We booked the Chimneys of Big Canoe for our wedding and reception in April of 2007 for a June 2008 wedding. The staff was great when we were booking and they were taking our money, but the weekend of the event things fell apart on their end. 3 out of town guests made reservations months in advance but when they arrived they were turned away because their units were given away to guests of another wedding. They were offered other, much larger units at 3 times the price and offered no other options...despite having confirmation numbers, contracts etc. They never apologized for their mistake. Guests are also required to pay $6 dollar per person, per day to use the pool, fitness center etc on top of their lodging!!! The air conditioning at The Chimneys was not turned on for the reception until an hour before the event (this apparently is their policy, but is not in a contract etc)...despite the 100 degree weather and pleas from the wedding coordinator and bride. Once the air was turned on it did not work and the ""event coordinator"" for the resort had gone home for the evening. No fans were around either. Guests left early and a money was wasted on food and drink for guests that couldn't stand the heat. Bottom line...this resort is beautiful and full of nice lodging, but staff is not helpful and you're pretty much on your own after they get their money. You and your guests pay for a top notch experience, but might as well be at a camp ground. All I wanted was air condtioning and lodging for my guests and they didn't even do this. The folks at The Chimneys are nice and friendly when you're writing checks and making reservations but when there's a problem...just disappear. If I could do it again I would've paid the extra cash to have my wedding at another event center that was more professional.
Pros: beautiful setting for pictures, new rental homes are fab
Cons: venue needs to be updated, poor customer service, many rental pictures aren't accurate
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