Arboretum Club Banquets & Events

Wish it would have been better…
I had the honor of attending my niece’s wedding recently at this venue. As we drove up, it looked amazing! Everything was tastefully decorated and just enough «pizzazz» to make it look elegant without hitting the «gaudy» level.
The appetizers were promptly served, and they were delicious. That is where the story should have ended. But no, it doesn’t. Dinner wasn’t served until 8:30. Reception start time was 6:00, and we just started getting the soups and salads at 8:00. Then, when it finally did arrive, it was cold. Not even room temperature, but actually cold. What a let down. Had I known this was how dinner was going to play out, I would have stocked up on the appetizers.
So consider this your warning… stay away for the sake of your reputation as a host and the appetite of your guests.

The venue and staff were nice enough, I just have to warn about the food. Inedible. We had the buffet for 70 for a birthday party. Mealy, mushy fruit skewers, a carving table with beef so tough no one ate it. It was left on everyones plate. A salad that was nothing but lettuce with a bowl of cherry tomatoes next to it. It was so embarrassing. When i went through the line both the chicken and the butternut squash ravioli were empty. The appetizer table and passed hors doerves were not very appealing. No one ate them. I know we were the third event of the day, but there is no excuse for this. My family came home hungry and I’m pretty sure others did too.

I have organized multiple public events here over the past 18 months, and attended several others, and have glowing remarks for this venue and the event staff.
I’ve worked with Mike K. on three events, and each one has been great. He makes event planning easy, which I so appreciate. I am a type-​A perfectionist, and tend to stress out over details, so it is a real treat to hand the reins over to someone else and know I don’t have to worry about the room setup, food, or service. Any of my last-​minute requests – mirrored plates for the centerpieces, for example, or a diagram to send the speaker – were handled instantly.
We’ve done hors d’oeuvres, cookies and coffee, and our last event was a hot buffet. Each was very well-​received by our guests. My organization will be back for more events, I am certain.

My friend had a great wedding here. It was well organized (not sure how much that was the couple’s doing and how much the Arboretum’s).
The front foyer is really nice and has this indoor waterfall sculpture, where the wedding party took all our pictures. There’s also the golf course out back for some nice outdoor shots w/​greenery in the background.
The food was GREAT, the best I’ve had at a wedding!
Before dinner there was shrimp, crab legs, oysters, which were all fresh & great. There were these soft banana chips that just seemed old and had no flavor. The guac was pretty good but as you can imagine disappeared fast. Some little stuffed mushroom appetizers which were pretty good. Nice thing was they made up a tray of smaller portions of all this food JUST for the wedding party and put it in our little «changing room»! Which was perfect because we didn’t get to try much of these appetizers; the guests mingled there while we were busy taking photos.
For dinner: the chicken soup was thick and alright, salad fresh and simple, but that was followed by a SORBET as a palate cleanser! For dinner the roasted chicken was a little overcooked, but the butternut squash ravioli was delicious. My friend said the cake there sucked and she got a tres leches from somewhere else which was delicious — Arboretum doesn’t get credit though.
The bar was fully stocked and you had every option you could possibly think of. They made me some nice girly/​fruity drinks (as I always request).
The chocolate fountain was AWESOME. I love that theres a guy who stands by it all night to make sure no one double dips.
The at the end of the night there was another table with middle eastern food! A nice surprise. But the falafel was so hard and packed tight, and way way way too spicy. The hummus seemed artificial and had a gloopy texture.
Just as an FYI (so Arboretum doesn’t get all the credit for seeming to have gone the extra mile on everything) — my friend DID pay extra for all these things I enjoyed so much (the seafood apps, the extra portions for the wedding party, the chocolate fountain, the late night middle eastern food).

we are regulars…
my family has hosted 3 parties at the arb: a bridal shower, a baptism/​easter luncheon and a baby shower. all events went off without a hitch. chris is a pleasure to work with and is extremely accommodating. she works with you to get that per person price you so desire. the restaurant as well as the banquet rooms are beautiful spaces. the food is very good — if you are hosting a brunch, make sure to ask about the butternut squash ravioli and their fruit skewers — always a hit.