Bournedale Function Facility

I really CANNOT say enough great things about Bournedale. I loved the all-inclusive pricing and the option to have guests stay on the property. Darin was an irreplaceable part of our wedding. He is the quarterback you do not know you need on your team. Robyn was amazing. She went above & beyond to provide stellar service for my husband & I. The food was amazing. I loved the pontoon boat ride during the cocktail hour. The pool & jacuzzi. The game room. They allow flexibility and we really felt like we were able to customize our dream wedding. Booking Bournedale was the easiest and best decision we have ever made together.
Our sincere thanks to Bournedale,
Bryan & Casey

Full disclosure: I was previously familiar with Bournedale as a camp, so I already kind of knew what to expect from them as a venue. However, this doesn’t change my experience there as a bride!

Bournedale is, as far as I’m concerned, the DREAM venue. Our wedding vibe was rustic, chill, and intimate. We wanted everyone to have fun and feel relaxed, especially after these tough pandemic years. Bournedale is the venue for couples who want to party, laugh, and mingle with loved ones. I’ve had so many guests comment that they felt completely comfortable at our wedding, despite it being the first big outing in years for many of them. The staff are so friendly and professional; I honestly could take up this entire review just naming every single employee who made the day special. Darin was great to work with; I don’t think there was ever a time I had to send a follow-up email because I hadn’t heard from him. I’ll never forget at our first meeting, when I was a panicked, anxious new bride, and I said, “God, I still have to get a wedding coordinator!” And Darin said, “You’re not going to need one; save your money. We’ll take care of everything.” And oh my god, it was so true!

The venue is beautiful; it’s a remote, quiet location but right off Exit 3 so very easy to get to. The outdoor ceremony site is on a lake with a small beach (and Bournedale offers pontoon rides during cocktail hour). Since the venue is a campground, there’s plenty of room for people to explore outdoors, and space for outdoor games, etc. But don’t let the word “camp” scare you: everything is paved and Bournedale shuttles guests with golf carts so no one has to trek it. We had plenty of people wear semi-formal attire, complete with high heels, and no one had any difficulty. There are cute cabins for guests who are staying overnight, as well as a few full houses for getting ready, etc. The interior of the venue has big beautiful windows overlooking the lake, and plenty of room. We had about 70 guests and used eight tables (plus a table for gifts and desserts), and the dance floor was the perfect size.

Bournedale was super helpful with set-up. They actually have two arches to choose from for the ceremony (or of course you can bring your own). The day of, Darin had us show him what the centerpieces should look like, and then the staff took care of it for us. Bournedale provided everything we needed (linens, etc), and honestly my afternoon was just spent relaxing in one of the houses and getting ready. Bournedale let us store our cupcakes in their kitchen and helped set them up. I am embarrassed to say I didn’t eat the food; despite my best efforts, I was too anxious and my stomach just shut down! But everyone else said they enjoyed it, and the couple of bites I managed were delicious! We did the mac and cheese bar as an add-on, and it was such a hit! Bournedale also set up an awesome After Party for people who were staying the night. Staff built a bonfire and helped us order pizza (by then I was actually able to eat… highly recommended!) They also offered to do breakfast the next day, but I had my heart set on a brunch truck (what can I say, I’m a millennial). Bournedale was totally cool with this, and even shuttled guests from the truck to the main hall, where they had coffee, tea, and juice available.

The overnight guest arrangements are a little confusing, and I think it’s mainly because Bournedale keeps everything on one bill, so whoever is paying the grand total has to collect money from any guests who are staying. What I recommend is setting up a Venmo so your guests can just pay you directly. It’s also tricky (especially these days) because not everyone is comfortable in a shared cabin. Darin was quick to tell us not to worry about it, and assured us that if any guests wanted a cabin to themselves due to COVID concerns, they would make it work. Luckily, since we only had about 25 people staying overnight, we were able to rent the houses instead of using the cabins. I recommend the happy couple stay in Greta House, since it has a King bed. We stayed with all our closest friends, while each of our families had their own house. It worked out perfectly!

Look, every newlywed is flying high after their weddings (or at least I hope they are!) so it’s easy to just be like: everything was perfect! It was beautiful! Etc etc. That’s why I waited a while before I wrote this review. I wanted to make sure I had a clear head, lol! And I’m here to say: my memories of Bournedale as a venue just get BETTER as time goes on! Maybe if you’re picturing a huge, white-tie, ultra-formal event, you might find Bournedale too casual. But if you want your wedding to feel like a celebration, if you really want to feel the love in the room, and if you want to have as relaxed and fun a day as possible, I HIGHLY recommend you check Bournedale Function Facility out!