I am torn because for the reception hall - 2 stars, for the church -5 stars. This is a very quaint…read moreNew England church where the pews are boxed and very intimate. It was very reasonably priced and you can bring your own officiant/justice of the peace to marry you. They do not care what kind of ceremony you have which is great and it is extremely reasonably priced. They have been doing renovations on the church and there is a new room right next to the altar where the guys can stay.
They have a reception hall adjoined to the church so your guests can either walk through an indoor hallway to get to the reception hall (if it rains) or walk outside down through the church steps (if it is nice and sunny). Again, this is very reasonably priced and where I had my reception since I was allowed to choose my own caterer and there is a full kitchen (this is so key if you're going to hire your own caterer, it makes it so much easier for them and less extra things you have to rent). The reception hall has beautiful wood floors and provides tables and gray conference chairs (another cost gone). They have both round tables, which fit 8 people each and rectangular ones.
Now for my 2 stars...
Only allowed beer and wine - no hard liquor. That's ok, because I still had an open bar even though I was not allowed my favorite St. Germaine, I said ok.
Not allowed to hang anything off the chandeliers - ok, I understand that.
Not allowed to affix anything to the walls - ok, that is in generally how it is with most places.
Laurie (church coordinator) - She is, how shall I put this delicately, quite a difficult person to understand. I had an issue where I hired a photo booth, a perfectly safe one, and rather than call me, she immediately called my caterer (Two Chefs) and complained that she knew nothing about it. She didn't even know what a photo booth was. Now, I didn't realize that I needed to tell her about the photo booth, there was no stipulation in the contract that said I needed to tell her all the details of the wedding, also, I felt like most of the time, I was the one taking the initiative to tell her about my wedding. Basically, if you want to work with her, be prepared to feel like you're tiptoeing around glass. I didn't enjoy that feeling, especially since she kept making snide comments about things to me. I have enough stress as a DIY bride but I just gritted my teeth and smiled through it all and was extra nice to her. And at least she always got back to me and kept all of my notes organized.
Linnea (sexton) - She is a very nice lady, but some of her comments rubbed my wedding party and me the wrong way. She is not used to the different kinds of ceremonies yet, so she has a very cookie-cutter way of doing things and seems to resist a bit when we suggested other ways.
David Evans (event coordinator) - 5 stars. I wasn't introduced to him until the day of my wedding and not only is he handsome and kind, but he genuinely wanted my wedding to be perfect. I was so happy that he was appointed to be our event coordinator. Frankly, I wished that he were the person I was dealing with the ENTIRE TIME. While we were there he spoke to the cops and a random lady who tried to come into the reception. Oh, and be ready for the cops to show up because the FPCU is right next to an ex-police chief's house and he hates noise, flashes and fun. He definitely has a giant stick up his bum. So when you are having your reception or any event, he will always call his buddies in the police force and try and shut it down. Luckily, Dave explained the situation to them. Seriously, ex-police chief, get some pliers and get that stick removed asap.
My honest suggestion - have your ceremony in the church because it is beautiful and there is a nice park area across from the church for outdoor pictures, but have your reception somewhere else. There are neighboring hotels that will host your reception and treat you much better than I felt I was treated here.
