What a stunning view and a beautiful venue...it is too bad that what is inside this building completely ruins everything. To begin, the on site coordinator, Cheryl, was wonderful...all the way up until I gave her my deposit money. Then she was IMPOSSIBLE to get in touch with, and waited until about a week before my wedding to tell me that 200 people was a tight squeeze (when she knew from the beginning this was my approx guest number) and we would have to take tables away to make room for the dance floor after dinner (which they did, RUDELY, and while people were still eating...including the table my in laws and grandparents were sitting at!, she also failed to inform me that the music needs to be turned down at 9:00 (which, since our ceremony was at 6 PM, was about the time the dancing started). I was also told we had the venue until midnight, and we were cut short and kicked out (literally) at 11:30. It was an abrubt ending to the evening. They also went $4k over budget for the bar limit, and unless you want Cheryl following you around ALL night (I'm sorry but that is what my bridesmaids and maids of honor are for, the bride shouldn't have to worry about all of this stuff during her ceremony and reception) bothering me about every little thing she could think of. I was also told the head table sat 24 people on each side, and I submitted my seating chart SEVERAL times to her (she lost it twice), and it was approved. While I was getting ready for the ceremony, Cheryl comes in to tell me that my seating charts were ALL wrong and only seat 16 on each side and that I must re do everything. Literally this was about an hour before I walked down the aisle. I was a relatively calm bride, but right before I walked down the aisle I got very nervous and wanted to smoke a cigarette (and had time, it was 5:48 and the ceremony was set to start at 6:00) and Cheryl REFUSED to let me. Finally I told her that I was paying thousands of dollars (over $10k to be exact) and I really just needed one cigarette, she let me puff on it a few times and pretty much forced me to put it out saying I was being inconsiderate and the guests were waiting...then the continued to hand me glasses of champagne instead, which was also frustrating. I didn't want to get drunk, I wanted to smoke a cigarette. There were also problems with the wait staff, the bartenders were changing the tips on the credit card slips. Over all the venue was so stunning and beautiful that it was hard for me to say I regret having my wedding there, but it was almost a disaster from start to finish because of the staff at the Comus Inn. After I called to complain (the main complaint being they went $4k over budget on the bar and the fact that my husband's family had their food taken from them, as well as their table and chairs leaving them with no choice but to stand RIGHT next to the speakers...this was also a mistake as they were supposed to be right next to the head table). They apologized and said they would said us a certificate for complimentary dinners for teh entire family (mind you, this was a table of 8 people who were unable to finish their meal). We received a VERY condescending apology from Cheryl, along with a "certificate" for dinner for 4. We used it for their delicious brunch, and it didn't even cover all four of us. It pretty much covered 2 1/2 meals. It was sort of a slap in the face. In addition to all of this, the Comus Inn lost my personalized champagne glasses, and the shipping label to send the linens back (so I had to pay 70$ for a new label to have them over nighted). If I could do it over, I'd stay as far away from the Comus Inn as possible and have not been back to visit since (even though we live right on Comus Road and used to frequent the restaurant regularly). Please, beware of all of these issues if you decide to have your wedding there...and I recommend having your own planner or someone else to deal with Cheryl...she is just awful as soon as she has her money and commission.
First I must say that I met with at least 8 florists before I met the head designer, Kathryn. I don't know much about flowers, but I know what I like and what I don't like, so I was hoping to find a florist who could get a sense of my style and make everything happen for me without me having to pick out every detail. Kathryn "got me" in about 10 minutes. She was an ABSOLUTE JOY to work with, and created the most STUNNING wedding arrangements I had ever seen. The flowers were the talk of the wedding, and the prices were SO reasonable! She even added a few little extras for free (flowers for our champagne flutes, the cake cutting sets, etc). As soon as I left our meeting I felt so relieved knowing she must have been the florist I was waiting for! She made our day very, very special and all at a fantastic price. She was always available to answer or return my phone calls or emails almost immediately, which was very nice. You will not be disappointed with Designs Unlimited!
Chris and Charlie (owners) were AMAZING to work with. They gave us a great package and helped us select the perfect songs for the occasion. For example, I'm a whimsical bride with a different type of style and they suggested the chipmunk's version of "all the single ladies" for the bouquet toss, it was perfect! They were not your average boring dj's, they were fun and you could tell had a wonderful time at the wedding. We will hire them again for the kids birthday party!
We had a replica cake done, after the Ascot Cake I saw on an episode of Amazing Wedding Cakes. Leslie did an AMAZING job on the cake, it looked exactly the same! However, I was a little disappointed with her bows. But the lace piping was above and beyond what I could have imagined. I'm also not a big cake fan and to be honest, Leslie does not have some of the fun cake flavors other vendors offer (such as strawberry champagne, etc). However, Leslie WILL do custom flavors (if possible) for your cake. Either way, you really don't need them because her cakes are DELICIOUS. The red velvet cake was out of this world the best cake I have ever tasted, even my husband loved it and neither of us are big cake people. Everyone loved the cake, and the pictures were SO beautiful. Leslie is a brilliant cake decorator! And very reasonably priced!