Hart & Main

Thank you, Dayna! Your wedding was one of our first and it was really nice. We really appreciate the kind words.

We feel terrible that you feel this way, Desiree. It’s certainly not how we intended to make you feel. I do appreciate the comments, even if they are tough to read. There is a lot here and I’ll try to unpack the bigger points; Some are warranted and others I’ll need to respectfully challenge. You were one of the early bookings (August 2021) just about 2 months after we began construction. We were brand new and figuring ourselves out. We did our best to communicate that reality to prospective clients, and most couples that booked us during the construction period understood that there was an element of uncertainty. We did our best to accommodate those that expressed frustrations, within reason, feeling so grateful that they took a chance on us. I wish you would have asked to elevate the conversation, as it might have helped avoid some of your frustrations or given us a chance to show you that we do care about our clients AND our venue. Below are some thoughts regarding some of your specific grievances:

1) They were only providing staff for the ceremony flip. –--- [HM} This provision is in our contract, but we or the planner could have done a better job reminding you earlier. It’s also one of the reasons we provide preferred caterers as most offer staff to serve and bus the tables during food service.

2) Another problem we had was with the sonos speakers, it is stated in our contract that we had access to them but apparently you only get access to them in the bridal and groom suite. –--- [HM} Clients are welcome to use the Sonos speakers throughout the property. That said, since the property in not in an area where fiber internet is available, we recommend that clients not use it for important portions of their event in case it acts up. Seems like we could have communicated this more clearly to you.

3) We also wanted an estimate of our open bar bill since we had our final guest count a month before the wedding and the bartender, Mike, kept refusing and told us that is something he gives us the week of the wedding. –--- [HM} I think it’s important to clarify that Mike did not refuse to give you an estimate, but he did say that he wouldn’t accept payment for the bar a month in advance. Guest counts often change slightly in the last couple weeks, and we’d prefer not to have to do a second charge/credit to reconcile the amount. I’d also note that bar package pricing sheets are provided twice, once with the welcome package and again closer to the event date when Mike seeks to customize your beverage program. For your package, the pricing was per person, which made it straightforward in determining an estimated bar cost.

4) We had open bar until 10pm the night of our wedding and I had about 15 people come to my husband and I telling us how rude Mike was and that they were charging for drinks at 9:45pm –--- [HM} I’m sorry if Mike came off rude to any of your guests. To clarify, the hosted bar contract is for a 4-hour period. Your wedding timeline (provided to us by your planner) stated that cocktail hour would begin at 6pm, however, your ceremony ended at 5:45pm, which is why Mike communicated that the hosted bar ended at 9:45pm. You elected to transition to a cash bar after the hosted bar period. We recommend going to an “on consumption” bar after the hosted period, but we give clients the ability to go to cash to help them manage their budget.

5) My catering also had problems with them, when they were told they could not use the fryer in the kitchen. –---[HM} Our catering rules state that outside caterers are not allowed to use the fryer (for many reasons). Your caterer was informed a couple times prior to the event. He decided to use the fryer anyway, which was disappointing. Ultimately, the venue staff chose to let him continue using the fryer so long as he took the spent oil away and cleaned the fryer, which he agreed to do. Unfortunately, he left the oil in the fryer and didn’t clean it at the end of the night.

While I’m not sure what you mean by a “big red flag” that we have preferred vendors, I can tell you that we don’t profit from any of them. They are on the list because they are great at what they do, they are easy to work with, and they respect our property and our staff.

Above all, I am relieved and excited that you had a fun and beautiful wedding. And I do appreciate your compliments on the aesthetic of the property.