Hana C.
Yelp
Echoing similar reviews about wedding nightmares at Pronghorn, my now husband and I strongly advise you too seek out a different - more professional - venue.
At first when we decided on this venue back in 2019, we were so excited. Then not long after (even before a whisper of COVID), we started to see some issues. It seemed there was high turnover in their event planning staff. We were constantly given different contacts and had to re-explain our ideas, plans and details to several different people. Then, COVID happened.
"Our biggest complaint is how little Pronghorn did to help or create solutions for us when we had to postpone our wedding due to COVID-19. We are immensely frustrated at the lack of communication we received (only one email in 6 months) with updates or solutions. In addition to this, our staff contact with the resort changed at least 5 different times. I had to re-explain all details of our wedding to so many different people, it was like there was no organization or structure happening with anybody. When you are paying $30,000+ for a wedding, you expect elite service, and we received the opposite of this.
In January of 2021 we were lied to by a staff member and told that "we were given the option to cancel" our wedding back in April 2020 due to Covid. We absolutely were NOT given this option. We were told that moving the date to 2021 was our only option. I've asked the Director of Sales & Marketing (Kori) multiple times to show me the proof of where/when we were given this option to cancel, and I have yet to receive a reply.
In addition, after a year of planning, Kori had no idea I was the bride (and kept referring to the bride as my mother in emails even though we'd met in person on several planning trips). Really? Utter lack of professionalism.
Also in January 2021, when risk levels were at extreme for Deschutes County and there was still no end in sight, we made the call to cancel our July 2021 wedding (originally July 2020). After making the call to cancel, only then were we told we would not be getting our deposit back. After months of emails, we have not been able to get in contact with a staff member to work with us on this or explain what is going on. When we made the decision, Pronghorn cancelled all of our guest's reservations even though some had still planned to come for a vacation regardless of the wedding. We didn't even have a chance to tell guests about the cancellation before they received their "your room reservation has been cancelled" notification.
Kori also has now told me that refunds for force majeure cancellations can only be issued if the event causing the force majeure is within 30 days of the wedding date. This would mean, if the county were going to go back to extreme risk, I'd have only 30 days to tell my 150 guests that they need to cancel their flights and accommodations?
We thought by making the call 6 months out we were doing the resort and our guests a favor. The "30 days" is another thing that is not written anywhere in our contract. I've asked Kori several times to show me where it says this 30 day policy, and she has not responded to my e-mails."
^^ This is from an email I sent to the Pronghorn heads of staff and their management company, Troon, on June 3, 2021. I have not received a response, and have not received a penny back of my deposit from our wedding cancelled due to COVID.
All I can say is...yikes. I would not recommend booking, staying, or visiting here unless you are ok paying big bucks for 1-star customer service.