Venues & Reception Sites

Andover Country Club

Location: Andover, MA
Website: http://www.andovercountryclub.com/
Reviews:

- A+: It was unfortunate that it rained heavily on our big day since we did weigh our decision to use the ACC heavily on the outdoor landscaping, but it was nice to have a terrace to take pictures on rather than using a boring "picture room." Mike and I made it a point to take a seat for 5-10 minutes every time a new course was served, and the food was delicious. We received many compliments from guests about the food and the decor inside the room. I thought it was the perfect size for 150 guests... I'm not sure how they ever fit the max 250 in there though. They were very accomodating at both the front desk and the managers office whenever I called with questions, and are some of the most pleasant people I dealt with along the way.

- A+: We had a fantastic time with ACC from start to finish. Keith Marfeher was our banquet manger and totally set my mind at ease from the second we met him. We booked very early for our wedding (it was Feb 02 for Oct 05 wedding) and most people looked at us like we were CRAZY! ACC welcomed us in gave us a tour of all the rooms and informed us of the renovations and things that were happening in the room we wanted to use. The renovations were beautiful when completed and the ACC staff never had a problem of me getting a “fix” and dropping in to look at the hall at any time! We used the Andover room and had a fire going in the fire place the whole night! The food was phenomenal; we are still getting compliments on it! The passed appetizers were awesome and the wait staff was very friendly! The picture area outside is great (but it rained so we didn’t use it) we just used the picture room for a few formals… took most at the church (I am never a big fan of the picture room grey and pink tones)… Being able to stay there after the wedding and my husband and the guys staying there the night before was great and it took a lot of stress out of being at the right place at the right time!

Atkinson Resort & Country Club

Location: Atkinson, NH
Website: http://www.atkinsonresort.com/
Reviews:

- I absolutely loved Atkinson Country Club and so happy that I chose that location. First of all I have to say that the wedding manager Nicolette is the sweetest person I've met, and truly helpful throughout my whole planning at Atkinson. The grounds at Atkinson are just gorgeous. We got so many compliments on how beautiful Atkinson is.

Throughout my planning I had so many people tell me how great the food and the staff at Atkinson are, and boy were they right! The food was delicious! We got lots of compliments on how good the food was, even by picky eaters!! And the staff was exceptional. There was one guy his name is John and he always made sure DH had a drink in his hand, and that everything was okay the whole night. Our DOC, Rachael, where do I begin. At first I was afraid because all my planning had been through Nicolette. I never met Rachael until 3 days before my wedding. So I didn't know if what I had pictured my day to be like would come through. So I setup my centerpieces at home and took pictures of how I wanted the tables to be set up and printed them out to give to her. Everything we had discussed was done to the T the day of the wedding. I’m so pleased with how everything looked it was exactly how I had imagined it! Rachael was like a best friend the day of the wedding!! (That's how it felt) She was always there to make sure everything was going okay and that I was okay. I really don't have words to really describe how grateful I am that she was my DOC.

The only 2 things that went wrong was 1. the mics didn't work during the ceremony, so no one heard us say our vows. I was upset, but not to the point where it ruined my night. I really had to just shrug it off, and I did after my videographer told me that he captured every word we said on video. So I felt some relief after he told me that. And 2. my pens that I had supplied for the guestbook didn’t work. My guestbook had black pages so we needed white pens. During pictures Rachael came and told me about the issue and that she was working on finding something else. In the end she found a white color pencil and crayon. So after dinner the booked was passed around the tables and people got to sign it.

- A: The Atkinson were so wonderful to work with. The food is amazing, the staff is so friendly and helpful, and the grounds are so well kept. I had so many guests comment on how delicious and hot the food was for there being 212 dinners being served at once. Jason and I receieved a night's stay in one of their rooms the night of our wedding as part of the package. When we got up there, there were two dinners there for us, two slices of our wedding cake in the fridge, desserts for the Viennese Dessert table we had, champagne on ice, and a hand written card from our coordinator. I wouldn't have wanted to get married anywhere else. They made us feel so special. Our coordinator, Sandra, was so sweet and kept everything moving smoothly on the wedding day. The reason they get an A versus an A+ is not the fault of any of the girls we worked with. We had to pay extra for things like tomatoes and cucumbers on the salads. I feel like for the money that was being spent there, there were things that should have been included. Definitely not a reason to stay away though! We'll be back there often!

Barker Tavern

Location: Scituate, MA
Website: http://www.barkertavern.com/
Reviews:

- A+: Our reception was here and simply fantastic. We even had guests show up early and they let them in. The service was fantastic and the food was delicious.

Blissful Meadows Golf Club

Location: Uxbridge, MA
Website: http://www.blissfulmeadows.com/
Reviews:

- AMAZING! The staff and wedding coodinator made my day flawless! Every little detail I asked for was done with such effort and ease. The food was amazing, The location so quant and Cozy. I had many many compliments on the location we chose.

Boston Harbor Hotel

Location: Boston, MA
Website: http://www.bhh.com/
Reviews:

- (Atlantic Room) A: Great food, excellent service. My only warning is to be careful of your bar tab - have someone count the bottles consumed at the end of the night, as we feel we were overcharged for liquor. The hotel was accommodating with our objection, though, and gave us some money back.

Café Escadrille

Location: Burlington, MA
Website: http://www.cafeescadrille.com/
Reviews:

- B: The room was set up well and the food was delicious. I did have a few miscommunications that would have led to a substantial increase in the price of the event if I did not have everything in writing. My one piece of advice for working with Café Escadrille is to get absolutely everything in writing! I was hugely disappointed to walk into the reception for the first time and to see that the centerpieces were completely wrong. I mentioned this to my coordinator and she told me that there was nothing she could do about it. The centerpieces were included as part of my package.

- A: We originally chose Café Escadrille because they had the a date available in July. However, we very quickly fell in love with the ambiance and the staff. Our coordinator, Bob, was at times a little over zealous about things, but it was truly because he wanted us to have an amazing wedding. We had our tasting there in January, and it was DH, myself and both sets of parents. No large group of tasters here! We had the undivided attention of the entire staff each time we went for a visit. They were hugely accommodating to us when DH’s parents visited the venue 1/2 a dozen times in June alone to get an idea of where to put the flowers. We were able to choose 3 entrees for our guests (at no additional charge) and ended up choosing: Prime Rib, Chicken Fontina and Grilled Salmon. Although DH and I didn’t get to eat much of anything that night people are still raving about the food that we had! Our cake was also part of our package and it was gorgeous! It was a chocolate cake soaked in Chambord and layered with chocolate mousse and raspberries. The piece that DH fed me as amazing! We chose to have open bar at our reception and we were lucky in that no one went overboard with it. Our reception cost $100 a head and the open bar was another $18 a head. A little more than we were hoping to spend but it was absolutely worth it! We had the entire reception area to ourselves. A grand foyer with a bar, fireplace, couches, chairs and beautiful architecture; Garden Terrace with an indoor real waterfall with plants, a glass ceiling so you could see the stars and tile floor made to look like an outdoor patio; Photoroom which was exactly what you would expect – a large room with curtains to take formal photos in; Bridal Suite with a separate changing area, bathroom and entrance and Grand Ballroom that held our entire guest list, and band very comfortably. As the bride, I also had my own private attendant with me all night long helping me with my dress, veil etc. Recommendation – Very High

Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center

Location: Cambridge, MA
Website: http://www.cmacusa.org/
Reviews:

- A: It is a beautiful location right in the city, a historic courthouse that is now a gallery and theater. the staff was nice, and reasonably helpful, weddings are not their main focus, but everything went off without a hitch. the capacity is 150, we had 100, and a big dance floor for my crazy family. the price is definitely right, i think we paid 2500 for outdoor chairs, the place for 10 hours, and lighting.

Candia Woods Golf Club

Location: Candia, NH
Website: http://www.candiawoods.com/
Reviews:

- A: Candia was a beautiful place. The day-of-coordinator Kelly was fantastic. Everything ran super smoothly and the food was terrific. The only issue we had with Candia was prior to the event. It was always very difficult to get in touch with the function sales manager Christina. I actually had to email someone else at one point to get in touch with someone else there just to get an answer.

Chatham Bars Inn

Location: Chatham, MA
Website: http://www.chathambarsinn.com/
Reviews:

- A-: The location was amazing - our ceremony took place on a huge lawn over looking the ocean, and the reception was at their Beach House Grille, which is right on the beach. The food was out of this world, especially the wedding cake, which turned out even better than what I was thinking. I only had a few complaints. #1) Over the year that we were planning the wedding at CBI, they went through 3 wedding coordinators, which was very frustrating. #2) For a place that is so beautiful and expensive, they can be very cheap with certain things. For example, they did not include a free tasting of the food - we had to talk them into tasting the cakes, wines, and appetizers. #3) Though not their fault (there are strict noise restriction laws in Chatham), the wedding had to end and the music stop at 10:00 pm?we would have a loved another couple hours!

Club Longwood

Location: Boston, MA
Website: http://www.longwoodevents.com/
Reviews:

- We got to many compliments on the location, the food, and the atmosphere. Only complaints were that in the cocktail hour if you were not near the steps you did not get much choices of the food. My brother was one of these people and he does not eat much variety and I had to ask twice for them to bring him some of the mini hamburgers. My mother also told me she did not get some things because she was back with my brother and nothing was getting to her. I had help all the time with changing gowns, getting food, anything I needed. (At times being followed and asked do I need anything got annoying but that might just be me).

Commandant's House

Location: Boston, MA (Charlestown Navy Yard)
Website: http://www.commandantshouse.com/
Reviews:

- (Sharon Mainguy, coordinator) A: Sharon was my final contact. During the sales/contract/touring process, I met at least 4 ladies. This didn't bother me b/c I worked at a hotel and knew everyone got shuffled around. I was very happy to have ended up with Sharon. She was very responsive via email, flexible with scheduling our appointments, and arranged with the USS Constitution for us to take pictures on the ship after hours. She tracked down the flag my mom had purchased to be flown on our wedding day since it wasn't up when we arrived, and we got the shell they fired out of the cannon as an extra surprise. Our guests were invited down to the ship when they lowered their flags and blew the cannons at sunset. They LOVED it. The house and grounds were in perfect shape. Sharon was very attentive to DH and me to make sure we were having a good time and everything was the way we wanted.

The Commons

Location: Topsfield, MA
Website: http://www.topsfieldcommons.com/
Reviews:

- A: I can't say enough about Teri and Kristi- they were so attentive, helpful and full of good advice throughout the whole process. The place was beautiful and the food was great, especially the cocktail hour food- delicious! My only complaint was that the main course was a little cold, but that is probably due to the extra long best men (3!) speeches. The place was decorated exactly the way we described and the prices were reasonable. My parents were so happy with our venue- so glad we found the Commons.

Cyprian Keyes Golf Club

Location: Boylston, MA
Website: http://www.cypriankeyes.com/
Reviews:

- A: I absolutely loved Cyprian Keyes. From the first time we went there through to the end of the wedding I was in love with the place. It is beautiful inside and on beautiful grounds. Everything went wonderfully the night of the event and Andrea, who was in charge of our wedding was amazing. Susan was sometimes difficult to get to respond during the process and there was an error in our bill but they corrected it for us without any hassle. The Wednesday before the wedding my mom, grandmother, Matt and I dropped off ALL the stuff I had (there was a ton) and about 5 minutes after getting there my grandmother fainted. She was unresponsive for about a minute and a half. Andrea was incredible. She?s a former paramedic and was on top of it and called an ambulance. They were so amazing helping take care of her. The night of the wedding she made sure I didn?t worry about anything and everything was awesome. It looked BEAUTIFUL! They packed everything up for me at the end of the night and it was great. I do wish they had packed up our slices of cake since we didn't get a chance to eat them at the wedding but I would absolutely recommend Cyrpian Keyes to anyone else.

DiBurro's Function Facility

Location: Bradford, MA
Website: http://www.diburros.com/
Reviews:

- I cannot say enough about this place!! They were fabulous, everything was wonderful. They have been in the wedding business for many, many years & it definitely shows! We didn't have to worry about anything that day. We were so incredibly happy with our choice. We got a lot of compliments from guests as well. Most people had never heard of it much less attended a wedding there & people were pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. It truly is a hidden jewel. The food was great, service was super & the grounds looked beautiful. I would highly recommend Diburro's to anyone looking for elegance at an affordable price!

The DoubleTree Hotel Boston/Westborough

Location:
Website: http://www.doubletree.com/
Reviews:

- C: (The more time I have to think, the more things I think of that I was unhappy with them.) When we signed the contract, this was The Wyndham Westborough which we picked because of the location (close enough to Boston for visitors who wanted to sightsee, far enough away to be more cost effective, close to our home and the church I wanted), their experience with Hindu weddings and their flexibility with us being able to choose our own caterer, and because they had the capacity of the size we expected. I would have loved someplace historical with more character but most sites like that did not have the indoor capacity we required or did not allow the ceremonial fire. After we signed, I got a little regret because I felt the ballroom was a little plain but then the hotel changed ownership and they completely renovated and it looked pretty good so I was excited. We got passed around a few times from manager to manager during the planning process but it seemed like the one assigned to us in the end was pretty thorough and took really detailed notes at our meetings.
       My biggest issues were:
  1. miscommunication between them and our caterer which made some of the service slow during lunch and dinner
  2. our contract said 1 server per 30 guests but we got less than that which added to the slow service--I didn't find out how many servers were there until after the event, I had asked the day before how many would be there in an email but didn't check the reply until afterwards
  3. we specifically told them that since we were paying per drink, we did not want drinks cleared before people were done, and we found out that this did happen to many guests. Probably why our bar bill was so high
  4. some of the details we had worked out with them and the caterer didn't happen, we wanted 2 dessert stations and got only 1, we had takeout boxes which were not put out until DH had to hunt someone down to find them, not all of the drinks and apps we ordered were passed around and just left at stations instead (likely due to the shortage of servers)
  5. knowing that a wedding with such a large guest could get messy, I specifically asked that attention be paid to the bathrooms. During the reception, I went to the ladies' room and it was filthy. I found a staffperson tending the buffet outside and asked to have them send someone to clean the bathroom and she just said "I don't clean the bathrooms." Well, duh, I know, that's why I asked you to call to send somebody!
  6. they really weren't attentive about customer service - things like the cake table was set up with napkins only (no forks or plates for us to serve each other the cake), we were supposed to have strawberries and champagne in our room which we never got, and the only reason we got food in-between the 2 ceremonies and after the reception was because of our friends and the day-of coordinators
       Given the limited number of venues in the area that met our requirements, I don't think we would (or could due to our budget) have changed our venue had we known these things would happen. However, I would have confirmed sooner the number of servers and insisted on what was in our contract and also made sure they understood more of the our requested details.

Fruitlands Museum

Location: Harvard, MA
Website: http://www.fruitlands.org/
Reviews:

and Seasonal Specialties Catering in - We chose the Fruitlands Museum for two reasons: (1) the beautiful views and (2) several recommendations from friends that the Museum had excellent catering (Seasonal Specialties Catering). We were not disappointed. We had our heart set on an outdoor wedding, and the Fruitlands grounds with its lovely semi-permanent tent was perfect. It also helped that we had the best weather one could hope for in August (80 degrees and no humidity!). The food was amazing and so were the waiters who provided service. Some friends commented that they liked their server so much, they would like to have tipped them! The only disappointment of the Fruitlands was the wedding coordinator. He was difficult and not a savvy businessman. Some examples include: not showing up to two different scheduled meetings, being rude to guests during the wedding, and giving incorrect information (e.g. how much ice cream the Fruitlands could store in their freezers). If you want someone who will make you feel like your wedding is going to be your special day, he is not the person. The bottom line is that we had an absolutely beautiful wedding with excellent food and wonderful wait-staff service.

Governor's Inn

Location: Rochester, NH
Website: http://www.governorsinn.com/
Reviews:

- A+: They were amazing. I hadn't met the event coordinator Lisa until the day before the wedding, but we emailed often and she always was quick to respond, and very helpful. They made sure everything was set up the way I wanted and the grounds were gorgeous for pictures. It's the best place for a wedding IMHO ;) They even had servers come out during our pictures to make sure we had appitizers and drinks. The food was perfect and they even catered to all my dietary issues with guests.

Hyatt Regency Boston

Location: Boston, MA
Website: http://regencyboston.hyatt.com/
Reviews:

- A+: We couldn't have been happier with the Hyatt. We had our ceremony on the patio off the ballroom and our reception in the ballroom. Starting with the bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries the gave us after we signed the contract up until the bottles of wine they sent to my mom's and in-laws rooms the night of the wedding, the Hyatt really made us feel like our wedding day was special to them. The planning process couldn't have been easier; the service, food and details were phenomenal; and I couldn't have done any of it without Jennifer, our coordinator. I would HIGHLY suggest booking the Hyatt. It may seem a little pricey, but keep in mind that it included our cake and honeymoon suite, as well as all the regular stuff.

Independence Harbor

Location: Assonet, MA
Website: http://ihweddings.com/
Reviews:

- Amazing!!! My husband and I have been talking about how smoothly everything went. The food was amazing, the room looked exactly as I had pictured it and the tiniest details were taken care of, down to the arrangement of the cranberry wreath centerpieces. Our coordinator, Matt, was awesome - easygoing, funny, and yet managed to keep everything running seamlessly on the day of the wedding. If there's a prettier or more reasonably priced venue in the greater Boston area, I haven't seen it.

Elks Club

Location: National
Website: http://www.elks.org/
Reviews:

- (Winthrop, MA) My husband and I just got married in Winthrop on 10-13, at the Elks club. If you happen to know an Elk who can help you secure the venue, the Winthrop Elks Lodge turned out to be quite pretty, a good place to take photos and nice and private for both the ceremony and reception.

- (Bass Rocks - Gloucester, MA) A-: They did such a wonderful job.. Everything ran very smoothly, and was set up very nicely. The only reason (and it's a small one) that I gave them an A minus was because the coordinator spoke with me on Friday and never told me that she wasn't going to be there on the day of, so a few minor things were not the way I wanted them, but all in all it was absolutely FANTASTIC!!!! Kelly did a great job that night!! The whole process from the beginning when I booked it, to the very end when we walked out the door was nothing but professional, I would use them again for any function.

- (Bass Rocks - Gloucester, MA) A+: It was so nice to have the wedding near the ocean and for the price it was great. It's a perfect spot to take beatiful pictures near the water. My original coordinator we were dealing with at the beggining had quit, and she was replaced by Kelly. She was so sweet and all my guest raved about her. She really went the extra mile to make you feel relaxed and comfortable. Even thought she was new to the Elks, she did a fantatic job working with us. I would highly recommend having your wedding there.

Emerson Inn by the Sea

Location: Rockport MA
Website: http://www.emersoninnbythesea.com/
Reviews:

- We had a lot of problems during the planning process with the Emerson Inn. We had been working with Heather for the 1st few months, and Heather had promised us a lot of stuff (and we stupidly didn't get any of the promises in writing)... I had sent Heather an e-mail some time in the winter and left her a few voicemails and never heard from her- a month later I got a letter from the owner of the Inn saying that Heather had left and we would now be working with Cathryn. Cathryn was a nightmare- she knew nothing about the inn, was always late for meetings, and refused to offer us any of the "promises" heather had previously promised us. A month before the wedding my mother and I were debating giving up our deposit and looking at alternative places for the wedding as we were so frustrated with Cathryn.....The Emerson Inn does, however, provide a day of wedding Coordinator and we met her a few days before the wedding- she had been doing weddings at the Emerson Inn for 20 years and was AWESOME- she handled everything for us and made sure everything went smoothly the day of. The chairs were set up perfectly, the dining room looked amazing, and everything went perfectly the day of.

Exchange Conference Center

Location: Boston, MA
Website: http://www.exchangeconferencecenter.com/
Reviews:

- The Exchange Conference Center was absolutely fabulous! I worked with Alison Rose throughout the planning process and she was extremely responsive to my emails and was so organized. Every part of dealing with them was fabulous. The coordinator at Exchange the day of, Gordon did a fabulous job, he seemed to be everywhere. He handled my very complicated set up including chair ties, centerpieces, candy bar, cake table decoration, etc. Everything was perfect! All of our guests are still raving about the food, both the cocktail hour and the main dinner. When the cake was served each piece was garnished with a chocolate covered strawberry. A welcomed surprise. I highly recommend this venue.

Fratello's

Location: Manchester, NH
Website: http://www.fratellos.com/
Reviews:

- Awesome! The room is what instantly gravitated me there. The exposed bricks and huge wooden columns we perfect for the antique feel that I was going for. Loretta was really laid back and easy to deal with. We went with the buffet style food, which I heard later that no one ever gets and it was great. Everyone loved the food and it was quick. Those who wanted more and went up and got it.

- B+: I love the place, and the food, and my wedding turned out great, but the coordinator there can sometimes be a little stuck in her ways and not easy to work with. Overall that night we had no issues at all.

The Georgetown Club

Location: Georgetown, MA
Website: http://www.thegeorgetownclub.com
Reviews:

- Excellent. Food, grounds, coordination, etc... everything was terrific. I didn't even realize another wedding was going on (except for the couple of visitors who stopped by who coincidentally were my guest's parents!!!!!)

- The food, the place, the service- everything was wonderful. Caryl is a great coordinator.

The Harrington Farm

Location: Princeton, MA
Website: http://www.harringtonfarm.com/
Reviews:

- Even though we weren't over all thrilled with the staff... the place was gorgeous and I wouldn't have had in anywhere else. Irena the coordinator seemed great at first. But then our final meeting 14 days before was just a nightmare. It was only like 20 min long because she got a phone call and cut us short. I left there feeling rushed and aggravated. It was like yeah she's done this a million times but we haven't! Then she "helped" with the rehearsal but did bare minimum and was more interested in chatting with my friends then helping us know what to do on our wedding day. Then on the wedding day I think I saw her 3 times - we had to search her down... ugh it was a bit aggravating. Then there are (I guess) two other people in charge on the wedding day - but I was never formally told who. We wanted to be given 15 min or so before the intros to get me busseled. They never gave us warning and all of a sudden the DJ was announcing we were starting intros and I wasn't busseled or finished pictures! After all that things did go smoothly... besides one of the head servers/staff at the end of the wedding being more interested with picking up one of the groomsmen then helping break down the tables! So overall for the place, food and the great job they did setting up I give them an A+ - but as for the service B-

Harris' Pelham Inn

Location: Pelham, NH
Website: http://www.harrispelhaminn.com/
Reviews:

- We knew right away that this is the place we wanted to have our wedding. The Harris' Pelham Inn was beyond perfect. From the very beginning they were very accommodating to us. We had a family situation that held us up from getting our deposit in, and they were very accommodating in holding our day and working with us. The food there is unbelievable. Family and friends are still raving about how good it was. The meals are served family style, which we really liked. It allowed people to take as much or as little as they liked. The gardens are beautiful outside. They only do one wedding at a time, which was something that was important to us. We were given a day of coordinator?who was fantastic.

Haverhill Country Club

Location: Haverhill, MA
Website: http://www.haverhillcc.com/
Reviews:

- C-: Our reception and our ceremony were held at HCC. Let's see, from the beginning Chuck was nice but he was the third person I spoke to since the first person we met with was no longer there. Since we were getting married on a Sunday, we did get jumbo cocktail shrimps, table linens and champagne toast for free. But I had to remind Chuck three times about the shrimp because he kept forgetting to write it down, so even to the last day I spoke to him I had to remind him of it. So we arrive at the country club at 4:30, he looked as if he was just arriving there too. So he tells us that we could use the bridal room BUT there was no AC because he forgot to put it on in the room. That was very disappointing since I was really looking forward to use the room to take pictures; instead we used his office to get dressed. For the entire event, Chuck was around most of the time but in the beginning he wasn't there because I believe he was eating dinner, so couple of times one of the bartenders had to let us in the office to change again. If you are getting married here, make sure he has the AC or the heat on in the bridal room.

Hellenic Center

Location: Ipswich, MA
Website: http://www.helleniccenter.com/
Reviews:

- I grew up going to events at the Hellenic Center because it is affiliated with my church. It is a great place to have a wedding because the room is pretty big with a great dance floor and the grounds are perfect for picture taking. It rained a bit on my wedding day and were still able to take pics out on the covered deck.

Indian Pond Country Club

Location: Kingston, MA
Website: http://www.indianpondcountryclub.com/
Reviews:

- A+: Indian Pond is absolutely gorgeous. We knew we wanted to have our wedding there before we even got engaged. We lucked out and were able to get a Saturday evening wedding due to a cancellation (we booked in July 2004). When we went for our tasting in November, we were surprised to find out that there was a new coordinator, and we hadn't been notified. I actually had to ask someone if the old coordinator was still there, as no one made any mention of it. We were very impressed with IPCC on the wedding day, and the new coordinator (Karen) did a wonderful job. Diane ran our wedding on the day-of though, as Karen had done the afternoon wedding there (they only hold one event at a time...this was VERY important to us). Everything ran very smoothly and looked beautiful. The food was fantastic, and the service was beyond excellent. Our server, Vicky, was very attentive. It's an expensive venue, but it was the ONLY choice we could have made :)

Lakeview Pavilion

Location: Foxborough, MA
Website: http://www.lakeviewpavilion.com/
Reviews:

- A+: Lakeview is a beautiful wedding location, one drawback is that it doesn't come cheap. In the end the staff threw in a few extras like our snowfall during special dances and the candles lining our aisle. The food is fantastic and the service is phenominal!

- PERFECTION -- they did everything I needed or wanted and more. It was a fairytale wedding for sure. I would highly recomment LVP.

The Lantana

Location: Randolph, MA
Website: http://www.thelantana.com/
Reviews:

- I can't even begin to describe how blown away we were with The Lantana. From the very moment we first stepped foot there we knew that's where we would have our reception and they didn't let us down. We worked with Esther who was absolutely amazing from start to finish and we could not have asked for a better coordinator. She wrote down every little detail we told her about what wanted and followed through completely, she made me feel like I was the only bride she had to worry about. The service on Saturday was unbelievable, we didn't want for anything. All our guests raved about the food and our room was stunning. My only small complaint in the grand scheme of things was the Filet Mignon we offered to the wedding party was mediocre, but the rest of the guests raved about their prime rib and chicken so I'm not upset about it.

The Log Cabin

Location: Holyoke, MA
Website: http://www.thelogcabin.com/
Reviews:

- C: Unfortunately we had a lot of problems with them, I will be calling them when we return from our honeymoon. We had booked the log cabin & were told we would be having our ceremony site at one location (pib) & when we got there they led us to a "backup" site & we had our wedding there. The view is not as great there and I was just pissed they did a bait & switch on me. THEN because we were late the "DOC" with the log cabin was rushing us around so much that he stepped on the MOH's dress & ripped it, we had to pin it! We had a huge area wide power outage after the ceremony & they told us they would put candles into our room so we could relax, eat & get my 16 point bustled bustled. We went in there & there was 4 tea-light candles in it, the bride's room next door had 6 candelabras we ask for some & they said they were all out. All this time (since I arrived before the ceremony) I had been asking for a coke & still had not gotten one. Then we went into the reception & had 2 major people's tables screwed up which caused a problem. They also screwed up my cake I had picked a picture of a cake out of their book & said I wanted something like it but I'd bring in pictures of the design. I brought in the pictures & they said ok. When I got there it was "their design" not at all like I wanted. Because of the outage I was told they would extend our bar but they did not! Overall HORRIBLE service! On a plus note, the food was amazing & the place was beautiful.

The Manor

Location: West Boylston, MA
Website: http://www.ourmanor.com/
Reviews:

- We had our ceremony, cocktail hour and reception all in one room. I was able to have everything I wanted with very little negotiating, which included a cider fountain, a chocolate fountain and ice cream with our cake (bon-bon style) and with the room and ceremony fee still stayed in our budget. I've gotten compliments on our chicken and the butternut squash bisque, I wasn't nuts about the Caesar salad (it was soggy). The service seemed good, my glass was always full at the table and *almost* everything was where it was supposed to be. If I had hired a separate coordinator, or even put my friend in charge it would have only taken a minute or two to fix the couple little things that were missing. Overall, I would recommend!

The Marriott Long Wharf

Location: Boston, MA
Website:
Reviews:

- We chose the long wharf because of its location, and so we could take pics in Columbus Park, and because we thought it was convenient for out of town guests, close to the airport, right off the pike, and also in a fun part of the city. It was so much more than that. Renee, the wedding coordinator is amazing, and a calming influence. The food was great-- everyone actually raved about it. The cocktail room is gorgeous. The only negative is the ballroom has no windows.

The Milton Hoosic Club

Location: Canton, MA
Website: http://www.miltonhoosicclub.com/
Reviews:

- 10: I fell in love with this place after visiting the club for an Open House. It has a historic charm to it, boasting (creaky) hardwood floors throughout, many fireplaces, and a gorgeous ballroom with chandeliers and wonderful french doors. The only draw back for me was the stage, but with time I was able to overlook that, and ultimately it wasn't a big deal at all. The event coordinator, Patti, is WONDERFUL. We had several meetings leading up to the event, and I dropped by on several occasions to see the place being set up for other occasions. She was also able to accommodate some specific bar requests for my family. Guests arrived between 3 and 3:30pm when the cocktail hour wasn't supposed to start until 4pm (partly because we were literally shooshed out of the church much earlier than I expected). Despite the VERY early arrival, the staff handled the crowd perfectly and was able to open the bar early to start serving guests. Everything ran smoothly!

Misselwood

Location: Beverly, MA
Website: http://www.endicott.edu/
Reviews:

- A-: The pictures will speak for themselves - this site is amazing. We worked with Donna Holmes, who was fantastic and really sweet. However, I can't help but feel that the venue attempts to nickel and dime you for everything. In addition to charging $6500 for the ceremony and reception, they also charge extra for using the mansion to get ready prior to the ceremony. Regardless, our ceremony looked like something from a storybook, and everyone loved the tent with the sides open. We lucked out with perfect weather!

- A+: This place is AMAZING. I looked high and low for the perfect venue by the ocean and this did not disappoint. The view was spectacular and the grounds simply gorgeous. We are still getting compliments on what a unique and beautiful place it was. The downside is it's very pricey....worth every penny in my mind since we had a gorgeous, sunny 75 degree day...had it rained well...it was something I felt was worth risking. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

The Mountain Club on Loon

Location: Lincoln, NH
Website: http://www.mtnclub.com/
Reviews:

- I would highly recommend this place. It is a very pretty location and all of the staff were wonderful to work with. From the very beginning of planning Kellee was great, answered any question and was very flexible about any change or need that I had. Adam and Michelle helped out a lot towards the end, and the entire weekend was very stress-free for me because they took care of every detail (or at least knew who else to go to if they had questions) I had the ceremony at the top of Loon Mtn. and it was absolutely beautiful. Big rave for Mtn. Club!

New Bedford Sports Club

Location: New Bedford, MA
Phone Number: (508) 995-8296
Reviews:

- A+: Food and service was excellent. Got many compliments from the guests on how great the food was and how much of it there was. If you left hungry, that was your own fault. The food just kept coming.

New England Aquarium

Location: Boston, MA
Website: http://www.neaq.org/
Reviews:

- A+: What a great professional group of people to work with!! Laura O'Connor was our event planner and Tara Kiersted or Day of Coordinator and they were both excellent. The food was incredible (yes, we did have fish served at the aquarium and yes, everyone thought that was pretty funny!). We did the cocktail hour in the actual aquarium and the reception in their enormous tent out back. We even had divers in the tank with signs thanking my parents. Everything ran really smoothly. The only two things I'd change was the initial lighting in the tent was super bright, not very inviting but soon corrected. Second, the floor of the tent had recently been painted but not sealed. So, after the bottom of my gown got wet in the rain, it picked up some of the blue from the tent floor. They have since sealed the floor and are paying for the cleaning - so that's good! We did our own centerpieces and had lots of extras to set up, including luminaria, and they did it all perfectly.

OceanCliff Hotel

Location: Newport, RI
Website: http://www.newportexperience.com/oceancliff.htm
Reviews:

- A+: I cannot say enough good things about OceanCliff. You pay a lot but every penny was worth it. The catering manager, Karen, is so on top of things that I didn't have to worry about a thing the day of the wedding. The ceremony site is brand new outside and gorgeous. The staff was great and made sure I always had everything I needed and that all was going as expected. The food was wonderful and you truly cannot beat the view! Truly a dream come true for us!

Old State House

Location: Boston, MA
Website: http://www.bostonhistory.org/
Reviews:

- So, we fell in love with the Old State House the minute we visited. It was perfect for us- we loved that it was right downtown (which we thought would be really cool for a lot of our out of town guests who had never been to Boston) and had such historical significance, character and beauty! Although 6 wks before the wedding, they sent us an email saying that the structure would be undergoing a restoration project. They neglected to mention the extent of it. Needless to say it was major- with nasty metal scaffolding covering both sides of the building. To make a long story short, I was upset with the actual ugliness of the construction materials, the way the Old State House staff dealt with the issue, and the timing of the whole thing. The issue escalated to the point where we were on the brink of filing a lawsuit. But in the end, after a lot of back & forth we settled on a monetary agreement and decided to switch the entrance to one where the scaffolding was barely noticeable. Would I reccommend the Old State House for a wedding? Yes & No. Yes, b/c i just love what the building means and I think the interior is beautiful. No, b/c their staff is completely unequipped to handle the demands of a wedding and there was a lot of unneccesary drama as a result.

Old Yarmouth Inn

Location: Yarmouth Port, MA
Website: http://www.oldyarmouthinn.com/
Reviews:

– Perfect for a smaller wedding. Renovated dining room & great food. Their prices were very reasonable though the final cost per person was more than double what I had thought initially from looking at their website but I chose to have hors d’ourves, open bar and did some upgrades (my fave: trio of mini desserts!). The owners were great at answering my many questions along the way and adapting things to my liking. They let me substitute items and even specify which plates I wanted! I really had nothing to worry about with them they’re pros. The one thing I was worried about when I booked was that there was no wood dance floor and we’d be dancing on the carpet from the dinning room (it’s not plush or anything but still), I was looking into getting a wood dance floor brought in but it was a hassle. I’m so glad I didn’t do it, the carpet was fine, and it wasn’t weird dancing on it. In fact, maybe it was that extra cushioning that made it possible for every to stay on the dance floor for so long! Anyway, this place is great for a wedding or rehearsal dinner and I highly recommend them.

The Popponesset Inn

Location: Mashpee, MA
Website: http://www.newseabury.com/
Reviews:

- A+: We worked with Aaron Brochu, and I'm sure at points he wanted to kill us but he really came through for us. Everything we wanted he made it happen. The food is fabulous the staff is great and we loved everything about our night.

Primavera

Location: Millis, MA
Website: http://www.primav.com/
Reviews:

- A+: Joanne at Primavera was absolutely great to work with during the entire process. Before the big day she always calmed me down when I started to stress and assured me that everything would be fine. On the day of everything went off without a hitch and everyone complemented on the venue and the staff. I would have my wedding or any other function there again without a doubt!

The Publick House

Location: Sturbridge, MA
Website: http://www.publickhouse.com/
Reviews:

- This is a great all-in-one venue with a New England feel, that gives you a lot for the price. We used their gazebo for an outdoor ceremony and then everyone moved inside the hall for the reception. The bonus is that many guests chose to stay right at the inn/motor lodge so that they didn't have to drive home that evening. A lot of people really enjoyed that aspect. We even had a breakfast the next morning for anyone who stuck around which was a great way to say goodbye and thank you to everyone. The food is fantastic- many people actually commented that it was the best wedding food they ever had. The coordinators are really accommodating and helpful- so much so that they stored hundreds of gourds and other decorations in their offices for me before the wedding. We only found the lodging situation a little frustrating at times.

- A+: The Publick House was the perfect venue for us. We wanted something Old New England that could accommodate up to 230 guests at a reasonable price and let us choose any 5 hours for the reception to avoid the dreaded "Catholic gap"... not a short order! The Publick House fit the bill in every way. Their package included so many items, like a cake, toasting flutes, serving set, and centerpieces that we were glad not to worry about. The room is BEAUTIFUL, with gorgeous wrought iron chandeliers, exposed beams and arched windows.

We went through 2 coordinators there, and they were all SO helpful. We had a few different dietary conditions for guests that we had to work with, and they had no problem making changes to accomodate them. They handled all the set up day of as well. The tables were gorgeous! All in all, so professional and so well done.
       The food was absolutely out of this world. Even the appetizers that we hadn't sampled turned out to be wonderful. The service was incredible. The waitstaff moved quickly and efficiently, and everyone's food arrived hot. A couple people felt that their prime rib was a bit underdone, and they were brought new ones, no problems. We had our own dedicated server, also the banquet captain, who served our meals and checked in every so often to make sure everything was going to our liking. He even brought us out new slices of cake when the ice cream had melted and soaked through our first when we were away from our table! I used to work as a catering waitress, and I was VERY impressed with the level of service we received.
       The Publick House has a fantastic in-house bake shop. (If you're ever in Sturbridge, stop by and get ANYTHING, you won't be disappointed!) The cake was beautiful and tasted wonderful. It was white cake with chocolate buttercream and raspberry filling, and white buttercream frosting. YUM! PIB of the product.

Rachel's Lakeside

Location: Dartmouth, MA
Website: http://www.lafrancehospitality.com/rachels-lakeside/
Reviews:

- A+: People are still emailing my parents about the wedding. The were outstanding, from beginning to end. The food was unbelievable, the place looked amazing, everything I had asked to be done by them was. They were totally UNDER my budget. They offered myself and my husband free drinks all night, along with our parents, and we didn't know. At the end of the night we were all expecting bills, and she told us don?t worry about it, Happy Wedding. Sherri was great all through the process, quick with replies to my million questions, and willing to help with everything that needed to be set up.

- A+: Rachel's was the only reception venue we looked at in person and we booked them right away, 14 months before the wedding. I'm so glad we did! Sherri was great to work with ahead of time and Peter was great as our DOC. He made sure everything went very smoothly. The thing I was most pleased with was the pacing of everything. I never felt like people were just sitting around between courses. The salads were served at around 7:15, dinner was served around 7:30, and we were cutting the cake by 8:00. The food was delicious, and I couldn't have been happier with the service we received.

Radisson Hotel - Rockland

Location: Rockland, MA
Website: http://www.radisson.com/rocklandma
Reviews:

- A+: (both rehearsal dinner & Reception) Diane at the Radisson did such a great job. She was able to assist us in every aspect of the planning. We purchased the full package and therefore only had to find a florist for the bridal party. Food was great, our guests are still commenting on it.

Rockport Art Association

Location: Rockport, MA
Website: http://www.rockportartassn.org/
Reviews:

A+: Joanna is super-sweet, always willing to help, and very accommodating.

The Royal Sonesta

Location: Cambridge, MA
Website: http://www.sonesta.com/boston/
Reviews:

- B-: Our ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, and garba were breathtakingly gorgeous. The hotel is stunning and modern yet classy. The views of Boston are the best in the city, in my opinion. However, we had some issues with the Sonesta that were fixed by our DOC's (thank god!). Our rehearsal room was not set up in time for the rehearsal, so it started 30 minutes late. And, our wedding coordinator provided by the sonesta was basically invisible for our entire wedding weekend. I don't think I saw her other than when she said hello and goodbye each day. There was a point during our ceremony where you could hear the house music from the lobby in the ceremony, and nobody could find anyone from the sonesta to make it stop! The food was amazing though, and they had a big challenge since we had both american food and indian food each day. The linens, charger plates, and ambiance that the hotel provides are wonderful too- really classy. After the garba, they had the entire meal set up in a seperate room for FI and I to enjoy together since we didn't get to eat during the garba. After the reception on Saturday, they had the entire meal, including pieces of our cake and champagne, sent up to our honeymoon suite which was also wonderful since we didn't eat (again). In a nutshell, the Royal Sonesta is wonderful....if you have good DOC's to make sure that day of logistics are handled.

Ridder Farm Golf Club

Location: East Bridgwater, MA
Website: http://www.ridderfarm.com/
Reviews:

- A-: They did an amazing job!! We originally booked with them because it was close and the price was right! We booked prior to them joining up with the Lantana and we got the previous caterer prices, which were almost half of Lantana's. I'm honestly not sure if we would have booked them with the new prices. There are 2 ceremony sites, a gazebo and a garden. We were torn but ended up chosing the gardens. Somehow, they had written down that we chose the gazebo so the garden wasn't completely ready. Day of, there were some piles of dirt in the gardens; DH was so mad! But I don't think many people, if anyone, even noticed and that is the only reason for the minus on the A. Everything else was great! The outside of the building could use some work, a little bit of updating, but the rooms inside are gorgeous! The food was delicious and the wedding coordinator, Joanne, was a pleasure to work with!!

The Salem Cross Inn

Location: Westbrookfield, MA
Website: http://www.salemcrossinn.com/
Reviews:

- B+: The Salem Cross Inn was exactly what we were looking for in venue. It?s a beautiful old rustic inn that now functions as a restaurant. The ceremony took place in front of a lovely gazebo with acres of fields as a backdrop. The grounds are absolutely gorgeous. We were able to have our cocktail hour outside, which coupled with our DJ?s excellent choice in music made it feel like a Great Gatsby-esque garden party. The reception itself took place in the converted barn, which has this awesome rustic charm, and looked lovely when we strung it with white lights. The food was also delicious. Although if you go with the prime rib, I would recommend spending the extra for the fireplace roasted version, if you can afford it. We didn?t spring for it, even though that was the one we?d originally tasted. The basic prime rib is still really good, it?s just that the fireplace roasted version is AMAZING, and we didn?t realize they wouldn?t taste mostly the same.
       The reason I haven?t given the venue a higher rating is because I didn?t feel I got the attention and service from the coordinators that I would have liked. They were really good in the planning stages of the wedding: very responsive to phone calls, good with suggestions. But they fell short on the rehearsal and on the day off. We scheduled our rehearsal with them and I assumed that meant that one of the coordinators would be there to go over their portion of it: where we line up, the order of reception events, where and when the ushers should be for the ushering, etc. But no one was actually there at all, so we could only go over the details of the actual ceremony and we just had to guess on everything else. Which also made for a slightly more chaotic wedding day when the ushers didn?t really know what their duties were and no one knew exactly when anything was supposed to happen other than literally the time the ceremony was supposed to start. And I never saw the day of coordinator until about 10 minutes before the ceremony was supposed to start. We were there all day, so it would have been nice to at least have someone come up to the bridal room and just let us know what time we?d be lining up and if everything had gotten set up downstairs ok. It made me nervous to have no idea if things were going as scheduled. Thankfully my officiant was able to reassure me and found the coordinator and got everything under control. But your wedding day is stressful enough without having to worry whether your venue is doing what they should be.
       So overall I'd still recommend them as the site was exactly what I wanted and the price was really good for everything you got. If you go with them though I would just make sure you get as many details out of them as you can when you do meet with them, and that perhaps you appoint a bridesmaid or someone to be your liaison with the day of coordinator so at least someone can get you the answers you need.

Salem Waterfront Hotel & Suites

Location: Salem, MA
Website: http://www.salemwaterfronthotel.com/
Reviews:

- A+: We couldn't have asked more from the staff at the Salem Waterfront. They made sure that every detail was taken care of, down to re-filling the candy buffet a couple of times. The guest rooms were also handled perfectly. They were responsive to all our needs and the ballroom looked beautiful.

The Sea View

Location:
Website:
Reviews:

- (Planning Parts) D-: (yes, ouch, I know) Maybe it's part our fault for picking a place so new, but I know it's not ENTIRELY our fault. We did book them when they were concrete and plywood, but Gail does a good sell, and we really were big fans of their pricing/location. COMMUNICATION SUCKS. Phone calls/emails can go WEEKS without responses. Stories change while planning continues and anything not in writing (which is essentially everything when you're planning from 2.5 hours away) is guaranteed to change by the time you meet in person. Example: We discussed wine on the tables, 1 red, 1 white. She quoted us $25/bottle. We got the invoice (before we gave her the final table numbers/setup/count) and the invoice said "Wine $560" Now, I'm not good at math, but that's not divisible by $25. Not to mention how could she charge us when she didn't know how many tables we had?! It was corrected quickly (probably because they wanted to be paid). Honestly, their lack of communication was a headache and the most stressful part of planning this wedding. When it was brought up to gail, she improved, but I don't think I should have had to have reached the breaking point and send a not-so-nice email to them to achieve better turn around time with communication. I know I'm not their only bride, but I also wasn't needy. I never got to schedule my tasting until AFTER I had to my invitations so I blindly picked our meals without knowing the quality.
       (for the wedding) B: See, even here I can't rave. They may not have noticed when we got back from our formals, but our "private" cocktail time upstairs with our apps was not there when we got there. My Dad had to track down Gail TWICE before we got any food up there. They didn't close the doors before our grand entrance (which, no biggie) and they didn't really listen to us when we asked them to watch for people getting wasted on our open bar cocktail hour (1 guest had SEVEN drinks in the hour, and 2 others had SIX! EACH!) it wasn't about the money, it was about not having what happened with the drunken guests happen. Despite that, it really was beautiful. Our pictures are fantastic. Mostly because Mindi is amazing but also because the sea view is a beautiful facility. Gail needs to work on the communications, or hire an assistant though because I don't have confidence that the communication will improve anytime soon from what I'm hearing from other brides.

Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center

Location: Boston, MA
Website: http://www.seaportboston.com/
Reviews:

- A: The Seaport was incredible. I can't say enough great things about them. They have this wedding thing down to a science. We just knew we could trust them with all the details. We got complements all around on the food, service, atmosphere, staff etc. I was really impressed how they treated not only the bride and groom but also every single one of our 150 guests. I would definitely recommend our reception room of all the rooms they offer - The Harborview. Incredible views and a beautiful deck that held anyone who wanted to get some fresh air or smoke a cigarette. There were at least 10 people out there all night long, if not 50. - A+: We couldn't have picked a better place.. Everything about the Seaport was excellent, from the food to the no-tipping policy they adhere to.. My wedding coordinator (included in the cost of booking the ballroom) was Nicole and she did such and excellent job at dealing with all of my vendors, everything was seamless thanks to her. I will forever be greatful to her for giving us such a worry free wedding.. And the food was so delicious!

- A+: We could not be happier with our venue choice! The staff there truly made us feel like we were more than just another couple getting married at their venue. They went far above and beyond what I expected of them. They got us whatever we needed, consistently checked in on us, and were just plain awesome people. Our wedding coordinator, Lauren, was amazing and made my wedding day completely stress free. For example, she kept an eye out for when our food was served and let us know so we could head over and eat (there was no way I was missing my filet!). She also offered to come in early on Friday morning to help us finish putting together our favor boxes, which was so nice of her to do. And she totally came through with my Carvel ice cream cake! Nikki, the director of weddings, was also an invaluable member of the Seaport staff, and I just loved how much of an interest they both took in us personally. In addition, the waitstaff, front desk staff, guest services staff, etc. were topnotch and were so friendly. We were completely waited on hand and foot, as were my wedding party and guests. It’s also great that parking is complimentary for guests attending the reception but not staying overnight at the hotel. The food was ridiculously delicious, and I’m still salivating thinking about my meal. Mmm mmm good! The suite they arranged for all of us to get ready in was incredible and perfect for my large wedding party (we upgraded our honeymoon suite to the hospitality suite). The rooms we held our ceremony and reception in (Flagship Ballroom and the Lighthouse, respectively) were absolutely gorgeous! Lauren and Nikki worked really hard to find me a room with windows for our ceremony and they really came through. The Lighthouse looked even more beautiful than I remembered it, and they got every single detail we asked for correct. The Seaport also had a ton of great places to take photos, including a garden with beautiful flowers and a bridge with a view of the Boston skyline. All in all, I couldn’t be happier with the Seaport. If I had to find something that they did incorrectly, and I’m really searching here, dinner could’ve gone a little bit faster so that we could get to dancing earlier, but it wasn’t really that big of a deal. They truly made my wedding day, and I got so many compliments on the food, the service, and the ceremony/reception rooms. It really was my dream wedding!

Searles Castle at Windham

Location: Windham, NH
Website: http://www.searlescastlewindham.com/
Reviews:

- A+: I can't say enough about how wonderful Searles Castle and their staff was. I really didn't have to worry about a thing. They set up and coordinated everything and it looked perfect. This was truly the most beautiful place I could have imagined having my wedding. I'm so glad that the service matched the beauty.

Shaker Hills Golf Club

Location: Harvard, MA
Website: http://www.shakerhills.com/
Reviews:

- A-: Shaker Hills is the perfect site for a wedding that is under 120 people! Including my husband and I there were 97 people at the wedding and the room looked full- we weren't swimming inside a large ballroom. We had between 7 and 10 people at a table. I liked how the cocktail area/patio was set up. The food was delicious from what everyone said. I had a few of the appetizers and would have to say they were great (lamb lollipo, duck confit tartlet, date wrapped in bacon). Jancie was great to work with- prompt with email respones and quick to work with any issues that arose. Some minor things occured during the planning process- we were told they had two tasgings a year. Since we had a summer wedding we were not allowed to go to the summer tasting in 2007. Instead we were told there would be a tasing in the early winter of 2008. Turns out they were going to have the tasing at the end of April. This caused some concern as we needed to have the invites ordered and wanted to include a meal choice. Janice offered some solutions to accommodate us (a private tasting). In the end, she moved the tasing up as other summer brides had similar concerns. I give an A- because there was a kink the day of the wedding with the favors. We had arranged to have a cookie buffet. We asked that it be set up just after dessert was served. A good chunk of the guests had left by the time the cookie buffet was set up. :( I spent weeks baking cookies! I was dissapointed that they were late in setting it up. But, in the end the rest of the night was fabulous.

Shattuck Golf Club

Location: Jaffrey, NH
Website: http://www.sterlinggolf.com/shattuck/
Reviews:

- A+: The Shattuck Golf Club is an amazing venue. The views are just gorgeous and were commented on by lots of guests. It started out rocky for us when our coorinator resigned, but the new coordinator was very good in answering all our questions and she did a great job. The food was wonderful and we still have guests raving about it!

Sky Meadow Country Club

Location: Nashua, NH
Website: http://www.skymeadow.com/
Reviews:

- A+: I cannot say enough about this reception venue. From the beginning the coordinators were so helpful and flexible in any advice or direction that was needed. Sky Meadow is very private (one of the reasons we booked was because they only do one wedding at a time) and beautiful and made for such a picture perfect background. The reception was set up the exact way that I had wanted and the day could not have run any smoother. At Sky Meadow everyone makes sure that you are happy and satisfied and I really could not have asked for anymore! We recieved so many compliments on the food, ambience, wait staff, and just the overall reception and how smoothly everything was run.

Stonehurst (Robert Treat Paine Estate)

Location: Waltham, MA
Website: http://www.stonehurstwaltham.org/
Reviews:

- The estate is beautiful and gives a discount if you or a family member is a Waltham resident. It's sectioned off in rooms, which was cozy, and there's a patio. The woman in charge of events has a rep of being "tough", but I made nice with her early and it was smooth sailing. She's been doing weddings there for years and she knows her stuff.

Stow Acres Country Club

Location: Stow, MA
Website: http://www.stowacres.com/
Reviews:

- Great cozy venue. Are very reasonably priced and happy to do all sorts of special requests (we requested for them to make specific recipies we provided for our cocktail hour and for parts of our dinner, and they were more than happy to comply!) It isn't a haute couture location -not for those who want the State Room, and it's also in the middle of nowhere (though only a 10 minute drive from the Martha Mary) but the old victorian building with huge fireplace, wraparound porch and terrace cocktail area, limitless flexibility on decor, vendors and design, and very personable chef made it great. One of our guests said "It's like you invited us into your home for your wedding -intimate, elegant but absolutely not stuffy or wedding factory-ish."

The Taj Boston

Location: Boston, MA
Website: http://www.tajhotels.com/
Reviews:

- B+: The room (grand ballroom) is gorgeous, with a balcony, crystal chandeliers and views of the park, and I loved how we had our own wing of the hotel. It was completely private. The food and hotel rooms were also great. And Sunday brunch on the roof was the perfect way to finish the weekend. What prevents me from giving it a better rating was some of the service. We were in a rare circumstance where my coordinator quit unexpectedly and with no notice a few weeks before the wedding. The new person just never seemed to get it all together. She'd gloss over my requests guaranteeing them but never writing anything down and then oops, forgetting them. She was very nice and I think trying hard, but we were paying for excellent service and we didn't get that. I?d still recommend this place to anyone; just make sure you write down what exactly you?re expecting.

Tewksbury Country Club

Location: Tewksbury, MA
Website: http://www.tewksburycc.com/
Reviews:

- The Tewksbury Country Club is the most gorgeous place I could imagine for a wedding. Heather and Brenda did an amazing job with everything! Our wedding day went so smoothly we couldn't have asked for a better day. The food was outstanding as was the service! Our only complaint is that they LOST our cake topper (which was very special to me) and the top layer of our cake. They say they don't know what happened to it and that they follow a specific protocol with all cakes. So be careful if you are booked with them that you get your correct cake topper back and the your top layer of cake.

Tower Hill Botanical Gardens

Location: Boylston, MA
Website: http://www.towerhillbg.org/
Reviews:

- I just got married this weekend at Tower Hill Botanical Gardens in Boylston, MA. The venue was perfect, a gorgeous garden location. The grounds were gorgeous and the flowers were lush. The reception room is a large greenhouse that is architecturally stunning. All our guests were in awe of the location. The staff there, especially Judy Coughlin, was extremely accommodating and made sure that our day was perfect.

Tupper Manor

Location: Beverly, MA
Website: http://www.wyliecenter.com/
Reviews:

- B+/A-: The day of the wedding, everyone was AWESOME. They were there for anything and everything we needed. Everything ran perfectly and was very well organized. Leading up to the wedding I did feel like I was a pest when I asked a question and I was hesistant to ask all the questions I had as it always seemed they had so much other stuff going on. Overall though, the venue was perfect! You can't beat the location and the view and the staff was Amazing that day!

Vesper Country Club

Location: Tyngsboro, MA
Website: http://www.vespercc.com/
Reviews:

- Well, there was a power outage that day. Vesper did all that they could to make sure we would be ready for our ceremony and reception. They did have a back up generator and candles for whenever their generator didn't work. They did amazing job of decorating the room, everything looked perfect. The food was delicious! Everyone commented on how good it was. The day-of coordinator had her work cut out for her the day of. We ran a half hour behind due to the outage and she did whatever she could to make things run as smoothly as they could. She was great! It was the perfect location for us!!!

Wachusett Country Club

Location: Wachusett, MA
Website: http://www.wachusettcc.com/
Reviews:

- A+: I could not be happier with WCC! I had a lot of details and the only thing that they missed was putting out the cake table monogram. EVERYTHING else was exactly as I wanted. Amanda was our coordinator. She was amazing! She even gave me her personal cell# a couple of days before in case I had any questions at all. The food was fabulous, everyone raved and raved about it. We had a chocolate fountain - peopled LOVED it! I can't say enough about WCC. During pictures Amanda personally brought us goodies from the cocktail hour and brought out drinks for us. She helped my sister with my bustle. She was awesome!!!

Location: Sudbury, MA
Website: http://www.wayside.org/
Reviews:

- Could not have picked a better location. It's an old historic inn with its own chapel. We had 115 people that fit comfortably in chapel and main dining room (where we had reception). Staff was amazing, food delicious, grounds were perfect for photos. From booking to planning to the wedding day, Sandy - wedding coordinator - was great to work with and kept me at ease. They took care of many details and made me very comfortable. The wedding day itself was seamless.

Wentworth by the Sea

Location: New Castle, NH
Website: http://www.wentworth.com/
Reviews:

- Overall, service, food, & décor were all perfect! Like most brides, I didn't get the chance to eat much at the wedding. But the few things I tried were excellent. And I heard many guests commenting on the food. Although I didn?t eat much, the presentation was beautiful. By the time, I arrived at the cocktail hour, all the sushi was gone & I am still hearing about it! Service was very professional, well-timed, and upbeat. Our onsite coordinator, Gina Damaino, was a joy to work with. Throughout the planning process, she was so responsive to whatever questions I had. And she is so sweet. She never made me feel like a request was too big or a question was too trivial. She put me entirely at ease?she knows what she is doing. Gina also coordinated some of my special requests without hesitating: ice sculpture, installed lighting, ice cream, and even having the chef create an entrée that was not on the menu. Again, Gina Damiano is amazing! I loved working with her. She made sure we got what we wanted, including allowing us to install specialty lighting. She also took care of some of our more "high maintainance requests"--ice cream with cake, sushi, ice scuplture, chairs with a different color cushions. And she never made me feel like I was asking for too much. We had the wedding of our dreams, everything look better than I had envisioned, & I credit Gina with a lot of it. She responded to my emails & questions quickly & thoroughly. And I really appreciated how positive & happy she always was--she didn't seem to have bad days. Being the last in my family to get married, we know from experience how much turnover there is being a banquet/catering manager. It's a tough job. Don't lose Gina!

Willowdale Estate

Location: Topsfield, MA
Website: http://willowdaleestate.com/
Reviews:

- B: We booked Willowdale in early 2007 - We loved Danielle from the start and the house. When I got the call the Danielle was leaving - I was very sad. Especially since we had just had our details meeting. I was told that the transition would be smooth. In my opinion it was not. Danielle always got right back to you when you called or emailed her - I would not hear from Robyn for at least 24 hours. I really felt un-important once Danielle left and in a way, I felt that it was because I wasn't paying their current prices since I booked before they were even open - I was held to those prices (site rental $3,300, ceremony $500, no F&B minimum). Anyway, there was a lot of distress on the business side of the wedding. My counts and final payment were supposed to be due on May 10th. That day came and went and I never heard from them. So, I sent my numbers and a check for $6K and said, please someone contact me with the rest. Never heard from them until the Sunday/Monday (I can't remember) before the wedding. Robyn was writing to finalize the details of rentals and what not. I also think there were a lot of things I noticed that the new staff did not and Danielle would have. For example, I had ordered black table cloths and black napkins - I then realized we were having white chairs so I needed to tie in the white - so I called Robyn and asked her to order a white set plate to go on the table. I should not have to remember these things (I should add that I am an event specialist in my day job). So, we get to the rehearsal and after Briar says "I have your final bill". When I got the bill - I quickly noticed they were trying to over charge me. I said to Briar - I had negotiated this line item with Danielle and it is on my orginal contract. Briar said she did not have a copy of the contract. I did! I showed it to her and she made the changes. I then asked her when the bill was due and she said that night! I was taken back. She couldn't have called or sent me an email indicating I was going to be paying my balance?? Odd.
       BUT, they really redeemed themselves the actual night of the wedding. The service was AMAZING! The food was AMAZING!! and everything went really, really well! Robyn did a great job, but by far my favorite is Emily (the catering manager - I think). She told us after the cocktail hour that we were running low on booze and then called our liquor vendor Marcorelle's and had them bring more - she also got everything packed up for us when we went back on Monday to get everything. So, all in all it was good. They really pulled out all the stops at the actual wedding and it truly was beautiful!

The Wyndham Andover Hotel

Location: Andover, MA
Website: http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/BOSAM/main.wnt
Reviews:

- A+: Our reception went above and beyond what Jim and I were expecting. The ballroom was beautiful. I had my doubts when I saw it lit brightly during the day, but the night of the wedding the lighting was beautiful and it seemed like everything was sparkling. All of the staff there went out of their way to make sure everything was the way that we wanted it to be and make things easier on us. They must have ran items up to our room about a million times. We got a suite with the wedding package that we chose and the room looked new and clean. Many of our guests also got rooms and were happy with them. We had a couple of guest who waited until the night of to book a room and the staff were able to give them the discounted room block rate, which was supposed to have expired a week before. The food was fantastic. We made up a custom menu and did not go with what their choices were. The executive chef there is great to work with and had plenty of ideas. They were also very accommodating with prices. Jim and I had a tight budget and they worked with us so that we could get what we wanted. I would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone who is looking for a reception location.

Zorvino Vineyards

Location: Sandown, NH
Website: http://www.zorvino.com/
Reviews:

- A: Everything was beautiful. Such a unique location, definitely not your typical ballroom. Even after the tasting I was concerned with how the food would be, we had a buffet and let me tell you it was out of this world. The food was fantastic!! Our appetizers were stuffed mushrooms, prosciutto wrapped asparagus and gorgonzola cheese puffs all were fabulous. the Eggplant and Chicken Marsala were awesome and i totally recommend the Italian wedding soup. I can't say enough about Zorvino's.