Lesner Inn Catering Club

I had my wedding at Lesner Inn in March because, like many before me probably thought, the site is beautiful. I have never planned a wedding before so I wasn't exactly pro at spotting shady business and warning signs that would indicate a venue was not a good choice. So to my untrained eye Lesner Inn was perfect. Unfortunately for my wedding day, they were most definitely not. First of all, for any newly engaged girls checking out locations, make sure you CAREFULLY read the contracts they present to you. A wedding planner is great for this because they are well aware of what not to sign. I chose not to get a wedding planner so that I could better afford the over priced Lesner Inn event. Our biggest problem with the day was the staff. Especially the manager of the establishment! She was rude and abrasive, she insisted on yelling, not talking, to me the bride, and anyone else who disagreed with her. We were supposed to have the wedding ceremony out on the deck, and due to rainy conditions were told at the last minute that we would not be allowed to do the ceremony or cocktail hour outside. It is 600 dollars to rent the outdoor space, so when it gets canceled, and you don't get that money back, you would think that they would be accommodating to the best of their ability to find a solution. Instead we got alot of yelling from their part about how the ONLY option was to do EVERYTHING in the upstairs space we had rented for the reception. We were the only event of the day and they have alot of space as anyone who has been there knows, not to mention that downstairs is a screened in outdoors deck that would give you the same feel as upstairs but dry. They will tell you that to use any other space you would have to pay for that space. None of this was explained kindly. It was my wedding day and the only thing that was happening in my bridal suite the hour before my wedding day was the manager repeatedly barging in to yell orders about what was going to happen. No compromise and no kindness in finding a solution. She caused a scene in front of half of my family and preceded to verbally attack my grandmother who just wanted to come see her only granddaughter all dressed before the biggest day of her life. Following the ceremony guest were talking about what had happened before hand...Why did they know what happened?? Because the whole staff was rudely gossiping about it in front of them all throughout the night. Also, this woman had no problem picking up and roughly relocating the ring bearer when she felt he was in a place she didn't like. I spent the better part of an hour before my wedding crying thanks to this woman. We never got an apology for any of the rudeness, and the only time I have heard from them since was on my birthday a month and a half later when they sent me an email saying we owe them 300$ for damaged linens. The scenery is beautiful, but not worth the price or the hassle. They were never even all that pleasant before the event I just kept choosing to ignore it because I loved the view we didn't even get to use. I guess if you don't spend 50,000 on your wedding there you aren't a valuable enough bride to be worth any effort. You can find prettier friendlier venues in Virginia Beach.