The Beacon Theatre located in Hopewell, VA is a beautiful venue to host your special event. The building has been recently renovated, and presents both a blend of southern charm and modern features, that can be accommodable to suit any party's needs.
However, I was very unsatisfied with my most recent experience at the Beacon Theatre due to the unprofessional staff (event planner/coordinator). I encouraged one of my very dear friends to get married at this location, after visiting the Beacon Theatre on numerous occasions for other weddings; however, I soon came to regret my encouragement. The event planner/coordinator seemed to be uncommitted to her obligations, and was noted as being tardy at many pre-wedding meetings, or did not show up at all. Her lack of commitment was very frustrating to the bride who was planning her special day, however throughout the entire process the bride remained passive and continued to keep her faith in Stephanie's (event coordinator) ability to do her job.
On the day of the wedding Stephanie was completely unprofessional, and seemed to have little or no respect for the bride and groom's wishes on their big day. Herself and an attending guest of the wedding were screaming at each other in a heated argument, overtop of the DJ introducing the bride and groom into the reception. The argument was so disruptive; all guests were paying more attention to the argument unfolding than to the bride and groom being announced. As the wedding planner stormed out, she ran directly in to the bride and groom as they were walking in to the reception. The argument got so involved, that the police were called. To ensure the safety of the guests, the reception was ended a few minutes after the bride and groom's first dance. My friend and her husband's wedding was ruined, and they were not given any input to the course of action to be taken once the argument took place. I was astonished that the Beacon did not have the venue staffed with more than one completely unprofessional woman calling the "shots". She even told guests on numerous occasions, that she was already on "probation" for her job, due to numerous previous run-ins.
Wedding planners/coordinators are suppose to exhibit hospitable behaviors, while ensuring that the needs and wants of the bride, groom, wedding party, and guests are all met. They should also remain calm in the face of adversity, and should be personable to all guests while ensuring no detail has been overlooked. I am currently pursuing my M.B.A, and have my undergraduate degree in business. Therefore, I can say with the upmost confidence, that this woman has very little skills in business relations. If the Beacon Theatre wants to be a reputable venue for weddings or corporate events, the organization will immediately let their wedding planner go, and find a wedding planner/ event coordinator who is more qualified at meeting others' needs than simply meeting her own. The organization should also make sure the venue is staffed with numerous workers to handle parties of larger capacity. This organization must have very little management and needs a complete overhaul if they want to make it as a venue in the future.
The number one goal of a bride/groom is to find a venue that is both cost effective and that will cater to the needs of the couple's wishes. Although, the Beacon is a very affordable venue the experience was completely lacking efficiency. I would NOT recommend this venue to any bride/groom, and neither would the impartial DJ who was quoted saying over the microphone, "I will never DJ at the Beacon again, or recommend it to any couple." read more