Sheldon Concert Hall

Working with Laurie Hasty at the Sheldon was the worst part of our wedding planning. I regret we didn't read more reviews online before we gave a deposit check. She seems to be the only one who works with event rental space and doesn't want to work with you until the Monday before the event. I don't know what we would have done without a wedding coordinator to deal with her and create floor plans, coordinate rentals, etc. Our requests were treated as burdens by Laurie. The staff the night of our reception was great, but I can't say I would do it again. Also note their Executive Director never returned my call when I left a voicemail to express my concerns.

We booked the Sheldon for our September 2011 wedding back in March 2010. Laurie, the coordinator, is a very difficult person to work with. Her communication was awful. She told me that she would get back to me in April 2010 on some questions I asked her, and I never heard from her again. Their contract is horrendous. It doesn't include the stipulations that they actually have for the venue, and Laurie didn't disclose those stipulations until after the contract was signed, despite multiple questions on the subject. They require union vendors, and the lighting vendor that they require was extremely rude to us. We cancelled the Sheldon as it caused far more headache than it was worth, and, of course, we were unable to recoup our 1200 deposit.

Beautiful venue, however communication with the event planner was challenging-phone calls unreturned, contract miscommunications. We had requested glass wear that was not provided and had requested there not be tip jars at the open bars but there were.

The atmosphere and space was “us”. We did a lot of searching and this space was perfect for our party and guests. I like the aesthetics overall of the room. The event coordinator made the planning very stressful. If there is a way to work with someone else at the site, that would be desirable. They do allow you to choose your own vendor, which for us was very nice. We also liked many of the on-site amenities (lighted trees, large skylights in the room, balcony area – great for photos, etc.)