Wedding Venue Review - Deer Creek Lodge

Today's post is a review of our wedding venue.  I feel like the venue is really the most important materialistic part of the wedding - there are so many things that can go right or wrong that it is worth more of your thought and money than many of the other details in a wedding.

If you are currently searching for a wedding venue in Oklahoma and missed my post way back when, you can read more about unique venues I found in Oklahoma with searching tips.  Check it out HERE!

Our Wedding venue was Deer Creek Lodge 1 in Davis, Oklahoma.  For you Okies who might be familiar, it is just off I35's exit 52. That is right where the Arbuckle Fried Pies shop is located, and there is a large group of lodges owned by Deer Creek. We used lodge 1, which turned out perfect for our needs.

Jim (the manager) was really nice to work with, although a bit unorganized.  Several times he called and couldn't remember which lodge we wanted reserved, with the assumption that we wanted Lodge 4 instead of Lodge 1.  We had things planned almost a year in advanced, so things got sorted out several months prior to the wedding.    

My check for the venue deposit ($200) was either lost in the mail or after its arrival. I didn't notice that the check hadn't been taken out of my account, and it ended up being 5 months later when I was called by Deer Creek who wanted to ask again which lodge we had booked, and when I was going to pay the deposit. I assured them that I'd sent the check back in August, and that I followed up the next week to be sure they received the check (when they told me they had received it). They told me they must have gotten my check mixed up with the deposit from the people renting Lodge 4 - either way, five months later the check was missing. I ended up having to cancel the check (another $25) and went down myself a few weeks later to just pay the entire cost up front, at which point the deposit was unnecessary.  The cost was for $425 plus tax per night with a 2 night minimum.

Fortunately, everything worked out - but getting to where it was worked out was at times stressful. I hate to open my review this way, because after we got the right lodge booked and missing check straightened out, everything else fell together perfectly. They were very understanding about the situations that occured, I ended up with the correct lodge - and since it was all fixed in the end, I'm happy and I have no problems with them.

Having a full 48 hours at the lodge worked out great for us since we could have the rehearsal dinner and could get everything (including food) ready there the night before to alleviate some of the stress for the day of the wedding.  To me, having 48 hours for $925 (after tax) was a much better deal than paying the same price or more to "actual" wedding venues that only allow you to be there for 6-8 hours.

The rehearsal the day before the wedding at Deer Creek Lodge 1 in Davis, OK.

The lodge also cut expenses in terms of lodging the night before the wedding. My in-laws rented a VRBO house a few miles away for their side of the family (who all had to travel much further than my family and needed nearby places to stay), and I stayed the night at the wedding lodge with two of my bridesmaids and their guys. It saved us from having to spend the gas to drive back to our homes or to pay for a hotel.

Some complications that came with having the wedding here was the parking situation and an insufficient amount of tables and chairs for our approximated 100-150 guests.

The lodge did not have sufficient parking for more than 10 people, and that parking area was where we put the chairs for my ceremony (meaning NO cars could be up there).

 We solved this problem by renting the church van from my parent’s church and paying a friend to drive people back and forth from the wedding location to the parking area - about ¼ a mile.  We sent a map detailing the parking information and shuttle pick up in everyone's invitation. For the most part that worked out pretty well, although a few people still ended up being confused.

See the shuttle in the back of this picture?

The shuttle made it in one of our pictures!
It was parked at the shuttle stop - complete with a sign
telling guests what times it would run (to save on trips and gas).

The futons and booths created plenty of seating for the interior of the lodge, and we also rented chairs and tables from my parent’s church to use outside for the ceremony and outdoor reception. For the reception, we hired another family friend to grill burgers and everyone sat outside to eat dinner until it was time to cut the cake.  

The view from the outdoor reception tables.

We only used the inside of the lodge for the first dance and cake cutting.  Our original plans were to have a dance floor inside, but we weren’t feeling it that night so we skipped it all together.  

Our guests in the interior of the lodge during the best man's speech.

The canoes at the lodge were a big hit with our college aged friends.  Not only did Tyler and I get to take some really fun wedding photos in the canoes, but several of our friends had a blast.  After the rehearsal dinner, my bridesmaids and I got in the canoes to row around at dusk - and it was the first time before the wedding that I was able to truly not feel stressed.

The grounds have several designated campfire spots, which worked out great for s’mores.  Just keep in mind that you’ll either want your wedding to be late in the evening, or during the cooler months.  Even with a May 18 wedding, it was still too hot outside for the whole camp fire thing, and most of our crowd had left by the time the fire was started and s’mores were brought out.  We made about 200 packages (assuming not all our guests would come, but that most people would eat more than one)....well, the amount of s’mores left over was ridiculous.  If the weather hadn’t been so warm I would assume they would have become a bigger hit.

Friends eating S'mores!

We had a wonderful day on our wedding, and our venue turned out to be perfect for us.  We may have still ended up paying almost as much as a place that would have done everything for us - but for me, that was the problem. I needed my wedding to be mine, something that I created, and something that I didn't hire anyone else to do for me. (I'm kind of stubborn like that).

Between planning for an entire year and the help of family and friends, we pulled it off successfully. It is definitely a day I am proud of, and I know that we all did it together.

If you'd like to see more of our wedding and our venue, my friend's husband made a recap video of our wedding and she posted it on her blog. Check it out!

P.S. I found out today that our professional pictures are finally done!  I'm super excited, and she will be mailing our disc this week! I know you don't mind the photos of our venue taken by our lovely friends, but I'm sure you will be able to appreciate the view even more with Anna's photos!  We got a sneak peak today, and I'll share with you.

This was my favorite one of the sneak peeks.
Photo taken by Birds and Coffee Design.

P.S.S. If you're also looking for a wonderful and affordable photographer in Oklahoma, check out Birds and Coffee Design!  She took our wedding pictures, as well as my dear friend and blogger Veronica's wedding photos!  We both loved her work, and her prices.  More on that later!

Unique Venue Searching Tips for Oklahoma Brides

This is a shout out for all those Oklahoma Brides who are either looking for a unique or inexpensive wedding venue.  Since we looked for the perfect venue for over 3 months, and since I've been doing this wedding planning thing for 5 months now (dang!), I feel obligated to share a little post with some of my local findings!

Barns & Corn Mazes

Barns

• One, very reasonable, option Tyler and I almost decided upon was the Round Barn in Arcadia.  The inside of the barn is lovely, has character, and a great dance floor.  I had my heart set on this option for about two months, when we decided to go back one more time before making the final decision.  I'm glad we did, as it did not seem quite as magical the second time there.  The main issues are no kitchen, no air conditioning, low lighting, and no comfortable rooms or bathrooms for the wedding party to get ready.  The barn only costs $500 to rent for a 12 hour period.  It has a maximum occupancy of 150 people, which was another issue for us.

Oklahoma Corn Maze List

• Firey Trails in Sand Springs seemed very willing to work with us, but advised they were planning to make some updates to their property to be able to host better events.  We found another option before getting into much with them, however I would suggest this option to anyone looking for a rustic location in north-eastern Oklahoma.  Just shoot them an email and ask. The main cons from my emails with this group were that the event time frame seemed rather short (4 hours) but I never inquired about time extensions.
• PBar Farms looked like a promising location, but was a little too far from our part of Oklahoma for consideration.

Bed & Breakfasts, Cabins and Lodges

Master Oklahoma List of Bed & Breakfasts

• From my contact with most of the Bed and Breakfast owners, weddings were mostly out of the question (unless they cater to this).  Fire regulations and limited space often prevent weddings with guests, but are a good option for elopements.

Cabins

• We inquired about many cabins.  Many did not feel comfortable with the amount of people that would be at a wedding, and so most turned us down.  Others had room to accommodate  but did not want the noise factor at their retreat area.

Lodges

• We finally found Deer Creek Lodges near Turner Falls and have since chosen one of their locations.  They have been nice to work with so far, requiring a $200 refundable deposit, and $425 a night, with a 2 night minimum.  No extra fees for weddings.  Since we would need two nights for rehearsal dinner and the wedding, this allows us to utilize a full 48 hours of the venue in the neighborhood of $1,000 after tax is added in.  We like that we will have time to decorate, celebrate, and that our families will not have to rush to clean up the night of the festivities.  The building is a bit small, but the outdoor area is lovely, so we are confident that our guests will not want to be stuck inside...just as long as it doesn't rain, or tornado.  It is Oklahoma.
  POST EDIT:  You may now read my post wedding review of our wedding experience HERE at Deer Creek Lodge #1!

Christmas Tree Farms, Nurseries and Wineries

Christmas Tree Association - Tree Farm Locations

• While Christmas Tree Farms seemed like a great idea to me, it was very difficult to find places that would either respond to my emails and phone calls, or who were willing to allow for such a big event to take place on their properties.  Mostly, no one responded.  Some advised that their property was overgrown, and not well suited for a wedding.  However, as will be the case with many places with low responses (probably who are owned by older people who do not email) I worked nights, and usually contacted via email, not telephone.  If one were to try asking in person or via phone, my feelings are that they would have better luck.

Oklahoma Nursery List

• I was advised to visit the Rosebrook Nursery, and that they had a barn for rent.  I remember that the pricing was more than I wanted to pay for this one, but a good option for others.

• I read on theknot.com that there was a place called Chapel Creek Winery in El Reno that was free to whomever bought $400 worth of wine from the venue.  Sounds too good to be true, right?  Yep, you're right.  A venue that is free, and you get your whine too?  Ok, but seriously.  I decided to contact them regarding this information.  After I finally got from the people trying to sell me some sort of photography package I didn't want and to the person who actually managed the venue, I found out that this information is very outdated.  The winery was once used used by a local community member under whom the $400 of wine rule stood.  Now the winery is owned by El Reno's Redlands Community College.  It is not free to those who purchase alcohol.  However, the new price was included a $150 deposit, and $1000 venue rental.  

Local Universities, Colleges and Government Buildings

• From what I heard, UCO had very reasonable venue prices.  Tyler and I couldn't see ourselves with this venue, as it is a bit disloyal to our grand (and expensive) University of Oklahoma, but is a possible choice for those with no Alma Mater.  UCO had options from renting sections 3,065 square foot areas of a ballroom for $600 per section, to renting Constitution hall at $1,040 for the full day.  They also offer catering, which gives a discount on your room rental.  You can email them to request their contracts and pricing plans.

• The Oklahoma State Capitol rents the premises for free.  One makes a deposit for their wedding day, and has access to whichever room they choose from the form.  Common complaints with this venue that I found through my research are that no dancing is allowed (besides customary first dance and father/bride dances).  The state capitol also does not limit tourists' access to your wedding, and often make themselves feel welcome to "tour" your wedding and reception.  There is no air conditioning, so this would make for a miserable summer wedding.  Other than this, this venue is very affordable, needs minimal decorating, and gives you beautiful pictures.

One thing I did that brought me a lot of useful information was order free travel brochures from travelok.com.  This helped us to think outside the box of what we knew, and even if you don't end up using some of the ideas for the wedding, they can make great side trips for you and your husband-to-be.

This is all the information I have compiled so far regarding unique wedding venues in Oklahoma.  While I contacted many venues, I mostly posted about ones I felt there were misconceptions about, or that offered some sort of productive information.  I also tried to warn about types of locations that may be fruitless effort in one's search for wedding venues.  Nothing I say is intended to harm any business or location, but just giving my two cents about the realistic possibility for a wedding.  Also, this information is only supposed to be helpful from the research I did while we were venue searching, and is subject to being out of date or incorrect!

With love and a pot of brewing coffee,

Saxon