Angel Leigh Fischer
Google
If I could give negative stars, I would.
I usually give businesses the benefit of the doubt, but my experience here was so unacceptable that I feel compelled to share.
The chapel is outdated and not well maintained. The carpet in the chapel was frayed, stained, and worn, leaving a shabby first impression. There are also props for other themed weddings behind the curtain at the alter, visible to guests but not the couple getting marries. I had a huge dragon staring at me the whole ceremony.
I was the Maid of Honor at a wedding here, and when I first arrived, no one was available to greet us or provide direction and roughly 50 guests were left waiting in the lobby for nearly 20 minutes until the wedding coordinator came out, shocked that no one had told us to go inside.
Micki (I believe that was her name - she was wearing purple lipstick) at the front desk made the entire experience unnecessarily stressful. She and the other front office staff consistently treated guests as if we were inconveniencing them.
When one bridesmaid jokingly commented about the lack of communication, Micki pulled her aside into a back room and reprimanded her for being “unprofessional.” Guests should not be scolded like children at a wedding — especially when it was the staff's responsibility to provide direction in the first place.
Later, I explained to Micki that the groom’s mother, who is disabled and speaks limited English, was lost and needed her son’s help. Micki flatly told me I could not speak with the bride or the groom and insisted the ceremony would begin without his mother present. This was extremely upsetting and insensitive, especially since she was the groom’s only immediate family in attendance. Only after the wedding planner intervened did they agree to wait — and the mother arrived just minutes later.
After the ceremony, guests were outside waitng for the bride and groom to emerge from the chapel, and seeing that I was holding (on my shoulder not in my hand and certainly not in use) my personal camera, Micki immediately scolded me and threatened that the couple would be charged extra if she saw me taking any photos.
Speaking of photos; the chapel photographer held the couple for nearly 40 minutes after the ceremony, making them late to their reception - I had told Micki and the other front desk staff what time the reception was to start and that it was 15 minutes away.
Later we learned that the photos were not even included in the ceremony cost and would require an additional $800 — another disappointing surprise. It seemed like a money scam - telling guests that they could not take their own photos so they can charge what an actual professional photographer would for photos an iPhone can take.
While the officiant (“Elvis”) was fun and the ceremony itself was enjoyable, the overall experience was ruined by Micki’s behavior and lack of professionalism by the staff. Their dismissive, unhelpful, and at times outright rude conduct overshadowed what should have been a joyful occasion. Luckily, we were able to shield the experience from our bride and groom and take on the burden for them.
A wedding chapel should be a place that celebrates love, but instead, Micki and the staff made the experience stressful and disheartening. I hope management takes this feedback seriously and addresses the way their staff interacts with guests.
