Time for a story, everybody…read more I asked a smart, beautiful, funny Yelper to marry me and she said yes. It was an extremely exciting day, and laughter and tears abounded. That exciting day turned into an exciting week, full of phone calls and picture taking and ring flaunting. After that first week, though, the reality set in that we actually needed to hunker down and plan a wedding. Fairies don't magically appear and plan it for you, and there's a lot of legwork to be done to get a giant party off the ground. The initial step was finding the absolute perfect venue. Chester's at Bell Tower Square was the perfect venue. We knew immediately and cut a check on the spot, and then felt a little bad that we would miss out on the joys and heartache of traveling around New England for two months looking for the perfect venue. Isn't that what wedding planning is all about? Stressing out over where to have it and what money to put down and all that? To find the place we knew we'd be getting married in after the first weekend just shouldn't be. Yet, apparently, it was. How could we go anywhere else? With nearly 5,000 square feet of exposed brick, natural light and hardwood floors, where else could we find that would give us the hip industrial vibe we were looking for? How could we say no to the gorgeous courtyard, or the attached art gallery? I'm not sure I'd have been able to live with myself if I walked away from a venue that I could have access to for the Friday and the Saturday of my weekend weekend. After spending an hour with the event coordinator (Elizabeth), my fiance and I had no choice but to call off our search after a grand total of seven days of searching. If you are getting married and want to have it in a huge, unique, gorgeous, historic space, look at Chester's last. If not, your venue search is going to be very, very fast.

It is surprising to me to see all the positive reviews for this venue and the event coordinator…read more Perhaps we caught them on an "off" two days, but I have never witnessed the lack of professionalism we received as a wedding party-- ever, in my life. From the rehearsal dinner to the event itself, we were treated with such arrogance and hostility that I was livid by the end of the night, and it wasn't even my wedding. From the beginning the whole thing was...wrong. We were not lined up in proper order for the processional, but when we pointed it out it was ignored. We were told it would be corrected by the ceremony, but it wasn't. We went out backwards and were not matched up with our proper partners. The lights were not dimmed for the ceremony. We asked that the lights be dimmed but were told no, because the photographer needed to be able to see us (which of course is not true). They were not dimmed until during the meal, and only because another bridesmaid had to demand it. We were told we had to have the lights on all the way so that the waitstaff could get us our food-- even though it was buffet- styled. The seating was completely ignored-- guests were told to sit where ever they wanted, resulting in completely useless place cards and seating arrangements. Every time someone mentioned anything that was amiss-- from the bartender being completely rude to the timing of the ceremony, which was almost an hour off-- we were spoken down to like children. The night was saved only by the fact that we actually knew what we were doing as a wedding party, dealt with the problems ourselves and waited until the dancing started, which was when any hand the event coordinator had in organizing anything was complete. I feel badly, because my friend was completely stressed during one of the happiest events of her life. I would never book an event with Elizabeth or at Chester's Bell Tower. Of course every ceremony has its flaws, but when no one seems to care, or worse-- can not admit they're wrong and try to fix what isn't working-- it is time to re-evaluate your career choices.

No reviews for this great venue yet?…read more A great place of moderate size, this place holds many local events including art shows, political forums, music and choral shows and plays from local theater companies so there is often cool public events going on here. It can also be rented, very affordably for weddings and parties. It's in an easy to find location right off of Exit 3 on 93 and has plenty of parking. You could fit 200 people between the two rooms quite easily, one drawback is the small kitchen and bathrooms downstairs, but you should certainly look at this awesome and historical building for your next event in the area. It will be hard to be disappointed.

I had my daughters wedding at Searles castle this summer. Thought out the whole wedding…read morepreparation process and the evening wedding itself the staff made the fantastic venue everything my daughters "castle wedding" was intended to be. All of our guests commented on the jaw dropping beauty of the facility, the terrific food, and the great amenities of the castle, perfectly designed for an event of this kind. Thanks to Scott, Sean and the terrific staff at Searles for a day we and our guests will never forget.

This castle is gorgeous! The spiraling entrance to the castle was great way to build expectations…read morefor guests. Once you get past those gates you really get to take the whole castle in and it's beautiful. This place was such a great backdrop for pictures that the wedding didn't really need much decorating. I also loved that the wedding guests were allowed to roam the castle and take pictures inside. This place really gave that elegant and vintage look that the bride was looking for. The person in charge of the castle was so friendly and kept walking around making sure everyone was comfortable and all their needs were being met. This place is a gem hidden among the trees and is truly a beautiful location for a wedding.

Searles Castle-- WOW. This whole experience was just incredible, and the castle gave us everything…read morewe needed. Shaun made planning so easy! Not only that, but the entire staff was amazing from start to finish. They were all super accommodating and moved with a purpose, they all worked so seamlessly together. I had an accident with my foot right in the middle of cocktail hour, where I was sure I was going to have to go to the hospital, and the party would have to go on without the bride and groom. The entire staff acted immediately with first aid, getting medical attention, and even set up a hidden stool with ice under my table to elevate my foot. They all made sure I was taken care of and went above and beyond our expectations. I can't say enough about the staff and how incredible my experience was with them all. They have an onsite catering company, and the food was so delicious! On top of all that, A BEAUTIFUL venue for a romantic, memorable, fairy tale wedding. The scenery is picture perfect, and our photos turned out phenomenally! A beautiful venue inside and outside, every inch of the castle is breathtaking. My husband and I feel so lucky to have gotten married here. If you are looking for a perfect venue for a wedding your guests will NEVER forget, book your wedding at Searles Castle!

Always the best perfect service and attention…read more Tried the Lobster Risotto and exceeded all expections! Of course, the Clam Chowder was the best NE chowder. The Steak Frites looked so good but will have to wait for next time.

Incredibly Beautiful old, classic facility, very nice service, solid food, great drinks.read more

I just got married at Alpine Grove on 9/5/20. I cannot say enough good things about my experience…read more Michelle and the staff were OUTSTANDING from start to finish with service, set up, customer service and picking up things I missed as a stressed bride. I had a vision and they surpassed it. It was a perfect day. I love that their wedding packages included so many vendors- this helped eliminate so much stress and guess work. During these times i wasn't sure how the day would look and Alpine made sure it was prefect. HIGHLY RECOMMEND using them if you're looking!

I had the great pleasure of visiting Alpine Grove on 8/23 and meeting amazing owners Michelle and…read moreAlan! Let me just say that the grounds are spacious and gorgeous, food was delicious and all facilities were really clean. Michelle and Alan were such a pleasure to meet..you can tell right away that they place a high degree of emphasis on complete guest satisfaction, which is truly unique nowadays. I highly recommend Alpine Grove for any occasion and wish there were a 6th star I could attach!

I cannot recommend how amazing this place is to have a wedding at! Lynn, director of sales, was…read moreamazing to work with, made sure we got everything we wanted and Josh, venue coordinator, helped run our day smoothly. And the food was absolutely delicious, everyone was raving about it all night!

If you haven't been to Sky Meadow Country in the last 10 months, you just won't recognize the…read moreplace! They've refurbished the ballroom, added patio bar with live entertainment Friday nights during the summer and a recently opened a steak and sushi restaurant, Prime at sky Meadow. All this on top of an amazing golf course in a beautiful setting. Members continue to rave about all the changes since Rob Parsons and his investor group took over ion May of 2021.

We celebrated my husband's grandma's 100th birthday here. I wasn't involved in the planning of the…read moreevent. It was a delightful experience. The buffet was hot and tasty, the bartenders for the host bar were friendly and speedy, and the AV worked well for the speeches and videos. We were allowed to bring in our own decorations and cake, too. There was lots of parking. There were multiple events being held in different rooms simultaneously, and everything went smoothly for our group.

Have been in the function room for two events so far and it's always been incredibly well serviced…read more The people who work there keep things running smoothly and easily. Both times was buffet service and people brought their plates up. Bar was full service and the bartender was quick and efficient. I do think it's a little pricey for a function, but all things considered, if you can afford it then it's a no brainer. I've never had any hiccups with events at this venue. Also where else can you get a mudslide and tenders like those?

Best experience I've had ! We had lisa that was so sweet , respectful , helpful and just an amazing…read morepersonality ! the whole time we was there she checked on how we were doing and she's just an amazing person I recommend booking with them my sons birthday looked so nice , the set up was so cute I still can't get over it , we paid for the bar but we do not drink so we brought our own drinks (non alcoholic ) don't hesitate to book the price is very reasonably as well you can't go wrong with it

We had our rehearsal dinner in this space and everything was outstanding. On a weekend with plenty…read moreto stress over, the staff here made it super easy and worked well with catering. They provided a bar staff and pianist to play in the background. It was the perfect setting for a private event and we can't say enough great things about how it turned out.