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Harding Allen Estate

4.7
(60)best-of-weddings

59 Allen Ln, Barre, Barre, MA

About This Vendor

Retro charm and romantic elegance

Harding Allen Estate is a historic wedding venue located in the pristine New England town of Barre, Massachusetts, just 20 minutes from Worcester. This neoclassical mansion was built during the Roaring 20s and exemplifies the charm and opulence of that storied era. The estate operates as a bed and breakfast year-round and boasts six tastefully appointed bedrooms, two cottages, a beautiful garden, and a signature event pavilion. All-inclusive packages ensure that your celebration will be seamless and stress-free while the breathtaking setting guarantees a picturesque backdrop to all the festivities. The manor at Harding Allen Estate is the perfect place to stay overnight with your loved ones and pose for pictures with your wedding party. When you arrive, the mansion will immediately impress you with its two-story portico and balustraded porches. Upon entering, you will be greeted by an elegant foyer characterized by painted mahogany walls, marble flooring imported from Italy, and a dazzling crystal chandelier. The interior is furnished with plaster molding, antique furniture, hand carved fireplaces, candelabra-inspired wall sconces, mahogany wood paneling, a baby grand piano, and more. Ceremonies can be held outside in the walled garden or underneath the white-column pergola. Afterward, retire to the Fountain View Room for dining and dancing in a climate-controlled space featuring crystal chandeliers and cloth drapery. This pavilion overlooks the lighted pond and can seat as many as 270 guests. Wedding packages at Harding Allen Estate come with banquet tables and Chiavari chairs, tableware and glassware, white linens and napkins, and a 750-square-foot dance floor. Rentals also include use of the grounds for photos, a room within the inn for getting ready, and parking. When you book the bedrooms for overnight accommodations, you will have use of the mansion’s living spaces for receptions and free continental breakfast. An event coordinator will also be provided to help you plan and manage the big day.

Amenities + Details

Ceremony Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Business Attributes
Woman-owned Business
Ceremony Types
Civil Union, Commitment Ceremony, Elopement, Interfaith Ceremony, Non-Religious Ceremony, Religious Ceremony, Second Wedding , Vow Renewal Ceremony
Guest Capacity
Up to 300
Settings
Ballroom, Estate, Garden, Historic Venue, Trees
Venue Service Offerings
Bar & Drinks, Cakes & Desserts, Cupcakes, Other Desserts, Food & Catering, Planning, Wedding Design, Rentals & Equipment, Service Staff
Awards and Affiliations
2021 Best of Weddings Winner2013 Best of Weddings Winner2012 Best of Weddings Winner

Harding Allen Estate Reviews

Share your thoughts with other couples
Reviewed On 8/31/2021 by Kyle S
This place is amazing! Absolutely beautiful venue, catering is delicious, and the vendors are great people and willing to accommodate. Don't listen to the bridezillas, this place is great!
Reviewed On 8/22/2021 by Penni S
Harding Allen Estate was FABULOUS! We could not have been happier with all they did for our son's wedding. Grace, Carmine, and Gianna were simply THE BEST. They all went above and beyond to make the wedding so very special from the garden cerem...
ony space to the ballroom reception, the flowers, cake, meals, desserts, and decor. The estate is GORGEOUS, the food is DELICIOUS, and the staff is TOP NOTCH!!! Not only were we all well taken care of, but our guests could not stop raving about the entire experience. Huge THANK YOU to HARDING ALLEN ESTATE...we will forever be grateful to you for a job well done and for allowing us the wedding experience of a lifetime!
Reviewed On 8/22/2021 by Haley M
I have read through many of the reviews and I unfortunately am in agreement with the lower ratings. I’ve waited a few months to even write a review because I was very displeased with a lot of things. I will say, the estate is gorgeous and our ...
food was great. On the opposite spectrum. The communication between the owners and myself was subpar. I ended up having my mom contact them as well because I did not want her getting screwed over by them since my parents were the ones paying for the venue. My husband and I paid for flowers from an outside place, our band and everything else we could because we originally did not plan to have our wedding here, but because of Covid (our original venue shut down) and us not wanting to wait, this was our last option for our wedding date. Between the two owners, there was minimal communication and when they actually did communicate with myself or my mother, it was very obvious that they didn’t not touch base with one another. Aside from communication, we were hoping to check in early since many guests were coming from out of town and it was like pulling teeth. They sometimes had a morning wedding and an afternoon wedding on Saturday’s , but they did NOT have one on our wedding day so I didn’t understand why it was such an issue for us to come early. Mind you, we only asked to come about 1.5 hours before we were “supposed to”. They told us we’d have to pay over $100 per hour for early check in and I was just beside myself. We rented out the entire estate the night of, so I would have assumed early check in wouldn’t be a big deal. I was wrong. The time between our salads and our meals was at least 45 minutes, which essentially cut into our time we PAID for our band to play and everyone’s time to enjoy dancing to the amazing band! We went through the estates bakery for our cake. We only asked for an 8inch personal cake for us to cut, and they didn’t even make us the flavors (red velvet with a raspberry filling) we asked for. Instead they made a vanilla cake like the sheet cakes we had made for our guests....... Most venues have managers to deal with everything, but the owner hovered the entire night and would make comments about guests to us. The bar was very slow and at times it took us far too long to get drinks. At the end of the night, all of the staff changed into pajamas and comfortable clothes before they were done for the evening, which we thought was very unprofessional. At the end of the night we bought after hours food and liquor for all of the guests who were staying (and like I said, we rented out the entire estate). We had to ask them to leave it out at the end of the night and they ended up taking it away eventually and wouldn’t leave the soda unless we paid for that as well. My husband and I went to our room at the end of the night and went to take a shower and there were 0 towels to be found anywhere in our room or bathroom! None! Needless to say, as beautiful as the estate is, I would not recommend getting married here to anyone else. Your wedding day is supposed to be smooth and fun and exciting, not stressful with all these small things that should be taken care of or done correctly.
Reviewed On 10/19/2020 by Amy K
I just had my wedding at Harding Allen Estate 10/17/20! I’m telling you it was the best day ever! The staff there was so sweet they made sure everyone knew where they were going and where things were! And honestly carmine & grace constantly mak...
ing sure everything was going smoothly, I even had to wait on a guest that was bringing a major part of my dress there as I was in the line with wedding party to make the walk down the aisle and carmine had staff keep looking out for her and grabbed my item and grace ran it over to me right before and she actually helped me put it on too! I thought that was amazing so thoughtful & they put in that extra effort to make sure my day went beautifully! My guests said they loved their meal as well. I had to leave all my decor there the night of my rehearsal dinner which by the way was also amazing! My wedding party and parents all loved the food and service that night too! So we did bring out decor there and her daughter Gianna wrote everything down in detail how I wanted it set up and decorated and when I walked in it was even better than I imagined! I was so pleased and in awe just looking at how it was set up! I felt like I could just trust them to make sure it was all done right and they also surprised me and made it look so incredible! You will not be disappointed if you choose this venue! Choose it!!! It’s the most beautiful Victorian style mansion I have ever seen, also they made sure that we all had the code to get into the bridal suite and groom room so you could go up there at any time! I can’t wait to get my pictures back and see how beautiful they are being at this place! Plus I used their in house DJ that works for them and he did an amazing job! Very thorough and got all the names right and songs I wanted, did my ceremony perfectly with the songs too! I was just overall on cloud 9 the whole day and night such a fun wedding they made it magical!
Reviewed On 7/16/2020 by Timothy M
My wife and I were married at the Harding Allen this July, and we couldn't recommend the Estate more highly. Grace and Carmine were helpful in every way, spending time with us over the phone and in-person to make sure everything was just right....
The food was good, and the DJ created a fun, classy atmosphere. We're so happy we could enjoy the romance of the Harding Allen Estate on our wedding day.
Reviewed On 5/26/2020 by Hannah B
In late October I had the most beautiful fall wedding at the magical Harding Allen Estate in Barre MA. Ever since me and my husband started looking for places to get married, we knew we wanted a beautiful classic fall wedding in a New England s...
etting, The Harding Allen Estate was the perfect choice! The owners Carmine and Grace were always extremely helpful and open about how much everything costs and were the perfect one stop shop for everything I needed. I got ready early in one of their cottages next to the estate and got to get a sneak peak of my flowers before everything started. Grace and Gianna worked so hard to incorporate everything I wanted into the flower arrangements. They were beautiful and were even better than I imagined. When walking into the venue space everything was very carefully decorated to make it feel like a beautiful fall dream. As my wedding got started Carmine and Grace made sure everything went smoothly and I was able to relax and have fun and did not have to worry about anything! The food and drinks were also all amazing! For our fall theme wedding they made us delicious pumpkin dumplings, Bourbon street chicken on a stick, and so many other delicious appetizers that all came out warm and fresh from the kitchen. The staff was always there to make sure me, my husband, and all our bridal party and guests were comfortable and happy and got us anything we requested and always were happy to help. After cocktail hour the food came out quickly and was delicious! The guest had a choice between Chicken Lillian, rosemary apple pork, and stuffed eggplant. I even had time between visiting all of my guests to sit down and eat some of the chicken and loved it! After dinner was done everything was cleaned up and the staff brought out pumpkin and spice cupcakes for dessert and all our guests danced the rest of the night away. After the party ended we were so tired that we just wanted to go to sleep so Grace, Carmine, and the rest of their staff picked everything up and packed it all up for us to leave in the morning. I cannot thank the owners and staff at Harding Allen enough for all the hard work and dedication they put into our wedding day to make it as special and magical as we wanted! Thank you Carmine, Grace, and Gianna and the staff of Harding Allen!
Reviewed On 5/05/2020 by Jennifer R
My husband and I were married at the estate in October of 2018 and I can’t say enough about the staff of the Estate! They were so accommodating and made our day a day to remember for us from our initial tour to the actual day of they made us fe...
el like family. Carmine really took the time to help out with my grandpa who without the extra attention from the staff at the estate would not have been able to attend our ceremony and that really meant the world to me! Thank you Harding Allen Estate! And from the bottom of my heart thank you Carmine!
Reviewed On 5/02/2020 by Florence G
I had a Christmas themed wedding at the gorgeous Harding Allen Estate in Barre, Massachusetts. The owners were very transparent about the costs of each amenity, since we used their in-house vendors such as the DJ and florist. I spoke with Gia...
nna via email and phone and she answered any and all questions I had. Upon arrival, champagne was brought to the room where the bridesmaids and I were getting ready and beer was brought to the groomsmen. The Christmas decor was above and beyond what I expected- it really felt like I had stepped into a Christmas movie. In the ballroom there was a 14 foot silver tree that just took my breath away! Staff readily checked in on the bridesmaids and groomsmen before the wedding started, offering water, help with boutonnières, and anything else that we asked. Although I was nervous just before walking down the aisle, Carmine and Grace eased my anxieties and made me feel like I was a part of their own family. Cocktail hour was amazing, so many delicious appetizers were offered and none of the guests ever felt like they weren't being taken care of. We had an inside cocktail hour due to the cold, but it was cozy and magical and there was plenty of room for everyone to comfortably socialize. Everything happened right on time as I was promised- after cocktail hour there was salad and fresh bread, and not much long after that dinner was served. We chose the "petite petunia collection" for our dinner and my husband and I LOVED it, as did our guests. All throughout dinner my new hubby couldn’t stop raving about the baked haddock. I had the vegan garden pasta, it was so delicious and filled with fresh vegetables, but still light enough that I felt comfortable in my dress and could dance after! When dinner was over, the DJ invited guests to dance and once everyone got comfortable, the whole crowd danced pretty much all night. The only time people weren't dancing is when they were visiting the decadent dessert table- if I hadn't been dancing and visiting with family so much I would have eaten the whole thing myself! Everything was so good and they even put out dessert bags so that guests could take some home after! When the night sadly had to come to an end, the guests who were staying in the mansion and in the cottages were brought to their rooms by staff and the red room- where my husband and I stayed and the groomsmen had previously gotten ready- had been cleaned up and adorned with champagne and rose petals! Everything felt like a dream, this place is not like any other place you will tour if you're looking for wedding venues and your time there will be anything BUT average. If I could I would relive this night over and over- thank you so much to Carmine and Grace and all the staff at the Harding Allen!
Reviewed On 4/23/2020 by Ariel D
We were so excited when we found this venue as the historical building fit the 1920's theme that we were going for our wedding. We went to see the venue and met Carmine the owner. After deciding to go with the venue and signing a contract thing...
s started to go down hill. First of all they took sometimes weeks to respond to emails and were very rude. The appetizers that you couldn't choose from were all FROZEN!!!! We had to have a separate meeting (and pay extra) for the appetizer tasting - which they then told us we still couldn't choose what we wanted (obviously because they are frozen and only can get what's in stock at BJs). We ended up paying extra for charcuterie instead of the frozen garbage. The day of the wedding we showed up to the venue and champagne wasn't ready for us, decorations we had written instructions for weren't set up correctly and one of our frames were broken, they told us that we could have candles before hand and then refused to light them on our sweetheart table. The baskets with special hand towels weren't in the bathrooms, doors to all the guest rooms were locked and we couldn't find Carmine when needed him to open doors for Bridesmaids and family to get ready. Dinner was late, some guests complained their meals were cold, and salmon was dry, bar lines were the longest I have EVER seen at a wedding with guests constantly complaining they didn't have time to dance because they were in line so long, the bartender was rude and grumpy, they ran out of prosecco (which was also in our signature drink) half way through the reception (so there wasn't any for the after party). Because dinner was so late it took away from the dancing. While we were on the dancefloor someone dropped a cup that was barely full right near the door and they turned on ALL OF THE LIGHTS FULL BLAST to clean up the 2 drops that came out, and left the room to get a towel and came back so guests started to clean up the two drops just to get the party started again. They were one hour late for our after party, it wasn't set up in the Spanish room, we ordered almost 30 pizzas for the after party and they only made THREE!!!! When the guests arrived there was no one there to tell them where the ceremony spot was and guests walked in on me (the bride) before the ceremony. After the wedding they packed up all of the decorations and our cake knife which was a family heirloom (and silver) went missing and when I called after to ask about it they insisted they didn't have it. We ended up going back to the venue to ask about it in person and they "found it" when we showed up. When we were looking for the cake knife the kitchen wasn't very clean. They set up our Thank You Bag Party Favors in the back of the of the ballroom instead of in the foyer so when people were leaving they had no idea that there were bags for them to take and many guests didn't receive one. And we ordered special alcohol for the wedding (Hendricks, Crown Royal special beer etc) which we had to purchase through the venue. They ended up double charging us for the alcohol that we bought through them (which we had already paid for) by charging us for each drink that someone ordered with that special alcohol. Overall this wedding venue was gorgeous, but the staff was incompetent, lazy, rude, and poor at communication. If you don't care about what your food tastes like, having a flowing bar or people that really CARE about your wedding day then go here.
Reviewed On 8/04/2019 by Caroline B
The Harding Allen Estate really made the entire wedding planning process easy. Throughout the entire process the Harding Allen crew gave us easy to understand worksheets and deadlines for everything from food to flowers to how we wanted the cer...
emony to look. The wedding day can be very overwhelming and, with many moving pieces, stressful. The Harding Allen staff will coordinate with the schedule you have laid out for them and make sure you are where you are supposed to be. It really removed a ton of stress from the wedding day and let us enjoy the moment and interact with the guests. They made sure we had food and were able to eat (a common warning from friends was that they didn't even get a chance to sit and eat at their wedding). They have this wedding thing down. They also recommend trusted vendors for things like photography and the DJ. Both of the services they recommended for these were amazing as well. On top of how easy they made coordinating and smoothly the big day went, they were also a pleasure to be around. All around great venue! Married July 2019 A+C
Reviewed On 11/18/2018 by Victoria C
My now husband and I are so happy we took a chance and drove out to Barre to visit the Harding Allen Estate. It felt like a wedding cheat code: It’s an amazing, almost-all-inclusive ceremony/reception space with a gorgeous ‘20s vibe and modern ...
amenities. Working with Grace, Gianna, and Michelle in advance of the day (and Carmine the day of), I felt comfortable and happy, especially knowing how much experience they have. I appreciated their recommendations, and also felt empowered to vocalize my thoughts and wishes, too. And come the day, everything went PERFECTLY. People are still raving about the food, the music (shout-out to Jon, the venue’s recommended DJ), the flowers, and that gorgeous, amazing dessert spread. Everyone loved the day, and we’ll never forget how HAE made it happen.
Reviewed On 7/12/2018 by Sarah R
Harding Allen did a fantastic job on my wedding. I was planning my wedding from across the country and We used them for venue (ceremony and reception), food, flowers, cake and accommodations. We also hired their preferred DJ - Fusion. Everyone...
did a fantastic job on our wedding day and I got everything I asked for. The venue was beautiful and the food was great. We loved the DJ Jon and our flowers looked beautiful. They did a really wonderful job for us and we couldn't be happier, our friends and family are still complimenting our wedding day. <3
Reviewed On 5/15/2018 by Sara T
This venue was amazing. The staff were great to work with and made the planning process so easy. Their prices were fair and affordable. The venue itself is gorgeous and I couldn’t ask for a more magical place to say my vows. I would recommend t...
his venue to anyone. I absolutely loved it!
Reviewed On 1/02/2018 by Laura M
My husband and I got married at the Harding Allen Estate in June and everything went so well. Everything is beautiful there and we had friends and family coming up to us well after the wedding complimenting how great the entire day was. There a...
re so many places to take great pictures and the owners are so helpful and flexible with any requests you may have for your day. The food was delicious and so was the dessert table! Overall, I would highly recommend this place for your wedding!
Reviewed On 8/30/2017 by Armanda B
I found the Harding Allen Estate on Wedding Wire, as soon as I walked in the door I never wanted to leave, this place is a BEAUTIFUL historic mansion that is so well kept and taken care of. The ceremony location outside with the large white pil...
lars, Walled gardens, and Lily pond/fountain surrounded by flowers, I couldn't dream up anything more perfect for our special day. As far as the mansion itself goes, you get the WHOLE PLACE, which was a huge quality to me, we visited many other venues that had multiple weddings going on, not at the Harding Allen, the whole mansion is yours for the evening. They even have rooms upstairs and two additional cottages available to rent for the night to stay over, which we did, and had a blast. Since we were spending the night they let us have an after party with our overnight guests in the mansion, which was one of the best parts of our day! So much fun to just relax and enjoy the time with a must smaller group, you order drinks and snacks and its all set up and ready after the wedding, it was a blast!! The food was amazing, and plentiful, SO much food, we got many compliments on. We also used the estates florist, Katie who was also amazing (see her review on the Potting Shed Florist). But as amazing as the venue itself was, I have to mention the very best part of our venue... Carmine, Grace and their daughter Gianna, this is a family run business, and you can tell, they truly cared and did everything they could to make our day exactly as we wanted. They are truly the sweetest, most caring people, and it meant so much to us to have them by our side throughout the whole wedding planning process. Gianna was great as answering my emails and explaining every detail to a T, Grace helped us with all of the details of the day, and Carmine was right there with us the day of to make sure everything was going to plan. I could go on forever, but I couldn't be happier or more thankful to have found Harding Allen Estate as our wedding venue.
Reviewed On 1/27/2017 by Stefanie A
I Had my wedding here back in August 2016 and it was absolutely perfect. The owners Carmine and Grace worked hard to make my dream come true on a budget and I am extremely grateful. The weather, the food, the music, the facility all played a pa...
rt in making my day a day to remember! I would recommend this place to anyone!
Reviewed On 10/09/2016 by Steven L
As soon as we stepped into the Harding Allen Estate we knew it was the right venue. Between the Victorian-esque estate house, the seasonal gardens, and the private enclosed outdoor ceremony area, this venue has more charm than any other venue w...
e looked at. We received so many compliments from our guests! Carmine and Grace were amazing, the food and decorations were incredible, their staff were courteous and professional, and the pricing was very modest. I can't recommend the Harding Allen Estate enough.
Reviewed On 2/08/2016 by Lisa D
The Harding Allen Estate is a beautiful venue. Getting married there was a dream of mine, and I enjoyed my wedding day very much. The only couple complaints I have is. 1. Getting in contact with Carmine and Grace is very difficult, espe...
cially a week before the wedding. Like all brides, we tend to have a huge panic attack making sure everything is perfect and not wanting there to be a problem the day of. It would always take atleast a week on a majority of the emails for someone to finally get back to me. Kind of annoying. 2. I decided on my wedding to not to place cards, but instead do a "seating board" with everyone name. I gave carmine the master copy with everyone meal choices on them. All well in good, until I went around to say hi to my family and friends and saw tacky orange sticky notes on there palce settings. I was not happy because it made it seem like I choose for them to do that which I did not. have these people ever heard of seat numbers? As I said before, I work about 150+ weddings a year at my place of work and we get seating board ALL the time, and if my boss saw that he would have fired me on the spot. 3. about an hour before the reception ended the staff was cleaning up in their street clothes. I am all for being comfortable working especially late at night, but it made my wedding seem less formal, and the staff not caring. Again, where I work, that would never fly. I am very biased, and know how much effort you have to put into a wedding. Those are the few things I was upset about. Other then that, I had a great day, food was good, everyone enjoyed there time.
Reviewed On 11/06/2015 by Korey M
Carmine and Grace went above and beyond for our fall wedding! Not only did the estate look absolutely beautiful, but the food and service was excellent. Carmine and Grace worked with us during the planning stages to make sure our wedding was ex...
actly what we wanted and had our own personal touches. I would highly recommend this venue.
Reviewed On 10/13/2015 by Melissa C
My husband and I were married on September 6th,2015 at the Harding Allen Estate. We could not be more thrilled with our day turned out. Carmine & Grace as well as their bartender and waitstaff were incredible making our dreams come true. Alex (...
head of wait staff) is so professional and did an incredible job setting up my details. We went through the Harding Allen for both the flowers,DJ, and cake. It was the best decision that took all the stress out of planning and made the day run so smooth. The food was phenomenal. The gardens look amazing & our after party was perfect to enjoy them and keep the party going after the wedding. Carmine was quick at responding to emails and was always so happy and helpful whenever I would ask questions. Thank you Carmine & Grace & everyone else involved in making our wedding the perfect day to remember!
Reviewed On 9/05/2015 by Kristy C
We couldn't have found a better wedding venue. Carmine & Grace are wonderful to work with and have fantastic staff. They are so accommodating and their love for what they do shows through the care they take in helping to plan every detail.
Reviewed On 8/05/2015 by Lindsay C
My husband & I got married on August 1, 2015 and this was nothing short of a dream wedding! The HAE staff are amazing! Carmine & Grace felt like family by the end of our wedding planning. They are so accommodating and want your day to be per...
fect. Alex is so sweet and made sure everything was exactly how we wanted it on our day. The rest of the staff is so friendly and all of our guests raved about how attentive they were. The venue is STUNNING! We wanted a vintage themed wedding and this definitely sets the scene perfectly. The indoor and outdoor scenery is so gorgeous! The food received many, many compliments as well! Everything was so delicious. The HAE staff made this such a seamless process and I cannot begin explain how much this meant to us. I would highly recommend The Harding Allen Estate to any couple looking for a beautiful venue, with gorgeous grounds, amazing food, and a friendly staff!!
Reviewed On 6/20/2015 by Alison J
My husband and I looked at a number of venues for our wedding near this location and we could not have been happier with our decision. I will admit, I was skeptical at first. I grew up in the area and had never even heard of the town let al...
one the venue. But Grace and Carmine did a wonderful job making us feel right at home. Our wedding turned out exactly how I envisioned. The property is so well maintained. The Potting Shed florist on site did an unbelievable job, the food was amazing (trust me no one will be hungry for days), and the staff includes some of the kindest and most helpful people around. The whole vibe of the HAE is great. We all stayed overnight and it definitely has a bed and breakfast feel (as opposed to a hotel feel) and it was great. It was so nice to have the whole wedding party and our parents stay at the venue with us so we could continue to have a good time with everyone even after the wedding was over. Pros: - I live 8 hours away so not having to find a florist and catering company was a plus for me. The flowers and food were perfectly done too! - Having Grace and Carmine helping with everything was a blessing - they are true professionals and have pulled off a number of different weddings. They will get whatever you have in mind and they will execute it perfectly. They are amazing wedding planners. - The amount of space the estate provides is amazing. We had about 160 people at our wedding and it was really nice to have such a great dance floor area, bar area, and outdoor areas. It's a huge plus if you have guests of all types. Plus having all the rooms was so nice as I mentioned. - Having a ceremony site and reception site all in one was a plus for us. - Getting ready on-site. Huge plus. We had lunch, had our hair and makeup done, and just relaxed all day. It was so wonderful. - Tons of parking at the estate. Things to take into consideration: - Hotels are not all that close. We had a bus to and from Sturbridge (you could also do Worcester) so it was about 40-45 minutes each way. I've been at weddings like this before so I don't think it's a big deal but it is something to note. Overall: The biggest PRO is Grace and Carmine and their staff. Trust them. They take so much pride in what they do and it shows in every aspect of your wedding. You will have nothing but great things to say if you host your wedding at the HAE.
Reviewed On 6/06/2015 by Kirstie P
I got married May 30,2015 at the Estate. We had such an amazing experience here. Carmine and Grace really went the extra mile to make sure our day went amazing. There were no issues at all!! The food, staff, and grounds were amaing!! I highly r...
ecommend this venue to anyone. It was great that this is a one stop kind of deal. They have their own florist, bakery, and DJ to make the process of finding all of those so much easier. We had stayed overnight with guests and had a great time! Kirstie
Reviewed On 3/18/2015 by Kayana S
I attended a winter wedding in February this year at the Harding Allen Estate, and it was absolutely beautiful. The inside of the venue looked like something out of a winter fairy-tale: with winter themed trees, branches, and tea candles disper...
sed throughout. The food, catered by the venue, was wonderful, and served by friendly, professional staff. The owners Grace and Carmine went above and beyond to make sure the event was perfect. I would recommend this venue to couples looking for an elegant and intimate setting for their wedding.
Reviewed On 11/05/2014 by Samantha F
Words cannot even come close to describing my wedding at the HAE. The venue itself is absolutely stunning and the service received from Grace, Carmine, Alex and staff was top notch. From most of the vendors they recommended to all the emails b...
ack and forth, Grace and Carmine really made planning a wedding as stress free as it can be, they made it feel like you were planning a wedding with one of your close relatives. Most of the vendors they recommended were amazing, especially Sharon the florist. My centerpieces and flowers were gorgeous and the reception and how it was decorated was so elegant and classic, just the look I was going for, like living in my own fairy tale, I truly felt like a princess. I feel like I wouldn't have made it through my wedding without their help. The food and hors devours were also amazing and there definitely was a lot of it to go around. We had a signature drink that went quite quickly (it was very popular with our guests). Our guests to this day cannot stop ranting about good the food was and how gorgeous the reception was. We had our rehearsal dinner there the night before. It was such a great way for my husband and I to share with our families and close friends a glimpse of the venue we fell in love with. We were able to share the beauty of the mansion with our families in a very intimate setting. It almost felt like we were putting on a party in our very own home. The food was exquisite and our families could not get over the beauty of the mansion and all the different rooms each with it's own unique characteristics and intricate details. I truly cannot thank Carmine Grace and staff for making my wedding everything that I ever dreamed of. My only complaint would be with the photographer they recommended Sue Mason. The quality and quantity of the photos provided after the wedding were not good at all which truly makes me sad as I'll never be able to get that day back. We were relying on the photographer to capture our very special day and what we got was a photographer with a very old wind up camera who gave no direction to us when taking pictures. When we got our pictures back they were off center, blurry and I only received 204 pictures from her shooting from 12:00 in the afternoon to 10:00 that night. I am truly upset and forever sad that I do not have great photos to look back on such a beautiful day.
Reviewed On 10/26/2014 by Knottie70156661
We want to thank Carmine, Grace, Alex and all the wonderful staff who made our daughter's wedding a tremendous success. We received so many compliments on every facet of the event. The signature drink was a huge hit, and the food was 5 star. Ev...
eryone they recommended to support the wedding, the florist, videographer, photographer, and DJ Bob made a night full of memories we will all cherish for a life time. Carmine and Grace went out of their way to make us feel like we were part of their family. They accommodated every request as if it was their own niece who was getting married. We also had the pleasure of having the rehearsal dinner at the Harding Allen Estate and it was a great way to start off this wonderful weekend of fun, family, and joy. Along the way we have made new lifelong friends with Carmine and Grace. Thank you for making Samantha's wedding such a wonderful event. Michael and Maryann Thorpe
Reviewed On 10/23/2014 by Amarilys P
—MY husband and I absolutely fell in love with this place and fell in love all over again on our wedding day. The service there was "top notch". Carmine and Grace are one of the most humble people we met. They were so helpful and patient with u...
s the through the whole process. The did their absolute best to make out special day magical. We feel truly blessed and without a doubt will recommend this absolutely beautiful venue to any bride and groom we come across. I promise you that you will not be disappointed. :)
Reviewed On 10/16/2014 by Rebecca R
We are so thankful for contacting Grace and Carmine at the Harding Allen Estate. It was a perfect venue for our wedding, beautiful grounds for an outdoor wedding, pictures, and cocktail hour, elegant reception area, delicious food, affordable p...
rices, and special attention from all the crew, who were all accommodating, professional and treated us like family. The accommodations in the mansion we beautiful and convenient. The venue is a gem in central Massachusetts. The DJ that the venue uses is, Bob Solano, who is great! He rocked the night, played every song we requested, and even played the sax during dinner. We would highly recommend the Harding Allen to anyone!
Reviewed On 10/16/2014 by Ana M
My husband and I were recently married at the Harding Allen Estate on July 27th, 2014. I fell in love with the Harding Allen from the moment I initially sat down with Grace to look at the estate as a potential venue for our big day. My husban...
d and I ended up choosing the estate for our wedding not only for its charm and the beauty of its grounds but also because it was affordable for us as a young couple out of college. We are from Massachusetts' north shore which is about an hour and a half from the estate but everything that they could offer for us was well worth the time, expense and travel. Grace and her husband Carmine run everything at the estate and they were an amazing pair to work with. Both are super attentive and truly care about their clients. It honestly was like working with a pair of longtime friends. The day of our wedding was POURING and I was very nervous about whether or not out outdoor ceremony was going to happen. Carmine came to the bridal suite and showed me a printout of the latest overhead satellite imagery, explained that the clouds were passing and assured me that he would hold off a little to make sure that we could have our ceremony outdoors as planned and we did! It was truly a miracle and I was so grateful for Carmine's calmness and expertise in handling the situation that was turning me into a frazzled bride. The HAE offers an in-house florist that we consulted with and used for all of our floral arrangements bouquets, etc came out beautiful. We also used their in-house baker for our wedding cake and, although we couldn't taste test the cake beforehand, it was also delicious. As my husband and I are both brazilian, we wanted to incorporate some brazilian hors d'oeuvres into our cocktail hour and Carmine graciously took over that request and made it happen. The HAE also offers a DJ that we chose to go with. DJ Bob Solano was wonderful, affordable and also very accomodating to the various requests we made from special dances mixes to playing brazilian and american music. He even accompanied some songs with a saxophone and danced right along with our guests. Grace, besides helping Carmine in the organizational aspects of events is also head chef at the HAE and the food served for dinner was delicious! There are so many things that I could keep raving about when it comes to our wedding venue. We were truly, truly blessed in choosing the Harding Allen Estate and it will always hold a very dear place in our hearts.
Reviewed On 10/16/2014 by Angela O
The Harding Allen Estate is truly a magical and most beautiful wedding venue any bride could dream for. The amazing gardens and grounds are the perfect backdrop for timeless pictures and the reception room is second to none. But above everythin...
g else the service is top notch and Grace and Carmine treat you like family. I had my wedding booked for August 2014 until I found out my dad had stage 4 lung cancer in July 2013 and only had 6 months to live. Not only did Grace and Carmine help me choose a closer date but they helped me plan my wedding in only 6 weeks! They helped coordinate everything! I felt like I had a second set of parents looking out for me. I could not imagine planning my wedding any other way. Getting to have my father walk me down the aisle was the best gift life has ever given me and it couldn't have happened without H.A.E. I truly had the wedding of my dreams!
Reviewed On 10/14/2014 by Rebecca F
My name is Rebecca. My husband Mitch and I just got married at the Harding Allen Estate on 10/4/14. We had both our ceremony and reception at the HAE. It was raining the day of our wedding so we had to get married in the ballroom. They decorate...
d the aisle with candles and rose petals! It was perfect! They provided us with all of our food and desserts(including the cake) which was excellent! Their florist that they highly recommended definitely did not let us down. I loved my bouquet and center pieces! I would recommend that whoever gets married here to stick with the florist! The grounds are absolutely gorgeous!!! You should check it out for yourselves!!!! Carmine, Grace and their staff did an excellent job. They made our day perfect!!!
Reviewed On 8/29/2014 by Meg N
I met the staff at a bridal expo and they were great from the beginning! Other venues snubbed our small budget. The staff was basically our wedding planner. They were so empathic towards my family situation. The arranged everything for us,...
flowers, cake, table settings, DJ, photos etc. The ceremony site was beautiful! Alex, one of the staff is so sweet. She wads with us right to the begging of thge ceremony, fluffing my train. She frequently checked in on us. One of our favorite parts was when the staff joined us on the dance floor and taught us a dance :) Also my family loved the food. They are still talking about the beautiful grounds and meal. They paid great attention to the little details, things i never even thought of, including fresh rose petals on the aisle. They even had bug spray on all the tables around the pond. The pictures cannot show how wonderful the staff and venue is. We felt the staff was genuinely happy for us. I couldn't have asked for anything more! Thank-you Thank-you
Reviewed On 1/14/2014 by Christina R
I happened across the Harding Allen Estate about 10 years ago, and fell madly in love with the property. Fast forward to Jan. 2013 and my fiancee and I met with Grace and Carmine a few weeks after he proposed. They were so easy to schedule a me...
eting with, and immediately I knew that this was the place that we would get married. We had planned a relatively short engagement, about 10 months, and they had an opening for August 30, 2013 which we grabbed. We thought that with a rather unique theme that it would be difficult to pull off (Swan Princess) but Grace took all of my visions and ran with them. She was beyond helpful with flowers and centerpieces, and planning went off without a hitch. Fast forward to the day of, and the Estate was looking immaculate. We stayed the night before at the Sturbridge Host, and we ended up getting to the Estate off schedule. Carmine rushed everything up so we not only got to do everything we wanted with less time, but I still made it down the aisle on time. The ceremony location was beautiful, and reception ballroom took my breath away. The food tasted just like my grandmother used to make it, with all of the recipes being their old family recipes! All in all, thank you to the Estate for not only making our dreams come true, but for working with the fantasies of my childhood! BONUS: My flower girls went to the Estate instead of the Host where they were supposed to get ready. Immediately the Estate jumped into action, calling around to get them in with a hair stylist as soon as possible so there would be no stress for me!
Reviewed On 12/14/2013 by Inna e
The venue is gorgeous and absolutely perfect for a wedding, however, that is where the positive experience ends. Overall, I felt there was absolutely no communication between Grace and Carmine, the owners of the Estate. I would talk to Grace a...
bout something and 2 days later Carmine would call me asking the same questions I had just answered for Grace. The greatest insult however came about one month before the wedding. When we initially met with Grace she explained that there is a certain minimum guest requirement and I told her right off the bat that we may not have the minimum. She told me not to worry and that we can simply use the money that would have gone to pay for those guests toward something else. 1 month before the wedding, Carmine tells me that that is not the case and that we would have to pay for the minimum number of people, even though that many were not attending. After a few upsetting emails, I was able to get the owners to stick to their original promise, however the interaction left a sour taste in my mouth and afterward I felt I had to triple check everything with both owners. The food was good; the concern was that we were able to attend the tasting of the entrees only after we gave them a check for a deposit. Additionally, not all entrees were available to taste and there were no desserts. I am a huge dessert person and Grace raved about their onsite pastry chef, so naturally I wanted to do a cake tasting, however was told that they do not do tastings for cakes. It took me several months of asking and stating that I would not hire them to do the cake without a tasting, for me to get a cake tasting. The day of the wedding, the wedding party did not receive the requested and paid for beverages in the dressing rooms and instead of the cake cutting set we bought, we found a completely different set near our cake. We decided to stay overnight at the Estate after the wedding. Our bed was rock hard, the bathtub in our room had not hot water valve and the bathroom right outside our room had no cold-water valve. My advise is that if you decide to have your wedding at the Estate, make sure to get everything in writing, get your cake at an outside bakery and the night of the wedding, do not stay at the Estate!!!!
Reviewed On 10/09/2013 by 12Samantha T
We had our wedding at The Harding Allen Estate this past weekend it was perfect! Everything the estate did was perfection! They were really good about helping us with a budget and payments. The owners and staff were wonderful as well! They even...
joined in dancing at the ceremony which everyone loved. If I ever need to do another event I will most diffidently call The Harding Allen Estate.
Reviewed On 10/08/2013 by Steve P
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Reviewed On 10/05/2013 by April V
I had an absolute amazing wedding day thank you to the lovely staff at Harding Allen Estate!! Carmine, Grace, and Chris answered every crazy email I sent that led up to my phenomenal day. And on the day of they were so extremely helpful, they w...
ere pleasant with the guests, extremely organized, everything looked better than I could have imagined, and the food was to die for. All of my guests were raving not only about the appetizers great, the emails were scrumptious but the 4 dessert plates they packed up for me to bring home, were PERFECT even 4 days later when I got to eat them. They made my wedding day more than I could have imagined. If you are looking for a perfect day with a beautiful facility, that makes your special day stress free, Harding Allen is the place to go.
Reviewed On 8/11/2013 by Tamara G
This venue was amazing! From the minute we walked in the door to view it until after the reception the owners Grace and Carmine and their staff were helpful, patient and professional. But with a touch of heart! The site is gorgeous, well-kep...
t and clean. The food (Grace is master chef) was amazing and plentiful. Chris, their assistant, welcomed questions and random visits with ease. It fit well into our budget and they really worked with us to allow us to personalize our day. Off the beaten path but WELL WORTH it. Thanks again to Grace and Carmine and staff for an amazing day of everything we hoped it could be and then some!
Reviewed On 7/11/2013 by J G
The Harding Allen Estate was truly a mixed bag. We had a lovely evening there for our wedding and the venue proved to be phenomenal for photos and wowing guests. However, management has gotten complacent about running weddings. They may seem ex...
perienced and confident, but attention to detail is lacking. The main issues were communication and food. It was very hard to connect with management. We had to ask for weeks to schedule our final planning meeting. When we finally got a response back less than 3 weeks before, it was "Can you come tomorrow?" In that meeting we finalized a number of things (in writing), from the bottle champagne on our table for toasts, signature drinks, renting the cake cutting knife, etc. Day of the wedding, there was no champagne our table and we ended up toasting with empty glasses. When we asked for it, we were met with looks of confusion. Our signature drinks were never made available. We paid $5 for the non-existent cake cutting knife and ended up using a butter knife. These little things permeated through the entire evening. Despite claims they don't “nickel and dime”, expect to pay for all the little things, from the cake knife to favor placement. Food-wise, it was a tough call. Guests loved the appetizers but half were unable to get any. 160 guests had to pass through a single buffet line. Only a few servers walked around with trays. Many guests complained to me that by the time they waited through the line, the trays were empty. When everyone was finally seated and served their salad, they wasted so much time trying to get the wedding party together that guests were leaving before dinner was even served. The food was hit or miss, and the prime rib left something to be desired. I should have expected issues with the food, particularly after the tasting, which we weren't given until over a year after we paid the deposit. Forget everything you heard about how amazing your friends' tastings were. To start, they didn't offer any of the beef dishes because they "are straightforward: we prepare top-quality beef." They claimed they would be serving the chef's choice of sides to make a meal of it. That's taken straight from their provided paperwork. I guess the chef's choice of side that night was nothing because they didn’t even bother to provide bread, beverages, or vegetables. It was an embarrassment that we had to pay $25/pp+tip for the bride's family and the 5 of us were only given a few bites of the 3 meal items we chose. It reminded me of what a prison dinner must be like given the somberness of all ~100 people, most of whom left quickly. Needless to say, we needed a real dinner after. The wedding felt much the same way. But it wasn't all bad news. The venue truly is beautiful in person and in photos. The waitstaff were phenomenal,and were having as much fun as we were. I sent a more detailed letter to Grace and Carmine in a letter hoping that they might be able to use it to improve their services in the future. They never bothered to respond. I was hoping I might at least get the info for the waitress who helped serve us as she definitely deserved a tip at their "tip-free" venue. Almost a month later and I still haven't heard anything back. If we had to do it again, we'd probably go with the other venue that we were considering. If you choose Harding Allen, just take everything that you hope to take for granted with a grain of salt.
Reviewed On 10/30/2012 by Kathryn S
Harding Allen was one of my husband and I's first choices after looking at a few venues and we worked with them for almost two years before my wedding! HAE held our reception only, as the ceremony was at my church in Worcester. During planning ...
we mostly worked with Grace who was lovely and understanding in all of our questions, concerns etc. We did feel somewhat strong armed into choosing the "house DJ" Bob- as I was very nervous after reading a few reviews of him, I asked who our other options were and their response was- "well, you can try to find someone else but they can't be on our "not allowed back" list of 400 DJ's...So clearly it was not worth the effort to try to find someone else. We went with Bob and I was so happy with him but I am even more happy that I gave him OVER SPECIFIC instructions such as no sax, no singing, and an extensive please play/do not play list. He does tend to be a little cheezy but otherwise kept a lot of people on the dance floor. We did not utilize their cake or florist services and at first had trouble bringing in our own (we had cannolis instead) but after discussion with Grace she was amenable to keeping them in the fridge for the afternoon until the reception. The grounds, pavilion, and rooms speak for themselves they are GORGEOUS! We got married at the end of fall so a lot of the plants were like super dead but I guess there is no good way of covering them up, but we got a lot of compliments about the decor. The food was to die for! So many compliments about the flavor (we offered turkey, or pork) but we had many complaints that some of the food was cold and needed to be sent back. I tried to personalize my wedding a lot and met a little resistance from the staff as to changing how I did things but with good reason...They are professionals! They really know what their doing and whatever they do- it usually works. For every suggestion I had they had good reasons as to not do it that way (ex: what if we put the sweetheart table in the corner- no, because the air vent is there and looks ugly in pictures as well as your guests cant always see you) they really know what they do well and how to make it happen. In the final planning of the day Grace, Chris and Carmine were really helpful and put me at ease, they made sure that all my little touches were just right and even decorated our tower of cannoli with fake little books! (our reception was book themed) as a surprise. She also was willing to work with us on prices even though we used their package system. Make sure to include extensive directions to the estate as it is difficult to find and use the address that they recommend. We did stay over the night of our wedding and we loved the little touches such as rose petals on the bed and the fact that they saved our favorite cannolis for us and had them waiting. The only downside was that when we were sweaty after the party and wanted to shower there were no towels in the room! We probably could have gone and found someone but were too tired to look for then so we improvised with some paper towels and a t-shirt. Overall I was impressed with their expertise, know how, and professionalism and felt very comfortable giving them such a large sum of money to make my day extra special. I would definitely recommend HAE to other brides as long as you make sure you are clear with your expectations and are detail oriented!
Reviewed On 10/24/2012 by Meaghan B
The grounds are beautiful, pergola where we got married was gorgeous, right near the beautiful lily pond. The rooms were amazing, perfect lighting for bridal shots. We booked all of the rooms for our WP as a thank you and had a blast, everyone ...
had a lot of fun. The set up was perfect, exactly what we wanted, and the food was superb. Grace, Carmine, and the rest of the staff really care about making your day perfect and beautiful, and made planning stress free!
Reviewed On 10/15/2012 by Emily K
My wedding was absolutely perfect. The best thing about the HAE is they do everything. They do the catering, get your rentals, have a in house florist and DJ. This makes everything low stress and straightforward for the big day, which was fa...
bulous. However, working with HAE's main wedding planner was not the easiest thing in the world, so I had no idea how my wedding was actually going to end up until it actually happened. Thankfully, they pulled everything together, but they really need to work on their communication and be more flexible to the bride/groom's ideas. But, in the end everything was great and I would recommend this venue to a friend - as long as they don't need to know exactly what is going on at every second of the planning process.
Reviewed On 10/15/2012 by Stacey S
My husband and I both loved Grace & Carmine! The Harding Allen Estate is a beautiful location...if you want something thats not cookie cutter, this is for you! The staff was courteous and professional at all times! Grace & Carmine listened to...
what we wanted, and gave us exactly that. We didn't have to worry about a thing the day of the wedding.
Reviewed On 9/29/2012 by Lisa S
I could not have picked a better venue! Grace and Carmine were excellent and everything was perfect the day of my wedding! The food, flowers, and cake were done on site and everyone was raving about how excellent everything was. All of the s...
taff at the Estate were great and very professional. Thank you for a perfect day!!
Reviewed On 9/16/2012 by Tanya F
My husband and I tied the knot at the Harding Allen on August 25th 2012. The venue is absolutely amazing and we couldn't ask for a more perfect day. Carmen and Grace run a tight ship and they were there to make sure everything ran smoothly. Chr...
is answered my million and one questions leading up to the wedding and Abby made sure that all of our wedding needs were taken care of. We also did our flowers and dessert through the estate. They are a great one stop shop. They do not have any hidden fees and you don't need a degree to understand all of their pricing. My husband and I fell in love with the venue at our first meeting and have raved about it the place ever since.
Reviewed On 9/16/2012 by H C
I had a fabulous time at this venue. The owners of the Estate are caterers, have their own liquor license, have their own rental company (for linens, etc) coordinate with an onsite baker, coordinate with a trusted florist, and highly recommend ...
DJ Bob Solano (as do I). 'One Stop Shopping' is an unattractive term, so think of it instead as a fabulous package deal. They have a number of 'packages' you can choose from and customize as needed. They handled my customization very well and made all the adjustments for a reasonable fee that was fully disclosed in advance. The grounds are beautiful, and our ceremony and pictures happened out in the garden. The fountain view ball room was very lovely, and the estate itself is fantastic with its tasteful furnishings and amazing woodworking. The only down side is that during the planning if you need a lot of hand-holding you might be a little disappointed by their response time (a few days to return an email some times) but when you sit down for your meeting with them and go over the package choices you want they are very responsive, take excellent notes, and did it just the way I wanted. Happy wedding!
Reviewed On 8/29/2012 by Rebecca L
I highly recommend The Harding Allen Estate. The venue is beautiful and the service is excellent. The staff are very professional and great to work with. I also had my flowers done by the florist at the estate, Rebecca. She did an amazing job, ...
my flowers were exactly what I wanted! Food was great.
Reviewed On 8/05/2012 by TOMECA H
The moment we toured the HAE last summer, we knew it was the right venue for us. My husband and I were trying to get away from the feel of a hotel and looking for a more personalized venue and this was it! We used their on site florist and on s...
ite bakery, both of which were amazing! The owners, Grace and Carmine, are very gracious, accommodating and experienced at what they do. The venue is unique, the gardens are breath taking and the food is amazing! The estate makes for an incredible back drop for pictures, while offering your guests a unique venue to appreciate and explore. Our wedding was everything we hoped it would be and I could not recommend them more!
Reviewed On 5/08/2012 by Debra M
Carmen and Grace were amazing and the estate was beautiful. They were able to make me and my (now) husband feel at home during the entire process. They (or Chris) were just a phone call or email away. On our wedding day, things ran so smoothly,...
even things we missed or forgot! My mom changed at the church down the way and left things (including her wedding band!) at the church. I asked Carmen mid wedding to help and he got (most of) her things back from the church! I don't know how they do it, but I hope I get to attend a wedding here in the future. The food was amazing, the ambiance was as well! THANK YOU for an amazing wedding day!
Reviewed On 2/21/2012 by Lindsay B
I am originally from the Central Mass area but recently moved to Oklahoma to be with my fiance. I planned my entire wedding from OK with the help of Grace & Carmine at the HAE. If you're looking for a "one stop shop" for a wedding venue, this i...
s the place. The HAE can do food, cake, bar services, flowers, all decorations, the ceremony, the set up of everything, and the rehearsal; they can also make recommendations for all vendors you will need to hire (photographers, DJs, videographers, hotels, transportation, wedding/bridesmaid dresses) all of which they have worked with and trust. Grace & Carmine (the owners) are also the chefs and wedding planners. You will not only feel like a bride when planning with them but you will feel like family. I'm actually sad that I will no longer be talking with them on a regular basis. They do offer "packages" and you can easily add or subtract elements or do everything completely "a la carte." Whatever your wedding budget may be, they can work with you to meet that budget and not skip out on major wedding components. I highly recommend attending one of their wedding demo days to get ideas for flowers and decorations. We had both our ceremony and reception at the HAE and it honestly couldn't have gone any better. I really don't know what I would have changed about the day, thats how great everything turned out. Grace & Carmine totally "got my vision" for the day and made it happen. My whole review probably sounds very cliche but I really cannot stress how perfect my big day went! It has only been two days since my wedding and I have gotten non stop calls and emails from my guests complimenting everything from the venue itself, right down to the canoli's that were part of the venetian spread. I absolutely recommend the Harding Allen Estate and would be willing to talk to anyone about my experience. If you're a bride reading this review and trying to decide between a few options, go see Grace and Carmine and I can promise you that you will go with the HAE and won't regret it. Thank you to Grace, Carmine, Chris and all of the staff at the HAE for pulling off my flawless dream wedding! I will miss you guys and of course, when I am home in MA, I'll stop by for some wine and a dessert or two!
Reviewed On 11/01/2011 by Jennifer A
My husband and I are so happy that we chose the Harding Allen Estate for our ceremony and wedding. Grace, Carmine and Chris were incredibly helpful and responsive whenever I had any questions about anything. They made the wedding planning beyon...
d easy and were accommodating to our budget. Grace had many valuable tips on how to get the most for our money. I looked at many reception sites, and the HAE offered the best packages and menu of any of the places that I visited. All of our wedding guests raved about how beautiful the site was, how amazing the food was, and how comfortable they felt the entire evening. I have been told by almost all of my guests that this was the best wedding they have ever been to. So... if you would like to be a happy and less stressed out bride who has the wedding of her dreams, I honestly couldn't recommend a better wedding venue than the Harding Allen Estate.
Reviewed On 11/01/2011 by Erin B
This was the second place my husband and I looked at as a venue and the only one we both agreed was perfect. The estate is absolutely gorgeous, the grounds outside are a beautiful place to hold a ceremony, and there are ample opportunities all ...
over the house for pictures. Grace and Carmine are an absolute delight to deal with--they made us feel right at home and like we were part of their family. The reception room is amazing and even though we only had about 70 people, the place felt warm and full--no one would ever have guessed the room could have fit three times as many in there! Grace is also the head chef and her food is DIVINE! I got a ridiculous amount of compliments on the food, people said it was the best they ever tasted at a wedding and even more said it was the most beautiful wedding they'd ever been to. Everyone was just absolutely in awe of how wonderful everything was. We rented out all the rooms that night and had an after-party on the super comfortable couches in the bar area and it was an utterly amazing time. The staff is wonderful and they make sure everything runs smoothly all night. We had also gotten our flowers from Rebecca, the florist on staff there, and they were gorgeous! Besides the cake, it was like an all inclusive wedding package! It's a far drive from Boston but definitely, DEFINITELY worth the trip! Prices are entirely reasonable as well, as opposed to anything you'll find in and around Boston--even on the north shore! If you want a romantic wedding setting this is absolutely the place to go. I had an amazing time at my wedding and I have no doubt you will too if you choose the Harding Allen Estate to host it!
Reviewed On 10/24/2011 by Kate R
This location is gorgeous! There is a pergola to get married under, a lily pond and a classy ballroom. The service was excellent. The owners are hands on and are an active part of the whole process. I have small children and they even helpe...
d put them to bed for the night. The pictures are so pretty. I would recommend this place to anyone. The only downside is the location being so far away from major highways or large hotels.
Reviewed On 9/28/2011 by Ashley H
Rebecca is a florist who is working now at the Harding Allen Estate with their brides to make sure they have the perfect wedding flowers and centerpieces. It was extremely easy working with Rebecca - she had amazing ideas for my August wedding....
She worked closely with Me, my wedding planner Grace from the Harding Allen, and of of course my mother who helped me plan my dream wedding! The day of the wedding the bouquets were gorgeous, the centerpieces amazing and the floral arrangements throughout the estate were beautiful! I don't think I could have asked for anything more. I didn't have to worry about my flowers not being at the venue, didn't have to pay a delivery fee, and didn't have to worry about them wilting or not being in water waiting for the ceremony. I highly recommend any bride at the Harding Allen Estate to look into Rebecca, Grace's florist at the Harding Allen. You won't regret it!
Reviewed On 9/01/2011 by Lindsey D
I had my wedding at the Harding Allen Estate this summer. Grace, Carmine, and Chris were amazing and professional. I never had issues contacting or communicating with them. I followed most of the formats they had in place (why make things more...
difficult?). I did bring a lot of things to the wedding in terms of props, programs, favors, etc. I labeled everything clearly and was happy to find on the wedding day that all décor was laid out according to my wishes. The grounds were kept immaculately and the ceremony at the pergola was gorgeous. I received so many compliments on our choice in venue. One thing we arranged that I believe is a must, were shuttle buses. It’s in the middle of nowhere so we had all of our guests stay at the same hotel and used buses. It worked out great and everyone was happy in that regard. The food was tasty and abundant. The dessert bar never ended. A friend and his date thought the chicken was bad, but I had the chicken and mine was good, so I’m not sure if it was just a matter of taste. The prime rib was amazing (we already knew it was great). I can’t comment on the bar because I never went to it, but from the few times I passed by there never seemed to be much of a wait. Being the bride, I’m sure I have been sheltered from any complaints by guests or unaware of things that may not have been good, however the day through my eyes went perfectly and I am very pleased with how it turned out and how attentive the staff at the estate were. Overall, we would recommend the estate for a wedding. One thing I do want to fairly-but-honestly caution brides about is their in-house/ recommended DJ. If I were to do it again we would have researched more DJ’s. He was great in communication and leading up to the wedding, but details were missed on the wedding day. I am in no way saying he was bad- the dance floor was crowded most of the night and he nailed the ceremony. However, he got our entrance songs wrong for both the bridal party and us. That’s not a big deal; however my father was not able to give his speech, which was a bigger deal to me. I realized half way through the night and asked my Dad if he wanted me to ask the DJ to announce it as he had done with the best man speech, but at that point dinner was over and dancing was underway and it would have been awkward. So our best man gave his speech, but my MOH and father didn’t get to give theirs. This is my biggest regret of the day because it was one of the moments I was most looking forward to. He also missed the bouquet toss song. I can’t remember what I wanted, but it definitely was not “single ladies”. That’s not a big deal and I went with it (even though I hate that song). Also I should make mention of his style- he plays the saxophone during some songs (and he plays well, no complaints in that department). Depending on your taste, this can be charming/ endearing or cheesy. For us it got real cheesy after a couple songs (he only played during dinner) and I know was the butt of some guest jokes. We were aware the sax was part of his shtick, but we thought it would be one song or something. So again, this could be great if it’s your taste but it wasn’t ours. All in all we’re still happy with how everything turned out and the wedding was by no means ‘ruined’ or a ‘failure’- people were still dancing/ having fun- I'm just saying we were not completely happy with the DJ. The estate was pretty, just don't feel the need to use their vendor
Reviewed On 6/27/2011 by Katelyn B
The place was beyond gorgeous. Myself and my fiance fell in love with this place even before we were engaged. At times we had a hard time getting in contact with the staff and felt rush at times during the wedding. But overall is was great!
Reviewed On 6/26/2011 by Laura R
We first fell in love with Harding Allen by viewing the pictures online. What sold us is when we viewed the estate and met owners Grace and Carmen who made us feel like family from the start. We were married at the estate, and the location wa...
s beautiful. The staff was very friendly and professional, well organized and gave helpful suggestions throughout. It was also nice that the estate was exclusive to one couple at a time and therefore much attention was paid to us. We would highly recommend.
Reviewed On 11/18/2010 by Jennifer S
This venue has the potential to be great, but it's service and layout are lacking. I was considering using this venue for my wedding but I am so glad I attended a wedding there first. The food was ok, but for the price one would expect fresh ...
green beans not canned. The service was incredibly slow. 3+ hours for dinner service for only a 3 course meal. In addition one of the servers snapped at a child (not a child I am related to) who took a piece of cake off the buffet table after it had all been laid out for no reason, the child was polite and it was not apparent to adults that the buffet was not yet open. Bathroom facilities are poorly laid out with only one toilet / sink on the main level. Guests need to wander about the estate to find other bathrooms tied to the guest rooms upstairs which is awkward. The dance floor is nice and large and the room layout is good.
Reviewed On 5/10/2010 by Jamie R

Contact Info for Harding Allen Estate

59 Allen Ln, Barre, Barre, MA(978) 355-4920

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