The Castle at Ashley Manor

The Castle is an incredible looking venue; we fell in love with it right away! We had our ceremony in the garden and our reception indoors. You can see for yourself how anyone would want to have their wedding there when you visit. There is little problem with the venue itself, the PROBLEM lies with its STAFF.Many of the wedding coordinators are very nice and helpful, but between the time that I booked the venue and my wedding date (over a year) I didn't work with the same coordinator twice, nor did I ever see many of them again, except for Laura. Laura is extremely difficult to work with to the point that many vendors refuse to do any work at the Castle. Everything (from set up of the site to processional down the aisle) was her way or the highway…we just ignored here and did what we wanted to anyway, (but it was annoying!) The staff was difficult to get a hold of both via phone and email -- but they sure were eager to talk to you when they wanted payment! We paid just for the venue, which was about $10k and all we got with the venue was ceremony/reception chairs and tables and an on-site coordinator. (They have options for floral packages and catering but I was told by one of the other coordinators that it's cheaper to just book the venue and do add-on's later if you decide you want them. Some small things are included if you want them too, but I didn’t.) After getting to know the staff, we opted to take everything to outside vendors anyway. Their idea of on-site coordinating was literally just being there until I walked down the aisle and then they left. I may be biased since I plan events for a living and I would never have left my event site as the coordinator, but I thought that was odd.I went for a meeting that I opted to have less than a week before to review details with Laura. Even after over a year of planning she had many of the details screwed up. For example, after we explicitly told her multiple times we needed her to hire wine servers and have cocktail tables for us on the patio she still didn’t know we needed that. It probably is due largely to their inefficient system of writing notes on scrap pieces of paper and sticking it in a folder with your name and wedding date on it. She also had us meet with the DJ that day…after I told her repeatedly, all year long, from day one that we wouldn’t be having a DJ, we would be having a live band! They REALLY need to work on their organization.In this meeting, we also saw that the quality of the outdoor ceremony chairs was horrendous. It was so bad that I demanded they bring in new chairs. Laura flat out refused at first, it was her husband George that actually agreed. (This is a family run business, the Castle is owned by Laura’s parents and her and George run the show. We really enjoyed working with George, though - he was very helpful.) I was told by George that they went ahead and purchased new chairs, but they weren’t going to be there in time for my wedding day, so I insisted they rent chairs for our day. They didn’t like it but I wasn’t going to have my guests sitting in gross looking, dilapidated, rickety chairs….some of the seats of the chairs had even caved in under the cushions! (They are wooden and had been sitting out in the sun for 6 years, since they opened the venue.) It was literally a safety hazard and I told them that.One of the big perks of this place is that they allow you to bring in your own alcohol, however, it is required that you hire their bartending service, Medieval Spirits (who happens to be run by Laura’s brother, Adam) He and his staff were nice enough, but Laura demanded for them that they get their tip up front (since we chose to have no tip jars on the bars) and we thought that was in poor taste. Because of the rudeness, we decided only to tip them what they “required”, which was $300, when in reality we were planning to give them double. I also found out later from friends that my guests were all tipping them anyway and they actually accepted money from them! Tacky!One of the big selling points for me was that it is a private venue, so you won’t have random people wandering in to your party. Or so I thought. With Ashley Manor being next door, and a wedding at a similar time to ours, we ended up with a ton of people wandering into the Castle. I was sitting in the bridal room and I could see out the window and watched a bunch of people I didn’t know walk in. My bridesmaids intervened, but it wasn’t until after they signed my guestbook!! I would advise you to put some sort of sign out front indicating whose wedding it is (but I wouldn’t put your full names, just to be able to pick out legitimate party crashers! We got some of those, too, later in the evening!)It appears as if this venue is in some major financial trouble. They have slipped on the maintenance/upkeep of the grounds quite a bit. It is pricey for what you get but we obviously thought it was the best venue around which is why we chose it (since we didn’t want to go to a resort.) I wouldn’t necessarily dissuade you entirely from getting married there if your heart was set on it, but just know in advance what you are up against and you’ll be alright. On the wedding day, everything was beautiful (thanks to MY outside vendors!) went off with minimal hitches, and the guests had a blast….and so did we!

Don't waste your time! Although the venue is beautiful....they don't do ANYTHING!!!! and they will lie straight to your face!!!! Thank god I hired a wedding planner which I was prompted to do by the bad reviews we read about this place. We had a lot of details planned in our wedding and we were told all along that our vendors could get in at 10:30 to set up. The DJ kept telling us he thought there was another wedding, but both Laura and Isabelle insisted there wasn't. We didn't find out until the rehearsal that there actually was and that vendors could only get in 1 1/2 hours before the event. Everything was rushed!!! The people at the castle did not help set up even their own table and chairs, etc. There were so many details that I had planned that were not done because of time. Their contract reads that a staff member would be on site. They all left before the wedding was even set up! Our bartender had to keep leaving his station to get things for the "our" wedding planner. This was not his job since we were already paying him to bartend not to be staff for the castle!

This Venue is so beautiful and timeless. The owners were very flexible and fun to work with. They set up everything for us so perfectly for not only our ceremony but also our reception. We didn't have to do a thing! It was all taken care of. The day went by stress free. Everything from the DJ to the food quality was excellent. We just love it their!!!!! Thanks Laura for Everything!!!!!!

We had our wedding at The Castle. The place is definitely beautiful, but it was dirty. The bottom of my dress with completely black before I even walked down the aisle! When I mentioned this, I was told "your photographer will be able to clean that up in photos". That wasn't the point! People were going to see my dress right then! On top of all that, communication, or lack there of, of the works at The Castle. The only outstanding person was Isabelle. When I had a question, I knew that I would never get someone to answer the phone if I called, so I would email. Isabelle's response to my emails was almost immediate. Jessica would take days and never fully answer my questions. The night of the wedding, Isabelle came to say that she would be leaving, but I was never told who would be in charge. Jessica left without saying anything. On top of it all, they lost a brooch that I purchased especially for my cake.

Jess, not to be confused with Jessica, was great. She helped explain all of the policies of the venue and was in congtrol of everything till the DJ arrived.

We were actually married at Ashley Manor!!! I can only say that we were very well taken care of here! Jessica is an amazing and fun wedding planner. She listened to everything I said and made sure to have every detail exactly how I wanted it. They also provided my flowers and they were exactly what I’d asked for and amazingly beautiful! The staff is so professional and catering they made me feel like a princess on my big day! They are also very laid back and were open to all of my ideas and very flexible. They make it very easy to relax and enjoy your day while they take care of every little detail!!! I don’t regret any of it and I wouldn’t change a thing! Also, the Manor is so beautiful, romantic and green! Thanks Ashley Manor for making all our dreams come true! The new Mr. and Mrs. Sanders!!!!

We actually used the Spanish hacienda side of Ashley Manor for our wedding, not the Castle. The setting at Ashley Manor is beautiful alone and when all dressed up for an event it really stands out. The girls at Ashley were easy to work with, very organized and consistent with getting things done, especially for such a stressful occasion! We had an inclusive package with Ashley, including flowers, catering, baker, decorations and DJ. They were able to incorporate our desires in most aspects. There was a problem with our flowers and they fixed it quickly and they turned out beautifully. We appreciated having several choices with our baker, however we would have liked to have other options for the catering. That being said, the catering manager worked very closely with us to develop a menu that perfectly matched our wishes.

The bottom line is in Arizona there isn't any place that can provide outstanding services and professionalism and make a bride and groom truly feel as if they are the only people in the world. The Castle At Ashley Manor (TCASM) just flat out rocked for us! Being an all inclusive package might scare lots of folks off, I will admit we were hesitant at first until we began working with the girls and saw how perfect and awesome they made everything come to be for us! There was ZERO wedding day stress for anyone in the wedding party and the entire evening was simply perfection defined.

I had THE BEST time planning my wedding at The Castle. The moment I saw the venue, I fell in love! Jessica and the other girls are fun, welcoming, and friendly. They remembered my face, my husband's face, and my family. They worked with us on price since we had a tight budget. They kept me calm and relatively stress-free. My one criticism would be that we paid for "security," but did not see any evidence of such a thing on our wedding day.The Castle has all inclusive and definitely delivers! The flowers were gorgeous, the food delicious. If I could do it all over again, I would still choose The Castle!

I can honestly say that I had a fairytale wedding I have always dreamed of and The Castle at Ashley Manor made it possible. The entire reception was such a relaxed day and they already had everything set up for us all we had to do was show up which was perfect! The Castle had everything and every detail turned out exactly as we imagined from the delicious food provided by LUX catering, and of course their beautiful flowers. Our flowers was just as we envisioned and I could not imagined it was my boquet! Words can not truly describe how perfect our wedding day was thank you to the staff at The Castle at Ashley Manor.

The Castle is such a beautiful venue. The pictures turned out just amazing. The staff met with me anytime I requested a meeting. Everything that they promised came to be. They took items I brought in to decorate with, and made every detail perfect. The flowers were amazing! Isabelle did a beautiful job. My bouquet made me cry it was so beautiful. The food was delicious. We had so much fun attending all the tastings there! It is hard to catch the staff via phone, but email always worked for me. The price for the package we chose was the most affordable we found. Which amazed us, because the Castle is the most beautiful venue!

Incredible service and amazing staff! Jessica Beary, the other Jessica that works there and Isabelle worked closely with me and my now husband. They are incredible! The venue is breathtaking and we still hear remarks on how amazing our wedding location and staff there were. If you want a fairy tale wedding then this is your venue!

It is a very nice place for a wedding but their responsiveness was slow like when we need to light dim it took us 15 minutes to find someone.

The Castle was amazing! I had a fairy tale wedding! The whole experience far exceeded our expectations. When I arrived on wedding day and saw the reception area in the Castle, I was stunned at how beautiful it looked. My garden ceremony was great. The patio cocktail hour was fabulous, followed by an incredible reception. The staff surprised me with special lighting that matched my colors that reflected on the statues. The centerpieces and florals were exceptional. This was a five star wedding for a 3 star price. No resort could even compare to the cost of this wedding. It was so much better to be at a wedding venue and not at a resort where people are walking through the area. It was great to have an exclusive area for our guests only. The wedding coordinator kept us organized and she was so relaxed and flexible. When we made special requests to include a family tradition and also a candy bar at the last minute, it was no problem. My pictures are spectacular (especially in front of the large Castle doors shipped from a monastery in Europe)! We were so impressed and dazzled by our entire experience. If you want the best wedding ever, check out the Castle at Ashley Manor! Consider the Imperial package that is all inclusive.

The site is BEAUTIFUL. Our families were so impressed. But if you want to book this site, you MUST have your own wedding planner. The staff is sweet, but very young and inexperienced. I didn't have much faith in their ability to facilitate my wedding, so I hired an amazing planner, and everything went off smoothly.

I can not say enough about this venue and it's employees. They were a godsend to a bride that had to plan the wedding on her own since her family was out of state. My husband & I fell in love with this venue the minute we saw it. It was classic & elegant but would also work well with our Halloween theme. We went with the imperial package that included the venue, flowers, food, DJ, bartender, linens, china, security & wedding coordinator. It was worth every single penny & mu coordinators took care of everything. You can't beat a one stop shop that is so professional. Not one thing went wrong that day & the wedding turned out better than I had imagined it. I highly recommend this facility to anyone wanting a perfect wedding!

I first saw the Castle at a bridal show and was so impressed. I was even more impressed when I saw it in person, and knew I had to get married here. This place is all a bride could ever dream of, and more! It is so beautiful inside and out, and the girls are so helpful and great to work with. They made my day run so smoothly! It's a little pricey, but well worth the money.

We could not have been more pleased with our entire experience with the staff at The Castle. We booked their package for our wedding and all of the vendors provided through this package were incredible. We would not have changed a thing!

The Castle is absolutely gorgeous. There are so many great spots for beautiful photos. And we were very impressed by the staff. They did a really good job at making our special day as stress free as possible.

No bride can walk into this manor without falling in love with it! Hold your wedding ceremony & reception here and you will not be disappointed. Our wedding was the most beautiful, romantic day at the Castle. 4 months later I am still getting compliments about how wonderful this place was. They offer many flexible packages and have competitive pricing. Make sure you book way ahead of time. This place is popular! I worked with some wonderful ladies...Jessica, Olivia and Isabelle. They are terrific and know exactly how to make your day perfect. Go see this place!

Great area can't be the beauty of all the owners hard work, but some of the planners are young and unexperienced and on the day of weren't very helpful on guiding everyone through the busy day.

Wonderful location for any wedding. We were able to set up an alternate view of the ceremony, and used our vendors

We loved the venue. It is beautiaful and one of a kind. The staff was very helpful and accommodating.

Ceremony & Reception:

I couldn’t have imagined a more elegant and beautiful location for my ceremony. The site is very large, has immaculate marble floors, faux finished walls, crystal chandeliers, and a lush garden with fountains. There are changing rooms for both bride and groom, and a plethora of preferred vendors to accommodate all needs. Wonderful!

THE CASTLE MAKES IT'S OWN STATEMENT UNIQUE LIKE NO OTHER THE GARDEN IS BEAUTIFUL AND A GREAT STAFF TO SERVICE EVERY BRIDES NEEDS TO MAKE THEIR DAY SO VERY SPECIAL. NANCY RAY OF EXCLUSIVE CAKES

Where else in Arizona can you get married at a beautiful castle setting? The photo opportunities there are endless!

Where else in Arizona can you get that romantic feeling of being married in a castle? No where but at 'The Castle'! I have decorated the castle more times than I can count, but honestly, it is so beautiul that it doesn't need too much more to accentuate it. Take a look at this absolutely gorgeous venue~!

Absolutely beautiful location to have your fairy tale wedding! Their inclusive package makes it so convenient to have it "all done". You may also bring in your own vendors for the more hands-on bride. Definately check it out!

Each time I visit the Castle at Ashlet Manor it takes my breath away! From the amazing wooden doors that greet you, to the fountains that comfort you in the courtyard! It is truly a magical place to visit and what Bride wouldn't want her dream wedding to be in a Castle!

Each time I visit the Castle at Ashlet Manor it takes my breath away! From the amazing wooden doors that greet you, to the fountains that comfort you in the coutyard! It is truly a magical place to visit and what Bride wouldn't want her dream wedding to be in a Castle!