Anthony's Ocean View

erfect day!

ive future couples an insight into some of the hiccups we had on our wedding day: Last Second Timeline Change Minutes before the start of our ceremony, our Maitre D pulled me aside to discuss the timeline of the evening, which included parent dances after dinner. While this may be traditional for Anthony’s, this is not a traditional timeline within the wedding industry. After I told him this is not how we wanted to structure our timeline, he proceeded to argue with me for a bit using pretty flawed logic as to why this is how it should be done. The bottomline here is that if the venue has a specific timeline in mind, this should have been discussed with us weeks before the wedding day. Having this argument moments before my ceremony was extremely stressful and unsettling. All of the bridesmaids who overheard this argument were appalled by the timing and tone of the interaction. It is also important for the DJ to know the timeline so he/she can prepare accordingly. We had already met with our DJ weeks before the wedding to run through the entire night with him, and given that we never heard anything from you guys we assumed you would defer to the DJ. I don’t entirely blame the Maitre D here, he was excellent the rest of the night. I feel like this was more of a lack of communication leading up to the wedding. I would have been happy to have this discussion with you guys weeks ago, just not minutes before getting married. No Coffee? I heard from several of my guests (including my father) that they were looking for coffee and could not find any. Anthony’s later told me there was coffee available and waiters were taking orders at the tables. But given the timing of when coffee is served (most people are no longer at their tables), this could have been done better. Ceremony Entry I was a bit disappointed to see our guests all entering the ceremony through an unfinished reception ballroom. Is this standard protocol for you guys? Our DJ was still setting up and it just wasn’t the best look for our guests to enter into. The venue also only lets outside vendors inside 1 hour before ceremony, so it would’ve been impossible for the DJ to have everything set up by then. Cocktail Hour While we really appreciated the private room where some food was set up for us, we actually preferred to be out mingling with our guests. It would have been nice to have someone on the staff with us outdoors making sure we were able to get the food we wanted from the different stations and not have to wait on the lines at each station. Mark (Bridal Attendant) On the positive side of things, Mark was incredible every step of the way. He was by our side the entire night, getting us food/drinks/cake and always asking what else we needed. Nothing seemed to be an issue for him. He even was able to calm my wife down prior to the reception when she got a bit overwhelmed with some wedding dress issues. Major props to Mark! We also had a very good experience with Marcello leading up to our wedding. He was extremely helpful and answered many of our questions. Again, overall the night was incredible and our guests had the greatest time. From our perspective, however, it was not perfect and therefore falls short of 5 stars.

was the talk of the night. Everyone at Anthony’s couldn’t have been more accommodating. If we could give more than 5 stars we would. We highly recommend. It’s beautiful, the teams are fantastic and made everything easy and the food was amazing.

2. The seating arrangement was changed and he never helped rearrange people in the first several rows. 3. The officiant saw a sag from water in the ceiling& when she told Franco he appeared annoyed and walked away. The officiant had to ask if the first rows could be moved back so my grandparents wouldn't get wet. 4. He would come to me with a problem and say "I don't know what you want me to do." My MOH discussed next steps and told him several times to stop coming over to me, yet he would still come over/ interrupt my pictures. 5. He told us that we needed to "move" or the ceremony would be cancelled. He then said that we were not allowed on the beach for 10 mins after the wedding. 6. He had no idea the order in which anything was supposed to be done. He sent the groom down with the best man. When myself or the DJ tried to step in and organize people he told us to stop despite him doing everything incorrectly.7. He kicked people out of the bridal suite that were meant to be in there. 8. We requested a drink for the groom he said "You have to wait", walked away & never returned. 9. He literally REFUSED to speak with the DJ despite being told to let the DJ know so an announcement can be made. None of my guests were even aware that our slide show was playing &the DJ still had the cocktail music playing. 10. He had no knowledge on how to bustle a dress. 11. None of the bridal party was directed where to stand when walking into the reception. 12. The objects used for a cultural tradition were lost for a good period of time. 13. My grandmother specifically told him upon being forced out that the cupcakes were to be packed with the bride & he never gave them to us. 14. bridal suite was not set up in the slightest when I arrived& we received close to nothing for cocktail hour. He even used a broken table and had to prop it up. I asked the DJ to help with the timeline. Franco asked a question and I told him to speak with the DJ. Franco stuck his finger in my face and say " I don't talk to the DJ. I talk to you." I told him that his actions were ridiculous and I no longer wanted anything to do with him because he had no idea what he was doing. He then told my MOH that he is "the boss" and "in charge" and that I was "rude" and "nasty". He was literally the only issue we had that day and it was the one that made the biggest mess. At the end of the wedding, my mother sat at a table with my grandfather who is in a wheelchair and has severe dementia and my stepfather who has 9/11 related parkinsons. He came over and said, "Sorry, you have to go." and when she explained that she was just waiting for the crowd to clear he said "well there is an elevator and you have to go." The wait staff did nothing but speak to each other and fought aggressively in front of guests. The cake was on the table for all of 5 mins before it was collected. The gelato bar was out for maybe 15 mins before he told guests there was no more. None of the guests were even offered coffee/tea as mentioned in the package. The mimosa "fountain" was a jug of orange juice with a drop of champagne. The actual brunch was inedible. The breakfast items were not kept heated. Every omelette that was made was left with the entire middle uncooked.

. Before I start my laundry list of complaints about the venue and its shortcomings, I will say that the grounds and views are absolutely breathtaking. It truly is a picturesque setting with colorful landscaping and exactly the kind of clean, modern beach feel its photos would suggest. It also offers a sort of all-inclusive “bang for your buck” strategy with its food and beverage packages. These two major selling points are certainly what made my (then) fiancée and I fall in love with it. However, after the venue hooks you with its stunning first impression, it is all downhill from there. We had a fairly lengthy engagement (almost 22 months) and found our venue early on in the process. That being said, we were paying clients of Anthony’s for a year and a half, and our original wedding date was smack dab in the middle of the COVID-19 shutdowns (June 2020). At no point in time during that whole process did anyone ever reach out with a phone call. Even after the pandemic was in full swing we never so much as got an email to check in and give us an update on if we would have to reschedule our big day or not. Since we were not assigned a specific wedding planner from day one (we always dealt with whoever was there that day) we were given misinformation about what was available to us when deciding to postpone our wedding date. There was no logistical and safe plan in place for both guests and the wedding party on the day of the ceremony. While we could understand that there was only one tent-covered area that another wedding had already booked, there was no excuse for not providing enough safe outdoor accommodations such as propane heaters, which the dinner patrons had plenty of, mind you. As a bride, that lack of compassion and understanding was completely heartbreaking. The venue and its staff not only did a horrible job as a support system, but it ultimately resulted in the mishandling of details that mattered a great deal to us. We always felt rushed when speaking/planning with the staff, leaving the impression that they neither had the time or patience to care about our needs and wants. Unfortunately, its brazen lack of attention to details was made abundantly clear when our wedding ceremony did finally happen in September. Even with nearly two full calendar years to prepare, the venue seemed to entirely lack the appropriate amount of time or staff to have our event set up properly and running smoothly. Not only was there poor communication with us, but clearly poor communication between staff at the venue as well. We first met our maître d’ five minutes AFTER the ceremony was scheduled to begin, and even after providing a very detailed schedule of events, he remained a very confused and incapable maître d’. Other than the incredible waitress assigned exclusively to the wedding party, there was such a lack of attentiveness to the bride and groom the entire evening, resulting in the guests of honor spending way too much time troubleshooting issues during their big night. Complacency about OUR experience from the top of the organization down was crystal clear that night.

r both the experience and photos, but the staff also went above and beyond to make our wedding reception beautiful and stress free. The room was decorated and arranged perfectly, there was so much AMAZING food and it was DELICIOUS (we are still getting comments on it two weeks later) and everything was completely COVID compliant. Our maitre d', Franco, was also lovely, he was very communicative with us on how we wanted things to flow through the night, and was there with warm towels and a mirror after the cake cutting for us to clean ourselves up with. Overall we feel we got the best wedding experience for our money, Anthony's truly is the best in the business, they know what they are doing and do it well. We could not be happier with how our wedding reception turned out!

Anthony's as our venue and I highly recommend!

e her her own food, which I had no idea happened. Everyone loved the food, there was so much variety, it was almost impossible to not find something you liked. The best was the take home food provided to bride and groom at the end of the night.

couldn't have asked for a more perfect experience and our guests didn't stop raving about how much they enjoyed it! We had a stations wedding and there was SO much food. Cocktail hour was delicious and I felt that everything was being taken care of by the amazing staff. They were also really good about catering to food allergies! Overall I would recommend this venue to ANY bride. I was really impressed and grateful that they made our wedding unforgettable!

at we wanted. The food is incredible!!!! People tell us that this was the best wedding they’ve ever gone to and I give Anthony’s all of the credit!!!! My one critic would be that when they cleaned up my stuff I brought in, they did not give me back all of my items. I had to walk around the venue and collect myself.

lpful at all the meetings. The outside patio area on the beach is definitely the selling point. It truly is a destination wedding in CT!

nthony’s ocean view has outdid themselves. When I was first looking at Venues I booked a walk through of Anthony’s and met with Consultant Andrew (amazing person 🤗) in Oct 2018, this man is one of the best. He will go into details about how at ease Anthony’s makes you feel on your wedding day. Every single thing Andrew explained to me at our first meeting, happened! Living in Michigan and planning my wedding in CT was honestly so smooth, not a hiccup from day 1 of meeting Andrew to the night I walked out the door of Anthony’s on my wedding night. He answered every email with quick response, was patient and accommodating with how far I lived. He made great recommendations for DJs, and preferred vendors, and showed me how a bride and groom are suppose to enjoy their wedding day, and that’s what we got to do. Planning this wedding was so fun! Anthony’s allows you to drop off bins and they will set up all your wedding day items (entry table, guest book, easels for signs, toiletry baskets, etc) and put them exactly where you want them. This part was amazing for me. I wanted to just show up and enjoy my day, and that’s what I did. Our wedding day was July 4th 2019, we had our ceremony on paradise beach and reception in the paradise room upstairs. Highly recommend getting married at Anthonys beach, the pictures are epic, your guests will thank you! We got introduced to Thomas as our coordinator for the day, this man is so professional and his demeanor is spot on. He made our night run so smooth, we made some last minute changes to our schedule so our photographer could get sunset photos, & firework photos, and Thomas professionally communicated this to all the vendors about the changes and it was so smooth. He made my wedding party feel at ease when instructing them to walk down the aisle. My parents loved him! So did I 🥰, the day couldn’t have been as smooth without Thomas! Our maître d’ for the night was Elisa, this girl was on point👌🏽, she was the nicest girl and was so professional as well. She held my dress up as we prepare to walk down the aisle, every time I or my husband turned around, she was there asking if we needed water, drink, food, help, anything! She helped my wedding party if they needed anything, it was a hot day, and she was there with water whenever we needed it. Thank you Elisa! The food is to die for, the atmosphere and location is out of this world, you feel like you are sipping drinks on a tropical vacation in Tulum Mexico 😂, the service level of every single person I interacted with was so professional. They clean up all your items and put them back in your bins. My guests have been raving about this wedding. If you are a bride that wants to thoroughly enjoy your wedding day, and not worry about 1 single small detail, you have to book this venue. I loved my wedding, I loved planning it, I loved every minute of my day! Andrew, Thomas, Elisa and the entire crew at Anthony’s Ocean View, thank you for creating the most unforgettable wedding experience! Peace ✌🏾 & Good vibes 🤙🏽 To you all!! Xo Jordan & Albert

d get married all over again!! I love Anthony's so much, it brings the destination wedding to CT!! They made me feel like a Queen!! I want to re-live this day every day! so perfect!!!!!!!!

ul! The staff was attentive and they made sure that our day flowed properly. All of our guests loved the venue and decor, and couldn’t stop raving about the food! The pictures on the beach with the palm trees are amazing and if you get the Lily Room, you have access to the the beautiful koi pond. They helped make our wedding day special and we felt like king and queen for a day!

pliments and they really belong to the venue. Don’t hesitate to book with them now!

ing at a lot of other venues. At the time, we chose it because of the beautiful scenery, the convenience of having the ceremony and reception at the same place, and the food, which is amazing. But what ended up impressing us the most about Anthony’s was the organization and professionalism of the staff. We got married in late July of this year with a 7PM ceremony on the beach to take full advantage of the beautiful sunset. There is no place like Anthony’s at sunset- palm trees overhang the arch, the sunset in the harbor is a bright red-orange, and sailboats from the local yacht club decorate the harbor… just beautiful. Leading up to the wedding day, we received detailed instructions on what we had to do to make sure that everything we needed to drop off got placed correctly during the ceremony and reception. It was all very organized. We had a point of contact throughout the whole process in case we had any questions. They were also able to accommodate a last-minute place-card change without an issue. The best part of the whole experience was the service during our wedding. As a groom, your boutonniere will fall off at least a dozen times from all the hugs you get and as soon as it did for me, a member of the staff swooped in and fixed it! They guided us through the whole day and made it feel so easy! Our Matrie’d was on top of everything! He always asked us if we needed anything and made sure that we were OK. It was like as soon as we needed anything, someone was there to take care of it. They even made sure that we had an opportunity to eat dinner, which I know is not something that all couples get to do at their wedding if things aren’t organized. I can’t say enough about how great the staff was at our wedding. After the wedding, lots of our guests complimented our choice of venue. Everybody loved the food, the scenery, and they were really impressed with how well it was organized. If you want a beautiful ceremony and stress-free reception, there is no better place than Anthony’s!

fect. If we had to recommend anything it would be to do the stations option! The amount of food and the options was so amazing and so well priced. Unfortunately as the brides it was hard for us to enjoy every part of what the venue offered, but we are so looking forward to checking Anthony's out at the events they offer throughout the year. If you ever dreamed of a destination wedding, this venue is the place for you. All our expectations were blown out of the water. Thank you Anthony's for everything!

recommend checking Anthony’s out for your next gathering, wedding .. work event. You won’t regret it.. the food is AMAZING !

this place is. People are still talking about how amazing the food was and how beautiful it is. My sister got married here three years ago and I still chose to have my reception here because there’s just nowhere better.

hony’s ocean view for your big day!

or was provided Everything was just so beautiful. Everyone was complementing the place and the view. We all had a very good time.

recieved.