Southern CT Venue needed!

shortcakes3414

Hey ladies; we're looking for a venue in southern CT that will be the happy-medium for both our families.  Don't want standard banquet hall/hotel.  About 200 people and of course price is always a factor!  Any recommendations would be great! 

Karebear852k3

I see you are from Long Island, so perhaps some clarification is needed since "Southern CT" and LI are both very long areas, and the difference between the areas is about a 1 1/2 to 2 hour commute.  Southern CT could mean the entire shoreline area...can you be more specific - do you want:

Fairfield county: Fairfield/Bridgeport/Stamford/SW CT area (ie. if your guests are coming from NYC and want to stay close to that area)

New Haven county area

Middlesex County/Old Saybrook area (both New Haven/Middlesex county are more Central Southern areas)
 
or

New London county/SE CT area?

Are your guests coming by car/train or by ferry?  How far north away from the shoreline are you/your guests willing to travel?  From New Haven county, there is a lot up in the Waterbury (more west/central CT) area, from Middlesex country, there are nice places up in Middletown, and from New London county, there are nice places in Norwich (ie. the casinos, etc.)

SuMmErKuTiE

We were married on the CT shoreline at Waters Edge and everything was perfect. We had an outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour on the water and then moved inside for the reception.

http://www.watersedge-resort.com/

awlavery

Hello,
Have you considered renting a photo booth to add that extra fun factor to your wedding reception? New England Mojo is a fantastic photo booth rental company! Here is their website:

www.newenglandmojo.com

christikao

We got married at The Waterview in Monroe. It's about 1 1/2 hr. from NYC. Here are some places in SW CT we considered: Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown, The Inn at Longshore in Westport, Anthony's Ocean View in New Haven, Dolce in Norwalk.

CVALANN123

We are using continental manor in Norwalk. It holds a lot of people, and the food is good, and their very well priced. Good luck to you.

starshollow

If you want something non banquet on the shoreline, I recommend the Norwalk Maritime Center.  I went to a wedding there, and it was unique and beautiful.

Soon2BeMrsTing

We loved our reception at the Carousel at Lighthouse Point in New Haven!  We enjoyed views of the shorelines while we dined and danced.  It was unforgettable.

Alysiacan

From your description, sounds like the Norwalk Aquarium may be a great place to check out.  There are a bunch of unique venues around Fairfield county but many tend to hold a max of 100 guests...Otherwise, you do typically end up w/the hotels (which you said you weren't interested in).  If you start heading up I95, you'll find a few more options which previous posters have mentioned.