Carraway-Davie House
Birmingham, AL 35210
(map) Phone: 205-956-4472
Reviews for Carraway-Davie House
GUEST
If it was possible to give this venue more than 5.0 rating I would. Carraway Davie House went well above our expectations. We stated in the beginning that service was our number one priority and they went above and beyond to meet our needs. Catherine Wayman, wedding coordinator, is incredible. Catherine was always available throughout the 10 month wedding planning process. Friends and family cannot stop talking about the food, flowers, and service. The owner went out of his way several times throughout the day and evening to ask us if we had everything we needed. I highly recommend renting the venue for the entire day of the wedding so the wedding party can enjoy a fun and relaxing day before the festivities get started. Lunch was so good that we couldn't wait to eat again that evening. We used a photographer and band that was not on the recommend vendor list and the venue was very accommodating to them. I can't say enough about our wonderful experience with Carraway Davie House. -- Mother of the Bride
GUEST
Wow! What a great decision we made in selecting this venue!! We let Catherine Wayman plan the floral arrangements and Coretti Inc. plan the menu. We let those talented, capable folks use their creative, tasteful abilities and had a beautiful, perfect, classy, memorable experience. The setting and facility complemented the floral and culinary arrangements. We had a lovely experience.
GUEST
I am Dr Fawzia Lide MD, I wouldn't recommend this venue for any one. The reasons for that is the lack of professionalism of the owner & the staff. The owner was very rude and inflexible with me when I requested what was promised to me earlier when I signed the contact. Therefore I do not recommend this venue and I advise all brides not to be fooled by the cheerfulness of the venue coordinator in the first meeting or by the name of the place. The bride should outline her request in writing & have the final proposal before she pays the money to the venue & read the contact carefully and have the approval of her requests in writing, also the bride should appoint a person from her side to supervise the reception. When we first met Kathy (the venue coordinator) she was nice . She accepted my request to come 3 hours early free of charge to take pictures in the venue before the guests arrival. When she presented the package, it seemed within our budget, but close to the reception date, she requested more pay for the taxes and advance 20% service charges. At the reception the waitresses stood watching the crowded guests eating in the small dining room & didn’t invite the guests to eat on the tables in the terrace. A few days before the wedding reception, I received the final proposal which indicated that I had two hours of taking pictures only outside the venue, when I called Kathy to express my concerns and to explain my photographer plan, she asked me to pay extra charges. When I called the owner, she was very rude ; she said you are a doctor & you can’t read a contract, not only that but she asked me to change my wedding dress in the office. I have never seen such audacity & poor service or customer relations. Due to the time restraint I had to accept to take pictures first outside in the heat, the photographer was profusely sweating.
Vendor response to review
As a company which prides itself on its service excellence, it is a shame to see a review that is not consistent with the majority of each bride that has worked with us over the years.
The Carraway-Davie House has built its reputation on excellent service, professional staff, and high quality weddings and events. It has been a pleasure building relationships with each of our brides, and creating the weddings that they dreamed of.
This is why it is regrettable to see that one bride has felt it necessary to give a less than favorable review. Unfortunately, the bride did not seem to understand the contract of service which she agreed to and signed upon booking. Her subsequent grievances were a reflection of her effort to negotiate terms of service and bypass the policies of the property extended to every client at the Carraway-Davie House.
Despite her grievances prior to the wedding regarding her budgetary issues, our event coordinator took special care of her on the wedding day outside of her responsibilities and even hired additional assistance to ensure Dr. Fawzia’s happiness. Every effort was made by the staff of the Carraway-Davie House to make her day run smoothly, and Dr. Fawzia thanked us and told us how pleased she was at the end of her event. This is why we are deeply saddened that she reported she had a bad experience on her wedding day, and wish her the best in her future.
Sincerely,
Ownership of Carraway-Davie House
GUEST
I absolutely loved having our wedding at the Carraway Davie House. The staff was so nice and very professional. They made everything very easy for me on my wedding day. I would definitely recommend having your wedding/reception here!
GUEST
I still get compliments on my food. It was wonderful. Catherine did my floral arrangements for the church and reception and they were absolutely gorgeous. I could not have been more pleased. The cakes were gorgeous., and the setting lovely. My only compliant is the owner(male) ... He is very difficult to work with. When I showed up to take my pictures he did not have the doors open and ready. The air was not on and he was seemed frustrated when we ask that it be turned on. There were several details promised by the girls in planning that the day of he said were against the rules. Overall the girls and the lady owner where easy to work with and very accommodating. Again, my food and flowers were over the top and worth every penny. I would use this facility again. My only recommendation to brides is request he stay behind the scenes and deal directly with the ladies only. They were excellent!
GUEST
My wedding day was perfect. Everything was taken care of and the wedding coordinator was very professional. She even took time to call us when we got back from our honeymoon just to check on us. This is an upscale facility, so it wasn't cheap, but we are still getting compliments on the food and service. BTW, my sister just booked her wedding here for next year and they gave us a great price!
GUEST
I was more than pleased with my wedding and reception at the Carraway Davie House! They had everything there- catering, floral design, and a fabublous venue! The house is so pretty- it is traditional Southern Style! And, we had cocktails and hors d'oeuvres by the pool which was lovely. I wish I could do it all over again!!!
GUEST
I loved the entire feel of this venue, it was elegant yet comfortable
When we were searching for a ceremony site, it was a very difficult choice because Jessica was not from Birmingham, and we were not yet members of a church. A friend of mine reminded me of The Carroway-Davie house in Irondale, and that they also performed weddings. We made an appointment, and fell in love with the timeless, classic feel of the southern mansion-style home. Because January was one of their slower months, they gave us a great deal on renting out the inside of the house for the wedding ceremony and the reception, as well as allowing us to use the on-site banquet hall for the rehearsal dinner at no extra charge. The wedding came together beautifully, and we were so happy with everything from the wedding planner, to the decorations. The only reason I did not give them a 5 star rating is that during the ceremony, they did not turn off the house music. We didn’t even realize this was the case until we watched the video later and heard it in the background throughout the entire thing. For a small and intimate wedding venue, The Carraway-Davie House is a wonderful choice!
About Carraway-Davie House
Surrounded by a nature pereserve and overlooking the Cahaba River is one of Birmingham's finest event facilities-- the Carraway Davie House and Conference Center. A relaxed and gracious setting for weddings and special events.
We specialize in creating memories that last a lifetime with our elegant atmosphere, superior service, event design, and exceptional cuisine.
The Carraway Davie House was built in 1972 as the residence of Dr. Clayton Davie, a Birmingham neuroseurgeon. In 1979, Dr. Davie donated this remarkable home to the Carraway Methodist Medical Center to be used for hosting events ranging from corporate conferences, weddings, Christmas parties and other social events.
In 2002 Corretti Incorporated obtained the property and currently promotes events of all nature and also provides catering for onsite as well as offsite functions.
The Carraway Davie House is a unique blend of past and present conatining many architectural elements salvaged from historic Alabama landmarks, placing the house on the Historical Registry.
The Carraway Davie House contains 28 rooms and 10,025 square feet of living space, including a living room, study, card room, den, kitchen, meeting room, game room, and garden room. There are six bedrooms each with their own bath. Two of these bedrooms, the Bridal Suite and the Groom's Room, have marble fireplaces, sitting areas, and French doods that open onto their own terraces.
The front door of the house, with its hand-carveds lavender glass, was originally made of the North Entrance of Birmingham's Old Terminal Station, which was torn down in the late 1960s. The marble tiles came from the old Terminal Station as well.
The handsome fireplace in the library came from the Ole Terminal Station as did the cast-iron chandelier in the den. The chandelier wieghs more that two tons and is held in place by special steel beams. The ceiling in this room is two stories high.
An eleaborate, gilt-trimmed mirror that once hung in The Tutwhiler, an elegant, historic hotel in Birmingham, now hangs in the main foyer of the house.
Exterior brick came from the old Birmingham Paper Company, dating from the turn of the century.
The six columns on the portico are hand-hewn cypress logs that date back to 1850. They were originally part of Talledega's Presbyterian Female Collegiate Institute.
The Carraway Davie House also features a large reception space in the Conference Center located adjacent to the house. Thanks to a flexable design, guests can enjoy the entire space or smaller portions and the lovely poolside patio area. The reception room is ideal for seated dinners and features a stage perfect for a band and dance floor. The poolside area is festive area with fountains that flow into the pool and the scenic views of the Cahaba River.
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