Bellavista Country Estate Reviews

Reviews

+15 User photos

• Damaris Sent on 08/09/2019
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
  • Quality of service
    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0

  Strong Communication, Excellent Staff & Chocolates!

  My now-husband and I wanted to have the wedding in a place that is both beautiful and would accommodate both our families. We reached out to Laurie who had offered to show us the property and to discuss the estimated cost of the event. After visiting the estate about a year before our wedding, we were blown away and knew this was IT!
  
  We shared with Laurie what our vision was and she connected us with the right people. Any hiccup or concern we had over the ten months, Laurie was just a phone call away. She would also send follow up email with any updates or important details to help ease our concerns.
  
  Fast forward to the weekend of the wedding; there were about twenty of us including children, staying at the house and every room was prepared perfectly. There was a comfortable bed for everyone to sleep in and the house was big enough to have their own space but warm enough to bond with the inlaws. When we arrived a bouquet, chocolate, welcomed us throughout the house as well as a note to congratulate us! These small details and the chocolate lessened the stress of a chaotic weekend. On the day of the wedding, the staff helped guide the guests, made sure my husband and I ate and enjoyed ourselves. They helped make our wedding a success.
  
  Our family and friends still compliment us on the venue and tell us what a blast they had at our wedding!
  
  *Note: The bride was a college student who was going through finals three weeks before tying the knot.
  
  Pros:
  Location was stunning
  Staff - Incredibly helpful! Amanda came in with the save
  Strong communication
  
  Cons:
  We took too long to let Laurie know so our first date was already taken.

  My now-husband and I wanted to have the wedding in a place that is both beautiful and would accommodate both our families. We reached out to Laurie who had offered to show us the property and to discuss the estimated cost of the event. After visiting the estate about a year before our wedding, we were blown away and knew this was IT!
  
  We shared with Laurie what our vision was and she connected us with the right people. Any hiccup or concern we had over the ten months, Laurie was just a phone call away. She would also send follow up email with any updates or important details to help ease our concerns.
  
  Fast forward to the weekend of the wedding; there were about twenty of us including children, staying at the house and every room was prepared perfectly. There was a comfortable bed for everyone to sleep in and the house was big enough to have their own space but warm enough to bond with the inlaws. When we arrived a bouquet, chocolate, welcomed us throughout the house as well as a note to congratulate us! These small details and the chocolate lessened the stress of a chaotic weekend. On the day of the wedding, the staff helped guide the guests, made sure my husband and I ate and enjoyed ourselves. They helped make our wedding a success.
  
  Our family and friends still compliment us on the venue and tell us what a blast they had at our wedding!
  
  *Note: The bride was a college student who was going through finals three weeks before tying the knot.
  
  Pros:
  Location was stunning
  Staff - Incredibly helpful! Amanda came in with the save
  Strong communication
  
  Cons:
  We took too long to let Laurie know so our first date was already taken.
• Leeana B. Sent on 10/19/2018
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0
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    5.0 out of 5 rating
    5.0

  150 person DIY (and green!) wedding at BCE - aka Bellavista

  A year ago my partner and I were in search of a gorgeous upstate property at a reasonable rate where we could have the freedom to design an elegant, unforgettable party for family and friends. We loved Laurie's property and we liked her openness and flexibility, since I was insistent on managing the planning of my own DIY, low budget, eco-friendly wedding.
  
  After we signed with her, we saw some of these negative reviews and became nervous, but moved forward anyway. We did spend more money with her than we anticipated, but Laurie was patient with us as we questioned every dollar, addressed all our concerns carefully and promptly, and helped us out where possible.
  
  A one-woman show with recent updates to her branding and team just in the past year we worked with her, we got to see the transformation of what seemed like a potentially disorganized business to what proved to be an incredibly professional event staff.
  
  I only saw Laurie for a brief moment that day (when I was out on the lawn in my robe directing caterers around like a psycho), and we hugged and laughed -- she told me to go get ready, so I finally did.
  
  With the help of Laurie, her assistant Caitlin (thank you for collecting the ferns!!) we organized a seamless event. Yes there were times I wanted to call the whole thing off, but planning this huge event with these two women was a very special experience beyond just the day itself. I will always remember it, and take with me the things I, and we all, learned through our time working together.
  
  Oh -- also staying in the house on the property with all my friends was simply the best, also no issues; separate review for that coming on AirBnb :)
  
  A lifetime of thanks to Laurie and Caitlin!!!

  A year ago my partner and I were in search of a gorgeous upstate property at a reasonable rate where we could have the freedom to design an elegant, unforgettable party for family and friends. We loved Laurie's property and we liked her openness and flexibility, since I was insistent on managing the planning of my own DIY, low budget, eco-friendly wedding.
  
  After we signed with her, we saw some of these negative reviews and became nervous, but moved forward anyway. We did spend more money with her than we anticipated, but Laurie was patient with us as we questioned every dollar, addressed all our concerns carefully and promptly, and helped us out where possible.
  
  A one-woman show with recent updates to her branding and team just in the past year we worked with her, we got to see the transformation of what seemed like a potentially disorganized business to what proved to be an incredibly professional event staff.
  
  I only saw Laurie for a brief moment that day (when I was out on the lawn in my robe directing caterers around like a psycho), and we hugged and laughed -- she told me to go get ready, so I finally did.
  
  With the help of Laurie, her assistant Caitlin (thank you for collecting the ferns!!) we organized a seamless event. Yes there were times I wanted to call the whole thing off, but planning this huge event with these two women was a very special experience beyond just the day itself. I will always remember it, and take with me the things I, and we all, learned through our time working together.
  
  Oh -- also staying in the house on the property with all my friends was simply the best, also no issues; separate review for that coming on AirBnb :)
  
  A lifetime of thanks to Laurie and Caitlin!!!

  • +16 photos
• Kristen Sent on 06/04/2016
  1 out of 5 rating

  1.0
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    1.0 out of 5 rating
    1.0
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    1.0 out of 5 rating
    1.0
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    1.0 out of 5 rating
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    1.0 out of 5 rating
    1.0

  BEWARE!! Mark and Laurie will come off accommodating and make you feel they have your best interest and budget in mind, but know they are inexperienced and out for one thing money! The only thing that salvaged my wedding was my wedding planner. Mark and Laurie needed to control every aspect of the wedding. They were great at "talking" but dropped the ball on everything the month before the wedding. Our menu was communicated incorrectly to the caterer and what we were told we paid for was not what we had on our wedding day. We even had a tasting at the caters house but when the final menu was translated they charged us for items that they never included on the caters menu.
  NOT one of the vendors at our wedding will work with Mark and Laurie again. In the wedding business this says everything. We have spoken to all of our vendors and they have told us when Mark and Laurie met with us they were all about how to get us the most for our budget, but as soon as they were with the vendor alone they would say "how can we get the most money out of them".
  During the wedding they were there the whole time hanging out in the background in jeans and dirty shirts. They even went through our buffet line dressed in jeans and dirty shirts. It's just another example of how unprofessional they are.
  They will make you believe they have done countless weddings but it's probably only 3-4 total and they are not best friends with the vendors. Trust me, they smooze and make you think they've known everyone forever. The wedding coordinator they had when we booked this venu mysteriously decided not to plan weddings anymore and they had to find a new one for our wedding. The caters they worked with once before. Because once professionals work with them they will never work with them again because they are so nasty and unprofessional.
  
  
  

  BEWARE!! Mark and Laurie will come off accommodating and make you feel they have your best interest and budget in mind, but know they are inexperienced and out for one thing money! The only thing that salvaged my wedding was my wedding planner. Mark and Laurie needed to control every aspect of the wedding. They were great at "talking" but dropped the ball on everything the month before the wedding. Our menu was communicated incorrectly to the caterer and what we were told we paid for was not what we had on our wedding day. We even had a tasting at the caters house but when the final menu was translated they charged us for items that they never included on the caters menu.
  NOT one of the vendors at our wedding will work with Mark and Laurie again. In the wedding business this says everything. We have spoken to all of our vendors and they have told us when Mark and Laurie met with us they were all about how to get us the most for our budget, but as soon as they were with the vendor alone they would say "how can we get the most money out of them".
  During the wedding they were there the whole time hanging out in the background in jeans and dirty shirts. They even went through our buffet line dressed in jeans and dirty shirts. It's just another example of how unprofessional they are.
  They will make you believe they have done countless weddings but it's probably only 3-4 total and they are not best friends with the vendors. Trust me, they smooze and make you think they've known everyone forever. The wedding coordinator they had when we booked this venu mysteriously decided not to plan weddings anymore and they had to find a new one for our wedding. The caters they worked with once before. Because once professionals work with them they will never work with them again because they are so nasty and unprofessional.
  
  
  
• Caitlin Sent on 01/01/2015
  0.5 out of 5 rating

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

  I had a wonderful wedding thanks to my wedding planner and all of the planning my now husband and I did. That being said, do not have your wedding at this venue. My husband and I were support professional and wanted to make sure the our relationship with the vendors went smoothly. The house was not stocked appropriately for 12 people, they dropped the ball on the catering ( food was cold, they didn't tell us the head chef never showed up, and the Monday before the wedding they called to tell me that I needed to order more things because they had failed to look at the rental contract). They also without our permission had their own photographer show up..very creeping and completely unprofessional. Finally, getting our 2,000 deposit was ridiculous. They gave us the excuse after excuse! Finally when they did send (15 days late) they only gave us half. We had to show proof that they had deposited 2 checks. It is a beautiful space but Mr. And Mrs.Graff should not being doing weddings!

  I had a wonderful wedding thanks to my wedding planner and all of the planning my now husband and I did. That being said, do not have your wedding at this venue. My husband and I were support professional and wanted to make sure the our relationship with the vendors went smoothly. The house was not stocked appropriately for 12 people, they dropped the ball on the catering ( food was cold, they didn't tell us the head chef never showed up, and the Monday before the wedding they called to tell me that I needed to order more things because they had failed to look at the rental contract). They also without our permission had their own photographer show up..very creeping and completely unprofessional. Finally, getting our 2,000 deposit was ridiculous. They gave us the excuse after excuse! Finally when they did send (15 days late) they only gave us half. We had to show proof that they had deposited 2 checks. It is a beautiful space but Mr. And Mrs.Graff should not being doing weddings!