Cascade Garden — Attraction in Yakima

I was hoping I’d be able to give a 0-star review, but unfortunately that isn’t an option. So, the one star I would say goes towards the beautiful grounds. That, however, is where the beauty stops. As a Bride and/or Groom, you will see this venue and be told promise after promise by Eileen, the owner. It will all seem easy and simple. Unfortunately, it is anything but!

In the midst of trying to navigate wedding planning during a pandemic, I never thought my biggest stress would come from the venue’s owner. Every text, call, email and even Instagram message went unanswered for MONTHS. Checks would be dropped off and not cashed for MONTHS, some even lost completely. Even when you could finally get a hold of someone, the information you got back (if you were lucky enough to get any) wouldn’t even be close to what you asked for in the first place. We had to stop by in-person to finally get someone to speak to us. This was completely unacceptable behavior from a business owner and alleged “wedding coordinator.”

Eileen will smile at you and tell you everything is just great and then when you are no longer in front of her, drop all pretenses and never deliver on any promise ever made. Even her florist took SEVEN MONTHS to get back to me on floral prices after being reminded 3 times and still didn’t have the order correct.

Then when it was discovered we wouldn’t even be able to have our reception when planned because of COVID-19, she suggested we lie and say it’s a religious ceremony so that it would be approved by the government. Because she deemed lying an option, she would either charge us over $1,000 to cancel, charge us over $1,000 to reschedule for next year or not charge us to change the date within the year. When we were obviously forced to go with the last answer, she then didn’t change the base price (even quoted us the wrong price for our new date and thank goodness we kept our original paperwork) and therefore wouldn’t consider any kind of negotiation given we LEGALLY could not hold our reception.

No aspect of this venue is worth signing that contract for. Yakima is a beautiful place, and I beg of you to please consider a different venue. Even your own backyard would be better than having to navigate, second guess and double check everything that is done at Cascade Gardens.

If you have already signed and you are unfortunately in the same situation that I was, make sure you keep a very detailed list of the payments received and the dates received on because they will definitely get that wrong too – whether on purpose or just extremely unorganized, I don’t know. Either way, you are much better off having your...

We had our wedding at Cascade Garden on May 3, 2008, and it was fantastic! The flowers and trees were in bloom, and it was absolutely gorgeous. The only decorations that we bothered to set up were tablecloths and centerpieces—the venue is so beautiful inside and out that we didn’t feel anything else was necessary. It was a little rainy that day; the weather held out during the ceremony, but it started sprinkling a bit on and off during the reception. Our tables were set up under their covered area outside and it protected people from the rain. When it got chilly, people were able to move inside and we had a warm fire in the fire place—the lodge is very cozy. We had considered setting up tents because we knew that the weather was unnecessary, but we ended up not doing it and it turned out to be unnecessary. We loved that there were lots of different spaces for people to congregate and talk. One thing that annoys me about weddings is that once the dance starts, conversations stop because you can’t get away from the loud music. This is not the case at Cascade Garden, though, because there is plenty of space inside and out for people to go if they don’t want to dance. We wanted a BBQ/picnic feel and not a formal feel, and we chose to have their volleyball net set up (this is optional and you don’t need to have this set up during your event), and we brought in a ping pong table, too. There is also an area with toys for kids to play (we had plenty of kids at our wedding) which kept them (and their parents!) happy. They provide a really nice building for the wedding party to get dressed and ready, and to relax before (or during!) the wedding and reception. I loved the fact that we were able to have both our ceremony and reception in one location so our guests didn’t have to drive in between. We used their chairs and tables and they were perfect. We were able to meet at the venue with our caterer before the wedding so that we could discuss how and where they would set up. They have a separate “cantina” which is perfect for serving beer and wine. Oh—and there is no need to go somewhere to take your wedding pictures—there are plenty of picturesque places to get your photos taken right there at the venue! The owners were very helpful as well. Oh, and when it started getting dark, all sorts of white lights came on and the place looked magical! All of our guests loved the venue and had a great time—despite the weather! I would DEFINETLY recommend this venue for any...

I do not leave reviews very often but I felt to help future brides I should share my experience.

I have heard great things about the venue but wish I would have read reviews about service prior to trying to use them. I got engaged in August and immediately I reached out via email to inquire, the initial response was prompt, however, my reply went unanswered. I later sent a text message, no response. I put my order request through on their site, no response. I called, no response or call back. My mother called, no response. She called 3 more times just trying to set up an appointment. I was giving her the benefit of the doubt because I figure she is pretty busy and I really wanted glassware for the wedding. I sent another follow up email, no response.

Finally, January my mom was able to set up an appointment at the store front at the mall. We arrived on time, she however was worried about helping a new gal, which is fine except it took longer. My hopes were that we would say what we wanted, we’d fill out whatever forms, and leave our deposit. I was disappointed when she said she would email me the invoice; she couldn’t even give me delivery charges while we were there. It has been almost a month and I still have not heard from her.

So, I decided to go with another company that was very responsive and I have everything planned and handled promptly within 24 hours. I find their service very unprofessional. I understand that weddings/events are a huge market and can get very busy, however, I was treated as if my business did not matter. That my day did not matter. I know it is COVID times and things are often changing, however, if you understand most brides, they like to get as much handled and set as soon as they are able.

There is no reason this should have been a 6-month attempt. I won’t be recommending them to anyone. Their venue is gorgeous! And I cannot say anything about their services at the venue but as far as renting equipment off site, don’t do it. Maybe that was the insignificance of my business because I was not having my wedding at their facility so they cared less. I am completely appalled by how unprofessional this experience was.

If you choose to use them, I hope your experience was...