a tent. I got a call from someone a few months before the wedding saying that the tent could only fit 150 and so I began to panic because we had 180. I went to the venue and the owner, Beverly, showed me around the tent and ASSURED me that it would fit 170 and would be there in November. I took her word for it and said we would proceed at the venue. Because our wedding was in November, I asked her about tent heaters and walls if the weather was cold or rainy. She told me she had not thought of that yet but I said I needed to know a plan and she seemed a little annoyed. Eventually she asked what my threshold for a temperature for heaters would be and said they would get them if needed.

My event designer called a rental company about getting things for the tent and they mentioned that the size they had would not fit 180. She called Rosebank to make sure she had the measurements correct and Dave, the other owner, said "what are you talking about? that tent is coming down next week." This was in October. FOUR WEEKS BEFORE MY WEDDING.

I called in a panic and asked what the plan was for my wedding in November. Beverly said that they could do it inside because they could fit 100 people. However, my contract explicitly said 180. I asked her to look at the contact, and she saw it said 180, and then I asked what the plan was. She then told me she had to think about it and that if I didn't hear from her by 3pm that day to call back in case she forgot. The wedding was falling apart and she was going to forget to call me??

Then, my fiance stopped by my office around 2pm that day so we decided to call before he left to see what the solution was. The first thing Beverly said to me was "well, it's not 3pm yet." After that, she said the solution, and I SWEAR this is really what she said, was to "just move forward and hope some of your guests don't show up." At that point I asked for a refund and said that was insane. They at least did give a refund.

So there I was, 4 weeks before my wedding without a venue. And the venue didn't even call me! It was by chance I even found out.

Overall, Rosebank is beautiful, but the management is horrible. Before booking, I got the gist from reviews that people were happy only if they had no issues because as soon as there was an issue, the owners were horrible and would not offer solutions. I figured I would have no issues and that's why I felt ok booking. Boy was I wrong. I know we are in weird times and there isn't a great solution, but the bottom line is that Rosebank is really expensive and so when problems arise they need to figure out how to handle them. Every single one of my vendors has worked with me during this pandemic and has really stepped up to the plate except Rosebank.

Had my event designer not called, I would not have known the tent was being taken down. Beverly assured me it would be up in November and that it would fit 180. That was a lie. They never even kept us updated.

Please do not book this venue. It's not worth the heartache. It's beautiful, but there are other beautiful venues out there. Luckily, I found a new venue and had the wedding of my dreams. So I can promise you I am not just a disgruntled bride. I am just trying to save more couples from the stress and heartache we...

I was extremely unhappy with booking the Rosebank Winery for my wedding venue. And if I knew how this place was going to forcibly change my contract I would never have booked with them. I will never be recommend this location for a wedding venue. While spending over 10 thousand dollars at this facility, here is how my experience went.

I booked the Rose Ballroom in 2020 for my wedding reception October 2022. I also booked their downstairs wine cellar for the cocktail hour (which included the use of the patio and grass area for a larger croud).

In between signing my contract/leaving a 50% deposit...all the way up to the actual date of my wedding, The Rosebank Winery breached my contract in many ways. I randomly and abruptly received an email of "Rosebank Winerys 2022 Wedding Venue Changes."

This includes moving their wine store into the downstairs wine cellar, leaving me unable to use that for my cocktail hour. They said my only choice is to use the pervious wine store up stairs/ next to the Roseball Room, as my cocktail hour. Yet it will not hold all the 180 people I had invited and was stated on my contract. When I asked them what other accommodations can they make for my cocktail hour, I was told "Im not too sure what to tell you". I had no choice but to use the smaller upstairs room now called Buckman Barn for my cocktail hour. While meeting with the owner - Bev, the old wedding coordinator - Peter, and their new coordinator - Roberta, numerous times I was left dumbfounded with how much they were attempting to take advantage of my wedding with their new changes.

Another change I was expected to use was their new drink package - which is outrageously over priced for a horrible selection of alcohol. (Many of their "preferred vendors" agree). If not, I was expected to pay a service charge for bringing in my own alcohol. Even though my original contract signed 2020 stated that I was bringing my own alcohol at no charge, and buying my wine through them (with a standard side note that if I purchase a certain amount of wine I would get a 10% discount). I was expected to use their bartenders at an additional cost, even though that also was not in my contract. And when I brought all this up to Beverly her response was "We are going to waive those fees as I'm bending over backwards for you" and another comment "I'm going to take 10% off the wine cost as a favor"

I feel as though the Rosebank Winery made changes to their facility without taking any consideration to the contracts that they had already accepted money for. Along the way they expected me to abide by their new rules and pay for more additional services that they now offer. It was completely unacceptable and unprofessional.

Your wedding day is supposed to be a magical day that you remember for the rest of your life. I will always remember my experience with the Rosebank and will never recommend anyone to go through what I went through. For any new Brides who have yet to have their wedding there or plan on using this venue in the future please read your contract thoroughly do not let them attempt to take advantage of you because they will try and you have the right to...

1 star for the wine and 1 star for the service, but the venue itself is quite beautiful. The wines themselves are average, but they do offer some unique fruit wines (acai and pomegranate). Unfortunately, most of the fruit wines have a bitter, instant-puckering taste.

The 3 different staff members providing pourings were very inattentive, and casually at that, as if wine pourings are served at their convenience. This is the kind of place where staff workers milling around chatting or looking at their phones is commonplace, regardless of if there are tasters with empty glasses or customers waiting to be checked out.

One staff member in particular provided one of the most awkward wine tasting experiences of my life. We greeted her -- not the other way around -- after she ignored us standing at the counter for several minutes. First she started conversing with us in a whisper, then she spoke louder, making lots of unrelated comments. Eventually I asked where and how we do the tastings (she didn't see it fit to bring it up). She then asked if we'd done a tasting there before (probably not if I'm asking where and how we do a tasting?).

Eventually she charged us for the tasting and then screwed up the register, which took another 3 minutes to resolve, then proceeded to give incorrect change. She then directed us to the tasting room. Once we got to the tasting room, she asked if we had received our drink voucher book (each tasting gets 8 slips of paper). We politely said no, and she realized she never gave them to us. She kept forgetting to take one (of our two) glasses to pour (as the tasting bar is split into different wine sections and not all bottles were at all locations). For the bottles that were located nearby, a few of her pours missed our glasses, and about halfway through the flight, she disappeared at the other end of the bar never to be seen again.

Forgetfulness, screwing up the register, incorrectly counting change, missing pours, nonsensical conversation. Some of these things can be attributed to being nervous, maybe she's new, but ALL of them? Based on the fact she works in a tasting room -- I'm inclined to think this woman was tasting the wines herself -- and maybe a...