A few early questions...

dcp612

Hi Everyone!  I'm new to these boards, and FI and I are in the very early stages of wedding planning.  We got engaged in October and decided to take our time with everything.  We're starting to look at venues and dates now...and here's where the questions start.  

We haven't physically gone anywhere to look yet, but were hoping for a beachy venue on the shoreline.  We are estimating about 90 guests and the one thing I do not want is to share the date at a venue, or at a wedding factory.  We are also hoping for a budget friendly venue.  Does anyone have a suggestion or personal experience at a venue like this?

MichelleBee773

Look into Rocky Neck State Park. They have an nice pavillion which you can rent, but it may be too big of a space for 90 people.  http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2716&q=325254&depNav_GID=1650 I am also not sure what you mean by budget friendly. The pavilion is $2650 for less than 200 people for 7.5 hours.

Other women on the board can tell you more about The Water's Edge in Westbrook and Saybrook Point Inn. They both can be pricey depending on what season and what day of the week your wedding is.

It may be a challenge to find an inexpensive beach venue, but definitely not impossible. 

I am sure other women on the board will suggest different places! Good luck!

redjellybean128

There are a couple of facilities you can rent on the beach in Fairfield.  Not sure if it's within your budget or if it's too far south down the shoreline. Information can be found here. http://cal.fairfieldct.org/content/2765/2789/2811/default.aspx 

Good luck! 

MoonlightSilver

I'm not sure if they have multiple weddings at once or not, but a couple of the brides here have gotten married at Mystic Seaport.  

It's not an actual beach, but I'm getting married at Mystic Aquarium. There's only one wedding at a time there. 

Amanda1443994

I'm not sure about your budget but the Eolia mansion in Harkness Memorial State Park is right on the water and is very beautiful. I checked it out originally when I was looking..

http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2716&q=325214

Katred08

Both Amarante's and Anthony's Ocean View are on the water in New Haven, but both are more "wedding factory" type venues that you wanted to stay away from.

How about the Carousel at Lighthouse Point in New Haven?  Definitely really unique, and you'd be the only wedding there that day.  The site rental fee is a little steep, but after that you can make it pretty affordable, since it's so flexible with what vendors you can bring in. 

Carebear62584

As someone said another post, Madison Beach Hotel will be reopening soon.  Westbrook Elks is another place my cousin looked at when she was looking.  The Pavilion at Crystal Lake is a popular place (I've never been there so I don't know how "beachy" it is.  Water's Edge and Anthony's are both "wedding factories" and Saybrook Point Inn may be an option.  Hope this helps!

dcp612

Thank you ladies for all of your help so far!  I'll be looking up all these places online tonight to get a feel for what my options are.  I'm so glad I found The Knot and will definitely be around here a lot more often!

MrsF0831

try harkness state park. its on a beach