Black Iris Estate

I visited Black Iris Estate as a wedding guest, and I was impressed. And guess what: Black Iris Estate has a very large basement! How do I know this? Because I and the several dozen other people attending the wedding plus the staff got to visit the basement because there was a tornado warning in the area, and we all had to seek shelter. Whee! The staff at Black Iris were pros, though, and made sure everyone was safe and calm. They made a stressful situation into a (kinda) fun situation that everyone will remember forever.Anyway, the basement is large, but so is the rest of the space! And it's beautiful and tastefully decorated, with lots of antiques and mirrors. We never really got to go outside because the wedding was happening during severe weather, but from that little I saw, the grounds were beautiful too. Also, the food here was some of the best food I've had at a wedding. I'm not sure if the food was from an outside caterer or what, but I want to say that it was in-house. And the open bar was nice, too, and the bartenders were quick and generous. I enjoyed myself as a wedding guest at this place. It was classy but comfortable!

Went to a wedding here and the staff was exceptional. The outdoor wedding space is perfect for a summer wedding with lots of shade and a charming shade garden feel. Unfortunately, rain started 30 minutes before the start so the wedding was moved inside. The staff made the transition without a delay. The inside was gorgeous with beautiful chandeliers gracing the isle. The sound was really good during the reception and the food was honestly the best I've had at a wedding. The vegan option was appealing too which is unusual. Great parking and golf cart service provided for guests with mobility challenges.

I attended a wedding reception here and the space was very pretty. We walked the grounds a little and the outdoor views are beautiful. I'm sure it's even prettier when all the plants and trees are in bloom. The space where we ate dinner and danced was spacious and the dance floor was huge. The catering staff was very friendly. The only negative I had was one of the bartenders not knowing how to make a simple gin and tonic. I'm not sure if it was his first evening on the job but I also witnessed him not being able to use a beer bottle opener. The venue is pretty close to the road. Pictures on the website make it seem like it's tucked away in the woods but it's not. If someone has an outdoor ceremony here I imagine car noise might be an issue. Overall, pretty venue!

I was married at The Black Iris Estate last month- it is a beautiful venue for weddings or any event. The grounds are picturesque and the ball room is just beautiful! The food was also really good, which is not always the case at weddings. I'm not sure you can find a more beautiful venue in the central Indiana region. While the venue and grounds are top notch, the staff at the Black Iris were much less accommodating. Being a "covid bride," we had to go through many changes, including changing our date. The Black Iris was pretty inflexible on changing our date, providing us with a handful of dates in 2020. When asked if we could move our date to 2021 to ensure it was safe and we wouldn't have to move our wedding a second time, they stood firm that this was not an option as we had to get married in 2020 (if our deposit was to go towards our wedding date). They moved our date to a Sunday in a different month that is priced less due demand (they have 3 different tiers of pricing based on which month you select) but tried to charge us the same as they would have if we got married on a Saturday in a "high demand" month. This wasn't the only scenario where the Black Iris staff was not accommodating- they even scolded us for bringing in a small fruit salad for my 7 months pregnant bridesmaid as we got ready day of as "no outside food or drink is allowed." This was after we spent over $500 purchasing food and alcohol through them to enjoy while we got ready. I understand that event spaces have rules, but making a big deal about fruit salad, and taking part of our damage deposit because of it, seemed overkill to me. At the end of the day, the Black Iris is a beautiful venue, but know what you are getting into as far as the level of service you can expect. Maybe I have high expectations, but the service level we received was pretty disappointing.

Absolutely spectacular service and food was great. Attended a wedding here, the staff were friendly and on top of food and drinks so we never got too hungry. Very beautiful location as well, lots of spaces for pictures, beautiful nature, such a lovely place

Wanna "do it up" with class; this is the place !! We attended a wedding, reception, dinner & all, here. The setting of the wedding in the "walnut grove," was precious. The beautiful old facility was a great, spacious, classy place, to "MAKE MEMORIES" !!! Check it out, if Y'all are having a "GOINS ON" !!!!!!

Gorgeous venue for my grandson's wedding. Attendees, which included out of town guests, thought it was beautiful. Behind the scenes, however, the wedding planner/ coordinator, lacked service. The bride wanted the doors to the reception closed while being set up, & actually was in tears when people started coming in before it was done. One of the guests manned the door to avoid any more entrants. When it was over, no staff helped with cleanup so it fell to parents of the groom and other relatives to do it. It snowed during the reception, however no one helped people to their cars; my son in law helped me.

There are issues with this wedding venue. There were difficulties throughout planning. Outdoor Willow Chapel looks pretty. In person, there is obtrusive traffic noise and a view of traffic from a nearby road. Distracting. (the venue could add something around the chapel to at block view of traffic until all of the natural plants have grown in.) Planners & Videographers need to be aware of the road noise. During a planned wedding rehearsal, someone from the staff, without prior notice, rudely lectured the entire wedding party about proper behavior at the reception. The clients were embarrassed, blind sided. This was unprofessional, could have been handled privately with the clients far in advance. Then there were issues at the reception, most notably, bartenders pouring warm alcohol over ice. This was unacceptable. No one blames the young bartenders, it falls to management to train, and prepare in advance. The servers were pleasant. Overall, management here isn't easy to work with-doesn't deliver all as promised for the high price. Beware.

Black Iris, Thomas Catering, and especially Amy Smuin were incredible to work with for our daughter's wedding! The Willow Chapel so beautiful, in fact, the whole venue is like something out of a fairytale. The rooms available for the bridal party were spacious and beautiful. The groomsmen had a great space too. And the food was melt in your mouth good! Amy was so kind, helpful, and informative in the process of planning for the wedding and reception! She went above and beyond answering our questions and helping us do a few extras that we really wanted. We would highly recommend having a wedding at the Black Iris!

This venue goes above and beyond for the guests!The food was amazing and the outdoor ceremony space is gorgeous!