$3,500 starting price
101-150 guest capacity
This venue can host up to 150 guests
About this vendor
Casually elegant, country event facility on eight acres
Local family owned
Authentic post and beam barn
Fully heated and air-conditioned
Prep kitchen
Seats 92 indoors
Open year-round for day and evening events
Indoor tables and chairs and patio furniture included
On-site coordinator to support your event
Any size party from 0-120 guests
Onsite decor, staff decorating and furniture rentals
Fully handicapped accessible inside and out
In house speaker system
Covered furnished patio
Picnic shelter with picnic tables
Furnished firepit area
Exclusive use of property and grounds
On-site ceremony included
Tents permitted with required vendor
Bar service options available
Choose from our preferred vendors or bring your own
Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Dressing Room
On-Site Accommodations
Wireless Internet
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Guest Capacity
- Up to 150
Settings
- Backyard
- Barn
- Park
- Tented
Venue Service Offerings
- Bar & Drinks
- Planning
- Rentals & Equipment
- Tents
- Service Staff
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
4.6
out of 5.023 reviews
Review photos
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We had a great time with our wedding at the 228! Isaac and Talt were such a big help putting the whole thing together it made planning easy and as stress-free as a wedding can be! They had great communication and answered every question we had. They had to pull of the rain-plan last minute on our wedding day and it was seamless and beautiful!
Isaac & Talt to save the day!!
The venue itself is beautiful and in a very quiet, area off the beaten path, perfect for our rustic wedding. I would have loved to have given this venue a 5 star review. Unfortunately, our experience with the owner and previous staff was a horrible experience (to say the least).
The only saving grace was the new staff that joined right before our wedding. Talt & Isaac stepped in and stepped up BIG time to make sure our day went as smoothly as possible!! We couldn’t be more grateful!
The space is wonderful and we had a great wedding, but we were often disappointed by the management of the space. The prices that we were shown for optional items at the time we signed the contract changed after the fact, which we found to be misleading. More notably, each time we visited the venue (initial visit, two planning meetings, rehearsal dinner, day of the wedding) there was a different person working with us. While each person was very nice to work with, the lack of continuity was frustrating and we wish that one person had been assigned to oversee our entire wedding journey.
Soup and nuts, the staff at The 228 were creative, detail-oriented, and just overall fantastic throughout the process of planning my daughter-in-law‘s bridal shower. It was wonderful to be able to trust in their ability on the day of the event; we were so pleased!
I live in New York and my daughter lives in Massachusetts. I had my daughter bridal shower there in 2022 and now had her baby shower there in January 2024. When thinking of a place to have my daughter’s baby shower it was an easy choice. Maria and Sharon are a pleasure to work with. Everything you read is true! All the staff make your event run smooth from start to finish. You don’t lift a finger in cleaning up. They pack everything up so you can enjoy saying good bye to your guests. They realize that family and friends haven’t seen each other in a while and respect that. I would recommend them to anyone. I wish they were in New York.
Our wedding experience at the 228 went well. The weather turned out perfect. The firepit was definitely enjoyed by all. The set up went well. Thanks
My husband and I got married at The 228 in May of this year. We were worried going into the day given how rainy it was as we were hoping to use a lot of outdoor space. Maria and the 228 staff made it a phenomenal day regardless of the weather! Maria moved our ceremony under the pavilion so we still felt like we were getting married outside but had the coverage we needed to not soak our guests. The venue also had umbrellas on the ready for the wedding party to use to get to the pavilion. One thing we really liked about the venue was that there were so many places for guests to go. Despite the rain, we had the barn itself for dancing, the tent where people ate, the pavilion (for ceremony and then games later), and the covered patio (with lots of seating and the bar). There are even more places for guests to be if it isn't raining (the field and the fire pit) but we felt we had more than enough space for our 115 guests to roam. There are also so many places for pictures since the venue is surrounded by woods and has a pond, gazebo, and a small garden. As far as vendors, the 228 gives you a large list of preferred vendors - we chose a caterer, florist, and DJ from the list and it worked out great as it made our lives easier since the vendors were familiar with the venue. We can't recommend the 228 enough!
We recently celebrated my daughter’s shower at the 228. We were very pleased with the Venue. The responsive staff and the ease with which our day was planned, set up, held and especially the help with the clean up made it a wonderful experience! I would highly recommend the 228!
We originally found The 228 online and knew that we had to go see. (Although we knew that it was the place we wanted just from the pictures.)
Maria and Sharon were very accommodating since day one. They worked with us all the way through. Such as deciding color schemes, decorations, vendors and planning.
For the venue, it is a beautiful red barn with eye catching wooden interior and a high ceiling. We also used their main stairs and gazebo for some amazing pictures. They have plenty of parking for you and your guests. (We had about 60 guests). There is also a ramp on the side of the barn for handicapped guests.
As the groom, me and my groomsman enjoyed the firepit at night the most. My wife fell in love with their large farmhouse tables.
My family went through many unfortunate events in the past year and The 228 helped us pick our family up and have a beautiful night of celebration.
We highly recommend looking into The 228 for your next venue!
I’m beyond happy with my experience at the 228 and with everyone who works there. They helped make my special day perfect.
Sharon and Marie were so great to work with from the 228! When we did the initial site visit, we could immediately picture how beautiful our reception would be there! They have the perfect blank template and so many rental options to customize decor and beyond. We maxed out the barn capacity, so we rented a tent for the dinner portion and had the dancing portion in the barn. We were able to bring (or rent) lawn games, have s'mores by the fire, and cocktail hour on the patio, so there was something for every guest's preference! There are some sound restrictions due to the neighbors, but it didn't end up being a problem at all for our reception - the music and microphone were the perfect volume for a fun night of celebrating and dancing. There was a drought, so the grass wasn't green for our August wedding reception, but that couldn't be helped (and we still managed to get beautiful photos :D) The day-of staff was very attentive and helpful too. Overall, the 228 in Sterling helped us keep our venue cost reasonable without sacrificing quality and beauty!
Best venue ever!! The staff at the 228 made our day more then fantastic !! From the time we showed interest, throughout all the planning the staff and ownership made it all so special. Their attention to detail was incredible and the execution come wedding day was more then impressive. I'm sending them flowers as an extra thank you :) We trusted them with so much and they did that and more! Our guests are still talking about it. We have nothing but rave reviews and would suggest anyone to celebrate at the 228 Tell them the Milo's sent you!!
Don’t risk it. It’s a shame that the venue is so beautiful but managed poorly. The 228 Sterling venue itself is wonderful. The scenery is gorgeous all thanks to Mother Nature. The owners however, are not as gracious. Maria is rude, disrespectful, and abrasive. Her and Sharon forgot about THREE of our meetings with no apology or attempt to make it right. One time they were 20 minutes late with no reply to my email and when they did get there, it was clear that they came for a meeting with a different couple, not us. On the night before our wedding during setup, Maria was rude not only to me but my guests and family who were helping. She was incredibly passive aggressive. I was incredibly embarrassed and offended that she treated my family this way. Totally uncalled for. Being that way towards me, which she was throughout our whole experience with them was one thing, but acting that way to my guests and family is completely unacceptable. They also double booked our rehearsal so that was stressful and concerning. I would recommend getting EVERYTHING in writing because she loves to go back on her word and change things up. Up until the week before our wedding, I would be the one reaching out, asking questions, etc. During our wedding, we were trying to find Maria or any worker at different times during the night and no one was to be found. It seemed they had disappeared for chunks at a time. They only care about you once the wedding is around the corner. Neither Maria or Sharon took accountability for their mistakes, there was always an excuse about being busy or having a bad week. We are all busy and have bad days but it became a pattern, it's just excuse after excuse. Their communication skills overall are horrendous as are their decorating skills. However, the one thing they did well was clean up at the end. Book at your own risk.
My wife and I couldn’t have picked a better venue. Maria and Sharon were very helpful for the nearly two years we had the venue booked. The grounds and reception were beautiful. We were able to rent decor and they helped us box stuff at the end of the night. Thank you!
We had our wedding at the 228 in Sterling on 9.24.22. The venue is a beautiful space from the land to the building. We had our ceremony under a huge beautiful tree on the property. There was a perfect spot outside for photos with great lighting. We had around 45 guests and it was just perfect. The staff was so helpful throughout the entire process. Items were available for rent and the staff set up everything exactly how we wanted! I would definitely recommend this venue!
The most professional staffs! From the moment we chose this venue until the wedding day, we never regret working with them- we were so lucky to have our ceremony in this venue. Whenever you have questions or concerns about the venue, they will always be open-minded and answer them for you. Highly highly recommend!
Excellent venue we could not have been happier, we had an outdoor barbecue style wedding with 120 guests. We had a tent, use of the barn/dance floor and and outdoor wedding ceremony. the team at the 228 did a fantastic job from start to finish. All their recommended vendors were perfect.
We had our Wedding this past June and we couldn't be more pleased with the services Sharon and Mariah provided! They literally could not be more accommodating during this pandemic to make sure we got everything we wanted out of the wedding while still keeping everyone safe. They made sure my wife had everything she wanted out of the venue and let's be honest happy bride happy wedding. If you want two people who genuinely will make your wedding their utmost priority this is the place for you ! We shopped around before at 4-5 different venues nothing else compares to the beautiful scenery and services Sharon and Mariah provide for you and your partner. They also were extremely accommodating to my wife's grandparents during the ceremony. Bottom line, what makes this venue stand out is these people cares and it shows!
We had our wedding at The 228 this past weekend and it was everything we hoped for. We wanted an intimate, rustic venue and The 228 fit the bill perfectly. The barn and the grounds are beautiful, simple, and elegant. We were also able to have our rehearsal dinner and setup there the night before, which was a huge help for making the wedding day as stress-free as possible.
Sharon, April, and the the rest of The 228 team were also wonderful. They were easy to work with, responsive to communication, flexible, and overall super helpful. You can really personalize your wedding and work with them to make the day exactly what you want. Sharon even brought a Gandalf costume for our officiant to put on during the reception (we had a hobbit/LOTR theme)! That made for some amazing photos and memories.
The prices are also very affordable. We added on additional items to suit our needs, like the firepit and patio heaters, and it was great to have those options. Their recommended vendors were also all fabulous. It's an excellent value overall. Thank you to Sharon and her team for making our day so special!
We booked The 228 in Sterling for our wedding in late July.
Sharon and her staff made the day spectacular for us! We had both our ceremony and reception on the property. The ceremony took place at the gazebo, and the reception took place inside and (mostly) outside.
Sharon and staff worked with us to make sure that all of the bases were covered as far as who was going to set up decor, and take care of all of the other details that go into the wedding, such as clean and breakdown, etc. We had about 4 hours to set everything up, and because I wasn’t there, I don’t know how it was executed, but it was executed perfectly.
Sharon worked closely with us to understand what we wanted the place to look like, and she was on top of things for the whole day. We had some stress revolving around our rental company, so we had to have a lot of “plan B‘s” in place, a lot of which was covered by Sharon. Our wedding coordinator and Sharon worked very well together to make the day happen.
We also had Sharon staff the bar, which was great because we didn’t have to think about anything as far as the bartending.
The grounds, and the barn are gorgeous. The weather ended up being one of the nicest days of the summer. Us, and are guests, were not big dancers, in fact, most of the time when you would normally see an open dance floor at a wedding, that time was spent outside socializing, playing yard games that we rented, and just enjoying the beautiful weather. The venue was so wonderful in this regard, because you’re not sharing the property with other events or guests, like if you were to get married in a hotel or function hall which has other events or weddings going on. It was completely private.
The bottom line is that Sharon and her staff put in a lot of work at every event, and she really makes the day happen for you. We can’t thank her enough for the effort she put into our day.
Great experience all around. I had a worry free day as a bride.
My husband and I had our wedding here about 3 weeks ago and it was beautiful. The staff was very helpful and they were accommodating when it came to meetings and a final rehearsal before the wedding. Our only suggestion if choosing this venue would be to hire a day of coordinator. There is no way everything would've worked out if there wasn't someone there to direct everything and everyone.
We have not had our wedding yet. But we have been to a wedding expo there at the 228. It was phenomenal. I also went to a bridal shower for my now sister in law. Laid back setting. Very comfortable. Great architecture. Also, very nice staff.
Contact
228 Leominster Rd., Sterling, MA
The 228 in Sterling
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