University Club of Nashville

We held our wedding here in July. There was a management change after we booked the venue. The prior management was great, I would avoid the new management.
Pros
Food was amazing
Wait staff was really pleasant and spot on
–These two items deserve 5 stars but everything else ruined the experience
Cons
Lack of communication– I would have to call several times and my wedding planner would have to call several times before they would call us back– very frustrating and stressful in the months and DAYS prior to the wedding. I was trying to confirm stuff the week if and they would not communicate
Décor– it took a lot of work to make the venue look good. We started planning late so it was not my first choice.
Expensive– felt it was expensive for what we ended up with

I used this facility for my wedding reception 1.5 years ago. Since the time of our wedding, my husband and I have been to several others and have paid attention to all of the small details that you never notice until you actually plan a wedding. We knew that we had a wonderful wedding reception– but had no idea HOW wonderful it was until we started comparing. Neither of us nor our families have attended Vanderbilt– or are even from Tennessee for that matter. The University Club isn’t «Actually“affiliated with the school (i.e.- Vanderbilt isn’t «Actually» in the name… it’s just implied by it’s location.) We had wanted a wedding IN Nashville (as opposed to the many beautiful venues and parks outside the city) because most of our guests were already traveling to get the wedding and we didn’t want to put them out further. We searched all over the city and visited several really neat venues. We chose the University Club because it was less than a mile from our ceremony site, had on-​site catering, and had a room the right side with a very nice central courtyard. What pushed us over the edge was the events coordinator, Deborah Fluhart. She is very knowledgable, easy-​going and flexible. She was able to show us photos of how the facility can be transformed for a wedding and gave her opinions on what options were best for the space (very helpful as we were growing weary of making SO many wedding decisions). She recommended who to use for DJ, Flowers, drapery and linens. We didn’t use her recommendations for every one (the facility will work with almost any vendor), but we were very pleased with those that we did. She met with me several times to go over placement of objects, seating, and my overall vision. There were times that I thought I was going over details SO fast that there was no way she could get them right– but she did… every one and spot on. We spent a trivial amount for her to be present for the event as our coordinator. She advised us when it was time to introduce the bridal party based on the vibe in the main room, when it was time to cut the cake, and when we had kicked our last keg of beer (too many college friends in town). She sold my husband a keg of beer from the Club bar and had it moved quickly so that we didn’t run dry (wedding sin.) I’m not sure what we would have done about those things if she hadn’t been there that night.
The FOOD is amazing. (I capitalize «food» because I can’t believe it took me this long to address it in this post.) The chef asked us in for a tasting and we were blown away. He sat with us and went over a list of our options, his recommendations and styles of service (i.e.- plated, buffet or stations… we picked stations to get people up and moving.) We knew that the food was going to be amazing– but the PRESENTATION was shockingly beautiful. Every bit from beautiful designs with cheese and fruit during cocktail hour in the courtyard to shrimp and grits served in martini glasses, staff– served mashed potato bar, and an open-​faced pit for a giant leg of beef (our guests referred to as the ‘dinosaur leg’) were all stunning. People still tell me, regularly, that our wedding food was the best wedding food they had ever had. This was important to my husband and me for the simple fact that we really love food… and hate dried chicken with under seasoned red potatoes.
Overall, the space was perfect for our needs and we pulled off a very pretty and fun reception. Highly recommend!

Being a Vandy grad student, I come here for school-​sponsored events often. It’s a university club, as the name states, where you’ll usually find Vanderbilt faculty and their invited guests. For lunch, I’ll often go for the buffet. There is a salad bar, several hot entrees including pasta, chicken and fish, soup and a few dessert choices. I’ll usually pick the buffet to optimize my variety, fearing that I’ll get stuck with a bad plate of one item. I had dinner there the other night, however, and it was surprisingly tasty. I had the pork medallions served on mashed potatoes. The pork was tender and the sauce complemented both the meat and potatoes. The dessert was a chocolate moose. Service was prompt and attentive. I’m not sure how much it actually costs to eat here, since the school covers the meals when I go, but my recent experience was not too bad at all.