My husband and I got married at Sheepscot Harbor Village Resort & Spa on July 15th, 2017. For MANY reasons we do not encourage anyone to book their wedding with them. The resort is a beautiful backdrop and ideal for destination weddings, but the events and reservations are so poorly managed we encountered many unnecessary headaches.
We had an even worse time with the event planning itself. In January, or somewhere thereabout since details were never discussed with us, the resort had a change of ownership. The wedding coordinator that was our contact person suddenly stopped responding to e-mails, calls, etc. After TWO MONTHS we finally heard from the previous owner, whom we had met with in November and saw again at "Brides' Day Out" in late January, to learn he no longer owned the resort and there was no longer a wedding coordinator. We were advised our new contact person was the Chef- she had taken on the coordinator role as well. Months went by and planning was going smoothly, from our perspective. As the date came closer, we learned more and more that customer service was not a priority and there was no regard for the fact this was our wedding we were planning. We were told we were being "given discounts" when in fact we paid for every service or item we chose from the packet given to us by the resort. We were told we could not have more than 60 chairs for our 110 guest because "most people choose to stand during the ceremony" and would need to pay an additional $5 for each chair beyond 60. We were told the resort did not have any more chairs to provide, and then we were told "they might be able to scrounge up another 20 chairs." Note that the new owners also own an event rental company. When we arrived for the weekend there were 72 chairs set up at the ceremony site AND there were ~30 chairs set up at our cocktail hour site that my husband and groomsmen loaded into a truck and moved to the ceremony site.
We were told we could not reduce the number of entrees to better reflect the number of guests we had confirmed because "the contract was final and this was not an option. When we arrived for the weekend, we were told the layout for the reception hall "just wasn't going to happen" despite THREE conversations the week of to confirm this to ensure seating charts were accurate and we planned for/ purchased enough décor for each table. The reply given to my husband and I when we inquired, "why not?" was, "it is how it is. You just have to deal with it." When my sister-in-law, who took over the entire "coordinator" role by the way, requested extra hands to light candles in the reception hall the response was, "they really aren't paying for this wedding, it's not a lot of money, so we aren't going to go above and beyond for anything."
After learning one of our other guests units was "no longer available" I took it upon myself to call that evening and have the office confirm all reservations made for our wedding weekend. We went through each reservation for the weekend and confirmed each reservation booked for our wedding was in fact noted and I was assured they were "all set." When my husband and I, the bride and groom, arrived to check in our unit was not ready. We were initially told the owners needed to be contacted for the key code to get into the unit. 3.5 hours later we received a call that the reservation had never been and we were offered a hotel room at the Inn on the property. At 4:30 we reluctantly agreed since our rehearsal was planned for 5 PM. We were told we "wouldn't be charged the $50 difference from the deposit we paid and the cost for two nights in the hotel." Please note our deposit was $375, the cost of one night in the cottage- this was not any consolation for our troubles. We received a call the week after the wedding requesting the $50 "we failed to pay at check-out." Needless to say, we did NOT pay this.
We had multiple other guests encounter the same problem upon check-in. When they arrived they were told the owners needed to be contacted for the key code for the unit, "but weren't responding." Ultimately, guests who paid for suites and cottages were put in hotel rooms on the property. Many of the rooms smelled musty and linens and carpets felt damp. There was body hair on the floor of our bathroom, hair in the bathtub and one of our guests found mouse droppings in their kitchen. It was horrifying to shower and get ready in such filth, especially on my wedding day. It is absolutely disgraceful and was mortifying for us as we invited all of these guests to stay and celebrate our wedding.
We ask that any couple looking into this location for their wedding HEED OUR WARNING. Up until the very day of our wedding we encountered nothing but trouble. We have never been told "No" so many times without a rationale to support that response, until dealing with the Chef/ coordinator at Sheepscot. We have also never witnessed such poor management of reservations and lack of housekeeping. read more