Beautiful spot for a wedding! Attended a wedding here on Labor Day weekend and the grounds are gorgeous. We arrived on a bus and were directed back under a tented area with water. The ceremony was on the upper level overlooking the river; such a pretty backdrop. The walk down the aisle looked long for the bridal party. There was another wedding going on on the lower level of the grounds and we could hear their music and music from boats on the river at some points during the ceremony. Cocktail hour was underneath the tented area with multiple high top tables and one bar. The two bartenders were pretty quick getting drinks for everyone. I wasn't impressed by apps at cocktail hour. The best was the coconut shrimp. Otherwise there were veggies/cheese, feta and pineapple, bree puffed pastry and tomato basil and mozzarella. The ballroom was beautiful with a good sized dance floor. I enjoyed my filet mignon and my boyfriend got the chicken pillard. The staff once inside were super attentive. Overall, I'd recommend getting married here. read more

We came here for a wedding. The grounds and venue are gorgeous. Plenty of parking available. There was plenty of space for guest to mill around during cocktail hour both an outside courtyard area and indoor area. The ballroom used had plenty of space and a nice dance floor. The food was good and the staff was super attentive to all guest. The sound quality in the room for the dj was great. Nice place for special occasions and events. read more

the surroundings are very pretty but the food is awful. I wouldn't serve the swill they served for dinner. the beef was ok what there was of it but the chicken was absolutely awful. the wedding cake was terrible, skinny little pieces and the frosting tasted like crisco and sugar. read more

Been to many events at the castle. Always a great time. The scenery is gorgeous. The staff has always been courteous, friendly, and professional. Looking forward to our next event. read more

I cannot say enough good things about my experience with Saint Clements Castle. My wedding was an absolute fairy tale thanks to Saint Clements Castle. Everything was well handled, all staff were friendly and professional, and the grounds are an absolute dream. I corresponded with Lauren the most, and she was extremely professional, timely, and patient with this anxious bride. She put my mind at ease, and made things SO much easier and more relaxed for me both before my wedding day and on my wedding day. I was also so touched that they took the time to write a nice note on the box they packaged up our wedding cake in. I recommend Saint Clements Castle to everyone who is looking to get married or to have an event. read more

Saint Clements Castle - Picture at the Sunken Gardens - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Portland, Connecticut

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We got married at Saint Clements Castle last year and I couldn't be happier with our decision. First of all, the grounds are beautiful. The truth is that we only toured this one venue. The cost was very manageable and very worth it for everything included. The price per person ranges based on the time of year and day of the week. We picked a Sunday which was the cheapest day of the weekend. The price per person includes cocktail hour food, plated dinner service or buffet, and open bar for the night. There's always add-ons such as a seafood bar or milk/cookies table for extra. The food was very good and the whole team at Saint Clements Castle made our wedding night go so smoothly. At no point during the night were we stressed or anxious that things may not go accordingly to plan. The pre-planning seemed overwhelming but Pam and the team helped ease our worries and we trusted them with our big night. I would definitely recommend touring this place if you are looking for a venue for a wedding or big event. read more

Horrible to deal with! I was told by people who live nearby it was beautiful but something was up with the place. I ignored it and reached out for wedding info. The email reply was short and rude. Basically told me to reach out in May when I wanted to plan a late summer wedding. That would be too late. I replied and asked other questions and again for very short ride answers. Replies were from Lauren the sales director. I work for a wedding venue in mass and if our staff treated potential guests like this management and owners would be appalled. all other venues I reached out to were very helpful. Guess they didn't want my business. read more

I want to start off by saying this place is absolutely beautiful and breath taking. The staff was extremely helpful pre-wedding and during the beginning.... I was extremely excited to have my wedding here and I did. Here is what happened and why I am giving a 1 star review. 1. During our private ceremony and reception, there were multiple tours being given by Jacob. The people were coming in the middle of the areas we were taking pictures in. This was NOT mentioned in any contract we signed with Saint Clements Castle. We also were NOT informed by any of the staff at Saint Clements Castle that there were going to be tours of our private event. I strongly felt violated and disrespected during this. A wedding is very private and important amongst the bride groom, family and invited guests... NO ONE ELSE!!! 2. Towards the end of our wedding we were not informed of the time and given no warning that we were to start winding down. In the midst of all of this, the bar was shut down without warning, guests wedding favors were thrown out, our personalized champagne toasting glasses have been lost, wedding gifts were broken from the staff breaking down all of our stuff in a rush, the rest of our cake was piled on top of by other gifts. Our gifts, flowers and everything else were thrown quickly together. Due to the cake not properly being taken care of it got destroyed in transit and fell on top of my wedding gown and the grooms dress attire. We were being kicked out in a very rude fashion which I do not appreciate. We were very kind, our guests were very kind and we weren't trying to stay past our allotted time. I felt the staff at Saint Clements Castle handled the end of our wedding in a very poor unprofessional fashion. The way we were treated was extremely rude and disrespectful. There was a major lack of communication on the staffs part. Read your contract before you book anything at this venue and make sure you tell them you do not want people coming through your ceremony or reception if that is what you wish. Also, make sure they communicate with you when it is time to start winding down and they are going to start packing everything up. read more

Keep in mind, I am reviewing this as a restaurant, something they are on special days like today. Mother's Day brunch. I have been to both 5 star and one star catering events here. If there is one thing I consistently find here, it is inconsistency. If I KNEW how to be certain I am getting their "A" game, I might have my parties here, but I am baffled by the range of both food taste and quality as well as service ranging from impeccable white glove to trailer trash. Back to brunch. Beautiful venue, slightly lower than average food, high prices, marginal service. A place this gorgeous should always be on top of their game. If this was a diner, four stars. A high end banquet hall, two at best. Average omelette station, overcooked fish, dry turkey, soggy vegetables, undercooked bacon, mushy pasta, rice pilaf that was, well, I actually thought it was pretty good. In fact, if you wanted rice only (I say this facetiously although the vegetarian at our shared table ate only that) you might like this! Add to that plates stacking up uncleared as people finished and went for more, water glasses sitting empty, cold coffee when you could actually track down a server among the few wandering souls dressed as waitstaff and a drink ( despite the exorbitant pricing) only for the mothers and you pretty much can understand my disappointment. Except it gets worse....for dessert, there was one bridge table in the foyer with trays on it. I say trays only because after waiting 20 minutes in line I found a plethora of empty serving platters. I went in the dining room and tracked down a person who appeared to be in charge. This disinterested soul did send out a few trays with attractive desserts on them which were descended upon like zombies on flesh before I could grab any. I settled for an eclair and a slice of some unidentifiable cake. It was awful. Conclusion.....absolute disappointment. Partly because it was awful but more because I have seen what this place can be. I recently went to a party there with food and service so perfect I could not fathom this as the same place. The venue and grounds are spectacular. I truly hope they acquire the sense of pride in who they are to be that way every day and in everything they do. Until then, I choose elsewhere. read more

Came here for a wedding last weekend. I had driven by the place before but this was the first time I was here for an event. Generally speaking I consider all of these places the same; wedding factories. But this one actually seems a cut above the average wedding place. In this case the ceremony was performed on-site overlooking the Connecticut River. The grounds really are beautiful and it helped that it was a terrific evening weather-wise. Then the cocktail hour was on the patio. They served lots of snacks and there was a fruit and cheese & cracker platter in the middle of the patio. There was a bar out there as well. All the apps I tried were pretty good. Then we moved inside (I don't recall which room, but I believe there are two) and it was comfortable for the 130 guests. Probably could have fit more and it still wouldn't have been too tight. In this case dinner was a buffet and they came table to table to tell guests when to go to the buffet so it was never too crowded up there. Overall the food was pretty good. Service was actually above average. They seemed to have enough help rather than one waiter/waitress for several tables. The staff was predictably young but seemed to be on point. I only came here as a guest so I can't speak to how they were to deal with from a planning perspective or how cost competitive they are. But I would say if you were planning an event I would check them out. read more

A beautiful venue in the tiny town of Portand, Connecticut. We attended a wedding here just the other week, and the grounds, combined with the wonderful New England Scenery, could not have been a better backdrop for the event. Fall colors, cool breeze, bright sunshine. It's so big, we were actually at one of two weddings being held at the same time on opposite sides of the building. Not that it mattered. The reception halls are greatly separated, so it was almost as if we had no idea there was a second wedding. Our affair was smaller, perhaps 50-60 people. The food was... good. That's my slight criticism if I do have one. It's not inedible food by any means, but I wouldn't exactly call it exquisite. I had a pretty good meat and vegetable soup, a somewhat overcooked filet mignon, and dolled-up vanilla ice cream for dessert. The ice cream was really really good actually, but somehow I doubt it was made in house. All in all, consummate with a decent restaurant, I guess. I'd hold a Bar Mizvah here... after all, the kids can't tell the difference, they just want mac and cheese. read more

My daughter just got married here and we couldn't be happier. The service and attention before the wedding was wonderful. Our personal assistant named Anthy could not have been more helpful, supportive and friendly. It was our first time planning a wedding but everyone there certainly knows what to do before, during and after. The food and service was great and there aren't enough words to describe how beautiful the venue is, both inside and out. We didn't have any sound issues because our music guys provided a microphone for us. We just had a great experience! read more

Valentine brunch Didn't take the placesetting for right away Didn't take a drink order Served quiche cold the toaster was broken and no toast or bagels Never told what was where- learned only after leaving that there was a dessert table in the next room at omelette and waffle line- way too long to 15 minutes in line small selection of food So people had to get an omelette or waffle But the place was beautiful The staff... They acted like it was the first time they did this. read more

Gorgeous place for a wedding...the building is gorgeous and the view of the river out back is amazing. Food was very good - much better than many weddings I've gone to. The function room was quite plain but in good shape. The plainness of it really stood out to me because the other rooms are all so much more ornate. Anyway, I guess a blank slate for the bride & groom to decorate as they wish for their day is probably the better way to go. Bartenders were heavy-handed for the open bar, which we appreciated greatly & tipped nicely for. My one major problem is that for outdoor weddings, they don't provide any microphone for the officiant. We were in about the 10th row & sadly couldn't hear much of anything, despite the fact that the officiant was practically yelling, according to our friends sitting up front. We could hardly hear the string quartet that we weren't more than 20 feet away from either. That was very disappointing. But it seems to be managed well, and like I said, the castle & grounds are impeccably maintained. I don't think you could take a bad picture of the place if you tried. read more

I had my wedding here about a year ago on the garden side. I picked the garden side because it was cheaper and I liked the chairs better in that room. Although the fake horses and stable were a little odd I didn't really mind them. It did bother me a little bit that there's no food tasting and there's no rehearsal before. I also didn't realize that the bar in the actual room wouldn't be open but thinking back I might not have had enough people for it to be open. I did really enjoy the food and the appetizers. I like that the cake is included in the price. I was nervous about bringing everything and having them set it up but it was perfect. We had our wedding in September and the garden was still beautiful. It was one of the most reasonably priced places we looked at and it was great. I have no regrets about booking my wedding here and would recommend it! read more

My man and I just returned from a wedding there. The weather was perfect in the midst of the fall foliage. The service was outside and overlooked the CT River. It was the most picturesque wedding ever! Lucky for the bride and groom! I don't know what St. Clements would have done if it was raining or snowing. As for the food, the most important thing, it was really good and you get A LOT of it! The cocktail hour was wonderful and the bartender made me a wonder vodka and tonic. There were plenty of butlers passing out appetizers. My favorites were the bacon-wrapped scallops and Indian samosas. The cheese, fruit, and veggie tables were wonderful and there was even an antipasti tray. As for the main table bites, we started on an Italian family soup followed by dill rolls and salad with balsamic dressing. Then we proceeded to our main dish, a humongous slab of divine Filet Mignon with mashed potatoes and vegetables. The Filet Mignon was so huge that I was the only one who finished it! Highly recommend the filet if you are going to a wedding with that option. For dessert, we were first treated to a scoop of delicious vanilla bean ice cream with whipped cream and a chocolate cover strawberry. That was dessert was so decadent that the cake was a huge disappointment, but I don't know whether the cake was made by St. Clements or an outside vendor. Expect that since it is a castle, the interior decor is dark and outdated. The bathrooms are not fancy at all and remind me of the bathrooms in college. All and all, we had a great time at St. Clements and kudos to the wonderful staff! read more

I was here for the St. Clements Castle Masquerade and thought it was beautiful. It was well-lit from the outside, decorated with little lights all over the place, and dressed up for the spooky season. The candelabra-esque centerpiece on our table was draped in beads and just very well done altogether. The DJ played great dance songs and stuck with the Halloween theme. I'd love to see this place in the daylight, but it was great fun and I can't wait to go again next year. read more

I've come here once for a wedding and was truly impressed how beautiful and well kept the grounds were compared other venues and castles. The food was really impressive and affordable. Recently they started doing romantic date night events here and you can purchase tickets online. It's affordable and beautiful. They have a three course sit down meal, appetizers, a huge dessert table, live band and dancing, and the stables bar side (court yard) has a Dj. I've had an amazing time, its the prefects excuse to dress up and I recommend this spot to get away from your every day and dance all night in a classy setting with your special someone. read more

I have never been so disappointed with the service of a wedding before. Yes, the venue is beautiful but that is the only positive thing I have to say. The service was horrible. I wish I took down one of the workers name because this lady seriously did everything, by herself for a wedding of 150 people, she cleaned, she brought out food, she bartended and held the door for me. They were completely understaffed, I never got dressing on my salad, it was a piece of lettuce, the bartender was the slowest and wouldn't give me two drinks for my fiancé who was in the bathroom. I timed at least 20 minutes for one drink, which tasted awful, and I'm not even picky! Being in the wedding party never once were we offered drinks and even water, it was a hot summer day, we constantly asked for food, and water and we never got anything. I'm not sure what happened, and I myself being recently engaged always dreamed of having my wedding here because it is so beautiful, however, I stayed far away. read more

I visited Saint Clements recently for a wedding. The venue is beautiful and quite large. It was a tad disorganized which could have been caused by the fact that they were having another wedding at the same time. Once the wedding got going everything seemed to get smoothed out and went well. Hors d'oeuvres were very tasty and there was plenty to go around. Dinner wasn't great. I had the petit filet which was around 3oz and cooked very well and also the crab crusted cod which was super dry. It was quite overcook and didn't have even a hint of the beurre blanc on it. The bartenders also weren't quite a generous as they typically are at weddings. I had a great time at the wedding and it's a good venue but there are definitely areas they could improve. read more

Nice for a wedding! The grounds are beautiful! It's a wedding factory but I mean that in the best way possible. They have it down to a science and it's a well oiled machine. There was another wedding there, but you would never know it. The layout was very nice, we had a ballroom, a bar area, an outside courtyard, so lots of options for stumbling around. the bartenders were quick and friendly. The food was good. Some regular cheese tortellini, a regular salad, bread and butter, the vegetation option was delicious! The appetizers were good, but the waiters tended to ignore our group, even when we called politely. But when they did come over the appetizers were good. There was a fruit and cheese and crudite and meat table, but the room was long, so the line was long, so i gave up. One friend made it happen for our entire group, and said the line was so long because they kept fanning out the napkins. But everything was done at the perfect pace, and timing is everything. VERY IMPORTANT!! If you are getting married there, and are getting married outside, please insist on some sort of microphone, sound system. No one could hear anything, and it was very sad. But the setting was beautiful! I would totally recommend someone to get married, or be very excited if I was invited to another event here! read more

My husband and I just attended a wedding at Saint Clements Castle and we were very impressed with the beautiful layout on top of a hill over looking the river. The ceremony was outdoors and the area was well landscaped and made for a great atmosphere. Our waitress was named, Jenna she was probably one of the nicest if not the nicest waitress we have ever met. She was extremely professional and always had a smile on her face. She appears to love her job and she does it well. She was very hospitable and made sure we were all happy with our food choices and was there for any and all requests. She's a keeper for sure!!! The ballroom was very large and the dance floor was of good size as well. We had the filet mignon which was cooked to perfection and tender as could be. The bar had two bartenders that were very pleasant and they both made great tasting drinks. We would highly recommend this as a wedding venue. read more

We went to Saint Clements Castle for a wedding reception about a month ago. The decor is lovely and the food was very good. The wait staff handled the rowdy guests very well. I thought that the bathrooms were a bit underwhelming - the other rooms were so nice that it was a bit surprising to go into the Ladies' Room and find it cold (very, very cold, actually) and sterile. I assumed that at a place like Saint Clements, it would be more luxurious. read more

I think this is a great place to come to if you're having a wedding(not sure if they offer services for other occasions). It's beautiful inside, very well decorated all around the grounds, maintained wonderfully, and the bar area has a very unique nostalgic feel to it. I came here for my sisters wedding and was very impressed. The staff is friendly and very helpful, the food was all right, I think it's tough to cook for all those people but the chicken francaise was fine for what you thought it should be. I'm not sure I would personally spend all that money to get married at a venue like this unless it was absolutely necessary I do so if you know what I mean. But if I had to I would definitely recommend Saint Clements and at least consider having my wedding here one day. If that day ever comes... haha read more

My wife and I had our wedding at Saint Clements Castle. Everything was perfect from the attentive staff, to the delicious food, to the beautiful grounds and estate. I highly recommend having your wedding or other special events here. read more

The grounds are lovely. The setting is quaint. If that's all you require for a wedding, then this is the place for you. Even though our dinner choices for dinner at a recently attended wedding were made with the invitation to the wedding, it still took the server an hour to take our table, s order. Water glasses were never refilled . Wine never poured . When my table was served coffee and dessert at the end of the evening (and we were sitting at the bride's parents table) coffee service ended without 4 of us getting served, server's explanation : "we have 3 weddings going on and we ran out". Really! You ran out of coffee and milk... As for the food.. I ordered one steak and stuffed shrimp....my shrimp was raw, as were a few others at our table.... But to be fair, many guests thought the food was delicious.. read more

As I plan for my wedding, I went to St. Clement's Castle for a tour and to understand their packages. Although we did not end up booking here due to other reasons, the attention and hospitality that the team exemplified towards us made it very hard to turn down. Although a couple of tours were occurring on a Saturday afternoon, the chef came out with an entire tray of numerous hor douevres for us to taste (and they were absolutely fantastic) as well as wine or any other drink! They treated every one of us very special and it's clear they would do the same on your wedding day! read more

I recently attended a "Romantic Dinner" night, what can I say? Fabulous place, great band, great food and wonderful staff for an affordable price. If you have not been to one of these events, go to one, I tried to get in for the August event but it was sold out. We are going again in this month. read more

I was just there for my son's wedding! Everything was perfect and the food was excellent!

I recently attended my niece's wedding at Saint Clement's Castle this July. The grounds are absolutely breathtaking. Built in a French Tudor Style, it is filled with antiques, has a lovely garden courtyard. If you do have your wedding here, make sure that you tell them they are not to do a tour through wedding. The venue runs tours of the sites on Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., and several times people came through with one of the wedding helpers. I also recommend you have someone that oversees the particulars helping out. Apparently, they discourage an independent wedding planner, but they just do not have the staff required to take care of the small details from start to finish. like the seating of the guests, or when it us customarily appropriate to stand for the bride's entrance. There was no one handling this. There were only two staff members, one was with the bride helping on that end, but the other went back in to handle the champagne and snacks for the wedding party after the ceremony and during picture taking. That left no staff member in the altar area of the grass to assist with seating, or tell the guests to stand for the bride. Before she detoured back to the castle, the snack-serving staff member asked if was I a member of the wedding party. I replied I wasn't, that I was her maternal Aunt. My sister and I were the only members of family that could attend on the bride's side due to distance. She told me I could sit on the bride's side, and pointed to the left. I could sit anywhere except the seats with reserved signs. The signs read, "RESERVED FOR FAMILY." My sister gave her daughter away, and there was no one to tell the flower girl where to sit, so she sat in the 2nd seat from the aisle. I was going to sit next to my sister, and I requested the flower girl to move over one seat. When the bridal party began down the grass to the aisle, someone, a guest, said loudly "Will everyone please stand." This was incorrect. The guests are to stay seated until the bride makes approach, which was from the garden area. Instead, we ended up standing for all the bridesmaids and groom's men, robbing the bride of her grand entrance. The bride's dressing room was lovely, with a round table in the center set with a plate of cheese and wine glasses, and glasses of champagne. That was a nice touch. There were also 8th century antiques or furniture that appeared to be antiques, but there were few places to hang dresses. The lighting was extremely poor, and the bride was applying her make up and doing her hair there. Few places to plug in curling irons or hair dryers. The food was excellent, and I have no complaints about that. However, there was no after-dinner coffee, as it was served an hour later with desert, not the cake. Desert consisted of a lovely chocolate fountain with fruit, pretzel sticks, marshmallows and graham crackers. They ran out of fruit very early on, replenishing it about 20 minutes after it sat with only marshmallows, pretzel sticks and graham crackers left. Once the cake was served, the staff began breaking down the wedding, at 4:45 p.m. I know because I thought it was odd that no announcement was made. The bride and groom were to be out by 5:30, but the staff just started folding and taking chairs away at the bridal table first, then the other tables, laying coats on the table. There was no coat check that I could see. Make sure you know what you are getting and make sure that you make you requests in writing and ask that breakdown occurs no less than 30 minutes prior to your required leaving time. read more