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Weddings

La Venture Grove Reviews

La Venture Grove

La Venture Grove

Saint Johns, FL
3.8 out of 5 rating, 5 Reviews
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Reviews

3.8 out of 5 rating
5 Reviews
  • Quality of service
    3.8 out of 5 rating
  • Average response time
    3.4 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    3.6 out of 5 rating
  • Value
    4.2 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    3.8 out of 5 rating
80% Recommended by couples

Awards

5
  • A
    Andrea T. Sent on 03/10/2021
    5 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      5.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      5.0 out of 5 rating

    Best Venue EVER

    Best venue. Best wedding planner. It was the most stress free process ever, and so affordable! A hidden gem in St Johns County!

    La Venture Grove's reply:

    Thank you so much Andrea! It was a joy working with you and your mother! Thank you for choosing us for your wedding venue, flowers, and coordination! We had so much fun bringing your dreams for your wedding to life!
  • Kayla
    Kayla T. Sent on 03/11/2021
    5 out of 5 rating
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      5.0 out of 5 rating
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    Perfection

    There are not enough words to describe what an amazing place La Venture Grove is! The moment my husband and I pulled up I knew it was the place I had to be and after spending time with Brooke and her family I knew there was no other place I would even consider. My heart was set on that dreamy venue! They were so much help leading up to the wedding and I had Brooke be my wedding coordinator without hesitation. I couldn’t have done it without her help and just having her presence made me feel like nothing could go wrong! The wedding was absolute perfection and to this day everyone who came still talks about how glorious the location was. Just let me spend everyday roaming around La Venture Grove and with the family behind it!

    La Venture Grove's reply:

    Thank you Kayla! You were one our first weddings and we cant thank you enough for trusting us with your vision and letting us bring it to life! We enjoyed every minute of working with you! Cheers!
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  • L
    Lindsey W. Sent on 02/10/2021
    2.4 out of 5 rating
    • Quality of service
      2.0 out of 5 rating
    • Average response time
      1.0 out of 5 rating
    • Professionalism
      1.0 out of 5 rating
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      5.0 out of 5 rating
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      3.0 out of 5 rating

    Gorgeous venue, terrible communication

    I have thought about if I should write this review since my wedding a month and a half ago but today was the final straw. I'll start off with the positives of this venue because it's definitely a beautiful place to get married. Lots of great picture worthy areas and a beautiful old house to get ready in. The owners Todd and Tammy were wonderful and accommodating and if I could have solely dealt with them then this would be a very different review. Unfortunately, their "coordinator" Brooke was the cause of most of my stress regarding wedding planning due to her complete lack of ability to communicate with a bride(she was not my planner but she was in charge of all communications with venue). It could take up to a week for a response, she didn't show up to ANY of the 5 meetings I had there after cancellations up to ten minutes before appointment or just not showing up at all. i have still never met this person face to face. Luckily someone from her family would usually arrive eventually to save the day and be able to show me and my planner around. Brooke told me and sent photos of items I could rent, then told me one week before my wedding that they no longer rent to people who don't use her planning services which had me scrambling for decor days before my wedding. The final straw was when I was told my seating sign which was accidentally left was found after an email conversation.. my mom drove 40 minutes to get it and had to wait to be let in 15 min past the time she was told she could come, then was told my item actually was not there and a very insincere "sorry" was given before she turned her back to my mother and walked away. The venue itself is great. I want to recommend this venue but I could never recommend dealing with their coordinator to anyone.

    La Venture Grove's reply:

    Hi Lindsey, Thank you for the kind words about our family and our venue. Here at La Venture Grove, our family business, we strive day in and day out to give the best service we possibly can. There is constant due diligence to provide each and every client with the upmost respect, service, and communication. As you said in your review, Brooke was not your coordinator, therefore she did not provide you with any coordination services. We did however, communicate with you and your coordinator as promptly as possible. I did have meetings with you and you also had my number as well for any communication you might have needed. Unfortunately, you have a different take on the process. I apologize for the inconvenience but I know that your wedding was wonderful as you have so pointed out. Good luck to you and your Husband, God bless. - Owner of La Venture Grove, Todd + Tami Sandiford
  • B
    Brooklynn Sent on 12/19/2023
    1.4 out of 5 rating
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      2.0 out of 5 rating
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      1.0 out of 5 rating
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      2.0 out of 5 rating
    • Value
      1.0 out of 5 rating
    • Flexibility
      1.0 out of 5 rating

    Last Wedding of 2023

    I was the last bride to get married at La Venture Grove in December 2023. I will say despite the venue dropping the ball on several logistical details, our wedding day was still so beautiful. We had an incredible day of coordinator, Callie Wheeland, who I would have been lost without on wedding day. Thank goodness God brought us Callie because I do not have faith the day would have gone as smoothly as it did, given the circumstances, without her.

    About 4 months before our wedding, communication became the first red flag with missed appointments and email responses taking on average 3 weeks for a reply. 2 months before our wedding, we still experienced delay in responses which per our contract, unlimited communication was included in our package 60 days out. My Husband and I had planned to book the family-affiliated floral company, Flora Grove thinking an inclusive floral package might make wedding planning and communication all around easier for us. After reaching out to Brooke Sandiford numerous times for a floral quote (at this point our wedding was a month and a half away) and being promised countless times the quote would be sent “by the end of the day” or “by the end of the week”, the quote was delivered a mere 4 weeks before wedding day, staggering at almost $14k. I had been requesting a floral meeting and quote 3 months before wedding day, and the quote did not come until a month before my wedding day. After a call with Brooke Sandiford to discuss how we could repurpose flowers throughout the space, I was told our florals were unable to be repurposed due to “time consuming labor” and the money she would have to pay to bring in additional people. I worked in the wedding industry for 2 1/2 years and have never heard of a bride not being able to repurpose florals.

    I did what any bride would do and price shopped to find someone within my budget, 1 MONTH before my wedding. Thank goodness I was able to find a florist who was not only able to replicate our exact vision, but had no personal issues with us repurposing our flowers to reception space.

    When I informed Brooke of my decision to go with a different florist within our budget, I received the following response - “I really don’t appreciate you wasting my time with meetings and creating a quote. I spent a lot of time on that just for you to copy my quote and get price matched. Good luck with your wedding.” I was shocked at such an unprofessional response!! Especially considering the floral contract I had been requesting for weeks was never sent over. I simply did not have the energy to respond to such unprofessionalism, and only looked for reassurance that my decision to not use the family company wouldn’t impact wedding day.

    About a month before wedding day, our hopes rested on the shoulders of Callie Wheeland, who thankfully stepped in due to our original day of coordinator being placed on maternity leave. I cannot say enough wonderful things about Callie and her attention to detail, and none of the logistical issues we experienced on wedding day were to Callie. Per our “partial” planning package, we were entitled to 1 lead coordinator and 2 assistants on the day of… Callie was the sole coordinator throughout the night, and I am amazed at how gracefully she kept her composure. 2 days before our wedding the venue reached out about charging me for napkins, which they were clearly not knowledgeable about which contract we had, as napkins are included in the contract we paid for. I was approached on wedding day a few hours before ceremony about being charged for table runners, which again, were included in our coordination package.

    As wedding day unfolded, various logistical issues arose, pointing to a lack of venue staff. Chairs were missing from our sweetheart table, so after my Husband and I’s first dance we had no place to sit. The arbor cross I requested for ceremony site was missing, the yard games were never set up or put out, and the two fire pits my Husband and I paid $130.00 to have were never lit. It wasn’t until halfway through our reception that I noticed the two fire pits we paid to have were not lit. Callie was able to find staff to light one of them for us. At this point in the night, we were so beyond over the venue we didn’t even make a stink about it. Our sheet cake was cut and set out for guests before my Husband and I were even notified it was time for us to do cake cutting. None of these issues made any sense to me considering how organized and specific I was about our requests.

    In conclusion, La Venture Grove is a beautiful space but the combination of unprofessionalism and lack of accountability creates a stressful wedding planning experience. The day would have been a disaster had we not had Callie. She was so professional and was constantly being pulled throughout the night to fix issues the venue dropped the ball on. I don’t even care to attempt to get my money back, I just want to wipe my hands clean and be done.

    The best advice I can give to future brides that decide to book with La Venture Grove would be 1) Your wedding day is special and you only do it once. Hire an outside wedding planner. 2), Know the exact details of the contract you sign so there are no attempted financial surprises hours before your ceremony.