3. Briarhurst Manor

The Cold Hard Truth
You know I was reading alot about weddings when I started shopping for them a year ago... I was recently wed to my lovely wife at the Briarhurst Manor, and I saw conflicting reviews of the property, the food, and the service. My reason for writing this is in direct response to another review on this site. I like others signed a contract with Briarhurst Manor and was RELIEVED that all the ins and outs were on paper... Meaning, I knew what they offered, knew what the price was, and was adult enough to READ the contract. I am not upset with any of the amenities or services Briarhurst Manor provided on my special day. 5 dollar ceremony fee per person... most places charge more than a thousand no matter how big your party is. Bartender fee... if you want a private bartender you have to pay the freight. In a state where the average wedding costs over 20,000 dollars, we got ours handled for under 5,000. So my thanks go out to the planners and chefs at the Briarhurst for making my day so special. And a word to the wise, Don't sign up for a service you don't understand and complain when things don't go your way. Here's to you Briarhurst Salute Kermit

Dont get married here
Very disapointed with the wedding services. At first everything seemed great but once that contract was sign problems started coming up. There were alot of hidden fees. We were contracted for 2400, but thats not including, Set up, Chairs, Gratuity, tax, wedding fee and bar. We wanted to do a $100.00 bar tab for our wedding party and they wanted to charge us 200 for the bartender. To set up some simple chairs, they charged us a $100. This strange wedding fee (i still dont know what it means) is $5.00 a person, so the bigger the wedding the more you spend. You hvae to get the wedding cake from them and thats $9.00 a person. Also for the rehersal our wedding planner didnt even help, she was there but did not tell us anything on what to do or where we walk from. The wedding planner works at the Briarhurst so i figured she could at least give us some direction on what to do, but we were left fending for ourselves. Also, we showed up 30 minutes early to start setting up and they kicked us out until the designated time. There was no one there so we were forced to wait in the parking lot for them to say we could come in and set up. The food was ok, not worth $30 a meal. And the staff took the top portion of the cake and served to our guests, we were not allowed to take the top peice home, i was very upsest about that. They made us get ready in a very small bathroom, about the size of any normal household bathroom, it was hot and very cramped. We were told to get ready in this certain bathroom, but the Briarhurst failed to tell us that is was a public restroom, So the other guests had to use our bathroom whcih had all of our personal belongings in, very embarassing knowing that stangers had to go the the restroom next to my bra!. Unbelieveable. The briarhurst stays open for dinner during the ceremony, so when I was all dressed up in my gown, they led me through the dinning room past everyone that was eating to get to the door where i was to walk from, it was very embarassing. I never dreamed that on my wedding day i would have to walk in a dinning room full of stangers and interupt their meals. So embarassing. You would think with suge a big facility they would people ither guests in an area where they wont be in the way of the wedding. The Briarhurst has read some of my reviews about this terrible day, They didnt even care I was upset, they only offered me gift certificates and offered to make me a new cake since they didnt serve it properly. What am I going to do with a 50 person cake. They also wanted me to clarify some things The 9 dollars a person is not just for the cake. Its for the cost to make the cake, cake cutting, coffee and tea, I find this funny because the coffee and tea were never offered to anyone of my guests. My parents were dying to have somthing besides water (which was never filled) Also they threw a fit about the $100.00 bar fee. Basically if you want to put any money down for some our your guests or bridal party to have drinks you have to make it worth the bartenders time by paying the $100.00 gratuity, it does not going to your bar tab, its a tip. The wedding fee goes for the whole set up and gratuity, So not only do you pay 22% (27% if you dont make your payments on time) for gratuity but you pay an extra $5 bucks per person so they can get more cash out of you. I urge you to look elsewhere for your wedding. This place will only make things harder for you, and I want your day, whoever you may be, to be better than mine. Cheers Sarah

My wife and I had the extreme pleasure to partake of dinner at the Briarhurst Manor for Valentine’s dinner this year. I had the Chateaubriand and my wife had the fish. The dinner was exquisite, the service by our waiter, Ricky Curry, provided us with impeccable service, and the meal was perfection. This is a place that you can go to unwind, sit, relax and not feel hurried to get in and out. The staff here went out of their way to make sure that our evening was as perfect as could possibly be. To be able to absorb the ambiance of this historic building was just an added pleasure. When we left for the evening there were people waiting in the grand entryway and outside due to the demand the public has for such an elegant evening and I believe this shows the quality that the Briarhurst demands from the staff and is reflected by such. My highest commendations to the Chef Rachel Brown and her staff (this is coming from a personal prior background as a Chef)! If someone should happen to “believe” that they have had a bad experience here, it is due to my own opinion that it just is not possible for such. The Briarhurst has left an indelible highlight upon us. I will highly recommend this restaurant to everyone!