We got married at Black Bear Golf Club, part of Crystal Springs Resort. We toured 3 of the whole resorts possible 5 venues, but knew that Black Bear was it. Crystal Springs as a whole was the only venue we looked at and before we left that day, we knew we didn’t need to go anywhere else. The fact that we could get an all-inclusive package, a hotel, and transportation was a no brainer. We loved everything about Black Bear from the gazebo ceremony space, to the open windows throughout the cocktail hour and reception space, and the overall intimacy of it all. We met Julie for the tour and we couldn’t imagine going through the whole process with anyone else. She was amazing, always answering our emails, being willing to follow up with Minerals (the hotel we used), and anything else we threw her way. She was also our coordinator, which originally we were going to be working with Silje, but she went out on maternity leave and we only met her at the food tasting. Which we actually almost ... Read moremissed, but Julie rescheduled another one when a snow/ice storm caused us to not go. Again, she’s amazing! And speaking of food tasting, the FOOD was to die for. We went with three of the four entrees we tried at the tasting, but we truly believe we would’ve been satisfied with any of the choices we would have picked. We still have guests say “those mushroom raviolis were awesome!” We didn’t even get to all of the items I wanted in our cocktail hour because guests were enjoying them so much the kitchen ran out! Kim was our Maitre d’ and she is a rock star! Every time we turned around she was there to see if we needed anything. She made sure we had food from the buffet, drinks always full, and even food and cupcakes to go. She was truly amazing in making sure we were taken care of, even before the reception kicked off and we were just hanging in the bridal suite. Black Bear was the perfect venue for our wedding of almost 150. Julie and Kim provided such a level of service beyond what we could have asked for from start to finish (even when I had to email her days later because we left something behind in the hotel!). Black Bear, Minerals, and any part of Crystal Springs Resort is a place we would highly recommend!

The venue is beyond beautiful and the staff was beyond helpful.

I normally don't write reviews but when you experience exceptional service you owe it to the staff and venue to recognize each of their efforts that go above and beyond. We had our daughter's wedding in May and we can't say enough about the service and attention we received over our 4 day stay! Our rooms, events, food and the service were outstanding! Any glitch, no matter how small, especially when I look back now, they were quite small! Each were graciously handled by the entire Grand Cascades team from Jean the Wedding Sales Manager (no pressure sales and always accommodating to the bride and mother of the bride) , Jenna our Wedding Coordinator (attentive to every detail and always cool, calm and highly qualified to address and resolve anything - hope she handles her wedding as well as she did ours), Susan our Concierge (always checking to make sure we had what we needed) and Cheryl at the front desk (who I would stand on line and wait for just so I could deal with her). The ... Read moregrounds are gorgeous, the sunsets magnificent and the rooms and decor all added to making the bride and groom's day very special and memorable. With the staff and the folks I specifically mentioned, it was a fabulous celebration that everyone raved about and will talk about for years to come! Can't wait to go back for a relaxing weekend just to enjoy all the other activities they have to offer as well! LG

We could not have been happier with our wedding at the Ballyowen Golf Club. Julie made planning our wedding during COVID as stress free as possible and was always available to answer questions. Silje alleviated all of my worries surrounding the final, small details of the day and made sure everything went off without a hitch. Our maitre d, Mark, was absolutely spectacular and took great care of my husband and I throughout the night. Overall, the food and atmosphere were amazing and our family and friends could not stop talking about what a great time they had.

Amazing amazing amazing! I had to change my venue about 30 days out from my wedding to here and from the time I signed my contract to the day we got married they were incredible. Nicole is the wedding sales manager and she handled everything FLAWLESSLY! She is right there every step of the way and had answers to all my questions and if she didn't she got them. Nicole made sure everything went smoothly and kept my feet on the ground lol! Kaya was my bridal attendant the day of and she is the BEST. She was there for me from about 1pm until the end of the night and was completely ontop of everything from bustling my dress to getting me food from cocktail hour, making sure I ate/ had water/ had a drink. Nicole and Kaya made my entire day/night. I can't thank them enough for their services. I cannot recommend this venue enough. It was stunning and so easy going. The food was delicious, the atmosphere was great. I have zero complaints. Thank you Mineral's Hotel for making my dream we... Read moredding become a reality.

I’m unable to edit my wedding date in this review to the correct rescheduled date of 6/6/21, but the Ballyowen venue and grounds are just breathtaking!! We booked them in 2019 for our original June 2020 wedding date and were so grateful for the ease of the booking and covid rescheduling processes. The team members we worked with - Julie Hoffmann, Sarah Mugavero, and Silje Rendine - were so responsive every step of the way and really went out of their way to accommodate every special request or change we made to ensure that our day was perfect. We are so thankful for example that Silje still took us out on the golf cart for photos despite the 95 degree weather on our wedding day! The food was incredible, the staff were wonderful, and the wedding was perfect. The gorgeous sunset at the end of the night was the cherry on top!!

Working with Jean n Jena was very Good as well as all other members of the different departments such as the Front Desk Staff and Bellmen Jace was very helpful and accommodating. Dena the Bridal Assistant was wonderful 😊 and the Maitre D Daniel made the evening come together and run so smoothly

I am so incredibly happy with my experience working with Ballyowen for our venue! What we loved from the beginning was how everything was included in our wedding package-from open bar, to transportation, to coordinator. I didn't have to think about all the details like table linens or food add-ons. It was incredible. Silje was my coordinator and she was so helpful. She always answered my emails no matter how ridiculous or rapid fire they were. She was there literally every step of the way, including the day of my wedding. She met me in the morning and stayed with me the entire day (in a non-intrusive way) until my wedding began. She walked me to the aisle and handed me off to Luis, the maitre 'd, who was also absolutely phenomenal. Luis made sure that my husband and I were never left wanting *anything*! He served us our appetizers during cocktail hour, made sure our drinks stayed full the entire night, and made sure that we had the BEST time. In all the advice everyone had given me pri... Read moreor to my wedding, the main advice I got was to make sure my husband and I took time to ourselves to enjoy everything and to have some food. Luis and Silje made it so that we didn't even have to think about that!! They did it for us, and with flair. I don't have a single complaint from my wedding day!!

I honestly could not imagine having my wedding anywhere else but at Ballyowen Golf Club. From the moment we drove up to check out the venue, we knew that this was the place for us. The scenery alone is unlike anything you will see anywhere else. The day of our wedding was even more beautiful than the first time we saw this venue and I didn’t think that was even possible. Besides how beautiful everything turned out, the staff were so professional and accommodating. Silje our wedding coordinator and Luis our Maitre d’ were the best! They both made sure we had everything we needed throughout the night and took care of anything necessary to make our wedding day as smooth as possible. I couldn’t imagine our wedding at any other venue. It was absolutely breathtaking.

I can't believe it has taken me this long to review Crystal Springs, Grand Cascades Lodge; It was, HANDS DOWN, the best decision of our entire wedding on October 19, 2019. From the very start, the staff at Grand Cascades was incredible. Jean, who helped us book the venue, went above and beyond to accommodate our budget since she knew it was our dream location. Then, when we were handed off to our coordinator, Jessica, I knew we would be in the best hands. Jessica was nothing short of incredible. From the moment we met her, all the way through our wedding night, she made sure every little detail was taken care of so that we didn't have to stress. She went into superhero mode when the ceremony decor was not as I imagined before I had a meltdown, fixing every last detail as if it were her own wedding. She DECORATED OUR CAKE when the florist left it undone. She spent time with me trying to figure out how I could get McDonald's delivered to the venue for when guests left the party -- highly... Read more recommend this. She fluffed my gown and fixed my hair because, oh yeah, she also used to be a hairdresser. I mean... could she have been any more perfect!? On top of all of this, Jessica was the kindest, sweetest, most calming presence on our day. I can't say enough about her and the entire staff who was there for our every need. This also includes the bridal attendant and maitre d' who made sure our glasses were never empty, that we ate our (incredible) food, and that we took a moment to enjoy each other and absorb what was happening. They even set up a private room for just the two of us after the ceremony to enjoy our cocktail hour food in a romantic setting! It was like a fairytale! As I said, Grand Cascades Lodge was the best decision we could have made. Even prior to wedding day our guests and bridal party were able to enjoy the amazing spa, the biosphere, and all other amenities they have to offer. The setting was gorgeous (a perfect sunset sky with a mountain backdrop for our ceremony couldn't be topped), the ballroom was breathtaking, the food was phenomenal (people can't stop talking about it), and I know our family will continue to visit Grand Cascades for years to come with beautiful memories behind us. Oh -- and I'm sure most of our guests will be back now, too! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

Minerals Resort and Spa - My fiance and I were looking for the perfect location for an outdoor, fall wedding. We also wanted somewhere that we can have a full wedding weekend of fun with family and friends without breaking the budget. We absolutely got that at Minerals AND MORE! Nicole and Erika were very helpful throughout the entire planning process. Erika was there to answer any questions I had and help me execute my vision! This venue is very flexible and willing to work with you. On the day of the event, Erika was there to make sure everything was being set up correctly. In addition, I had a bridal attendant and maitre d. Kaya, the wedding attendant, was also very helpful throughout the day! Every single guest had an amazing time! And I am so happy that my wedding will be talked about for years to come.

As soon as we drove onto the property, we knew Ballyowen Golf Club was going to be our venue. We were so excited to have our wedding here. We got engaged in Ireland so the Irish feel of the beautiful hills and all the rustic, cobblestone was so appealing to us. We were looking forward to having our cocktail hour and reception in two separate, beautiful buildings. However, COVID had other plans. We were devastated to find out the layout needed to change with covid, but we decided to move ahead with our plans. Communication with the venue was not always the best and several times we had to reach out requesting updates on all the changes with covid which was frustrating but we were very understanding of the lack of communication at times, because we know that the world is in a chaotic place. I dont believe we would have had that experience if covid was not present. Our contact, Julie, was very kind and flexible with us, but did appear confused and disorganized at times. However, even as... Read more we got closer to our date I text her multiple times with many different questions and she always responded in a reasonable time frame. On the day of, she was very helpful and assisted with setting up our welcome sign which is not her job. Luis, our maitre d was PHENOMENAL. Seriously, I would have been so lost without him there with us. So attentive and very caring and helpful. He always made sure I had a drink in my hand and food on the table (even though I unfortunately did not get to eat that much but he made sure we had a box to take home with us). Even when my bridesmaids were working on my bustle in a dark area outside he found a small lantern and set it up for them so they could see better. I could go on and on about his service. He really made our night memorable and I'm thankful we had him with us. Overall, we had an amazing experience and we were lucky enough to be blessed with 70 degree weather in November which made for an absolute BEAUTIFUL atmosphere for our ceremony on the tee.

I've been waiting for over a month now for a refund from Ballyowen. Excuses after excuses have been heard, and I'm tired of it. Guests have been checking into the hotel, weddings have been held and are still currently being booked. I really don't see the hold up. I am so close to hiring a lawyer. From other reviews from other sites this isn't just happening to me. Event date isn't right, only filled in October 1 because wedding never happened.

During this time of crisis with COVID-19, this business showed its true colors -- all of which were ugly. Do not give this place your business. They don't care about doing the right thing. They only care about money, and they will do whatever they can to try to keep it, even if they have no legal right to do so. FULL STORY: We booked our wedding back in spring of 2019. Once the coronavirus forced businesses shutdown in February 2020, we knew our June wedding plans would be postponed. We began to express these concerns to the venue in March. When it was our turn to pick a new date in April, everything turned sour. By this time, our wedding was nearly paid in full. Our initial deposit in 2019 was 25%. When we went to pick the new date (June 2021 --now 2 years after booking), we were told the deposit requirement would suddenly be changed to 42%, and that we would not be refunded anything more than that amount. Our contract clearly stated no changes could be made without both parties... Read more agreeing. By changing the date and deposit requirements, Crystal Springs violated their contract with us. We did not agree to the raised deposit. With businesses shut down, there was a good chance they could go out of business and we would lose all our money. We spoke to the sales director, Linda Alloco. Not only was she rude and condescending, but she could not tell us where our money was. How's that for transparency? We contacted the Better Business Bureau and even had an attorney write a letter. Crystal Springs ignored both requests. A month before the wedding, we still had no resolution. We finally had no choice but to issue 3 credit card charge-backs with Chase. This morning, over a month after our wedding was supposed to happen, we got confirmation that 100% of our money was refunded to us. In other words, Crystal Springs was in the wrong, and Chase knew it. Throughout this whole ordeal, I cannot find a single e-Mail where the staff from Crystal Springs expressed one bit of sympathy for our wedding being postponed. My last living grandparent is 94 years old and might not be around a year from now. The groom's mother is immuno-compromised and would not be able to attend if the virus is still present. This was supposed to be the happiest day of our lives. Crystal Springs could care less about any of those things. They have no moral compass. I am writing this review to let other couples know that if they are also being treated poorly by Crystal Springs, there is still recourse. Get everything in writing and document the dates of all your phone calls and e-Mails. Call your credit card company ASAP and explain your situation. File a chargeback and be prepared to fight with all you've got. To Robby Younes, the COO who was "too busy to talk to us" while holding $20k of our money: Shame on you for refusing to hold up the initial 25% deposit. For breaching our contract. For forcing my family to fight with your horrendous managers for 4 MONTHS, when you could have simply done the right thing from the start. Mr. Younes, word of mouth will make Crystal Springs lose more business than you realize. Was it worth losing 100% of our business, getting a negative review on every social media platform, and having a black mark on your relationship with Chase? You paid your staff to write hundreds of e-Mails and spend hours on the phone with us, and now you aren't seeing a dime of that money come back. Nice ROI.