Lake Junaluska Conference Center Reviews

Fall in the mountains is never a disappointment, but add the beauty of Lake Junaluska & a sweet stone chapel and its perfection. Each person we show our wedding photos to (shoutout Darrell Cassell Photography, photos attached) says it looks like a fairy tale, and I couldn’t agree more! Kelley was so helpful during planning and I would definitely recommend Lake Junaluska as a wedding destination to any bride and groom!

We had a choice of several beautiful sights to have the wedding ceremony and reception. We chose the Collanade by the lake. The rose walkway was so beautiful that we did not have to do too much decorating for the wedding! Terri, the event coordinator was so helpful in planning. She even came in on her day off to do"prom patrol" before and during the ceremony. The whole staff rallied and pulled it all together even though it came a downpour of rain 45 minutes before the wedding was to begin. The food was delicious and waitstaff very helpful.

We used the Lake Junaluska Conference Center for our rehearsal dinner, wedding and our reception. The Coordinator for the Center, Ms. Cutshaw, was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable about both weddings in general and the specifics of each location around the Lake. We ended up using three different buildings, the lodge across the road from the Center, the outdoor hillside site at the Lambuth Inn (which was spectacular overlooking the mountains at sunset), and the small cafe area in the downstairs of the Harrell Center. All three were just right for our purposes and staff did a wonderful job of organizing and preparing each site. Any minor problems were resolved quickly upon being mentioned to staff. At each event there was either the staff on site or a number by which someone couild be summoned by phone at any point.

Ms. Cutshaw especially was so helpful and responsive in the planning stage which helped resolve many worries and prevent a few potential big problems. She assisted with the menu for the reception, both in choosing the items and estimating the amounts. We're particularly grateful for her help!

My wedding ceremony was held at The Colonnade at Lake Junaluska in October 2010. (The reception was held elsewhere.) It is a beautiful location right on the lake, and everyone was incredibly helpful. The wedding coordinator, Terri Cutshaw, is amazingly helpful. She answered all of my questions quickly and was fantastic.

We just used the place, and had our own vendors set up everything & decorate. I know I did inquire about renting their chairs (which are white in their promotional pictures) only to find out that the chairs they actually have for rent are the gray metal ones. (The white ones belong to an outside vendor.) They never tried to trick me about the chairs, but I would definitely ask specific questions about what you're getting instead of assuming it will be as the pictures show.

Many of our family members stayed there the night before the wedding, and I would not recommend that. Those staying at the Lambuth Inn had a pretty good stay. The staff at the Lambuth Inn was very great and even helped us get some of (Although I was put in a tiny room the size of a closet even though there were two people staying in the room and I paid the same amount as my mom, who was staying by herself, whose room was a normal size.) However, my brother-in-law and his family (with newborn) had a terrible experience with a cabin they rented.

When we went to visit the grounds in April it was not impressive. The lake was drained at the time, and it smelled. Plus, the Colonnade looked a little shabby. However, Terri promised me the lake would be full in October and so we booked it. On the day of our wedding the Colonnade looked great (and there was no smell!) They had replaced the wooden benches at the Colonnade since April and had replaced the fallen railing lining the Rose Walk. Anything that looked shabby in April was pristine in October. (Although there are some water stains at the top of the Colonnade that you don't see in pictures. They're probably all photo-shopped out!)

Overall, I couldn't recommend it more. We had a very small and simple ceremony (25 guests.) We wanted it in a beautiful location that wasn't very expensive which is exactly what we got. The staff is exceedingly friendly and helpful.

We got married at the Lake Junaluska Memorial Chapel, and it was wonderful from start to finish.

Staff: Kelley Quigley was our on-site coordinator and she was very professional and organized. She was very thoughtful in looking up any surrounding conflicts that may potentially interfere with our day. We chose the florist at Lake Junaluska, and Kelley coordinated meetings for us via Zoom since we lived a few hours away. Melissa, the horticulturist, created beautiful bouquets, centerpieces, and pew markers for us. We were thrilled with the mountain flowers that adorned our wedding. Melissa even helped my friends arrange the flower greenery on a table so that they could decorate the other tables (this was not part of our contract).

Organization & Chapel: Kelley kindly worked around our schedule as we traveled to the lake to meet with her, and was very understanding when we had a mishap on the road and rescheduled with us. Kelley also ensured that we had everything that we needed and worked with the technical team to find answers to our questions.
Chapel: The interior of the chapel had recently been painted, and the walls were bright and clean. Important note: The chapel does NOT have air conditioning, so ensure that you and your guests will be comfortable with the windows open and an optional fan if needed. (We knew this in advance so it wasn't an issue. ) However there is heat for colder weather.

Rehearsal/Wedding Day: Our DJ was happy with the sound system and so were we! Both the pre-recorded music and our singer sounded spectacular. Melissa had placed our pre-determined flowers in the sanctuary a few hours before our wedding and they looked absolutely beautiful. My husband and I loved the look of the chapel, the grounds, and the beautiful atmosphere of the lake. We both had a positive and wonderful wedding, and all of our guests absolutely loved the chapel!

We had the pleasure of having our wedding at Lake Junaluska on July 24, 2010. We wanted a location that would be beautiful, elegant, relaxing, and not too expensive....and that's exactly what we found! We believe that Lake Junaluska is one of the best kept secrets in North Carolina!

Even though we were one of about 5 or 6 weddings on that day, you couldn't tell. All of the staff were amazing and were there to meet our needs in every way. The wedding coordinator, Terri Curtshaw, was simply a delight to work with and was such a big help in making sure our day was phenomenal.

It would be a HUGE mistake not to mention the BEAUTIFUL views that exist all over the campus. We were blessed with a clear and sunny day, which just made the lake and mountains look that much more beautiful. We had the ceremony at the Amphitheater and it turned out great. The guests loved it too; even thought it was a little warm. The reception was held at Shackford Hall. The space was just perfect and all the guests raved about the food. It was really delicious.

Most of our guests stayed on the property for the whole weekend. Although the accomadations are basic and not luxurious (it's no Marriott or Hilton) it didn't seem to matter. Everything was clean and accessible and the hotel staff were relatively friendly.

So, as you can tell we loved Lake Junaluska. If you are considering a wedding venue in the North Carolina mountains, we would highly recommend them!

Amazing experience! If you are type A, the lead up to the event is not for you - very relaxed and sparse communication. But the results were worth it! A magical place to be at any time, and to be married lakeside was a literal gift from above.

Our ceremony site was beautiful, but so many details were frustrating. What is represented on their site for weddings is NOT what you get. Buyer beware. The food was tasty if not overpriced (but most wedding stuff is...)