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Elegant Wedding Venues? Please help.

Knottie46995447Knottie46995447 member
First Comment
in Connecticut
Hi fellow brides,

I am looking for an elegant  and modern place to hold my wedding ceremony and reception. Think crystal chandeliers and beautiful gardens outside. I know rustic is all the rage right now, but I really really do not like rustic and neither does my fiance.

We looked at Cascade, and while he loves the their venue, I really do not like their outside setup (too close to the road for me).

We like Eolia, but we want to look at other venues that may have a bigger and more modern/elegant inside area.

I think Lord Thompson is really really beautiful but it is way too expensive and we only want at most 10 hours and not a whole weekend.

We also like the look of the Bond Ballroom, but it does not have an outside area (understandable since its Hartford city).

We looked at Wayne, Gallaher, and Branford, but they don't look very modern on the inside.

We want to find a location and then we will decide on our guest list.

Thank you for any input you have on this topic.
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Re: Elegant Wedding Venues? Please help.

  • FutureMrsMeratiFutureMrsMerati member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its
    If estates are your thing, you might consider the Lounsbury House in Ridgefield. It's the former home of CT governor Lounsbury and the architecture, chandeliers, fireplaces and grand staircase are all gorgeous! We had our reception there in August and everyone still comes up to us and our parents about how much of a unique venue it is, and how much they loved it! I've tried to attach a few photos for you to see what it looked like on our day.
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  • Knottie46995447Knottie46995447 member
    First Comment
    Wow your pictures are soo beautiful!!
     Did you look at any other locations? 

    While I like the look of it, I think my fiance might think it looks like an antique house.
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  • hyechica81hyechica81 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment First Answer
    i am not sure if it was cascade or lamirage, my brother attended a wedding at one of those venues and he told me food drinks appz were disgusting, he went to bar to get a white russian and the milk/cream used in the drink was curddled  he said food was gross and they were so un oraganized ill have to ask him def what one it was  

    my wedding was at testas in the grand ballroom it does not have a lush outside its in southington in the downtown area between some houses it has a deck in the back and the food is amazing and so is the staff. 


    have you looked at the riverview in simsbury they have amazing food and has a nice grounds my brother had his reception there and the place was amazing 
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  • Knottie46995447Knottie46995447 member
    First Comment
    So sorry to hear about your brother's experience... I haven't begun to even think about food, because I feel like every wedding I go to, the food is so-so, even though I'm sure they are supposed to be fantastic. (I prefer home cooked food... I'm a weirdo haha)

    For me, the most important is all about the overall appearance. We do plan on visiting the Riverview, but I wanted to make a day out of visiting the venues, because my fiance will be coming up from NYC for the weekend.
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  • lilacck28lilacck28 member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its First Answer
    Fox Hill Inn in Brookfield, CT is lovely. It's owned by the same people who own the Riverview and Candlewood, but they have more relaxed policies. As in, I wanted brunch. They said no problem, that sounds delightful, what entrees are you interested in?  Our chef can do pretty much whatever you want. VS Candlewood who said... this is what we do. We don't change it. 

    Anyway, it has an estate feel, and is very pretty, very moderately priced. 

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  • lilacck28lilacck28 member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its First Answer
    ps- in some of the pictures you'll see red curtains. They have changed those to a light beige color, which I think look MUCH better. Keeps the space very bright and airy. 
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  • lilacck28lilacck28 member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its First Answer
    Ah, I just noticed your "antique house" comment. Sorry. Fox Hill may not be right for you then. 
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  • FutureMrsMeratiFutureMrsMerati member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its
    Thank you! This was the only place we went to, because we wanted to keep it local but there are also some other gorgeous places I am aware of in Fairfield County... 

    The Waveny House in New Canaan
    Gallaher Mansion in Norwalk
    Lockwoods Mathews Mansion in Norwalk
    The Stamford Nature Center is also a neat place... former home of Henri Bendel
    Also, right over the Weschester border outside of Ridgefield is Le Chateau in South Salem, NY. 

    Hope this helps!! :) 
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  • Knottie46995447Knottie46995447 member
    First Comment
    edited November 2014
    Thanks for the suggestions. My guy is still pining for a more modern elegant look. I'm open to any additional suggestions. 

    :edit:.

    We visited the Riverview & Aria yesterday. Still open to other suggestions, but we plan on narrowing the list in a few days. Thanks!
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  • aniabe14aniabe14 member
    First Comment

    The Riverhouse at Goodspeed station in Haddam is also very nice.

    It sounds like Aria or the Riverview might be what you guys are looking for, we visited both in our search and we thought they were both beautiful!  Just an FYI the Riverview does not provide food stastings. Good luck with your decision!

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  • LlikotdesserdLlikotdesserd member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    Also checkout the Wadsworth Mansion
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  • bianca1993bianca1993 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    I got married at Cascade! I think it is the most beautiful elegant venue in Ct. Everything was amazing! Food. staff and drinks. I worked with Domenic he was such a sweetheart! As far as it being to close to the road that was not an issue for me with all the green trees and amazing waterfalls and the lower level next to the woods I don't even remember the road. lol  Best decision I made was going to Cascade! They have what you call a Ballroom!!
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  • hyechica81hyechica81 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment First Answer
    aria is a great venue i went to a few events including  a wedding at there old location villa rosa in waterbury the food was amazing and plenty of it. 
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  • GoldenPenguinGoldenPenguin mod
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    I'm not sure what size your wedding is, but we're getting married at the Mystic Arts Center - and I wasn't sure I was going to like it because it's really modern looking. That may totally not be what you're looking for, but I thought I'd throw it out there :) 



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  • banana468banana468 member
    First Answer First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment
    I think PPs gave great suggestions about places that work.   As someone who has been married for over 7 years, I'd just like to advise you to think more about WHO you want there and a little less about what you want the surroundings to be.

    Years later, I look back on our wedding day and think about how wonderful the day was because of who was there and the fun we had.   The location was just a way to make the party work.    It was a bit more rustic than I wanted (Stone Barn @ Whitney Farms in Monroe) but they worked with us, had a lovely view and the food was fantastic.   The important thing for us was to have our nearest and dearest there so we made a list and figured out where we could have the wedding based on that list.

    It's just my $0.02 but I think you may want to think about that (and the convenience of your guests) vs. just the appearance. 
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  • nadarstnadarst member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    The Society Room of Hartford! It's used to be a bank and had huge vaulted ceilings with gold detailing. Very elegant.
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