Reviews for The Briars

Name: The Briars
Address: 55 Hedge Rd, Jacksons Point, Ontario, L0E 1L0
Rating: 4.2

The Briars

Jacksons Point, Ontario

4.2 out of 5 rating, 21 reviews

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4.2 out of 5 rating

4.2

Good

21 reviews

Recommended by 83% of couples

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Quality of service
4.1 out of 5 rating
Response time
4 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4.1 out of 5 rating
Value
4.3 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4.2 out of 5 rating

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Jordan Sent on 06/09/2023

4.2 out of 5 rating
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Wonderful! Great to work with!

Gorgeous venue, amazing food and very helpful throughout the whole wedding process!

Gorgeous venue, amazing food and very helpful throughout the whole wedding process!
Megan Sent on 17/11/2024

4.8 out of 5 rating
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Magical Wedding at The Briars

We had our wedding at The Briars Resort on October 18, 2024. We had the most amazing time at our wedding and are so happy we chose this venue. The team at The Briars put in a lot of work to make the day special, and Sharmaine was a fantastic venue coordinator. The floor supervisor, David, was personable and professional and he checked in with us frequently during the reception. We absolutely loved the grounds and were able to get beautiful photos by the lake, in front of historical buildings, and with the fall colours. The food at the reception was very good, which was one of the reasons we chose the venue so we weren't surprised!
We chose...

We had our wedding at The Briars Resort on October 18, 2024. We had the most amazing time at our wedding and are so happy we chose this venue. The team at The Briars put in a lot of work to make the day special, and Sharmaine was a fantastic venue coordinator. The floor supervisor, David, was personable and professional and he checked in with us frequently during the reception. We absolutely loved the grounds and were able to get beautiful photos by the lake, in front of historical buildings, and with the fall colours. The food at the reception was very good, which was one of the reasons we chose the venue so we weren't surprised!
We chose the front lawn of the manor house for our ceremony, and it felt elegant to start the processional from the front doors and down the steps. The grounds were well manicured and the venue even allowed us to park the father of the groom's old Model T car to be in the background of the ceremony. Sharmaine coordinated the timing of our ceremony well and was a very calm presence throughout the experience.
Our reception was in the Garden Court and it was absolutely magical once we had our decor and tables set up. There is something really special about this place and you can feel the history and elegance when you're there.
We do have a few pieces of feedback for the venue, mainly around the dinner and hotel services. Our guests were served striploin as the main, but oddly were not given steak knives - the floor supervisor did come up to us (the couple) and provided them for us, but this was not offered to the rest of our guests which left them struggling with butter knives. The bartenders were really friendly and approachable, but they did seem to have limited knowledge of mixed drink options (to be fair, they said they normally serve beer and rum & coke, so I believe they don't get a lot of cocktail requests typically). The front desk reception was lovely, but our guests did have a few issues - some rooms weren't ready at check-in time, one room wasn't cleaned (but they did get an upgraded room as a result, so in the end they were very happy). However, none of these things had much of an impact on our day overall and we found that the venue was quick to address concerns when they were notified - one table did get steak knives once they asked for them.
We received many compliments from our guests on the atmosphere and the beauty of the venue. Again, Sharmaine did a wonderful job coordinating and was very responsive and flexible to changes or details we wanted to add to the day. Our room (the Blue Room in the manor house) was fantastic, great size, clean, and lots of windows. It was used as the bridal suite since we stayed over the night before, and it was perfect for this with all the natural light. Buffet breakfast the next morning was delicious!

We loved our wedding day so much, and we are so thankful to The Briars for giving us such a wonderful experience.
- +4 Photos
Erica Sent on 12/11/2024

1 out of 5 rating
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Horrible experience-do not recommend

The briars wedding coordinator Sharmaine that was assigned to the bride was the worst. She added a lot of hidden fees and stopped communicating with the bride after the final payment.

Everything that was planned during final details meeting was not done on day off. The briars wedding coordinator did not coordinate the day off and did not provide the bride or wedding party with appetizers.

Taking pictures the door was locked and the bride and wedding party were locked out of the reception venue after we took pictures after the wedding.

Wedding coordinator was very unprofessional day of the wedding, had a scowl on her face the entire day, it made the bride...

The briars wedding coordinator Sharmaine that was assigned to the bride was the worst. She added a lot of hidden fees and stopped communicating with the bride after the final payment.

Everything that was planned during final details meeting was not done on day off. The briars wedding coordinator did not coordinate the day off and did not provide the bride or wedding party with appetizers.

Taking pictures the door was locked and the bride and wedding party were locked out of the reception venue after we took pictures after the wedding.

Wedding coordinator was very unprofessional day of the wedding, had a scowl on her face the entire day, it made the bride feel very uncomfortable. Especially because the briars wedding coordinator did not speak to the bride at all day off until the end of the night when she was going home, she gave the bride a glass of wine.

There is no bridal suite and the rooms and cottages are disgusting (bugs/hair) especially overpriced.

The venue was beautiful outside and inside. Just get your own wedding planner!! And make sure don’t get taken advantage of over fees.

The Briars's reply:

Dear Erica,

Thank you for sharing your feedback. We take all reviews seriously and strive to address any concerns promptly. However, the details you’ve provided in your review are not accurate and do not reflect our services or our commitment to our clients.

1. Bridal Suite and Cottages: Contrary to your statement, we do have multiple bridal suites available for use, and none of your guests, including yourself, stayed in any of our cottages. We provided was a premium studio suite at a discounted cost, with a complimentary late checkout – to which you happily accepted. The cost of accommodations, including any additional fees, is communicated clearly in our contracts, and the claim about their condition and...

Corinne Sent on 22/01/2024

3 out of 5 rating
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Wedding Venue

I’ll preface this review by saying at the end of the day, if you end up married to your person that’s all that really matters. It’s taken me some time to write this but I do think it’s important couples who are newly engaged be aware of our experience.

Initially everything seemed to go quite well. We fell in love with the grounds and the old fashioned style. Their wedding package and what they said they offered was a bonus. Everything could be done in one place, they had a list of preferred vendors they worked with and we had a venue coordinator to support. It’s important to note, there is a difference between a venue coordinator,...

I’ll preface this review by saying at the end of the day, if you end up married to your person that’s all that really matters. It’s taken me some time to write this but I do think it’s important couples who are newly engaged be aware of our experience.

Initially everything seemed to go quite well. We fell in love with the grounds and the old fashioned style. Their wedding package and what they said they offered was a bonus. Everything could be done in one place, they had a list of preferred vendors they worked with and we had a venue coordinator to support. It’s important to note, there is a difference between a venue coordinator, wedding coordinator, and wedding planner. We recognized and understood the Briars offered a “venue coordinator”.

There were a few things we picked up on, however we are a very laid back couple and chose to roll with it. Our primary concern was the venue coordinator. They didn’t seem to know what they were doing, continuously forgot to do their job, requiring us to chase them down and remind them, and despite telling us they had what they needed ultimately fell through.

The closer our wedding came, the worse the venue coordinator was. Ultimately it seemed they continually forgot about our wedding and were playing catch up even on the day of which made things exponentially more stressful. They neglected to do the basics of their job, were ill prepared and perhaps most egregious, doubled down and refused to take accountability. Everything from forgetting our final details meeting and needing to be reminded repeatedly, then seemingly not doing anything during the meeting? Not coordinating with our vendors, forgetting to do our timeline, forgetting who we assigned rooms to, forgetting the rehearsal ceremony, arguing with family day of about where things should go, and in general just not doing their job.

To put it simply the venue coordinator was an absolute mess. We were incredibly disappointed. It was clear the venue coordinator’s communication with the Briar’s staff was also poor as no one seemed to be aware of what was going on. In the end, the venue coordinator hurried through the day and took off asap.

The mess continued as we tried to pay our final bills and eventually I had enough of the rude, ignorant behaviour of the venue coordinator and demanded to speak only to the resort manager. Whether they simply were incompetent in their role, had too “high of a workload”, or any other excuse they came up with it just was not acceptable. A wedding should not be the casualty of someone else’s poor performance. We received no apology from the venue coordinator who spoke over us and insisted we were to blame for everything. After finally speaking with the manager we came to a satisfactory resolution. But our memories of our wedding day will always be somewhat tainted because of this experience.

While the Briars is a beautiful place, and the general staff were friendly and apologetic for the lack of support we received from our venue coordinator I simply would not recommend them as a venue. I would not want another couple to go through the stress we did. If not for our other vendors and family it might have turned out quite different.
Abby Sent on 31/10/2021

5 out of 5 rating
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Our dream wedding

The Briars is not only a beautiful resort but also a dream venue. The rustic decor and charm is unmatched to another venues. The staff are amazing and made our weekend so much more amazing.
Michelle is amazing and it was so nice to work with her, and Jame the chef is UNREAL! Everyone loved the food!!
My husband and I can’t wait to go back! We have decided every year we will go back for weekend on our wedding anniversary!
The briars gave my husband and I our dream wedding!

The Briars is not only a beautiful resort but also a dream venue. The rustic decor and charm is unmatched to another venues. The staff are amazing and made our weekend so much more amazing.
Michelle is amazing and it was so nice to work with her, and Jame the chef is UNREAL! Everyone loved the food!!
My husband and I can’t wait to go back! We have decided every year we will go back for weekend on our wedding anniversary!
The briars gave my husband and I our dream wedding!

The Briars's reply:

Hi Abby,

Thank you for the kind words. We were happy to make your dream wedding come true! It was a beautiful event and we cannot wait to welcome you back next year!

Congratulations!
Michelle Sent on 10/10/2021

5 out of 5 rating
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They saved our wedding!!

I can't say enough good things about the Briars. We got married there in October 2nd, and the entire staff was incredible!!! First, they went above and beyond to ensure that our "COVID" wedding was just as special while still adhering to all regulations and ensuring all our guests were safe. Second, the staff was incredible!!! Our bar tender knew his stuff and was so fun; all the wait staff was kind and helpful. I can't say enough about them. Third, the food was out of this world!! Everyone of our guests talked about this being the best meal they have had!!! My hat goes off to the chef. When we realized we would be married during a pandemic,...

I can't say enough good things about the Briars. We got married there in October 2nd, and the entire staff was incredible!!! First, they went above and beyond to ensure that our "COVID" wedding was just as special while still adhering to all regulations and ensuring all our guests were safe. Second, the staff was incredible!!! Our bar tender knew his stuff and was so fun; all the wait staff was kind and helpful. I can't say enough about them. Third, the food was out of this world!! Everyone of our guests talked about this being the best meal they have had!!! My hat goes off to the chef. When we realized we would be married during a pandemic, our hearts sunk, but everyone who helped us at the Briars (Dave, Michelle, the wait staff, the chefs, the bartenders, etc.) made sure that we had a wedding that far exceeded our dreams. We can't thank them enough for our lifetime of memories!!
Charlotte Sent on 30/08/2019

4.6 out of 5 rating
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Gorgeous Venue and Excellent Staff

Overall, the experience with the Guild Inn was wonderful. Our coordinator Cassandra was great to work with since we booked the venue in January. In the 8 months we had to plan our wedding, she was very responsive and informative. She communicated all questions and details to our planner and cc'd us along the way for transparency. Our 'Day-Of' staff was excellent. I can't remember the Hall manager, but she was super helpful and friendly. She provided any help to our guests and vendors. Meyer was AMAZING! He was great to work with and coordinated between our AV supplier, the band/DJ and our MC. The music and speeches sounded great, and the lighting was beautiful.

The food was...

Overall, the experience with the Guild Inn was wonderful. Our coordinator Cassandra was great to work with since we booked the venue in January. In the 8 months we had to plan our wedding, she was very responsive and informative. She communicated all questions and details to our planner and cc'd us along the way for transparency. Our 'Day-Of' staff was excellent. I can't remember the Hall manager, but she was super helpful and friendly. She provided any help to our guests and vendors. Meyer was AMAZING! He was great to work with and coordinated between our AV supplier, the band/DJ and our MC. The music and speeches sounded great, and the lighting was beautiful.

The food was delicious, even though my wife and I didn't get a chance to get a lot of it as we were non-stop running around! Our guests mentioned they really enjoyed the main dining meals, hors d'oeuvres and drinks. Depending on your bar package that you select, there may be limited variety of liquors so make sure to double check with the venue before you choose your package.

The bridal suite was great, there is a sink and plenty of natural light, coffee table and couches around. However, it would've been nice to have a bathroom stall available as well, as people had to change in the public bathroom next door. A few of us had to use the accessible restroom to change/freshen up - not a huge deal though just not so much privacy. It would also be nice to have a hook or a rack for keeping our dresses/suits/change of clothes organized and easy for changing/steaming. They gifted us chocolate dipped strawberries which was a nice touch. It would be nice if there was larger mirror (full length would be ideal) and more counter space or table to place stuff on.

We had a wonderful time at the Guild Inn. We would highly recommend the venue to anyone looking for a beautiful space to get married or hold any special event. The space and public park behind the venue is really special and the staff was excellent and accommodating. Thank you Guild Inn all your effort this past year with helping make our special day feel perfect.
- +4 Photos
Alli Sent on 12/08/2019

5 out of 5 rating
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Amazing Wedding Venue

We had our wedding at the Summer House. It was absolutely beautiful. Martha was outstanding to work with! The food was absolutely delicious, our guests kept raving about it!! We stayed in the Mayfair lodge which had 10 private rooms and a common area where we hosted a laid back rehearsal dinner on the Friday. Everything about the Briars was absolutely perfect. Thanks to Martha and everybody there!!

We had our wedding at the Summer House. It was absolutely beautiful. Martha was outstanding to work with! The food was absolutely delicious, our guests kept raving about it!! We stayed in the Mayfair lodge which had 10 private rooms and a common area where we hosted a laid back rehearsal dinner on the Friday. Everything about the Briars was absolutely perfect. Thanks to Martha and everybody there!!
Yao S. Sent on 06/06/2019

4.6 out of 5 rating
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Great Wedding Venue

We had our wedding there in May 2019. Martha was very helpful, she respond our emails and inquires pretty quick, and everything was set us as planned. We had our wedding in the summer house and had BBQ Buffet. The summer house is really nice and it's the right size for our 70 guests. The food was really delicious. We had our band/dj set up at the balcony of Summer House and it worked pretty well.

We had our wedding there in May 2019. Martha was very helpful, she respond our emails and inquires pretty quick, and everything was set us as planned. We had our wedding in the summer house and had BBQ Buffet. The summer house is really nice and it's the right size for our 70 guests. The food was really delicious. We had our band/dj set up at the balcony of Summer House and it worked pretty well.
Sarah Sent on 24/11/2018

4.8 out of 5 rating
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Outstanding!!

Thank you, thank you so much for all that you did to make our wedding day a success!! I had such a positive experience with the Briars as our wedding venue and heard nothing but compliments on the location, the history, the wonderful staff and just overall what a wonderful day it was! John in particular was a wonderful help the day of setting up and helping with little details! My husband and I both said how much we appreciated the staff being there if we needed them, without being too much, what a comfort it was to know that you had everything in order. The venue is of course one of the most important aspects of a wedding...

Thank you, thank you so much for all that you did to make our wedding day a success!! I had such a positive experience with the Briars as our wedding venue and heard nothing but compliments on the location, the history, the wonderful staff and just overall what a wonderful day it was! John in particular was a wonderful help the day of setting up and helping with little details! My husband and I both said how much we appreciated the staff being there if we needed them, without being too much, what a comfort it was to know that you had everything in order. The venue is of course one of the most important aspects of a wedding and the Briars did not disappoint! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day! We are already looking forward to our next visit to the Briars and will highly recommend you to anyone.