Hill Manor

09/18/09

great venue!!

by junedmoon at Citysearch

We just had a bridal shower at Hill Manor and it was so beautiful. The guest kept raving about how great the venue was. The house is old with southern flare and antique furniture throughout....beautiful! The property is very nice as well. We had the shower out side and used the porch and gazebo; the pictures turned out really well. The owner, Kelley, is so sweet. She is very helpful with anything you need and she really helps to implement your vision. I would definitely hold an event here again!

• Pros: beautiful property and location

08/05/09

Perfect location for a wedding

by felidae369 at Citysearch

My husband and I planned our wedding in less than one month. Hill Manor was the first and only place we looked at. The grounds and house were beautiful and Kelly couldn't have been more helpful. Although she might not have answered phone calls, messages were promptly returned and she gladly allowed us to meet at the location several times to discuss the details of the wedding. The whole operation is very professional and my guests were very impressed.

06/22/09

A photographers perspective

by allanlevene at Citysearch

I shot a wedding here last year. It was very easy to photograph as the house has very high white ceilings and studio flash worked very well and it also has very nice antique furniture.

I usually find that the bridal changing room is full of junk so photographing the bride getting dressed is a challenge. Not so here... the room is beautiful and making the bride look great without horrible backgrounds was simple.

This place is a hidden gem. Take a look.

• Pros: Very easy to photograph
• Cons: None significant

05/15/09

An absolutely Beautiful and Affordable Venue

by awill157 at Citysearch

Our whole experience at Hill Manor was absolutely incredible. After months of searching throughout Kennesaw, Marietta, Canton, Woodstock, Roswell, and some parts of Atlanta, my fiancé and I had determined that because of our budget and the length of which we needed our wedding reception to run, we were going to have to hold our reception at a location that neither of us were very happy about. That is until we stumbled upon Hill Manor!!

I cannot say enough nice things about Kelly and the whole Hill Manor staff. They exceeded our expectations without breaking our pocket book. I recommend Hill Manor to anyone, whether you’re on a budget or not, the location, look of the venue, service, and flexibility are second to none – trust me – I looked EVERYWHERE!!

For starters, from start of finish, Kelly was always available during the whole process whenever I had a question about anything – I mean, I called her several times from as early as 8am to as late as 11pm and she was always there to help me out with whatever I needed! Next, Hill Manor is so beautiful that you don’t have to worry about decorating anything inside or out unless you just feel super compelled to have something specific. That not only saved me a lot of stress, but it also saved us a lot of money! She allowed us to use the venue the whole day of the wedding and we were allowed to let the reception continue until as late as we wanted with no worries about sound ordinances or inconveniencing her in any way! We were so impressed with Hill Manor that we used her bed and breakfast service the night before and the night after the wedding – the food was delicious!!

The day of the wedding everything went very smoothly. Kelly had everything set up to perfection! At first I was a little anxious about using her bartender because his rate was so reasonable, but he was absolutely spectacular! The catering service also provided a wonderful meal and everyone was very impressed with everything. You would have never guessed that we had saved so much money.

Our reception at Hill Manor was perfect. It was the only place we could find that did not force us to choose between price and elegance. Kelly was super accommodating and allowed us to do everything we asked. I didn’t have to coordinate anything with my vendors that came the day of the reception because Kelly handled everything! We even wanted to hold our actual ceremony outside at Hill Manor because it was so beautiful and convenient, but our priest wouldn’t do it because of rules with the Catholic Church.

From the first tour we took, I couldn’t believe how beautiful and picturesque the inside AND outside of the Hill Manor property were. We had previously looked at Victorian style venues, but had decided not to go that route b/c most of them in the Kennesaw and Marietta area were too expensive, too strict, and only gave you 3-4 hrs for the reception. Well, after taking a tour of Hill Manor we knew that it was the perfect location for our reception. Not only did we get to rent the location for three times as long as any other, but it was half the price! In addition, Kelly, the owner of Hill Manor, was more than accommodating for everything we wanted to do and we saved a HUGE amount of money.

I tell everyone I meet that is planning an event to check out Hill Manor. I'd give it six stars if I could!

• Pros: Elegance, Flexibilty, Location, Size, Value
• Cons: Everything was perfect - no cons

03/29/09

A picturesque Victorian setting with all the amenities

by EmilyandChuck at Citysearch

A picturesque Victorian setting with all the amenities necessary.

Wow! We can’t say enough about Hill Manor in Kennesaw, Georgia. For a wonderful budget conscious wedding and reception, Hill Manor has it all.

When first looking into locations for our wedding we were discouraged by all the vendors/ locations that were beautiful, but too many strings attached, clauses (time limits, extra charges, contingencies, restrictions, the list goes on), and their inability to provide the wedding atmosphere we desired. It was during our first visit to Hill Manor after seeing the grounds and meeting with Kelly that we knew we found our wedding location. Hill Manor, and Kelly in particular, was available for us to not only create the atmosphere we desired for our wedding- an outdoor wedding followed by a relaxing garden party, but also avoided all of the contingencies that the other vendors required. We had found Hill Manor on the internet and were professionally guided by the owner from the start to finish of our wedding & reception.

Upon our first visit all the necessities to plan a memorable wedding were provided to us by a charming and courteous owner. Kelly eased anxieties by providing us a location for an outdoor wedding, reception, and location for parents to stay. We found ourselves with a location, a vendor for catering, outdoor dance floor, perfect setting for pictures, tent, table, and linen rentals less than 2 miles from the site, hotel accommodations less than 3 miles from the site, ample parking, onsite Bed & Breakfast accommodations for parents, flexible bar services, and a walking distance location for rehearsal dinner at Capers in downtown Kennesaw.

The one requirement Hill Manor has is that you use “Adriane’s Delectables” catering services. This solved two pressing needs: one we secured a caterer familiar with the facilities and two we planned a heavy Hors D’oeuvers menu with remarkable food our guests still talk about. Amazing comes to mind.

Throughout the year prior to our wedding, Kelly was helpful with any needs and questions we had regarding the wedding and reception. We were also pleased to find that road noise, a concern of other locations, was minimal as the site is at an elevation providing ample privacy.

Honestly, we cannot say enough about Kelly and Hill Manor as we’ve nothing but fond memories and splendid pictures to look back on. Our friends, who attended the wedding, also continue to talk about their enjoyable experience as well. We welcome any questions or clarifications we can provide and would love to share photographs/ recommend a photographer. For further information, feel free to email us at zinc360@mac.c0m. Hoping you have as pleasant an experience as we did, all our best Emily & Chuck Ellwood.

• Pros: See Details
• Cons: See Details

06/14/08

Reply

by Kelly94 at Citysearch

Dear Reader, Hill Manor (HM) is aware of the reviews on this site. Since learning of negative reviews here we have begun to more actively solicit our clients for feedback. Please check this site often and others such as WeddingWire, AtlantaBridal etc.for more current reviews. We really thank our clients who have taken the time to publish their own reviews of the good experiences they have had with us at HM. Please know that the HM has been in business since 2000 and has hosted hundreds of weddings, receptions, and other special events. We have wonderfully satisfied customers and great experiences working with our clients. Sometimes these events, particularly weddings can become very stressful and overwhelming for individuals who are not accustomed to working with such affairs. Regrettably, no matter how hard you try, there are some customers who have made up their minds and just will not be pleased with whatever you try to do. Each and every single issue in these negative complaints has not been addressed in this response because some are just completely false and ridiculous. These reviews are not verified in any way before they are posted by these types of sites. HM is licensed, insured and permitted. We receive consistent high scores, 96, 98 and above from County Health Inspectors with our latest score being 100. Phone service has never been disconnected due to non-payment. This is an old house (1898) and right after the restoration period the phone connection would go out when it rained. After service calls to the phone company this problem was remedied. Phone service no longer goes out when it rains. We do treat our lawn area for ants, spiders, etc. We do not have a red ant problem, have monthly pest control service also treat the lawn. The electrical systems in the house are all brand new since 1999 and we do not have electrical issues. When an outdoor reception setup requires more than the average setup beyond the typical band, lighting, or DJ's we ask that these vendors arrive early to test their systems to ensure we have enough power to pull all systems. At the last minute a bride decided to rent a very large outdoor air conditioning unit that did require additional power and the renting of the generator. Weddings can be stressful events for brides and we try to remember this when handling awkward situations. Fortunately these types of brides are few and far between. We have has so many happy, nice weddings. As far as we can tell these reviews are in no way verified for accuracy. Remember what your mom told you and don't believe anything you hear and only half what you see, especially on the internet. Check us out for yourselves Ask for references. Do us the honor of inspecting us yourselves. We can show you dozens of handwritten thank you notes and cards from our customers who were thrilled with their experiences here at the HM Bed & Breakfast. Ask us for references from recent and past customers

• Pros: Personal Service, Fairly Priced

08/27/07

Horrible and Embarrassing

by t2fly at Citysearch

I had my rehearsal dinner, wedding and booked both guest rooms. I can't begin to explain how

horrible things went. First of all the night of our rehearsal dinner, Kelly Ewing, the owner was so

intoxicated it was unbelievable. She asked me and my attendants SEVERAL times what time we wanted breakfast the next morning...we told her 9:00 a.m. as we had appts. Breakfast was served at 10:30! This caused the entire day to run behind. MY WEDDING DAY!! I did not have time to help my wedding coord. decorate, & the photographer was put behind. THE HOUSE WAS FILTHY!! My hairdresser even offered to help clean the place. I have pictures of how nasty this place was. The arch we were to use for our ceremony was supposed to have been painted, it wasn't; she was supposed to set up our tables and chairs immediately after the ceremony for our dinner, my uncle and nephew had to set up, she was no where to be found; Her gormet, home cooked, large country, hot breakfast was the MOST disgusting meal I have ever seen in my life. Try frozen Quiche! She had to use my juice I bought for bar setup because she did not have any!! The towels and linens provided were filled with holes and ripped to shreds! Her live-in boyfriend who was supposed to be a licensed bartender was far from a bartender. He put my guests at danger by dipping USED glasses into the ice bucket being used for our drinks, to wet the rims for salt...what if the glass chipped, what if someone had some contagious disease? Very unprofessional, and dirty. This place is a joke!! Dog hair everywhere...the kitchen and refrigerator was filthy...and let me tell you Kelly Ewing should NOT be doing business in any shape form or fashion. I would NOT recommend this place to my worst enemy. The only good thing about Hill Manor is the location for out of town guests...otherwise...STAY AWAY!!!

• Pros: Good location
• Cons: Nasty house, unprofessional Inn Keeper, and bartender

08/22/06

BUYER BEWARE!

by carriebambrey at Citysearch

I had an outdoor wedding at the Hill Manor in Kennesaw. Prior to our booking this site, Kelly Ewing, the owner, was quick to return our phone calls, answer questions. After we put our deposit down, she stopped returning phone calls, emails or even faxes. Her cell phone had become disconnected, her main number kept getting disconnected, she would not respond to emails. This happened 3 times, each lasting 1-2 weeks of non-communications. The night of the rehearsal, the arch we were to stand in front of was covered in ants. Several people from our party got bitten that night. Hill Manor never treated the ant problem even after several requests. The day of the wedding, I had ants on my dress train while we were taking pictures and received several bites to my legs and feet during the wedding. Also, when we arrived the day of to set up, her dog was running around in the yard, amongst the chairs and tables and as we were setting up, we stepped in several piles of dog doodle. She did not inform us that the house had electrical issues until we found out the hard way and had to make an emergency rental of a generator the night before the wedding. Unfortunately, these were just a few of the problems we had at the Hill Manor. Any attempt to get help from Kelly only resulted in a horrible attitude from her. She belittled both my and my husbands mental abilities in front of me the day before the wedding when we were trying to get some of these problems fixed. Horrible experience not worth all the hassles!

• Pros: great price
• Cons: bad service