I was here recently for a wedding reception during the summer. We parked in the playground parking…read morelot and walked over to the venue. The playground was cool; it had water features. When we walked in downstairs, there was a bar on the side and tables and chairs. We got a drink and went outside for the view of the lake. It was cool to see the seaplanes taking off. The receiption took place upstairs. The bar in the middle was a good location and the line never got too long. They encouraged holding on to our wine glasses if we wanted a refill. The wedding wasn't too large so there was room for tables on both sides and a dance floor. The couple also set up a screen to project video during dancing; there was room for all of it. The food buffet was delicious and refilled generously. It was in all a great experience. Only one terrifying thing worth mentioning was at the end of the night, it was dark outside and light inside so all of the mosquitoes were attacking the windows and anywhere there was light. The staff said these were the type of mosquito that only lives one day. Still terrifying because there were so many of them (biblical amounts) and when we walked outside, we had to go through them. This is nature and not the venue's fault but be aware!

This is a beautiful event venue. The theme is antique. It's so gorgeous ! There's an amazing view…read moreof the lake because you are literally on the lake. It was so serene and made you appreciate nature. I recently worked at a wedding at this venue and I have only two complaints which makes it 4 stars instead of 5. 1. I was constantly up and down the stairs because dinner was upstairs and dancing was downstairs. 2. They also have specific rules about some of the antiques which can be difficult to comply with when you have people placing their wet cups on an antique table! It may be beneficial for them to maybe place some glass over the wood to preserve it better. Other than that the staff was helpful and made the event perfect for the bride and groom along with the wonderful coordinating staff, caterers, etc. 67/100 for the Review Challenge

Place is ABSOLUTELY gorgeous. Service is excellent and food was magnificent!!! The steak and…read morechimichurri was simply mouth watering and the mac and cheese....GOOD LORD!!!! Fantastic spot for a wedding, 50th, Quinceañera, anniversary, etc.

William John Howey (January 19, 1876 - June 7, 1938) was an American real-estate developer, citrus…read moregrower, and Republican politician from Florida. He founded and served as mayor for the town of Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida where he developed and sold citrus groves, becoming one of Florida's greatest citrus developers. He was one of the first citrus growers to send fruit from Florida to England. In 1921 he opened Florida's first citrus juice plant. He ran for governor on the Republican ticket in 1928 and 1932. Mr. Howey's prominence led to many distinguished guests visiting the Howey mansion, These included Lord Bathhurst of England, H.B. McNeal, publisher of Golfer's Magazine, golf master Chick Evans, Kansas Governor Alfred Landon, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Phillip's of petroleum fame, and President Calvin Coolidge who was guest of honor at an all-male dinner party in February 1930. Mr. Howey's former home near Lake Wales, Florida became the site of Florida's Bok Tower at the Bok Tower Gardens. In 1925 Mr. Howey commissioned a 20 room mansion in the town he founded. The architect was Katherine Cotheal Budd. During WWI she designed temporary lodgings known as hostess homes for women who were visiting their husbands at military training camps. Budd is credited for creating 72 lodgings with a homelike atmosphere and the Howey House is one of a few existing examples of her work. The Howey Mansion was designed in the popular Mediterranean Revival style. The house is set back on a wide lawn with wrought iron gates and a long horseshoe drive. The entrance to the home features an elaborate, two story bas relief frontispiece .The massive front door and the woodwork on the first floor is made from peaky cypress. Leading to the second floor is a graceful curving stone stairway with a wrought iron banister. Other features of the home include three large fireplaces, a ballroom-size drawing room, enormous beamed ceilings, and a servant call-bell phone system. There is even a hidden passage behind a sliding bookshelf panel in the library. The original 15 acres grounds of the mansion were called The Park and included many botanical plants and shrubs. On March 6, 1927 The Park was the host site for an open air concert performed by the New York Civic Opera Company bringing the top opera singers of the day to the mansion for a concert for the community. The mansion was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Place on January 27, 1983. On April 12, 2017 it was listed for sale at $480,000. The new owners are Brad and Clay Cowherd, Orlando real estate investors who have made period-accurate restoration of the house. I visited the Howey Mansion for the Founders Day Festival. Admission for tours of the home was discounted to $10. The Howey Mansion is available for private rentals like weddings while historical tours are also available Monday through Friday at 11am. The Founder's Day event included a local market, food trucks, live music, and family activities. I enjoyed visiting the tents and touring the mansion including the hidden bar in the basement that was created during prohibition. Behind the mansion, is a trail through the woods that will take you to the Georgian marble mausoleum where the Howey family is interred including William J. Howey (1938), daughter, Lois Valerie Howey (1941), and Mary Hastings Howey (1981). This year Centennial Founder's Day Celebration, marked100 years since the town's founding in 1925.

What an incredible place! We really enjoyed the tour Fran and Mercy gave us. They were extremely…read moreknowledgeable about the property and you can tell they love what they do. The property itself is gorgeous. If you're looking for an event space, you're in luck they rent it out for weddings and other events.

I was invited to an art opening at the Oakland Manor House. I don't know if i was dazzled more by…read morethe beautiful art or by the incredibly beautiful restoration of the Oakland Manor house. The Manor house was built in 1921 as a guest house, back when Oakland was the place to be in Orange County. We had the pleasure of meeting one of the men who lovingly restored this house and he fave us a tour and told us the history. I would highly recommend this as a place to stay or a place to have a small event. It is absolutely gorgeous!

A quiet retreat near Lake Apopka in Oakland Fl. A place for tranquility, RN wellness Coaching,…read more consultations, meditation classes, yoga retreats, and more. Classes for The Artists Way by Julia Cameron. Monthly book club meetings and monthly nature walks featuring the Flora and Fauna of Central Florida. See Facebook and www.oaklandmanorhouse.com and livingwellrn.net. Bed and breakfast. 5 rooms available. Near West Orange Trail and Lake Apopka. .

Got to attend my first event at Canvas Event Venue and it's such a beautiful, spacious versatile…read morespace. Orlando definitely lacks good venue rental options for larger events, so I'm happy to see this new option. It's located right in front of the Florida Mall, so there was plenty of parking, but they also offered a valet service which was very helpful. I like that it is a 2-floor open concept so you still feel connected to what's happening downstairs, but you're able to break up the crowd a bit. I believe there were about 400 people in attendance and it never felt overly congested. I can definitely see this becoming a popular wedding and party venue and there are so many ways to get creative with the space and tailor it to your individualized needs. I added the listing to Yelp since they weren't on here yet (in the hopes of helping more people discover this space), so the photos are from their website.

This is such a beautiful venue . This is the perfect space for a large party, wedding etc . It has…read morea upstairs area and has a open floor plan. There was a stage area and it is really a huge space to decorate however . The event was sitting and standing with plenty of room to walk around and flow without feeling like we're on top of one another. The parking lot was a nice size .

My brother got married here and everything was beautiful from the reception area in the barn to the…read moreceremony down by the lake! The entire barn is air conditioned which was an added bonus and there was plenty of room for everyone!

From the owner: An Wedding & Special Event space like no other currently offering special pricing. Book your tour…read moretoday and see where your beautiful memories could be made! Where Luxury Meets Rustic - The Barn at Lakeside Ranch is located in Hawthorne FL on a private 40 acre lake. The fully air-conditioned barn is 11,000 sq ft offering a large reception space, full prep kitchen, 8 restrooms, an exquisite Bridal Parlor and Groom's Lounge.

This venue is a MUST BOOK. I rented this venue for a Saturday engagement party and it was the…read moreperfect location. It was chic and clean. I am also very grateful to Carol, the venue attendant. She was super attentive and helpful. I would absolutely rent this venue again.

I went to view this venue this past week and I fell in love!!! Its brand new and opened this week,…read moreI booked the venue on the spot!! My favorite part is the floors. They're marbled and give such an elegant touch! The Manager Pierre was so accommodating and patient with us!! He answered all our questions and even offered helpful suggestions!! Book this spot!!!

We attended a beautiful wedding here. This is a fairly new venue. They have thought through so many…read moredetails. Everything was tasteful and nicely done. The staff are incredible and took care of everyone.

**1 Star**…read more Unfortunately, our experience with Diamond Event Venue for my sister's quinceañera was very disappointing. From the beginning, we repeatedly asked about the decorations and what would be included with the package we paid for. We were consistently told to look at their Instagram and were told that we would discuss the decorations about three months before the event. When we finally met to discuss everything, we were surprised to find out that many of the decorations we wanted would cost extra, even though the package we originally chose included the venue and decorations. We understand that additional decorations can have an additional cost, but we were not given clear examples of what decorations were actually included in our package. We also felt pressured to upgrade to another package that we did not want. In the end, we paid more for the decorations we wanted. Unfortunately, the decorations on the day of the quinceañera did not look anything like what we expected or what we had discussed. We specifically wanted large, beautiful bows and even sent pictures showing the size and style we wanted. What we received were very small balloon bows that looked extremely cheap compared to what we paid for. For such an important event, this was very disappointing. Another issue was the way the owner interacted with our guests. We were told that she needed to be at the venue the entire time, which we completely understood. However, she sat directly in front of the entrance for most of the event with a very unwelcoming attitude. Several of our guests commented that they felt uncomfortable and judged by her and her employee. We even offered them food and drinks because we wanted everyone working the event to feel comfortable and welcomed. Things became even more frustrating when we were told there were more guests than we had paid for. We were repeatedly told that people kept coming through the doors. This was not accurate. We had several teenagers and children who were going outside to look at sport cars and then coming back inside. They were already part of our invited guests. Everyone had a seat, and no one was standing because there were not enough seats. When the dancing started, everyone was seated and enjoying the event. Despite this, our security deposit was withheld because of the claim that we had more guests than we paid for. We strongly disagree with that claim and do not believe it was a fair reason to keep our deposit. We have rented from **Imperial Design Hall** in the past, and our experience with them was completely different. They were amazing, professional, and we never had any issues with them. **I 100% recommend Imperial Design Hall.** The only reason we chose Diamond Event Venue this time was because we wanted something closer to us. Looking back, we should have just driven the extra distance and stayed with a venue that we already knew was professional and reliable. This was supposed to be a very special day for our family, and unfortunately, dealing with this venue added unnecessary stress. Based on our experience, we would not recommend Diamond Event Venue. If you are considering booking with them, make sure you get everything regarding your package, decorations, additional charges, guest count, and security deposit clearly documented in writing before your event.

This business will not be a good business to go through. There are many venues in the area…read morereconsider what your doing. Gulse takes advantage of peopled is very conniving. She lies and promises things and never holds up the deal on her end. I have literally had to become a pest to get any attention from her to follow through with that is promised n her end. And still to this moment she has stolen lots of money from me. there are people like Gulse in why I've had the issues. PLEASE SAVE YOUR MONEY AND MOVE TO THE NEXT VENUE

I feel it's necessary to share the unfortunate experience that one of our models had while…read moreattending a recent fitting for Belle Faire Productions. Upon arrival, the production was already running over an hour behind schedule. When it was finally time for her fitting, the designer, Malcolm, called her name, looked her up and down with clear displeasure, and proceeded to body-shame her by making comments to another model -- all in the presence of the backstage manager, Zelda, who witnessed the exchange. Despite remaining professional, positive, and giving no reason to warrant such treatment, my model was deliberately overlooked and dismissed. The designer chose not to fit her or take her measurements at all. As a result of this blatant disrespect and unprofessionalism, she made the decision to politely excuse herself from the production. This type of behavior is unacceptable and deeply disappointing. No model should ever be made to feel unwanted, disrespected, or shamed -- especially in what should be a professional setting. Based on this experience, I cannot recommend Belle Faire Productions to any talent or professional expecting basic courtesy, respect, or inclusivity.

Absolutely professional! I can't explain in words how professionally done Vonda, her husband,…read more and her staff did my Fairytale Wedding preparations. The wedding and reception were out of this world! I recommend Bella Faire highly for anyone looking for a wedding planner.