Alexander's Country Inn & Restaurant, Ashford

my girlfriend called me from d.c. (she'd just moved from the dayton ohio area several months prior) and asked me to guess where she was going. i couldn't guess, she told me it was my favorite place: seattle. having worked in the area for 14 months; meant that i did not get to see much of the area. she said she was tired of me telling her how beautiful it is there. and then she got tired of hearing her boyfriend telling her how wonderful it was up there with the mountains, snow, clouds, ocean, etc. she told me i could come along if i wanted to. i told her i'd call her back. i asked my boss about getting the week off. I TELEPHONED HER withing the hour (after i'd talked to my boss and AAA). then i called my husband and told him i was going to seattle for a week. she and i were on the same plane from chicago to seattle as planned. the timing was perfect. we made our plans the first night in the hotel room. PART of our trip was spent: we drove to mt rainier. i'd always seen it from my bedroom window. it was/is so beautiful. we decided to spend two nights there. it was going to be ONLY ONE NIGHT but we saw ALEXANDER'S INN and it had everything you want in a place you stay ... class, heart, style, charm, etc. when we saw ALEXANDER'S INN; well, we knew we were at the right place. it's such a great old building ... it's MORE OF A HOME because of ITS' HEART. once you go in, it is so charming. it looked to be in the perfect setting, but i did not even notice the spring (river or whatever type of body of water it is), etc., that has been mentioned here. the owners were lovely to the two of us. the inn was just charming ... so much personality. absolutely loved the common area / room - i believe it was the second floor. of course, there was the fireplace, lit, (what else is there!? there HAS TO BE a roaring fire when there's a bit of a chill in the air), writing desk, complete with friendly black and white cat (he is probably no longer there!), and cheese, crackers with wine in the late afternoon. our room was really nice. the big claw tub in the common / GROUP bathroom was so beautiful. if you go to alexander's inn, i am sure that your stay will be as lovely as my friend's stay and my stay was. i wish i were there now ... AT ALEXANDER'S COUNTRY INN & RESTAURANT OUT IN GOD'S COUNTRY.

Although I’ve owned Alexander’s for more than 30-years, this was a unique situation and a first-of-its-kind experience for us. The bride and groom were having their wedding-- ceremony, reception and lodging-- at a restaurant/inn one mile from Alexander’s. The irony is that Alexander’s is a wedding destination site. We offer wedding packages including ceremony site, reception and lodging. I am Alexander’s wedding coordinator and enjoy working with our wedding couples. In this situation-- the bride and groom apparently spoke with one of my staff members the day before their wedding and asked if they could take pictures at Alexander’s. In an effort to accommodate their request, my staff told them that they could take pictures on our property. However—we weren’t aware of the details –and the unusual nature of the request. The bride and groom and two photographers arrived at Alexander’s on Saturday afternoon. They did not come inside or make contact with me. I was vaguely aware that a photo shoot was going on by our trout pond and the waterfall—but I didn’t think much of it. Later, when working at the front desk, I noticed the bride and groom and their photographers setting up a photo-shoot in the entryway to the inn. I went outside and introduced myself and inquired about the details. The groom said they had gotten permission to take photos on our property. (I was confused about why a wedding party that was having their wedding at a different location would want to have photographs at a property where they were not getting married.) I told them that they were welcome to continue taking photographs as long as they would be for their personal use. One of the photographers then asked me if she could post the photos on her blog. I told her I would want to see the photos first and sign off on them—that as the owner I have proprietary control of photographs of Alexander’s if they are used in public format such as blogs, websites, etc. The situation was uncomfortable. I wanted to be as accommodating as possible and yet I had to do what’s right for Alexander’s. I told the bride that she looked lovely, her gown was beautiful and her purple flowers were stunning. I said something to the effect that let’s just try to work this out—it’s a gorgeous sunny day and yes, they can go ahead and finish their photo shoot. I told them that I’d give them my business card so that they could contact me when the photos were ready for me to preview. When I went back out with my business card—the bride was clearly upset. I tried to explain that this was awkward for me and that it was a conflict of interest—for Alexander’s to provide a photo op for a wedding party that had no business relationship with Alexander’s. I felt that we were mixing oil and water. At that point, the bride said they were leaving and would not finish the photo shoot at Alexander’s. To add to the awkwardness of the situation—some of our guests saw the wedding party/photographers and asked if we were having a wedding. It was a bit embarrassing to explain that no, we weren’t having a wedding and the bride and groom were getting married at a facility down the road. Over the decades, we’ve had thousands of guests take photos at the inn. When our wedding parties don’t hire professional photographers, my husband and I gladly take photos for them. When they do have professional photographers, the photographers extend a professional courtesy and introduce themselves to me. I have to say that none of our wedding parties ever had a photo-shoot at a different (competing) location. In retrospect, the bride and groom could have had a fabulous off-site photo shoot at Mount Rainier National Park. The setting would have been spectacular and the photographs would not be subject to any proprietary control. Finally, I truly wish the bride and groom all the best. I hope they have many happy memories of their special day. Bernadette Ronan Proprietor