Venue Spotlight: Priam Vineyards in Colchester, Connecticut
I was introduced to Priam Vineyards recently and had an opportunity to visit their property and speak with the owners. I just fell in love with the location! As you know, the Connecticut Wine Trail has grown in popularity and Priam Vineyards is the most magical and romantic site for a wedding, nestled in the Salmon River watershed area of Colchester, Connecticut. They have a breathtaking 35 mile view of the New England countryside and their property is composed of 40 acres — with 24 acres of grapes in production. The winery was built into the hillside at the base of the vineyard, as a New England style barn (which is pictured above). It is the ideal site for a vineyard style affair and they have several locations on their property — which can appeal to a smaller wedding and a large, tented soiree! Their tasting room and adjoining patio is an amazing location for small and intimate affairs of under 100 guests. Their upper field can hold larger guest sizes and is perfect for a tented event. They have several on site ceremony locations too, which make use of the gorgeous backdrop of rolling New England hills and grape vines.
The folks at Priam Vineyards believe in supporting local small businesses and farmers. They are also an eco-conscience property. To learn more about hosting your event at Priam visit their website!
Reception Venue Spotlight: The Society Room
I know I’ve said this before, but Connecticut brides are so BLESSED to have such amazing and unique venue spaces to choose from! One of my absolute favorite spaces is the historic The Society Room in downtown Hartford on Pratt Street. Let me tell you, if you’re looking for a space that is truly unique with a presence all its own, than The Society Room is a must view. It is SPECTACULAR inside and it has presence unlike any venue I’ve seen. You’ll know exactly what I mean the first time you walk through the GIANT doors on Pratt Street and see the unique space for yourself!
Prior to being an amazing location for weddings and soirees, it was a functioning bank that serviced the city of Hartford for generations. The interior is just amazing, full of custom details and original artwork that you just can’t find anywhere else. The craftsmanship and the beauty is really unmatched in any venue I can think of in the state. The windows themselves are MASSIVE, framed by some amazing drapes which stream in beautiful unfiltered light. There is a lot of opportunity here for separation of space (which my brides know I love!). Here is the description of the space and service, from the Society Room’s website:
The Society Room will provide a dramatic and unforgettable backdrop for your special occasion. In the glorious Society Ballroom, you have a room of grand marble columns soaring to an exquisitely muraled ceiling, some thirty five feet above the dance floor.
The sweeping staircase flows down from the 3,000 square floor balcony, providing a dramatic focal point for grand entrances and photographic opportunities. Marble, limestone, brass and bronze accents adorn the opulent Ballroom in a setting right out of the Great Gatsby. Immediately adjacent to the Ballroom are three additional lounge or function spaces, each with their own special historic character, each with their own seating and full-service bar.
Needless to say, all of this grandeur is complemented by our own incomparable chef and banquet catering staff, ready to custom-tailor a food and beverage presentation which will fulfill the promise of a truly magical event for you and your guests. Please contact the Society Room today for a private tour and consultation, and let the dream begin. The Society Room: where Elegance Meets Excellence.
Reception Venue Spotlight: Bank Street
I met with the owner of Bank Street, a hip and unique venue in the heart of Stamford. I love historic buildings that are converted into event spaces — their character and charm just lend a uniqueness that you can’t find elsewhere. That’s what I love about Bank Street! It is an old bank that now hosts an array of parties and fabulous gatherings. It is a cool fusion of old world architecture and swanky modern nightclub. There are a lot of different nooks and areas for your guests to gather, too, which I love.
Bank street has a variety of extras — cool lounge furniture, amazing in-house lighting, and the old bank vault. Can we say photographer’s dream? With this location you can also do one of two things — go all out with decor and really vamp up the room, or keep it understated and let the architecture speak for itself. That is one of the advantages of having a historic building as the backdrop to your fete — the versatility is endless!
Bank Street’s menu is full customizable, which is so fabulous! The chef, Erin Tamburri, has put together an amazing selection of food to choose from. I love their station selections, especially their spanish and and sweets station.
Ceremony & Reception Venue Spotlight: The Tomes-Higgins House
A few weeks back I had the real pleasure of meeting with Barbara, the property manager at the Tomes-Higgins House in Greenwich. The house and property are exquisite, truly. I love this historic Connecticut mansion. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves!
The house sits on five and a half acres of “lush greenery” and was designed by the famous architect, Calvert Vaux, who co-designed Central Park. Pretty amazing, isn’t it? The interior of the house has all been restored to its original French style. The windows are huge and let in a tremendous amount of light. The interior architecture, molding, and other details are all so elegant. There are three separate rooms for dining, all overlooking the estate’s beautiful grounds. What I loved most was the sun porch with its gorgeous ceiling. It is the perfect spot for a bar, or better yet, your cake.
The grounds are also breathtaking. I loved the large back porch and patio. The outer grounds have beautiful old trees that sit on a flat lot, so it is perfect for an outdoor ceremony or cocktail hour. Currently, the Tomes-Higgins house is working on getting the proper paperwork in order to have tented affairs out back. Once they are capable of doing that… really, the possibilities are endless!
Historic Goodwin Hotel to Close
As some of you may have heard, the historic Goodwin Hotel in downtown Hartford is closing at the end of this year. I’m so upset at the loss of the only boutique hotel in Hartford and hope that something will transpire between now and then to allow the hotel to remain open.
I just got off the phone with George, the event manager for the Goodwin. For couples who currently have a wedding booked with the hotel in 2008 — your event will continue as planned. As for 2009 couples, your wedding deposit(s) will be refunded completely but you will have to find a new location to host your celebration. I’m sure this is a very upsetting and emotional experience for 2009 couples who’ve planned a wedding at the Goodwin, so I want to offer my assistance in helping you find new location. There are a lot of beautiful, unique, and chic spaces in the Hartford area to host your wedding. Please give our office a call or shoot us an email and we’ll try to help as best we can. If you know a couple who has their wedding booked with the Goodwin in 2009, please pass along our contact information.
Ceremony/Reception Vendor Spotlight: Tyrone Farm
A few days ago I had the opportunity to visit Tyrone Farm in Pomfret, Connecticut for one of my clients. As I drove up to the picturesque property it easily became one of my top ten must see wedding venues. The property is, in one word, spectacular. The mountain views are amazing and must be killer right now overlook the foliage. I spent my time talking with Ian, the properties site manager and wedding coordinator. He told me about the farms history and how it had been in his family for quite some time. It was very interesting to talk with him about their unique story and learn how they came to offer the farm for weddings and other events.
I love Tyrone Farm for a number of reasons – one being their commitment to being eco-friendly. First, they’ve invested in solar technology, which supplies most of the properties’ energy. How amazing is that? They also grow and tend a number of beautiful pesticide free flower gardens, which eliminates the need for some to purchase flower arrangements. Their flower gardens really are beautiful, too. So much so that I inquired if Ian’s brother, who works on the gardens, was a landscape architect (which he isn’t – just naturally talented!). Ian also mentioned that they are looking into growing their own herbs which they might offer to event caterers to use in their dishes. On the property they also have an eco-friendly guest cottage which was developed and built in a factory in Denmark. The guest cottage is great feature because you can get ready there, have out of town guests stay there, or in a worst case scenario, someone who has had one too many can crash safely for the night.
Tyrone Farm also supports local businesses and artisans. For those who know me, you know that I am a huge proponent of using local vendors, businesses, and talented people for my events. I admire when venues appreciate the importance of supporting the local community in every event they do.
During my visit I took a tour of the property and admired all the details and little touches that Tyrone Farm has to offer. They have several spaces that are ideal for ceremony locations with beautiful focal points and, of course, gorgeous gardens. Their reception locations are also unique because they offer the best of both worlds. They have a gorgeous horse barn that many couples use as their dining and dancing area. They also have a blue stone terrace off the main house that overlooks the horse trails and beautiful mountains of Connecticut (although it could be Massachusetts or Rhode Island – I’m not sure which direction you’re pointed in!) The best part? The patio is already tented and stays covered during wedding season, so there is no need to bring in tent rentals and deal with the added cost. I don’t have the exact specifications on the tents size, but I am almost sure it will seat 150 comfortably for dinner.
All these different spaces are like different rooms that you can use to create a unique atmosphere for your guests. A wedding that has several different locations on one property, like Tyrone Farm, just works better in my opinion. You can have cocktail hour amongst the gardens, dinner on the blue stone terrace, and an after hours lounge with dancing in the barn.
I’m looking forward to coordinating and designing a wedding at Tyrone Farm and urge our readers who are looking for all of the above to give them a call and schedule a tour! I love their commitment to the environment, their support of the local community, and how they’ve kept the integrity of their families farm. I’ll leave you with some pictures that I lifted from their website.
Ceremony & Reception Venue Spotlight: The Old State House
I had the opportunity to tour the Old State House in Hartford this past Saturday afternoon. Elisabeth from Blush Floral tipped me off to this special location a few weeks ago. It is an absolutely amazing venue that should be on your list of unique and interesting places for your wedding ceremony or reception. It is right smack dab in the middle of downtown on Main Street, only a stone’s throw away from some very popular Hartford wedding spots (a.k.a. the Goodwin Hotel, Wadsworth Museum, and Gershon Fox Room to name a few). They offer both indoor and outdoor ceremony options and you can rent out the state house for the reception!
For indoor ceremonies the wedding would take place in the luminous court room on the main floor. Words cannot describe how beautiful this room is – and the light that floods the antique hardwood floors and white columns in truly amazing. The windows are two stories high and look out onto our beautiful capitol city. I love the acoustics in the room too – they are very pronounced and dramatic. Plus, look at that chandelier! It is four times bigger than it looks in person!
Outdoor ceremonies take place on the front lawn, overlooking the beautiful architecture of the state house. There is also an option for a tented reception on this beautiful lawn, which is enclosed by an antique wrought iron fence and gate. I especially loved the spiral staircase outside, which I unfortunately have no pictures of. But the staircase makes for beautiful bridal portraits and photographs.
The state house also has a few empty rooms that are on a smaller scale than the court room, but are equally beautiful. The front lobby would make for a beautiful cocktail area and I loved the dramatic staircases leading up to the second story and the checkered marble floors. The rooms to the left would be great for an afterhours lounge or photobooth. The court room is turned over after the ceremony for the reception. I believe it can seat 85 persons comfortably for a sit down dinner with 120 for a standing cocktail reception. What I love best is the historical significance that the Old State House provides to your wedding ceremony.
Many thanks to Carla for letting me use the beautiful photographs she took at a recent wedding at The Old State House!
