This review is for both the Exchange Conference Center (ECC) and East Meets West (EMW), the in-house catering service for the ECC.
Overall, the ECC was a fantastic venue f...or our August '14 wedding, and the EMW food was outstanding!
The Venue
We were originally drawn to the ECC for its clean lines and decor, soaring windows, great natural light, and uniquely Boston feel. It also met our needs because we were able to have our ceremony and reception in the same place.
Our ceremony took place in front of large windows facing the waterfront. Our guests were able to watch sailboats and motorboats laze by during our vows. Beautiful.
The event staff ran our wedding perfectly. Guests were ushered into their seats in the main room for the ceremony, then to the back deck where the cocktail hour was set up. Everyone commented on how fabulous the service was. The main room was converted into our reception space very quickly, while our guests were enjoying cocktail hour, and we were stunned by the remarkable transformation.
After dinner, guests were able to mingle in the outside space (where the cocktail hour had been), watching the city lights, airplanes, and boats.
Located in Boston's Seaport/Waterfront district, the ECC is very close to several hotels. This was great because it meant that we did not need to arrange for transportation between the hotels and the venue. The fact that the ECC had plenty of parking available for our guests was also a big perk.
Our guests complimented us several times on our choice of venue and its great scenery.
The Food
Just fabulous. We have been to many weddings where the food is barely better than a school cafeteria. With East Meets West (EMW), there is no question that the food will be fabulous. In fact, one guest commented that, at most wedding, he only takes three bites of the inedible wedding beef before spitting it into his napkin. With EMW, he raved about the quality of the beef for days!
From the cocktail hour to our four-course meal, everything was perfectly cooked to my our liking. We also had an extensive tasting prior to the event where we were able to give our comments to the chef. I also appreciated that a server assigned to the wedding party during our event brought us food and drink and made sure we never missed out on any aspect of the party that we spent so much time planning.
The Service
From a planning perspective, both Rebecca Thomas and Michele Stump went above and beyond- they worked with us to plan our wedding from start to finish. They are both personable and highly skilled professionals who love their jobs, and it shows! They were energetic and full of great ideas from the start. They were also very receptive to our ideas and helped to turn them into reality. (We considered many other venues before choosing the ECC- it was rare to find someone who would be willing to accommodate requests that were even a little bit outside of the norm.)
The staff was excellent. They hit the right balance- they were never in the way, but they were there when you needed them, often anticipating our needs so that we never even had to ask.
Conclusion
Many of our guests emphatically declared ours was the "best wedding" they had ever attended. What more can you ask for?