The Lake House

re were any problems, we (the bride and groom) never heard or worried about it. The staff even cleaned up all of my decorations and loaded them into our cars so we wouldn't have to work. I know past reviews during the renovation phase are not great, and we were, admittedly, also really nervous when we decided to book this past January. We visited Paul and Kelli at the venue each time a payment was due to check on progress and to catch up--they are really great to talk to! Honestly, they help to put our minds at ease and reviews started coming in about the food (it really is AMAZING). Everyone I spoke to about my wedding raved about the food and staff, and obviously the gorgeous venue itself! The worst part about the wedding being over is that we won't see Paul and Kelli on a regular basis--I was serious when I said they're awesome to talk with. I highly recommend The Lake House, and I'm hoping to be invited to a wedding here just so we can experience this amazing venue again!

my grandmothers 101 birthday, which we celebrated together at the wedding! The beautiful, rustic building with lake view and the menu was superb with many of our guests saying it was the best food they have ever had at a wedding. Kelly and Paul worked closely with us throughout the entire planning process and they certainly delivered! A beautiful venue with an amazing lake view and gourmet food- there is no doubt in my mind that The Lake House is destined to become one of the premier wedding venues in CT. Our wedding day was absolutely perfect. Thank you so much Kelly and Paul for all of your help in making our wedding day stress-free and memorable!

appetizers especially. Passed appetizers (eight passed varieties along with a full cheese/veggie/cracker station), but there was always someone waiting to offer them to you! Great variety to choose from or create your own. We had three choices for dinner (filet, salmon, and chicken) and all were delicious. They customized the menu to be gluten free. They will make just about anything you want and have many, many choices for add-ons. The waitstaff is a bit inexperienced, but that will surely improve with each event. The setting is beautiful (covered outdoor patio overlooking the lake), the people are nice, and I expect this will be a premiere wedding spot for years to come!

e in March 2017 and the first wedding would be in May. When my fiance and I arrived in May it was not even close to being done and they made no mention of the weddings being cancelled or postponed. We NEVER received any updates or were told there were delays in building. We based everything off of the one picture we were shown and when we arrived I pointed out to Kelli that already there were elements from the pictures missing on the actual building. She pretended she didn't notice and gave us a shrugged response of "oh I guess they changed their minds." This was not acceptable especially since we were again, not notified! When a month later no more progress had been made we realized we had to move on. The majority of our guests were coming from overseas and had started to book flights for our date and we couldn't risk them coming over for a wedding where the venue was not completed. When we asked for our money back (since we consider it breaking contract when you lie about timelines, aesthetics, and don't update your customers) they were incredibly rude. Kelli responded with more lies about how my parents had been over an hour late to their initial appointment (even though they have TIME STAMPED pictures on their phones from that appointment that clearly show they were on time), about how she had to go out of her way to accommodate my handicapped mother, and how if we continued to pursue getting our deposit back in other ways they would use legal force against us. It was by far the most HORRIFIC experience, especially when your wedding is supposed to be the happiest time of your life and they made the start stressful and miserable. Even though it is finally completed, I would not waste your time or money with these people. They lie and only care about money, not their customers. I wish I could give zero stars.

pictures with the lake background. Thank you for making my night truly memorable!

e also drawn to the lake on property. Throughout the planning process, there were some times that we were not totally confident that that building would be finished in time. We had meetings that were cancelled, and emails not always returned in a timely manner. We were hoping for an outdoor ceremony, but the landscaping was not finished for our wedding and the ground was too soft so that was not able to happen (the only reason I am not giving 5 stars). However, now that the building is finished and operational I have full confidence that TLH will continue to be a fantastic wedding venue. As far as the actual wedding day: We were the 3rd wedding at the venue, but you would have never known that. Kelly and Paul were extremely accommodating. We were able to switch out some of the beers to something that better suited our (and our guests') tastes. We had a few children attend the wedding and the chef was able to accommodate them as well. There were so many unique touches to the level of service at TLH. Guests were served wine/bellinis upon arrival, and during dinner each table had their own server. As our guests were leaving, they were also given coffee and chocolate covered pretzels (not something we had planned, but everyone loved!) Our guests are still raving about the food and overall level of service provided at our wedding. We are hoping that we get to attend a wedding at TLH so we can enjoy it from the other side!

very attentive. I would have no hesitation in recommending this venue!

ugh the entire expo and decided to go back to speak with her again. Although my now husband wasn't there I knew he would love it just as much as I did. When I got home I couldn't stop talking about how much I wanted to go visit. Within the week we had an appointment to visit The Lake House. Needless to say we chose to host our wedding, on May 26, at TLH. Everything was supurb! From the wine in the bridal suites when we arrived, to the stunning outdoor ceremony, and of course the outstanding food (which was all the rave amongst guests). The owners of TLH made the entire process simple and enjoyable. Our wedding day was flawless. We couldn't have asked for anything more. We truly hope to attend future events there and highly recommend TLH.

a beautiful picture of what our wedding would look like. We signed our contract in April with the expectation that the facility would be open in June 2017. They had their first wedding booked for then. The facility was still not ready, and the new expectation was that the venue would be open in the fall. They said they had other weddings booked for then. Again, the venue was still not ready. I feel so bad for all the couples who had to move or cancel their weddings last minute! We contacted the Lake House concerned and visited October 29th. We were told that the Lake House had holiday parties booked in December and everything but the chairs and chandelier would be finished in three weeks. We scheduled a follow-up meeting for November 19th, only to receive a request to push the date back with the promise that things would be ready then. The new date was December 2nd. We visited the facility and a lot was still not done. I asked Kelli why there were no holiday parties and was told that they wanted to train their staff, completely ignoring the fact that the facility is still not ready. I have two photos of the women’s bathroom. One was taken October 29th and the other December 2nd--still not done, looked the same. We were forced to cancel our wedding with the Lake House and book with a new place that is fully functional. My fiance and I decided that we did not need the additional stress of whether our venue would be ready and being strung along. If they couldn't manage our expectations before our wedding, I can't imagine what they'd be like running our wedding. Abysmal customer service. Do not book with this venue! Unless they change owners, it is not worth the additional stress!

wedding although there were at least 13 scheduled before ours. Construction "delays" and just out right lies ( we got about a month and a half away from June we realized there was no way it would be done. Somehow (yes fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me) we rebooked for the end of September. All the while gettingupdates that things were going to be happening or completed "next week". Well Mid July came and there was no "next week" and we cancelled. Luckily we were able to book another venue that was amazing and worked out much better than this place ever would have. It was a HORRIBLE experience. My advice would be to RUN in the other direction. Planning your wedding is supposed to be a fun and happy time. Heed the warnings people!

ouse has some potential, but buyer beware. One day the venue may be good. The grand ballroom, the ceremony in front of the willow tree, the covered patio. It is all there, but all nowhere. For once again, none of it yet exists. We heard from multiple vendors that many unfortunate couples were strung along, each getting their own special excuse of how unforeseen events caused an unescapable issue. Did the Lake House not get tired of these lies? To book weddings two years in a row and come up empty to me shows a true failure to manage a business and an even worse failure to care about your clients. I can somewhat get over the many delays and headaches we went through trying to understand what was going on with the venue. But I can’t get over the “stories” we were told and the fabricated timeline. Too many items simply proved to be not true, forcing us to cancel our plans there less than 2 months in advance of our wedding day. God knows how long we would have been strung along until they actually canceled, for the venue was not ready when our big day came. I wish the Lake House the best of luck and for those choosing the venue, a great celebration. But keep in mind what we were sold to what was actually delivered. And keep in mind that we were far from the only ones they did this to. There need be no better proof than this.

iness!

easy to work with as the planning proceeds. The vision for the venue is amazing, and we look forward to following the progress as the construction is completed and the first event is held in the Summer 2017.

is was our spot. This is not like all of those wedding factory venues that are out there, we saw a lot of these, The Lake house and Kelli really care about making your wedding day special and perfect. I couldn't be happier with our decision. Don't go on all of these negative reviews. See it for yourself, you wont be disappointed.

nue. No one called us to say, we are behind schedule. We found out when we were standing in an empty parking lot with our installment check in hand. Had we waited we would not have had a place for our June wedding. They hadnt even started work on our wedding date. It might be beautiful if it ever gets built but you can't trust them to do what they say. Wait until its built or you could be sorry.

016. Our wedding was canceled because they hadn’t even started construction. They gave so many promises and assured my fiancé and I the venue would be ready on time. Within that time we received no updates or communication that there was a problem until we drove by the venue and saw nothing…no construction had been started! My fiancé contacted the General Manager and she told us it would be ready by the end of August but we were skeptical so my fiancé ask for updates the following week on construction which we did not get.... 3 weeks later my fiancé called again and we were finally told the lake house would not be ready for our October wedding. It also took the lake house nearly 1 MONTH to give us our deposit back. I would not recommend any bride to book with this venue until they are fully functioning...

elping me find a new venue. My deposit was refunded promptly and she apologized. My father is in construction so I am aware that things like happen especially with a new building. I am sorry others felt the need to bash this venue, , but I really felt they did the best they could. Kelli returned all my calls and emails and I never had an issue with her contacting me. Kelli has great ideas and has given me some wonderful suggestions for my future wedding and she didn't have to do that. Kelli and The Lake House I feel were very professional in how they handled this unfortunate situation and I look forward to seeing what they have to offer in the future.

ound FEB 1. They took our $2000 with no issues and said not to worry they were experts and this would be done well before our date. I was VERY nervous about unexpected issues that can happen with a new building and pushed them to move the date to October JUST IN CASE. They allowed us to do this, but it didn't help. I asked Kelli for the critical dates of the build and she said that was a good question and she would get it from her contractor. She's the GM mind you overseeing this venue and she didn't have this on hand. Red flag but still went with it as my fiancee fell in love with the picture they were selling. I asked Kelli to keep me up to date and let me know if any issues as I need to find alternatives and the later this goes the more difficult. She said she would check in with me every 2 weeks. She never called or emailed me as to progress. 4 weeks later I drive by and see NO progress (this is now March) and she hasn't called me? I then call her and asked for progress and she said if we want our money back she will refund it. It was so rude to do this in this fashion when all I want to know is if they will deliver and what they are doing to accomplish the goal they promised. She said they just got a permit and would be starting next week. 2 weeks later I call and she then tells me another permit issue and now they might not be complete. I asked WHEN she was going to proactively tell me this. Why I am having to drive by their building and follow up with her on this? I ask her to refund me the deposit. I have relatives flying over seas who have bought their flight so I then have to rush and find an alternative venue on the same date. Very stressful to say the least. 2 weeks go by and I call to find out where my check. She then tells me it is being "processed". You are a one man shop...how do you not cut the check you owe me the minute you cannot deliver. I come to find out they have been at bridal shows since 2014 selling this venue! How the hell do you sell a venue you don't even have permits to start construction. We are spending over 30K on 5 hours so you not delivering is a HUGE deal. At some point they may get their permits and act together, but wait for them to finish the building and have a few positive reviews before even thinking of using them. As I told the owner all you have now are promises and a picture of a building. Nobody starts a business saying they are going to be mediocre, but at this point mediocre would an achievement.

er. Looks like they ran out of money. Please don't waste your time like we did.

taking the lead in asking our friends and family what they want to eat when they sit for dinner. The service sounds second only to their creative menu. The grounds and lake are breathtaking. Keith and I are so excited to get married here.