101-150 guest capacity
This venue can host up to 150 guests
About this vendor
The Perfect Setting For Your Wedding
Located in West Hartford, CT, Pond House Cafe is a restaurant wedding venue. The main event area, the Garden Room, can meet couples' dream-come-true expectations. Featuring high ceilings, adorned with twinkle lights, and floor-to-ceiling cathedral windows, this space is flooded with light. There is also a fieldstone gas fireplace and a beautiful park setting, which acts as a scenic wedding backdrop.
Pond House Cafe's Garden Room is a beautiful year-round destination. Decorated with a meticulous sense of style and adorned with seasonal flowers and plants, attention was given to every detail. An attached terrace overlooks the pond and the park, drawing the outdoors in. A beautiful space for a cocktail hour, ceremony, or pictures, this location can help a wedding vision come to life.
Pond House Cafe is home to a culinary team that offers unique food options, made from fresh, local ingredients. Delectable by design, the presentation of their dishes is outstanding. From tasty hors d’oeuvre trays to ornate buffet tables and spectacular plated meals, the cuisine here is sure to impress. Supplied with an in-house wedding coordinator, couples hosting at Pond House Cafe will have the guidance they need from day one. Every detail, from arranging the place cards to placing favors will be taken care of at this premier wedding venue. Couples can have a look at pictures and services on the venue's website, or they can reach out to the friendly Pond House Cafe for information. Dedicated and passionate, this venue's crew is ready to help couples have a wedding to remember.
Pricing details
Starting prices
Reception:
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Ceremony:
Contact for price
Bar services:
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Catering:
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Starting prices don't include service fees, taxes, gratuity, and rental fees. Guest count and seasonality may also affect prices.
Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Reception Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Liability Insurance
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Wireless Internet
Business Attributes
- LGBTQ+-owned Business
- Woman-owned Business
Guest Capacity
- Up to 150
Settings
- Ballroom
- Garden
- Park
- Restaurant
Venue Service Offerings
- Bar & Drinks
- Cakes & Desserts
- Food & Catering
- Service Staff
Awards and Affiliations
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
4.7
out of 5.0118 reviews
Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
The Pond House is a highly recommended wedding venue praised for its beautiful decor, delicious food, and attentive staff. Reviewers highlight the exceptional service provided by coordinators like Cassy, Leslie, and Diana, who ensured a seamless and stress-free experience from planning to execution. The venue is described as flexible, accommodating unique requests, and offering all-inclusive packages at reasonable prices. Guests appreciate the magical atmosphere, stunning views of Elizabeth Park, and the variety of food and drink options available. Overall, The Pond House is commended for creating unforgettable and personalized wedding experiences.Review photos
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We absolutely loved having our wedding at the Pond House. We picked this venue because it offered packages that included all food and drink, the ceremony and reception venue, cake, and a coordinator. The venue was gorgeous, and we got constant compliments on the food from our guests. Our coordinator Cassy was so helpful from our first meeting through the event itself and made our wedding day feel seamless and stress free. We would absolutely recommend the Pond House.
My husband and I got married at the Pond House café last week, and literally everything was amazing. Multiple guests told me during and after the wedding that the food was so delicious and filling; a few folks were full just from the hors d’oeuvres alone. The atmosphere is beautiful, well decorated with minimal decor additions on my end, and so warm and inviting. We had open bar of beer, wine, and one signature drink, and everyone loved this! The packages for food and bar were fairly priced, and meal portions were large! Pond House was also very accommodating of our vegan and GF guests and allowed us to bring in vegan cupcakes as our cake was traditional buttercream (which was delicious from their preferred cake vendor Creative Cakes By Donna).
Our wedding coordinator, Cassy, was so helpful throughout the whole day and all the planning leading up to the big day. She was always responsive, caring and completely helped us pivot to an inside ceremony and cocktail hour when the weather unfortunately did not work in our favor. She also was so kind to help my mom bustle my dress after the ceremony (if you know how time consuming this is, YOU KNOW!) and was swift in resolving any vendor conflict, while keeping my emergency contact (my mom) in the know so I wouldn’t become stressed out. She made sure my husband and I had our select drinks post-ceremony and brought us our own tray of hors d’oeuvres to our sweetheart table as we were mix and mingling during cocktail hour.
Everyone left the wedding full, happy, and loved the elegant vibe of the Pond House Cafe, and the natural flow of the wedding. I cannot thank Cassy and the team at Pond House Café enough!!
The Pond House Cafe is a magical wedding venue filled with the most caring and hard-working people! The space itself is beautiful
and so dream-like with the twinkle lights and incredible views of Elizabeth Park.
The staff is incredible. A coordinator gets assigned to you 6 months out and helps walk you through everything that needs to be done prior to your big day. Leslie was great leading up to my wedding and made sure all my questions were answered.
Diana is also so fantastic. She oversees everything going on during the event and truly makes sure every detail is perfect. I appreciated her dedication, from keeping us on track with the timeline, to making sure my wedding party and parents had appetizers brought to us when we were missing parts of cocktail hour.
The venue is so flexible with whatever you dream of. Even when things sounded like it wasn’t usually something they do, somehow the Pond House found a way to meet every request I made. They really do go above and beyond to make your vision come to life.
For everything being included, the Pond House weddings are extremely reasonable. I searched a while for a beautiful venue that was within my budget, and the Pond House had it all! Everything is included, from day-of coordinator to the wedding cake. I loved that it was basically a “one-stop shop” and that they handled all aspects of the reception. The food is truly incredible; take it from someone who never enjoys wedding food but actually loved everything I tried at the Pond House.
The bar packages are very reasonable, and the bartenders are so fast! There was never a line to get a drink.
I was worried about where to have my ceremony- but the Pond House truly has it all. For a fee, they set up the outside terrace for your ceremony and it overlooks a pond with a water feature! It’s so picturesque!
I couldn’t have asked for a better venue staffed with any better people! Pond house: thank you for giving Mike and I the wedding of our dreams!
Any questions?
The most wonderful wedding I could’ve ever imagined. The pond house made our wedding stress free, beautiful, organized to the T, and just more than we could’ve imagined. Thank you Leslie and the team at the pond house, you are all the most wonderful people. I would highly recommend anyone here who wants the wedding of their dreams
We had a small intimate wedding at the Pond House, and everything was wonderful. The planning process was so much easier, thanks to our coordinator, Cassy, who was always available to answer our questions! The space is so beautiful. We did our first look in Elizabeth Park before our ceremony. Much thanks to the amazing team at the Pond House!
Where to even start...Pond House was incredibly easy to work with through the entire wedding planning and execution process. They strike the perfect balance between hosting weddings often and making you feel special and personally cared for - especially our venue coordinator Leslie. She is attentive, detail-oriented, very professional, and you can tell she knows the wedding process like the back of her hand, which is incredibly comforting. They worked with us on all our unique requests like sourcing specific alcohol for the bar and incorporating Lebanese drummers onto the dance floor. The venue is all-inclusive in terms of food, drink, tables/linens, yet it gives you the freedom to chose your own vendors (DJ, photographer, florist) which gave us the perfect balance of an easy planning experience without feeling like our hands were ever tied.
The venue itself is also gorgeous - it's in the beautiful Elizabeth Park, has a cute patio for outdoor ceremonies, and the reception room is breathtaking with its decorations, twinkly lights, and massive windows. You could tell our guests were in awe of the beauty of the room when they first stepped inside!
To add to everything great about the venue, the food and drinks are delicious and at a reasonable price point for the high quality and volume you get. Our guests raved about the hors d'eourves, the buffet (especially the beef tenderloin and eggplant parm), and the signature cocktails (s/o to the strawberry basil vodka lemonade). And of course the butlered mini desserts hold a special place in my heart.
All in all, we cannot recommend this venue enough if you're looking for an easy, all-inclusive wedding experience with a classy, garden vibe and delicious food.
If you want your guests to talk about the food, the beautiful venue, and your cake (CakesbyDonna) after your wedding: book the Pond House.
The staff at the Pond House went above and beyond every single one of our expectations leading up to the wedding and on the wedding day.
The Pond House gives you a coordinator that you meet with up to four times before the wedding date. They are incredible organized, helpful, and communicative. They make the process fun and the stressful parts smooth.
An added bonus, they are very explicit about the pricing. We did not meat our minimum because our guest count was lower than anticipated. Leslie, our coordinator, gave us all our options, and made sure we stayed near the $10,000 minimum. We were able to increase the ounces for the meat, upgrade our drink package, and add chocolate covered strawberries to be passed around near the end of the night.
On short notice, we decided to plan a wedding. We were not planning on doing a formal thing until we came across the Pond House. It is absolutely beautiful and having Elizabeth Park right there was an extra added bonus. Because we planned it on such short notice, we put a lot of trust in the venue and food. The food and drinks were incredible!! We had a great experience with the Pond House. The price was very reasonable, and it is nice that it includes a coordinator! We would definitely recommend this venue!!
This place is amazing!! Such an incredible venue. The team was fantastic from our coordinator to the kitchen staff to the bartenders. Everyone was fantastic. The reception hall was amazing and the coordination to make sure everything ran smoothly was amazing! Thank you again!
Beautiful setting and great food. Recommend to hire your own wedding planner to work with the Pond House wedding coordinator, especially if you are brand new to wedding planning.
From the moment we saw the venue I knew it would be perfect for our big day. The staff from start to finish was so kind and accommodating and really made us feel like the prince and princess of the day! The venue was stunning and the food was amazing, we heard from guests all night about how beautiful the room was and how great their dinner was! We couldn’t have asked for a better venue to experience such a special day and we will also be thankful to Leslie and the team for all they did to make our day a dream come true! If you’re considering the pond house for any event my husband and I could not recommend it enough!
The Pond House was the perfect venue for our 120-person wedding. The reception hall is absolutely stunning, and decorated year round with beautiful flowers and greenery from the park. Tons of natural light made for incredible photos. The patio made for a beautiful and intimate ceremony. The food was fantastic and we’ve gotten tons of compliments. Our coordinator Leslie plus the rest of the team were easy to work with and made the day run so smoothly. We were running late in the morning but she kept everything calm and moving. Communication was great and the team did a great job setting everything up exactly to our vision. Plus we had the whole park to take our wedding photos in and for guests to explore! Highly highly recommend!! If you’re considering this venue definitely go try the food at the cafe, it’s just as good as the wedding food!
The Pond House made our perfect day even more perfect. The venue is gorgeous, the staff are friendly and precise, and the food is amazing (we're still thinking about it)! The overall price was very reasonable and they were able to put every decoration in its place. I'm so satisfied with their services!! It was an amazing day.
We had our wedding here on 3/23/24. I cannot speak highly enough about the venue itself as well as the staff. We worked with Diana and Leslie. Diana knows her stuff! She gave great suggestions and was helpful throughout the process. Leslie was beyond amazing- she nailed every detail. The venue was stunning and all the guests raved about the food. We had a seated dinner with 115 people. Everything fit perfectly. The decor was well done. The staff were incredible. We truly had the best day, and would choose the Pond House 1000 times over.
We were so happy to have found this place. When we saw the pictures on the Knot, we weren't really sure if this place was for us, but when we went in person, we were absolutely amazed by how beautiful and perfect the venue was for us! The food is AMAZING, the venue coordinator was on-point and so helpful day of. As the day got closer we had a lot more communication and they were flexible with a lot of things we wanted. The waitstaff was wonderful day of; when I couldn't find one of the appetizers I really wanted to try, they found a tray and ran outside to give them to me to make sure I had as many as I wanted! The only minor issue we ran into was we had spoken to/confirmed several times about swapping one of the sides for the meals and on the day of, we were disappointed to get the original side without being told why they had to make the switch.
That being said, having our wedding at the Pond House was incredibly and we would highly recommend this venue to any couple planning their wedding.
The first time I visited the Pond House I absolutely fell in love with it. It was decorated for the holidays and it felt so magical. We knew right away that this was where we wanted to get married. Two years later we got married here on 1/5/2024 and I just can’t stop thinking about how amazing it was! My guests all night kept saying how it was one of the prettiest venues and funnest weddings they’ve ever been to. How it was stunning and felt so magical. I have an old school Italian family and was so worried about the food because they can be such critics but omg. People RAVED about it. I had my rehearsal dinner here as well. Each food item better than the next. They have so many different options to choose from to satisfy and also accommodate dietary needs. The servers and bartenders were professional, hard working, personable, and so kind. My wedding coordinator was attentive, always replied quickly, never made me feel like a bother, and her professional opinion was always appreciated. I wish I could relive that night over and over. I can’t recommend this venue enough. 🖤
The Pond House was a perfect place for us to have our wedding. From start to finish we felt attended to, listened to, and it was just what we hoped for. Our guests continue to rave about the food, décor, and the love they felt in the room. It was truly an experience that we will forever cherish!
We LOVED the Pond House because of the phenomenal food, beautiful decor, the guidance we got from our planner Leslie, and the overall value! It was important for us to have delicious food and the variety of cuisines was a huge plus. Since my family is Chinese, we were able to pick out some Asian themed food. For decor, the only thing we brought were flowers for centerpieces and ceremony pieces; the Pond house had everything else to make the setting gorgeous! Leslie was instrumental in helping us stay on track for planning, and on the day of!
My husband and I were impressed with Pond House Cafe from day 1. Their customer service and hospitality are unmatched. From initial meetings, food tastings and rehearsal, we felt very confident in our decision to choose Pond House Cafe for our wedding ceremony and reception. The banquet room itself is beautiful and requires very little extra decorations. The food is incredible and they offer so many different varieties of food. A special thank you to Leslie, our wedding coordinator, for ensuring everything went perfectly.
The Pond House was the perfect location for our September wedding! We picked the venue for its visual appeal and food and both exceeded our expectations. We knew the Pond House provided seasonal decor but it was absolutely breathtaking! It would have cost thousands extra to provide our own twinkle lights, flowers, and decor. The food was outstanding and the incredible staff made sure we had plenty of it. Our coordinator Leslie met us right after the ceremony with our drinks (she even asked what we wanted at the rehearsal!) and the servers brought hors d'oeuvres right to us while we were taking photos. Our guests are still talking about the food! Leslie and the entire Pond House team really went out of their way to not only give us everything we asked for but also provide us with advice when we asked and needed it. We could not recommend The Pond House more!
The entire Pond House staff was experienced and professional. Although they have weddings every weekend, they truly made us feel special. As an LGBT couple, the Pond House made every conscious effort to make us feel comfortable, welcomed, and valued. If there were any hiccups the day of the event, we didn’t hear about them! Thank you again for making our dreams come true!
There aren’t enough words to describe just how incredible the Pond House Cafe was for our wedding.
The venue itself was absolutely stunning. We got married in June and between the flowers, lights, and decor, it was beautiful. It was also peak rose season so the rose garden in Elizabeth Park was breathtaking. We are so lucky to have had our photos here. The staff at the Pond House went above and beyond for us. Leslie was our coordinator and she was truly amazing. She answered every single question we had, met with us often to go over everything, provided detailed checklists for everything we needed, and so much more. On the day of, Leslie and Diana made sure everything ran smoothly. They made sure the processional was all ready to go and indicated when it was time for each person to go. Leslie also helped with smoothing out my dress and veil before walking down. Even though it rained a little during the ceremony, we wouldn’t change a thing.
Next, the food! We had read the reviews about how delicious the food was, but didn’t know just how delicious it was until the day of. The hors d’oeuvres were so unique and tasty, it may have been our favorite part of the meal. For entrees, we had the pork osso buco, the salmon, the chicken, and the vegetarian lasagna. Our guests raved about the food for so long after and we still hear how great their meals were. Our salad was a hit as well - we had the poached pear and I still dream about it. I have worked in catering and been to many weddings, but no wedding food has ever held a flame to what the Pond House provided. We had a wedding of 155 with at least 145 people on the dance floor all night. It was a special and perfect place for our wedding and we couldn’t be more thankful. The Pond House is truly a hidden gem - don’t sleep on it.
We had such a great time at our wedding at the Pond House. We had Leslie as our coordinator and she was fantastic! The food, drinks, and all the staff there that night were absolutely amazing and made our night.
Pond House is such a beautiful venue, located in the stunning Elizabeth Park. Our coordinator, Leslie, was responsive and helpful throughout the planning process, and so organized and efficient on our wedding day. Everything we could think of was taken care of, and everyone on the Pond House staff were so accommodating and friendly. And the food is delicious! Thanks again to everyone at Pond House!
We are so glad that we chose Pond House for our wedding venue. We appreciated Diana’s straightforward and no-nonsense attitude. Our coordinator, Leslie, was easy to work with and very accommodating. Their communication leading up to the wedding was terrific. The venue itself was stunning, especially as the evening went on and the twinkling lights became reflected in the windows. The food was all exceptional—our guests kept telling us how delicious everything was. Diana, Leslie, and the rest of the staff were very attentive of us, ensuring we ate and drank. There were a few minor issues—they served champagne to some of our guests who we had specified don’t drink and there were some issues with getting the food out on time (we had asked to have the salads out when guests arrived, but they ended up being served after the speeches which delayed our program). That said, we truly loved Pond House and plan to come back for our anniversary!
Our wedding venue was amazing. The Pond House and all people involved were so kind and attentive. Leslie, our coordinator was great about answering all my questions and bringing things to my attention I would have never thought of. The entire days timeline moved along swiftly and everything was very clean. The food was delicious and the dessert was to die for! Highly recommend the Pond House as a venue!
Our wedding was perfect! Leslie was our coordinator and she nailed every detail. The wait staff were phenomenal, the food was fantastic, and everything looked so beautiful! This venue was a very special place for us, Elizabeth Park was where my grandparents fell in love and where my husbands grandmother spent a lot of time. I’m so glad that we could share our special day there as well.
Our wedding went perfectly on May 11th. The staff was quick to respond and very accommodating to various allergies amongst our friends and families. The venue is absolutely gorgeous both inside and outside. A big thanks to our wedding coordinator, Leslie for all of the hard work she did for ours as well as the staff and chefs.
We are so happy we chose Pond House Cafe for our wedding venue! Everything from the very beginning was very easy, clear and the staff are super helpful and organized.
Leslie was our coordinator and she is simply the BEST! She is super sweet, gives great advise, is open to suggestions and is always on top of everything. We LOVED working with her.
The wedding package they offer is very complete, you can have on-site ceremony, choose buffet or plated food , open bar!!! and many other things. All of our guests loved the food, the space and decoration! A huge plus is the location, it is in Elizabeth Park which is great for pictures, regardless of the season.
They have an online portal in which you communicate with the wedding coordinator and it is very helpful, you can upload pictures, ask questions and be very specific in how you want your wedding to look like.
We are so happy and recommend you to celebrate your wedding here too.
Perfect location for a wedding. We chose to have a day wedding and the venue was able to accommodate easily whether it rained or was sunny! Leslie was our coordinator and we couldn’t have asked for a better person to support us for our day. She made the entire process seamless and stress free. The food was spectacular and all of our guests gave fabulous reviews on the food and the decorations within the venue. Highly recommend this venue for you wedding reception!
Our Pond House wedding was perfect! From decor to good to service, we were impressed. And we had so many positive comments from guests. Highly recommend for a wedding in any season.
Everyone at the Pond House was incredible! So many guests commented on how great the food was and how beautiful the space is. We are so happy we chose the Pond House!
We were impressed from start to finish with our experience at the Pond house for our wedding. Leslie was a fabulous coordinator, and everything turned out perfectly. The food was fantastic and the venue is already stunning inside so we did not have to add much for decorations. Being able to coordinate food, cake, drinks, and on site ceremony through the venue was so easy, and it took a huge amount of weight off of our shoulders!
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We got married here 1-28-23. We loved working with Diana, Leslie, Eric and all the staff. They’re extremely knowledgeable, professional, dedicated and you can tell they want your wedding to go as smoothly as you do. They bent over backwards to help us and work with us and I can say with confidence I would not recommend any other vendor to handle a friend or family member’s reception.
Leslie and Diana worked so hard to make our day perfect! From the very first inquiry they were super friendly and helpful, sharing their experience and expertise every step of the way. The Pond House is such a beautiful venue- and while many enjoy it with the gardens in the spring and summer it is something truly special in the winter. Guests told us they felt like they were in a Harry Potter movie (best compliment ever..) it was so beautiful and magical. The night was so smooth, we were checked in with and taken care of non stop, and the food is DELICIOUS. We couldn't recommend the Pond House more, any time of year.
We booked Pond House for our October wedding. Diana gave menu recommendations based on allergies and dietary restrictions, helping us provide guests with a well-rounded selection. The environment is romantic and cozy, and staff do a beautiful job keeping the hall decorated seasonally. Leslie and Diana didn't stop moving the entire evening, ensuring all of our needs and guest needs were met. The food and drinks were incredible. Highly recommend looking at this venue. Our guests could not stop talking about how beautiful it was.
We had an amazing fall wedding at the Pond House for 100 guests. We weren’t from the area and found the Pond House on Google Maps, came and visited and were delighted throughout the planning process and in the event execution!
The venue is lovely, and leadership has done a great job to make planning relatively stress free. They provide an excellent menu selection, and handle most of the details like linens and dinnerware, and coordinating a cake vendor. Many other vendors know the Pond House well, so coordination among all our vendors was easy.
While our coordinator changed abruptly about a month prior to the wedding, Nicole was amazing in the final plans and prep and in leading execution.
The food was excellent - we chose the buffet and were really happy with that decision. Our guests raved about basically everything: the food, the staff, and the beauty of the venue. It was truly perfect.
Taking pictures out in Elizabeth Park was also wonderful, and we were able to slip out a few times throughout the evening for lovely night time pictures around the Pond House and park.
The service was great, the venue was beautiful, and everything was reasonably priced for a wedding. We’ve recommended the Pond House to our friends and are glad to recommend it publicly.
There were a few bumps in the road for our wedding needing to be rebooked due to COVID and some staff that left during planning but when we were able to work with Stephanie a few months before the wedding, she was able to jump in where we were left and make sure that all the loose ends were tied. She reassured us with all of our questions and concerns and was so personable. The day ended up being absolutely perfect
My husband and I booked the Pond House Café in 2018 for our 2020 wedding. Due to covid-19, we ended up postponing our wedding twice! Diana and the rest of the staff were extremely understanding and easy to work with in finding us a new date. We were able to finally celebrate our marriage in April 2022 and were beyond happy with the service we received. We did a buffet and there were plenty of options to choose from. The food and drinks were amazing. The bartenders were also a big hit amongst the guests. They made great drinks and were a lot of fun! I suggest doing a signature cocktail, the strawberry basil lemonade was delicious. I was so happy with the way that they decorated and set everything up. I have no complaints. It was a beautiful and perfect day.
We had a great experience with the Pond House for our summer wedding. Stephanie and Diana were super helpful, the food was amazing, and the garden decorations were on point. The terrace was a beautiful setting for our ceremony. We got the intimate package for 50 guests.
We had our wedding here with about 130 guests on a Saturday evening. It was WONDERFUL, everything with off without a hitch, we had such a great time. The staff took care of everything and we were really able to just enough and celebrate with our guests. Would REALLY recommend. We specifically loved the speciality cocktails, people LOVED the basil strawberry vodka lemonades we had at Happy Hour
I cannot say enough about how perfect our July 2022 wedding was at the Pond House. The room is absolutely beautiful and well decorated. The food was outstanding (our guests are still raving!). The day ran so smoothly, and our coordinator Stephanie was so helpful and thoughtful, and ensured that everything went as planned. We had the best time, and our guests are still reaching out to us to say that they did too!
We had out Wedding at the Pond House last week. It was a beautiful day and the entire staff was lovely! Our first wedding planner left the company a few months before the wedding, and we missed out on about a month of communication while we were waiting to be assigned our new wedding planner. Once we were assigned Nicole, everything continued very smoothly. She was very knowledgable and answered all of my questions and concerns very promptly! The food was delicious and the venue-appointed cake vendor was lovely and the cake was perfect! It was surprisingly affordable and we were thrilled with the '"flow" of the entire day. If anything, it went by too quickly!
We got married at the Pond House on July 1st and had an extremely positive experience. The factor that really made our wedding planning smooth and painless was our coordinator, Nicole. If you have the chance to work with her, go for it! She is organized and professional, but also warm. She made us feel special and helped to make the day really feel like us.
Beyond that, the food and decor was lovely and exceeded our expectations. And word to the wise, there is a wide range of budget options for the Pond House. If, like us, you're trying to have a small, budget-friendly wedding, consider lunchtime and weekdays. We thought the Pond House was way out of our budget, but found that a Friday afternoon lunch buffet was a great value and worked for us.
Overall, very pleased with our experience and would recommend! And ask for Nicole- she's absolutely great!
Venue fired first wedding planner only to replace her with another coordinator that did not care about the wedding at all, had no details and the wedding party had to plan/arrange everything the weekend of. They rushed to kick us out before our end of reception time, staff ignored guests half the time, probably broke contract regarding clean up (not the bride so not clear) and generally made us feel unwelcome and undeserving of their space.
Unfortunately, our plans have changed and the wedding planned for SATURDAY JULY 30TH 2022 has been cancelled. We are working with the venue to help them rebook the date (they have been amazing, the food is so delicious, summer blooms in the park!).
If you are interested at all, this venue/date would be an absolute steal.
We had the most beautiful wedding at the Pond House Cafe! My husband and I searched high and low for the perfect venue and after arriving to Elizabeth Park, we knew we found the place. We originally began wedding planning pre-pandemic, so we greatly appreciated the opportunity to have a tour and consultation with Kim and Diana. Upon our first visit, we had the opportunity to not only see the grounds and garden room, but also to sample food and drink. We were blown away by the floor to ceiling windows, high ceiling, and magical decor. After booking with the Pond House, we had the opportunity to attend the in person Open House, which was AMAZING for sampling appetizers, drinks, and cake vendors. I highly recommend attending this event. We also had the opportunity to attend the sit-down tasting---another highly recommended event. When the pandemic hit, we made the unfortunate decision to postpone our wedding from September 2020 to July 2021. The Pond House was incredible in helping us coordinate a new date with no penalties except food cost. On the day of our wedding, which was a morning wedding, all of our guests complimented us on how amazing the food was and how incredible the grounds were. The staff was also amazing in accommodating our guests with food allergies and dietary restrictions.
A few minor oversights on the day were: 1. Appetizers were not set aside for the bridal party even though it was requested 2. Food platings and some menu items were changed without notification when compared to the initial tasting presentation 3. While the team utilized a shared coordinator model, it was a bit frustrating to have 3 or more different contacts during the planning process (Diana, Erin, Stephanie, Brittany).
Also, I highly recommend getting a photography permit for Elizabeth Park, especially during high season. Our photographer was able to have bridal parties and people "practicing" in the park by announcing our permit time and inquiring to see theirs.
Overall, our wedding day was everything we envisioned and more thanks to Brittany, Diana, Stephanie, and Kim.
What can I say? I am still in awe from our wedding. We had the most beautiful wedding at the Pond House. My only complaint is that it is over! The Pond House was phenomenal to work with and the space is absolutely breathtaking during the winter months. Our guests are still talking about how amazing everything was - from the decor to the food to the mac and cheese bar. It was everything we wished for and more. If you want a winter wonderland wedding then the Pond House should be top on your list!
The Pond House Cafe blew my husband and I away. We just had our wedding in Jan 2022 in the hight of the omicron wave of COVID. As my husband and I were panicking they kept us calm by keeping everything very organized for us and let us make last minute changes to our seating chart as more and more guests cancelled due to the pandemic. We had booked the venue about a year and a half prior to the wedding and everyone answered all of our questions and helped us plan every step of the way. Not to mention the breathtaking Christmas decor around the room. Multiple guests told the groom and I that this was one of the best if not the best wedding they had ever been to. The decor was beautiful, the food was phenomenal and not your typical wedding food. They even let us take some of our buffet home. The cake was included and delicious. The staff was over the moon helpful. Our coordinator Beth was also amazing and kept the flow of the wedding organic but also asked the groom and I for our input throughout the night. I mean what else would you want from a venue?! We 100% recommend the pond house for any of your events!!
The Pond House is a beautiful venue and we would definitely recommend! Elizabeth Park is a perfect setting for photos before/after/during your event and the terrace outside the reception hall was gorgeous for the ceremony. The venue is already so beautiful so you don't need a lot of decorations, and it really stands out against the typical hotel ballroom aesthetic that is so common. This venue is also great because a lot is included with the catering and bar included in the packages. Would recommend for weddings/ parties of 150 or less, otherwise it might be a little tight.
My husband and I can not say enough wonderful things about the Pond House! We booked our wedding back in fall of 2019, so we were wedding planning through the whole COVID rollercoaster, and I am not sure that we could have kept our sanity intact without the Pond House on our team. They were incredibly agile and adaptive, more than generous when working with us around the updated regulations, and responsive to our many, many questions. They also valued keeping our guests and their employees safe, which was important to us.
Our wedding day itself was absolutely magical! The room and the gardens were gorgeous – it felt like a dream. The food was delicious (all of our guests were raving), and the team made sure that, even as the bride and groom, we never went hungry. Stephanie is amazing and she was there to help us in every way, even helping me to figure out a difficult bustle! Thanks to the Pond House, the whole night ran seamlessly - we can’t imagine a more wonderful wedding day.
Wow! It was purely magical!! From start to finish was all she had dreamed and hoped for! It exceeded all of our expectations. The venue, the FOOD, the staff, everyone and everything was perfection! It’s been a week since the wedding and I’m still getting texts and messages from friends and family who are still raving! Most frequent comment, “Best wedding I’ve ever been to!” Thank you Stephanie, Diana, and the entire staff at the Pond House for making my daughter and her new husband’s dreams come true!!! ❤️
COVID bride here. Venue was very flexible with all the changes to dates for the wedding. They assign you a coordinator 6 months before wedding date which is really helpful in making sure you don't forget or overlook things. Venue itself is beautiful so you really don't need much in terms of decor. All our guests raved about never having better food at any wedding before. Everything was top notch!
Getting married at The Pond House was a romantic dream. The environment alone speaks for itself. Incredible venue. However, what stood out for me and my husband was the quality of food and support. The food (and yes, I am biased) better than any other wedding I have attended in my 34 years. My guests shared that they felt the same way, longing for leftovers and future visits to Pond House to foray further into the cuisine, so I can’t be far off. They also used the words, magical, beautiful, and exquisite detail when reminiscing on their experience overall.
The staff was calm, kind, and accommodating. Our guests were comfortable and had every need met. We will never forget our night there or the support of Stephanie, our wedding planner from Pond House. Her communication was seamless from beginning to end. She was stalwart and perfectly relaxed throughout the entire planning process which we greatly appreciated.
Take your friends to Pond House for lunch, take your mother for brunch, or meet up with family for a special evening dinner. This is whimsy establishment is a great place to eat and enjoy yourself among loved ones in addition to a great venue for weddings and special events.
Pond house cafe is an absolutely stunning venue with incredible food and VERY AFFORDABLE. All I would recommend is to make sure if you’re unhappy with your coordinator just request a different one. They try to match you but, sometimes that falls through. Otherwise, we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful spot. Winter wedding wonderland.
I can't thank Diana & The Pond House Cafe staff enough. They made a very stressful time pleasant & easy for my now husband & I. When our original venue canceled; the Pond House Cafe accommodated us with ease. Our wedding date October 17th was available & we booked ASAP! The entire process was smooth. Diana assisted with the perfect menu selections for our special occasion and ensured all would be taken care of to our expectations!!! The banquet hall was decorated perfectly (even with social distancing standards). The staff was perfect with making sure all our guests needs was attended too. I would definitely recommend the Pond House Cafe!!!!! If I could give ten stars I would. They made our special day
#itsLowetime perfect💖 Keith & Deana Lowe
How do I give ten stars? The Pond House hosted both our ceremony and reception, and it was the most wonderful experience. The pictures of this venue speaks for itself -absolutely stunning. The food from the venue was also incredible, we received so many compliments from our guests about their meals.
The entire day was well organized and absolutely beautiful, but one of the best things about The Pond House was how great they were during the planning process. Planning a wedding during COVID was so challenging, and Stephanie helped us through every single step. We had to significantly change the size of our invite list, and at one point had planned to move everything onto the patio due to COVID restrictions. Stephanie was a calming presence, and was always very accommodating and flexible. Thankfully the big day ended up being everything we had envisioned and more.
This review took me a while to post because I had to process my thoughts and grief that I felt about the way my fiance and I were treated. Our wedding was supposed to take place in August at Pond House. My fiance and I had a thorough conversation with Pond House concerning the issues and fear COVID-19 was causing our family. We expressed our concerns and explained that 90% of our family needs to travel in and being that a lot of our relatives were considered high risk, traveling for our wedding was just not a possibility. We asked them for a refund of our $4000 deposit and let them know that we plan to come back once this ever-evolving pandemic is at its end. Nope. Pond House insisted that we reschedule for next year with "up to" a 5% price increase or that we use the $4000 deposit for a catered event instead. This didn't make sense for our family and made my fiance and I believe that we weren't being heard. How could we take advantage of a catered event when our family is out of state AND how can we possibly reschedule for next year when coronavirus is an ONGOING and EVER-EVOLVING PANDEMIC? Pond House finally agreed to refund some of our deposit but decided to keep $1000 of it even though they rendered absolutely NO SERVICES. They said we can have it back if we spend a minimum of $6000 with them in the next 12 months which is absolutely ludicrous. We will not put our family at risk. However, at this point... my fiance and I had already given up and just agreed to those terms. We didn't have the energy to continue fighting. We were already losing the wedding we've been looking forward to for months and our venue was pouring salt into the wound. Do yourself a favor and get a venue that actually cared about their customers during this pandemic.
Response from the Vendor on 07/22/2020
Our hearts go out to all of our weddings that were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have put a great deal of time and consideration into creating policies and procedures that are fair to both parties. With almost 100 weddings affected in...
2020 we had to hold to these policies for all weddings in order to fairly help them find solutions during this unprecedented time. We offered a variety of solutions for our weddings to choose from and we successfully rescheduled over 90 weddings to 2021, and found alternative solutions for the majority of the remainder. Although we understand that there were a few weddings that did not agree with our policies, we do feel that these policies did a great job in helping almost all of our weddings find solutions for their special day.
We understand how heartbreaking this has been for all of our weddings as it has been for us as well. We have had the pleasure of hosting weddings for 21 years and have never experienced anything as devastating as this pandemic. We wish all of our weddings that have chosen to not reschedule all the happiness in the world as they begin their lives together.
Our winter wedding at the Pond House Café exceeded all of our dreams for the big day! Stephanie, our assigned coordinator, was so friendly, helpful, and easy to work with. She was very organized and great with communication – there wasn’t a second leading up to or during the wedding that we were worried about a thing. We had the ceremony in front of the fireplace, so we flowed seamlessly from ceremony to the reception, which was very convenient. Excellent food was our #1 priority when wedding planning, which made going with the Pond House a no-brainer. There are so many great menu options that allow you to break the mold of traditional wedding food. Everything we tried at the open house, tastings, and on our wedding day was incredible. All of our guests raved about how delicious the food was and how beautiful the venue was! The room set up with all of the trees and winter décor was so beautiful and beyond anything we could have dreamed up. We were in awe at the beauty of the room - it was a magical winter wonderland for our perfect day.
I was a wedding guest at the Pond House. Everything was going fine till the bartender refused to serve my 30 year old daughter a wine because she did not have an ID (she didn't bring it because she had been there for 3 other weddings and a Mother's Day brunch and had never been carded and wasn't driving). Denise, a manager, was unsympathetic and didn't't care that I,her 68year old mother confirmed her age. She also told me if she saw ME give her a drink she would confiscate it. I saw under age guests that never went to the bar drinking. My daughter and her husband left to go get her ID (a 25minute drive). After my daughter returned this woman couldn't stop offering her wine. The damage was done. If this was not my niece's wedding I would have left. Even though guests said the food was good( I lost my appetite after my encounter with this manager)and the venue attractive, I will never hold a function here because of the inflexibility of this one employee. I understand liquor laws and liquor licensing but this manager didn't care about me, my daughter, and other family members who tried to reason with her. I also heard a guest was yelled at for using the wrong door to enter the building and the bride was made to cry by an employee before the wedding.
The Pond House was the PERFECT venue. We held our ceremony on the terrace outside with a beautiful view of the pond and park, the food was to die for, and the venue and surrounding area made for endless photo ops. Our coordinator, Brittany, held my hand every step of the way and kept me calm and level-headed day of! Nothing got past her. Plus, the daytime wedding package was such an incredible value- I can’t recommend it enough!
We are thrilled with our wedding at Pond House! I actually found them on Wedding Wire searching around. We initially wanted the rustic barn style wedding, but after researching more, I realized we needed something a bit more hands off. I loved the look of Pond House. It is so romantic, and the main room is so stunning when you walk in. (I'm a sucker for high ceilings.)
We set our first appointment for the walkthrough with Diana. We then sat down next door for lunch, and tired a few different items to get an idea of the food. Although we had another meeting at another venue booked later that week, I cancelled it, and we booked with PH about 1 1/2 years before the wedding day.
I encourage you to go to any open houses or tastings they hold. We were able to try apps and the cakes at 1 event. (Donna's cakes are to die for!- See that review as well!) We also had a great time at the food tasting. I'm a HUGE foodie, so that is another reason why PH was a great fit. A few of mine and our guests favorites: Apps: Mini Chicken and Waffle. Thai Chicken Skewer. Smoked Salmon on a Potato pancake. The star of dinner with the Moroccan chicken. Everyone was raving! (and that is something we would have never picked unless we went to the tasting!)
The night flew by!!! My advice would be to stop and take it all in. We did head inside about a half hour before the ceremony started and was able to see the room set up. It is decorated so beautifully. All we had to bring in was the florals, the favors, and extra things like the seating chart, guest book, and some photos of family members.
Throughout the process we worked with Brittany. She was great with keeping us organized, and answering any questions we had! I'm secretly hoping someone I know has a wedding here, so I can also experience it as a guest! Thank you Pond House!!
Everything about our experience on our wedding day was amazing thanks to the wonderful staff of the pond house cafe. We will be recommending them to everyone we know!
We had our wedding at the Pond House Cafe on Friday, May 3rd and I wish I could relive it every day! From the first day we toured the venue with Diana we knew it was the perfect venue for us. We wanted a unique wedding and Diana, Brittany, the Chef and the entire the staff knocked it out of the park. Everyone was so accommodating even until the moment we exited the building at the end of the night. I can’t thank everyone enough for making our wedding day so special. I would choose this venue 1,000 times over again!
The perfect wedding day marrying my best friend :)
Wow! The Pond House was such an amazing venue for my daughter's Christmas wedding! The food was fabulous, the room was decorated to perfection, and the staff couldn't have done a better job! From start to finish, the staff made it easy and assured that all went smoothly on the big day. Our guest raved about how beautiful everything was and how great the food was! I highly recommend.
This was the best venue ever. The room was gorgeous and the staff were all so attentive. The food was great and the attendant I worked with had everything so nicely organized. This venue was amazing and made my wedding day feel special.
My husband and I stumbled upon the Pond House during one of their open houses back in March 2015 when we first got engaged. We are so happy we attended the open house because we fell in love with the venue immediately. We booked in 2016 and ended up getting married at the Pond House Cafe this October. We had a long engagement and were eager to have our wedding there. All of the staff at the Pond House were great to work with, from Diana who gave us our first official tour, to Brittany and Cindy who coordinated our wedding day. Diana was even there on our wedding day to ensure things went smoothly as well. Chef Ani was also a pleasure to work with and she created some samples of a signature drink we were thinking of having and let me try it during one of our last meetings before the wedding. She also took the time to sit down and review the menu and to go over any food allergies or diet restrictions any of our guests had and offered alternate solutions for them which was great. She even came out the day of the wedding to make sure I was happy with all of the food. We enjoyed working with the Pond House every step of the way and they truly went above and beyond to ensure our day was everything we wanted. I sent numerous photos of how I wanted things set up to Brittany and she ran with my ideas and made my vision come to life! I was so impressed with how beautiful everything looked the day of and so happy to see all of my hard work come together. It's hard to pass the reigns to someone else when you've been planning for almost three years, but I am so happy to have had the staff at the Pond House there to help my vision come to life. We cannot thank you enough for everything! We wish we could go back and get married again because it goes too quickly! We definitely recommend the Pond House Cafe to anyone who is looking to get married at a beautiful venue for a reasonable price. The food was also amazing and the food tasting was one of our favorite parts of planning. Everything was so delicious it was so hard to choose our menu! If you're thinking about booking the Pond House go to an open house and try some food and meet with other vendors or book a meeting with Diana. You won't be disappointed!
Beyond gorgeous venue. And affordable. Still can’t get over how beautiful everything was.
My husband and I had the pleasure of getting married at the Pond House in May, and we could not be happier with our choice. The venue was beautiful, the food was delicious, the staff was helpful and kind, and overall we just had the best day ever! We worked with Erin as our wedding coordinator and she was kind, enthusiastic, and helpful. Everything we needed to know was explained carefully and thoughtfully, and our day went off without a hitch. We will forever remember the kindness of the staff, the perfect decor, and the thoughtful details that made our day so special- they even accommodated a last-minute rain storm with a beautiful indoor setup!