Thornewood Castle Bed and Breakfast

8601 N Thorne Ln SW, Lakewood, WA 98498, USA

Address:	8601 N Thorne Ln SW, Lakewood, WA 98498, USA
Phone:	+1 253-584-4393
Site:	thornewoodcastle.com
Rating:	4.5

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 4

Ella

I have been in communication with the staff at the Castle for almost 2 years. So, I have a lot to say! First, I fell in LOVE with Thornewood Castle instantly. They were the first venue I toured, and I refused to go look at any other venue. We are both old souls; I knew it was the place for us. Second, since we had a 2 year engagement, it gave me plenty of time to annoy the staff with questions almost monthly lol. Each time they answered within an hour to a day or two, I NEVER had any issue getting a hold of someone or having a question answered. Third, Deanna was fantastic and extremely sweet, she answered every question I had when we toured. Her daughter, Leann (not sure of spelling) has become the go-to person now and she is just as lovely as her mother (she came up right before the ceremony to make sure everything was going ok- so sweet! Most venue owners don’t care, but they do). Stephanie (also unsure of spelling) was a pleasure on the day of- I came down to clean up after the wedding and she kept shooing me away saying the bride shouldn’t be helping with the cleanup (but I wanted to make sure everything was out and cleaned before we left). Fourth, I don’t understand why people complain so much about the time limit, YES it is strict. BUT, you are TOLD THE TIME LIMIT BEFORE YOU SIGN THE CONTRACT. Seriously, they are super clear on the details. It just comes down to what is more important to you? Having a longer day to celebrate, or the location? For us, we did our ceremony in 10 minutes, took 60 minutes for photos, and had the rest of the evening for dinner and dancing. Just book venders who are familiar with the venue and you are good. In all honesty, we SAVED money since they didn’t nickel and time us for all the normal wedding fees (no corkage fee, no cake cutting fee, they let you bring outside catering, etc). Not only that but the castle is BEAUTIFUL and you don’t need a ton of décor. All in all: They were great, the staff was wonderful, and the whole evening was amazing! I had no trouble getting in contact with them. They are pretty flexible to an extent- I think some people forget where they are getting married at. Its historical building, it’s not a barn or a hotel, it’s a classy place. I do not regret choosing Thornewood Castle as our venue. I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect day thanks to their beautiful venue and amazing staff. Thank you Thornewood Castle, for giving me memories I will cherish for the rest of my life. I look forward to when my husband and I can come back to spend a night in one of your amazing B&B rooms.

Kate McHughes

We chose Thornewood Castle for an overnight Get-a-way. We stayed in Annas Room. And, we had a wonderful time! 1. The staff was friendly and accommodating. All of our needs (and wants) were quickly met. (Even though a wedding was underway at the time.) We had reserved parking steps from the door. 2. The house was wonderful. Guests are allowed to wander at will and tour any room that is not occupied or closed off for reconstruction. Dont go expecting a finely furnished manor house in period style. It is not. Instead, it is decorated in an eclectic mix of antiques and collectibles. Lots of glassware, paintings and interesting furniture. Some rooms are decorated in a theme. Quite cluttered, but still fun to explore and look at. 3. Wear comfortable shoes. No elevator. You must walk up a number of stairs to the second floor guest room. And there is no assistance with luggage. 4. Annas room has a beautiful view of the sunken garden and circular drive. We sat in the window alcove and watched a very pretty garden wedding. Again, wear comfortable shoes to tour the garden. Its worth the walk. Theres a fountain, statues, benches walkways and some very pretty and secluded areas. All intriguing. Plus, it is a jaunt down to the waters edge. 5. I would have given our stay 4 and 3/4 stars, if the option was available, for one reason only: no electrical outlets in the bathroom or the powder room adjoining our room. No place to plug in a hair dryer or curling iron. And the lights are rather dim for make-up. My advice to the owners, please substitute an antique vanity for one of the desks or tables in Annas room and youll make your brides and guests even happier. Otherwise, to those considering a visit before the wiring is redone, bring a power strip. 6. Beds were comfy. Jetted tub nice. And breakfast was great! More food than we expected. Coffee, OJ, yogurt, fresh fruit, toast, sweet rolls, links and delicious egg soufflés. (Not sure where the other reviewer came up with Costco. Our meal was not Costco.) Our breakfast arrived right on time and was beautifully put together. 7. We would enjoy visiting the castle again and would recommend it as a fun time. Especially for history lovers.

Jen Havener

If you want to do your wedding your way, this is the place. There is so much beauty and history all around, you dont have to bring much to have a beautiful day, but you can bring whatever you want. Too many big places require you to use their caterers which had terrible food at really high prices, and we knew we wanted our favorite restaurant to cater. The director was fabulous with our caterer and knows all about how to have a fabulous day. The cost is significant, but not only is the space memorable and precious, it includes lovely wood chairs, all the tables we needed, very nice tableclothes, all the chairs for the ceremony, an arch, and even silk flowers with vases if we chose to use them (we didnt) not to metnion flowers in the garden depending on time of year. Our guests (and especially our photographer guests) absolutely loved being there with us that day and everything about our wedding felt grand and magnificent. There are rules to using the space, strange ones, and they have consequences to breaking them, and Id read online that the director has no scruples in enforcing them. So, we did our best to make changes to the contract in ways that we needed to feel comfortable, and made sure our ushers understood all of the rules such that they could keep our guests aware. For instance, all trash has to be carted out and handled by the wedding party, not thrown away onsite. If you are considering Thornewood Castle for a wedding, it may be just perfect, the director is a tremendous help in planning things and has seen many many many weddings. Just keep a careful eye on the contract, make sure your helpers know all about it, because when she says shell keep the deposit, she means it.

A Private User

Thornewood castle is beautiful, however if you are looking to have your wedding/event there it is a nightmare! Depending on the size of your event parking can be an issue. On top of that they have a strict time restriction on when you have to be out of their venue. They want people out of there by 8:00pm, which is pretty early for a typical wedding reception. They also do not allow you to serve red wine because they are afraid of people spilling and stains. They require you to take all the garbage off site with you, they do not have any dumpsters and will not dispose of your trash. You pay all this money to have your wedding there, but they make you take all the trash with you? that makes no sense. There are so many restrictions for caterers i feel bad for anyone who has to try to serve food there. THey do not allow the caterer to use the refrigerator, or most of the items in the kitchen. The caterers cant walk through the building from the kitchen to the reception area, so they have to walk OUTSIDE all the way around to the other side of the building which is ridiculous! All in all, a horrible place to have your event, they will say that they can do all these things until you book with them, then they start to tell you all the restrictions. Buyer beware!