Venue at the Grove

I have had several friends consider the Venue at the Groves but ultimately went with another venue. I was finally lucky enough to attend a wedding there recently and was underwhelmed.
The venue itself was very pretty but was also very small. The wedding area can accommodate a mid sized wedding but seemed cramped. The area behind the groves is developed housing and to the south west of the «Grove» area is dirt lot. One of the neighboring homes of the venue played mariachi music during the ceremony which was a distraction.
They did have cute ambiance options. After the wedding we went to a more «rustic» barn area for cocktail hour. I use cocktail and not cocktails because they only staffed 2 bartenders for a wedding party of 200. They did a great job of allowing the personalities of the couple to shine through with specialty craft cocktails, but the bartenders may not have been properly trained on how to make them as they were way too strong to be enjoyable.
The catering team had some missteps as well. Its buffet food at a wedding so I am not expecting miracles, but trays of food ran out quickly with no back ups ready to go. When it came time to toast the couple, the guests were told by the DJ «go to the bar and get a drink, we are toasting the couple in 5 minutes.» I have never been to a wedding where guests have been forced to get their own drinks for the toast.
The outdoor brick reception portion was beautiful for the evening wedding but the indoor venue portion portion was outdated. The catering staff was also very clear when they wanted us to leave. By the time 10 PM rolled around, they cleared everything including drinks off the tables and last call was not long after that. I get we cant stay all night, but it was evident they wanted us gone.
If you are looking for an intimate, quaint, outdoor wedding in the middle of the city, keep the Venue at the Groves on your list. But I would still suggest checking out the Desert Botanical Gardens before you put down a deposit.

I used this venue for pictures after my ceremony (quick ceremony as my husband is in the military) my talked photographer met us here to take pictures of us to remember our wedding day by. The venue at the grove has beautiful backdrops, you won’t even think you’re on phoenix. I’m so grateful I tried this place, my pictures turned out amazing!!! I didn’t see inside the venue or anything, but definitely recommend for pictures whether it be wedding, engagement or family!!!

This review is based on our consultation this past Saturday.
We live in California. We performed all our research online before visiting Arizona. We fell in Love with Venue at the Grove. From the reviews we read and the pictures it appeared to be the perfect venue. As an out of State couple this was a great option because of the all-​inclusive package offered.
Our visit to this venue started out rocky because of the area that surrounds Venue at the Grove. I was uneasy about the surrounding neighborhood. I hadn’t seen any mention of this in any other reviews. As we have many out of town guests, this was a bit unsettling. However, we weren’t going to let that deter us. Upon arrival to the venue, we were greeted by Kimberly. We started the «tour» right away. She didn’t a take us inside nor did she offer any sort of water or refreshment. It was 100 degrees outside, it was the least she could offer. We walked into the indoor reception hall and was pleasantly surprised. It was very clean and smelled brand new. There was a dinner table display that looked inviting and didn’t have the awful comference room chairs. So far so good. We walked out to the outdoor patio and ceremony area. The area was nice but the grass wasn’t the best. Understandable, it’s the middle of summer. This is when the «I’m not sure» response started. We asked when they seeded the grass, she didn’t know. Still, tour, not so bad. We are then taken to the bridal room and this is where things stare to get rocky. The bridal suite isn’t the biggest room in the world. I only have 3 bridesmaids so not an issue. Kimberly informed us the room would have some additional renovations but couldn’t exactly tell us what. We then start to walk to the groom’s suite. On our way, we found a cocktail glass sitting out from the night before. We pointed it out but Kimberly seemed to just skip over any sort of response. The grooms room didn’t have anything desireable. A TV, a couch and a table. Our wedding will be during football season so we asked about the TV situation, again she didn’t really know. She thought they might be getting Roku, but again she didn’t know. Our final stop outside was the barn/​cocktail area. Seems like a fun area. She rambled on about renovations, but couldn’t give us any specifics.
Finally, we make our way inside. There were 4 of us and Kimberly. Instead of taking us to a bigger space of the conference room she mentioned we stood in the tiny entrance by her desk. Still, no offer of a water. At this point, we get into pricing and All-​Inclusive details. The first shock was the pricing had changed since I had first requested it. No one ever mentioned this to me, but ok. So as we are getting to a close we ask about pricing negotiations. «No. There are absolutely no price negotiations».
Kimberly never painted a picture for a wedding. She seemed bothered to even see us. She kept digging in her fake white nails and picking at the split ends in her hair. I wouldn’t exactly have said she was professionally dressed. To say we were heart broken would be an understatement. We so badly wanted this to be our venue. Even with the lack of effort from Kimberly we still considered this venue. After a few visits elsewhere it was cut from the list. We just wanted someone to at least care. The only excitement we saw from her was her saying she was jealous the owners were in Hawaii.
Oh, and Taylor, whom everyone raves about, is no longer there.

This is a gorgeous venue with a first rate staff. They’re on the ball, and get back to you in a timely manner (those of you that have planned weddings know what I’m talking about when I say not to hold your breath waiting for a busy wedding coordinator to return a call). While we didn’t decide on this venue for our celebration for personal reasons, it’s one I would recommend if you’re a bride that loves wedding planning and the freedom to create your vision for your special day.

Let me start by saying, I NEVER write reviews for anything, good or bad. But we just had our wedding here Saturday and I cannot say enough great things about this place! I was skeptical at first with having a package and pre set vendors, but everyone they have it absolutely AMAZING. Our coordinator, Taylor, was with us from the begining of booking the venue and was super helpful and just plain wonderful. The DJ, Tony, was so fun! Not overpowering, but definitely understood the tone of our wedding. Our photographer, Jessica Q, was so knowledgeable and made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera.
They have their own catering, ensemble catering, and honestly the food was the thing I cared the least about, but it was AMAZING. I think all of our guests told me how great the food was! We selected sugar lips cakery for our wedding cake, again another thing I was not too concerned about. Our cake was gorgeous, and beyond delicious. The venue itself is breathtaking and the staff made my wedding more than perfect! I can’t thank them enough!!!

My daughter had a beautiful wedding here. Beautiful grounds and helpful staff. The sunset service was beautiful and the reception buffet and service great. Only complaint was loud tejano music from the farm next door that made the service different to say the least.

Our wedding was at the Venue at the Grove in October and everything about the day was perfect. I was a little worried when we initially booked our wedding because I went through three different event coordinators before Taylor finally joined the team, but she assured me that she would be there for the wedding and would make everything run smoothly and she did just that. Which was very important because I was planning my entire wedding from New York where I live.
We had a couple of decorations that needed some advanced time to figure out how and where to put them and Taylor was very accommodating to our outside vendors in providing information and being on site so they could come look at everything they needed to.
All of the vendors they recommended to us were awesome (Drew Brashler Photography, Infinity Entertainment, Sugar Lips Bakery, and Wildchild Flowers) and we got so many compliments from our guests on the food from their in house catering.
On top of all of that, the Venue is really breathtaking. We held our wedding on the lawn and our reception on the brick patio and with all of the greenery and bistro lights, I could not have asked for a more beautiful setting for the entire day.

It was beautiful venue. Unfortunately, the occasional plane noise was distracting and during the wedding ceremony someone started to use a power tool of sorts. It was stopped quickly after but yikes!
It was clean, welcoming and if I were getting married again I’d consider this location for an indoor wedding then maybe outside for the reception (bc of the noise).
Staff was friendly and professional, Good appearance and helpful.
Food, the food was amazing but I’d recommend not serving finger foods during the cocktail hour that is so greasy. It was served on a napkin that was soaked with grease. So, now what do I wipe my hands on?
I hated the chairs at the ceremony. They weren’t very comfortable and I felt like would break. In the cracks of the chairs you could see old dirt and mud from previous events. Small attention to detail like that takes the venue up a notch.
I enjoyed the lights strung on the trees once it was dark. Added a nice ambiance.
My other critiques were of décor here and there which was fine but could have been «more». I think that was just the discretion of the bride and groom.
Great place, pleasantly surprised.

I highly recommend Venue at the Grove for your wedding ceremony and reception! Not only are they professional, but they are also responsive! They will work with you throughout the entire wedding planning process. The owners are an amazing couple and have hired the right people to help manage their business. Their current coordinator Taylor is absolutely amazing. She went above and beyond on our wedding day to help ensure things went smoothly. We were married on September 27^th during a severe monsoon thunderstorm. Taylor, the set up crew, and even Edward (one of the owners), worked so hard to help set up our outdoor wedding (yes it was outside during a thunderstorm) – rain and all! Thank you again Venue at the Grove. We truly appreciate all of your hard work to help make our wedding day special and functional! lol

I got married here in early September. Me and my now husband live in Seattle, he is from Phoenix so we decided to get married in his home town. I was destined to find a venue that had some components of the Northwest. I researched a few other places but it meant a lot of work like picking out individual vendors. For us that would have meant several trips to Phoenix and added stress. After some thought we decided that The Venue at The Grove was a good fit.
We booked an all inclusive package and I felt taken care of the moment that we signed our contract. Planning a wedding from out of town could have been really complicated but for us it wasn’t.
First of all I think that over a year I must have exchanged nearly 150 emails with our wedding coordinator. She was patient, helpful and thoughtful. Second, The Grove is highly selective when it comes to the vendors that they coordinate with. The Grove made sure that the vendors contacted me versus having to track them down. This was priceless in my opinion, my fiancé are busy and I didn’t have much interest in planning a wedding. My cake was delicious and beautiful, we were hoping that it was going to be a bit larger but it’s not that big of a deal. The flowers were stunning. Our photographer was Cheryl from La Bella Vita Photography, she was amazing. Cheryl has a calm confident energy and she knows what she is doing. The DJ, Tony from Infinity Entertainment was attentive, energetic and smooth, he even stuck around when it started to rain at the end.
The Grove staff is amazing, one of my favorite experiences was the tasting. We got to sit down with the owner Edward and also met the Chef. We went into our tasting with minimal expectations. My husband and I are big city food snobs, but we were impressed with the food! It was tasty and they take the time to make food from scratch which is something that we value.
The wedding day went off without a hitch, with the exception of a little rain. The ceremony was lovely and the reception was fun and entertaining.
I must say thank you to Taylor, she was our coordinator and she took very good care of us. She even went to grab my other pair of shoes out of the bridal suite after the ceremony.
I feel like our wedding planning experience was effortless on our part aside from making decisions like table cloth colors and sending invitations. Most of my friends and family stated that I didn’t seem stressed or worried. I repeatedly said that our venue is taking care of everything so there isn’t much for me to worry about.
Thanks guys!!!
— Gretchen and Ben

So start off the grounds weren’t kept up very well and it it’s in downtown Phoenix. this place wants a $ 1500 outside catering fee or or you can pay $ 26 per plate for any type of food which means that they arent good at making any specific type of food. Charges for September and December are cheaper but are more expensive than the nice places in Scottsdale. If you’re looking for a wedding or just a reception or any event for that matter don’t go here.

Had our wedding hear yesterday and it was absolutely perfect. The venue did a fantastic job helping us get set up to meet our tight schedule, the food was excellent, and the DJ was perfect. Our wedding coordinator was outstanding and was supper helpful.

Love this neighborhood restaurant. Friendly, food is great, and when the weather permits sitting outside is very nice. Open only on weekends for From 8 – 12. Don’t miss the experience. (If you are worried about calories, don’t ask how the Pecan Crushed French Toast is prepared, just eat it and enjoy!)

A great place for breakfast. Go early and sit on the patio for a wonderful experiance.
The food is very good, made from scratch. the omlets are fluffy, the verde pork in the ranch eggs and phoenix omlet is superb, and of course the pecan encrusted French bread is too die for! the only thing I would change are the breakfast potatoes. They;re shredded and kind of bland. The Groves try to use local growers for the menu which I think is the way to go and I’m sure they could find a more interesting local product. Our waiter, Jon, was very personable and graciously substituted a fruit cup for the biscut.
All in all, the Groves is doing just about everything right and I think it’s wonderful to finally have a local eatery that doesn’t have a drive thru. Good luck, I know I’ll be coming here as long as they are open.

Been meaning to check this out for Sunday brunch since I live close by (walking distance) and was pleasantly surprised. It’s a bit tucked away but that makes it all the more special.
The setting was wonderful it made me feel like I was having breakfast with the Mad Hatter in Alice of wonderland with pretty checkered tablecloths and tables with heat lamps outside. Note: There is also inside seating for you desert foxes. The beautiful grove of pecan trees in autumn foliage created such a surreal backdrop to our usual drab scenery in the desert.
They didn’t have egg benedict, my absolute favorite, but they did have excellent belgian waffles, pecan french toast and their grove breakfast special of the usual eggs and skillet potatoes.
This movie reminds me of a Danish movie, I once saw where 4 né’er gooders open a restaurant out of an old country farm, the best line was «Some places you don’t go for the food, you just go there because the place is so pleasant” – The Venue at the Groves is indeed one of those places.

Came here for my best friend’s wedding last weekend. This place is perfect for a small wedding ceremony. The bridal room & restrooms were very clean, the staff were very nice and organized. They made sure everything was going smoothly. The food was also not bad.
The cons are:
–IPOD player in the bridal room didn’t work.
–comes with a bartender but you have to bring your own alcohol? This was the first wedding I’ve been to, so I’m not sure if that’s normal…
Overall, my best friend was happy with the turn out of the wedding. The setting was perfect for a Fall wedding :)

Our wedding was last weekend here and it was AMAZING!!! The staff made sure that everything went smoothly and was exactly like we had requested. Seriously — I had the wedding of my dreams, and it was totally affordable here, complete with all the details. The venue offers so much more than all the other local spots, where every wedding seems identical. I highly recommend checking it out for your event!

Edward and Abigail, the owner of The Venue at The Grove, is very nice to work with. we host the Bamboo Bakery Fall Fashion Show and Bridal Expo 5 at this beautiful location. You wont see any similar like this in Phoenix AZ. Come to see for your self ! We delivery a lots of wedding cake to The Grove, and our Bride and Grooms are very happy with their service !
Edward & Abigail, Nice to work with you.
David Pham
Bamboo Bakery

My husband and I were married here earlier this month. The stunning full pecan trees offered the perfect setting for our private wedding ceremony. All our guests commented how serene the location was and how it helped make the wedding so unique and beautiful. Everyone who helped us here was very professional. I wanted the perfect fall setting and brought many fall-​like decorations, besides the red arbor drapping they provided, and didn’t give them much direction, but told them to just do what they thought would look best. They decorated the place beautifully. Their prices weren’t over the top like most other locations either. They were a great help making the ceremony run as smooth as possible as well. My husband and I were very pleased!