Lighthouse Point Park/Carousel Pavillion in New Haven

courtneyymi · August 2011

Does anyone have any opinions or thoughts to share about using Lighthouse Point Park/Carousel in New Haven as a reception site? Anyone been to any functions there? I would appreciate any and all input! Thanks.

rsxgirl0309 · August 2011

I'm getting married there! I have also done the polar plunge there the past two years... you know, where people jump into Long Island Sound on New Years day? Hehe, Anyway, Love it, beautiful - It's amazing, they run the carousel during the reception. It's such a pretty venue, and it is huge and accomodates a lot of people. Just keep in mind that all caterers have to bring in a makeshift kitchen, and it gets quite pricey. More pricey than I thought... but in the end worth it. My photog has shot a few weddings there and he said some brides actually hire multiple food trucks to come in (pizza, chinese food, ice cream etc etc) to save on costs. My mom went to visit one wedding to see how it was set up and she said a pizza truck came! There's so many awesome options with this venue, it can be fancy or casual. Sabrina, the coordinator, is amazing. So many great things to say about her. HTH!

klm03013 · August 2011

I took engagement photos there- beautiful place! I know that doesn't help you much, but just wanted to say that

Soon2BeMrsTing · August 2011

Courtney, YGPM.

AVBarto · August 2011

I would say call Sabrina and find out what dates she has left before you dive into it. I know we were looking for a Sept 12' date and they are all gone. There is one or two left in October and I believe one in Aug. Now the problem there is there is no A/C or Heat so Aug could still be hot and October could be freezing (however you can do fans and heaters) and if you search the venue on here you can see what other people have to say about it. I'm going to check it out this weekend and research a few caterers so I can make my decision. As the girl before this said you can really do whatever you want as far as food goes with the venue and you also do not need to hire a caterer with a liquor license like some other places so you can bring in your own beverages if your wedding is on the smaller scale. You can rent the place for as many hours as you want, the carousel is obviously gorgeous and the decor with the hanging linens and white paper lanters is all very whimsical. You can PM me after saturday if you want more details, i'd be happy to share.

courtneyymi · August 2011

Thank you all so much for your info! I am aware that dates are filling up fast and I am not very particular about time of year. At this point $$$ is driving our wedding since FI and I are paying ourselves. Believe it or not my FI is very involved in the planning process and has many "must haves". He was the one who suggested it and has a friend who was married there a few years ago so I figured I'd lok into it.

@AVBarto- I would love to hear what you have discovered this week. I will def send you a PM next week!

Thanks All!

Soon2BeMrsTing · August 2011

I don't think it's possible to have regrets about having your wedding there. I probably sound as though I work for the park or something, but H and I just loved having our wedding at LPP. And, yes, it was HOT (95 degrees on the day we married, yuck!) but people were on the dance floor, slinging sweat in every direction. It was a good time, with a view that can't be beat. And, of couse, the guests LOVED the carousel.

Whtara10 · August 2011

I am getting married there in June! It's beautiful. And it's even already kind of decorated with paper lanterns. Plus the carousel is such a unique thing to have at your wedding. Just keep in mind that at a place like this you are in charge of every little thing. Instead of havin a venue that supplies the food, alcohol, cake etc. It's very stressful. But it's such a beautiful place that I think it's well worth it. Just something to think about

marykylet · August 2011

I just booked one of the last dates in October today! I am so excited, I went to other places but that is by far the most unique and has the most charm. I am working so hard to stay on a tight budget. Sabrina has done so much work for me. The building is really nice so a wedding in October is going to be cool but there is a warm breeze coming off the ocean. The cheapest catering that I found so far (which includes everything; linen, china, waitstaff, bartender, open bar, and mobil kitchen) is 110 a person. You can go somewhere and it will be cheaper but you will not get that charm. I am still on the look out for cheaper caterers so I will let you know.

Whtara10 · August 2011

Congrats! Let me know if you have any nice suggestions for LPP too! I would love to hear them! I'm looking into sweet relief catering in new haven. They seem to be on the cheaper side and Leanne is very helpful. She really seems to be trying to give me the best price possible. Me and my FI are paying for our own wedding too so I know how stressful it can be. Im waiting for Leanne to call me back with a menu and proposal. So I'll keep you posted. Though we are doing a BBQ wedding but they I've other options too. Oh and if you need a photographer I highly recommend Ferro photography. Michelle is great and has done weddings at lighthouse before. If you wanna see her work go to ferrophoto.com

Karlipants · September 2011

I am having my wedding a LPP August 3, 2012. As everyone else has said on here, the caterer can be very difficult to find. I have a meeting with Fitzgerald Catering this weekend. They have given me the best price. I am on a seriously tight budget. I would also recommend checking out David Grant, and Catering by Cristine. Two caterers that Sabrina recommended to me. David Grant, and Fritz Catering both included linens, glassware, barware, service, china, and silver in their total price. Fitz catering allows you to buy your own liquor and they will serve it for you at no additional cost. This is a plus because LPP does not provide you with those. They do have chairs and tables, but I think most people rent chairs due to the condition of the ones that they will provide to you. Also the bathroom is not inside the venue, so your guests will have to walk around the building to get to them, but they are closed off for guests only during your Wedding. I really like how everyone who is having a Wedding there is sharing what they are doing on this post! We should start a LPP group for the girls getting married there in 2012 so that we can share our thoughts, ideas, aggravations, ect!

Nickya086 · September 2011

I'm trying to have one there for 2013 for Aug and looking for more info and trying to find out how much it would actually cost and see if Anthony's would be cheaper. The carousel is our first choice though but we are paying for this ourselves too...so nervous on what to do....

Nickya086 · September 2011

If anyone has further prices for caters, dj's, photographers, where to rent chairs and how much they think total to get married here.

For the person who got married in Aug when was you date. We are thinking Aug 10th ---I'm nervous to see how hote it will be....

Nickya086 · September 2011

Do you have more photos to share about your wedding or mind saying how much you spent on cater, photo and w/ who you went with...

Nickya086 · September 2011

Do you have more photos to share about your wedding or mind saying how much you spent on cater, photo and w/ who you went with...

Karlipants · January 2012

*Stevieandmatt* - That was our orignal date! That was the last available Saturday when I booked our Wedding with Sabrina in July originally. I wound up having to change it due to a family member being unable to make it on that particular day. So congrats! I'm glad to see that someone grabbed it! (we're now doing ours on a Friday)

I am also using Fitzgerald's catering. They do have the best prices for that venue. Nicholas is also amazing to work with, and SUCH a nice guy. Not to mention the food, is AMAZING. I brought a whole group with me to the tasting and everyone was amazed at how professional and groumet everything was.

My DJ is DJ Shenn who has been unbelievably helpful so far and had extremely fair prices. He is providing a photobooth, lighting, and a floor gobo in his package. All for a very decent price. He has great reviews on all of the Wedding websites including the knot.

My photographer is Alyson Hickey. I fell in love with her Wedding photo's. She will do just about anything to get the perfect shot. Her prices are reasonable and she includes an engagement session!

Our officient is Reverend Bob Beverage. He has been so helpful and is familiar with LPP, as he has done many ceremonies there before.

As far as rentals go... I haven't even began to look into them yet... But i'm su re i'm going to get chairs from somewhere.

I hope everyone's planning is going great! I am SO looking forward to this summer!!

Have any of you thought about where you are going to have your rehearsal dinner??

Only a few months left to go and we'll all be MRS.!

shanhou3 · May 2012

As an update, had a tasting recently w/Sweet Relief and the food was good! We tried maybe 10-12 things, from appetizers to salads to entrees, and only disliked one dish. The ribs (we are doing a BBQ theme) were fabulous and my fiance even asked if we could go back to their restaurant (the Kitchen Table) sometime to have the ribs again!

I also realized I didnt put much about pricing in my last post and that it might be helpful for others on a budget since that's pretty much my #1 concern and something I am always asking other brides about!

The total quote we received from sweet relief catering for a simple BBQ buffet for 130 guests, including 2 basic appetizer choices, ribs/chicken/shrimp/burgers, salad and 1-2 other sides, and including linens, china, glassware, waitstaff, rental chairs for the ceremony, and a few extra rental tables (for buffet, etc.), AND including a basic open bar (beer/wine) package, came to a total of just over $6300 (~$49/person) before taxes & a service fee (~20%, don't forget to budget that!). Without the open bar package (since we are looking into doing our own alcohol), everything comes to around $4500 (~$35/person.. again before tax & service charge), and then we'd spend another $750 or so on buying booze in bulk. I got quotes from a few other places, and these prices were REALLY hard to beat, and we were definitely happy with the value after going to the tasting. We are probably going to go with them, I'm still exploring a couple of other choices and waiting for an updated quote since we asked to add a couple of small items to the menu.

I was quoted between $2500-$3500 for Carousel rental from the City, I guess the final cost depends on how many hours you'll use it and all the bells and whistles you want? I am budgeting for about $3100. The deposit there is only $500 to hold the date and you are allowed to change the date without a penalty (for us, since it's so far out, we asked Sabrina to let us know if a May/June 2013 date opens up in the next couple of months since that was our original preference).

stevieandmatt · May 2012

We found rentals (chairs, bistro tables, etc) through Orange Taylor Rentals. They have everything you could need for decent prices. Something to consider for wedding rehearsals at this venue ..you are going to want to have them early in the day , because another wedding will be taking place that evening and they will need their allotted time to set up. . *KarliPants* - I am so glad you guys were still able to keep your wedding at this venue!! I hope planning has been as much fun for you , as it has been for me! It feels kind of special to share a wedding weekend!!

Nick from Fitz catering has been amazing!! I love his cool confidence and that's great that he will be working two weddings at the same venue that weekend!!

hope everyone is having fun!!

Nickya086 · May 2012

I
My finance and I are getting married there aug 10th 2013 and we went with Catering by christine. They seem to know what they are doing and was suggested by Sabrina. I will say I was not pleased with Sabrina, she was very rude and didn't seem like she wanted to be bothered by me as if I was a burden. However, I feel in love with the location and having my ceremony on the sand and having the carousel ---this was better than anthony's and sea cliff's which is walking distance away. I am looking for a wooden square arch for the day and not sure where to find one. For the people who have married here what do you do for your arches?

How is the weather in august .....should I get fans??? and where do you get them...

Thanks a bunch!

Nicole & Gus
n Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_connecticut_lighthouse-point-parkcarousel-pavillion-new-haven?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:65Discussion:27d3a168-afaa-425d-82da-b474bcf4b6f4Post:8c707339-ce69-489b-b0e0-703d49315193">Re: Lighthouse Point Park/Carousel Pavillion in New Haven</a>:
[QUOTE]I am having my wedding a LPP August 3, 2012. As everyone else has said on here, the caterer can be very difficult to find. I have a meeting with Fitzgerald Catering this weekend. They have given me the best price. I am on a seriously tight budget. I would also recommend checking out David Grant, and Catering by Cristine. Two caterers that Sabrina recommended to me. David Grant, and Fritz Catering both included linens, glassware, barware, service, china, and silver in their total price. Fitz catering allows you to buy your own liquor and they will serve it for you at no additional cost. This is a plus because LPP does not provide you with those. They do have chairs and tables, but I think most people rent chairs due to the condition of the ones that they will provide to you. Also the bathroom is not inside the venue, so your guests will have to walk around the building to get to them, but they are closed off for guests only during your Wedding. I really like how everyone who is having a Wedding there is sharing what they are doing on this post! We should start a LPP group for the girls getting married there in 2012 so that we can share our thoughts, ideas, aggravations, ect!
Posted by Karlipants[/QUOTE]

Nickya086 · May 2012

I did the same thing.....I told catering by christine what anthony's was offering me and they beat not matched beat their offer. I was so thrilled. Also my cater is not tacking on a phony 18% grat. that never goes to employees anyways. Anthony's has three weddings in one day and I heard even though they try to time it right you still hear other guests and couldnt hear vows of one wedding b/c the other wedding were shouting. Did not feel personal enough at anthonys.....

Nickya086 · May 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_connecticut_lighthouse-point-parkcarousel-pavillion-new-haven?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:65Discussion:27d3a168-afaa-425d-82da-b474bcf4b6f4Post:e8cfaa4c-24a2-43ad-80d8-2b619339d818">Re: Lighthouse Point Park/Carousel Pavillion in New Haven</a>:
[QUOTE]If anyone has further prices for caters, dj's, photographers, where to rent chairs and how much they think total to get married here. For the person who got married in Aug when was you date. We are thinking Aug 10th ---I'm nervous to see how hote it will be....
Posted by Nickya086[/QUOTE]

Im getting married aug 10 2013 and I'm nervous about heat as well...trying to see where to get fans....

Nickya086 · May 2012

Thank you that was very helpful. I only have florist left to find and are wooden square arch type thing ---not sure what to call and trying to decide if i should get fans for aug??? any suggestions.

For the chairs---my cater is doing all of that for us---catering by christine is pretty much like my wedding coordinator and doing such a great job to help us out with this venue

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_connecticut_lighthouse-point-parkcarousel-pavillion-new-haven?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:65Discussion:27d3a168-afaa-425d-82da-b474bcf4b6f4Post:002835fc-54d7-480f-9cd1-a83aeeaa2b7e">Re: Lighthouse Point Park/Carousel Pavillion in New Haven</a>:
[QUOTE]*Stevieandmatt* - That was our orignal date! That was the last available Saturday when I booked our Wedding with Sabrina in July originally. I wound up having to change it due to a family member being unable to make it on that particular day. So congrats! I'm glad to see that someone grabbed it! (we're now doing ours on a Friday) I am also using Fitzgerald's catering. They do have the best prices for that venue. Nicholas is also amazing to work with, and SUCH a nice guy. Not to mention the food, is AMAZING. I brought a whole group with me to the tasting and everyone was amazed at how professional and groumet everything was. My DJ is DJ Shenn who has been unbelievably helpful so far and had extremely fair prices. He is providing a photobooth, lighting, and a floor gobo in his package. All for a very decent price. He has great reviews on all of the Wedding websites including the knot. My photographer is Alyson Hickey. I fell in love with her Wedding photo's. She will do just about anything to get the perfect shot. Her prices are reasonable and she includes an engagement session! Our officient is Reverend Bob Beverage. He has been so helpful and is familiar with LPP, as he has done many ceremonies there before. As far as rentals go... I haven't even began to look into them yet... But i'm su re i'm going to get chairs from somewhere. I hope everyone's planning is going great! I am SO looking forward to this summer!! Have any of you thought about where you are going to have your rehearsal dinner?? Only a few months left to go and we'll all be MRS.! <3
Posted by Karlipants[/QUOTE]

Nickya086 · May 2012

Jimmy's near the conference center or pizza trucks at the pavillion was two of my ideas....

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_connecticut_lighthouse-point-parkcarousel-pavillion-new-haven?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:65Discussion:27d3a168-afaa-425d-82da-b474bcf4b6f4Post:002835fc-54d7-480f-9cd1-a83aeeaa2b7e">Re: Lighthouse Point Park/Carousel Pavillion in New Haven</a>:
[QUOTE]*Stevieandmatt* - That was our orignal date! That was the last available Saturday when I booked our Wedding with Sabrina in July originally. I wound up having to change it due to a family member being unable to make it on that particular day. So congrats! I'm glad to see that someone grabbed it! (we're now doing ours on a Friday) I am also using Fitzgerald's catering. They do have the best prices for that venue. Nicholas is also amazing to work with, and SUCH a nice guy. Not to mention the food, is AMAZING. I brought a whole group with me to the tasting and everyone was amazed at how professional and groumet everything was. My DJ is DJ Shenn who has been unbelievably helpful so far and had extremely fair prices. He is providing a photobooth, lighting, and a floor gobo in his package. All for a very decent price. He has great reviews on all of the Wedding websites including the knot. My photographer is Alyson Hickey. I fell in love with her Wedding photo's. She will do just about anything to get the perfect shot. Her prices are reasonable and she includes an engagement session! Our officient is Reverend Bob Beverage. He has been so helpful and is familiar with LPP, as he has done many ceremonies there before. As far as rentals go... I haven't even began to look into them yet... But i'm su re i'm going to get chairs from somewhere. I hope everyone's planning is going great! I am SO looking forward to this summer!! Have any of you thought about where you are going to have your rehearsal dinner?? Only a few months left to go and we'll all be MRS.! <3
Posted by Karlipants[/QUOTE]

shanhou3 · May 2012

What time of day are you guys starting your ceremony at LPP? I live down the street from the park and go there often, and on the weekends it can get very busy. If our date was in spring or fall I wouldn't worry at all, but in July I am a bit worried about lots of potential spectators in bikinis (lol). Obviously it's just part of having a wedding at a public park, but curious what other folks think of this? I was thinking of a 5 or 5:30 ceremony start.

shanhou3 · September 2012

Just a little update for anyone who might not know... LPP just got new chairs a couple of months ago. I saw them set up the last time I was there. They are still the same type of chairs you'd find in a hotel ballroom, but instead of being pink and gold, they are a more neutral gray. I think we are going to use those to save $, but on the other hand you aren't allowed to bring their chairs outside of the building to use for the ceremony, so we're going to end up renting chairs for that anyway.... so not a HUGE savings but at least I can rent cheaper chairs for the ceremony. The gray chairs don't totally fit with my relaxed BBQ theme (not like those nice white garden folding chairs would), but who really notices chairs anyway? As long as they aren't gross looking, why not? Save some $! :-)

clk1513 · October 2012

Hi I'm recently engaged and considering LPP. Can you give me an estimate of catering by Christine? I think I might go with them. How did you discuss the 18 gratuity fee? Any answers would be appreciated.

jaqclyneking · December 2012

<div>This post was/is so helpful! I am looking into LPP for May 2014. I feel good that there's some time to investigate but also know time flies! Is anyone at all concerned about damage from hurricane Sandy? I was just down there to peek inside and explore the park and looked like a lot of the paint on the building had been ripped off and some leaking in the pavillion. </div><div>
</div><div>Keep the great suggestions coming about vendors and anyone who had there wedding here please leave any tips and tibbits you think are useful! Thanks!</div><div>
</div><div>
</div>In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_connecticut_lighthouse-point-parkcarousel-pavillion-new-haven?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:65Discussion:27d3a168-afaa-425d-82da-b474bcf4b6f4Post:571e868a-4e27-4bc2-a828-be627b8197df">Re: Lighthouse Point Park/Carousel Pavillion in New Haven</a>:
[QUOTE]As an update, had a tasting recently w/Sweet Relief and the food was good! We tried maybe 10-12 things, from appetizers to salads to entrees, and only disliked one dish. The ribs (we are doing a BBQ theme) were fabulous and my fiance even asked if we could go back to their restaurant (the Kitchen Table) sometime to have the ribs again! I also realized I didnt put much about pricing in my last post and that it might be helpful for others on a budget since that's pretty much my #1 concern and something I am always asking other brides about! The total quote we received from sweet relief catering for a simple BBQ buffet for 130 guests, including 2 basic appetizer choices, ribs/chicken/shrimp/burgers, salad and 1-2 other sides, and including linens, china, glassware, waitstaff, rental chairs for the ceremony, and a few extra rental tables (for buffet, etc.), AND including a basic open bar (beer/wine) package, came to a total of just over $6300 (~$49/person) before taxes & a service fee (~20%, don't forget to budget that!). Without the open bar package (since we are looking into doing our own alcohol), everything comes to around $4500 (~$35/person.. again before tax & service charge), and then we'd spend another $750 or so on buying booze in bulk. I got quotes from a few other places, and these prices were REALLY hard to beat, and we were definitely happy with the value after going to the tasting. We are probably going to go with them, I'm still exploring a couple of other choices and waiting for an updated quote since we asked to add a couple of small items to the menu. I was quoted between $2500-$3500 for Carousel rental from the City, I guess the final cost depends on how many hours you'll use it and all the bells and whistles you want? I am budgeting for about $3100. The deposit there is only $500 to hold the date and you are allowed to change the date without a penalty (for us, since it's so far out, we asked Sabrina to let us know if a May/June 2013 date opens up in the next couple of months since that was our original preference).
Posted by shanhou3[/QUOTE]

mquitko · February 2013

Ok Ladies I've loved reading all your posts! We've booked LPP for Oct 18th 2013 and I have 100 ideas and thoughts. We are also on a very tight budget trying to do a lot of DIY stuff and include friends. We have a friend I believe will be able to cater for us and we are thinking of doing the ceremony on the grass not the beach. One thing I'm looking at to cut corners is not having a dj but a friend with a guitar and an ipod with a play list. When I say it, I feel like it sounds cheesy but I'm thinking it can be fun. Has anyone not used a DJ and have any advice?

Anyone have any thoughts on the temps in October?
Want to share any pictures or thoughts and ideas?

We have a friend who is doing our cake. We have a photographer and we have a friend who is going to handle flowers and centerpieces and I'd like to make some things as well.

What are you best suggestions for this venue?
Anyone know how long the carousel runs at during the reception and how long did the rest of you book the venue for?

Thanks in advance for you help!

ccolon1990 · March 2013

My Fiance and I have been looking into renting out the pavillion for our wedding.

About how much would you say you spent and who would you reccommend for catering? We're only looking to spend $10,000 and we are inviting between 60-100 people.

[Deleted User] · July 2013

Hi, I'm considering LPP for Nov 13, depending on availability / if they are open. Does anyone know what the fee is for the space with tables and chairs? 2500 to 3500 seems kind of steep for a city venue with so little in it. Also any reccs for heater rentals?
Thanks!

sheslikeasunburn · August 2013

They only do weddings april-october and the site fee for 2014 is going to be 3200-3800 (i am getting married there)...not sure what it is for 13. Also, as of may 2013 they had no saturday's left in 2014...so if you're willing to do friday or sunday i would book NOW!!! hope this helps :-)

Lighthouse Point Park/Carousel Pavillion in New Haven

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