Rumbling Bald on Lake Lure Reviews

I own Asheville Weddings and Events, and I was able to do a wedding here for a couple back in July. I had toured this venue a while back, just trying to expand my venue list, and was excited when I had a couple that I knew would be perfect for it!
The couple wanted a weekend-long event where all of the family could stay together and do activities. Rumbling Bald was perfect for this! I truly enjoyed working with the staff, and Jessica was seriously amazing the whole time. It felt like I had worked at this venue and with these people forever! I really hope to get to do many more weddings here!

I’ll be try to be concise here, but a lot happened and it’s hard to unpack / think about again. Our wedding was in October of 2024, so it’s clearly taken me some time to process everything and even if I should share the emotional turmoil we went through. Ultimately, I felt like I had a responsibility to share with you our very poor experience – to hopefully save your hard-earned money, give it to a more ethical venue and generally just avoid the disrespect / disregard you may encounter.

I’d share direct quotes, but the email exchanges between Jessica Wessinger and myself were so dismissive, defensive and disgusting that I had to delete them from my inbox… every time I’d see the chain it was like a trauma response. Not exaggerating – she should honestly be fired, or at least extremely reprimanded at the things no business would allow an employee to say.

I’ll start off by saying she was easy / helpful / kind to work with up until our wedding day, minus the occasional missed email and calls we had to follow back up with… absolutely NO big deal – she’s seemingly the only one there for this, so completely understand the minor delays. However, come our wedding day, a massive shift in her attitude and behavior couldn’t have us feeling more betrayed and swingled… as if we’re just a price tag.

She insisted she was there the entire day to answer any questions, but she was not – if anything, the only time I really saw her was with the couple getting married the next day for their rehearsal… in which were occupying 2/3 of the spaces we were trying to decorate. Not her fault and that is policy, but a general piece of feedback I gave the venue via her. When my Man of Honor arrived, and he knew of her, he asked her where -our names, the bride and groom- were and she replied, “Who?”. That’s really disheartening. My now husband went to ask her a quick question at her office, which he was told he could – and stumbled on her making out with another employee. Absolutely not professional, but that was the entire aftermath of the experience in one word.

Linens were dirty, power was out so the entire wedding was ran on a generator that died around the ending of the wedding, employees when asked simple questions replied… “IDK, I’m just here for the summer” and didn’t even try to source basic assistance for us. Employees were also making negative comments on our wedding day IN FRONT OF GUESTS / VENDORS… all for Jessica to reply, “I’m sorry your guests/vendors heard that”. Are you serious? They shouldn’t have said anything in the first place.

I expressed our disappointment and feedback in an email, respectfully, kindly and with grace… of which was met with no response for about 1.5 week. When Jessica responded, she wrote a few sentences back essentially saying 1) we were lucky to have a wedding at all (because of the town power outage, that still I question the honesty of being our AirBnB and various others around the lake had power… paired with the oldness of the venue itself) and 2) she talked with employees who didn’t have that take at all and that she’s sorry we felt we had that experience… like they would even confess that. Even if we were being dishonest, which she said in another email afterwards that we were (the fucking audacity) – the customer should ALWAYS be met with compassion and not painted out to be a liar, especially when multiple guests and vendors told us this. Basic customer service 101, but I guess we won’t be getting married again, so they don’t care.

My husband took this to social media because it was so obviously met with apathy – much much shorter than this lol, but summarizing that we thoughtfully provided feedback and how it was completely shrugged off. That’s when she responded to my follow-up email in the most condescending, dismissive, defensive way – clear verbiage meant to belittle us and ensure her commission. She refused any sort of productive call to reach any understanding / conclusion, acting as is she was still in the midst of collecting evidence / replying to us when she clearly already relayed her feelings. This is what social is for, Jessica – you fuck up, clients give you direct feedback to remedy it, you diminished it, and then decide to act out when we share our experience online? I wouldn’t be doing this right now if the reply was a simple – “I hear you, we are so sorry, we will work to do better. Thanks for taking the time to submit feedback!”. Simple accountability and acknowledgment are all any mature person wants.


A few standout comments (in a pool of many outlandish ones) she made below:

-Hardly any apps went around and the steak was cold, so she blamed us saying it was because our event was pushed an hour back. Of course it was, we didn’t have power (and neither did they in the kitchen). Also, our flowers were an hour late not to anyone’s fault but our vendor, let alone my mother almost broke her ankle. Absolutely no desire to understand that very common hold-ups happen! We also had a WDC sharing status updates with someone on their team, so a clear lack of communication would create issues like these.

-Linens were dirty and not ironed. Her response: you should have asked someone to assist you with that. Well, if Jessica has read my initial email she would have understood that assistance was lacking when asked for… also, spending 15K on a wedding and the customer has to ask for something as simple as clean linens? She noted that in the invoice items such as linens not being ironed by RB, and that if we read our contract/invoice we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Another feedback yet again for the venue – and I apologized for missing that fine print – put this stuff in the contract AND/OR discuss it aloud when we have our final invoice meeting. It’s not right to leave that stuff out while she’s entering it into her computer itemizing it, and then sends along an invoice, which is essentially a receipt. Not in RB’s eyes, so please do read the fine print here because details like this are certainly not in the contract or I would have read it and had a plan in action.

-From above, but she assumed we didn’t have wedding day of coordination, so used that against us when we actually did. A really good one.

-The power being out. I don’t ding them for a random, uncontrollable occurrence like that happening, but she couldn’t emphasize more that they did all they could when in fact they were underprepared. Bathrooms and the parking lot were completely dark – she knew we had handicapped guests, which made it hazardous for them. She clocked in the specific time the generator went out at the very end of the wedding, but fails to mention the last 30 mins the music / lights flicking / going out, no planned exit with our bubble machines we spent money on and a photographer to be there until the end, AND THE OVERALL SAFETY OF OUR GUESTS leaving the premises (trying to locate their belongings and navigate in total darkness).

I need to stop here, because my blood boils thinking about how we were treated by Jessica Wessinger… and as a couple that is easy-going, doesn’t ask for much, usually doesn’t sweat the small stuff, but knowing we spent so much of our own money and really wanted to relay feedback to help future couples… I’m gutted at it all. Our wedding was amazing because we, our guests, vendors and the environment made it so – NOT Rumbling Bald and their horrible lack of customer service. It’s sad our wedding will forever be tarnished by this.

I think it’s worth noting we tried to go over her head, but unfortunately they kept canceling on us. Sadly, my grandfather was in the hospital so I had to cancel one time (and another time my husband had a very important client meeting – both of which we gave prompt notice), but they never tried to re-schedule or make the meetings with random excuses, so we gave up.

Happy wedding day friends – shit happens, but it’s this kinda shit that baffles you how people like this are still in business!

We got married in August 2023 at Rumbling Bald Resort and every part of the weekend was so magical. The venue coordinator Jessica is the most amazing woman, she works so incredibly hard, is so kind, and really makes the experience start to finish so wonderful. She really moved mountains and made our dream wedding happen. The venue speaks for itself, it's such a beautiful backdrop for a wedding, and a great place for friends and family to travel to. The staff was amazing, everyone was so helpful and always had smiles on their faces. Highly recommend Rumbling Bald as a venue for any special event, or just a lovely getaway.

Everything about the venue made our day absolutely perfect. The view was amazing and the staff (especially Jessica) made sure everything went perfectly. Highly recommend!

The resort of Rumbling Bald at Lake Lure NC is not only beautiful but has a great wedding facility and a wonderful staff, I would highly recommend you check it out.

Rumbling bald was absolutely the most incredible venue my husband and I could have ever dreamed of. We are a very relaxed couple that love the water and mountains, and this was the perfect combination of what we were looking for. Our guests could not stop talking about how incredible the food and the views were. Our only goal was for everyone to have fun and the venue absolutely helped us exceed that goal. From my perspective, there is not another venue in the Carolinas that could provide the ambiance and experience that rumbling bald does (especially for the extremely reasonable price point). Jess Wessinger, the sales manager, could not have been more kind or accommodating.

Rumbling Bald was the perfect location for our big day. Our wedding was Nov 6, and the leaves were on full display. The staff was easy to work with and helped make our day perfect. Our guests raved about the location, the views, and the food!!! The lake had started to be drained, but it was early enough in the process and the leaves were dramatic enough that we barely noticed.

I’m so happy I chose Rumbling Bald for our wedding! I got so many compliments from guests on how beautiful it was!!! The only thing that was difficult was cell reception in the mountains!! There were a few hiccups as there are with any wedding, but overall we had a great experience!

We had a wonderful experience with Rumbling Bald! Working with Paula made things seem so easy, and we greatly appreciated her insights. We had an intimate wedding with family, with less than 50 guests, and she knew all the right suggestions for us to make things perfect. Unfortunately, Covid has led to some changes at the venue, including the closure of the restaurant at the beginning of the week, but if those staying nearby like our family did plan ahead and make most meals “at home,” things will be just fine. The golf courses are beautiful!

My son was supposed to be married during the pandemic. Of course it had to be cancelled. Paula Benson and her team at Rumbling Bald could not have treated us better. They simply moved all of our planning…..rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, bonfire on the beach, pontoon boat, wedding, all the guest accommodations, golf……..to the next year. This is no small thing. The wedding weekend could not have been better. The entire staff at the resort came through for us. The rehearsal dinner was set up without me lifting a finger. The bonfire on the beach was “one of the most fun nights in years” according to the groom. And the wedding? Well, perfect! Combine the staff with the location and the views any you have the recipe for a great wedding. I highly recommend Rumbling Bald.

This venue is all about the scenery. You cannot beat the views of the mountain, lake, and beach. Most of our family and friends rented houses on the resort, which was very convenient, and most people turned it into a mini vacation. The golf courses are also very pristine.

The main sales rep that you deal with at the resort is Paula. She was not the most accommodating person to work with, but everything got pulled together. The first time we went to take a tour of the venue, we drove a couple of hours to get there, and she blew us off because she scheduled a tasting at the same time. Luckily, her other staff members were knowledgeable and friendly, such as Adam and Lisa. It was the other staff that really sold us on the place.

We would later find out that Paula’s lack of communication was a common theme between us and with her coworkers. I think a lot of the issue was that she was working from home, while the rest of the staff were in the office. She takes awhile to respond to emails, and when she does there is always an excuse to why it took so long. Most of the time we had to take the lead, and make sure what needed to get done, got done. She misplaced some of the emails, sent a wrong menu three times, and did not coordinate with the salon for the timing of hair and makeup. The day of the wedding, the bridal suite was not unlocked at the contractual time, and it had trash all in it from the night before. The salon staff were even pissed and took pictures because it was not taken care of.

We got fed up with her, so we started dealing with the Banquet Manager Brianna, who is amazing. She should probably be running the show because she is on top of her game, and understands she is in the hospitality business. Paula told us that they did not carry a specific beer anymore, and that she would be unable to accommodate us, but Brianna made it happen. Also, the week before the wedding Paula said that the resort would no longer be able to provide transportation after the wedding, which was in discussion since the year prior. Brianna personally tried to resolve this issue, even though this technically is not part of her job description.

I am not trying to deter anyone from having their wedding here, because it is a lovely venue. I am just giving a super honest review of our experience. Our wedding turned out phenomenal. The decorations were amazing, and the food that the resort made, all the guests are still raving about. The one recommendation that I have here is to make sure you have at least a day of coordinator. The initial pitch by Paula, sounded like one of their staff could step in and help, but that was not the case. If you need a good coordinator, please use Seize the Day with Grace. She will be the best money you ever spent.

This venue exceeded our expectations and was prime in being budget friendly, secluded, beautiful and overall excellent. Everything was perfect and Paula, the coordinator, was one of the finest people I worked with throughout wedding planning. Five stars all around!

We chose Rumbling Bald after looking for something different and a little more relaxed.... and it is the most beautiful perfect place! We absolutely loved it so much and my family even are looking at purchasing a house there so we could make it an annual trip for the family! It's so beautiful and so many people are still telling me it was the best wedding they have ever been too! I worked with Paula to organize the wedding and she was wonderful and so helpful even with covid and having to reschedule once before! I really appreciate all of her time and she does an amazing job! The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars across the board is because the day of manager Brianne was possibly one of the rudest people I have ever met. She yelled at me right in the beginning, yelled at my parents and was incredibly rude to all of my guests as well as vendors. She changed the bar rules day of and would not allow anyone to have a drink from the br more than 1 per half hour .. she also refused to serve people who were bringing a drink to someone at a table. She then cut my cake and put it on her hand and slapped it on the plates!! The place overall is such an incredible place for a wedding and I love it so much! Just be aware of potential issues if you are stuck with Brianne. I would, however, still recommend Rumbling Bald and make sure to spend a few days there. It's worth it!

The whole night I received compliments on how beautiful this venue was!! The food was perfection and the staff was amazing !! We had some ups and downs prior but none of which they could control!! Best night of our lives and couldn’t have envisioned it anymore perfect!! Thank you Paula!

Rumbling Bald Resort was like finding a diamond in the rough. We struggled to find a location that met everyones’ needs (the bride, the groom, AND the parents!), but RBR has something for everyone. We really wanted a place where our guests could get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and we could enjoy our time together. And boy did we accomplish that!!! Just be aware that cell phone service can be shotty at times, so communication could be tough. The people and service at RBR were spectacular. Paula was such a delight to work with. She was very prompt in responding to our questions and emails. She was extremely organized and you could tell that she ran a tight ship. She was able to work with us to get some of our unique requests, that added to the memories of our special day. Our guests were able to reserve a lot of cabins/houses through VRBO but Gail at the RBR reservation desk was AMAZING when they reserved properties through RBR. She was so knowledgeable and helpful when taking care of our guests. The best receptionist I have ever experienced, hands down. Once we arrived, Briana managed all the details so professionally. She was able to accommodate all of our last minute requests exceptionally. And more importantly, she was able to keep the mother of the bride satisfied! The food was exceptional. Our guests could not stop raving about it. The only thing that I would suggest to someone who is thinking of having their wedding at RBR is to make sure there are plenty of portable fans on the Terrace if the temperature will be over 90 degrees. But I loved that we had smores on the beach and saw a bear at our rehearsal....priceless!!

My daughter had her wedding at Rumbling Bald. The venue is lovely and the wedding staff was helpful. I had 3 complaints. First, we booked hair and makeup for the wedding party, including me. They left my makeup to last and gave me to a novice makeup artist who was truly terrible! I paid a lot to have it done. On top of that, it took so long I finally walked out because I was missing all the time in the bridal suite helping my daughter get ready! I came in too late and she was already dressed! I was very, very upset about that. And I ended up taking everything they did off and rushing to put some on myself. Secondly, there wasn't a place to have a separate cocktail hour, so they had it in the reception area. Guests came in and sat at their tables instead of mingling and most guests didn't even know there were hors d'oeuvres being passed! We paid a lot for them and most people didn't even get to try them. I would suggest doing your own makeup and asking for them to put aside an area for the cocktail hour. Third, the reception time was way too short! They give you 5 hours total, but with the ceremony and then cocktail hour while we were doing pictures, that's only 3 hours left for the reception. It was way too short.

We booked Rumbling Bald Resort after an extensive search of venues in the Asheville/Lake Lure area and the Raleigh/Durham area. Rumbling Bald resort has everything you need and provides a great location for families from all over the country to meet especially when family and friends are located all over the world. The resort is also well located near Asheville, Charlotte, and Greenville which makes travels to the location a lot easier. Not only is the location central to a lot of the airports, Rumbling Bald provides all the services you need for a wedding (from Hair and Makeup, Food, Beverages, to meal and drink planning). The food prices are very reasonable for the high quality of food you get and the open bar packages are very reasonably priced. Rumbling Bald also has a beautiful wedding gazebo with a background of beautiful mountainous landscapes and a shimmering lake. The reception site (Lakeview Terrace) is an open air terrace that can be closed during the cooler months which was perfect for our fall wedding without sacrificing the view.

As for planning, Paula did an amazing job communicating with us and pouring over every last detail. For the day of our wedding, we had Breanna managing the banquet and bartender services which was perfect. Our guests raved about how delicious the food was and efficient the bar service was especially with how many of our guests like to imbibe. This resort offered a great selection of houses/apartments/condos for our guests and a shuttle service for after the wedding to ensure our guests can relax and have fun. If you would like an all-encompassing wedding venue with delicious food and a great drinking package with many locations for your guests to stay, you should book Rumbling Bald Resort for your wedding venue. Hands-down I would book Rumbling Bald again for a vow renewal or recommend as a future site for anybody I talk weddings with.

A random google search of venues in North Carolina led me to Rumbling Bald, and I am so glad that it did! After looking at pictures online, my now husband and I decided we wanted to visit this venue, and see it in person. We saw the venue first on a cold, rainy December day and still fell in love with its beauty! From then on, we created a partnership with Paula and the Rumbling Bald staff where they were always helpful with our questions planning our special day. Planning a wedding when you live a couple hours away from the venue can be challenging, but Paula and the staff here made it very easy for me. We used the recommended vendors provided to us, and they were all wonderful! We have had so many of our wedding guests talk about how beautiful the venue was and how fun the wedding was overall, and that is exactly what we wanted! I highly recommend Rumbling Bald resort as your wedding or event venue :) We are excited to go back to visit for our anniversary trips!

Rumbling Bald was a great choice for our November wedding. The views of Lake Lure amid the fall foliage and mountain backdrop were absolutely breathtaking. Paula was a delight from start to finish and very committed to making sure everything went smoothly. The guests really enjoyed the beautiful space, and the linens, food, and drinks were all perfect. Thank you!

Rumbling Bald was an amazing venue to have our wedding. The location is stunning between the lake and the mountains, especially with both the gazebo and reception area overlooking both. Plus, the staff there are absolutely fantastic to work with! Paula was great, showing us around, answering all of our questions leading up to the big day, and being around if we ever needed her the days around the weeding as well. John, the catering manager, was great as well, making sure that everything was laid out the way we wanted, and being helpful with the ceremony as well, actually (timing and whatnot). The bar tending staff were also fantastic! We got so many complements (especially about them) about the entire event, location, food, staff. (We also had our rehearsal dinner at the resort, which was just more of the same, great location, great food, and great people.)

My husband & I were planning a small destination wedding & I just fell in love with RBR. Once we visited, we were sold. It is beautiful & it has a small space for an intimate wedding. The event coordinator is so sweet & she really does care, but several times we had to wait on a response to our questions. A few weeks before the wedding, the bridge & creek at our ceremony location flooded & washed away. When we asked questions about alternate plans or places to take our bridal photos, we were given very vague responses. While the flooding is nobody’s fault, we feel that the communication afterwards could have been a little better. Everyone at the resort was very friendly, we just felt like our wedding was pushed aside because it was smaller & we weren’t paying as much as the other weddings taking place that weekend. I would recommend the resort for someone wanting a larger wedding, but if you’re wanting a smaller wedding (ours was 25 people), I would suggest looking elsewhere.

Absolutely the most beautiful wedding venue. A mix between water (lake lure) and mountains makes for a beautiful location. The terrace for the reception offers coverage but still allows for beautiful views. Guests said it was the most beautiful wedding they had been to, highly recommend. Paula is great to work with as well, very responsive to questions. Food was delicious as well!!

I am so glad that my random "google" searching for mountain venues on the lake led us to Rumbling Bald. We had looked at a few other venues but as soon as my we pulled into the venue my dad said "This is the one I can already tell." We got so many compliments on the venue, the view, the food, etc that my list could go on. One thing that drew us to this venue was there there was so much "natural" decoration to it you didn't feel the need to over due it or have to stress about all the little things. One thing to make sure you do is get a good wedding planner for the day-of because they don't actually provide one, and be cautious with the linens, their definition of ironed is not what the usual definition is. But the linens are pretty so just factor in that you may have to spend time steaming the linens. It should definitely be noted that the food is delicious and our guest still can't stop talking about the food and the views are to die for. The staff is so sweet and Paula, who the brides work with is AMAZING. When we booked the venue there was a different person in Paula's place but she stepped in like she had been involved the whole time. Be cautious telling your guests were to stay, you can find a lot of AMAZING deals through AirBnB or HomeAway versus going through the resort (it tended to be a lot cheaper). The one thing that stood out to me about this venue, and remained true throughout the whole process, was that there are not a lot of "hidden fees". They are EXTREMELY accommodating within reason and little costs here and there are not going to pop up. Thank you Rumbling Bald for providing us the wedding of our dreams.

• A spectacular natural setting. The locations of the wedding gazebo, reception area and pavilion (used for Friday’s rehearsal dinner) have breath-taking views of the lake, forests and mountains. The natural beauty is hard to match at another venue.
• Beautiful Lake Lure offers water sports and pontoon sight-seeing.
• Wonderful side-trip opportunities for guests – Chimney Rock, Asheville and more.
• Two “national class” golf courses in outstanding condition with affordable green fees.
• The chef who prepared our rehearsal and reception dinners delivered meals everyone raved about… a challenge with small groups and usually unheard of when serving 200 people.
• RB provided us a list of wedding planners. We chose Mary Bell who was among the best people we’ve ever worked with. We believe any bride AND venue will benefit from Mary’ planning / implementation expertise.
This resort should receive five stars within a year. They are in transition with a new staff and in the process of making upgrades to restaurants and rental units -- condominiums, golf villas and homes.

Before our wedding we went to make a payment and found out the person we had been planning with was no longer with RB and someone new was in the position. RB never contacted either of us directly of this change. The new person (Paula Benson) was helpful with informing us of things the previous person never mentioned. We had our tasting and it was amazing! We looked forward to dinner and being able to take home a meal that we were told we would receive upon our departure. Not only did we find out shortly before our wedding that they had hired a new chef but we never got the new tasting we were told we would receive. Then on our wedding day we had to ask to have people come clean downstairs because rooms and bathrooms had been left nasty from the wedding the previous day and had to request for light bulbs to be replaced that were out. Which brings us to the dinner we had been looking forward to! We ordered the pasta station with dietary needs noted on file due to the maid of honors severe allergy to onions. Not only was dinner a disappointment... beef tips bland (more like liver) bread was hard but there were onions in the food so dinner was a bust! We do however appreciate a last minute request made of gluten free pasta for our honorary guest being met. Also (although we wouldn't have eaten it) we never received the meal that was stated would be sent home with us. So overall NO we are not pleased with RB service but the scenery RB offers is beautiful and we exchanged our vows!