It's not often that I'm at the same venue two weeks in a row. That was the case the last two weeks though.
Fox Hills (Classic Fox, the older building) in Plymouth is a rustic, well-maintained and beautiful location for weddings. I was there on September 28th for Emily & Brian's wedding and again the following Friday (Oct. 4th) for Chris & Lauren's wedding. Both weddings were very different as you'll see from the pictures and descriptions below.
9/28/13
This is the outside of the building. It's clean, well kept and landscaped very nicely.
The ceremony took place outside (a beautiful day for it) in the gazebo. The fireplace is in the main room you enter into. You'll notice it's decorated a bit differently the next week.
Emily and Brian opted for a strolling dinner with various stations throughout the room having different foods. I didn't take any pictures of the food since each station would have been a different picture and may have looked a little sloppy thanks to my haste in plating.
There were four stations located around the room. One had beef and chicken tacos with your choice of toppings, another was a potato bar with both mashed and sweet mashed potatoes plus all the toppings. The third was a hot dog and sausage spread with chili, sauerkraut and everything you could want on top. The last station was a made-to-order macaroni and cheese bar. You pick all the ingredients and type of noodle and cheese and they make it for you. Although, quite simple, the food was very good and had a gourmet touch to it. While I don't have any pictures, I did however, get a picture of the desserts. I believe they were brought in by the families, but I don't know if they were homemade or purchase somewhere. I can say that who ever made them is a true professional!
With the food stations being open for two hours and plenty to choose from, everyone was full and ready to dance. They had a great time dancing the night away to the very end.
One more thing to note... Jim is the food and beverage manager at this location and I must say that he is hands-on, attentive and there for the guests. He asked guests if everything was good, if they needed anything and was exactly what you'd expect in a perfect dining experience. For that reason (and the great food), I highly recommend this location. Now on to the next week...
10/4/13
The entrance was decorated a bit differently, but the ceremony was still held outside under the gazebo. Fortunately, the rain held out long enough to complete the ceremony and photos.
Chris and Lauren's reception was a little more traditional, with a plated dinner being served after salad and bread. It was a chicken wellington with a cream sauce on top. Snow peas with carrots and red skin mashed potatoes were the sides. The food was excellent!
Unlike the week before (and the day after this), getting guests to dance was a chore. They seemed to be more interested in drinking and smoking. The bartender mentioned that they set a record for most wine drank at a wedding. The photo booth operator (which they booked long before I was offering photo booth services) also had issues getting people to do photos. Even the bride said she was disappointed with her guests and that she was very happy with the music. There's only so much you can do to get people dancing. If they would rather drink and smoke outside... well, that's a whole different problem. (The following night was the complete polar opposite with the 20 x 30 dance floor not being big enough!)
Overall, Fox Hills is a great venue, but I've heard that it also comes with a great big price tag. The food is excellent and the service is great. If the price fits your budget, you won't be disappointed.
I do have to mention a strange occurrence though... one of the staff came out on the dance floor and danced with the guests during the Wobble. I thought this was a little odd and even rude as it's not their party. This happened with another employee the week before as well. No one likes wedding crashers and that's what this seemed like to me. I noticed several of the guests look at each other as if saying "why is this guy out here dancing with us instead of working?"