Extremely disappointing experience

Our wedding at Garden Venue on Sunday, 7 December 2025 was unfortunately overshadowed by serious issues with organisation, communication, and financial transparency.

From the moment our guests arrived, problems began. The accommodation rooms were not ready, which caused unnecessary stress and embarrassment for us as hosts. During the reception, guests were left wandering around trying to find their seats because, although a seating plan board was displayed, there were no table numbers on the tables themselves. This is a very basic organisational detail that should never be missed at a professional wedding venue.

We had also provided our own sparkling wine for the wedding toast, which was clearly agreed upon during our final planning meeting. However, on the day the bartender had no knowledge of this arrangement, and as a result the planned toast never happened. This showed a serious breakdown in internal communication between the venue staff.

The most troubling issue was the complimentary bar arrangement that had been discussed with the venue before our wedding. Based on our communication with Jane and the venue team, we were under the impression that this amounted to R5,000, as this was never corrected or clarified at the time. We were told that a portion would be allocated for my husband and myself and the remainder for our guests. On the night, none of this was honoured. Guests were required to pay for their own drinks, and when my husband questioned it, there was no clear explanation given.

At the end of the evening I was presented with a bar bill of R4,749, which appeared to include drinks that should have been covered under the agreed complimentary arrangement. I also felt pressured to settle the bill immediately, as it was made clear that I would not be able to leave until the outstanding amount was settled. As newlyweds at the end of a long and emotional day, this was an extremely uncomfortable and upsetting situation.

What followed afterwards made the situation even worse. We had to repeatedly follow up regarding this matter and struggled for weeks to receive any resolution. Dealing with the general manager, Sarah, became a drawn-out process where we practically had to push for clarity on what had been agreed. It was eventually confirmed that the correct complimentary bar amount was R3,000, not R5,000 as we had initially understood. While we acknowledge that the R3,000 refund was ultimately processed, this only happened after persistent follow-ups and unnecessary delays, which could have been avoided with clear and accurate communication from the start.

Guests also reported being charged R5 simply to add ice to their drinks, and drink prices were inconsistent, with different guests paying different amounts for the same drinks throughout the evening. This created confusion and gave the impression that the bar billing was poorly managed and not transparent.

To make matters worse, my husband later received messages asking us to rate the venue, despite the fact that we were still struggling to resolve the financial issues. The staff member who sent the review links was Jane, which felt extremely inappropriate given the unresolved situation at the time.

A wedding day should be handled with professionalism, clear communication, and integrity. Unfortunately, our experience at Garden Venue left us feeling deeply disappointed, financially prejudiced, and emotionally distressed.

All of these arrangements were discussed and confirmed in writing prior to the wedding. Unfortunately, it appeared that certain staff members on the day were either not informed or not properly briefed on what had been agreed.

A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event for most couples, and it is not something you can simply redo. After spending well over R150,000, you cannot just gather that kind of money again tomorrow and repeat the day to experience the celebration the way it should have happened in the first place.

If there were an option to give 0 stars, we would.