The HIVE @ Lavender Field Estate — Attraction in Sumter

Pros Beautiful, rustic venue with a friendly owner. This was a very nice venue to have a Sweet 16 Birthday celebration during COVID. Great price compared to the surrounding options. Overall, it was a great experience, but some improvements need to be made.

Cons A contract was provided, but not everything was explained fully verbally. A $750,000 event insurance policy is required and not brought up until a week before the event.

Security is required ($125) and provided by Sumter County Sheriff’s Dept. and was mentioned, but the officer remained in his car for the duration of the party. They also failed to mention that there is NO AC! That is very important to know especially in late Spring in SC! The only AC is in the dressing room.

I also purchased the cleaning service ($100) with the understanding that I would leave the party with the items I brought and the cleaning would be completed by the staff. That night I was informed (after asking) that I would have to remove the trash when I left! I was told that the fee covered sweeping, mopping, cleaning the bathroom/kitchen and picking up the trash from outside. We left the facility as we found it, therefore not warranting the charge.

I also purchased a Mocktail Cotton Candy Bar ($75) which could have been better quality as well as the tea, lemonade and water that was included. If I had not brought my personal bottles of water, there would not have been any. The tea, lemonade were from a jug, in which I could have provided myself. Had I known this, I would have forgone this as well.

The tv was also not set up and the remote could not be found so that the slideshow could be presented.

Going forward, more clarity should be given to the customer to ensure the expectations are understood. I felt that some things were not as organized as they should have been. There were several times that I had to have my photographer and friend move certain items (i.e. sofa) which should have been completed...

I can’t say enough wonderful things about The Hive. When my fiancé and I first met with Jennifer, she took the time to ask us what we envisioned for our engagement party, and from that moment on, she worked tirelessly to make our event a huge success. The in-house decor was beyond my expectations—I was absolutely blown away by how beautiful it was. Even though Jennifer wasn’t feeling well during the event, Samantha and Sonya were incredible. They took amazing care of us, and everything went smoothly. The bar was fantastic, and the overall experience was perfect. Our guests absolutely loved it too! I would 100% recommend The Hive for any...

Jennifer was the absolute best venue host we’ve ever experienced! She was extremely attentive, kind, fun and super engaged with our party that everyone felt she was one of the guests! Sonya the bartender was equally amazing … the venue space is beautiful and we were just extremely pleased with booking with the Hive at Lavender Estate!! If you’re ever in the Sumter area this is a place you want to have your event because Jennifer will guarantee everything runs smoothly! Thank you for helping us celebrate and you’re def top of our list if we ever throw another event in the area!!!...