Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art

2011 August Wedding at CheekwoodOur daughter was recently married at Cheekwood. It was magical and we could not have asked for a better experience. From the first appointment to the loading of our cars when it was over was flawless. We believe that this is due to having an amazing staff and the events planner, Jenny Fyke. The ceremony was in the Wills Garden and the reception was at the Frist Learning Center. After our first meeting with Jenny, we never looked back. We knew we had made the perfect choice and that we would not be disappointed. The presentations, the detailed explanations, and the extra efforts were exactly what we needed during this exciting time. As the mother of the bride I was confident that it would be just what our daughter wanted and that Jenny, Robin and the rest of the Cheekwood staff would take care of us and any need we expressed. The food was amazing and we have had so many compliments about that evening and how perfect it was. Thank you for making Jennifer and Marc?s day so wonderful. Sincerely,Jim and Connie June

Now that my anger has subsided, and the stress of the wedding is over, I'm revising my review to provide some specifics as to why I was less than pleased, in hopes that it will give a little insight to those searching for a venue.First off, I'd like to say that Jenny Feick (sp?), the Cheekwood representative really did do a great job, but unfortunately she had the tough job of being the mediator between us and Cheekwood, and almost all of the trouble we had was with Cheekwood's catering company. Not sure who they''re contracted with, but they should rethink that situation. Its hard when people are put in the uncomfortable position of being the mediator between a business and a client, as its hard to stand on both sides of a fence. But Jenny did a great job of taking our concerns and coming back with workable solutions to the problem at hand.So here are a couple of negative things that stick out to me. Although I'm sure I could think of more, i'll limit this review to just the two for which I am confident of the details. I don't feel it would be fair to list any others that I heard about from my wife throughout the wedding planning since I don't know the specifics regarding price and what was promised on the front end. Those situations I'll place in the category of "miscellaneous nickel-and-diming". So here are the 2 that I'm confident of and feel are significant enough to mention:1. Cheekwood charges a per head fee for you to use an outside catering company. This makes sense from a business perspective as it incentivizes you to use their services. However, it also allows them to do basically whatever they want after the contract is signed. They know you're not going elsewhere at this point, because if you did you'd lose your deposit AND have to pay the per-head fee. Even if you DID decide to do all of that, you'd be lucky to find another caterer that close to your wedding date. In other words, you're stuck. Our per person charge for the reception dinner

In planning a wedding reception in Nashville, Cheekwood seemed a logical, beautiful choice for a wedding reception. The website was helpful; prices for use of the property were clearly posted, within my budget and easy to research prior to scheduling an appointment with one of the Consultants. I scheduled an appointment, interested in touring the facilities, and already convinced that this would be a wonderful facility at which to host a reception. We arrived one afternoon and waited in the office for our consultant, K., who arrived late to our scheduled appointment. This individual was extraordinarily rude, condescending, and patronizing for the next hour of our meeting with her. She consistently talked "over" both of us, told us that we would not be able to afford placing a tent in a specific area of Cheekwood (This was well within our budget), and despite multiple attempts to merely be social and gain what we hoped to gain at this meeting (an expert's assistance with planning our wedding reception at their lovely facility), we finally left after she continued to evade our questions and directly insult us. I am from the Boston area, and find Southern social graces a lovely change from direct, sometimes harsh atmosphere there, and am not one to leave "with hurt feelings". Despite this, I have ever witnessed such a lack of professional behavior, and am still shocked that from a PR standpoint, the organization can treat individuals in this manner. Having left our Consultant, K., we immediately decided that despite the beauty of Cheekwood, we could never entrust such a sweet, important day to this individual, her colleagues, and an organization who allows her to practice her profession openly in such a manner. My greatest regret was that she had treated my wonderful Mother with terrible disdain. I will never recommend Cheekwood to anyone planning a private event.

Beautiful gardens make a wonderful setting for a relaxing afternoon. Enjoy nature and nicely kept gardens without all the yardwork! Escape from fast-paced Nashville--you're literally right there at the city hussle and bustle, but it feels you are far out in a rural area. Decently priced, look for coupons.

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If you want to plan a wedding, PLEASE, do yourself a favor and go elsewhere. Me and my fiance had a scheduled appointment to tour the facility. When we arrived, the representative completely forgot about it so instead of rescheduling it, she handed us a map and told us to view it ourselves. Her excuse was "we are so busy". I guess you really wouldn't call it a tour if no one showed us around. So, we viewed the reception area and the receptionist tried to brush us off! The feeling was not so welcoming at all.