The Oaks at Salem — Local services in Apex

We had our wedding at the Oaks at Salem in September of 2015. Overall, this venue covered almost everything we could have thought of, and the wedding itself turned out just like we imagined. The compliments we got on the overall atmosphere, the venue, and even the pacing were all in the highest regard.

With your purchase of the venue, a wedding planner is included, and let us just say – Veni is AWESOME. Our group was on the “more rambunctious” side, and she handled everything like a dream. We also had a wedding party of 12 per side, and she made sure everyone was in the right spot at the right time. She makes sure the bride and groom always have a drink in their hand and a smile on their face, all while managing a gigantic wedding. Really, can’t say enough about how great she was.

There was another wedding planner, Joslin, who was out on maternity leave during our wedding, but she also did a fantastic job covering the pre-planning. She contacted all of our vendors, made sure they all met and interacted, and it lead to a seamless wedding experience.

The only slight ding I would give would be administrative tasks and storage. The Oaks are fairly unaccommodating when it comes to parking, viewing, storing items, or generally being on the premises outside of your 10 hours that you get when you book the venue. Guests’ vehicles cannot be left overnight, which seems a bit overbearing for a wedding where people will be drinking. I’d recommend maybe accommodating a “before noon the next day” policy. Luckily the associated hotel has a free shuttle, which is a bit of a reprieve. Materials can’t be dropped off early and can’t be left at the venue, which is a slight inconvenience given the amount of stuff that needs to be brought in, but nothing that can’t be maneuvered around.

As stated earlier, outside of minor gripes, the Oaks is an absolutely gorgeous venue that will leave you with no wedding day regrets and have everyone talking about it for...

The Oaks at Salem was the perfect venue for our wedding day! We were able to have the ceremony and reception all in the same location with a beautiful landscape for our big day. The Oaks has a backup plan if the weather is not cooperating and the reception looked so beautiful under the white tent. The Oaks accommodated all of our guests with valet parking and a golf cart for those who were unable to walk to the ceremony site. They have a lot of options for where to host the ceremony. Veni, our wedding coordinator, was helpful in creating the timeline for our day, coordinating the vendors, and ensuring that everything went smoothly. The only things to consider when choosing the Oaks is the rehearsal dinner times and flexibility of the venue. They have Friday night weddings so for a Saturday wedding you are only able to have your rehearsal on Friday morning or Saturday morning. We chose Friday morning, so we would not be rushed on Saturday, and were told we would have the latest time for our rehearsal. Unfortunately, we had an early rehearsal - even before the Friday night wedding party. Additionally, The Oaks hosts a number of other events so there are set times for bridal portraits and for the final venue walk through. This is something I wish I would have known ahead of time instead of after booking the venue. If you have an inflexible schedule this may be something you want to consider. All of that said, I could not have imagined a better venue for our wedding. The day was magical and everything worked out perfectly! The Oaks will always be a special...

I have visited this venue on various occasions and have experienced both the owner and the facility as accommodating and generous, even to the extent that she came to the aid of a family who had neither money nor a venue for a funeral---not a wedding---a funeral. This incredibly generous owner often goes out of her way to accommodate and support others. In the case of the funeral---on behalf of others---the wedding venue owner went out of her way to secure a minister, work with the minister to secure a venue, handle fees for the family so that no pressure was placed on the family, making it possible for the family to celebrate their loved one and grieve with minimal stress.

Although I understand that experiences and opinions vary, I cannot help but read a couple of these Google reviews and consider Martin Luther's Explanation of the 8th Commandment in the Small Catechism:

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

What does this mean?

We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray our neighbor or give our neighbor a bad name, but defend our neighbor, speak well of our neighbor, and take our neighbors words and actions in the kindest...