Stillwell House and Garden

What a beautiful little venue in downtown Tucson.
I walk past this place all the time when I’m downtown, and from the street you wouldn’t really know it’s a venue. It looks like a lovely, well-​kept, classically-​designed home.
Once you’re actually on the property, the only word to really describe it is charming.
There is plenty of space for a decently-​sized event between the house itself, which is two stories, and the gorgeous garden/​patio/​courtyard area outside. I believe there is actually a second building across the courtyard that could be utilized as a dance area for weddings or events that include DJs or bands.
If you’re throwing an event in Tucson… definitely a place to consider.

What a perfect place to get married! I had attended a weddign at the Stillwell house a few years before my own wedding and knew then that was where I wanted to get married. The décor is beautiful, the lights and all the plants add an air of magic. Kelly was so kind and helpful during my wedding planning process, even when I had a mini breakdown. The food was delicious, and everything was set up perfectly how I wanted it and how I imagined in my head. The staff was kind and curtious, and truly added to the dining experience and kept all of my guests happy. Get married here!!! You wont be sorry

Oh my goodness me. If I could give more than five stars I would.
My boyfriend proposed, and he, my mother, God mother and I were in search of a venue to get married. I knew I wanted to be able to get married outside, in a place that looked similarly to the patio in the French Quarter that my parents got married. It had to be reasonably priced, and have a staff that would keep me in the loop and informed. This venue met and exceed those expectations.
We met with Kelly, and gave her a deposit check that same day. We got to do our sample menu and pick out what we wanted from a huge list of delicious dishes. They were incredibly accommodating to our baker, our DJ and to us.
My amazing godmother created things like napkin rings, table numbers, vases, mason jar seat assignment thingies, and put personalized labels on all of the wine bottles that we were giving out. We had a lot of stuff to bring over, and they allowed to us to bring it the day before and have one less thing to worry about on the day of the wedding.
We also were able to supply our own liquor, which was awesome. We got to buy the things we would actually need and want. For the cocktail hour, the bartender, Abraham asked me at the rehearsal if it would be alright for him to provide prickly pear mix for the margaritas (we did beer, wine and margaritas for cocktail hour and then a full bar for during and after dinner). I told him that that would be great. Those things disappeared like there were going out of style! So much so, that we ran out of tequila and margarita mix. Abraham went out during the reception and got more, and brought my father his receipt and change.
I was somehow unable to eat my dinner (too much excitement I think), and the wait staff offered to take my plate away and bring me a new one once I was ready to eat. I had a few bites, and it was amazing! We got the cilantro-​lime chicken. I recommend this. It was cooked perfectly, moist, yummy sides… I loved it, and so did everyone else! We also had a few vegetarians, and having been vegetarians for 14 years, my husband and I refused to serve them pasta (the thing we always got at such events). They brought out delicious tamales instead!
My God father, at the end of the night, and after I had left for my honeymoon, apparently lost his keys. This staff took the place apart trying to find them. They moved heavy furniture, left no seat cushion unturned… and it turns out that he had picked up the wrong jacket.
If you want an amazing memory, have nothing to worry about except the fun things (All I did, pretty much, was pick out flowers, try cakes at bakeries, play Princess Dress Up at bridal stores and write some vows), and you was to say «I do» in a beautiful setting in a well priced venue, go to the Stillwell House! (And, also, have an incredibly talented and creative Nina)

My friend got married here a few weekends ago and when I arrived for the rehearsal I was taken with how lovely it was and how cozy it felt even though it is so close to some, now, very busy areas of downtown. The courtyard is so lovely and it just a very Tucson venue, charming and intimate.
For the bridal party we were provided with a room in the back near the kitchen, which had a mini-​bar and a mirror for us to finish getting ready. It isn’t a very big room, and luckily there were only 5 of us, it is nice, but not a lot of space.
The house itself is very stunning and during her wedding we had a cocktail hour and drinks served inside while they set-​up the dinner tables and prepared the courtyard for the evening. The food at the cocktail hour was really nice and it was a nice cool area to be in, as it was unseasonably hot outside.
My main complaint about this place was the attitude of the woman who was running it, as well as some of the staff who served dinner. It was obvious there was some tension between the team working the event and it definitely was evident to some of the guest. I’m not sure how big the weddings are that they normally host, but we had 13 tables and not every seat was full.
I have some mixed feelings on the food, as the salad that was served had a super spicy dressing, and although it tasty nice (and I love spicy food) it was a bit too much for the salad. I had the fish, which was nice, but nothing special. Looking at the other reviews, I think there are better options available. It seemed as though certain people were assigned to serving certain tables, but when the food started coming out the girl who was bringing us food was quite rude and not very friendly. She kept repeating what she was holding in her hand, which I know is annoying, but she didn’t do it in a nice or friendly manner at what so ever.
When it came time for the toast our table was over looked and received no bubbly. I went inside to let them know and found out two other tables also did not get any, and when I told the lady who was running it, she yelled at her staff without any sort of acknowledgement that she would send someone out. Eventually they came around as the toast was finishing. The lady who was running it also wasn’t very accommodating when we asked if she would put some cards on each of the place settings, one of the other bridesmaids had to ask her to do it.
It mainly seemed like there was something else going on among the staff, but some of them were quite lovely, so I don’t want to say it was everyone. And I did enjoy the venue very much. I have worked in customer service for a long time and I know how difficult it can be and how demanding weddings can seem, but it doesn’t excuse being rude or ignoring what the wedding has asked for. We weren’t asking for anything that hadn’t already been agreed upon,
I am glad to hear others had an amazing experience! It seems this was just a one time thing maybe and my friend (the bride) was happy so all it all it was great. There was room for a dance, a photo booth and we weren’t left with any clean-​up other then taking away what we brought with us, which included the left over alcohol and cake.
It is a lovely, lovely space!

Overall, a beautify venue located in the heart of Tucson. The staff are professional and well organized. The food is delicious, and I don’t think you will find a better deal for such quality in Tucson. I highly recommend Stillwell House and Garden! Here are some of my experiences:
We had two priorities for our reception, good food and a good bar, and Stillwell house delivered on both! We chose the prickly pear BBQ chicken and green chili mashed potatoes and it was a hit. Even the picky eaters in the family loved it. We served two signature cocktails and some varied liquor, wine, and beer. We loved that you provided the alcohol so you are paying for what you want to serve, and not for things your guests won’t drink! The bartender got both our signature drinks perfectly (whiskey sour and cranberry margarita) even though I forgot to give him a recipe. He even through in cute garnishes. We loved that Stillwell house serves all drinks in glassware, no un-​classy clear plastic cups here!
Other bonuses to having your wedding at Stillwell house is that they have a wide variety of tablecloth colors for you to choose from at no extra charge. They also have items for your centerpieces such as vases, containers, picture frames, and mirrors. All you need to do is provide candles, flowers, etc. I forgot to order flowers for the guest book table, and Wilma made sure that the table didn’t look empty. Other than a few items for the tables, I loved that the venue needs very little decoration. My mom was delighted that they do so much of the set-​up and tear down for you!
We did not have our ceremony at the Stillwell house, and I would agree with some previous reviews that this venue has wedding receptions down to a science. If you want to deviate from their set path, you will receive some push back. Honestly, in the end I would say push for what you want, but remember that Wilma and her team had years of experience and they are really trying to make your life easier you your wedding day perfect. I also read some reviews about sales and different price quotes. I was concerned with this as I was getting married on a holiday so they would be charging an additional «service fee». Additionally, the 1 week promotion for signing after you visit fell on a holiday, so they said they would extend it to 2 weeks. Hold your ground and learn to negotiate and you will get a fair and excellent deal! Finally, we were also a small wedding, and some things were forgotten like serving cider to the kids for the toast. Oh well, nothing is perfect. I notice this, but my guests were non-​the wiser.
One downside I found in planning was that the since it is a wedding venue, most weekends are slammed with events. Therefore, you will need to schedule most of your meetings during the week, during business hours. This was a challenge for me as I had a fulltime job in PHX. Even when I was able to schedule a meeting, my meetings were often interrupted by another client.
One last work of advice, don’t miss out on their open houses!

I recently got married here and everything was perfect! the staff as very professional, the food was delicious, and the venue was beautiful!!! they can be a little hard to get a hold of on the phone but they always call back. I recommend this place to everyone I tak to nothing but good things to say about this place and the people that run it!

This place makes me want to say I do, I do, I do do do do do do do…
This is the cutest place to have an intimate wedding customizable by the bride and groom. A hidden gem in the desert.
My bestie had her wedding here and it was so romantic to made the event special. She had her wedding in the brick courtyard that had topiaries and flowers around the archway. If the weather was bad there was a back up plan to have it inside. This was also pretty nice. Instead they had their reception inside. The only thing I didn’t like was that some of the tables were set up upstairs. Other than that each room is whimsically decorated. A big plus is that you can bring in your own alcohol and they provide a professional bartender. The margaritas went fast.
Must try: having your wedding or event outside

I have been to a wedding and a company dinner here and it is my FAVORITE party venue that I have been to yet in Tucson. The ceremony was held outside on a brick patio and the bride and groom stood under an arch covered with vines and flowers. Beautiful!
After the ceremony, the guests moved into the house on one side of the patio and had drinks and appetizers. While we had appetizers, the staff set up tables on the brick patio for dinner. We moved back out to the patio and ate dinner as the sun set.
After dinner, music and dancing took place in another building on the opposite side of the patio from the house. The building had several sets of double doors that opened up onto a veranda. Guests who wanted to hang out instead of dance could sit at the dinner tables or on long cushion covered benches on the veranda. From the veranda you could hear the music and watch the dancing.
The venue is well maintained and the staff were very professional and efficient. If I was going to do it over again, I would love to get married here.

I tried several times to contact these people (both by email and phone) for our event. They have never called me back. I guess at this point, even if they did, I wouldn’t want to use their services. If they don’t have the courtesy to even call you back, I’d imagine their services would reflect the same.

My daughter was recently married here and I’ve got to say the
whole thing ran like a fine tuned engine. We were probably more proactive in the decorating and planning than most parties andWilma did test us on occassion but she knows what shes doing and come the day, everything ran perfectly. Good food, Good service, lots of ambiance and no clean up by me. It can be pricey for some but was worth every cent for me. Highly recommended!
One small negative… They aren’t great at getting back to you quickly via email or phone.