Purslane at the Prospect Park Boathouse

incredibly knowledgeable and professional, and made us feel like we were in good hands from day 1. I can't express how comfortable and confident we felt putting our wedding in the team's hands. One of the best aspects of working with the Boathouse was their flexibility. When we learned there might be rain the day of our wedding, for example, the Boathouse let us know we could make the call to have our ceremony indoors/outdoors just hours before the wedding, which was a huge relief. (It didn't end up raining!) Additionally, the food and service were divine. Our guests raved about the freshness of the dishes and truly, as a couple, one of our favorite days during the wedding planning process was the Purslane tasting. And during the night of the wedding, one of the Purslane servers made sure to make a beeline for me with hors d'oeuvres and wine - which was huge since I hardly ever sat down that night! All in all, Purslane and the Boathouse went above and beyond for us, and because of their professionalism, expertise, and kindness, our wedding flowed perfectly. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Thank you especially to Allie and Kendra!

hey handled all of our requests with very quick responses and a willingness to meet our ideas. We had both a DJ and a Band and they all fit perfectly in the space beneath the stairs while leaving ample space for a dance floor. We worked with Gina who was the absolute best, but she, unfortunately, left Purslane before our wedding so she was not there for our special day. She went above and beyond to accommodate any requests we had and even found ways we could be efficient and save some money. Our only feedback is that we had a sweetheart table and Purslane provided a floor plan with four tables on either side, centering the sweetheart table. We discovered just before our room reveal that only three tables fit on one side, five on the other. Our planner, Cherish Events, jumped right on it so that our two family tables were still the closest to us, but it required a bit of last-minute maneuvering of table names and namecards. Word of advice to brides+grooms is to double check these things! We also had three different points of contact from Purslane during our wedding planning process, making it feel slightly impersonal. They were all EXCELLENT and very professional, but it was difficult to catch up and get to know a new person each time. All that said, the Boathouse staff and Purslane catering were top-notch service and the food was delicious.

lves, and the Boathouse staff was super responsive and made everything really easy for us. I can't imagine having had our wedding anywhere else - highly recommend <3

e were some staffing hiccups with Purslane because of covid, but we ultimately worked with Gina, who was fantastic. Purslane was super flexible with floor plans, florals, candles, timing, so it was easy to customize. The day went exactly how we pictured it.

o figuring out a food vendor, or lighting, or tables, or linens, etc. Hallelujah! Our experience was a 5-star, for sure, just did the 4 stars for some caveats to couples with other priorities -- like, if you DO want to choose your food vendor or even adjust the drink list, it might not be right for you. Also was tough to be kicked out by 11pm after our ceremony started an hour late due to bus issues. (Not Purslane's fault at all -- park rules -- just something to consider.) And, if you have a big wedding (150+) I worried about the bathroom situation - only 2 stalls total. Again, none of the above was a problem for us, just notes for future couples! I will never regret this location and can't wait to keep revisiting in years to come :) PS. Kelsey rocks!!

oathouse, which was extremely frustrating at times, however this was in no way the fault of the current team, and ultimately Kendra and her staff really came through for us in a big way. The team found a way to fulfill our every need; from a private side entrance allowing us to utilize the upstairs as a private staging area, to menu customization to cater for food intolerances and allergies. On the day of, the wait staff was professional, the food was great, and ultimately, it ended up being our dream wedding. As a venue, the boathouse is absolutely stunning and very picturesque. As long as Kendra and her team, we highly recommend working with them, as they will make your dreams come true.

, their staffing problems had an unfortunately negative impact on our wedding—not the case for the bars and restaurants we worked with on our welcome reception, rehearsal dinner, and after party. For much of our time with Purslane, we didn’t have a dedicated event coordinator (there was a revolving door of staff); and ultimately, the sales team did most of the organizing for our wedding. Though this team did their best, not having experienced event staff on hand made planning more stressful and time-consuming than it needed to be. It took a long time to get responses to seemingly basic questions about menu and party flow, and there were small but frustrating hiccups throughout our wedding prep. More critically, we think the lack of event staff led to problems on our big day. Items were overlooked at our reception—to name a big one, Purslane forgot to bring a starter we paid for. (They did refund us for this.) They also didn’t manage our timeline well. When we arrived at the Boathouse, the upstairs area wasn’t prepped for us to get ready in as promised. Our cocktail hour and dinner went on longer than planned, causing our reception to run behind schedule. We had a wonderful party nonetheless and still highly recommend the Boathouse for its unbeatable location and charm. We also do want to give Purslane credit for their excellent food, which we’re still getting compliments on. However, we suggest anyone booking consider hiring an outside planner to pick up Purslane’s slack with regard to event organization and coordination.

ly, like nearly all venues, Purslane at the Boathouse experienced dramatic implications as a result of the coronavirus (staffing loss, revenue hit, etc). That said, you wouldn't have even noticed it on our wedding day as the organization totally recuperated. Our amazing Purslane Coordinator, Kelsey, was so excellent to work with and truly wanted us to have an amazing day. They very very rarely said "no" to anything we wanted to do! Instead, everything was a "sure! that sounds like a great idea". When the day came to get married, we had flash flood warnings and knew we had to pull the ceremony inside; and guess what, we think it turned out MORE BEAUTIFUL than it would've been outside (if you can believe it)! Purslane executed the rain plan so well, you've wouldn't have even noticed it was made so last minute. Pro Tip to brides and grooms: get a venue that has true experience with last-minute rain plans because it happens WAY more often than you would think and if it happens to you, you want a seasoned professional who knows exactly what to do! Thank you Purslane and the Boathouse!

ponsive, friendly, accommodating, and professional; the space is gorgeous and beautifully maintained and operated; the food and drink were bountiful and delicious, and the service rivaled any of New York’s fine restaurants. Best of all, the process of collaborating to make our wedding happen was easy and fun, and Machaela and Justin made us, the nervous engaged couple with a million things to manage, very confident that our day would not just go as planned, but would be a beautiful success. And indeed it was! Of all the people we worked with. Machaela and Justin deserve special mention. They are excellent communicators, responsive to the million questions and people that wedding planning entails. They are proactive collaborators, laying out a clear process and schedule not just for the day, but for the process of working to plan it. They provided useful, detailed documentation at every step of the way, including a very helpful list of recommended vendors. Every meeting with them was fun and friendly, but also productive, punctual and a good use of time. And of course, the food and wine tastings were delicious. Machaela and Justin were so helpful in giving us a sense of how the venue would perform in a situation we wouldn’t get to experience until the day itself. They guided us expertly, making shrewd suggestions we might not have considered (“Since you have an open bar, we recommend choosing a heavier vegetarian entree.”) My wife and I had a unique vision for our event, and these two not only assured us that it was possible, they worked with the park to accommodate myriad details, even down to the selection of lightbulbs. It’s no exaggeration to say that without their help, the event would not have had the specific atmosphere we imagined, nor would it have been the roaring success that it was. All the confidence they inspired along the way paid off on the day, when Machaela, Justin, and their staff were a machine. The service was prompt, helpful, and invisible; the food was great, not losing too much in the translation from tasting to event; the wedding ran perfectly smoothly, with Purslane on top of the schedule, keeping the momentum of the night alive as they moved tables, served each course, operated the bars, and so on with perfect cadence. We are so, so grateful to Purslane for making our wedding a true dream come to life. Our only regret is not responding sooner to their lovely post-wedding thank you note, and for taking so long to write this review! To you recently-engageds with so many decisions to make, let me help you with this one: your search is over; just hire Purslane.

ring a wedding planner, and that's what Purslane delivered. The team was very communicative and even helped us get our timeline in order. If you are looking for a low stress wedding, definitely consider getting married at The Boathouse. Purslane handled all of the rentals - we just had to make decisions about food, linens, plateware, chairs, etc. The venue itself is incredible and speak for itself - you really don't need that many decorations because the Boathouse photographs beautifully without them. We had a hiccup with the final bill, but everything was eventually sorted out and they were responsive and easy to work with.

ul. The food was amazing, and the only hard part about the process was deciding between the delicious options. The boathouse was beautiful and was the perfect setting for our wedding-- we even had a swan show up in the lake during our photographs! We could not have been happier with our choice of Purslane and the Boathouse.

o detail was left behind. The venue itself is gorgeous, and Alexandra knows the Boathouse inside and out. With her help, we were able to really let the architecture shine and had a seamless experience coordinating all park-related logistics. Alexandra and her team have strong relationships with other vendors (flowers, music, etc.) that led us to work with other amazing local individuals who were also familiar with the venue. The Purslane catering team created a delicious and unique menu for our guests and everyone was raving about the food the next day. We had such a wonderful experience planning our wedding with Alexandra and the Purslane team. The team took the time to get to know us and understand the type of party we wanted to throw, and they helped us create a wedding that was truly “us.” We wish we could do it all over again!

menu to choose food from - it was all divine and hard to make decisions! (We brought in our own desserts.) And the VENUE.... I mean, that venue is just so gorgeous it does not require much extra decor. However, should you want it, be prepared hire loads of extra help; Window for load-in and out is very tight. Another surprise, you / band / DJ is required to bring in all sound equipment. Be prepared to budget for that. Alexandra does a great job of prepping the space ahead of time, however, I would've loved to control the lights so that we could notch it down as the party revved up. Also, worth noting, no matter how much money you throw at Purslane, they are unable to keep the party going beyond the contracted hours. We learned the hard way but had a nearby dive bar lined up for the after party. All around a wonderful experience.

e month to plan our wedding start to end. We reached out to the Prospect Park Boathouse and were on the phone discussing details with Alex within 30 minutes. After meeting Alex in person a few days later to walk through the venue together, we were ready to sign the contract. The Purslane team was accommodating at every step. We had originally estimated 85 guests but ended up with over 100, and they had no issues pulling this off. Everyone on the Purslane team was easy to work with and far exceeded our expectations. The team was involved in every detail of the day, beyond just the food, and played an integral part in making sure everything went as planned on our big day. We felt comfortable putting all of our trust in Alex and the team to make sure we had the wedding we always wanted, despite our circumstances. They advised on the menu, set up (chairs, table layouts, etc.), the general flow of the evening, and much more. The team made sure my mom was comfortable all night, which was so important to me and my husband. They were in contact with all of our vendors and were a great resource when it came to choosing vendors to work with. We got so many compliments on the food and had friends asking about our caterer immediately after our wedding. They accommodated the many dietary restrictions and allergies of our guests without comprising the taste of any of the food. We can’t recommend Purslane highly enough! You definitely won’t regret hiring them for your wedding - it was the easiest decision we made in our planning.