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!

This place is awesome. Probably one of my favorite things we did here. The models were very…read moredetailed and so much info available. The two gentlemen working had a great amount of knowledge about everything. I was even lucky enough to watch the model builder work at his craft. It's very cheap and a stop on trolly line. I could have definitely spent more time in there.

An adorable museum run by a very knowledgeable docent. Our…read moretour gave us a vast history of Yorktown and the fishing that used to be so abundant there. When we got to explore the exhibits, we saw how detailed everything was. As someone who is interested in sustainability, the overfishing history was fascinating. It's hard to picture what the York River would be like with all of the fish it had many years ago.

Six of us stayed at Lightwood House for Christmas 2019 and it was beyond our wildest expectations!…read moreThe details were incredible; from themed bedrooms with charming decor and books, to a fully decorated Christmas tree and Christmas stockings. The historic aspects inside and out, are fascinating and well documented. Yet we had modern amenities and emergency supplies if needed. Three working gas fireplaces added to the ambience. Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg were a delightful ferry ride away. (Allow extra time on holidays.) Our hosts gave us space but we met as we were packing up to leave and had a lovely conversation. We highly recommend Lightwood House!

The PERFECT venue for our wedding!…read more We got married at Lightwood House October 2019, and everything could not have gone better. I had met Cliff while he was working as a balladeer at Colonial Williamsburg and when he mentioned having an 18th century home, I knew I needed to visit. We made the choice to book Lightwood for our special day without my wife even seeing the place in person and my single visit. Upon our arrival for the wedding weekend, the magic and wonder of Lightwood House and the property was evident to her immediately and she was enchanted from the first. Guests needed to travel from afar as we have lived and grew up outside of Virginia, and they certainly cursed my name as they navigated the traffic and road construction to make it to the venue. However, each and every person had their questions of "why in the world would he make us drive all this way?" answered soon as they passed the gates and entered the realm of Lightwood. Cliff was an exceptional host! The entire process from initial inquiries, picking our date, welcoming us to Lightwood, and helping before, during, and after the ceremony and reception, Cliff exceeded our already high expectations. The house was tidy and welcoming upon our arrival and the grounds were well cared for. There is a large green next to the house which is a great spot for setting up a large tent for your guests. The trails through the wood is enchanting with exciting landmarks such as the fairy tree. In short, the entire Lightwood experience was outstanding. Cliff was kind enough to lend his musical talents to our ceremony, and played guitar for us. His son Thomas was extremely helpful as well throughout the day of our wedding with various needs. The time we spent there was so refreshing and we felt like we entered a special world where everything else disappeared. We highly recommend staying at Lightwood House, and I even asked Cliff they day of our wedding if we could book the house for our anniversary right then. I made sure to tell all of our guests that Lightwood is for more than just weddings and events, and that it makes a perfect vacation rental everyone needs to experience. Without a doubt we will be returning to Lightwood House multiple times in the future, and we cannot wait for the moment we turn down the scenic drive and see the beautiful house once more.

Throughout our wedding planning process, the coordinator, Robin was extremely helpful in every…read moreaspect. She gave suggestions of vendors in our price range and things I may not have otherwise thought of. Unfortunately, we were unable to have our dream outside wedding at this location because hurricane Joaquin happened to come that weekend! Robin gracefully reimbursed us and helped us look into other options indoors. I'm so grateful for her keeping me sane and on schedule!

I recently attended a wedding reception at this beautiful plantation. The owners went out of their…read moreway to be sure we all felt comfortable and greeted everyone with umbrellas since the reception was outside under a tent. Every detail was attended to including a personal introduction by the Owners as well as their staff. The original home was absolutely breathtaking and you could tell much attention to detail was involved in choosing antiques which adorned the home as well as the basement. I didn't make it to the pool house but heard it was also lovely. The food was superb and the evening was just incredible. I learned later that this Plantation was recently reopened to the public after some updating and refurbishing. It is truly a gem in Charles City and a perfect location for couples who are getting married in Williamsburg but would like a more private affair for their reception. It would also make an amazing spot for Corporate meetings and Holiday Parties. Let's give these folks some MUCH deserved business!!!

The Barns of Kanak was the perfect venue for my daughter's recent wedding! They truly thought of…read moreeverything, allowing me (the Mother of the Bride) to relax and enjoy every moment of the day. From working with Emily--our wonderful Barns of Kanak wedding coordinator included with the venue--to taking in the beauty of the grounds and enjoying every thoughtful amenity, everything was seamless. The venue provides a full selection of décor, and at the end of the night, their team even packed everything up and loaded it into our car for us. Every detail was handled with care and professionalism. It was truly a fairytale experience, and I can't recommend The Barns of Kanak highly enough for anyone looking for the perfect wedding venue!

Beautiful place for a wedding. The main barn is new and barn doors swing open so the party can head…read moreoutside.

We held our daughter's wedding reception there and it was perfect. The kitchen with two ovens and…read moreice machine were great. We had pizza and pasta catered by Anna's Brick Oven Pizza & Pasta. Our guests loved the food. The convenient location of the venue is great for the area. I would highly recommend for an event with a large number of people. Jackie S.

I just took my first tour of Legacy Hall today. Conveniently located on the Williamsburg Trolley…read moreroute, it's a perfect venue with easy access to local hotels to complete your event. (The Hospitality House is on the trolley line as well). The hall can hold up to 160 people in rounds for a banquet, making the space private for your event. Legacy Hall staff will open and clean up the space, but all food, beverage, linen and china must be provided. This is one of the few venues that I've found that allows outside catering and liquor (client responsible for getting their own liquor license). I would recommend this space for smaill - medium sized wedding, holiday parties, and other social events. Did I mention you can ride the trolley to a hotel if you are celebrating intensively??? Current rates: Monday - Thursday: $300.00 half day, $600.00 full day Friday - Sunday: $500.00 half day, $1,000.00 full day

I happen to be at an event out of Anchor Social Hall in Poquoson. They were one of the vendors at…read morethe holiday event. They are a mobile bar service. I think that is a great idea! Mobile vendors is definitely on the rise. Their set up was simple yet cute. Their menu sign was so cute. The drinks they had were The Gingerbread Man and The Candy Cane. They were both mocktails and really delicious. The employees were so kind! They humored my request and my friend's request for the drink.

Paul is incapable of taking a bad photo! He just shot my daughters wedding Dec. 29 in Williamsburg,…read moreand only my contribution was having a beautiful daughter. Paul did the rest. The photos are stunning, and beyond what we expected. And, what a professional! He is organized beyond what I have ever experienced with a photographer. Yelp only allows 5 stars. Paul deserves 10 stars! Hire Paul for you special event!