Independence Harbor

I loved the grounds and was hoping to have my wedding here. We wanted to give a deposit but was told they couldn’t book until exactly two years before. On the two year mark I called to book and was told my date and time was already taken. I was very upset as I had expressed interest in that date and time but wasn’t allowed to hold the date. The least they could have done would be to call me before it were booked.
I also felt that they were not flexible at all as far as time frames and outside vendors. It’s very upsetting that they do business this way as the grounds are so amazing. After reading other reviews it appears I have dodged a bullet.

My rating is based more on the attitude and practice than on appearance. The grounds are absolutely beautiful and much of the staff very pleasant. My low rating however is due to the meal which brought many complaints from many guest and actually the bride and groom themselves. The food was priced per setting and certainly wasn’t cheap. It was buffet style but right after the last table passed through the initial pass the two carving stations got busy slicing up all the meats into piles which the promptly picked up and carried away to presumably take home for themselves or pass out to the staff. People that only took certain items to sample leaving others for an additional pass were denied. Worst though was the married couple being very busy in activities and photo request weren’t even able to eat as the plates they had prepared were taken away by the staff with no inquires as to whether they were done. When pointed out to management we were basically told sorry you didn’t like the way that happened but that’s they way it’s done. But oh, maybe next time the carvers will do the slicing out of site instead. I guess free meals on your dime is an employee perk. If only the management had the courtesy of some of the lower staff. So grounds are beautiful I just hope you don’t need to deal with management.

Everything that the bride and groom planned was wonderful. That being said, the majority of the wait staff had a bad attitude. The bar tender was fantastic which made up for the sky high alcohol prices. The food was straight up terrible. Being vegetarian is tough out there but most places are able to accommodate. When we were served cheddar broccoli soup I asked the waitress if it was vegetarian. Wait staff should know the menu and if they are met with a question they can’t answer they should say «I will find out for you». Nope. She says «Well, I think so, it’s cheddar so I would assume it’s vegetarian.» Given that 1. she was dead wrong and 2. this could actually make me sick I feel that this is a pretty big deal. If you don’t know don’t lie! Since the salad was cesar and I know the dressing could have fish in it I didn’t even ask and just assumed I couldn’t eat it. I was so excited for my spinach ravioli when one of the waitresses told me it was her favorite thing on the menu… then it arrived. Pretty sure it was just frozen ravioli heated up and it was drowning in cheese sauce. DROWNING. I barely touched any of the food that was served. Very disappointed. Of course, many things that go wrong can be sweetened up by a great staff. Unfortunately they were, with one exception, cold and distant. Many of them didn’t smile a single time the whole night. I wouldn’t go back for anything or recommend it for a friend.

What a great place for a wedding! Beautiful grounds to have the service. The reception hall was well designed. The food was great.

I had my wedding here. The grounds are beautiful, the staff nice and the food is delicious. But… The owners and day of wedding coordinator are rude and not professional at all. Anyone having a wedding here should know what they are getting into. Expect a beautiful, if badly run cookie cutter wedding and rude upper management. My husband and I experienced some of this rudeness directly, but what appalled me most was that I received complaints about this venue after the wedding from my guests and wedding vendors as well!
To start, two of my relatives stopped by mid-​afternoon to take a quick look at the venue a couple weeks before my wedding since they were so excited about it. As they were walking up the pathway, they noticed the outdoor area was being set up for a wedding. They were barely inside the grounds when they were accosted by the owner asking what they wanted. They explained they were passing by and wanted to take a peek at the place. Instead of telling them they weren’t open to tours right then because they were setting up for a wedding, the owner told them that they were «trespassing» and had them escorted off the property like criminals.
On the wedding day itself, one of my vendors reported to me that they arrived at the venue to set up and as soon as they set foot on the property, the owner spotted them and without asking who they were, immediately told them they didn’t belong there. They also said the wedding coordinator was unhelpful and spent more time complaining about his wedding couples than actually doing his job. When he made a personal complaint about my husband & I, the vendor got mad and told him off. A completely different vendor told us this same coordinator was snappy towards them as they were trying to do their job.
This coordinator was in charge of making sure the processional went smoothly (as we were assured it would be). We were given a form to fill out before the wedding on the order of the processional and who was escorting whom. This was COMPLETELY ignored the day of the wedding! The groom and pastor were sent out AFTER all the groomsmen were sent down the aisle. I’ve never heard of such a thing. The groom is always at the alter before the processional starts. To make matters worse, the groomsmen were supposed to be escorting the bridesmaids down the aisle. I chose couples instead of single file because the ceremony was outdoors and I didn’t want my bridesmaids walking down the grassy aisle alone in their heels. Without the men to hold onto, one of my girls fell down twice and all the bridesmaids had to kick off their shoes before continuing. The bridesmaid that fell twice could’ve easily sprained her ankle. Coordinator FAIL
One personal experience we had was a sit down discussion with one of the female owners. We asked her about the price for children. She told us 3 & under was free. For older kids, it was the same as the lowest priced adult meal. Then she CONTINUED and rudely gave us her unwelcomed opinion that children shouldn’t be invited to weddings at all and that she didn’t think they belonged there. Wow… way to make all my guests feel welcome, lady. We then asked what they gave to kids under 3 for food (I was thinking she would say something like a fruit cup & a chicken tender). She blinked at us and said «nothing.» So if they are two & ½ years old, dinner is unnecessary and wasted on them. If you’re a child under 3, you apparently starve or beg for scraps off your parents’ plates.
Needless to say, I’m not impressed and neither were several of the vendors and guests. If you do choose to go with this venue for your wedding, then your wedding will be beautiful and the food delicious but expect bad coordination and ill mannered owners.

Absolutely beautiful grounds for an outside wedding
All the food was great. Cheese & Crackers with fruit station very nice. Appetizers were super… stuffed mushrooms, scallops wrapped in bacon and cocoanut shrimp. Dinners were also fantastic… Prime rib and stuffed chicken.
Only one issue was having only one bartender for 130 people wedding party. Just not enough. Too long of a wait.

Looking for a place for a friend get married and came to this place to see what was theirs wedding packages… First of all the lady that guide us had a really bad attitude, making us feel unwelcome… At the end a second lady came to take over and she was pleasant. This place looks better outside than inside.

We returned here recently for a family celebration. Once again, the food is terrific. Also, eye catching is the beautiful grounds with an overabundance of blooming flowers. Back to the food … enjoyed the roast beef at the carving station and side dishes. If available for an appetizer, go for macaroni and cheese served in a martini glass then chose your own toppings. It is like making your own sundae. Service was attentive and professional.

Ok let me start off with this… Independence Harbor was not my first choice to have our wedding and just for the simple fact that I had 2 of my family members also have their weddings there so I was looking for some place different… that’s all. Well… When push comes to shove and your Mother says «I am paying for this, it’s in budget, and I like it there.». Well we didn’t really have a lot of say at that point.
Well…mothers know best and there has got to be a reason why my family members both had their weddings there because the venue and the staff were amazing!!! Did I mention how amazing the staff is… Connie, Anne, Matt, and Martha all the praise in the world for them and the rest of the staff!
My mom isn’t made of money so I knew I had to stay in budget. We had our wedding the third Sunday in March of this year, an afternoon wedding. Because it was still there «off season» we had our dream wedding at a fraction of the price and we didn’t scrimp when it came to the details of the food and booze for that day.
We had around 120 people I can’t begin to tell you how many people to this day keep raving about our wedding… how great it was, how amazing the food was, how wonderful the staff was, how beautiful the place was, etc.
If you have read the other posts from Unilocalers everyone talks about how breath taking the grounds are there and it is no exaggeration, even in the middle of a so so New England March and if you live around here you all know how crappy the month of March can be (cause the week before my wedding we had a big snow storm!) Those grounds there were immaculate and gorgeous! You could probably eat off the ground itself that is how perfect they look! Even with no leaves on the trees and a little tiny bit of snow in the back ground our wedding pictures near the river were breath taking! Thank goodness it was a nice, warm, sunny day.
For a bride and groom on a budget or with endless money I would highly recommend this place to anyone. The staff knows what they are doing, they are very helpful and kind and at first it may seem like they have a lot of «rules» but they are in place to make your special day go off with out a hitch. Trust me this is what these people do for a living and the fact that they only do one function a day is great because you know all their focus is on your day.

Went here for a wedding the other day. The grounds are gorgeous, but do not wear pointy heels as the weddings are outdoors and you will sink into the grass. The food was ok, but service was uneven. My date was without his salad for a good 10 minutes while the rest of us had already been served.
The dance floor is small, but serviceable. We had a lot of tall people and they were almost unable to jump around a lot :)
As others have mentioned, the liquor costs a ton and they don’t give you a lot of it unless you get a martini.
The other staff were quite helpful in getting the dress bustle to look nice.

First off, had a great time here. So, if the wedding couple reads this: none of this reflects on you!
Now, where’s the harbor?
Was here for a wedding. I understand people doing half-​open then cash bars, but I don’t understand a place that probably charges an arm and a leg to the wedding couple (just a guess, the place is nice) and then bilks their guests too.
$ 8 for a well liquor martini, $ 5 for Bud Light, disappointed. Beautiful grounds, simple building, nice bartenders.

I am planning my wedding for this year here. We booked years in advance. The staff has always kept us updated on the diffrent steps that we needed to take
We stopped in for breakfast one time and we were blown away.
I am sure that all my expectations will be met…
and next time I update will be after the wedding so I am sure that you’ll all find out the good news…

I just got married this past weekend (May 22, 2010) and my wedding was approximately 150 people. We must have received about 152 compliments on the selection of the wedding site.
The grounds are absolutely spectacular. So much so that you’ll understand that they pay meticulous detail to keeping the grounds immaculate.
The staff was very helpful and accommodating throughout the entire ceremony. We were never rushed and never felt that there was something being left undone. We chose it because of the ability to have all in one place a beautiful outdoor garden ceremony, patio cocktail hour, a delicious indoor dinner for 150 and an appropriate dance floor with a stage for the band.
The flowers on the grounds were gorgeous so even the pictures the family took are stunning. Definitely highly recommended.

Excellent wedding spot.
Beautiful grounds winter and summer.
A cut above many wedding venues as it feels very fresh and professionally decorated, not tired or neglected. Helpful and professional staff take the stress out of the wedding day itself. Very well run and highly recommended.

Ah the Harbor, what can I say other than at end of July, the flowers look awesome, and you should make it a point of getting yourself invited to a wedding here. (or make it to the sunday brunch they have once a month, not sure if they still do that, call first) Be sure to try the honey mustard chicken, lasagna, and tortellini soup. Great staff!