Purslane at the Prospect Park Boathouse

f not the best) wedding that had ever been to. They are truly top notch and make for a great day.

nothing short of spectacular—a beautiful historic building in the heart of Brooklyn. The architecture alone made for the most stunning backdrop for our ceremony and reception. Beyond the beauty of the space, the service was truly top notch. The team was incredibly attentive, professional, and made us feel like our event was their top priority. From the planning stages through to the last dance, they were organized, seamless, and took care of every detail, allowing us to relax and enjoy our day. And of course, the food was outstanding! We received so many compliments from our guests about how delicious everything was. Every dish was beautifully presented, and we loved how they incorporated local, seasonal ingredients. Whether it was the passed hors d’oeuvres, the plated dinner, or the dessert table, everything was a hit.

mmunication, which is what we experienced with Elena from Purslane from beginning to end. We went through several different iterations of our catering plan and Elena was incredibly helpful and transparent throughout, helping us ultimately find a plan that we were delighted with. At our final site visit at the Prospect Park Boathouse, Elena helped us think through the pacing of our walks and many other practical details. Everything in terms of day-of execution was impeccable. Thank you Purslane for a dream wedding!

les created a stunning backdrop for our ceremony and reception. Even with our rain plan, it made the day feel incredibly intimate and even magical. We loved the feeling of hosting a wedding in our "backyard," with the picturesque lake and park setting. The day of servers were extremely kind and attentive, especially to our table and our VIP guests. They made sure we were well taken care of, always offering food and drinks without us needing to ask. Another standout aspect was having attendants to guide guests through the park, which ensured no one got lost on their way to the venue. However, there are a few things future couples should be aware of. At our first tasting, the staff didn’t know what they were serving us and had to check multiple times. Thankfully, they allowed us to have a second tasting, and this time there were menus, so it went much more smoothly. One of the biggest challenges all future couples should be aware of is their strictness with parking and delivery passes. You only get four delivery and four parking passes for vendors, VIP guests, and yourself, and they do not budge on this—even for guests with disabilities. This was difficult to manage, especially for our elderly grandmother and for family members picking up or dropping off items. Another important thing to note is the timeline. You’re only allowed access to the Boathouse two hours before the event starts, and most days there are other events going on earlier in the day. For example, the morning of our wedding, there was a bird-watching event until 3 pm, and we couldn’t get inside until 2 hours before our 5 pm wedding. Our florist even had to start setting up outside in a truck to make it work, so if you want big floral arrangements, it may be a challenge. Also, if guests arrive early (like ours did, about 20 minutes before), they won’t be let inside, even if it’s raining. Another heads-up, rehearsals are only allowed during public hours, and we weren’t allowed inside, which made it harder for our VIPs to visualize the walk down the aisle, especially with a rain plan. There were also a few minor issues during the event itself. The bar accidentally closed an hour early, which was frustrating because we had paid for the full time. This was fixed relatively quickly but many guests were turned away too soon. Some of the food at our wedding was different from what we had at our tasting in July: For example, the brown butter gnocchi I fell in love with at the tasting was served with a completely different, thicker squash sauce on the wedding day, and the mussels were missing from the seared halibut. Neither of these were communicated ahead of time. I understand it’s farm to table and dependent on what is available, but it would’ve been nice to know about these changes ahead of time. Additionally, in the beginning of the night, the custom cocktails had the wrong proportions of alcohol. Luckily my brother and sister in law were able to sort it out with the bartenders who were great about it. We could also hear some back-of-house noises during our ceremony since we were inside due to rain, including a timer that went off twice during the officiant’s reading. Lastly, if you’re planning to do the Hora, you will need to rent 2 chairs. The chairs at the Boathouse are folding chairs and not safe to lift in the air. Despite these challenges, the beauty and ambiance of the venue truly made our wedding day magical. These are just some things to keep in mind while planning. All in all, we loved every moment of our wedding at Purslane at The Boathouse and would choose the venue all over again.

iful. It is hard to describe how hard Purslane worked, how gracious they were, and how incredible and romantic the wedding ultimately was. They provided wonderful recommendations on flowers, cake, etc. And the food was absolutely amazing!

lena with Purslane was kind, patient and professional, offering advice on vendors and any number of related issues. We always knew we were in good hands. The wait staff were great. The security guys went above and beyond. We and all our guest were very happy

was lovely to work with. We thoroughly enjoyed our tasting (held at the Boathouse with other couples getting married in the same season) to kick off the planning process. There are so many options for the catering, and we heard from numerous guests that the food at our wedding was among the best reception meals they'd had. Purslane really knows how to run this show. The weather unfortunately didn't cooperate for our vision of an outdoor wedding by the lake, but Purslane's rain plan was also beautiful and they were very receptive to our wishes to keep as many doors and windows open as possible to keep the connection to nature part of our ceremony. Thanks for your help in making our day so special!

ul backdrop of the park and venue did most of our decorations, and we had park visitors who stopped at the bridge across the pond to witness our ceremony, silently cheering us on. This place will always have a special spot in our hearts, and we couldn't be happier with the venue we chose to mark the beginning of our forever.

es a week, to the nature-y feel that took us back to the PNW, where we first met, choosing the Boathouse as our venue was a no brainer. From start-to-finish, our main representatives from the Boathouse were beyond responsive, making any question or scheduling done with ease. Elena became our main point of contact early on and was always prompt with scheduling necessary meeting to discuss wedding decisions, providing us with necessary catering vendor information and meeting invitations, as well as consistently updating our event contract and event order to reflect any discussed alterations. There was never any doubt that our wedding day at the Boathouse would be stunning, even with the result of rain on our wedding day, as the rain plan discussed with our day-of event coordination was so beautifully executed that the absence of an outdoor ceremony was not missed at all. Guessed raved about the sheer beauty of the building and the class that it offered to our wedding day.

th beautiful and delicious. I was fully prepared to have perfectly average food served at my wedding because that's kind of the risk you take with catering for 100 people - but all of our dishes were gorgeous and SO delicious. Same goes for the bar; the bartenders were amazing and the drink offerings were perfect. We did have some communication issues during the planning, which I think were due to key staff members departing about 2 months before our wedding date, but nonetheless, some information from the Prospect Park Alliance was never communicated to us, which led to making some late-stage changes to our day-of timeline. That said, the staff worked quickly to figure out a solution and everything ultimately ended up being fine. I would absolutely recommend the Boathouse and Purslane to any other couple looking for a classic NYC venue!

dified our decision to choose the Boathouse for our wedding. Our guests were equally impressed, one of which described it as "the most scenic and beautiful wedding" she had ever been to. We had our ceremony outside in front of the lake. During the ceremony passersby gathered on the bridge across the way and clapped along with our guests at the end of the ceremony. One of the viewers even took photos from the bridge and sent them to the Boathouse for us to have! It really felt like a classic Brooklyn moment! It was also a pleasure to work with Purslane. The food was delicious and the staff were all fantastic! We were concerned about there only being two bathrooms, but with 120 guests the bathrooms were not an issue.

eiling interior is classic. Our guests raved about the venue. We are grateful that we chose the Boathouse at Prospect Park for our wedding venue. We plan to go back and visit every year to relive the magical memories.

ning and it was the perfect size for our 80-90 person wedding. They 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.

have a wedding planner, so we were doing all the planning ourselves, 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

ceremony; it made us feel a part of the park and the city. There 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.

d for and more. 10 out of 10 recommend!

nce getting married at the Boathouse was a dream. Their team was 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!

no stress to us. We also loved that so much was included -- no 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!!

worked with almost half a dozen different coordinators at the boathouse, 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.

nel issues in COVID, and though we’re highly sympathetic to this, 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.

ccomodating as we moved our date not once, but twice. Additionally, 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!

ng our event. The staff, especially Machaela and Justin, are responsive, 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.

ng that the majority of things were included since we weren't hiring 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.

address any concerns or issues that came up, and extremely helpful. 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.

ane team is. They were incredibly responsive and ensured that no 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!

very communicative, warm and helpful. We were offered a large 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.

ad planned on due to my mother’s health, leaving us with only one 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.