“Capitol City Barn is an absolutely stunning venue, and we consistently received compliments on how beautiful everything was. This is truly a hidden gem, and we were very thankful to have found this venue for our wedding. That being said, I must note that receiving a response from the owner can take some time. I understand they are busy during wedding season, but it did make me panic a bit. The owner also didn’t have a list or pictures of the décor and furniture inventory, which made planning a little tricky. I’d have to send emails asking for dimensions for specific tables or furniture. Still, she did not seem to know the exact dimensions for some of the items, which I thought was a little odd for a venue owner.
When we first arrived at the venue for the wedding day, the owner didn’t ask us if there was anything we needed or check to ensure everything was set up correctly, despite my having sent a floor plan. When I did need something or had a question, I had a hard time tracking her down. We did have a day of coordinator, but she did not arrive until noon, and we arrived around 9:50ish. After the day of coordinator arrived, I’m not sure how the communication went as the DOC didn’t really communicate with me much at first (but that’s another story). It also sounded like my DOC had dropped the ball on communicating about furniture pickup times and the ceremony seating arrangement, so I appreciate the owner doing her best to navigate that situation.
Additionally, one of the wooden tables we used as a cake stand had some spider webs and pine needles on it, which my mom had to clean off. I was also under the impression that on the day of the wedding, there would be additional staff to help move furniture around, as when we first toured the venue, we were told that “they” could move some items around to make room for dancing or other small details. It even states on their website that “Our staff will set up the tables and chairs for you, while also providing an attendant for the entire event to maintain trash cans, restrooms, and answer questions that may arise on the big day.” However, on the day of the wedding, the only staff member present was the owner, and I felt bad for asking her to move some of the items by herself. Luckily, we had guests to help, and even some of the catering staff assisted with moving the chairs (as the chairs from the ceremony had to be moved to the tables afterwards for the reception). Again, this would have been a lot of work for the owner to do on her own, and I would have gladly hired staff had I known it was just going to be her trying to move over 100 chairs by herself. Later on in the day, another woman (maybe the co-owner) did show up. The only advice I have for anyone booking this venue is to take measurements and possibly take pictures of the furniture inventory to make planning easier, as this information is not provided on their website. Also, if you don’t want guests having to jump in and help move tables and chairs, I would suggest hiring extra staff. All that being said, this is still a beautiful venue and I would recommend it to anyone. They also let you book your own vendors, which is a plus! All the guests had a blast!”
