Landis Valley Museum

We had a wonderful wedding at Landis Valley. I would recommend the location but with words of caution about the starff. Landis Valley is beautiful and having ceremony and reception space in one spot was a priority for us. We were going for a casual elegance vibe and this was the perfect backdrop. It also provides adequate space for the caterer as well as space under the shed's overhang for cocktail hour should it rain (it sprinkled on our day). We were able to set up a large tent to accommodate all of our 120 guests and it was really lovely. We also chose this venue over another because it has better acoustics, so if you're looking at hiring a band I would take this in to consideration. As a previous reviewer mentioned the bathrooms are gross. They function though and the day of I didn't really notice them. My communications with Joyce leading up to the wedding were great. She was responsive and gave me all of the information that I needed. We were able to set up the day before since there was no event which was great but when we showed up we were bombarded by a frantic, hostile Joyce. The tent rental company had not confirmed their arrival time and came too early, so she turned them away and asked that they return later. I received a call at 3pm (which is the earliest you can begin setting up) and she angrily asked when they would be there without informing me of what happened earlier. She also showed annoyance at the fact that we had not let her know we wanted them to set up the chairs and that it would be an extra charge. We had communicated this verbally before but not on the rental sheet which I understand but the way she handled it was unprofessional. I asked my finance to communicate with her while I set up I didn't see or hear from her again. I think her responses to these reviews says it all. Additionally, I was approached by both the candle watcher and someone working the horse-drawn-carriage during my cocktail hour as I was speaking to guests to express minor concerns. I felt that they should be trained how to handle those situations should they come up again (ie. the candle watcher is the only one who can light the candles, but the caterer hadn't put them on the tables yet. What I would expect is that she speak with the caterer but she approached me and asked me where they were instead). I am so happy that we chose this location, and I would do it again but wish that I was more prepared for the day-before day-of interactions with the staff. I hope that someone is reading these reviews and takes the time to speak with them so that people continue to choose (and enjoy) this wonderful venue.

Well I have to say I'm a bit hesitant to review if it is going to be commented on. That's a little intimidating. It's a beautiful venue! EVERYONE commented on it. It was a perfect site for us b/c we wanted something beautiful and relaxed. We wanted some place where we could provide our own food. It was a blank canvas and we were able to set things up and do things our way, mostly. We would have loved to celebrate later into the night, but figured out to have an after party at a friend's house. The candle watcher...watched the cupcakes and chased people away from them prior to us cutting the cake topper. The whole reason we had cupcakes was so that guests could get it when they were ready for dessert. I didn't know about it until later into the evening. We ended up having a ton of leftover cupcakes and I have to wonder if that contributed. Also, she was being paid to watch the candles...stay away from the cupcakes you knew nothing about them. We had our celebration on a Friday night so that we could get the less expensive rate. So for that, it was well worth it. Overall it was the perfect venue for us and our family and friends. The Yellow Barn is amazingly beautiful. We worked with the other consultant and she was great. We emailed frequently and she kept me on track when she needed paperwork or direction. It was a beautiful day and I would do it again. Great pics!

I would recommend the site for the right type of person. For us, the Yellow Barn was great because it is a beautiful location and ended up being a great option for my price range. It’s cheaper than many similarly scenic locations we considered because you basically do everything yourself and can select catering and alcohol options for your budget. However, you DO have to do everything yourself, so pick a caterer who knows the site well and will manage all setup on the day of (Festive Board Catering in York did a really good job for us). We had a really difficult time ever hearing anything from the two women at the museum. We had to be really organized and proactive to take care of things ourselves. The guy they had on site that day was just kind of there to watch the stuff. He’s not going to provide you any services and he wants to pack up at get out of there right at 11. That said, we had a wonderful wedding and received many compliments from our guests. The site provided a scenic backdrop for photos and had ample space for people to socialize outside of the dance floor and dinner table. We didn’t feel like anyone was watching over our shoulder (indeed, we never even met Joyce or her assistant), so if you’re the independent type that doesn’t need an onsite coordinator or frequent communication, then this is a beautiful site for a price you won’t get at a place with more services.

We had our ceremony at LV. Beautiful site. They were cooperative with changing the allowed time for a wedding ceremony as ours started earlier than generally allowed. They are pretty strict however when it comes to the times for which items may be delivered and or picked up (ie florist, decorations, tent set up, etc). It was not a problem though as I understand it is a museum. : ) They allowed us to reserve two areas (indoor and outdoor) weather permitting!! We were very lucky to have found such a great site in Lancaster that worked with us!

Don't get me wrong, this place is BEAUTIFUL, but unfortunately I just can't recommend them. The service was terrible. The ladies in charge give different responses to similar questions and they must not have a centralized location that they keep stuff on each wedding, as every phone call felt like step one all over again. One time I emailed a question and also asked about visiting the property again in the following week or two and I got an email more than a month later asking me if my question had ever been answered. I agree with a previous poster that the bathrooms are a sight to see. They may have been cleaned, but what they need is an update. They smell (even with the air fresheners I brought in) and they get backed up. Yuck! We also had a major run in with them the week of the wedding as we were consistently told something that turned out to be a false statement. Of course, if you ask them, they did nothing wrong. That's all I will say about that. I just felt like a paid A LOT of money for four walls (not to mention the chair and table fees on top of that) and received no service but rather a lot of stress. We got some beautiful, scenic photos, but if I had to do it all over I would go somewhere else. There are cheaper places in the area that do not require you to do everything yourself. Weddings must be what keeps that museum alive, cause unless it is a special event, there are very few people there. They were flexible with my rehearsal and the carriage rides, so that was a plus. Also, the carriage driver was awesome. The day-of on-site guy? Yeah, not so awesome. P.S. I realize that Joyce responds to these reviews, which is a shame because it will deter people from leaving reviews. In fact, I almost did not leave a review because of this, however, I decided to leave a review despite it.

The Firehouse at Landis Valley was perfect for my wedding and I really lucked out with timing as the building just got a fresh coat of interior paint! If you are looking for a casual themed wedding, the LV Museum is great. My biggest issue in working with them is that I was dealing with 2 different women and conflicting information. If I emailed with a question, I would contact both of them, but only one would respond. Similarly, I would receive emails from only one of them at a time and at the end of the day, I felt as though they weren't communicating with one another and I was on the other end getting confused. The venue was great - perfect for our needs, but take my advice and demand to only work with one staff person! Also, I wish they would have done a better job of cleaning the bathroom facilities prior to my event.

Landis Valley is a beautiful back drop for a wedding. However, keep in mind this is a state run museum and not a privately run venue. As a result, the lack in customer service is evident. In our experience, we were repeatedly led to believe that repairs would be completed in time for our special day which were not. Understandably unforeseen circumstances are always a possibility and a vendor has the ability to compensate the client for this. Unfortunately, this was not the case for us. Make sure to get promises in writing before you sign a contract. You do not want to pay top dollar as we did for a half par facility and experience last minute stress trying to figure out a solution to cover up someone else's mistake.

Beautiful facility. The only downfall is that you can't begin ANYTHING (including vendor arrival) until 5:00 pm. Perfect setting for a rustic/laid back wedding. The staff are very friendly and helpful, too.