Castle Ladyhawke responded with the following comments:
This bride wanted to be married at the castle but could not afford a full day venue rental; although we do not usually book five hour venue rentals on holidays (New Year's Eve) we did so to accommodate this bride. Our five hour venue rentals are for a specific period of time as requested by the client, in this case, she wanted 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. We even reconfirmed her desired time slot before booking the next event.
Less than a month before her wedding the bride informed us that she wanted to begin and end her day later, which was not possible due to the elopement we had scheduled following her event. We specifically confirmed her beginning and ending time BEFORE we committed to the other couple, so that we would have time to clean the castle after her event ended and before the next one began. We try to be very, very flexible with our clients, but cannot reserve a whole day for a five hour event; there will definitely be circumstances where we do book another event that day, but rest assured we will make sure that in no way does either event interfere with the other. We did permit this bride to arrive more than two hours earlier than originally confirmed, but could not change her departure time without causing hardship to the next couple's event.
Most venues offer a choice of a full day or limited time rental; the limited time rental is always more affordable, as the venue is the able to book a second event that day. If you are not sure you can fit your festivities into the time allotted, be sure and opt for the full day venue rental. We do not advertise one event per day as this bride claims, but do only allow one wedding on castle grounds at a time. If you want your wedding to be the ONLY wedding held at the castle that day, you must book a full day rental.This bride wanted to be married at the castle but could not afford a full day venue rental; although we do not usually book five hour venue rentals on holidays (New Year's Eve) we did so to accommodate this bride. Our five hour venue rentals are for a specific period of time as requested by the client, in this case, she wanted 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. We even reconfirmed her desired time slot before booking the next event. Less than a month before her wedding the bride informed us that she wanted to begin and end her day later, which was not possible due to the elopement we had scheduled following her event. We specifically confirmed her beginning and ending time BEFORE we committed to the other couple, so that we would have time to clean the castle after her event ended and before the next one began. We try to be very, very flexible with our clients, but cannot reserve a whole day for a five hour event; there will definitely be circumstances where we do book another event that day, but rest assured we will make sure that in no way does either event interfere with the other. We did permit this bride to arrive more than two hours earlier than originally confirmed, but could not change her departure time without causing hardship to the next couple's event. Most venues offer a choice of a full day or limited time rental; the limited time rental is always more affordable, as the venue is the able to book a second event that day. If you are not sure you can fit your festivities into the time allotted, be sure and opt for the full day venue rental. We do not advertise one event per day as this bride claims, but do only allow one wedding on castle grounds at a time. If you want your wedding to be the ONLY wedding held at the castle that day, you must book a full day rental.

Castle Ladyhawke responded with the following comments:
It is heartbreaking to learn after almost a year's time, that a wedding we were told by guests, family members and vendors was a wonderful success, in reality was a disappointment to the bride. Pleasing the bride and reducing the stress of her wedding day is our foremost priority.
Please brides, when we advise you of a room's capacity, the weather forecast and suggest tent rental or other services we are not trying to break your wedding budget! We truely are trying to accommodate you and your guests in the best way possible.The reality of trying to squeeze 170 guests into a 100 guest capacity hall in the event of rain can be very different from what is envisioned when you decide it would not dare rain on your wedding day. Please also listen when we tell you that it is not advisable to save labor costs by offering to have your bridal party and guests deal with moving tables, chairs, and floral arrangements. Again, the reality of trying to use guests and family members to perform services during a celebration is like herding cats; terribly disatisfying to say the least! Please allow us to have the staff necessary to handle the size of your guest list and the scope of your plans. All of our packages are based on 100 guests; additional guests require additional staffing in order to make your day run perfectly. We try very hard to be flexible and work within a bride's budget. Occasionally this leads a bride to make decisions that are not in her best interest. Remember, you and your groom, your bridal party and family are the stars of the day; do not try to be director and stage hand too. Still, is was a beautiful wedding for a beautiful couple. For pictures of this wedding go to: http://kelliekanophotography.com/blog/index.php/2009/11/06/lauren-wills-wedding/#commentsIt is heartbreaking to learn after almost a year's time, that a wedding we were told by guests, family members and vendors was a wonderful success, in reality was a disappointment to the bride. Pleasing the bride and reducing the stress of her wedding day is our foremost priority. Please brides, when we advise you of a room's capacity, the weather forecast and suggest tent rental or other services we are not trying to break your wedding budget! We truely are trying to accommodate you and your guests in the best way possible.The reality of trying to squeeze 170 guests into a 100 guest capacity hall in the event of rain can be very different from what is envisioned when you decide it would not dare rain on your wedding day. Please also listen when we tell you that it is not advisable to save labor costs by offering to have your bridal party and guests deal with moving tables, chairs, and floral arrangements. Again, the reality of trying to use guests and family members to perform services during a celebration is like herding cats; terribly disatisfying to say the least! Please allow us to have the staff necessary to handle the size of your guest list and the scope of your plans. All of our packages are based on 100 guests; additional guests require additional staffing in order to make your day run perfectly. We try very hard to be flexible and work within a bride's budget. Occasionally this leads a bride to make decisions that are not in her best interest. Remember, you and your groom, your bridal party and family are the stars of the day; do not try to be director and stage hand too. Still, is was a beautiful wedding for a beautiful couple. For pictures of this wedding go to: http://kelliekanophotography.com/blog/index.php/2009/11/06/lauren-wills-wedding/#comments

Castle Ladyhawke responded with the following comments:
Castle Ladyhawke is a wedding venue, and does not directly provide most services to our brides. We do put clients in touch with vendors such as caterers, officiates and others we are comfortable with recommending in order to complete their wedding experience. For our one hour elopement packages we contract with a local officiate to perform their ceremony. One of the requirements for officiating over a wedding in North Carolina is that the individual be "human", therefore there is always a chance of human error. The officiate had full intention of mailing their license back to the registry that day, but inadvertently and unfortunately misplaced the envelope in her car and found it days later. Once the client made usaware that the Register of Deeds had not received the marriage license, I personally contacted both the officiate, and the clerk at the court, had their licensed located and overnighted to the regiser of deeds. When I first spoke with the clerk I was assured that there would be no problem; the 15 days (not ten) was a guideline, and not an absolute. the clerk was very sorry the bride had been given the impression that she would have to have the ceremony performed all over again, which was not in fact the case. The Registry of Deeds received the license the following day, recorded it and all was well. Still very unfortunate and upsetting for the bride who was eager to begin name change and other legal moves to recognize her new status. We did, however, respond to her plea immediately and license was recorded within 48 hours of my being made aware of the problem. Castle Ladyhawke only books one wedding per day; however large weddings requiring tent set up sometimes take two or more days to prepare for. This bridal couple's appointment specified a rear balcony location for their 3pm ceremony, and the tent was located at the opposite side of the castle, away from our gardens or any architectural features such as our tower, oversized entry doors or loggias typically used for photo opportunities. I have to admit it never occurred to me that the couple would be expecting to use a nondiscript patio adjacent our valet stand for photographs with so many other spectacular views around the estate. I do understand from speaking with their photographer that their photographs came out beautifully, and I hope that now that the bride has seen her photographs she will have happier memories of her wedding day. As owner of Castle Ladyhawke I am the first contact most brides have with the castle, and am often in contact with them numerous times throughout their planning process to assist in whatever way that I can. However, I am not a wedding planner nor do I attend the weddings, however big or small, at the castle on a regular basis. I have a well trained and experienced staff and many talented associates who are familiar with the castle and far more experienced at "day of" responsibilities than I. I hope the bride did not feel in any way slighted by my absence that day. Our most lavish wedding of the year was the following weekend, but I wasn't there, either! BTW, I have been assured by the state that in the case of a truly lost marriage license,the license is merely reissued, signed by whomever previously officiated, and the witnesses, and refiled. No rerun of the ceremony is required! I always learn so much from our less than sterling reviews; this time I learned: - To make darn sure my Elopement Couples know if there will be a wedding the weekend following their ceremony that may be using a tent or other additions which make the castle look different than it did during their visit. and - If I am providing a local officiate, l'll encourage the newlyweds to mail in their own license!Castle Ladyhawke is a wedding venue, and does not directly provide most services to our brides. We do put clients in touch with vendors such as caterers, officiates and others we are comfortable with recommending in order to complete their wedding experience. For our one hour elopement packages we contract with a local officiate to perform their ceremony. One of the requirements for officiating over a wedding in North Carolina is that the individual be "human", therefore there is always a chance of human error. The officiate had full intention of mailing their license back to the registry that day, but inadvertently and unfortunately misplaced the envelope in her car and found it days later. Once the client made usaware that the Register of Deeds had not received the marriage license, I personally contacted both the officiate, and the clerk at the court, had their licensed located and overnighted to the regiser of deeds. When I first spoke with the clerk I was assured that there would be no problem; the 15 days (not ten) was a guideline, and not an absolute. the clerk was very sorry the bride had been given the impression that she would have to have the ceremony performed all over again, which was not in fact the case. The Registry of Deeds received the license the following day, recorded it and all was well. Still very unfortunate and upsetting for the bride who was eager to begin name change and other legal moves to recognize her new status. We did, however, respond to her plea immediately and license was recorded within 48 hours of my being made aware of the problem. Castle Ladyhawke only books one wedding per day; however large weddings requiring tent set up sometimes take two or more days to prepare for. This bridal couple's appointment specified a rear balcony location for their 3pm ceremony, and the tent was located at the opposite side of the castle, away from our gardens or any architectural features such as our tower, oversized entry doors or loggias typically used for photo opportunities. I have to admit it never occurred to me that the couple would be expecting to use a nondiscript patio adjacent our valet stand for photographs with so many other spectacular views around the estate. I do understand from speaking with their photographer that their photographs came out beautifully, and I hope that now that the bride has seen her photographs she will have happier memories of her wedding day. As owner of Castle Ladyhawke I am the first contact most brides have with the castle, and am often in contact with them numerous times throughout their planning process to assist in whatever way that I can. However, I am not a wedding planner nor do I attend the weddings, however big or small, at the castle on a regular basis. I have a well trained and experienced staff and many talented associates who are familiar with the castle and far more experienced at "day of" responsibilities than I. I hope the bride did not feel in any way slighted by my absence that day. Our most lavish wedding of the year was the following weekend, but I wasn't there, either! BTW, I have been assured by the state that in the case of a truly lost marriage license,the license is merely reissued, signed by whomever previously officiated, and the witnesses, and refiled. No rerun of the ceremony is required! I always learn so much from our less than sterling reviews; this time I learned: - To make darn sure my Elopement Couples know if there will be a wedding the weekend following their ceremony that may be using a tent or other additions which make the castle look different than it did during their visit. and - If I am providing a local officiate, l'll encourage the newlyweds to mail in their own license!