The Harpswell Inn

e weekend. Having the entire inn to ourselves made it feel like we had escaped to our own magical corner of the Maine coast, surrounded by loved ones who had traveled from near and far to celebrate with us. The inn itself is beautiful. It strikes that perfect balance between old-salt Maine charm and eclectic elegance. We got married down by the water with the ocean as our backdrop. Then we wandered up the hill to a glowing tent on the front lawn for dinner, dancing, and joyful celebration. But what meant the most to me was the energy of the day, and much of that was made possible by the incredible team at the inn. Kelsey and John went above and beyond. They were professional, warm, thoughtful, organized, and so kind. I cannot thank them enough for their support throughout the planning process and during wedding weekend. We’re already planning to come back for anniversaries for years to come.

ith us. The Harpswell Inn also manages four adjacent cottages that are available for rent separately from the Inn reservation (our guests used two), although they are pricey if not renting for the normal weekly rental period. The Inn rooms and carriage house suites are cozy and room prices in line with other comparable Inns and B&Bs in the area. Breakfasts at the Inn were quite yummy, good dining accommodations, and the wait staff warm and helpful. The grounds were well-maintained and ready for us on the wedding day. The Harpswell Inn provides great backdrops (the Inn, the shoreline, the trees) for photos. We were disappointed that the owner/caterer would not do a tasting with us for our choice main courses, considering that catering for ~100 people is a serious investment and we wanted food that would add to our guests memories of the day. We liked that the owner/caterer allowed us to customize the menu, and ultimately, our guests were pretty satisfied with the food. The owner was always responsive to our communications, though the impetus was on us to outline the events, timing, and details of the days for which we had the Inn rented. Note that 1) the Inn does not provide all-inclusive services, so there is more leg work involved when planning, setting up and taking down, since the tent, rental items (chairs,tables, linens), photographer, florist, officiant, etc. all require separate coordination, and 2) the Inn owner/caterer's approach to bookkeeping/payment coordination is casual, so you won't get the more formal process or rigidity that you might expect from a hotel or resort. The price for all services (grounds rental, lodging, catering, bathroom facilities, parking) was reasonable given the beautiful location. All in all, we were very pleased with the Harpswell Inn as a wedding venue, and we and our guests really felt at home while there.

both the ceremony and reception there. The innkeeper was prompt in his response to our questions throughout the process. One problem is the innkeeper refuses to allow outside vendors to prepare the food and though he cooked the food, which was pretty decent, we were disappointed that he wouldn't let us taste the food as a way to help us prepare the menu. The food costs are not part of the costs to rent the inn, which is weird because when you reserve the inn, you pretty much have to use the inn for food (unless you grill your own food). So all told, we spent over $10,000 on the inn. Each of the rooms/suites were nice, though the honeymoon suite didn't have enough hot water when we tried to take a hot bath after the wedding. The setting is about as memorable as can be. You're overlooking a bay on each side of a peninsula and you're up on a hill so you have a great view. Fortunately for us, the weather was perfect and so we caught an amazing sunset. All in all, we have no regrets whatsoever with booking the inn.