Need more Advice Belle Mer Or Castle Hill Inn?

LIgirlatheart

So everyone has given me some good tips but I am still deciding on either Venue and going through so much confusion I am driving my Fiance nuts! I like both venues They are offering me so many different things.  I am worried that if I choose one I will regret the decision and wanted to have chosen the other..in cases of bad service or them overcharging me once they have me locked into a contract.  My first love was the Castle Hill inn but I saw Belle Mer and fell equally in love!   I need to make my decision soon and I keep tossing up the ideas.  Belle Mer seems to come out better in pictures so everyone that sees it automatically picks it.  What is better if it rains that day...for reception?  How is the service?  How is the food?  Anyone regret anything.  How is food pricing at Belle Mer?  I need eveyones opinions and ideas and advice.  Has anyone gotten married at either of these two.  This will be destination for me so everyone will be from out of town. 

JessiTess

I feel your pain - I went through the same thing - it took me weeks to decide. 

In the end I chose Belle Mer.  While I'm not trying to convince you one way or the other, I can share some of the big things that helped me make my decision.

• Rain Plan - While this was hard for me to think about since I am so hopeful for a nice sunny day, it is important.  If I remember correctly, at the Castle the rain plan is to have everyone sit at the round dinner tables that they will sit at during the meal.  Belle Mer utilizes the dining room area as well, but then flips the room during cocktail hour, so it will look different when they are seated for dinner.
• Out of Town guests - The Castle and Belle Mer are both beautiful.  I liked the private and off the beaten path feel of the Castle.  However, if youre planning on out of town guests (as we are) they will have further to travel to hotels and the happening areas of Newport and need to valet if they choose to rent a car.  Also, the Castle needs to end by 11 PM, which depending on your guests might be considered early - and they are far from an after party location for them to reconvene. 
• Flexibility - The shop that sold me my bridal gown also provides wedding planning services.  While I did not use them, I was discussing the venue choices while trying on dresses, and she said that the Castle runs a very tight ship - their weddings are always extremely well executed, but they are also very similar.

The biggest deal breaker for me was the rain plan.  I like the idea of having a big reveal of the dining area, as opposed to having it be set up the same during the ceremony.  I recommend asking them to both re-describe their rain plan and provide pictures of rained in weddings. 

I also requested menus from Belle Mer at lower price points to see what they could serve for $100 / person.  Not sure if you had the same experience, but the sample menus they sent me originally were $125 - $200+ / person.  We were looking to come in at under $125 and wanted to ensure that we liked the options.

Try to think of what the most important aspects of the wedding are for you.  Is it the price, the decor, the rain plan, the OOT guest experience, etc? If you can identify your 1 - 3 most important aspects, then go back and compare them on those alone.

I kept getting hung up on the little things, like the Castle's base rates include linens.  In the end Belle Mer can also supply linens, and depending on your food choice, match or beat the per person rate at the Castle. 

Good luck!

SummerBoston10

As I mentioned before, I also had some trouble deciding between the two.  I agree with everything that JessiTess said and I will emphasize the convenience for OOT guests by having it at Belle Mer.  They will be much closer to the downtown action.  If you do hotel blocks in downtown for your Castle Hill wedding you will have to provide transportation for your guests to Castle Hill.  Almost 100% of our guests will be staying at the Hyatt so no need to rent cars or ANY transportation of any kind for our wedding which is great (we will also be 100% OOT guests).

I do think that Belle Mer is a more unique place.  Castle Hill is beautiful and has some great views from the ceremony area but once you get inside the tent, it isn't much different from a tent anywhere else. 

Regarding pricing of menus, I can tell you that we will be having 5 passed hor d'oeuvres, a chef attended food station at cocktail hour, plated salad, choice of three entrees (filet mignon, salmon or chicken) and late night sliders and french fries and our pp menu cost is $120.  Open premium bar is $45 pp. 

I think that you will get great service at either of these places!! 

NewportBride710

To add to what the PP have said ( I too am a Belle Mer bride ) the one other thing, besides the rain plan that drove me towards Belle Mer was the fact that it is right on the water. Castle Hill has a beautiful reception location but is in a little inlet and you can't see the water. At Belle Mer everywhere you go you you have a stunning view. 

We really wanted a waterfront wedding, so that factored in. 

I don't think you can go wrong with either place. You just need to figure out what exactly you're looking for and see which place can give you what you're looking for. 

LIgirlatheart

Thank you guys so much for taking the time to write all of this it really does help!  I have had some similar feelings.  Castle hill inn is giving me guaranteed pricing so it makes me feel pretty safe!  Where as Belle Mer I feel like I do like the look of it I am nervous about their pricing.  Their contract is so one way.  It puts all the liability's on you and includes no guarantees?  Did you guys experience that with your contract they had drawn up?  I am going to Newport again this weekend to see both venues and I am going to make my final decision this weekend.  I am having a 2012 wedding so it is pretty far out and I don't want to regret it.  My Fiance thinks caste hill is more of the typical wedding choice...he loves Belle Mer.....but then my dad tells me to go with Castle Hill Inn.  Castle is giving me a Friday wedding where with Belle Mer I get a Thursday wedding at the same price.  Well I don't know about my food pricing yet.

SummerBoston10

We actually picked our menu before signing the contract so that we could lock in pricing.  I was very nervous about that as well.  Of course we can change things on it and the price would be re-evaluated but we spent some time looking through their sample menus to pick what we thought we might like and then asked them to give us a guaranteed price on it.  We are sticking pretty close that that for our menu.

I must say that I was also concerned about pricing with Belle mer and was afraid they would get us to sign and then everything would end up costing more than we thought it would.  I am happy to say that that has not been the case thus far so we have been pleasantly surprised and impressed with the Belle Mer event coordinator. 

jonnysbride2010

I was down to the same two venues and I couldn't decide so I decided to try one more place and ended up there at the Glen Manor House. I was torn over the contract at Belle Mer and I was worried about the rain plan at Castle Hill. Maybe your heart isn't set on one of those two? Maybe try a few more venues and find something that has it all for you? Good Luck!!

LIgirlatheart

Thanks...I was going to look at Glen Manor house but I was afraid I would then like 3 places.  Is the Glen Manor house right on the water?  what is nearby.  I like bothe Belle Mer and Castle hill in because if it is nice out you can be outside and it doesn't feel like a typical catering hall.  what had you towrn over the contract?

LIgirlatheart

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_rhode-island_need-advice-belle-mer-castle-hill-inn?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:122Discussion:7ac70871-be19-4e76-b4a9-95d88939a8acPost:e72202ca-5be9-4d62-a1d5-e41e81747a10">Re: Need more Advice Belle Mer Or Castle Hill Inn?</a>:
[QUOTE]We actually picked our menu before signing the contract so that we could lock in pricing.  I was very nervous about that as well.  Of course we can change things on it and the price would be re-evaluated but we spent some time looking through their sample menus to pick what we thought we might like and then asked them to give us a guaranteed price on it.  We are sticking pretty close that that for our menu. I must say that I was also concerned about pricing with Belle mer and was afraid they would get us to sign and then everything would end up costing more than we thought it would.  I am happy to say that that has not been the case thus far so we have been pleasantly surprised and impressed with the Belle Mer event coordinator. 
Posted by SummerBoston10[/QUOTE]


that is great you were able to choose your menu now...do they do that for all of their clients?  I was able to do that with Castle hill which had me feeling more secure with the venue because I was able to see the price as a whole. 

SummerBoston10

I don't know how many clients they do that for but I was very uncomfortable signing the contract without having a clue about what our food costs would be.  I explained to them what my concerns were from the beginning and I asked that they do this.  They gave me the menu price "today" and then a maximum price that it could be at the time of my wedding.  I'm sure that if you told them that was your major issue with booking them, that they would accomodate that request. 

I also want to second what a PP said about the water views.  That was another turn off for me at Castle Hill.  You can't see the water from inside the tent, plus once it gets dark out the view is kind of gone.  At Belle Mer you are RIGHT on the water and the Newport Bridge will be all lit up right there which is so pretty.

One positive though for Castle Hill...the tent has A/C.  We are getting married at the Island House and there is no A/C there.  We have heard though that there is almost always a nice breeze there.

jonnysbride2010

The Glen Manor is right on the Sakkonet River. It is next to the Polo Fields and a few vineyards. It's absolutely stunning! They have the breath taking garden outside that you can get married in and a foot bridge and dock to take pictures on. Simply gorgeous!

massetobe

tough choice for sure! selecting the venue was the hardest for us too. we were down to castle hill, belle mer, and glen manor. I am a Castle Hill Bride.

You really can't go wrong either way as they are both gorgeous venues. Belle Mer is directly on the water which is great if that's what you want, on the other hand Castle Hill is more of a grand view with cliffs. both have views of the bridge in the background and both are amazing.

Some of the pros that Belle Mer offerred was that it was walking distance to the hyatt which we liked for our guests. Castle hill has valet parking but we did end up booking a shuttle bus for our guests from a few hotels (we're getting two buses all day for 1280 so it wasnt that bad). I do think that Belle Mer also had a better rain plan.

Ah yes the rain plan....that was my hesitation in booking castle hill. what i liked more about castle hill was that they only hold on wedding at a time there. once i knew belle mer had two weddings at once I moved on...that was just a personal preference for us as we wouldnt consider a venue where there were two at once. we also chose castle hill because the food is top rated and we felt like it was more secluded....we feel in love! the tent also has AC and heaters which si good. 

we're putting a second tent "on hold" for a rain option. if it ends up raining we have that second tent to hold our ceremony this way we get married in a seperate area and our guests have proper seating. our florist is on call to set up accordingly. the view is still fantastic even if we have to do it under the tent.

one thing you have to think about is if its rainy and foggy the view at both places could potentially be gone. on really gray days you can't see across the water at either location.

a friend of mine was married at belle mer and loved it and i'm having a fantastic experience with castle hill. knowing the pricing ahead of time is key for our budgeting and planning since it's a pricier option. good luck!!!

Karen G.

Don't know how much more I can add. I chose Belle Mer over Castle Hill (There are alot of us here!). BM is pretty negotiable on the contract items, so don't be afraid to be upfront about it. I, too, preferred BM's rain plan and it's proximity to the water and the city. Parties there go until midnight, which is great for us. We plan on walking over to the Hyatt to finish out the last hour in their bar. The convenience of this is unparalleled.

Our menu is $70/pp + consumption bar. We are having a family-style meal, so we have less items. This is our menu, which we tasted a few weeks ago. It was delicious!

HORS D'OUVRES
Buttermilk Fried Chicken Filet w/ Sweet Corn Relish
Mini Pulled Pork Sandwich, Papaya-Mustard Salsa
Watermelon & Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Feta Cheese
Frizzy Aged Gouda Macaroni & Cheese with Crispy Leeks

 
COCKTAIL DISPLAY-Summer Salad Display
Sweet Corn Salad with Red Bell Peppers, Cucumbers, Scallions
Watermelon & Heirloom Tomato Salad with Vermont Farmhouse Feta
Grilled Peach Salad with Sliced Almonds, Mache & Mascarpone Dressing
Haricot Vert with Shaved Red Onion, Black Truffle & Whole Grain Mustard Vinaigrette
Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream & Dill
Field Greens & Herbs with Sherry Dijon Vinaigrette
Watercress Salad with Apricots & Buffalo Mozzarella

FAMILY STYLE APPETIZER-Deconstructed Guacamole
Grilled Hass Avocado, Pickled Red Onion & Pear Tomatoes
Creamy Lime Dressing & Cilantro Oil
Garnished with Crispy Corn Tortilla Strips

ENTRÉES
Roasted Free Range Chicken & BBQ Leg
North Carolina Barbequed Pork Shoulder

SIDES
Jalepeno Corn Bread
Creamy Savoy Cabbage Slaw
Baked Beans
Corn on the Cob

The fact that we could create a menu like this was the deal maker between Castle Hill and Belle Mer. That and the proximity to everything just couldn't be beat. Castle Hill is amazingly gorgeous and has great locations for photographs. Ultimately, BM just worked best for the type of party we envisioned.

NewportBride710

As someone else suggested, why not look at a few more places just to see. You could walk in and realize that Castle Hill or Belle Mer is the one for you. 

What's so hard about the Newport area is there are so many wonderful choices, you can't go wrong!

Talk to each place about the contract, see what they can do. I'm sure they will understand any concerns. 

Remember, your day is about you and your FH and what you two want. So it should be your decision, not your parents. 

sglike01

Castle Hill bride here!

For me, what put me over the edge was the overall style of the place.  For me, I was looking for a New England style, which is what Castle Hill is, whereas Belle Mer is more modern, some say "south beach" vibe, etc.  For me I think that is the main difference.  I agree though that Belle Mer makes it MUCH more convenient for guests and being downtown.  Good luck - you can't go wrong either way and you have plenty of time to decide it sounds like!