The Wintergarden by Monroe's

Planning a wedding with your partner is supposed to be a dream come true, however, because of The Wintergarden, this has become a nightmare for my now husband, our families, and I. If you are considering hosting your event there, I would strongly caution against it. Our date was in June of 2021, but after a few months of watching the climate change due to COVID, we reached out to Taylor, the event coordinator, inquiring about what postponing would look like. She proposed that we jump on a conference call, with the owner, Kathy Mott. My husband and I inquired about postponing our date to later in the 2021 year; Kathy and Taylor informed us that our deposit would transfer to a later date, and that the occupancy guidelines provided by NYS did not apply to her because she “files her taxes as a restaurant, not a venue.” We asked Taylor to send over the addendum to our contract. Once we received the document, we realized we had entered dark waters. The language in the addendum seemed sinister, and we felt that at times read like an NDA; it seemed like its' purpose was to almost nullify the original contract. We probably would have gone ahead and signed it, but one detail pushed our paranoia over the edge: Kathy would change the event date, but would not alter the payment schedule. We were expected to pay the 50% of our estimated event cost a full year before our proposed new date. Keep in mind, we had to change our date previously, and they were fine with altering the payment schedule. Then, I ran across other stories from couples in even more egregious situations with Kathy and her team. We called Taylor and explained that we would love to sign the addendum, providing she updated the payment schedule to reflect the new date. We were met with harsh absolutes, tones, and "non-negotiables." After we realized we were not going to get anywhere, we decided to cancel. However, once we informed Taylor of our decision, she told us we had to give written consent for them to charge us an unknown sum for “the cost of our contract, minus food, beverage, and labor.” I told Taylor that I was not comfortable giving such consent, and requested that she give us an exact number. She threatened to get their attorney involved. Later that evening, we received the total amount that The Wintergarden claimed they were owed for our canceled event: 50% of our estimated event that we had planned pre-COVID. Not only would they keep funds that we had paid them thus far, they claimed that their administrative fees were in the five figure range. We did not consent. When we implored them to consider the nature of our cancellation and reconsider their charge, they threatened to sue us for the amount, seeking compensation for their attorney’s time as well. Through this whole process, we feel that their team has also been horribly negligent in response, often providing one or two worded answers, weeks apart. We feel that at their core, The Wintergarden and their team is taking advantage of couples who are attempting to plan their events during COVID by relying on the reputation of the wedding industry--relatively innocuous-- for monetary gain. As of today, we have still not received our money back, but are finding more and more couples who have had horrible experiences with The Wintergarden. It is not The Wintergarden’s fault that we are in the middle of a pandemic, but not treating people with respect and operating with what we feel are unethical business practices is.

I do not have enough words to explain how AMAZING the Wintergarden by Monroe's is! They literally made our wedding day PERFECT despite a pandemic! It as been roller coaster ride right up until the actual day b/c of all the government restrictions! However this Venue did everything they could to make this day AMAZING! The food kept coming, the drinks kept pouring! The food was amazing! My guests to this day can not stop talking about how amazing the food was! I had guests order from Monroe's the very next day, the exact same meal as they said it was the best meal they ever had in their life! The service was EXCEPTIONAL! The Wintergarden's coordinator "Taylor" was a true life saver! She went above and beyond for us including running out to buy a cake for us to cut , as our cake never got delivered to the venue that night! All the worries and stress we experienced leading up to our day totally went away the day of our wedding! We forgot we were in a pandemic and it is great thanks to The Wintergarden by Monroe's! They made our day unforgettable and I truly can not thank them enough!

Gorgeous venue, delicious food and helpful staff. You can’t go wrong with this venue!! It was truly a fairytale wedding.

During the day all the natural light is beautiful and breathtaking, but at night it has a whole different magical feel! We had such a wonderful experience having both our ceremony and reception at The Wintergarden! The staff at the venue were so easy to work with. Taylor, the event coordinator was wonderful and we gladly accepted her professional recommendations. The food was AMAZING. Every guest complimented us on the variety of food and how delicious it was! We would definitely recommend allowing the Wintergarden to host your event!

All I can say is AMAZING! Kathy and her entire staff are beyond helpful and make sure every detail is covered. As an Event Planner It is so important to maintain relationships with our vendors and venues, but Kathy works with you as you were the member of her incredible team! My brides absolutely love the space, which brings a unique ambiance to any event and if we want to talk food - OUTSTANDING!!!! The attention to detail and the full experience is one that will be memorable for both you and your guests. If you want something special, The Wintergarden is the place!!!

We recently had my son's wedding at this venue in Sept. I've never attended a wedding more elegant and beautiful than at the Wintergarden. A fairytale wedding for a most amazing couple. Every last detail was to perfection. The management was eager to please every step in the planning. The guests were happy and in awe of an extraordinary venue and a special couple. A wedding not to be forgotten.

Hosted our wedding here, great venue, but you do need to put in some resources to make it feel whatever vibe you are going for. Kathy and the team can be a little tough to deal with at times (obviously a wedding is very stressful for all parties involved!), but all in all, it was a very positive experience and I would do it again!

Not only is the venue is beyond stunning, the food is amazing, and the staff was extremely attentive and put us at ease the entire day. Not only did they treat us with such professionalism but they treated our parents the same. It was the most enjoyable, gorgeous, perfect day of our lives.

We recently had the privilege of having my son’s wedding at the Wintergarden by Monroe’s. I can honestly say that it was one of the most elegant events I’ve ever attended. It exceeded all of our expectations. From the food, to the service, to the décor, all facets were impeccable. Our son, our beautiful daughter-in-law, our friends and family were all so pleased. I’m still getting calls from our guests expressing what a wonderful experience and fantastic party it was. Working with Taylor and her staff (Natalie, Nichole) was just delightful. Their flexibility and creativity allowed for every detail to be met. Their enthusiasm is contagious, and it was just so much fun! We so appreciate all of their hard work and extra touches that were provided. It is because of them that it truly was an unforgettable, magical night. From the first meeting with Kathy, we knew we made that right choice. She’s a professional and her venue is a first-class operation. The professionalism combined with the personal element, made our event a once in a lifetime dream come true. We are so thankful that we found the Wintergarden by Monroe’s.

Our May wedding was absolutely perfect. The Wintergarden team headed by Kathy and Melissa were amazing and went above and beyond to meet our expectations. Our wedding was as beautiful as we had hoped for it to be. All of our guests enjoyed the unique beauty the space has to offer. I highly recommend this place and team, you will not be disappointed!

The Wintergarden by Monroes, and all of the staff did an AMAZING job for our October 8 wedding. They anticipated our every need. If anything went wrong, we never knew about it! The location is beautiful on its own, but people cannot stop talking about the food. It was amazing. From the linens to the silverware, the provided centerpieces, everything is high end and it really shows. Worth every penny!!

The Wintergarden was simply incredible. We held our ceremony and reception there in September 2017, and the experience was wonderful. The venue was gorgeous. We knew this upon choosing the venue, but when we walked in on our actual wedding day, the room took our breath away! The glass windows and ceilings, the "sparkle trees," and the marble dance floor all came together to create a truly unique, classy event space. We knew we didn't want a traditional ballroom wedding, and this was absolutely perfect. Leading up to our wedding day, Taylor and Melissa were great to work with. They met with us multiple times, and always answered every question with pleasure. We held our ceremony in the lobby of the B&L building (attached to Wintergarden), and Melissa & Taylor coordinated the whole thing with our DJ and officiant to go off without a hitch. We can't tell you how many people RAVED about the food. We chose to do a stations party (tacos, pasta, meats, salads, etc.), and everyone loved it all. Many said it was the best wedding food they have ever had! The bartenders were amazing, always available, and even had some guests drinks ready for them as they approached! Talk about service! Finally, the night of the wedding, Melissa was on top of everything. She was quick to bring any issues to our attention, and then take care of them as needed. We always felt well taken-care-of, and we were both able to enjoy our wedding with our guests. We couldn't recommend The Wintergarden with more enthusiasm. Thanks to all of the staff for helping to create the wedding of our dreams!

In order for you to understand our praise of Monroe’s Catering at Wintergarden you must first understand the circumstances and the situation in which Kathy and her team were facing for our wedding. A month before our wedding Monroe’s took over the Wintergarden and in doing so our contract. Yes, just one month before our wedding. Monroe’s embraced the challenge and surpassed expectations. Kathy and her team’s ability shown brightly in key attributes important to us and our day. For example, their attention to detail. We had a vision and they ensured our vision was met. They made the venue look like the fairy tale wedding we were after. The candle light dinner between the trees under the starry night in November is incomparable in the Rochester Wedding Venue Market, in our opinion making it the best location to have your wedding. Not only was the food phenomenal and consistent, but the portion sizes were plentiful and fulfilling. Who would think the best dish on the menu is the vegetarian? The kitchen easily handled our 237 guests where more than half were perfectly cooked Filet Mignon. The salmon wasn’t over cooked and tasty. They have the best Chicken French in Rochester. And like previously stated the vegetarian dish shouldn’t be overlooked. Typically people don’t remember the food from a wedding but all our guests have brought it up to us after the day. Kathy and her team are accommodating and understanding from cocktail hour through last call. We highly recommend Monroe’s at Wintergarden for your special day.

Everything about our day was perfect. Everyone went above and beyond to make sure everything was just right. The venue was beautiful and the food was delicious. Everyone complimented how beautiful the evening was.