The Barn of Hidden Valley Reviews
Reviews
4.2 out of 5 rating
4.2 out of 5 rating
8 Reviews
84% recommend it
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![Brennen]()
Brennen P. Sent on 06/15/2024Wonderful Venue for a Wedding
I am so glad we had our wedding at The Barn of Hidden Valley. My wife and I were married here during the springtime. We had an amazing experience during our time there for our wedding. The Barn of Hidden Valley sits in a wonderful setting, full of beautiful scenery. No matter what time of the year, I know a wedding here would be amazing. Our experience with the owners were fantastic. My wife had some big ideas for our wedding with decor and the owners were super helpful executing that plan. They were flexible in our needs and have amazing amenities to support our special night. The kitchen area has everything needed to support the food of the wedding, from warmers, to a huge commercial fridge and freezer, it was very convenient for us. It was nice to have an onsite area at the venue for the bride and groom to get dressed and have their spaces. We had an outside wedding with the reception inside. They had a beautiful arch that we used to have our reception. For pictures, there are so many different locations on site that you can go to to get the aesthetic that you are looking for. Our wedding was beautiful and we were able to enjoy every second due to the venue and the owners being helpful. Overall, I would definitely recommend this venue to anyone that has an event coming up!
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Lori I. Sent on 05/21/2024
Enjoyable and Stress Free
We celebrated our daughter’s wedding at The Barn of Hidden Valley. First off the owners George and Sharon were great and very easy to work with. Anytime I had a question they were always very quick to reply. The wedding venue is beautiful and was fun to decorate! I would highly suggest using this venue for your event.The Barn of Hidden Valley's reply:
Thank you Lori! All of the efforts of family and friends were amazing! So glad we could be a part of Zach and Audrey’s beginning of FOREVER! They looked so beautiful and happy together. Thanks for choosing our venue! -
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![Lois]()
Lois H. Sent on 04/27/2024Wedding/reception
Our family celebrated a beautiful wedding on April 19, 2024. Our daughter and son-in-law found The Barn of Hidden Valley and fell in love. We were planning from afar so our initial planning was stressful. After securing our location it was with ease. George and Sharon helped us with everything including the AIRBB stay. We were lucky enough to stay in the two AIRBB’s on the property allowing us to enjoy the pre wedding festivities. The venue was perfect providing all the natural elements and beauty of the barn and the covered bridge and the outdoor arch. We would recommend this Venue and working with George and Sharon. They helped pull off a very smooth and enjoyable day. Thank you. -
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Heather J. Sent on 05/25/2024
Amazing! Couldn’t have found a better venue
We had the most beautiful wedding thanks to George and Sharon! Working with them was so easy and they’re very quick to respond with any questions you could think of. This venue is absolutely perfect for weddings and more I cannot recommend them enough!The Barn of Hidden Valley's reply:
Thank you Heather for this review! George and I so enjoyed being a small part of your BEAUTIFUL wedding day! Happiness always! -
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Featured
![Maria]()
Maria D. Sent on 06/02/2022A DIY Wedding Venue
Update: I am apparently the evil monster out to "destroy" this place with my "accomplices" (I'm not). I shared my experience, and in response the owners find it appropriate to gaslight me (which I find to be downright sad). To set the record straight. In a moment of anger (in response to having to end my reception early), I did threaten to make sure others knew how we were treated. It was the only way to get the owner who was refusing to speak to me about a major issue (that caused my reception to end early) to come down and discuss the matter. I did not use the word "destroy", those are likely the words the staff used to convey my words via text to the owners (who were not present at the time), but those were not my words. In my original review, I listed what was & was not provided. No attacks, no making good on the threat, no secret plot, an honest assessment of my experience for goodness sakes. All reviews from my family/friends were of their own volition w/ no direction from me. I regret my conduct while angry (I raised my voice, swore), however, to translate my words in anger into motive for some malicious plot, and to discredit my experience, is downright sad. Also, "too much celebration" is a way of saying I was intoxicated and another attempt to discredit me. I was stone cold sober.
Finally, the things I'd like to "complain about now" came not from the things we anticipated, but from what we thought would be available either b/c it was contracted, promised, or a basic amenity, but never materialized. Most of these things they have noted as fixed, I am thankful for this.
I know a lot of people in this community and they work hard for their money. I'm not going to put 5 stars if my conscious speaks otherwise. I want this venue to improve, I don't want to "destroy" them. However, if resorting to turning me into a monster is what they'd like to do instead, it's sad, but I'm done. I sure do hope they are nicer to the next person who leaves a less than glowing review and don't resort to belittling and laughing at them. No bride wants to have to end her reception early, get as upset as I got, and then be attacked for sharing her experience. I certainly didn't. All my other vendors were wonderful and got glowing reviews on the knot, wedding wire and google.
My original review (grammar shaved for space)
Wedding held at The Barn of Hidden Valley on 5/21/22. Beautiful new venue in Alexandria, Ohio. We were the first wedding. Although venue marketed as a “wedding venue”, did not provide many of the options that one expects from a “wedding venue”. It is a do-it-yourself kind of place for the cost of a venue with more amenities.
For the rental fee:
• Gorgeous venue + grounds
• 30 5’ round tables, 6 8' rectangle tables, 4 6' rectangle tables, + 250 chairs (inside use).
• A nice patio w/ rocking chairs.
• Ceiling fans, many windows and doors for breeze (no AC)
• The use of a commercial-size refrigerator (no freezer)
• Bride and Groom’s suites. Will be tight if you have 3+ in your bridal party
• Fire pit + wood to burn.
You will be responsible for:
• Table and chair set-up (set up part of contract but no help was there to do so). We were permitted to set up and decorate the day prior . Tear down included in rental fee, however we chose to tear down to achieve required sweeping of floors
• Drinking water. Well water, smelled and tasted of sulfur
• Trash bags + removal; no dumpster
• Decorations. Use of nails and staples is permitted. All must be removed prior to event end time.
• Ice + means to keep it cold
• Extra paper towels and toilet paper
• Caterer of choice. No cooking facilities
• Table linens
• Tableware
• Outdoor seating for a ceremony
• Arch for ceremony
• Event Insurance, naming the The Barn of Hidden Valley
• Alcohol. A certified bartender to serve is required. No bar area.
• Buses not welcome on property. Owner upset with bus turning around partially in grass. Cars had to park in grass. ~160 guests who did not bus, carpool is recommended.
• Leave venue exactly as it was when you arrived: remove decorations + any nails/staples used, remove trash, vacuum balcony carpet if debris, broom sweep ground floor, wipe down counter areas, clean showers if used. Ensure fire pit is extinguished + debris removed. If cleaning is not done according to the provided outline, fees incur. The proprietor did allow rented chair pick-up the next day
You can comfortably fit 200 guests seated.The Barn of Hidden Valley's reply:
RESPONSE FROM THE BARN OF HIDDEN VALLEY OWNERS:
Without going into all the details as to what actually happened in the closing hours of this event when fatigue and perhaps too much celebration were taking their toll, we will simply say that this bride lost all civility and threatened that evening (in the midst of a string of obscenities) that she would “destroy” us (her exact word). She indicated that her family and friends were very influential and that they would join her in the effort. It appears that even though she apologized for her behavior that evening, she (and her accomplices) still intended to carry out her threat.
We totally reject the ratings and mischaracterizations of these reviews. They are not objective as she would have you believe but are a thinly-veiled effort to “destroy” us. We trust you will be able to see them for what they are. Yes, we made some mistakes and we will always use legitimate feedback for improvement, but many of their statements are either totally inaccurate or misleading. They are meant to “destroy” us as she promised.
This was our very first event. We were feeling our way forward. This bride was aware going in of many of the things about which she now wants to complain. Also, we have revised many of our initial requirements. In regard to event cleanup, we simply ask that the venue be left “clean and orderly” (not perfect). Set-up and take down ARE included. Many amenities which we may have lacked have now been added (trash service, backdrop arbors for ceremonies, a freezer for ice, etc.) Parking is more than adequate. Also, in order to make ourselves known we have also temporarily substantially lowered our prices (See thebarnhv.com). We are continually improving and expect to continue to do so. We don’t believe a brand new venue deserves quite this much criticism (or to be “destroyed”). You judge.
We do appreciate the bride’s honesty in regard to the venue being “Gorgeous”. The words we hear most often from nearly everyone who visits are “Wow!”, “Amazing!”, “Stunning!”.
As something in the way of evidence as to the quality of facilities and services we provide for our guests, we offer the following: We have two beautiful Airbnb units here at Hidden Valley Farm (these can be booked in conjunction with your event). Very early in our association with Airbnb we had a very similar negative review from a disgruntled guest who was determined to try to hurt us. We have since had 198 very positive reviews at Airbnb giving us a 4.9 rating out of 5. You can go online at Airbnb and read them if you like. Our guests now laugh at that one lonely negative review. We believe it will be the same in this situation as guests come to enjoy our beautiful venue.
Please come and visit and see for yourselves. We will work very hard to assist you in making your event all you hope it to be.
George and Sharon Peterson, Owners
PS: Also see below the very pleasant and measured response from our event coordinator who had worked tirelessly with this family to prepare for this event. It was posted shortly after the event. She points out many (but not all) of the discrepancies between what this group has said and what actually occurred.
6/6/22 -- Maria, Family & Friends: Thank you so much for your review for The Barn of Hidden Valley. We fully appreciate your review of not only the venue but also the day of your beautiful wedding. We agree the event venue is an absolutely beautiful backdrop to any event, especially a such a beautiful wedding like yours.
We were thrilled you chose us as your venue knowing that you would be our first wedding and we were so thankful for your families patience, working alongside as well as you knew we were still getting many things in place. We cannot adequately express our gratitude and appreciation for you working with us all along the way and cheering us on as we got things ready for your day. We all worked together seamlessly to make this beautiful day happen.
We were so impressed that you had a beautifully and well-orchestrated group of individuals to help you make your day all that you imagined come to fruition. It was a beautiful sight to see it all come together. From the very beginning you said you had a wonderful team of family, friends and other loved ones who would be there to help you with all you needed help with that day, and your team of family and friends certainly delivered for you and we loved being able to witness it all!
There are many things mentioned in your review that you seemed to be alarmed that you would need to do, especially while knowing about all of them prior to the wedding taking place (i.e. trash being taken away, no ceremony chairs, the arbor, and leaving the facility as you found it etc.) Prior to the event and booking with us, you had already lined up that the trash was going to be taken away because of the nature of your wedding being green. There was no problem ever mentioned in all of our interactions with needing to rent chairs for outdoor use, not all venues have those available on site. We also never had a problem with them being left for pick up the next day and were thankful that you had arranged all the details for that to be taken care of.
As for the arbor pictured on the website, just like any other venue we have posted an image of what the space looked like on our property. The Arbor your father built for you was beautiful, it worked out well that you were planning to us the arbor he built for you as you know that we did not have arbors made yet for use at the barn (because as it has been stated we are still new and growing).
We do apologize for there not being someone to watch the bathrooms during the evening, that is something now on our list to have watched every hour of an event, however had someone made us aware of the need we would have addressed it quickly and without hesitation.
We apologize for the unfortunate timing of the suggested cleaning guidelines being given during the last part of the reception. The cleaning list was merely a guide for people to follow, to help remind and to check off IF it applied to your usage. Cleaning lists are now posted on the back of the cleaning closet, so that we can point it out during tours as a checklist and guide for others, not as a demand just as a general reminder of things to check off and how to clean IF it applies to the event and their usage.
The other unfortunate part of this situation was that no one spoke to staff about clarity on the checklist for cleaning which would have aided to help with the misunderstandings that happened. Had someone spoken to staff before guests were notified of a massive deep clean, and stopping a wedding based on a misunderstanding this could have been avoided.
Thankfully we were all able to sit down and resolve the misunderstanding that evening and as we left that evening everyone was all smiles and hugs all around, apologies said by those in the wedding party who spoke harshly with raised voices, used profanity and threatening words while trying to resolve the issue of the misunderstanding. To our knowledge all confusion had been taken care of and as of today remains resolved.
The deposit for cleaning was also returned in a timely manner as well. Even with the misunderstanding at the end of the evening, the wedding day was absolutely beautiful and being able to witness the day was a pleasure.
We will always appreciate you being our first wedding and starting your family here at The Barn of Hidden Valley.
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![Mei]()
Mei Sent on 06/07/2022Disappointed
I'll give this place one star for the aesthetics. It is pretty and the grounds will give you great photo ops, but unfortunately that's all I can say that's positive at this moment. I realize this was the first wedding they hosted at their venue, but even that was no excuse for how they handled things and caused stress for the families on such a joyous occasion. Most wedding venues go above and beyond to accommodate the bride and groom and the families on their special day. Knowing others who do this for a living and seeing how hard they work to provide the best possible service for their couples, I was appalled at when I found out how much my family members paid for what little they got. $5500 with a $1,000 deposit and you get a barn with no A/C, no table linens, no bar set ups, no freezer to keep things frozen, no ice available, no filtered water (water smelled like sulphur so you have to be sure and purchase your own filtered water - brother of the bride had to leave to go buy more water during the reception), no trash disposal (THEY HAD TO TAKE ALL THE TRASH WITH THEM TO DISPOSE OF), no one on site to make sure everything ran smoothly, no outside chairs available for ceremony, no arch (even though these things are "pictures" on their website), no basic supplies or cooking utensils available for caterer and the microwave didn’t work, no set up or clean up (this was done by the bride and groom and family and wedding guests). The bride and groom literally had to change out of their wedding attire into street clothes to CLEAN UP. They wanted this clean up to be completed within an hour after the reception ended which included cleaning the bathrooms, showers, floors, removal of decorations - literally everything - so the reception had to end earlier than planned to begin the cleanup process. I guess the take down of tables was included - but in order to clean the floors sufficiently to their specifications listed on their last minute list, the tables needed to be put up so I would argue that it really wasn't included. Seriously though?? First of all...set up and take down should be included...but if not...give the family until the next day to get everything out and fully cleaned up. They shouldn't have to stress about anything on the day of the wedding. The fact that wedding guests literally had to restock the toilet paper in the bathrooms is just absurd. I feel like these people saw dollar signs when building this place, not realizing the amount of work that goes into running a venue like this. IF you just want to rent out a building with no A/C, then you need to charge WAY LESS. If you are planning on running an event center and want to charge for one, then you need to invest in a few things before representing yourself as such a venue and you could probably take a few lessons in customer service. I heard the owner refused to come down and talk to the bride when she was presented with the list of things that needed to be done in order to get their deposit back during the middle of the reception. BAD TIMING. This wasn’t listed in the original contract. Maybe this was just a learning experience for all and they will figure out what to do next time. I just feel bad that it had to be at this beautiful bride’s expense. Her day was still wonderful and the wedding was gorgeous. I guess all the issues will be something we all laugh about later on at how absurd it was - especially the bride’s brother having to haul off bags and bags of trash that started leaking in the back of his truck. I don't know. Good luck to you guys on future events. I hope some things were learned and you are just getting the kinks out. Unfortunately it was as this family's expense. I suggest doing a bit of research on what venues do for their customers to make their day as smooth as possible. You'll find that you can make a bunch of money and still make your customers happy. Just my two cents.The Barn of Hidden Valley's reply:
RESPONSE FROM THE BARN OF HIDDEN VALLEY OWNERS:
Without going into all the details as to what actually happened in the closing hours of this event when fatigue and perhaps too much celebration were taking their toll, we will simply say that this bride lost all civility and threatened that evening (in the midst of a string of obscenities) that she would “destroy” us (her exact word). She indicated that her family and friends were very influential and that they would join her in the effort. It appears that even though she apologized for her behavior that evening, she (and her accomplices) still intended to carry out her threat.
We totally reject the ratings and mischaracterizations of these reviews. They are not objective as she would have you believe but are a thinly-veiled effort to “destroy” us. We trust you will be able to see them for what they are. Yes, we made some mistakes and we will always use legitimate feedback for improvement, but many of their statements are either totally inaccurate or misleading. They are meant to “destroy” us as she promised.
This was our very first event. We were feeling our way forward. This bride was aware going in of many of the things about which she now wants to complain. Also, we have revised many of our initial requirements. In regard to event cleanup, we simply ask that the venue be left “clean and orderly” (not perfect). Set-up and take down ARE included. Many amenities which we may have lacked have now been added (trash service, backdrop arbors for ceremonies, a freezer for ice, etc.) Parking is more than adequate. Also, in order to make ourselves known we have also temporarily substantially lowered our prices (See thebarnhv.com). We are continually improving and expect to continue to do so. We don’t believe a brand new venue deserves quite this much criticism (or to be “destroyed”). You judge.
We do appreciate the bride’s honesty in regard to the venue being “Gorgeous”. The words we hear most often from nearly everyone who visits are “Wow!”, “Amazing!”, “Stunning!”.
As something in the way of evidence as to the quality of facilities and services we provide for our guests, we offer the following: We have two beautiful Airbnb units here at Hidden Valley Farm (these can be booked in conjunction with your event). Very early in our association with Airbnb we had a very similar negative review from a disgruntled guest who was determined to try to hurt us. We have since had 198 very positive reviews at Airbnb giving us a 4.9 rating out of 5. You can go online at Airbnb and read them if you like. Our guests now laugh at that one lonely negative review. We believe it will be the same in this situation as guests come to enjoy our beautiful venue.
Please come and visit and see for yourselves. We will work very hard to assist you in making your event all you hope it to be.
George and Sharon Peterson, Owners
PS: Also see below the very pleasant and measured response from our event coordinator who had worked tirelessly with this family to prepare for this event. It was posted shortly after the event. She points out many (but not all) of the discrepancies between what this group has said and what actually occurred.
6/6/22 --Maria, Family & Friends: Thank you so much for your review for The Barn of Hidden Valley. We fully appreciate your review of not only the venue but also the day of your beautiful wedding. We agree the event venue is an absolutely beautiful backdrop to any event, especially a such a beautiful wedding like yours.
We were thrilled you chose us as your venue knowing that you would be our first wedding and we were so thankful for your families patience, working alongside as well as you knew we were still getting many things in place. We cannot adequately express our gratitude and appreciation for you working with us all along the way and cheering us on as we got things ready for your day. We all worked together seamlessly to make this beautiful day happen.
We were so impressed that you had a beautifully and well-orchestrated group of individuals to help you make your day all that you imagined come to fruition. It was a beautiful sight to see it all come together. From the very beginning you said you had a wonderful team of family, friends and other loved ones who would be there to help you with all you needed help with that day, and your team of family and friends certainly delivered for you and we loved being able to witness it all!
There are many things mentioned in your review that you seemed to be alarmed that you would need to do, especially while knowing about all of them prior to the wedding taking place (i.e. trash being taken away, no ceremony chairs, the arbor, and leaving the facility as you found it etc.) Prior to the event and booking with us, you had already lined up that the trash was going to be taken away because of the nature of your wedding being green. There was no problem ever mentioned in all of our interactions with needing to rent chairs for outdoor use, not all venues have those available on site. We also never had a problem with them being left for pick up the next day and were thankful that you had arranged all the details for that to be taken care of.
As for the arbor pictured on the website, just like any other venue we have posted an image of what the space looked like on our property. The Arbor your father built for you was beautiful, it worked out well that you were planning to us the arbor he built for you as you know that we did not have arbors made yet for use at the barn (because as it has been stated we are still new and growing).
We do apologize for there not being someone to watch the bathrooms during the evening, that is something now on our list to have watched every hour of an event, however had someone made us aware of the need we would have addressed it quickly and without hesitation.
We apologize for the unfortunate timing of the suggested cleaning guidelines being given during the last part of the reception. The cleaning list was merely a guide for people to follow, to help remind and to check off IF it applied to your usage. Cleaning lists are now posted on the back of the cleaning closet, so that we can point it out during tours as a checklist and guide for others, not as a demand just as a general reminder of things to check off and how to clean IF it applies to the event and their usage.
The other unfortunate part of this situation was that no one spoke to staff about clarity on the checklist for cleaning which would have aided to help with the misunderstandings that happened. Had someone spoken to staff before guests were notified of a massive deep clean, and stopping a wedding based on a misunderstanding this could have been avoided.
Thankfully we were all able to sit down and resolve the misunderstanding that evening and as we left that evening everyone was all smiles and hugs all around, apologies said by those in the wedding party who spoke harshly with raised voices, used profanity and threatening words while trying to resolve the issue of the misunderstanding. To our knowledge all confusion had been taken care of and as of today remains resolved.
The deposit for cleaning was also returned in a timely manner as well. Even with the misunderstanding at the end of the evening, the wedding day was absolutely beautiful and being able to witness the day was a pleasure.
We will always appreciate you being our first wedding and starting your family here at The Barn of Hidden Valley.
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