Ashley Sent on 06/04/2023

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Dream Wedding Venue

We hosted our wedding ceremony and reception at the Carolina Inn, and everyone there made our weekend so calm, memorable, and just perfect. The Carolina Inn has multiple spaces available for hosting ceremonies and receptions, and every corner of the Inn is so quaint! The walls of the Inn are really like a mini-museum filled with facts and photos of famous folks in Carolina history (we had a photo of Coach Dean Smith outside our suite, which delighted my husband, a huge Carolina basketball fan).

We worked with three members of the Inn's event planning team (Megan, Kayla, and Gabriela) at different points throughout the planning process, and all three of them were so easy and fun to work with! They were all easy to reach and able to answer any question that we had. On the day of our wedding, Kayla worked with our day-of-coordinator to make sure everything ran smoothly, even with a last minute pivot indoors due to weather! We LOVED our menu selections, and Kayla and the kitchen staff were awesome in making sure dinner stayed on schedule.

We also loved hosting our wedding at the Carolina Inn because my husband and I, as well as our friends and family, were able to stay right there at the Inn. Janis, at the Inn's front desk, did a wonderful job managing our room block and answering all of our questions re reservations.

We would highly recommend the Carolina Inn to any couple searching for a quaint, historic venue in Chapel Hill.

Kimberly Sent on 12/19/2021

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The Carolina Inn is an absolute dream of a wedding venue.

The Carolina Inn is an absolute dream of a wedding venue. From the day I toured, we knew it was the place for us. For the last year, the entire team at the Carolina Inn has been extremely helpful with all of our questions and requests. Kelsey, our catering/wedding manager, was always responsive and worked with us and the chef to curate the perfect meal for our guests including all of the dietary restrictions we had! Our guests raved about how seamless the wedding was from the courtyard ceremony, cocktail hour in the black and white hallway, and then reception in the Hill Ballroom. As an added bonus, many of our guests were from out of town and were able to experience the magic and joy of the Carolina Inn at Christmastime. I cannot recommend the Carolina Inn enough! Even with multiple other events in December and the same day as our wedding, everything was flawless! We cannot wait to return for years to come to relive our wedding day.

Melissa Sent on 05/15/2020

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Wonderful venue staffed by wonderful people

Carolina Inn is a beautiful venue. We loved having our reception there. The team of people working there are all very helpful and took care of things before I needed to ask. They were so helpful both day of and in the many days proceeding. I would also highly recommend their wedding showcase for anyone planning their wedding here. Tiffany and her team were great!!!

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Lesley Sent on 11/13/2019

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A dream location!

The most beautiful setting for a magical wedding reception!! Cannot express how pleased I am that this was the location for my daughter's wedding! From the moment you drive up you know it's special, as beautiful on the outside as in...what a place for pictures! The staff is amazing, make everyone feel special to be there. We had a private room for getting ready with the girls, and a room for family brunch the next day and every detail was exceptional and looked beautiful. Could not be any happier with the venue...and all the history and tradition, speechless!!

Rachel Sent on 08/15/2019

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Great experience!

We had a wonderful experience with the Carolina Inn! Kayla was a great venue coordinator and they were able to work with us to include some unconventional traditions to help create our perfect day!

Lauren Sent on 04/21/2018

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Had the most amazing time at the Carolina Inn! To start with the front desk staff who were so helpful - Nils and his team know how to run that front desk- providing first class service. The reception with stations were truly amazing, food was delicious and the station attendants were so friendly. The bartenders did fantastic job of keeping the drinks flowing. Post wedding breakfast ran 1.5 hours over, but they never made a comment and made sure we were taken care of!!! Charmain was the best to work with- she really cares about what she is doing!!

Ashley Sent on 11/28/2017

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The Carolina Inn is a dream place to get married. Charmaine and her team made amazing things happen! A southern soirée’s Gina was a god send as well! If you dream of a southern venue with amazing food and service and stunning ballrooms. Look no further!

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Katie Sent on 04/18/2017

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My husband and I used to dream of a Carolina Inn wedding, but we never dreamed of how perfect it would be. Everyone went above and beyond to make sure it was the perfect day. Heidi made our experience personal and made us feel like we were her only couple and focus at every step in the planning process. Heidi made outstanding recommendations to help us find the perfect vendors. We have heard from our guests that we "know how to plan a great party," but all the credit belongs to the Carolina Inn. They even made sure that we got to eat at the reception and had cake in our room after the wedding! Everyone (even with no connection to Carolina) should have their wedding here! We are looking forward to returning to celebrating important occasions for years to come!

Hilary Sent on 10/30/2016

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We had our reception in the Old Well room, and it was perfect. We had the privilege of working with Kristen, who was knowledgeable, incredibly responsive, and really nice too! We were planning from out of town, and Kristen made the whole thing very easy. She even accommodated our requests for adding a certain beer to the bar (a favorite of the groom). The service at this hotel is incredible, and the decor is so beautiful I want to move in. Our food was amazing (we did stations, which got rave reviews from guests, and the late-night snack was a HUGE hit!). If anything went wrong, I never knew about it; the event was flawless. Thank you to Kristen and all of the amazing staff at The Carolina Inn - we had the time of our lives!

Amanda Sent on 10/24/2016

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The Carolina Inn made my dream wedding happen! Thank you to Kristen and Tiffany especially for being so accommodating! I could never say enough good things about the Carolina Inn, it will always hold a special place in our heart!

User2604229 Sent on 05/10/2016

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For a reception venue, I honestly cannot imagine a better place than the Old Well Room at the Carolina Inn! The room is absolutely gorgeous, and you can really make it work with any color scheme. It is a classic Southern ballroom, and the black and white floors make such an amazing back drop for dance floor photos! Our guests were blown away by the beauty of the venue. In addition, the staff at the Carolina Inn are amazing - they are so hospitable, friendly, and willing to help! Our social catering manager was Kristen, and we cannot say enough about how wonderful she is to work with! We were initially working with another staff member who left right after we booked the Carolina Inn, and Kristen stepped in for our event. She was so responsive to all my emails and phone calls, and she was willing to help us with whatever she could. From helping us to find a date that worked for my out of town parents to come for the tasting, to suggestions for the welcome bags, to advice about add-ons, to helping our day-of coordinator to make sure that everything for the reception went as planned, Kristen was there for us every step of the way. Kristen helped to make sure that we had appetizers and drinks brought to us while we were doing photos during cocktail hour, and she helped to make sure we had a few moments in the Old Well Room before the guests entered to take it all in. Seeing Kristen on our wedding day really felt like seeing a best friend! Also, the food for our reception was amazing! Our guests raved about the food and were in awe that such quality could be produced in such quantity. They also loved the dessert bar and late night snack, and the staff did a wonderful job of keeping these stations stocked. Finally, 80-90% of our guests were from out of town, and about 90% of those stayed at the Carolina Inn. All our guests loved the Inn and had such a wonderful experience during their stay. The valet, front desk, and housekeeping staff are so courteous and helpful!

Mary Sent on 04/19/2016

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The Carolina Inn is a great choice for a wedding! The ambiance is perfect with a comfortable lobby, beautiful grounds, an excellent restaurant onsite (Crossroads) and convenient location to Franklin Street. The staff at the Inn are helpful and friendly and made our stay amazing. The wedding ceremony and reception were so incredible! The Chancellors' Ballroom was beautiful and the ceremony in the Anne Hill courtyard was magical. Kristen Prescott, our event coordinator was great to work with and very helpful throughout the planning and implementing a wonderful weekend. The only issues we had were a forgotten microphone at the ceremony although it didn't seem to make that much difference and the wait staff cleared our plates too quickly and some meals were untouched. The cake was served to all guests but was also cleared too quickly and many guests didn't even taste the cake! We would definitely recommend this venue to those searching for a high class and memorable wedding!

Katherine Sent on 03/28/2016

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Ever since I saw the Carolina Inn, I absolutely fell in love with it and knew I wanted to get married there. I was a little concerned about pricing, but they are very flexible and offer so many different options. It would be a mistake to overlook them if you are concerned about price. Tiffany was out designated planner, and she was so enjoyable to work with. She was on top of everything, and we met with her several times before the wedding to make sure that we understood our packages and how everything would work the day of. The Bridal Showcase that they put on is just amazing, and that is where you do your tasting. It allows you to see the stations fully set up, in-action so that you can get a feel for what they will be like at the event. We really enjoyed that. The food was amazing, and the setting couldn't have been more beautiful. They just re-did the sod in the courtyard and planted their spring flowers, so everything was blooming and perfect. The hotel staff was above and beyond to make us feel special that weekend, and like we were the only guests there. I am so glad we chose the Carolina Inn for our big day, and we wouldn't change one thing about the weekend!

Aggie Sent on 12/25/2015

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The Carolina Inn made our wedding dreams come true, and I honestly can’t think of a better venue in North Carolina that can rival them. The Inn itself is absolutely gorgeous, and my guests loved the guestrooms and the atmosphere, especially the delicious chocolate chip cookies! My girls and I stayed and got ready in the Premier King Suite along with a connecting room, and I totally recommend doing that! It made for great pictures and we were able to relax and have plenty of space! I did a lot of research into venues across the state, and when it came down to what was offered for what price, The Carolina Inn was the best value by far. With the Inn, you know exactly what you’re getting up front and for how much as they do package pricing and only a food and beverage minimum for the different ballrooms - all of which I thought were reasonable for what we got. The wedding planners and catering manager (Melissa, Kristen, and Samantha) were great at answering my endless amount of questions and very accommodating to all my requests and last minute changes. They really work hard to make sure you get what you want for your big day. I found that everyone at the Inn, from the service staff to the managers, went out of their way to create a wonderful experience for us. The food was absolutely phenomenal. We had a station plus appetizers for cocktail hour and then a plated meal. All the guests could not stop raving about how delicious everything was and how they thought it was the best wedding they’ve been to! Picking The Carolina Inn was the best decision we made during wedding planning!

Caitlin Sent on 11/24/2015

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I had my wedding ceremony and reception at the Carolina Inn, and it was absolutely the most perfect day ever. The staff there is perfectly professional, organized, and friendly. Planning was easy, and the cost stayed within the budget we discussed. There were no problems with communication or scheduling meetings, and definitely no hidden or surprise costs! On the day of the wedding, I was shocked at how calm I was, and how relaxing the entire day felt. It unfolded perfectly around me, while I sipped mimosas and got ready with my bridesmaids. I would definitely recommend reserving a king suite and getting ready there - our room was beautiful and comfortably fit my entire bridal party for hair and makeup on the day of the wedding. I worked with Samantha Mead (catering manager at the Carolina Inn) and Mackenzie Williams (a Southern Soiree), and both of these ladies are fabulous at what they do. My family and friends have had nothing but great things to say about the wedding, and I could tell everyone was having a great time. If I could do it all over again, I would choose the Carolina Inn without hesitation, and I would highly recommend them to anyone!

Emily Sent on 09/02/2015

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The Carolina Inn has been a dream to work with for my wedding in May! My wedding consultant Kristen is always available when I call and all of my questions have been answered promptly. Every time I show up unannounced to show a family member their courtyard and ballroom that I have booked they are more than accommodating and bend over backwards to make us feel welcome and like we are the most important people. Their prices were much more reasonable than I expected them to be, but that might have to do with my wedding being on a Sunday rather than a Saturday--either way they were more than affordable.

Alison Sent on 08/24/2015

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We had our wedding at the Carolina Inn and it was picture-perfect! The Bryan courtyard was great for our intimate wedding, and the Chancellors Ballroom was beautiful for our reception. Everything ran smoothly, the food tasted great, and Kristen P (catering manager) was extremely helpful and fast at responding to any questions we had. We love the Carolina Inn!

Jessica Sent on 08/21/2015

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We just had our wedding at the Inn earlier this month, and I'm still smiling!!!!! The Inn was the most beautiful/amazing/afforable/unique venue I've ever seen- and I've been to a million weddings!!! We had the best service from them, seriously from the valet guys, to the maids, to the restaurant, to the Catering Manager (Tiffany!) and the front desk staff, the service was absolutely top notch. Erin McClean Events was teamed up with them too for our ceremony and the coordinator was incredible- she made everything run so smoothly with Tiffany, they were the dream team, I worried about nothing!

We had a wedding of about 100 people and the Inn was more than accommodating at every turn (even for picky guests) and did everything with a smile on their faces. I would do the whole thing again tomorrow.

The food was so good, the set up and pictures came out incredible, the linens were affordable, the drinks were affordable, and everyone LOVED being there!!! Could not have picked a better location for our special day, and cannot wait to spend a lifetime making memories of going to spend a week on our anniversary! plus bring our kiddos back there some day! Such a landmark in Chapel Inn and well known everywhere. I live in Charlotte and didn't know much about Chapel Hill when we picked the Inn (I was living in Raleigh for work when we got engaged and found the Inn) and was floored by how wonderful it was compared to Charlotte venues, including the pricing being better! It was a no-brainer from the beginning. If you're looking to get married in Chapel Hill- this is the place to do it. If you're having 50 people, or 300 people, you will not be disappointed.

User1603318 Sent on 07/02/2015

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We will always remember and hold a special place in our heart for the Carolina Inn. It was the absolute best place for us to get married. We met and started dating after hanging out at Fridays on the Front Porch so it will always mean alot to us. All of our guests LOVED staying there too for the wedding and the venue went above and beyond making sure we had everything we needed. Working with the staff from day one was a pleasure and it could not have been a more beautiful place to get married. We were married in the Anne Hill Courtyard surrounded by the magnolia trees. We had the reception in the amazing Old Well Room with black and white checkered floor which just made our dance party even more fun! The staff bent over backwards to provide some of the best service I have ever had. I highly recommend this as your wedding venue. The staff is fantastic, the location is stunning, and your guests will love every moment of your wedding weekend!

User2112883 Sent on 04/28/2015

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The Carolina Inn is so incredible. We had our April 2015 ceremony in the Bryan Courtyard and reception in the Hill Ballroom. Heidi Werner (catering manager and so much more) was probably the single best person we came across in all of wedding planning - so wonderful and made the process so easy and smooth. The entire staff was fantastic. 10 out of 10 experience for sure!

Julia Sent on 01/14/2015

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We just had our reaction and ceremony at the Carolina Inn in the Old Well Rooms. All of our guests were floored by the beautiful ballroom! We also had multiple "this is one of the nicest, quaint, awesome hotels we've ever stayed in" comments as well. The staff Tom the front desk, servers, bartenders, valets etc etc were absolute amazing! Super accommodating and friendly all around! Most importantly...the fooood was ah-mazing! We had scallops and tenderloin! I was afraid the scallops would be overdone because of the quantity that needed to be produced but they were Perfectly delicious! We also had so many comments on the tenderloin as well. Our guests said it cut like butter!

Valerie Sent on 01/05/2015

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The Carolina Inn was breathtaking for our Wedding Reception. Melissa Sayre went above and beyond, making our day perfect. Our day was enjoyable and seamless thanks to the planning of Melissa. The food and service was fantastic, guests raved about what was served. You cannot go wrong with this charming venue, they help make your wedding a fairytale.

Katie-Ann Sent on 12/06/2014

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The Carolina Inn was the perfect place for our reception venue. It had meaning to us as it was on the campus my husband and I attended, as well as the school where my sister is a student and where my father audited a class. It was the perfect place with its southern charm and elegance as well as a place close to our hearts!

We worked with Kristen at the Inn who was a pleasure to work with. She knew exactly what we had in mind and worked closely with our wedding coordinator where everything on the day of the wedding went off without a hitch. She had coordinated with the kitchen on our meals including one gluten free, as well as special dishes such as shrimp and grits served in a martini glass and our dessert table where the Inn added a few special desserts we requested. We had discussed diagrams of the room and coordinated with CE Rentals for our linens and charger plates which all looked beautiful the day of the wedding.

Kristen did an excellent job coordinating with reservations so our guests also had an exceptional experience while at the Inn. They all received their welcome bags we had provided for them and all of the guests are still talking about how beautiful their rooms were. The reservations staff accommodated my husband and I with a beautiful suite as well as upgrading my suite on our first night checking in which was so convenient in laying everything out for the big weekend ahead and took into account my request for having our guests in the "medical" wing of the Inn with our background in dentistry.

We cannot express enough how pleased we were with the Inn for our wedding and highly recommend using them for your event in the future!

Kaylie Sent on 12/02/2014

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Where else would we have a Tar Heel/ Carolina themed wedding?! The Inn was such a beautiful venue, and the catering team was amazing to work with. They made sure that every detail was perfect that day. Also, they provide you with an amazing packet of vendors that they personally have worked with several times and trust, making my decision much less stress-free! Kristen was so adorable, and even after being away on maternity leave, she came back and was on top of every detail and every aspect of my wedding. Also, the food was delicious (typically wedding food is mediocre, but I still have people commenting on how amazing our Shrimp and Grits were!), and it was so nice to have every aspect of our wedding take place in the one area. It was PERFECT!

Jessica Sent on 10/07/2014

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Our ceremony and reception was at The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, NC!
It was a great spot in the middle of town and easy to get shuttles and cabs to and from.
The team there was awesome and listened to every wish I had for the big day.
I worked with catering manager, Kristen Prescott, and she was lively, energetic, and concerned with making the two of us happy no matter what!
She explained every choice and detail that we had to make a decision on and carried it out perfectly. She also referred us to a couple of day-of planners and we decided to go with, Kailey Branham, from A Southern Soiree, and she did a phenomenal job putting every piece of our day together so I didn't have to worry!

Shelley Sent on 09/07/2014

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We had 75 rooms booked for our wedding weekend, and held both the wedding and reception at the Inn. With most of our guests coming from out of town, we couldn't have found a better location. The Inn has beautiful sitting areas for people to congregate, and they did a masterful job with the wedding and reception. The food was fabulous, and the wedding coordinator was totally on top of everything. It was perfect.

Rachel Sent on 08/06/2014

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The Carolina Inn staff was exceptional to work with! Our wedding day was perfect and all of our guests had a blast! We could not have asked for a more perfect day!

Melissa Sayre was amazing and handled every detail down to changing the ceremony from outside to inside due to weather. It was such a smooth transition that our guests thought it was scheduled to be inside the entire time!

Kate Sent on 07/02/2014

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Amazing venue...exactly what we had pictured for our wedding. We worked with JJ as our consultant and she was amazing. We have gotten a huge amount of compliments about the food, service and how beautiful the Inn was. We couldn't be happier with our experience.

Jessica Sent on 06/02/2014

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Working with The Carolina Inn was an absolute dream! At first I hadn't even looked at this venue because I assumed it would be outside of my budget, but I am so happy that I reached out for more information. I found The Carolina Inn to be the best value of any of the venues that I looked at, and throughout the process they were so transparent with pricing and so easy to work with. Elizabeth Rubio was great to work with and helped me find ways to get everything I wanted while staying within budget. At the wedding, their staff did an absolutely incredible job of making sure that everything was flawless! All of my guests couldn't stop talking about how beautiful everything was, and how amazing their entire experience at The Carolina Inn had been. During the planning process, I had never even looked at the actual "hotel" part of The Carolina Inn, but once I saw it at the wedding, it was SO beautiful! Every step of the planning process was so wonderful, and even once we got to The Carolina Inn their staff did everything they could to meet our needs, and our guests needs. I 100% recommend The Carolina Inn and I can't think of a single even slightly negative thing to say about the entire experience.

User1601533 Sent on 04/29/2014

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Our daughter's wedding and reception this past weekend at The Carolina Inn was just wonderful. We could not have been more pleased with how everything turned out. The Inn itself is just gorgeous and living history. Our guests enjoyed the ambience and all of the comments regarding the accommodations were very positive. The staff is extremely helpful and professional. As for the ceremony and reception, we felt both were flawless. Melissa Sayre, Catering Manager, went above and beyond to create a well paced evening, starting with the ceremony in the Bryan Courtyard, to the cocktail hour in the Old Well Wing, then finally dinner and dancing in the beautiful Old Well Room. The food was delicious and we had lots of compliments on taste and variety. Service was prompt and unobtrusive. Stations were chosen instead of a plated dinner and that really worked well - organized, neat, and I think our guests felt very relaxed with this approach. They flowed easily from the different rooms that were used for food stations and bar, and the photo booth centered in the gallery was a big hit. Melissa's recommendations were spot on and we had no issues at all. The bride and groom were very happy as were families and guests. So many compliments!

User1386267 Sent on 01/11/2014

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Cannot say enough about our New Year's Eve wedding at the Carolina Inn! They were incredibly responsive, professional, and attentive throughout the entire planning process and reception. The Inn specializes in weddings and special events, and it really shows--from bringing my husband and me food during our reception (there was no way we could get it ourselves!), to making sure all of the staff in charge introduced themselves, to making sure our event ran on schedule down to the MINUTE. The Carolina Inn was the perfect place for our wedding.

We especially appreciated that the pricing was clear up front and did not change--no hidden costs or add-ons later, which allowed us to stay on budget.

The Old Well room was absolutely gorgeous and the event was flawless--thanks to Kristen Prescott and the entire staff!

User1498044 Sent on 01/02/2014

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The Carolina Inn hosted our wedding ceremony and reception in December of 2013. The service that we received from the incredible team at this unbelievable hotel was unbeatable.

Melissa Sayre is truly exceptional. She went above and beyond to make our day exceptions. She responded to every email promptly and every small detail that we discussed over a year of planning our event was perfectly executed.

The food was amazing, the facilities were stunning. We could not have been happier. Our guests (99% of whom were not from North Carolina) could not stop talking about how exceptionally beautiful the Inn was, how great their guest rooms were, and how wonderful the overall wedding was.

Our wedding day was the best, most stress-free day of our lives. The vision that my husband and I had truly came to life. It is a day that we will always remember, and we owe much of that to Melissa and the wonderful staff at the Carolina Inn.

User5961994 Sent on 10/23/2013

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Very responsive. Handles everything. No worries on the day of. Beautiful place

Melissa Sent on 10/18/2013

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The Carolina Inn was the perfect place to get married! I cannot say enough good things about the Inn or our sales and catering manager, Kristen Prescott. They handled our wedding with more professionalism and proficiency than I could have ever expected. No details were ever too small (or too big) for the Inn to handle. Kristen and her team, were very flexible to make our day very special. I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with her. I would recommend the Carolina Inn to anyone planning a wedding or any other event. Simply flawless!!

Kristen Sent on 10/16/2013

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The Carolina Inn was THE PERFECT PLACE for our wedding. Everyone was incredibly helpful - especially Kristen, the social catering manager. She was extremely responsive and answered all of our (many, many) questions. Our ceremony was held in the Hill (large) courtyard, and the reception was in the Hill (large) ballroom. The sites were flawlessly put together, all of the staff was friendly and helpful, and the food was delicious. Everything went off without a hitch! I cannot say enough good things about The Carolina Inn - this place knows how to throw the perfect wedding!!!

Marielle Sent on 09/30/2013

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I am so happy that I listened to my parents and chose to have my wedding at the Carolina Inn. My family and husband & I still can't get over how perfectly the day went. Our guests loved spending the weekend there and had such a blast - it is such a beautiful venue, it has character, it's charming, it's right next to campus, the hotel staff was so hospitable, and the rooms are newly-renovated and very comfortable.
I can't thank Kristen enough for her overwhelming responsiveness and attentiveness to all of my questions during the 9 months leading up to the wedding. I'm pretty sure I emailed her multiple times a week and always got an answer within 1 business day. She not only answered my many questions but also worked with me to accommodate my crazy requests and make sure everything would be executed as we had envisioned.

The Carolina Inn will always be a special place to us because of the amazing weekend we all had there!

Elizabeth Sent on 09/26/2013

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Words can't adequately express how perfect the CI and all of their staff were throughout the entire wedding process. They made my dream wedding a reality. Melissa Sayre, my catering manager, was beyond amazing and pivotal in making the wedding day run smoothly. My husband, mom and I both don't know HOW we would have done it without her. The venue is GORGEOUS. We got married in the "Old Well" room and all of our guests remarked on how beautiful the room was and how it looks like something out of a dream. If I had to go back and do the whole process a second time I would pic CI yet again hands down! Thanks to their amazing staff, and to Melissa especally, for all of their outstanding work!

Molly Sent on 08/21/2013

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We had our reception here a couple of weeks ago.
It. was. flawless.

It was the most beautiful, magical, perfect wedding! Everything went perfect and there were no hiccups. We loved every single minute of our time there.
Since then, everyone has told us how much fun our wedding was and how magical the venue was!

Rainy Sent on 06/19/2013

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We knew when we walked into the Old Well Room that we wanted to have our wedding reception here. It's gorgeous - 100% pure old southern style. I grew up in NC, but my fiance did not, and we wanted our guests to be blown away by a mix of traditional elegance and modern touches.

We "inherited" Melissa part way through the planning process, and she was great. We wanted to put a few modern touches on the event, to make it more personal, and I was really impressed with how flexible she was. Everyone at the Inn made us feel special, and our guests could not believe how gorgeous everything was. We had an amazing wedding weekend at the Inn, and all of our guests did too! Even the food was incredible. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience for us, and we're very grateful to have hosted it at the Carolina Inn.

Andrea Sent on 06/18/2013

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The Carolina Inn is a quintessential location in North Carolina. My friends and family have not stopped raving about the incredible experience they had at the Carolina Inn. As the bride, there were no limits to requests that I made and every single employee from the valet, to the servers, to the front desk, to the catering manager, made me feel like the top priority even though there were multiple events happening at the same time as my wedding. I cannot thank the Carolina Inn enough for giving me a magical wedding experience and making all of my guests feel so welcomed and catered to. THANK YOU!

User1204783 Sent on 06/18/2013

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The Carolina Inn completely surpassed our expectations for our June 1, 2013 ceremony and reception. From start to finish Melissa Sayre and the rest of the staff were extremely attentive, responsive and respectful of our wishes and budget. Many of our guests were from out of town, and were similarly impressed with the Inn's high quality of service and sheer beauty. The food both at the wedding and the restaurant where impeccable. We could not have dreamt of a better ceremony and reception venue.

Brenda Sent on 06/17/2013

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We really enjoyed partnering with Melissa Sayre on my daughter's (and new son-in-law's!) wedding reception at the Carolina Inn. She "inherited" us half way through our year-long planning, and she never skipped a beat. She was helpful, professional, supportive, informative, and easy to work with. Melissa cheerfully answered endless novice and last-minute questions, as well as accommodated a couple of unusual requests with great ease and poise.
The food was delicious; we heard many compliments about it. We also heard numerous compliments about the guest rooms, especially those amazingly comfortable beds! We had SO many people (ranging in age from 24-85) tell us it was the BEST wedding (at University UMC) and reception (Carolina Inn's Hill Ballroom) they had ever been to, and I mean A LOT of people. They had a blast!!
All of the Carolina Inn staff was approachable, attentive, responsive, and exemplified terrific customer service, all of which made the mother of the bride responsibilities much less stressful.
Thank you for being part of a wonderful life-long memory for the new couple and everyone who joined us at the reception!!

Margaret Sent on 06/01/2013

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Like some of the other brides I've seen reviews from, we also had a change in catering manager mid-planning. While we had our doubts about this at first that were mainly due to fear of change so late in the process, we were completely won over by the time the wedding rolled around. The Inn operated seamlessly with all our vendors, and everything came out JUST as we pictured it. I honestly can't speak highly enough of everybody we worked with there. Melissa was wonderful and had everything in place on the day (despite the rain!), and all of the guests we spoke with were thrilled with the beauty of the Inn and the friendliness of the service. The Old Well came out just as beautifully both on the day and in our pictures as I'd hoped! I was a little concerned that there were two other weddings happening at the same time (I saw both of the other brides at various points), but nobody was stepping on anybody's toes. It was like we were the only wedding there!

Just a detail for anybody this may help- we had around 85 guests and a full band setup in the Old Well, and it worked perfectly! There was definitely enough room for more guests, too.

Rosemary Sent on 05/30/2013

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It was an elegant and classy spot for our reception. Absolutely thrilled we chose the Carolina inn as our venue.

Rachel-Rose Sent on 05/15/2013

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I absolutely loved having my wedding, both the ceremony and reception, at the beautiful Carolina Inn! The staff made the entire wedding process a joy and were helpful and responsive to the questions we had. I got to work with Melissa Sayre who is fantastic and extremely personable! She was always on top of everything and was very easy to work with! I highly recommend the Carolina Inn as a venue to get married and it will always hold a special place in my heart!

Jessica Sent on 04/11/2013

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Service: We had an amazing experience holding our ceremony and receptions at the Carolina Inn. The sales manager, catering manager and hotel staff were accomodating and helpful. All of our emails were responded to within a day.
Value: We venue shopped for a year. The Inn was honestly the best value. I appreciated their per guest pricing structure and there were absolutely no hidden costs.
Flexibility: The Inn was able to accommodate special requests and last minute changes.
I highly recommend the Inn for your wedding or event.

Jessica Sent on 04/06/2013

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Melissa is awesome as is the whole staff at the Carolina Inn! Melissa became our wedding planner after we had already booked our wedding at the Inn. After meeting with us once, she knew exactly what we were looking for and what type of wedding we were planning. She helped us coordinate a happy hour the night before the wedding, the ceremony and wedding as well as brunch the next day! Everything went smoothly and was everything we could have ever hoped for and more. Almost all of our guests were from out of town and they all continue to rave about how friendly, helpful, and accomodating everyone at the Inn was. The food was amazing, the Chancellors Ballroom was set up perfectly and looked gorgeous! This is a perfect venue for a wedding and has so much to offer! I loved that Melissa was able to help us with all of our needs. She definitely went above and beyond her duties! Thank you Melissa and everyone at the Carolina Inn!

Karen Sent on 01/02/2013

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We had my daughter's rehearsal dinner, reception and wedding breakfast at the Carolina Inn. The Inn's staff is the epitome of professionalism, responsiveness and excellence. I cannot find enough superlatives to talk about their performance! ALL staff (parking valet, front desk staff, wait staff, bellmen, housekeeping, EVERYBODY!) were helpful and friendly. The food and service at all of our events was wonderful. We had planned for all guests to stay at the Inn but because of room renovations, there weren't enough rooms available. The CI wedding coordinators arranged for guests to stay the other UNC property, The Rizzo. The CI staff provided seamless coordination of this, including transportation from The Rizzo, to the church, to the CI for the reception and back to The Rizzo. I can't imagine another reception venue doing this.

My highest praise goes to the CI Wedding Coordinator that we worked with for the last month, Melissa Sayre. A month before our wedding, Melissa stepped in to replace our original coordinator, Devon. (Devon took at new job at the Charlotte Ritz.) Melissa knew we may be nervous about working with a new coordinator at the last minute, so she went out of her way to reassure us. She probably contacted us everyday during the month of December, providing us updated information, suggestions and kind words. She made our wedding 100% stress-free. Any request we had, she went to the ends of the earth to get it accomplished. Melissa is the best.
The Carolina Inn does over 150 wedding per year...and their experience is evident in every aspect needed for a perfect wedding. All CI staff involved in our wedding were consummate professionals. The CI calendar fills quickly, but if you are lucky enough to book a date, know that your Carolina Inn wedding/reception/rehearsal dinner will be perfect!

Elizabeth Sent on 10/12/2012

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Our wedding reception was in the Old Well Room on a Saturday afternoon on the hottest day of the year. It was beautiful and so easy! Everyone had a great time. They have weddings down to a science. We just told them what we wanted and they did it. Fantastic. I definitely recommend the Carolina Inn to everyone, especially if you are planning your wedding from another state. Also, the Inn is beautiful. Everyone who stayed in the hotel loved their rooms. I wanted to move into ours.

Alicia Sent on 10/02/2012

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Since our wedding was a destination wedding for a large number of our guests, my husband and I wanted to have it be a big weekend celebration for everyone who came to visit. The Carolina Inn provided the perfect venue and location to allow for that to happen. Not only is the Inn a top notch amazing place to stay with everything you'd ever need to make a special weekend even more special, but it's location (walkable to the rehearsal dinner and welcome drinks on Franklin St) was the icing on the wedding cake.

Working with Heidi Werner and the rest of the catering and event staff, we knew we were in great hands. The team does an amazing job of balancing professionalism and a vast knowledge of how weddings should work with the realization that while they have done tons of weddings, this is most likely the first and only one for you. So the balance of making you feel well cared for as well as special and calm is really appreciated.

Favorite memory: My husband and I got engaged in New Orleans and wanted to incorporate some of the NoLa vibe into the day. We had an idea to do a "second line" with a four piece band leading all the guests from the ceremony through the main lobby of the hotel to the cocktail hour. We weren't sure if they'd go for it, since it would probably be pretty disruptive. But they were totally game and were right there dancing along with us :)

I have to say, I'm not one to embrace the "princess" part of being a bride, but The Carolina Inn was so very attentive and thoughtful and just took care of so very many things that we didn't even have time to think of ... well, that's something a gal could get used to (especially on the most fun yet stressful weekend of her life) :)

Sally Sent on 08/07/2012

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I can't say enough good things about the Carolina Inn and especially Heidi. We got the reception of our dreams (and bridal luncheon and rehearsal dinner) because of the hard work from the event staff at the Carolina Inn. It's worth the money to get exceptional people working for you. They were all friendly and provided exceptional service. I always felt like they genuinely wanted to make sure we were 100% satisfied—no... more than satisfied! I have been slowly convincing my best friend to book her wedding at the Inn so I can relive it all over again!

User863307 Sent on 07/13/2012

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What a perfect location for my daughter's wedding reception ! We had several out-of-town guests who also stayed at the Inn and were blown away by the "Southern hospitality" that they experienced. The food was exceptional and the staff were always friendly and helpful. The rooms were very comfortable and clean. We worked with Devon to plan the reception. She went "above and beyond" to make the reception exceptional ! The Carolina Inn was our "home away from home" that weekend; we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We will absolutely frequent the Inn in the future on every opportunity we get. If you're looking for an elegant, but not stuffy, setting for your wedding reception, you must try the Inn !

Kelly Sent on 07/02/2012

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We absolutely loved having our wedding at the Carolina Inn! They were amazing to work with in planning the wedding. They pulled off a flawless day, and all our guests thought everything was just perfect. They are considered expensive, but you get what you pay for. Their attention to detail and responsiveness to special requests is unparalleled. We worked mainly with Heidi, who is fantastic.

User909785 Sent on 04/20/2012

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Working with Devon Schwartz and The Carolina Inn was truly incredible. What a phenomenal experience from beginning to end. The Inn is not just incredibly beautiful and the perfect place for any wedding, but the food and hospitality are truly excellent. You just can't go wrong by choosing this vendor. Everyone here will do whatever they can to make your wedding day everything you dreamed it to be!

Mellie Sent on 03/29/2012

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Honestly, in my wildest dreams I didn't know a wedding could be so beautiful and fun. The staff just did everything exactly as we wanted it and no one was ever in the way. It was like having invisible elves carrying out your every wish. Our guests couldn't say enough about how wonderful every last detail was- the food was unbelievably delicious and everything was set up just as I requested. It was honestly like I was still envisioning it, only it actually happened... too fast! We were ALL sad to leave. Such a perfect weekend.

My Sent on 12/06/2011

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I love Carolina Inn! It was my dream to have my wedding there and they did everything they can to make that a reality.

When you have your wedding at the Carolina Inn, everything from A-Z will be taken care of. You just have to show up and enjoy your wedding.

The only con is packing. There was two others wedding beside mine so a lot of my guests has to find an alternate parking arrangement.

Liz Sent on 06/16/2011

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We had our ceremony outdoors in the Bryan Courtyard and our reception in the Hill Ballroom of The Carolina Inn. We loved everything about the venue! We looked at dozens of venues online and went in person to at least 10 different venues, both around the Raleigh/Chapel Hill area as well as in the Asheville area. We are so glad we ended up going with The Carolina Inn and would highly recommend it to other couples planning their wedding. It is such a beautiful location, and the service can not be beat.

User1078000 Sent on 04/15/2011

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The Carolina Inn facilitated the wedding of our dreams. In the beginning, we had serious problems with responsiveness, but the woman we had trouble reaching left the Inn a couple months before our wedding. We worked with Heidi, who was wonderful, although I understand that while Heidi is still there, she does not directly oversee weddings.

The Carolina Inn is expensive, but we found it a much less expensive than other, comparable venues, and we definitely did not feel nickled and dimed, as I'd feared with other places. The prices were all clear in the brochures, and there were no surprise add ons.

Our guests adored the Inn, which was decorated for the holidays beautifully, as always. The honeymoon suite was to die for. We had many requests for coordination, including piano delivery, programs on seats, and so on, and everything was executed perfectly.

I owe Heidi a note for the wonderful work she did.

Paige Sent on 04/12/2011

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The Carolina Inn is known for being a popular wedding spot, well now I know why. First, the hotel and grounds are gorgeous. You will have no trouble getting beautiful photos and video here. Second, the staff and event planners are wonderful to work with. Every single detail was taken care of and I didn’t have to worry about a thing. I planned my wedding by myself, but felt like I had the benefit of having a wedding planner when working with Devon at the Inn. I enjoyed every experience, from the menu tasting, January wedding show, and details meeting, to the entire wedding weekend. My ceremony was held in the Bryan Courtyard and it was a romantic, intimate setting. The reception was in the Old Well Room, which is a gorgeous, elegant room. You will get a lot of value at the Inn, but it can be pricey during peak season and Saturdays. By having my wedding on a Sunday, I found the price very reasonable and I can’t compliment the Inn enough on its customer service, attention to detail, beautiful accommodations and delicious food.

Gail Sent on 08/03/2010

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The Carolina Inn was so beautiful, the staff was so kind and professional....I couldn't imagine anywhere else we'd want to celebrate. I highly recommend this place, and it was fun too! The staff makes everyone feel like we're family. They are highly in tuned to your needs and responsive. We loved the Carolina Inn and are so happy we picked this venue!!! Thank You!!

http://ariosostringsreviews.blogspot.com/2010/07/carolina-inn-for-jonathan-and-gails.html

Some pics of the Bryan Courtyard & Reception room, Old Well Ballroom

Mica Sent on 05/31/2010

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I was just smitten with the Carolina Inn the first time I ever saw it. It is a beautiful place and is great for a formal classic wedding. Parking is a little tough as it is right in the middle of campus, but there is parking on site. Staff was helpful and my pictures turned out great with this venue as the backdrop.

Brenna Sent on 05/04/2010

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We had our wedding reception in the evening in the Old Well Room. The staff the night of the event was extremely helpful. Things seemed to move along so quickly and effortlessly. There was one miscommunication between the coordinator at the Inn and the banquet captain, which was resolved very quickly. The planning process was also great. We worked with both Ashleigh and Julie at various parts of the planning and they were both excellent to work with. I highly recommend the Carolina Inn.

Monique Sent on 10/11/2008

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They were awesome. Just wonderful.

Jenica Sent on 08/06/2008

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The Carolina Inn was the absolute perfect spot to have our wedding reception! We worked with a wonderful catering manager who bent over backwards to make us feel welcome and well served. The planning was easy - they did so much of the work for us - and they were willing to change every detail that we wanted to personalize. On the day of the ceremony, they greeted us when we arrived from the church with champagne and hors d'eurves and gave us a private sitting room in which to relax while our guests finished cocktail hour. It was magnificent!

Leah Sent on 07/27/2008

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The Carolina Inn exceeded my expectations. They were extremely flexible throughout the whole process and ensured that I received the value that we paid for on our special day.

Maria Sent on 09/05/2017

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The Carolina Inn went above and beyond from the beginning of the process to the very end. From creating a custom package to accommodate both our budget and our rather overwhelmingly large guest count to inviting us to the Carolina Inn showcase in January, to a remarkable tasting in April, and finally the day of service on our wedding day... we couldn't have dreamed up better!

There are so many pretty places in the Inn too! We did our first look in the courtyard (bright and stunning), golden hour portraits in front of the Inn (breathtaking), and finally some bridal shots/bride and groom shots on the iconic black and white hallway inside (seriously gorgeous). Staying in a Carolina Inn room at the end of the night was the best way to end a dream of a wedding day. Those beds are clouds.

We couldn't have been happier with the service that the Carolina Inn provided, together with La Fete event planning. I give them my highest recommendation.

User2332457 Sent on 09/24/2015

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Carolina Inn was the perfect wedding location for my husband and me. We are both from Chapel Hill, so it was really the only option we considered. The Inn itself is beautiful and our guests absolutely loved it. The courtyard for the ceremony provided a lovely backdrop. The Old Well Room was amazing and beautifully decorated by the top-notch staff. Everyone we worked with at the Carolina Inn was professional and responsive and helped make our day perfect. It's a tad pricey but you get what you pay for and it was well worth it for us!

Catherine Sent on 06/24/2008

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I am so glad I got married at the Carolina Inn. It's very clear they know what they're doing. I worked with Jennifer Davis, who was cheerful and very responsible. She answered any questions I had within a day or two(and I probably had 4000 questions over the year of planning) and alleviated everyone's stresses. She was organized and timely, and had an answer ready whenever I wasn't sure of what I wanted.
Plus, the space was just beautiful--my florist bill was substantially lower because the decor at the Inn is already so stunning. We got married in the Bryan Courtyard, which seats about 150, and then walked down the hall to the Old Well Room, where we had a gorgeous dance floor with chandeliers, a smaller room with a bar, and another room for quieter talking. They provide catering and the bar, and the food was really delicious, especially the shrimp and grits, the little lamp chops, and the flatbread with portabello and goat cheese.

India Sent on 11/06/2019

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Lovely venue with tons of wedding experience

We're so happy we went with the Carolina Inn for our wedding. Now that everything's over, we can't imagine pulling it off without their expertise and guidance. First, a week-of wedding coordinator comes with the package they offer, which is really not to be overestimated. We actually met with our planner a few times before the week of, and she answered countless questions by email and phone. (We worked with Caroline from C&D events - see review). On the Carolina Inn side, we worked with Kayla, who was wonderful - she was easy to work with, very responsive, and had great communication with our wedding coordinator, so a lot of things were simply taken out of our hands.
On the day of, everything ran really smoothly. If there were minor roadblocks (which I'm sure there were, as there are with any major event), they were handled so smoothly that we weren't really aware of them. Kayla and the staff also really paid attention to detail: someone brought us food, cake and champagne was brought up to our room, etc. My dad (and other guests) kept commenting on how smoothly everything ran and how well-organized the whole staff seemed. We felt really well taken care of and like everything was in very good hands, like we could just be guests at our own wedding, which was lovely.
The food and drinks were also great. First, the food was exactly like what we had in the tasting (which is not always what you get with other catering companies - the Carolina Inn is clearly used to and capable of handling large orders). And it was delicious! We got lots of compliments from our guests. Another plus is that since there's a kitchen on-premises, they're able to handle dietary accommodations (like bringing out a couple of vegan meals). The drinks were also very good, the bartenders were really friendly and efficient as well: as far as we saw, there wasn't much waiting in line.
We also loved that a lot of our guests stayed at the inn, so there was lots of running into each other and seeing friends and family in the days around the wedding. In short, we're so happy we went with the Carolina Inn!

N.B. I went back and forth about whether to include this, but the only issues we had with the Carolina Inn were with the hotel block reservations (which is a different department and shouldn't reflect on the individuals mentioned above). First, they were only available 9–5, so that was difficult for some of our guests who wanted to book over the phone, not online. Second, after I got the first room block list, I noticed that several rooms were missing (luckily I knew from family members that they had already booked so I could catch the mistake). The mistake was quickly remedied, but it made me paranoid about it happening again, especially because if the block wasn't filled we would be charged. There were a couple of other minor things, but my opinion was that for a room block that had a minimum to be filled and a financial penalty, they really should be 100% consistent in making sure that guests who requested a room from the block were included in the overall minimum (and it shouldn't be the couple's responsibility to be tracking down their guests hotel plans and double-checking that they were included in the block minimum).

Olivia Sent on 06/05/2013

4.8 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
5 out of 5 rating
Value
4.5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4.5 out of 5 rating

What a wonderful place to have a wedding. The workers were fabulous, the food was beyond wonderful, we couldn't have asked for more!

Letitia Sent on 11/15/2009

4.8 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4.5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4.5 out of 5 rating
Value
5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
5 out of 5 rating

I had my ceremony & reception at The Carolina Inn. Our ceremony was in Bryan Courtyard. We got married in October & the autumn leaves were at their peak. It was breath taking. Our reception was in The Old Well Room. The food was wonderful (I've been to weddings at great venues where the food was rather disappointing) & the service fantastic. I read a few of the other reviews on this site & was surprised at some of the complaints regarding the flexibility of the catering department. We were able to customize our entire menu & many of the changes were made last minute. Our contact was Julie McCay. She was friendly, accommodating & professional. We had some rather extreme changes occur last minute & she (along with Sally Herring) handled it all like Super Heros. She went above & beyond in accommodating all my last minute changes & requests. I was told by many guests that it was the most beautiful & elegant wedding they had ever been to. The only reason I did not give a full five stars was due to some mix ups regarding a few of our hotel rooms. But, the front desk took care of everything promptly & efficiently.

Christina Sent on 06/12/2009

4.8 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

As a UNC-CH student (on a budget) who has known about the infamous and fabulous Carolina Inn weddings, I was both excited and apprehensive when I booked the Old Well Ballroom for my Saturday afternoon wedding. I wanted to make sure that my wedding was given the same attention to detail and support as the other big-ticket weddings I knew would and have taken place there. There were 5 other weddings the weekend of mine, but you would have never guessed it. I was treated like a queen, and the catering manager (Julie) was ever-present and attentive. From the minute I booked the room to the minute I left, everything went smoothly and the issues that arose were taken care of quickly and in a very professional and caring manner. Everyone that came loved the food, atmosphere, and service. My guests were in love with our bartender, who although not english-speaking, was as nice and accommodating as could be. A perfect experience, and well worth every dime.

User2994941 Sent on 03/07/2017

4.7 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
5 out of 5 rating
Value
5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
3.5 out of 5 rating

We loved working with the Carolina Inn. I attended UNC Chapel Hill and through out college went to functions at the Carolina Inn so I knew their events were always professional and well run. But WOW I loved being a Carolina Inn bride. They made the entire process easy, laid out my options clearly, and made me feel special the entire planning period. Their staff was attentive to everything I needed before and the day of the wedding. They catered the event and the food was amazing- beautiful and tasty. The service that night was all I could ask for. And the venue speaks for itself- little decoration was needed because the space was just so gorgeous.

User2127134 Sent on 05/11/2015

4.7 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
3.5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
5 out of 5 rating

The Carolina Inn was a beautiful location for our small, 20-person wedding. They offered a Petite Wedding package which was the perfect simple option for us. There were a few glitches in the contract originally sent to us, and some unclear parts of what was included in our package. The value of the package was incredible. However, on the day of our wedding, we felt that some elements of our ceremony were not made a priority as it was such a small group. A tent was being taken down on the other side of a brick wall during our ceremony which was extremely distracting. We also did not see our wedding planner for the entire day, except for a few minutes in the early morning.

Shannon Sent on 01/09/2015

4.7 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4.5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4.5 out of 5 rating
Value
5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4.5 out of 5 rating

The Carolina Inn is truly a wedding venue jewel! I could not have asked for a better location for our wedding ceremony and venue. Everything was exquisite. Melissa was awesome! She worked with me throughout the whole experience and was truly professional. I planned my wedding from long distance living overseas so it made for a challenge but Melissa was more than accommodating with being flexible with correspondence. There were a few communication issues but that is to be expected when communicating mostly by email and with multiple time zone changes. The only issue I had was with the room reservation department's responsiveness and total miscommunication that had to be resolved going through Melissa a couple of times. Charmain in the reservation department was never in her office when I called at 9 am to 5 pm EST which made a lot of issues and more trouble than necessary with room reservations for only 10 rooms. That was really the only area of disappointment. The concierge and other staff at the Inn were amazing and very accommodating especially since there our wedding was on the same day of the UNC Homecoming game. No unwanted visitors made their way into our ceremony or reception. The homecoming atmosphere actually helped to make the day be like a big celebration. There was so much positive energy in the air. Also, the food was excellent the night of the reception. I would highly recommend the Carolina Inn for your wedding or event. Kudos to you Melissa! You rocked! Thank you for everything!

Julie Sent on 07/07/2010

4.7 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4.5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

We were married May 2010 and had our reception (along with a cocktail party on the lawn Friday evening) at the Carolina Inn.

Ashleigh Collins was our catering manager. She was such a pleasure to work with, always professional and probably the most hardworking person I have seen in a long time. I was constantly asking her things from up here in New Jersey and she was always patient, never seemed to tire of my list of questions. I cannot imagine doing what she does!

The food was FANTASTIC....Jimmy Reale is amazing and took care of us and our guests the entire weekend. A true gem!!! I would eat there any day, any time.

My only small issue with The Carolina Inn was our room situation. We were told from the start we could reserve 80-100 rooms and this was never the case. Sure it was a big weekend in Chapel Hill...but we told the Carolina Inn from the get-go that we needed 80 to 100 rooms and this never occurred.

It all worked out in the end, and the entire staff is SO attentive. No complaints about that! Our guests loved it. But the "not knowing" if our guests would all have rooms was a big deal to us.

Stephanie Sent on 12/12/2016

4.6 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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3.5 out of 5 rating
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4.5 out of 5 rating

We booked a block of rooms at the Carolina Inn for friends and family on the night of our wedding. I also used one of the larger suites to get ready. It was a beautiful room and a great setting for photos of everyone getting all dolled up.

Emily Sent on 10/15/2013

4.6 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

My husband and I were thrilled when we realized that the Carolina Inn was a viable option for our weekend. One of our main reasons for picking the Inn was that they do almost everything. This made planning a wedding as a graduate student very stress-free. We had a coordinator provided by the Inn, Melissa, as well as 2 external professional wedding planners from Sally Oakley (provided at no extra cost to us). With all of these people, plus the Inn's staff, our wedding was perfectly executed. Special thanks to Melissa for working so hard with us. She was incredibly responsive and worked to get us everything we requested. It was obvious that she genuinely cared about giving us a wonderful wedding. Although we had planned an outdoor ceremony, it poured on the day of our wedding. Melissa was in constant contact with us throughout the day as we called the decision for our rain plan (the rain plan was still very beautiful). She expertly navigated any and all issues that arose with changing the plans on the day of-especially handling my husband who so desperately wanted it outside! I cannot say enough about how wonderful it was to work with Melissa.

A few notes--if you plan to get married during college football season, be prepared to have some uncertainty about your guests' accommodations before the season is announced. We booked a hotel block at another hotel in the area just in case. Also, keep in mind that your guests will be paying for parking if they stay at the Inn. Parking in the area is very limited, so this is understandable, but the $14/day fee can be a surprise if people don't know about it. It was not a problem for any of our guests. For a very minimal fee you can also valet your guests' cars for the event. Overall we had excellent feedback about the Carolina Inn. Food was AMAZING, venue was beautiful and centrally located, and the rooms were comfortable. NOT your typical "hotel wedding" by any means. DEFINITELY WORTH IT!

Reece Sent on 08/19/2013

4.6 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4.5 out of 5 rating
Value
4.5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
5 out of 5 rating

The Carolina Inn was the perfect reception venue for our wedding. We were in the Old Well Ballroom and it was so lovely with the black and white floor we didn't have to worry about decorating too much. Tracey was our coordinator and she was very responsive to all of our little quirks (right down to taking care of our last minute goodie boxes for our guests). Because the Inn is very busy on weekends it is sometimes difficult to get in touch with the coordinators on weekdays since they are sometimes out of the office to make up for having to work all weekend. That being said everything went off without a hitch. People are still talking about the cheese grits! I only wish my dress had let me eat more.

Jennifer Sent on 04/16/2012

4.6 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating

We had both our ceremony and reception at the Carolina Inn (in the Chancellor's Ballroom and Old Well Room, respectively). We worked with Tracey for the planning process and Patrick also on the weekend of our wedding, and they were both fabulous! The inn is beautiful and right in the middle of Chapel Hill, giving your guests plenty to do in their down time.

The Carolina Inn is on the pricey side, but it is SO worth every penny. They also have tiered pricing, so if you are willing to have your wedding in a less popular month, the price is lower. Finally, they figure the price per person based on the package you choose, and the price is inclusive- meaning that there are no last minute fees and surprises in the final bill. We went to several venues and the Carolina Inn was the only one that we found that had this price structure. We didn't feel like they were trying to nickel and dime us and this is one of the major reasons that we chose them to be our venue.

Everyone at the inn was welcoming and responsive to us and our guests on the weekend of our wedding. They worked seamlessly with all of our vendors to make sure that we didn't have to worry about a thing! The food was amazing, and we had lots of compliments from our guests on how delicious everything was. They also upgraded my husband and I to a suite for our wedding night, and let us and our guests stay an extra hour in the ballroom because everyone was having so much fun that they didn't want to leave!

I have heard from so many of our guests that ours was the best wedding that they have ever been to, and the number one reason this is true is because we chose to have it at the Carolina Inn!

Ritchlyn Sent on 07/10/2017

4.4 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
5 out of 5 rating

My husband and I had a tented reception on the Front Porch, and it was so beautiful. About six months out, Kristen Prescott took over as our wedding coordinator (our initial coordinator was pregnant). Kristen was on top of everything, prompt in her emails, and very easy to work with. On the day of our wedding, everything turned out fabulously. The food was excellent, our vision was executed, and our guests were impressed with the friendliness and hospitality of the hotel staff workers. That being said, there were some hiccups along the way with the room block reservations (miscommunication with the number of rooms we could block and the way it was initially handled) and receiving emails back in a timely manner. Regardless, we had a perfect day and was happy with how everything turned out.

Laura Sent on 05/06/2012

4.4 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
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4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

I absolutely loved having my wedding at the Carolina Inn! It was beautiful and perfect for my husband and I as we met in Chapel Hill our freshman year of college. It was so easy for all of our guests to stay at the hotel so we didn't have to worry about transportation to and from the ceremony/reception (we did both at The Carolina Inn).

The best thing about the planning experience was when we met with the catering manager the day before (I wish I could remember his name!). He was SO professional and helpful and responsive to ALL of our requests. During the ceremony, he was constantly checking on us and making sure we had food and everything else we could need. He also kept up with our schedule and assisted with the coordination each part!

We did have a bit of trouble getting up with Devon, our liaison with The Carolina Inn, during the months leading up to the date and we had a couple of misunderstandings about when decisions, signatures, or checks were due. However, in the few weeks leading up to the date she was extremely helpful and responsive so I attribute most of our communication issues as being related to the fact that they are SO busy!

Overall, I would recommend this venue to every Carolina girl!

Ivette Sent on 11/08/2011

4.4 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4.5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4.5 out of 5 rating
Value
5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

The Carolina Inn was a great place to hold our wedding. They were the only venue that packaged all that we were looking for and the pricing was within our budget. The grounds are beautiful and went very well with the theme of our wedding.

Ashley Sent on 07/07/2009

4.4 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
5 out of 5 rating
Value
4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

I loved my wedding at the Carolina Inn. It was expensive and the workers are not willing to change much about the space or the menu planning. That said, if you go in and like the rooms, so much is done for you. Everything went smoothly once we received our actual catering manager Julie (who was awesome) and we were treated very nicely. We even were offered to have our meals reheated to make sure that my new husband and myself got something to eat. The food was fabulous, service during was wonderful and every vendor had worked at the Inn before so there were no obvious flubbs. Wonderful place.

Tiffany Sent on 06/22/2012

4.3 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4 out of 5 rating
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3.5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4 out of 5 rating
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5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
5 out of 5 rating

The Carolina Inn will always hold a special place in my heart- i had my 16th birthday party there, and then went on to work in banquets during college, so it was a no brainer that i'd have my wedding there. Tracey and the staff at the hotel were great, very accomodating and even helped put all my centerpieces together the day of the wedding!

Heather Sent on 05/17/2008

4.3 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4.5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
5 out of 5 rating
Value
5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
2 out of 5 rating

sara was totally amazing, the inn was beautiful and the catering manager did a great job. not super flexible with their packages and food unless you raise a lot of hell but it was a great experience and beautiful.

Leroy Sent on 12/11/2013

4.2 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4 out of 5 rating
Value
5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

Wonderful venue! Special thanks to Melissa for all her hard work to make our day special and memorable. The food was great and our guests were very pleased with the service from the staff. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to have any wedding cake. I called downstairs just to see if there was any left but of course it was all gone! So The Carolina Inn sent up a tray of their desserts and cheeses along with some champagne! What a thoughtful gesture! What a way to go the extra mile to please the bride and groom! Thank you Carolina Inn!! My wedding day was perfect!

User1356946 Sent on 10/01/2013

4.1 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4.5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4 out of 5 rating
Value
4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

Everything was really wonderful at the Carolina Inn, but the one complaint I have is that the morning after the wedding they kicked my husband and I out of our honeymoon sweet around 11am, and we were so exhausted from the wedding that we really wished we could have slept a little longer and enjoyed the morning to finally have some alone time together. Also, there was a lot of things promised before we signed a contract with them that wasn't delivered on the day of our wedding. When we committed to the Carolina Inn our contact said she would be very involved in making our day great. For example, she would be there if there was a crisis going on. Well, they ended up giving us a different contact and she wasn't present really. There were a few situations that presented themselves and she wasn't there at all to help us work through it. Somehow the Carolina Inn had lost a few of the escort cards, and we knew this before the ceremony. They were never found, but our contact didn't even help. The carolina inn is beautiful and the service is wonderful, but I do wish our contact would have been more helpful.

Catherine Sent on 11/09/2007

4.1 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4 out of 5 rating
Value
3.5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

Gorgeous and great to work with for our reception. Returned calls, clear guidelines and deadlines. Willing to work with us and our other vendors to create just what we wanted. Food was delicious.

Julie Sent on 12/08/2016

4 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4 out of 5 rating
Value
4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

This is a wonderful location, but a bit pricey I thought.

Lauren Sent on 06/22/2016

4 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
2 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
5 out of 5 rating
Value
4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

The Carolina Inn does lots of weddings, so getting responses back when you are a few months out can be a real struggle, and there were times when they confused the details of my wedding. But the people are all very nice, and the venue is absolutely gorgeous, and when it came time for the wedding, my coordinator, Tiffany, made me feel confident that everything was under control and she really pulled off the day perfectly! Even when I freaked out because my mother-in-law forgot to bring the cake topper, she made me feel better by telling me about how she ordered a special hanger for her wedding dress and it arrived the day after her wedding day. Small things will always go wrong but I'm 100% certain we picked the perfect venue for a Carolina wedding!

Brittany Sent on 05/06/2019

3.6 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
3 out of 5 rating
Value
3 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

Good but not great

We love the Carolina Inn, and the actual day of the wedding everything went perfectly and was breathtaking & beautiful. However, they were not the best to work with during the planning process. They have a LOT of events going on, especially during prime time weekends (e.g., the fall), and they don't seem to keep a master calendar or anything to make things go smoothly. For example, a few days before our wedding, it was supposed to rain and we learned that there was really no feasible backup plan for the rain. They told us we could flip our ballroom, but that would've been extremely tight & it might not have been enough time to set everything up and for the photographers to get a detail shots. They also didn't have ANY other indoor options--they were completely booked, so in the event of severe weather, we would've been screwed. We ended up doing the tent & it was fine, but it was an extremely stressful week trying to figure everything out (we were even looking at backup outside ceremony venues at that point) & we had to fight to get them to cover the tent. They ended up doing the right thing in the end (on this issue & a handful of others), but we had to fight them tooth & nail to do so, which was not enjoyable. We also learned a few days before the wedding that there was a memorial service going on during our reception and that those people would be let out in the hill ballroom hallway during the middle of our cocktail hour. This was another frustrating instance, which they did accommodate (with a screen in the hallway to separate their event from ours)--but again this was frustrating & upsetting. Overall, if you went to UNC and you're looking for a beautiful venue, the Carolina Inn is a great option, but just know they won't really give your wedding any preference over the many other events they will book that weekend/night.

Helen Sent on 07/31/2008

2.7 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
2.5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
2.5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
2 out of 5 rating
Value
2.5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

After reading many positive reviews on www.theknot.com for the Carolina Inn, I booked them as my wedding ceremony and reception venue. The sprinklers in the courtyard went off as guests were being seated which delayed the ceremony for more than 30 minutes, the guest book was misplaced until about an hour before the reception ended, so only about 15% of my guests were able to sign it, my signature picture glass was broken, some of the bartenders left their stations, etc....The coordinator provided by the Carolina Inn did a very disappointing job. I hope nobody else has to experience such chaos and disorganization as I did on my wedding day.

Jennie Sent on 10/29/2007

1.8 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
1 out of 5 rating
Average response time
1 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
3 out of 5 rating
Value
2 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
2 out of 5 rating

I was not happy at all with the service of the Carolina Inn on the day of the wedding. The wedding planner disappeared during the reception, the food service was incredibly slow and lasted an hour longer than it was supposed to, and they were not responsive at all to my requests to speed up to stay on the schedule they had outlined for me. It was beautiful, but far too expensive considering the services that were provided.

Derrick Sent on 12/04/2016

1.4 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
1 out of 5 rating
Average response time
1 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
0.5 out of 5 rating
Value
4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
0.5 out of 5 rating

I would just recommend having an appointment and making sure it is with a different associate.

Katherine Sent on 06/11/2009

1.4 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
1.5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
2 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
2.5 out of 5 rating
Value
0.5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
0.5 out of 5 rating

I went to the Carolina Inn because it was close to the church we got married in, and we didn't want to bother with renting tables, catering, etc. all the different vendors. We thought it would be easier because it was one source and everything would be managed by them.

They turned out to be very inflexible. The catering manager (Jennifer) was very unresponsive as we got closer to the wedding, and we realized it was because she was getting married the next weekend at the Carolina Inn, so she was more wrapped up in her wedding than ours. Needless to say, too far gone down that path to turn around by the time we realized this. The week of the wedding, we met with her and her "reception manager" (who did not speak English, as least that anyone could understand) and we provided her with table cards, menus, seating charts, favors, cake topper, cake knife, table decorations etc. and went through detail where everything went. We even mailed her an excel spreadsheet by table where people were sitting.

When we got to the reception, we found that the seating was a disaster. She sorted the spreadsheet column alphabetically, but didn't sort it with table numbers. My new husband and I ended up being seated across the ballroom from each other, as with many other couples that were supposed to sit together. My parents ran through the ballroom during the cocktail hour sorting out the table cards that were haphazardly placed due to the screw up. Then, when we finally sat down, we saw that the "leaves" we asked to scattered on top of the table for our fall theme, were just plopped down in their original packaging on the tables, no opened and scattered.

The final shame was that our Catering Manager was no where to be found during all these problems (trust me, there are many more!) and she never responded to my phone calls and requests for compensation. To add final insult to injury, they misspelled my name on every sign directing guests to our wedding! We spent a ton of money on the reception and to make sure our guests had a great time, and honestly, I wish we hadn't had it there.

Jaimie Sent on 12/01/2016

1.2 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
0.5 out of 5 rating
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0.5 out of 5 rating
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0.5 out of 5 rating
Value
4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
0.5 out of 5 rating

My fiancé and I went to stopped by the sales office at the Carolina Inn, we were referred by a close friend and we were in the area and while we did not have an appointment we thought we may just talk about options. We had the opportunity to speak with Charmaine and she did show us around the facility. However, when it came to collecting our contact information and providing hers she did NOT follow through as promised. Charmaine NEVER emailed or called either of us in regards to our reception plans. It is my belief that she did not actually write our information down. We found her lack of response or communication to be very unprofessional to say the least.
The Carolina Inn is beautiful and historical institution with an exceptional reputation, but the response from Charmaine does NOT reflect that reputation.

Katherine Sent on 03/03/2008

0.9 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
1.5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
1.5 out of 5 rating
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1.5 out of 5 rating
Value
0 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
0 out of 5 rating

I booked the Carolina Inn for an afternoon reception in their Old Well Room. What started out as a very receptive catering department soon became what I would call frigid and unrepsonsive as the wedding got closer and closer. I was planning my wedding from out of state, so I thought that having it at the Carolina Inn, where they are supposedly known for amazing weddings, would have helped.

We met with the catering staff the Thursday before my Saturday wedding. Gave them individual table seatings, name cards, and menu selections and color coding, since we had three en trees, gave them the favors, menu cards, and discussed how everything was to go once again. It seemed like everything was going to be great.

Let me first say, that the Carolina Inn lost our wedding parties' and my bouquet before the mass. I was 30 minutes late to my wedding because they couldn't figure out where they put the flowers. After the mass at the Newman Center across the street, we came back, and well...it was a mess!

I have an ethnic last name, and they mispelled it on the sign pointing people to the reception- nice touch. The waitstaff, which I was assured would know what they were doing, be plentiful, and speak ENGLISH, we few and far between. Oh, and they didn't speak English. Big problem when you're trying to explain what the color coding on your place cards meant while trying to relax and be happy just being married!

When my guests got to the ballroom before myself and my husband, my mother found out that the idiots in the catering department completely messed the seating of our 13 tables up. Instead of laying out the name cards from the table specific and sorted ziplock baggies I made for them, it was like they just dumped them on the floor and threw them anywhere! When my mother talked to the catering "manager" for our reception, she exclaimed to my mother "well, what do you want me to do about it?" My father and mother went around and changed the seating around as fast as they could to what they thought was appropriate...families sitting together, couples not sitting across the room, children sitting with their parents, myself and my new husband sitting at the same table... It was a mess.

It all got sorted and people were happy. More or less. We gave them leaves to put on the tables to spread about...instead they just dropped the packages of the leaves on the tables, with the POTTERY BARN labels for everyone to see! In the end, we also had extra favors of Godiva truffles, and the 20 of those also disappeared, never to be seen again. We think the incompetent waitstaff ate them, but who knows?

The Carolina Inn Reviews

Reviews

The Carolina Inn