GILS BALLROOMS

I chose to have my wedding reception there because they provided food, drinks, ect. Once we saw the menu choice for their catered food,we opted for an outside caterer. This was because the only options were cold sandwiches, ribs, or very expensive steak. We understood a $4 up charge per person with an outside caterer. I did not realize that would include anyone over age 3. Most 3 year olds don't eat much if at all. Oh well, that I dealt with. Then come to find out that the outside caterer was to only set up on the dance floor, unfortunately that meant no one could dance while the food was up. We wanted to do our first dance as soon as we walked in. Thankfully, we were able to get around that. The caterer had to make sure no plates were left on the table and clean up everything, which not a big deal but what's the up charge for then? We were the informed that they don't like a candy area and were asked to rethink our decision on it, otherwise we were expected to clean it all up afterwards. Also, our favors we old fashioned sodas with a tag that said enjoy while watching your favorite classic movie. They weren't intended to be drank during the reception, however some guests did open them and the bar tender had a fit. My parents chose to pay for some soft drinks and when they ran out, they decided to add a few more to it. At that point they were told that it couldn't be done. The manager finally decided that they could add some more after a bit of an argument. Once the night was over, my mom got the bill for the drinks that had a normal 18% gratuity on it. This would not have been a big deal, but they had tip jars out all night which were all filled by the time we left, there were about 6 jars. I feel that's a double tip and not right. We ended up paying a lot more than expected with hidden costs. The room to rent was only $450 we paid well over that and did not include any alcohol. They keep adding costs the closer it got to my wedding. Malinda, the owners wife and head of the ballroom area, was very unprofessional. She uses her personal phone for business, but never answers when you call. This would not be an issue if her 5 year old granddaughter wasn't the one on her voicemail. Right before the wedding she tells us to text her because that is the best way to get ahold of her. That was very wrong because she never responded back the second time we tried. Whenever i called Gil's to ask her questions she was never there. This was not a problem since I always gave my name, phone number, and event date at the request of anyone answering the phone. It would take days for her to call back, but when she did she never knew who i was or that i was having my reception there. She was too into planning and asking if I was excited about my upcoming wedding. She's not a wedding planner, just a provider for a space. At first she pushed us to use all of her decorations which would cost extra to use. We chose not to. I feel she needs to let someone else handle the ballroom area. To top it off, my mother-in-law called to see if we could rent the room the night before to have the rehearsal dinner there and possibly decorate that night. The room was already rented out, but Malinda told hey would be gone by 8 pm and we could decorate then. Then she goes on to discuss details. I was furious when I found out, because only my mother and I had spoken to Malinda and she had no right to talk to anyone else about it. Later we I called about decorating, Malinda told me that we couldn't do it until the morning of, which is not what she told my mother-in-law. She constantly changed her mind and was very air headed. I will never recommend anyone to Gil's simply for the way we were treated and how very unprofessional Melinda was.