Harding Allen Estate

omg, I loved working together with Jasmine for my wedding! The venue is amazing and beautiful. Jasmine made the process easy and stress free, being super enthusiastic and patient with us. I would recommend anyone to have their wedding at the Harding Allen Estate. They made my wedding dreams come true!!

Beautiful venue. Extremely supportive, friendly, professional staff. Cannot recommend them enough!

We just had our wedding shower at the Harding Allen Estate, and it was such a wonderful experience! Jasmine and the rest of the staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and flexible. Obviously one of the major selling points is just the unmatched beauty of the estate itself - the weather held up and so we were able to host our event outside among all the beautiful flowers and the gorgeous water fountain! The giant rhododendrons out front made a perfect backdrop for our photos (they were at their peak for our early June event). The space is so beautiful that you really don't need to bother with much in terms of decor. Jasmine was even able to accommodate an extremely last minute request on our end for two gluten free meals. We had such a lovely time and are very grateful we chose the Harding Allen Estate!

We had our wedding here 10/2023 and had an amazing time. The venue is beautiful, Jasmine the event coordinator was great and the food was delicious. Would reccomend!

Jasmine and Suzy were the perfect duo to help make our wedding day and weekend absolutely perfect. Jasmine was the most incredible day of planner. She answered all of our questions thoroughly via email leading up to our wedding date, and coordinated meeting with us in person at the Estate several times beforehand. Jasmine and Suzy even hosted my parents for a weekend so they could see the estate prior to the wedding day! A few days before the wedding we last minute decided we wanted to "ice" our guests with Smirnoff ice bottles and Jasmine helped us execute it perfectly! Jasmine was amazing at keeping all wedding-related events on time and kept on schedule. We couldn't have made it through the weekend without her meticulous planning. Suzy was awesome at delivering drinks and snacks to the girls getting ready and cheese boards and drinks to the boys. The morning after the wedding Suzy was on hand with plenty of breakfast foods to send us off after the most perfect weekend. I highly recommend booking this venue. It is absolutely gorgeous! We did the Gatsby experience and couldn't have asked for anything more. Our bridal party and close family were able to stay on-site or close by at one of the local inn's. Do yourself a favor and check out this amazing team and venue for your upcoming wedding!

We had our wedding here in August 2023 and we LOVED it! Jasmine and Suzy were literally amazing!!!! The guests and everyone were commenting about how gorgeous the venue was and how nice and accommodating the staff was too! It was honestly the best decision we’ve made and I couldn’t recommend it more for anyone who is looking for a venue!

We had our wedding here in August 2023 and we LOVED it! Jasmine and Suzy were literally amazing!!!! The guests and everyone was commenting about how gorgeous the venue was and how nice and accommodating the staff was too! It was honestly the best decision we’ve made and I couldn’t recommend it more for anyone who is looking for a venue! A side note, sometimes Jasmine would take a bit to respond to my emails especially in busy seasons but when it was 4 weeks before our wedding, she was with us 24/7! And took care of all the small details I forgot about!!! She was amazing!

Totally recommend getting married at this venue!! My husband and I had our wedding here last month and it was absolutely AMAZING. First of all, the estate and grounds are so beautiful and made the perfect backdrop for our wedding… so breathtaking, especially in May with everything blooming! Secondly, the staff were on top of EVERYTHING! Jasmine and Suzy made sure that the day ran as smoothly as possible and we did not have to worry about a thing, which allowed my husband and I to enjoy our big day! Jasmine has such a bubbly, welcoming personality and is so great to work with. She is so professional and positive, and definitely helped make our wedding the best it could be! Jasmine made sure to check in with us to ensure that everything was how we wanted it. The waitstaff and bartenders were also amazing and helped keep our guests happy throughout the night. On top of that, the food and drinks were delicious! If I could get married again, I would choose this venue every time!!! I cannot recommend it enough and had a fantastic wedding day because of them!

This venue ROCKED!! We got married here about a week and a half ago and I still can't get over how smoothly things went and what a blast it was. Suzy and Jasmine were the absolute best. Jasmine was a wonderful planner and coordinator. She put her all into the day and made sure it was mine and my husband's dream day. She asked about the little details and her personality just sparkles and makes her super easy to work with. The staff and the estate were flawlessly prepared for our day. I already got a sneak peak of our pictures already and wow wow wow is the estate the perfect backdrop. The bridal suite where my bridesmaids and I got ready was recently added wasn't established when we booked, but once we saw it we were blown away. It was absolutely the perfect area with lots of place to set up so we could all get ready all at once. They checked in just the right amount to make sure things were going well for us. At the reception the bartenders were on top of all our drinks especially our signature drinks, those tasted exactly how we wanted and the music and dancing never stopped. The best part was that we had access to the grounds after the reception and got to have a fun little afterparty with our closest friends and family. We don't see a lot of them often so it was amazing to have a few (more) drinks and catch up. It was the perfect way to send out the night. All in all is was the best day and I cannot recommend this venue and staff more!

I was a bridesmaid in my best friend's wedding in November here. Jasmine was so professional and personable and knows the Harding Allen inside and out. All of us girls wish we could've had her for our own weddings! She was able to preemptively prevent any issues and slight mishaps that may have occurred without drawing any attention to them. Please hire Jasmine as your wedding planner or day-of-coordinator, you will not regret it! The venue was beautiful and the food was absolutely delicious and probably the best we've ever had at a wedding!! I truly experienced the best of both worlds by being behind the scenes as well as attending as a guest and seeing every detail come to fruition. Hats off to the Harding Allen for making what would have been the most stressful day for the bride and groom, the least stressful day for the wedding party.

GET MARRIED HERE!!! We were blown away by the service from start to finish. We toured during the spring and had high hopes for outside late fall wedding, but what we did not expect was for it to be a perfectly, gorgeous day, both the weather and the venue. The food tasted even better at the reception than it did at the tasting. The beef tenderloin was TO DIE FOR!! Jon, their DJ, was so impressive with his professionalism and knowledge of the grounds of the estate. He handled all of the music and announcements for the entire wedding day and the schedule of events went seamlessly!! Jasmine and her staff made it the most stress-free day possible! We were worried about the transition of ownership at first. After seeing the immediate improvements, I can reassure everyone getting married here in the future that the Harding Allen Estate is truly in the best hands. We cannot wait to come back here and see all of the updates being made in person. Our wedding party had the best experience here and could not have wished for anything better. For all of you future couples, go to Barre to visit the Harding Allen Estate. Trust us, it is worth the drive to visit this gem in Massachusetts!! We were so happy we found this venue before our engaged friends and family could get married here first. We are already planning on returning next year for our first anniversary!!

I strongly recommend the Harding Allen Estate for your wedding!! My husband and I got married here last weekend, on September 2nd, and it was absolutely perfect. The grounds are beautiful as are the staff and owners. Jasmine and Suzy were so generous and supportive throughout all of the planning and the event itself, and them and their team did an amazing job. Jasmine was on top of everything from the time we met and started planning, and she made it so easy and stress free for us. I also want to say that the night of our wedding the bar tender called out, but that did not stop them from still making sure it was a wonderful night for us and our guests - Jasmine, her mom, and her brother were all back there bar tending while running around and triple tasking, checking in on us, and making sure we were having fun, and the drinks were GREAT too (and strong - our guests and us loved them!)! They worked so hard and kept everything on an organized schedule. The food was also great! Everything was cooked to perfection, and our guests could not stop raving about the appetizers, dinner, and desserts. We are so grateful to have found such a beautiful venue for our wedding, and we could not have asked for better support from Jasmine and her family, and all the staff. They were so polite, kind, and accommodating. They also stayed so positive throughout the whole night - I don't think there was one moment where Jasmine was not smiling! We will remember this night and how perfect it was forever, and for that we owe a HUGE thank you to Jasmine, Suzy, and all the staff at the estate. Highly recommend having your wedding here :).

As the parents of the bride we were very impressed with pretty much every aspect of our daughter’s wedding. Jasmine, her family, and everyone involved in the coordination, preparation and fulfillment of the tasks and events involved in the ceremony and reception were extremely pleasant and accommodating. The venue was clean, well kept, and had the ambience of a 19th century estate. We received positive feedback from the guests we have spoken with. We could not have asked for a more perfect venue or a more perfect day for the wedding. Thank you Jasmine for making this a truly special day for our daughter and new son in law.

Venue was beautiful; however, outdoor reception lacked hightop tables to accomodate the number of guests. Drink prices were pricey; they would have made more $$ if they had lowered the prices so guests would have bought more beverages. Waiting a VERY long time for the food to come out; 4 plates at our table had COLD food; three were sent back and returned barely warm. Were told we could not have any additional rolls/butter. Mother of the Bride was not able to enjoy her evening as she was constantly riding the kitchen about basic details. Waitstaff did what they could to accomodate guests but they were limited. The Owner/Manager never came to the dining room to check on things. This venue owes the bride/groom a complimentary overnight for their 1st anniversary!

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!

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.

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 perfect. 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!!

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 alone 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.

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 recommend 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

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 dispersed 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.

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 back 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.

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. Everyone 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

—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 us 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. :)

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 prices, 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!

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 husband 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.

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 everything 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!

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 decorated 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!!!

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

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 meeting 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!

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 about 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!!!!

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.

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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 were 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.

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-kept 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!

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 experienced 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.

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!

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!

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 fabulous. 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.

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.

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 staff at the Estate were great and very professional. Thank you for a perfect day!!

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. Chris 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.

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!

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.

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 site 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!

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!

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 is 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!

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 beyond 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.

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!

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 helped 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.

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!

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

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!