Indian Ridge Preserve

We attended a wedding here the last weekend and I have to say this property is gorgeous. When you first drive up there is a sizable house (we didn’t get to see the entire interior as the wedding was mostly outdoors). There is also a parking lot by the house (with it’s HUGE outdoor patio space).
As you keep driving, you see the cornfields (I was told there was a cornfield maze here, but we didn’t get a chance to check it out). Then there is a huge expanse of grass, bordered by wild flowers (legit, gorgeous) and a lake. It was the most idyllic backdrop for a wedding ceremony I’ve ever seen, gorgeous, and perfect with a rustic theme.
There is also an apple orchard on the property, and we were told apple picking was another activity that was available on this property. I have to say this wedding was very well done, gorgeous, and the property really does have that wow factor.

Friends, family, and I had some major disappointments in our experience at Indian Ridge Preserve. I almost never write reviews, particularly negative ones, but since we were celebrating a really important, memorable milestone (my best friend’s wedding), I’m sharing the experience so that others can be better informed.
1. Since the place costs $ 550+ per night and sleeps 8, you might think that «master bedroom» implies that there are other bedrooms. There are not, this space just has one bedroom. This was a problem for us since we were planning to split the cost among 6 — 8 adults. For example, one night we were planning to split the cost three ways with two other couples. But I couldn’t bring myself to follow through on charging my friend and her fiancée, who were visiting from the west coast, close to $ 200 for what turned out to be a bed in the corner of the living room. Maybe this place is meant for a couple with 4 – 6 children? The point is that cost sharing among adults isn’t really an option.
2. This is a converted warehouse, not a rental home, so it has no windows. If you want to stay in a place with windows, look elsewhere. (Technically speaking there is a window on the door, and one tiny, high one in the bedroom. None in the main space, kitchen, or bathrooms.)
3. We spent extra money to rent the space downstairs to host the wedding after-​party, which was advertised as an event space. Two things went wrong with this component. One, the space just isn’t done. The huge bar in the photo on the website is only a countertop. There is nowhere to put ice behind the counter, no refrigeration, no sink, etc. Two, we set up tables and chairs before the wedding and then came back several hours later to find that WHILE WE WERE GONE SOMEONE HAD COME INTO THE SPACE AND TAKEN AWAY THE TABLES WE HAD SET UP. Later we found out that a family member of the owner’s had come to borrow the tables for a party, not realizing there were guests there who had paid for the space. So besides having to scramble and make do without the tables, it was disconcerting to have had someone come through the space while we were gone. We had to check if our personal belongings were still there! Weird!
4. In speaking to the owner afterward, he refused to grant any kind of partial refund. Apparently he had been considering a small refund for the tables issue, but changed his mind when the conversation became terse.
5. Those are the main things. While I’m at it, though, I’ll say that in general the place just isn’t what you might expect in terms of being guest-​ready. We found towels, but they smelled really funky. We put ice in the upstairs bar sink, and it leaked all over the floor. The fireplace didn’t work. There were no instructions for accessing the internet or using the big screen TV. (Did I mention no windows?) I’m not a princess, and wasn’t expecting the Ritz, but certainly I expected a lot more given the price tag.
Moral of the story: In the course of spending the weekend in the area we saw some lovely rental homes. The mother of the bride hosted brunch in her rental home, the mother of the groom hosted rehersal dinner in hers, and the bride and groom had us over for a barbeque in theirs. If you’re looking for a lovely, reasonably priced rental home in the area, as we had been, Indian Ridge is not what you have in mind.