The Last of the Wedding Venues: Part 2

Hi all, sorry it's been so long since the last post but things have been crazy. Here is the last batch of wedding venues that I will post until I do the review for my wedding venue! Hope you find these last few useful and always, message me if you want more info.

The Fells Historic Estate: The Fells is a nice garden and estate wedding venue located in Newbury, NH. It can hold 175 guests with up to 200 if special accommodations are made. They usually hold events from 4:30 pm to 10:30 pm because they are open to the public from dawn to dusk 365 days/year. They usually have tented events but you also have access to the main house. The rental fee is based on the number of guests you estimate on having with a maximum rental fee of $4,500. This would be a good venue for a bride who would like to have outdoor wedding and reception in a beautiful garden setting.


Mountain Top Inn & Resort : This inn is has great views of the surrounding VT countryside. It's selling point is that you can get married on the top of mountain that overlooks the Green Mountain National Forest. They have a newly renovated barn for a wedding reception space, but you can also have it in a tent on the grounds. They have accommodations for up to 90 people and are only 11 miles from Killington where more hotels are available. The rental fee various based on time of year and location of your reception but the highest rental fee is $6,500 for the barn during prime season. The barn can hold up to 250 guests. I think this would be a good venue for a bride who wants a country or rustic style wedding and has a large guest list.

The Essex Resort and Spa: The Essex is located in Essex, VT and is a resort that features two difference spaces for receptions and ceremonies. The two spaces are not located on the same property but are about 30 minutes away from each other. The main resort is where most people choose to have their weddings and they can have up to 300 people in the ballroom. The other venue is the Ponds at Bolton Valley. This site can accommodate up to 200 people. I wasn't overly impressed with the main resort venue because the reception space was a little outdated for my taste. I think that the outside ceremony space is really pretty though. This would be a good venue for a bride who needs a space that can accommodate a large party in northern VT.

The Topsfield Commons 1854: This was our second choice in wedding venue. It is a great place to hold your reception but might be a little tight for the ceremony. We were going to have our ceremony in a chapel and Andover, MA then go to the commons for our reception. This place is elegant and historic with the nicest people to help you out. They have a space one the first floor for cocktails and upstairs is a ballroom with a stage and balcony. The upstairs space is open and clean and the stage is great for a band or DJ. They allow you to supply your own alcohol but do the catering themselves. The prices were reasonable but they do require guest mins of 125 people on a Saturday and they also require you to hire a police officer for the entire time of your ceremony. Overall, I think this is a great venue that any bride on the north shore would like. It would be great for a bride with a medium size party to meet the minimums and who wants an elegant feel.

Gedney Farm and Mepal Manor: This is a rustic chic venue located in New Marlborough, MA. It is a farm and inn with a nice barn for the reception space. It is a little pricey and does require guest minimums for certain times of the year. Rental fees can top $5,000 with menu prices ranging from $95-$125 per person. The admin fees are 20% which really adds to the cost. They have space for people to stay but I not sure how many. I think this would be a good option for a bride who wants a country or rustic wedding but has money to spend.

Bar Harbor Resorts: The Bar Harbor Resorts are made up of two wedding venues. The first is Harborside Hotel and Spa. This has three reception location holding up to 290 guests. They are all ballroom style rooms with differing decor and size. The second venue is the Bar Harbor Regency Oceanfront Resort. It can hold up to 500 people in some of it's rooms. No pricing information was provided with the initial e-mail so I am unsure of what costs would be. I would assume on the higher end because of the location (right on the ocean) and because it is a nice resort. I think this would be a good option for a bride who wants to get married on the ocean and needs a venue for a large party.

The Last of the Venues...Part 1

So after two months of writing venue reviews I'm ready to move on. I have decided to post the last of the venues that I have info on but haven't blogged about yet. There are quite a few so I am going to break it up into two posts. After that I will post about my wedding venue and then I plan on hitting on other topics that I am working on now. Leave a comment if you want any more information about any of the venues listed below! Good luck on the search!

Point Lookout Resort: This is a rustic-chic resort in Lincolnville, ME that has a great lodge on a mountain top with awesome views. The views are what drew me to the venue in the beginning but the price ultimately pushed me away. I do have to say that the wedding coordinator, Lisa Tapken, worked with me for a while to try and bring the price back into my range. She was super nice and helpful. I would recommend this venue to a bride who wants the rustic-chic style but has a big budget.

The Endicott Estate: This is an historic mansion located in Dedham, MA. It is good for smaller weddings and allows you to bring your own alcohol and food, which can save you some serious money. They offer on-site ceremonies, house and tented receptions with different rental pricing for prime and and off-seasons. The contact there is Erin Perron.

The Stonehurst Paine Estate: The Paine Estate is an old wooden and stone estate located in Waltham, MA. It was really hard to get in touch with the coordinator Marcia Goodwin. She didn't always respond to e-mail very quickly so if it is a place you are really interested, then you should be persistent. This is a good venue for the couple looking for a historic venue that is reasonably priced. The estate can hold up to 150 people, so it would be good for a small to average sized wedding.

Alden Castle: This is a Longwood venue located in Brookline, MA. It is described as modern chic and the price reflects this. The minimum is $20k which doesn't include the 20% admin fee. This is a really nice space that can hold 150 people but it was too expensive for us. This would be a great venue for a bride who wants to have a city wedding but doesn't want to feel like they are in the city. The contact is Michell Sagi.

The Lakeview Pavilion: Lakeview is ballroom style wedding venue in Foxboro, MA. They have 150 person minimum for a Saturday wedding and only has one wedding at a time. They have outdoor space for a ceremony and the reception is held in a ballroom that is decorated with tulle swags and white Christmas lights. They offer some great discounts so I'd would recommend this venue to a south shore bride who has a bigger wedding party and wants to work on a mid-range budget. The contact for the venue is Terry Memmo.

Tuppor Manor: This is venue is part of Wylie Conference Center at Endicott College and is gorgeous. They have an beautiful room for the reception and you can have your ceremony on the beach. They are pretty expensive with food and beverage minimums up near $15k and the rental fee as high as $7k. This would be a great venue for a bride with a big budget looking for an elegant venue. The contact for the venue is Paul Bachinger.

More venues soon!

ME Wedding Venue: Spruce Point Inn

The Spruce Point Inn is an upscale collection of inn rooms and cottages on the coast of Boothbay Harbor, Maine. It is has all of the trappings of a coastal Maine inn with a seaside motif but in an upscale and elegant way. On the website and in the literature they send out, they really push the idea of having a whole weekend event. Obviously they want you to spend more money there but I am unsure if they only hold one event a weekend or even a day. I assume because they have three different reception spaces they would hold more than event a weekend if not a day. The reception spaces are a nice mix of indoor and outdoor areas. The Pemaquid is my favorite reception space because you get an indoor space to eat and dance but have the outdoor area to hang out and drink cocktails. They also have a really cool grand staircase to make a grand entrance. The packages for the food and alcohol are inclusive and I think are a pretty good deal. The packages range from $149-$179 per person and there are food and drink minimums but the packages include 4 hours of open bar, cake, dual entrees, two night stay for bride and groom plus more. Considering the individual costs for each of those things it is a pretty good deal. There is one draw back, they charge a 20% service fee plus tax and facility fee. This is pretty high considering the minimums and adds a lot to the bill. Always check for these extra costs to make sure they don't put you over budget! Details below!

Information					Comments
The Venue: The Spruce Point Inn					An elegant and modern inn in northern ME.
Location: Booth Bay Harbor, ME
Rental Season: No prime season specified.					As far as I can tell you can rent all of the spaces year round but the prices in the summer might go up.
Ceremony Onsite: Yes, indoors or outdoors.
Capacity: The guest count ranges from 150-250.					You can have less people in each of the spaces, these are just the maximums.
Guest Min Required? There is a minimum of 50 ppl for the packages.
Bridal/Groom Rooms? Yes.They are rooms you rent at the inn.					Two night room for the bride and groom at complimentary.
Function Rental Fee: The Pemaquid: $2,750, The Linekin: $2,000, The Oceanfront Tented Deck: $2,250, The Oceanfront (no tent): $1,250					The rental is for 5 hours. I am unsure if you are the only wedding reception on your day.
Overtime Fee: Not specified
Ceremony Fee: Included in the rental fees.
Catering: All food provided by resort. Packages range from $149-$179 per person.					This includes cake, coffee and tea, champagne toast, apps and either buffet or dual entrée.
Alcohol: 4 hours open bar of call liquors included in all the packages!					It doesn't say specifically but I assume you can also have a consumption, cash bar or upgrade your open bar liquors.
Food/Beverage Min? Yes, ranges from $12,500 - $17,500 depending on the room.
Bar Fee: Not specified.
Extra Fees: 20% admin fee, and unspecified ME tax and facility fee.					$100 buffet station fee for each station.
Accommodations: 14 rooms.					The room prices range from $180-$745 depending on the day and season.
Venue Contact: Cindy Mastrella					CMastrella@sprucepointinn.com

 

Asking all the right questions....

For the last 3 months I have been posting reviews about all of the venues that I looked at until I found "the one". I though that in addition to posting reviews I would also post questions that I think are important to ask when you go on venue tours. When I started out touring venues I expected them just to tell me everything but as I went on more tours I realized you really have to be up front in asking the questions to get the information you want. Listed below are a few categories and some related questions that should help you get a better idea about the venue you are looking at.

The Rental Space - it is important to know as much as you can about the physical space you are going to rent and what that requires. Here are a few key questions.

1. What is the venue rental fee? What space does it include?
2. Can I have my ceremony here? Is there an additional fee?
3. How long is the rental? Does this include the ceremony time (if applicable)? Can I purchase overtime and a what rate?
4. What is the maximum number of guests you can accommodate?
5. What is the rain plan? (for either reception or ceremony)
6. Are there limitations on decorations for the space?

The Food and Booze - The food and alcohol is important and usually the biggest cost associated with your reception. There are a million different ways venues handle, or don't, the food.

1. Does your facility provide the food and alcohol? If not, are there restrictions on who can cater the event?
2. What is the price per person for all of your food packages? What is the price per person for your open bar? What are included in the menu packages?
3. Is there a price guarantee on my package pricing? Is there a maximum increase limit to the price?
4. What alcohol options do we have? Open bar, cash bar, consumption based pricing? What variations of these can be done during the rental time?
5. Is there a hard end time for alcohol service?

The General Stuff - This is the little stuff that can often slip through the cracks but is just as important to consider.

1. Are there any additional fees (taxes, admin or service fee, cake cutting fee) that will be applied to my final bill? If so, what are they? Is gratuity included?
2. Is there a day of coordinator and who will they be? What will their job be on the day of the wedding?
3. Are there overnight accommodations for guests at the venue? If not, how close by are they and at what price points?
4. Are there off season/day/time discounts? What is required to hold a date?
5. Do you plan on doing any renovations near or before the time of the wedding? Will the be completed in time or will the facility look as you see it then?
6. Are there any additional or unusual rules or guidelines we must follow during the rental? 

This is a short and general list but more complete lists can be found and the following links below.

New England Bride Function Organizer

Real Simple Magazine's Q's

Glamour Magazine's Take on Venue Q's

ME Wedding Venue: The Landing at Pine Point

The Landing at Pine Point is a unique wedding venue located in Portland, ME. The Landing used to be an old church that was converted into a modern, chic venue space. The Black Tie Catering Corporation bought The Landing and now rents it out for all types of functions and does all of the catering. You can have your ceremony inside the venue or right down the street on the bay near the ocean. They don't offer traditional wedding packages but in the rental fee include 5 hrs of reception, tables, chairs, some uplighting, bridal suite, etc. All of the menus are customizable  with individual pricing for every part of the menu. You can make it as expensive or inexpensive as you want. I didn't see anything mentioned about a food minimum so I think you have a lot of flexibility to make your menu as big or as small as you want. The Black Tie Co also provided the alcohol but they didn't provide any initial pricing. Overall, the venue space looks super modern and fun, plus it can hold up to 500 people so it is a great option for big wedding parties. I love the stage, which would be great for a live band or DJ and uplighting really makes the space look amazing. I think this would be a great venue for brides who want a unique space, have large wedding parties and really want to customize every detail of their wedding. Details below!

Information					Comments
The Venue: The Landing at Pine Point					An old church converted to a great function space.
Location: Portland, ME					The old part of the city is historic and a lot of fun to hang out in at night.
Prime Season: Not specified.					I assume May-October.
Ceremony Onsite: Yes, indoors or outdoors.					The outdoor space is near the beach.
Capacity: Up to 500 people inside.
Guest Min Required? No
Bridal/Groom Rooms? Yes. They have suites to get ready in.
Function Rental Fee: Ranges from $2,500-$3,500.					Includes the whole property, 5 hrs for the reception, chairs, tables, flatware, etc.
Overtime Fee: Not specified.
Ceremony Fee: Not specified.
Catering: Black Tie Co caters. The estimate is $85-$90 pp and goes up for there.					They don't have packages and you customize your menu completely.
Alcohol: Provided by Black Tie Co, but prices not  given.					All open bars are subject to 7% ME tax and 18% service fee.
Food/Beverage Min? No
Bar Fee: Not specified.
Extra Fees: Most likely ME tax and service charge on food.
Accommodations: No.
Venue Contact: Ashleigh Hill					ashleigh@theblacktieco.com

 

ME Wedding Venue: Hidden Pond

Hidden Pond is an upscale, "rustic" Maine resort located in Kennebunkport. Kennebunkport is a seaside town that caters to rich tourists in the summer and considerably diminishes in size during the winter months. It is a chic Maine town that has many posh restaurants, hotels and resorts. Hidden Pond is one of these resorts. It is only open May-October and offers cottages to rent, a spa and some award-winning dining. They have two major event spaces onsite, the Event Barn and The Farm. The Event Barn is for smaller wedding parties of 80 or less and is by far the more affordable option. They have a food and beverage minimum ranging from $8,000-$12,000 depending on what date you chose but do offer discounts for weekday weddings. The Farm is more pricey and can hold up to 200 people for a tented event. You however are required to pay a site fee in addition to renting everything from the tent to the china and dance floor. There is a 100 person minimum and $150/pp min required on food and beverage. Both places require you to rent transportation because they only have limited onsite parking so most people are required to park offsite. From the pictures the resort seems to be perfectly manicured and beautiful but this place was too expensive for our budget with the number of people we wanted to have. I would recommend this venue to a bride who has a smaller wedding party and can go with the Event Barn. It is by far a better deal and you are getting more for the cost. Details below!

Information		Comments
The Venue: Hidden Pond		A upscale, "rustic" resort.
Location: Kennebunkport, ME		A gorgeous seaside town on the ME coast, summer home of former President George H. W Bush.
Rental Season: Only open May-October
Ceremony Onsite: Yes, outdoors or inside.
Capacity: Up to 200 if you use the Farm and a tent, 80 for the Event Barn.		The Farm is only rented out in the Spring and Fall. Very limited dates available.
Guest Min Required? 100 ppl min required for Farm rentals.		No min required for rental of the Event Barn.
Bridal/Groom Rooms? Yes. They are rooms in cottages that you would rent.
Function Rental Fee (prime season): Farm: $7,000, Event Barn: $2,000		5 hr rental for both spaces. The Farm also requires you to rent the tent, tables, chairs, dance floor, etc.
Overtime Fee: Event Barn: $55/hr, Farm: $500/hr		Noise ordinance enforced at 10 pm.
Ceremony Fee: Not specified.
Catering: Food done by resort. Packages range from $34-$52 pp but don't include appetizers or dessert.
Alcohol: $59-$39 for four hours of open bar.		They also have cash bar and consumption based options available.
Food/Beverage Min? The Event Barn: $8,000-$12,000, The Farm: $150/person
Bar Fee: Not specified.
Extra Fees: 7% NH Meals and 20% service charge on food and beverage.		If you rent the Farm you also have to rent transportation to and from the parking lot because it is off site.
Accommodations: 36 cottages onsite for rental.		Farm rental requires site buyout for two nights.
Venue Contact: Colleen Geary		sales@thecoastalhouse.com

The Event Barn

The Farm (tent example)

ME Wedding Venue: French's Point

French's Point is one of my favorite ME venues. I attended a wedding here and was completely blown away. This venue is amazing! The ocean views are to die for and the ceremony space is on a point that has a beautiful gazebo. The outside space has large sloping lawns and great stone patio for cocktail hour. Inside the estate there is one large open room where dinner and dancing is held. It is all dark wood with a grand built in bar and floor to ceiling windows to keep the ocean close. It is all elegance and sophistication while still maintaining a rustic Maine feel. I would have picked this venue in a heart beat but there were a couple of factors that we couldn't over come. The biggest was cost. We wanted to spend around $25-30k for the whole wedding and that is the average for just a reception here. The food minimum for a Saturday during prime season is $20,000! In addition to the cost, is the remote location of the venue. While this is part of the charm it also makes it difficult for guests to find decent hotels. We staying in a cheap hotel (Holiday Inn?) that was ok but not my preference. The couple who's wedding we attended bused people to the venue and back which would be a must because it is at least a 20-25 minute drive to the venue from the closest hotel. I would suggest this venue to any bride but it is only practical for those who have a big budget. Details below!

Information					Comments
The Venue: French's Point					What I think is the one of the most elegant and beautiful ME venues.
Location: Stockton Springs, ME					Very far up the ME coastline.
Prime Season: Memorial Day-Columbus Day
Ceremony Onsite: Yes, indoors or outdoors.					The outdoor space is to die for with a gazebo and 210° view of the ocean!
Capacity: The facility can hold up to 300.					The ballroom, music room and rose terrace and the spaces that your rental fee includes.
Guest Min Required? No
Bridal/Groom Rooms? Yes. It is a room you rent there.					They comp your room on your wedding night.
Function Rental Fee: Prime: Sat $8,500, Fri&Sun $7,5000, Weekday $6,500. Off season: $6,000					One wedding a day. You choose the 6 hr period  Events must end by 10 pm.
Overtime Fee: Not specified
Ceremony Fee: Included in rental fee.
Catering: All food provided by resort. Packages range from $146-$168 per person.					Each increasing package includes more courses up to a total of four.
Alcohol: $45 pp for open bar, $30 for beer and wine, both are for 5 hours of service.					If you have open bar it is required for at least 3 hours.
Food/Beverage Min? Sat: $20,000, Fri&Sun: $15,000, Weekday: $8,000, Off-season: $8,000					The totals are before tax and gratuity.
Bar Fee: None
Extra Fees: 7% state tax, 20% admin fee on food and beverage.
Accommodations: 30 person farm house onsite available for rental.					Weekend: $8,500, Week: $11,000
Venue Contact: Eric Z. Joy					service@fpmaine.com

   

ME Wedding Venue: York Harbor Inn

The York Harbor Inn is a conundrum to me. When I was starting to look at venues I had great hopes that this would be the answer to my prayers. I was feeling a little desperate at the time because we had recently visited a bunch of places that weren't in my budget so I was searching for an option I could afford and image having my wedding at; enter York Harbor. One big thing going for York Harbor is the price. The packages are all inclusive and then some. They have a good value when everything is all said and done. They also get high marks on their food even though we didn't personally try it when we visited but I have seen a bunch of good reviews. Other than that when I visited I was disappointed. Sure it has the charm of an old inn on the seacoast but once you leave the common spaces the charm ends. The seaside ceremony is run by a preservation company in York Harbor and they only allow something like 25 chairs, while the inn requires at least 100 guests for a Sat wedding. Granted most ceremonies aren't long but I didn't like the idea of making everyone stand for the half hour, I feel like they would get distracted and uncomfortable. Inside, the ballroom is nice but dated and to fit 100 people in with dance floor you have to seat people behind some half walls. I though the decor was a little dated, not in a 1800's good way but like 1960's bad way. We visited some of the guest rooms right near the ballroom and they were tiny and smelled heavily of chlorine. On top of that they charge $200-$250 a night during May-Oct! Overall I was unimpressed. The staff were super nice so I don't want to take away from that but I guess I would suggest this to a bride who is focused on cost and can do a lot of extra decorating to spruce the place up. Details below.

Information		Comments
The Venue: York Harbor Inn		The main inn is ok but the rooms are small and dated.
Location: York Harbor, ME		A cute seaside town
Rental Season: No prime season specified.		May-Oct is the "busy" season but prices don't change.
Ceremony Onsite: Yes, outdoors or inside.		Outdoor location is by the sea and only a limited number of guests can be seated (25 max?)
Capacity: up to 150.		This is for the ballroom which is the most popular.
Guest Min Required? Range from 25-100 ppl depending on the room
Bridal/Groom Rooms? They have rooms to rent and use as bridal suites.
Function Rental Fee: Up to $3,750. This is included in the wedding packages.		The rental is for 5 hours with receptions ending at 9:30 unless you rent out the 14 rooms around the ballroom.
Overtime Fee: $250/ .5 hr
Ceremony Fee: $1500 for seaside, $500 inside the inn		Seaside ceremony run by a preservation group, not the inn.
Catering: Food done by inn. Packages range from $115-$175 pp		A lot is included in this price. Ex: tax and gratuity, cake, function room fee, toast, etc
Alcohol: Open bar $29 pp (all night), beer and wine (all night) $22 pp, does down from there.		Pretty cheap.
Food/Beverage Min? Up to $7,000		Using a min # of guests and a package you will hit this no problem.
Bar Fee: $100. Included in packages
Extra Fees: 7% ME Sales Tax, 16.5% gratuity and 3.5% facility charge for alcohol.
Accommodations: 64 rooms spread over multiple buildings.		The room charges are crazy for the size and quality. Some rooms (near the ballroom) smell like chlorine.
Venue Contact: Casey Syvertsen		casey@yorkharborinn.com

  

Wedding Venues ME: The Bethel Inn Resort

The Bethel Inn Resort is a great place to have a large Maine wedding. The resort is very economical with off season prices starting at $49 per person. The information that was e-mailed to me didn't include pricing information for fees regarding the venue, alcohol and ceremony. I am also unsure about how many ceremonies they hold at one time. They have all sorts of great add-ons that you can do for your wedding including fireworks, rounds of golf or spa time. We chose not to go with them because if we were going to have a ME wedding we wanted one on the coast but this is a great option for people in northern NH or mid-ME.

Information					Comments
The Venue: The Bethel Inn
Location: Bethel, ME					ME is a great state with a lot of outdoor beauty. Bethel is a great inland town which is very typical NE.
Off Season: Mid-March-End May and End of Oct - Dec 20.
Ceremony Onsite: Yes, indoors or outdoors.
Capacity: 300 in conference center, 200+ in main inn over two rooms.					This place is great for large weddings. They have room for smaller weddings too.
Bridal/Groom Rooms? Yes. There is a space for the bride and groom to get ready onsite.					The bridal suites are rooms at the inn that are complementary with the wedding package.
Function Rental Fee (no prime/off season): Not specified					I was disappointed that these details weren't included in the documentation I received.
Overtime Fee: Not specified.					No end time specified in initial documentation.
Ceremony Fee: None listed
Catering: All food provided by inn. They list per person prices to be $49-$99 pp and includes cake.					$49 is an off season price and all packages require a 75 person min.
Alcohol: No pricing info given but they list all of the normal options, open bar, cash, beer and wine only.					The alcohol is done by the inn but no prices were given.
Bar Fee: Not listed
Extra Fees: 18% service charge and 7% tax.
Accommodations: They have 140 guest rooms.					They offer you discounted blocks of rooms for your guests.
Venue Contact: Mary Brown					mbrown@bethelinn.com

Some pics from the web:

Wedding Planning Stage 2: The Venue

The venue. It is the space that sets the tone for your whole wedding. It is a way to express your style as a couple and one of the most important (and most expensive) parts of your big day. This blog was started because of my desire to have a place to go where all types of venues are  listed. For the next couple of entries I will review the places I visited and include information on the places I didn't. They will be in no particular order and I will post the most recent cost information I have for all of them. 

I am at the venue search stage in my wedding planning. I have given thought to all the other aspects but until you find your venue it is hard to work those things out. To date I have contacted about 50 or so venues in ME, NH, VT and MA. After factoring in cost, capacity and requirements I cut the list to about 20 that were contenders. The things that were important to me were the feel of the space, exclusivity and cost. We wanted to keep our reception at around $13,000 for 100 people. I also wanted a space that wasn't a cookie cutter ballroom but had a nice outside space for cocktails, pictures and a ceremony. I wanted a modern venue inside with clean lines and updated, but a homey feel at the same time. I knew I didn't want a tent or a barn. Finally, I didn't want to share my wedding space with another bridal party. I didn't even really like the idea of having my wedding at a place where they held one earlier in the day. So after cutting the list of 50 down to 20, we have visited 12 venues with about 5 more planned. The next post will feature The Crane Estate in Ipswich, MA. One that was very high on my list, until cost knocked it down a few pegs (but not off completely!).