Pond House Cafe

, but actually using a barn would have been in the end too expensive. I also liked that before I booked the venue, I could at least sample the food that came out of the kitchen so I had an idea what we were getting into, because food is so extremely important. Most other venues that JUST do weddings and functions did not allow you to try the food at all until you were booked and had forked over a substantial amount of money, which made me uncomfortable. I also loved the Pond House's proximity to Elizabeth Park for the purposes of group photos, which turned out amazing. EVERYONE at my wedding said that it was the best wedding they'd been to, and I think in addition to my DJ (Aaron Topfer, USE HIM) - this venue was the reason. It was beautiful, reasonably priced, and the food was excellent, one of the best meals I've had in my life. They are also MUCH more accommodating with family that wants to help - my sister-in-law did the flowers, and a friend of the family did the cake - they didn't force either of them to get a rider on their insurance policy or get a license from the state to make the cake. I am so happy that I overruled my now husband and went with this place, and he told me he's happy I did too. If you're looking for a place to impress on a budget (mine was under $17K) this is the place for you.

the wedding (1 month away) everything went downhill. Linens and other details of the wedding that had been decided almost a year out were no longer available and no sense of urgency was made to make changes or alterations. When it came to the actual day, the coordinators were hardly around and my DJ was actually having to plan when do cake, dances ect. Because the details had changed so often due to lack of communication the total bill for the wedding wasn't "as planned" so it tuned out that we still owed around $200 the night of our wedding. The staff actually approached my husband during our wedding and asked for the balance. We were appalled as we were approached during the middle of our wedding for a $200 balance. Im not sure what happened from the beginning of the planning process to the end but it seemed to me that they either are very understaffed and don't have enough time to properly coordinate with all of their brides or they are uninterested once a contract is signed.

s, which was really important to my husband and I. The space was perfect for our 100 guests. I think you could fit about 125 guests if you needed to. Elizabeth Park is beautiful, and our wedding photos are priceless!

they executed everything beyond our expectations.

Pond House; absolutely beautiful and high attention to detail! I highly recommend the evening option for a wedding! (Suggestion: do the plates dinners!)

ppy we went with our gut and chose this amazing venue (if your reading this review you will not be disappointed in them) We got married August 8th, 2015. The venue has a very unique vibe to it which we LOVED. It's very pretty with a modern and eclectic twist which fits and compliments Elizabeth Park. The windows are from floor to ceiling, the exposed beams have small twinkle lights that add a romantic feel and along with window tea lights that are on for the whole reception. They decorate the venue for each season, but you can easily add more to give it a personalized feel. Even if you aren't the decorator or you don't have a wedding planner, the venue still looks stunning with their seasonal decor. The food. It's absolutely amazing. The chef does a fantastic job with unique but very tasty creations. They had a great presentation from apps to dinner. You choose from two bakeries for your cake - we used Cakes by Donna. It was the exact cake that I imagined and it tasted delicious. I added extras to our menu like pasta with vodka sauce and mini cannolis to each table. The staff was great. We worked with Diana for all the booking and deposits and she was awesome. Very organized and easy to work with. We started with Susan for our wedding coordinator but a few months before our wedding Andrea took over. Both Susan and Andrea were fantastic. Andrea is the one who took our vision and made it reality. She was also in charge all my decorations. She wrote down every detail and it came out beautifully (I did all my own wedding planning and brought in about 12 tubs of decorations!) but she displayed everything perfectly. Our total wedding was about 170 people, and while we were close to the max number of guests, we still had a great size dance floor near the DJ. The outdoor patio was amazing and was great extra space for an August night. We had our photo booth outside which was a big hit. We got married in the perennial garden in Elizabeth Park which was a beautiful outdoor setting. The Pond House location made it so convenient for guests to park and walk from our ceremony to our reception. Everyone loved the convenience of our wedding. All in all, the Pond House is a beautiful venue for a modern but not over the top rustic feel. There were a few things I wished were different, such as the bathrooms and the bridal suite. In the grand scheme of things, neither were a big deal. The reception room shares a bathroom with the cafe guests and I really wished there were separate bathrooms for the price. Also, they do not have a bridal suite, which might bother some brides. We were very happy with our decision and would not have changed our day at Elizabeth Park and the Pond House!

rib as an entree based on all of the feedback I got from our guests! Leading up to the wedding, Diana was great to work with and as our wedding got closer, Andrea stepped in as our coordinator and was a pleasure to work with as well. On the day of the wedding, the entire Pond House staff ensured that everything went smoothly and that we had everything that we wanted/needed throughout the night. I was a little bit nervous that they only had an hour and a half to set-up for our wedding, but they got everything done in time for the start of our reception! I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful venue, and the best part is that it was one of the most affordable venues I could find in CT! All of the food was out of this world and the staff was so friendly and helpful. The only thing that I'd suggest is sticking with a guest list no bigger than 130 if you decide on this venue. Any bigger than that and there's not much of a dance floor, which is the reason we kept our wedding to 130 people but it ended up being the perfect size. Happy planning!

even amazing with some of my guests food allergies ! The space is gorgeous and a perfect venue for a wedding!!!

isotto and the presentation was breathtaking. My husband had the short rib and he said it was delicious. The food was definitely a big hit. The waitstaff was so helpful and friendly. Since I have Celiac Disease I had to keep asking if things were gluten free, but they came back to me with the answers so quickly. The decor was holiday themed and absolutely beautiful. Overall it was the perfect evening.

y the place I wanted to hold my reception. After visiting the gardens surrounding the venue and finding out we could hold the ceremony in the park (done via the City of Hartford) I was sold! The venue itself and the surrounding gardens are so beautiful even when not in bloom! On my first visit I met with Diana who showed me around and answered all of my questions. She was very thorough and went through all of my options for the room setup and alternatives if I had to do my ceremony in the venue vs the gardens if there was inclement weather. She was very down to earth and easy to work with even though we hadn't actually booked there yet. She was excited about their venue but wasn't pushy or too "salesy" to try to convince me to book there, unlike some other venues I visited. Those who live in CT know how expensive things are there and while our wedding total rounded out close to the national average these days, I found that The Pond House was on the lower to moderate end of the spectrum and what you got for the price was well worth it - open bar with quality brands, more hot appetizers than most other places, cake included and another dessert option. I immediately knew that it was the place for me! After booking I was passed over to the coordinator for my event, Susan. Although Susan was now my main contact, Diana was still always available and willing to help with whatever I needed. She was fabulous! The same goes for Susan! I can't even put into words how much I loved her as out site coordinator! Working with her was so stress-free. By the date of the event I was so comfortable just dropping my stuff off and letting her go at it. I just knew she understood my vision and would make the room beautiful! Susan is so kind and sweet and really went out of her way to make sure our day was perfect! Even when there was a little mix-up with our credit card billing, she took it upon herself to work with our CC companies to resolve the issue so that we could enjoy the night and our honeymoon with no worries. Susan was so accomodating with everything! We opted out of a champagne toast but still made sure that my new husband and I had some to toast with ourselves, she accomodated my grandmother with a special meal due to dietary restrictions, and she let me bring in an additional outside treat for a late night snack - something most other venues don't allow. She was also fabulous at making some last minute adjustments to our meal counts as we had some unexpected changes. If I could do it all over again I would most certainly choose The Pond House for my wedding, or any other event for that matter! The service, staff, and location are amazing! I could go on and on and on even more about this venue.....if you're considering looking here you won't be disappointed!

the space, my coordinator Susan was amazing. She was so patient as I changed my final count and tweaked food choices what felt like a billion times in the weeks before the wedding. On the day of she helped execute all the details I had worked so hard on flawlessly. Oh and the food was so good... the appetizers were a hit with all the guests (tempura asparagus and potato bar amongst others!) and we loved the buffet. They even provided me my own plate of gnocchi since I don't eat meat. I cannot say enough about everyone at the Pond House, they made our reception great!

s. We got so many compliments on everyone's meals and appetizers! Susan was a delight to work with (although not the fastest by email if that's your preferred method of contact, as is mine). She guided us through the whole reception process - what we should bring, what they would provide, when to have things checked off our list. She worked with the DJ to take care of the whole evening schedule and set up all of our decorations, which turned out just like I wanted. She's personable and easy to work and get along with. The venue itself is GORGEOUS. If you've never been, I recommend you take a peek. Just the right amount of rustic romance while still keeping it classy. We didn't need to decorate the room really because they keep the venue so beautiful with all of their own foliage and flowers and twinkling lights. I'm so happy we had our wedding here, it was exactly what we wanted!

edding, everything ran smoothly. The wait staff was friendly and even danced with the bridal party while we waiting in the wings to get started. The hall was decorated for Christmas and they really outdid themselves. It was stunningly beautiful and more than we expected. The food was fantastic too! We got tons of compliments from family members and friends about the Pond House and are so happy with our choice!

ood was amazing and unique - presentation to match. The one downfall is that there is no bridal suite for the bridal party to hang out in prior to introduction. Other than that we could not say enough positive things about this venue!

es. Now this wouldn't have been a problem, but we paid $0.30/Swarovski crystal (which were different colors) to indicate the meal choices, as well as we gave a list by table number with the meal choices. Another annoyance was how understaffed they are, especially since this venue isn't exactly inexpensive. More than half of my guest did not receive the butlered hors d'oeuvres, including the grandparents of myself and my husband and my father. Literally my mother had to ask the waiters to make rounds, rather than going to the same people. I do have to admit that the venue is very beautiful, but the staff is lacking. Another big deal was the fact that my florist had to wait over an hour past the time told to be there due to the fact that they did not have the room setup and ready. This also prevented my photographers from getting into the room and taking pictures prior to the guests arrival. Even though I love eating in the cafe, I wouldn't recommend this venue for a wedding, unless they add more staff.

ion to detail ended up with a perfect day and incredible reception. The cafe itself looks quite casual from the outside but the venue room is gorgeous. Twenty foot ceilings and enormous floor to ceiling windows look out over a small lake surrounded by trees. Depending on your event and number of people the cost for the venue includes, venue room , table,and linens. The food was amazing by far the best value and great service. We had their in-house pastry chef make our Lemon, Mascarpone,2 tier vow cake and the guests swooned. Best cake we've ever tasted! Perfect!

he middle of a stunning park. (We had our ceremony in the Rose Garden Gazebo, which was just a short walk away from The Pond House). The space for the reception was gorgeous, airy, and beautifully decorated even before we brought our wedding decor. Susan, the reception coordinator, sometimes took a while to get back to me, but she was extremely helpful and answered all my questions. I also didn't like the fact that the contract said the menu could change and the prices could go up later. (The menu did change, but we were able to still go with the 2012 menu choices. The bar prices didn't change at all. It was just turned into all five-hour options.) With that said, the food was phenomenal (except they forgot to bring out the mashed potatoes), and I didn't have to worry about a thing on our big day. I can't wait to go back to the restaurant part of The Pond House for our one-year anniversary, and of course, visit the beautiful gardens again!

for us. Susan is fantastic, relaxed, highly competent and remained that way until the very last detail was done. We were also extremely impressed with the chef and kitchen. They designed an entire vegetarian (and some vegan plates) buffet from some suggestions we offered about favorite ingredients and dishes we'd had at a vegetarian restaurant. The chef went above and beyond in creating little masterpieces. The food was so good, we still think about it! Even our meat-loving guests were raving about how delicious everything was. The decor was elegant and beautiful; including the hand-built bar. The bartender got rave reviews from our guests too. Everything was perfect; we're glad we gave them a chance. Totally recommend!!

e out,and I told her that we'd really have to look at the venue before booking, and she said " well I can't hold it and we are busy so I guess you will just lose out." I just did not like the woman's attitude that I dealt with, so I never bothered to take a look. And my coworker's daughter said that the woman at this venue was rude to her as well.

from the moment we met to the last second of the wedding. She was on top of everything, set up all my decorations,etc perfectly, and made sure I had everything I needed at the reception. We did have another coordinator that was hard to get a hold of and not as easy to work with, but once Maxine stepped in, I was at ease!

. I would highly recommend the Pond House to any bride, it look absolutely stunning with soft lighting during the evening and beautiful foliage inside and out. The food was also delicious!

everything, including the fact that they take care of all the centerpieces and decorations themselves. Most everything at the reception was perfect, the food, the organization, the beautiful decorations (that just so happened to exactly match our color scheme... nice job Pond House!). However, there are a few things that annoyed me a little bit. We decided to do a challah blessing before the meal, and payed a lot of money for a huge challah that was supposed to be cut up and served with the buffet... well they forgot, so most of the challah went to waste. Also, I believe a champagne toast was included in our bar price, and they never did one.... Also, don't be fooled into getting their "breakfast bread table" if you have a brunch here, it is very small, and not really worth it. But all in all, the put on a wonderful reception for us, and many of our guests proclaimed it the most beautiful reception they had been to.

aff are extremely helpful!

if that doesn't bother you then you will be in good shape. The room is just beautiful at night (and during the day), and you can do all of your photos in gorgeous Elizabeth Park. You can really tailor your reception to fit your budget, and although this is not a budget reception venue, you don't have to spend $40,000 for a 130 person reception. One point to note- I would not have a sit down reception for more than 130 here. Their info on their website says they can accommodate up to 200, but it would be extremely cramped. Great to work with, we loved having our reception here!

what is in the bar or adding an hour to the reception (which they will not do). The day went well, but it was exhausting dealing with the venue leading up to the wedding.

where our first coordinator didn't show up to an appointment(who no longer works there, the new coordinator is wonderful) and so the cafe gave us dinner on the house. It's a beautiful venue, and we really didn't have to worry about a thing. At the reception we had a personal waiter who tended to us and provided hor'dourves to the bridal party before our entrance. The pond house was a little more pricey than we set out to spend, but the excellent food, the service, beautiful setting, and the peace of mind was worth it.

rose garden isn't really an option. But the Pond House is! It was beautifully decorated for the Christmas season, the fire was blazing in the fire place, the food was SPECTACULAR! Our reception was gorgeous, not only by our standards but also our guests. Anything we asked for was immediately taken care of. The staff was friendly and accommodating. It really was a perfect reception.

corated. They were wonderful to work with, and very patient with all the arrangements.