Cypress Grove Estate House — Attraction in Pine Castle

In short, the best advice we can give is buyer beware. Due to the pandemic our wedding was pushed back a year. Because of this we dealt (to our peril) with Cypress Grove for over two years. As others have mentioned, they made it very clear that their priority was squeeze any additional dollars out of us once we had signed our contract. Once the pandemic hit we, like many others, had to push our wedding back not because of our choice but because of government restrictions. As prices are set based on the day of the week and our original date was a Sunday in May, they informed us we would only be able reschedule for a Sunday through the rest of the year. After deciding that October may be the best time to reschedule, they then informed us if we wanted a date from October to December it would cost an additional $4,000. Since this was not an option we could afford we asked if we could resolve this by simply postponing our wedding a year by having our wedding on a Sunday in May since that was the day we had originally paid for. They then informed us that they were raising their prices for the coming year and it would be an additional $10,000. It became very apparent that they were simply trying to take advantage of us and the pandemic. It got to the point where we sought legal advice and were advised to request a refund before going down the legal path. We did and at that point they retracted and gave us a day in May at our original price. Their desire for every penny didn't end there. The week of our wedding I received calls and messages every day urging us to pay $2,000 for a tent since the chance of rain "was 90%". I had been following the weather everyday for a week and a half and the chance of rain never rose above 24%. We did not pay for it and the day of was gorgeous. To add insult to injury, the day prior we had been at the property for our rehearsal. There was a wedding that day and the couple had paid for the tent. It was a beautiful day without a shower in sight. As for the costs of everything else, nothing outside of the food, drink, and basic tables and chairs were included. Down to the linen on the tables, everything is an upcharge. We understand its a business and offering upcharges are apart of wedding venues. However, the costs are absurd. We wanted to "upgrade" half of our tables (7). Seven tables would have been nearly $2,500. This cost exist because they have a monopoly and you can not go to outside vendors to fulfill the majority of these needs. As far as communication with the venue, it was extremely poor unless they were contacting us about payments. I could call or send an email and go days and in some cases weeks without a response. But when I hadn't made a deposit for the tent that "we needed for the rain", it was nothing but constant harassment. As I said, this venue made abundantly clear that they care more about squeezing as much money out of their clients rather than providing a magical day for a bride and groom. The reason we gave two stars was in the effort to be unbiased. The venue is gorgeous and the staff on the day-of (since the admin staff were not there) were for the most part wonderful. But as I said buyer beware. This venue caused so much frustration and tears for my bride and I. And I promise to you, that whatever dollar amount you sign on your contract after touring, will be higher if not...

THIS PLACE IS A WHOLE VIBE! We recently got married the Cypress Grove Estate House in February and it was everything I dreamed of and more. The venue's beauty speaks for itself and is the perfect location to showcase the best scenery that Central Florida has to offer. Most of our guest were from out of town and were absolutely blown away with the property. The lawns were clean and manicured and bugs weren't an issue at all. The venue is so naturally beautiful that it was easy to get away with minimum décor and flowers. We also mainly stuck with the base rentals (tables, chairs, tablecloths, bars) that are included in the venue cost and they were fine because the venue itself is just so beautiful. The catering service the venue uses, Big City Catering, did such an amazing job with the drinks and the food. We are still getting compliments on our food and guest were really pleased with the quality of the bartenders that were provided. The catering staff made sure we (bride and groom) ate and kept our cups filled all night long. Do not let them having a set catering team turn you off. We were hesitant to commit to a catering service without tasting their food first, but when it was time to do our tasting we were not disappointed (and again, still getting compliments on the food).

The actual planning process with the venue was painless and they were willing to make any accommodations where they could. The bridal suite is an amazing space that has plenty of room for getting ready, taking pictures, and sipping on complimentary champagne. We were able to take advantage of the small kitchen provided in the house to set up breakfast and lunch for the entire wedding party. Both the bridal and the grooms party had their own spaces to get ready, relax, and store things during the ceremony and reception.

You have to do your part in planning with Central Florida weather but this was our perfect venue. We were able to have a beautiful event without going overboard ($$$) on décor, flowers, or food/drink. All of the base services that they provided, as well as the catering team they worked with, did such an amazing job and everything was such great quality that you did not need to add anything extra if you did not want to. This place is amazing, the staff is amazing, and with a little bit of planning on your part, the cost of a really great event at this venue doesn't have to be...

We got married at this venue this past March and it was truly the best day of our lives. The grounds were extremely well maintained and the house itself is even more beautiful in person. RW was super prompt and kind throughout the entire process. We had so many questions and their responses were always patient and informative. From the entrance of the house to the edges of the park, the scenery felt like one out of a fairytale. The day of our wedding was absolutely beautiful and we ended up having to use the tent which still felt so elegant. Everything ran smoothly and getting ready was so fun in the bridal suite.

Our only grievance from the entire process was to do with the rain call the day of the wedding. We did our due diligence and had a rain plan set in place with a tent and dance floor set up onsite. At 10 AM, their policy is to make a rain call for the wedding & reception which began at 5 PM. I understand the need for a policy like that, but the lack of flexibility for rain plans was frustrating. On our specific wedding day, the forecast was 30% and below, and at the time of the rain all there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The staff insisted that we could not use the chairs and tables provided by the venue for concern of rain causing mold. For an outdoor venue, I would expect that the standard white chairs and tables would be waterproof, but they were not. It took hours of discussion until the venue budged and allowed us to use the chairs for the ceremony. The reception was required to be under the tent. There wasn't a drop of rain that night. My only request would be that they reconsider their policy and allow more flexibility if a chance of rain ends up...