Esperanza Mansion - Fingerlakes Upstate NY

Re: Esperanza Mansion - Fingerlakes Upstate NY

• BelhurstBride member

  

  November 2009 edited December 2011

  There aren't a lot of options for lodging near the Esperanza. That could be a draw back if you have many people traveling into the area of the reception.

  
  
  

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• The Silverlining

  

  December 2009 edited December 2011

  It is a BEAUTIFUL venue!  I went to a wedding there this past August and the views of the lake were amazing!  As far as lodging, I'm not too familiar with the area, but my fiance and I stayed in a nice bed and breakfast I think it was called the Fox Inn. 
  
  Since it wasn't my wedding I can't really talk about any drawbacks, because I didn't see any and I haven't heard the bride or groom say anything negative.... but it looked amazing from the perspective of a guest!

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• katanne9 member

  

  December 2009 edited December 2011

  I went to their bridal show this fall.

  
  

  The Fox Inn is in Penn Yan town, (not that large). You could also look into renting some of the lakehouses in the area. How many people will you need to house? How much of the Esp. Mansion inn will be available to you?

  
  

  I think it's a great area to hang around in. I'm planning a wedding in the area as well (we have a lakehouse only 20 minutes from Esp. Mansion). It's fun to go wine tasting, shop at The Windmill etc. That's why I'm choosing that area too!

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• bethc228 member

  

  December 2009 edited December 2011

  My fiance and I are seriously considering having our wedding at Esperanza as well. From what I gather so far, the pros of Esperanza are the beautiful scenery and grounds. Proximity of lake and the Keuka Lake Wine Trail offers guests options for things to do. The cons are the cost and the fact that they seem unwilling to negotiate about anything. There are couple things that I would love to know about the venue from brides who have been there before or had their wedding there. How is the food?  Is the staff helpful and easy to work with? Can they convert the patio from ceremony set-up to cocktail hour set-up quickly and seemlessly?
  
  FYI, in terms of lodging: Our families would like to rent lake houses too. But there's also a Best Western in Penn Yan, if you need to recommend something bigger to guests.

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• Ninnybride

  

  December 2009 edited December 2011

  I am thinking of Esperanza as well. As far as other acommodation in the area, my fiancee and I visited Keuka Lake last year, and hightly recommend:
  -Black Sheep Inn (www.stayblacksheepinn.com)
  -Elmcroft Manor (www.elmcroftmanor.com)
  Both are in Hammondsport, at the bottom of Keuka, and both have very beautiful, clean, modern-vintage acommodations. Deb of Black Sheep and Jo of Elmcroft are both great innkeepers, and the food is great.
  
  Anyone with more Esperanza info?

  "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." -Dr. Seuss

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• AutumnRose14

  

  December 2009 edited December 2011

  Hi Ladies! 

     I hope i'm not too late! I just got married at the Esperanza in October and we had an amazing experience!!

  
  

  To answer your questions:

  
  

  How is the food?  

  the food was amazing with huge portions. we offered chix, fish and vege options and everyone complimented on the food. 

  Is the staff helpful and easy to work with? 

  the bar and wait staff were very acommodating to our guests. They even reopened the main bar for our guests after the reception was over to keep the party going. 

  
  

  each wedding is assigned a specific coordinator that handles everything for you throughout the process --- questions about anything, vendor suggestions, pricing concerns, etc. 

  
  

  pp poster was correct that they don't really  negotiate, but there are no hidden fees or costs. everything is clearly spread out. We essentially knew what the bill was going to be to the penny when we went to pay. 

   

  There are some stupid charges -- for example you pay a ceremony fee to use the site, but then have to pay for each chair that is used-- why isn't that included. 

  
  

  However, we opted to do cupcakes instead of a traditional cake and they didn't charge us a slicing fee even though we still used plates, etc. 

  
  

  Can they convert the patio from ceremony set-up to cocktail hour set-up quickly and seamlessly?

    

    We had our ceremony and reception there and they were able to turn over the patio very quickly. They ask guests to go inside and find their table while they do the turn over. 

  
  

  as for lodging for guests, most of our guests stayed at the Esperanza, they give you a block book for half of the rooms on friday night and all of them on saturday. We also had a block book at the best western in Penn Yan, some of our guests stayed at a bed and breakfast (country comforts) and others rented lake houses on Keuka. 

  
  

  We opted to have our rehearsal dinner at at a lake house close to the esperanza and it worked out perfectly. 

  
  

  Overall, I could not recommend the esperanza enough. Their attention to detail and professionalism made our wedding day perfect and go off without a hitch. we were planning from out of town (we live in Philadelphia) and I never worried about anything. We showed up on the weekend of the wedding and our coordinator had everything ready to go. 

  
  

  While it may be more expensive than other venues in the area -- it is by far one of the most beautiful and professional venues available. Our parents kept saying you really do get what you paid for. 

  
  

  I would be more than happy to answer anyone's questions about the Esperanza if you need more details. 

  
  

  Shoot me an email! autumn10309@gmail.com

  
  

  Good luck!

  
  

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