So happy to see Chef K Cooking at a recent event (Blues, Brews, and BBQ) in Yorktown. She makes the…read morefreshest, low fat meals around. Her many years as a caterer have prepared her for her next great adventure: the opening of her restaurant, Chef K Tavern in Lee Hall. Super excited! Her chicken tacos with green peppers and guacamole were succulent and tasty. Her fire-roasted corn with garlic butter was charred to perfection. What a treat!

We used Chef K for our wedding. Everything was awesome. We got so many compliments from our guests…read moreabout the food. Some things fell through the cracks with our other vendors, and she totally rolled with the punches and jumped in to fill some cracks. She was a pleasure to work with. We cannot recommend her more strongly.

DREAM CAKE: Where Floral and Cake Artistry Meet…read more Working with J.J. Ash Events and Designs for a Jacksonville wedding was an absolute dream. I was the cake artist, and Ashanti handled the florals. When the bride shared her vision, I immediately thought of Ashanti because I've worked with her before and absolutely love her work. She's one of the rare designers who can balance creativity with realism while delivering flawless execution. For this wedding, we had to transform an inspiration photo into a glam-style red wedding design, and Ashanti absolutely delivered. The bride wanted florals showcased inside acrylic tiers for the cake--a unique and challenging concept. These acrylic tiers had to be sourced from London, measured precisely, customized with Ashanti's florals, and transported from Virginia to Florida and survive 3-4 days. Not only did the floral design make the journey, but it also held up beautifully throughout the wedding. The result? Stunning florals that tied the cake seamlessly into the overall wedding design. The bride was overjoyed, the guests were amazed, and I was blown away. Together, we created a once-in-a-lifetime piece for a deserving couple and seeing the bride's ecstatic reaction made all the effort worth it. Ashanti's talent speaks for itself, but what truly sets her apart is her professionalism. She's communicative, detail-oriented, and incredibly down-to-earth. She knew exactly how to bring the vision to life and worked closely with me to ensure every detail was perfect. Honestly, I couldn't have pulled this off without her expertise. Good on J.J. Ash for requesting reviews from vendors and guests--it's a smart move that highlights the joy they create for couples. I've seen Ashanti and her team work tirelessly through weddings, sometimes staying until the very end (I'm usually there past the cake cutting, haha!). By the time the dust settles, the couple is married, their photos are stunning, and their videos capture every magical moment. Reflecting on those moments reminds me how much of a privilege it is to be part of such special events. As a vendor, I appreciated how communicative and organized Ashanti was throughout the process. She asked all the right questions, provided clear instructions, and made herself available if I needed clarification. Unfortunately, not everyone in this industry is that dependable. I've seen vendors drop the ball, fail to respond, or avoid accountability--but not J.J. Ash. Ashanti and her team were on top of every detail and worked to have all vendors comply and work together seamlessly. Their dedication and professionalism made this collaboration a joy, and the end result was nothing short of magical. Their results don't lie--J.J. Ash Events and Designs truly delivers excellence. Hats off to Ashanti and her team for creating unforgettable moments for their clients. I can't wait to work with them again! -- @ButtercreamPlease * Modern wedding and celebration cakes

This is going to be a long review, so we will start with the positives:…read more Ashanti was nice & her assistants were helpful & worked very hard on the wedding day. We also had a music system issue about 15 minutes before the ceremony, & her husb& rushed over with a speaker for us to set up so that we could have music. This is where the positives end & the negatives & unnecessary stress begins with this vendor: TL;DR- Ashanti & JJ Ash Events lies, deceives, & does not provide adequate services for the price!!!!! & we have the receipts to back it up! To start, when we were interviewing her for her services (pre-hiring, 2-3 months before the wedding), she implied that tablecloths, flatware & chair covers were included in the package ($1500) we paid for. We thought that that was an ok deal. At our venue walkthrough a month before the wedding, she mentioned that she also had great votives, an arch, flatware & uplighting that she would bring. Later, to double check, we asked "that's included right?" based off of the way she was talking. NONE of that was included in the price we paid. No linens, no chair covers, no decor, nothing. Those were an additional '$300 package' that she didn't tell us about. & the disposable flatware wasn't included in that package; that was an extra $60 on top. Total was $1,860 (over $360 what we were quoted) Throughout our 2 months of "coordination", it would take several days/weeks to get responses back to our questions/concerns & she had to be reminded of things we asked for multiple times. For example, when we asked for a vendor payment timeline based off of our vendor contracts (month & a half before wedding), we did not receive it for over a week, causing us to miss a payment. Then, when we did receive one (after we reminded her), it was incomplete & inaccurate almost causing another missed payment. She claimed that she contacted our vendors & confirmed everything- Videographers did not hear from her until 2-3 days prior to wedding, Hair & makeup were NEVER contacted, Photographer was only first contacted 3 DAYS before the wedding after we called her out saying he had never heard from her. Then she lied to us saying that she's been trying to contact him for 2 weeks with no answer! (Photographer is a professional friend, who we had regularly asked if she had reached out to him- which she hadn't). We would not have had any of our vendors if we had not kept in contact with them OURSELVES, because many never knew who she even was until day of. We asked her a few days before the wedding the amount of tablecloths & other things she was bringing, she assured us it was "enough" but would not give a number. On the day of the wedding, she did NOT have enough, they were not steamed like agreed upon, & their steamer was not adequate enough, so they had to borrow the mother of the groom's steamer. She showed up to the venue half an hour late, & was still setting things up as guests started arriving (4 hours later, small venue with only ~25 guests). Instead of getting ready with the bride & socializing, bridesmaids chose to help completely set up front room & steam the tablecloths because she was running so behind & it would not have been completed in time. Right before the processional, one of the bridesmaids had a dress zipper issue which took 15 mins to fix. Ashanti stood in front of every guest & announced to the entire venue (including our ceremony livestream) that there was a dress malfunction for one of the bridesmaids, causing a delay. You're not supposed to say that anyone has a dress issue in this industry because that could make the person self-conscious & bring attention to the issue. During the evening, the bridesmaid confronted Ashanti about the incident & Ashanti denied, saying "When did I say that?!", when we have multiple witnesses & a live stream to confirm she did in fact say it. As we were about to make our reception gr& entrance, she tried to move the first dance to immediately after the entrance & before we ate. She was told by the groom that we wanted to eat first, but to ask the bride about it. She found the bride & TOLD her we were doing the first dance first, then told the groom that the bride had okayed the change. The bride & groom discussed seconds before the gr& entrance that neither of them had wanted the change & had to tell the DJ themselves that they were not doing the first dance before dinner. After a guest got sick during the reception, the groom's family started to clean up the mess. When asked if she could find a mop (didn't even ask her to clean it, just to help find one), she said there wasn't one after not even trying to look. The groom's parents had to search for it & found it almost immediately because it was not hidden; just in a cleaning closet. She generally did not seem to know what was going on during the entire 2 months. We had 10+ people mention that they felt the need to apologize to us because of how poor of a job Ashanti

OK, I write this with great sadness. Mostly because I feel bad for the woman who owns it. But, as…read morea Bride wanting other future brides to have the best possible experience for their wedding, I feel I MUST share my experience. I will start with the positives: 1. From an outsiders perspective, Willow Manor was a beautiful place to have a wedding. 2. The site allowed me to have my dog, many friends stay all weekend and have no time limit for the party (both rehearsal and wedding. We were able to party well in the night. 3. There were SOME times that the owner/planner would be right on top of things, making planning very easy for us. She was accommodating to us and our needs for the house. Now, I will share the not so positive experiences: 1. When we arrived at the site for the wedding, the place was FILTHY. It has only been spot cleaned from the wedding 5 days before. The floors were not swept or mopped. There was broken glass on the floor, the kitchen was a disaster area with crusted over food particles, dirty dishes, ants, sticky floors, rotting food. There was ROTTING TRASH outside that smelled like 50 rotting animal carcasses that was not taken out until AFTER the rehearsal dinner. How embarrassing for us that our guests had to smell that!!!!!! There were NEVER cleaners the entire weekend like she said there would be. My friends and I had to scrub toilets, sinks, sweep floors, empty trash, etc before the wedding. Imagine a bride cleaning on her wedding day because the "girls" she kept talking about that were going to come in never did. 2. My brother and nephew were nearly injured when the canopy to one of the beds collapsed on them. That room had random clothes and things shoved into a corner, very haphazardly. The closet door was falling off and the closets were stuffed with dirty clothes, and random stuff left by her or other wedding parties. Another one of the rooms, the air conditioner was not working in. That room also had a HUGE ant problem. 3. One of the 3 showers was out of order. People were in and out of the bridal suite all day of the wedding taking showers and getting ready. 4. The cabinets in one of the bathrooms had rodent waste in it....YUCK. I almost threw up I was so disgusted. 5. The grounds were OK but quite overgrown. I had to weed the alter area (weeds coming up in between the bricks) because it was overgrown and unsightly. There was poison ivy growing up all around the alter area that my little nephew was walking in before I alerted my brother. 6. During the ceremony and reception, my parents had paid for 8 staff to serve at the wedding for 5 hours. Im quite certain I only saw 4 including her. And I know because I was so busy during the wedding entertaining my guests AND making sure to let them know things that caterers and planners should take care of. For the toast, there were suppose to be staff passing out champagne, but because there were only 3 other staff members, not everyone got champagne. Only a couple of tables received it. The rest were told to go to the bar (while the toasts were happening) Then the planner let all her staff go by 10pm so Instead of having a wedding planning controlling things going on, she was the only one left and was tending bar. 7. The owner/wedding planner was disorganized. She promised me one date for my wedding. Said she would hold it for us while we went to see another place that same day (because I was not living int he area at the time I have to view many places on one day) When we contacted her the next day to tell her we wanted to sign the contract and have the wedding on that date, she took 6 days to get back to us, then telling us that her "assistant" (whom we never met or saw) had rented the place and took the deposit. She offered me the only other day avaiable...which really messed with my summer plans and caused us to delay our honeymoon until 4 months after the wedding (because I teach school and had to get back to work) 2. Communication was difficult from day one on every front. She took 5 to 7 days sometimes to get back to us regarding things that we paid to her to do as our wedding planner (Book hotel rooms and get those contracts signed, secure hair dressers, nail appts, etc.) Sometimes she would be right on it, other times she would ignore emails and phone calls for over a week or more. There is more, but frankly I am exhausted from even thinking about it all. In my opinion, she is very unprofessional misrepresented her property and services. This place ONLY gets 1 star because my friends and family banned together to make the wedding awesome and fun. It was really embarrassing to me and my family to have the place so filthy. My friends who stayed there talked about it for weeks after. Everyone had a blast, but the place will forever be remembered by some as disgusting, filthy and smelly. I would not recommend this place or Willow Manor's services to anyone planning any event.

I should have written this months ago, for which I apologize. However, after reading the comments…read moreof Claudia M. dated 10/31/09, I felt compelled to act. I can't believe we're talking about the same place, our experience was completely different and couldn't have been better! My daughter's wedding & rehearsal dinner were held at Willow Manor the weekend of March 20-22, 2009. Margaret Snead advised us through the weeks of planning every detail of our event with great skill, professionalism and a charming manner! The building & grounds are beautiful and were in impeccable condition. The service was excellent, no detail was too small to warrant Margaret's prompt attention. The food was delicious and despite the size of our affair, everyone was served with grace & efficiency. Willow Manor combines the service of an excellent hotel & restaurant with the warmth & charm of an elegant home & a delightful hostess. All our guests are still raving about the wonderful time they had and my daughter & son-in-law have beautiful memories to last a lifetime! I would highly recommend Willow Manor and the services of Margaret Snead to anyone planning a special event, big or small, you won't be disappointed!

It is my sincere pleasure to share our wonderful experience with Gidi Gourmet in Gloucester, VA!!…read moreWe have experienced absolutely fantastic food, professionalism and customer service of this superb catering service time after time. Our organization has worked with Gidi Gourmet for over three decades and can attest that they are EXCEPTIONAL in every way! If you want DELICIOUS FOOD for your event GIDI GOURMET is the way to GO!!! :) Cheryl Matteo-Kerney

Gidi and his team just catered a New Year's Eve party for us and we were amazed. The food was…read moredelicious, presentation amazing and service top notch! Couldn't recommend Gidi Gourmet more.

Noreen and her team were amazing. They were very responsive and accommodated our every request…read more Everything was delicious. I would highly reccomend.

Noreen Graziano and her staff hosted a wonderful small private birthday party for out family. She…read moreproposed an imaginative menu and was easy and responsive to our needs. The food was delicious and the service first class. Her venue is gorgeous and comfortable. I highly recommend these people.

One of the best experiences my wife and I have had. Mark &…read morePaige are the most amazing nice and fun people we have met. The hospitality is unmatched from any places we have been. Place is very clean and set up perfectly. They have accommodations for so many events or parties. The food that was prepared was all made with the best of love and skill. Would highly recommend if you are looking to visit the area you have to stay here you will not be disappointed.

I would give this place 10 stars if it was possible! Despite the proximity to the…read moreWilliamsburg/Yorktown/Jamestown area, this place really is a destination all on its own. The pictures online absolutely do NOT do it justice. Our family of 3 (2 adults and a teenager) spent EIGHT days at this B&B and the location was beyond expectation! This place is a nature lover's dream. We listened to red wing blackbirds, cardinals, and great crested flycatchers sing to us from the trees. A Momma turkey brought her line of tiny babies out to walk across the yard several days in a row. Little boxed turtles scuttled across the yard. Deer popped in and out, frolicking around the property throughout the day. We watched a bald eagle sit in the tree nearby. Fish would jump in the water, herons would dive in and kayakers and small fishing boats went floating by. The pool was beautiful and immaculately kept. We stayed in the two bedroom Roosevelt retreat. It was beautiful! Beds were incredibly comfortable and the rooms were very spacious. The shower had cascading upper showerheads and mid level jets (similar to a high end luxury spa I once visited in Arizona). There was a jetted tub, luxurious shower products, comfy robes and slippers. Rooms were made every day and we were left mints on our pillows. What we loved even more than the beautiful location was the owners themselves. Paige and Mark felt like family by the end of our stay (the kind of family you LIKE to spend time with). They were incredibly generous, thoughtful, and kind. We found ourselves lingering over breakfast with them because they were just such lovely people. They made suggestions on restaurants (including the half price fish and chips!), places to see, things to maybe avoid. Watching them in the kitchen was like having a personal chef for an amazing breakfast every single morning. Everything from eggs benedict, breakfast quesadillas to a traditional English breakfast - never the same thing twice. On our last day, Mark asked our son if he had any special requests and our son opted for a second round of Frank Sinatra's favorite breakfast sandwich (who knew - but it was AMAZING!). They even wrapped up our leftover breakfast food each day so we could snack on it later. They offered hot coffee and orange juice every morning. We also had access to coffee, tea and various tasty snacks throughout the day. I ate way too many yummy brownies and cookies, and my son inhaled Paige's banana muffins. She even made an extra batch so he could take some home on the day we left. This was Southern hospitality and high class luxury at it's finest. Everything about this place was top notch. It was actually HARD to leave because we loved Paige and Mark and their little slice of heaven so much. I cannot recommend this place enough!!

Christy did an absolutely amazing job - she is a true livesaver! She answered all my questions…read morepromptly and professionally in the months leading up to my wedding, and she was always so sunny and optimistic. She thought of everything and took so much off of my plate - I really could not have done this without her. On the wedding day I had no stress at all - Christy handled everything smoothly and with a smile. She is worth WAY more than she charges, and even more tellingly she is willing to go above and beyond for her brides. Event though I only purchased her day-of coordination services, she never hesitated to answer my calls or emails even months before the wedding, and had not one but two in-person consultations with me. She is the real deal, and I can't recommend her highly enough.

Really lovely home, and very warm and accommodating family that owns the place. I've been there a…read morecouple times and enjoy both stays greatly.

My friend and I stayed here for a "girls night" and it was awesome! One of the owners, Dot, was so…read morewarm and funny and she gave us a lovely tour. She was super attentive and even got us tea and wine to relax with that evening! And she had great suggestions of where to go in Williamsburg. The property itself is well maintained and absolutely gorgeous. We stayed in Dolly's room which is actually located in a cottage in the back of the property but there are plenty of gorgeous rooms available inside. They were also very attentive to my dietary needs. I have celiac disease so they made sure to make something I could eat for breakfast. I highly recommend this place to everyone. It's gorgeous and the owners are absolute peaches. The holiday decor was amazing, so I suggest going in the winter time. We loved it, we'll definitely be back!