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Willowdale Estate...???

Cupcakes4Cupcakes4 member
First Comment
in Massachusetts-Boston
Hi All,

We are having our reception at the Willowdale Estate in Topsfield, was wondering if anyone has gotten married there? My sister attended a wedding there a few weeks ago and all sorts of things happened... not least of all dropping the cake! I was wondering if anyone else had similar/better experience? We met with them and the planner was extremely nice in addressing our concerns, however, the owner, not so much.... Would like some other opinions of the venue!!! THANKS! :)
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Re: Willowdale Estate...???

  • Blueyed228Blueyed228 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I almost booked my wedding there but FI vetoed it because he didnt want it under a tent.  We met with Lena a bunch of times and had a great experience.

    Dropping a cake is purely an accident.  I wouldnt fault them for that.  It could happen anywhere.
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  • abeyhardyabeyhardy
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I'm getting married there in December.  I only heard good reviews except one or two when they first opened and they had permitting issues.   I'll be curious to see what others say, however.
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  • jm2168jm2168
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    IHi!

     have not gotten married there but a friend of mine did last year in October and I have a friend getting married there in February. Here is what I know (but you have to remember I have only heard the negative when they were stressed!)

    My friend that got married in October really liked the place, except for the rules about staying in the mansion the night of the wedding. I was a guest that stayed the night and when my fiance and I left our room to go to another room one of the people that worked there was walking the halls with a dog and asked to look in our bags to see if we had alcohol in them. It was a little unerving. We also go "spoken" to for being too loud after midnight, even though we were the only people there. The bride was upset with the way the staff treated the overnight guests.

    My friend that is getting married in February had originally booked the wedding for January. I'm sure you are aware that they are under contruction. A few weeks ago they called her and told her they wouldn't be done with the construction in time as they had said they would be when they booked. They told her even though there would be walls knocked down they would "put up curtains and it would look nice." They also told her that they would have to sit her reception party in two separate rooms. On top of it they would not take any money off for these inconviences. She ended up changing her date to February and is hoping that the construction will be complete by then.

    I will say the ceremony I went to was very nice and I had a nice time as a guest at the ceremony and reception. It's just rare to hear/see two scenarios for one venue that puts a bad taste in your mouth, so I thought it was best to share.


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  • abeyhardyabeyhardy
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    uh...I DID NOT know they are under construction.  Will be calling them tomorrow.....thanks for the info!  They do seem a little uptight about the drinking thing.  I will need to talk to them to make it clear that I respect their drinking rules but that I will not tolerate anyone being treated like children.
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  • Cupcakes4Cupcakes4 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks everyone... good to know! The construction I dont think has started yet? (At least I have not seen it, but I know they are planning on closing in the side courtyard, and that will be, hopefully!, finished for my wedding next July. I know that all the things that happened at my sister's friends wedding were small-ish, and that the cake thing could have happened to anyone, but there were other concerns as well. Thank you for the heads up about staying overnight. My FI and I are the only ones planning on staying there, so I dont think that will be an issue, and we are not allowed to stay the night before as we are getting married on a Sunday and the Saturday bride and her FI will still be there.... not a big deal  :) Would love to hear from a bride who had her ceremony there!!! :)
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  • eexton01eexton01 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I was married at Willowdale in July 2010. It was perfect (and it rained). The staff was amazing, the food was delicious, and the ceremony was beautiful, and it had to be under the tent because of the rain. (None of our guests even knew it was supposed to happen anywhere else.) The only issue was that our cake from Konditor Meister was too small, and they couldn't save the top for our first anniversary. I think this is actually KM's fault for telling us our cake would be large enough for 150 guests while saving the top.

    We did not spend the night at the Estate and never felt any pressure to do so. We arrived at about 2:30 for the 5:00 ceremony, but I had my hair and makeup done at our hotel before arriving.

    I didn't find them to be overly strict about the alcohol. They even came and asked myself, my DH, and my wedding party what we wanted for our last drink before the bar closed.

    They were not doing any construction in July, so I am not sure what other bride's are talking about. That may have started after my wedding.

    Good luck!
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  • shlnishlni
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Hello Ladies,
    I'm a little late on the convo, but I had an appointment with Willowdale this weekend. I loved it, but yes I can confirm that they are doing construction. They're adding on a conservatory adjacent to the Great Hall. However, since there aren't any windows on that side of the hall you can't see it from the inside. It would be a problem if you're having a spring wedding, but they also didn't tell me when they're planning on finishing. As far as I know they said it would be done by the time our selected date came along, which is next December.

    Hope this helps!
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  • ajguarrasiajguarrasi member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I'm looking into my wedding here in June 2012.  My family is worried about the tent during possible rain.  I'd love any insight on whether or not the grounds flood or if there is an indoor options for guests that may be uncomfortable outside.  
    AJG_2012
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I got married at the Willowdale Estate three weeks ago.

    It was amazing. We had ours outside and were lucky enough to have gorgeous weather. However, had the weather been less than perfect, the inside of the estate is a beautiful place to have the ceremony and reception. They have a brand new room with a gorgeous view of the outside, which would have been a great place to have a ceremony.

    The tent is gorgeous, by the way. It is plenty spacious and comes with lighting, a dance floor, etc.

    If you get married there, I suggest you ask for Nichole. She was fantastic and really made sure that everything went smoothly the day of the wedding. She really cares about each of her brides and the work that she does. There were very few issues with my day and I had very few complaints about Willowdale. You can read more about my wedding here:

    http://mylifeasabandwife.tumblr.com/post/10866472031/the-wedding-and-five-tips-for-future-brides
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