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

 

MA Wedding Venue: The Hellanic Center

The Hellanic Center is an old estate mansion that is located in Ipswich, MA. I've talked about how much I love Ipswich before in other venue posts and this venue is located closer to the center of town than the other two.  The venue has three ceremony spaces. The first is on the side of the property and is a stone patio. It has a a few steps up to an elevated concrete platform with an arch. The ceremony can be preformed here with your guest sitting on the stone floor below. The only downside is that behind the archway is the road and driveway. This doesn't make for a very pretty or peaceful backdrop. The second (and my favorite) ceremony space is in the back lawn between two large oak trees. Here is is much more peaceful and the chairs can be set up anywhere on the lawn you'd like. The final space is in the more formal gardens where you walk down off the back porch into the ceremony space. This space is smaller so would be good for a smaller party. This space would be great for cocktail hour as well. Inside, the venue is one large room that you enter the minute you walk through the door. They were doing renovations when we visited but they said that they would be over by this spring. They have a built in bar and the room can be arranged in an manner you want. They provide the alcohol but you have to hire one of their three caterers for the food. I would recommend this venue to any bride who wants to have a large wedding and wants to have a nice outside ceremony. Details below!

Information					Comments
The Venue: The Hellanic Center					A former private estate on 13 acres.
Location: Ipswich, MA
Prime Season: No prime season.					Pricing the same all year.
Ceremony Onsite: Yes, indoors or outdoors.					They have 3 different outdoor spaces which is where a majority of the ceremonies take place.
Capacity: Up to 250					There is only one indoor reception space.
Guest Min Required? 100 ppl for a Fri or Sun, 125 ppl on a Sat.
Bridal/Groom Rooms? Yes. They have suites to get ready in.					The bridal suites are upstairs and are ok.
Function Rental Fee: Sat: $4,400, Fri & Sun: $3,150, Sun (Pre-Holiday): $4,400					5 hour rental of the whole property. No pricing information given for a weekday rental.
Overtime Fee: $350/half hour
Ceremony Fee: Included in rental fee.					As long the ceremony is in the 5 hr rental.
Catering: Must hire one of the 3 exclusive caterers.
Alcohol: Open bar for 4 1/2 hrs $28/pp.					You can have a cash or consumption bar as well.
Food/Beverage Min? No
Bar Fee: No.
Extra Fees: 18% charge on the alcohol if the bartenders are not tipped by the guests.
Accommodations: No.
Venue Contact: Tamie Rodolosi					TheHellenicCenter@verizon.net

 

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

NH Wedding Venue: The Hanover Inn Dartmouth

The Hanover Inn is another luxurious inn in a small New England town. I think there is defiantly a pattern in all of my posts! :)  This is a great inn that has 108 rooms, some of which over look the Dartmouth campus. Hanover is a great little New Hampshire town, in the western part of the state. It has fun shops and great little eateries plus the added benefit of a sophisticated collegiate atmosphere. I highly recommend checking out Molly's if you go to visit and need a place to eat!  The inn only gave me information on receptions, so I am unsure if they do ceremonies in their ballrooms but I am pretty sure that they don't have any outside space. The packages that they do offer are reasonably priced with the most expensive package option to be $145 per person. All of the packages include apps, dinner, a toast, linens and a 5 hour reception time, and comp room with a late night snack and champagne. I think that this is a really great venue for brides who want to have the feel of a big city, fancy ballroom wedding but in a beautiful, quiet location. I would recommend this venue to any bride who wants an elegant but still country wedding. Details below!

 

Information		Comments
The Venue: The Hanover Inn		Luxury in small town NH.
Location: Hanover, NH		This is home to the prestigious Dartmouth College and a great little New England town.
Rental Season: Prime season not specified.		I would assume prime is May-October but no off season discount mentioned.
Ceremony Onsite: They don't discuss ceremonies at The Hanover Inn.		I assume you could have one in the ballroom but I don't think there is any outdoor space and it is usually rented for receptions only.
Capacity: Two event spaces, each 100-300 people.
Guest Min Required? Not specified.		I don't think there is one.
Bridal/Groom Rooms? Yes. They are rooms at the inn and are complimentary the night of your reception.
Function Rental Fee (prime season): Not specified, but I believe it is included in the wedding packages.		5 hr rental.
Overtime Fee: Event Barn: Not specified.
Ceremony Fee: Not specified.
Catering: Food done by the inn. Packages range from $72-$145 a person. All packages include apps, dinner, and toast.		Linens, tables, chairs also included. The upgraded packages include cake, and more courses.
Alcohol: $22-$45 per person for five hours of open bar.		They also have cash bar and consumption based options available.
Food/Beverage Min? Not specified.		I don't think there is one.
Bar Fee: Not specified.
Extra Fees: 9% meals tax, 12% service charge on food and beverage and 5% admin fee.
Accommodations: They have 108 rooms for rent.		Prices range from $200-$500/night.
Venue Contact: Kate Martel		kathryn.martel@hanoverinn.com