Village By The Sea - Wells Maine

very beginning, they exceeded every expectation. Since Marty and I live in New York, they went above and beyond to ensure we felt connected to the venue and the natural beauty of the local area. Charlene and Jayme even visited local beaches, sending us videos and photos of stunning coastal spots to bring us closer to the Maine scenery we love. Their attention to detail and personalized care began well before the big day. They ensured that our rehearsal dinner in the York Room was a special and intimate event, complete with a personalized welcome sign that made our families feel at home. The relaxed atmosphere they created over the entire three days leading up to the wedding made the whole experience a dream. Everything felt effortless. On the day of the ceremony at Drake’s Island Beach, Charlene and Jayme were beyond incredible. They set up the most gorgeous backdrop, the ocean sparkling behind us as they flawlessly executed the entire procession. They even rolled out a beautiful aisle just moments before my walk to ensure my gown stayed pristine as I made my way down. And though I didn’t notice it in the surreal moment of walking toward Marty, Charlene and other members of the staff had written our names in the sand behind the rows of chairs, a detail that brought tears to my eyes when I saw it later. Their thoughtfulness left me speechless. The care extended to every detail. Village by the Sea went the extra mile by putting a photo of us on the marquee by the road, welcoming us and our guests—a wonderful surprise that everyone admired as they arrived. And when we returned to the venue for the reception after the beach ceremony, Jayme was right there when I needed her most, mending my bustle in the bridal suite after it broke on the packed dance floor. That moment, and her quick thinking, allowed me to enjoy the rest of the night without worry. In fact, as someone who worries about everything, there was not a single moment that I had to worry about anything throughout the entire process; I was in the best hands. From accommodating our request to hold the cocktail hour in the beautiful garden, to ensuring Marty’s 91-year-old mother was comfortably transported by one of the very thoughtful groundmen via golf cart, nothing was overlooked. Every member of the staff at Village by the Sea played a part in making this truly the best day of our lives, and our guests can’t stop raving about how it was the best wedding they’ve ever attended. The team’s professionalism, kindness, and dedication made our wedding unforgettable. We will cherish these memories forever, and we couldn’t recommend Village by the Sea and its staff more highly to anyone planning their special day. They truly made our dream a reality. We consider it a true honor to have had our wedding at Village by the Sea, and we cannot wait to go back and visit a place we now consider to be like staying with extended family. Thank you for all you all did for us to make our day perfect. We are forever grateful and feel completely blessed to have been given this experience.

dding reception. Everything was perfect. The accommodations were great as well, with plenty of condo units to handle a large wedding. Above all, the team we worked with were amazing and made everything extra special. The bride and groom had the wedding the always wanted.

ent above and beyond to make sure we had everything just as we wanted it. Magda, Jayme, and Charlene were so incredibly helpful the whole time. Our friends and family can’t stop talking about how perfect it was, and Village By The Sea had a huge part in making this weekend so amazing for us. Thank you guys for the best time!!!

y! There was a bit of communication issues through email when our original coordinator, Renee (who was absolutely stellar!!!!) no longer worked for them and we were kind of left in the dark for a couple weeks. The other coordinator there, Jayme, was amazing though and really did everything she could to help our day be great! We forgot our table numbers and she was able to whip the exact ones up and in color same day! The rehearsal was amazing as well. Jayme and the group were amazing to work with throughout the entire process and we wouldn’t change a thing!

utiful and Jayme really ties everything together so well!

as a whole, but Jayme definitely helped put everything together perfectly at the end!

m the beginning, a staff member is assigned as your wedding planner. Our planner, Jayme, was always very willing to meet with us, and responded to questions and comments quickly. She also listened to our ideas, and worked with us to make our plans a reality. Since she is an experienced planner, she offered us tips and suggestions to help us out. The ballroom had plenty of room, beautiful linens and lots of little extra details to pull everything together. The caterer used by the resort prepared a delicious meal on site, which was chosen from a varied menu. The grounds were expertly maintained, giving options for great indoor and outdoor photos. The location in Wells ME is also easy to get to, with plenty of parking available. If necessary, payment plans can be arranged. All in all, this place was wonderful! Highly recommended!

me, as we got married there. The site is beautiful, the ballroom was exactly what I wanted, the amenities that came with the packages were great and reasonable priced, and the location is great. There were just a few things that made the experience less than perfect. I will start out by saying we had an off season wedding in November. I don’t know if that subjects us to a less than perfect experience because of that? I wouldn’t imagine. First off, I felt my wedding coordinator was kind of rude. My initial meeting with her was fine, but when the weekend came it seemed like being there for the rehearsal was a burden to her. She was short with us and didn’t seem very caring. She helped our group figure out what we needed to do, but not in a happy way. We had to give push back to get the chair set up the way we wanted, as the venue seemed like wasn’t going to have enough people to change the room over from the ceremony to the reception. Not sure if they don’t staff fully for a smaller wedding (60 people) and/ or off season? The other thing was the heat, and this carried on all weekend. During the rehearsal it was absolutely freezing in the ballroom. Again, not sure if it was because it’s off season? The worst of it all was on the day of the wedding, in the bridal suite. We had a group of ladies there as well as a 7 month old and a 5 year old. It was absolutely freezing in there to the point where I, the bride, had to wear my jacket while I was getting my hair and make up done. We asked the front desk staff multiple times to help, and they did try, but it never warmed up. We read the thermostat at 52 degrees at one point. Same goes for the ballroom And hallway where the cocktail hour was Held. Many many guest complaints of cold temps all night. The last thing was that we were told in our final meeting that our hotel room would be cleaned while we were at the wedding, and it was not. Not a Huge deal, but kind of disappointing. Again, I love VBTS, as well as the general manager of the hotel; she was amazing. There were just a few things that were iffy. The location is gorgeous, the ballroom is beautiful, the prices are good, the food was delicious, and most of the staff I encountered was amazing. I would recommend booking if you have a spring or summer wedding. EDIT 11/20/2019- The General Manager of the hotel reached out to me personally to apologize for our experience and to make it right. I truly appreciate her taking the time to doing this. I do believe the things described in my review are minor and can be easily fixed by the hotel, now that they are aware. I would absolutely recommend VBTS for your wedding.

helpful in planning. The ceremony and reception were both beautiful and we hit no issues. The guest rooms/condos were also great, and really convenient for everyone staying out of town, and for us. The getting ready suite for the girls also made things so much easier. Definitely recommend this venue!!

and the event space/lawn for the ceremony was perfect. I was concerned with it being close to the street, but didn't even notice (nor did our guests) when everything was in full swing; I didn't like how other guests were stopping and watching (my brother ended up asking people to move) and I thought this was covered in the contract but oh well. I was a little annoyed with our welcome bags not getting to our guests and we spent some $ on those! I also didn't get my uplighting until I asked for it which was annoying b/c that was also an extra cost. But the food was great, hot when it came out, the cake was awesome, the bar/drinks were also great, and we didn't feel rushed out when the end time came and were all very friendly. The bridal suite is also perfect, tons of space and you have it all day. Our guests LOVED the hotel rooms and almost everyone stayed for 2 nights, the location is also very convenient. We would def. recommend this as a wedding venue!

all the venues we were looking at, they were so flexible for when to meet, and very accommodating. They were understanding of our situation and were eager to please without being pushy. They offered us first refusal and kept the communication going after our visit. From all our interactions, they seem like they'd be great to work with!

er 2017 for our wedding in December of 2018. I really enjoyed working with Gail and felt that she really understood and supported what I wanted. She was very thorough and I could tell she had a great handle on how things should go. When my future husband and I went in to meet with her early fall she told us that she was leaving Village by the Sea and that she sat down with us that day only because the other girls taking over never settled on who was going to meet with us. That was when things started to go downhill. We had our final meeting with the director of sales and the event coordinator in November and went through everything. I thought we had everything settled so I was very surprised when things were wrong on our wedding day. We stayed over the night before and started to get ready In the bridal suite at 8:00 the morning of our wedding. There was no one there to help us with questions as the coordinator didn’t arrive until after noon for a 4:30 wedding. We were trying to get dressed in the bridal suite which was 62 degrees. As the day progressed I went into the ballroom and noticed the tables were set up incorrectly and asked that they fix them. I was told that they would be corrected before the reception, however that never happened and the best man and part of my bridal party ended up in the furthest corner away from the sweetheart table. Finally, every single meal was wrong. We chose guest choice and spent hours collecting everyone’s meal choice and putting it on the table cards only to be served dual entree. On top of that six of our twelve tables were served raw chicken and only one table got their meals recooked. We were given a small compensation for this but no explanation as to why everyone was served the wrong meal to begin with. I wanted to love this venue but ultimately was very disappointed. I think Gail was the glue that held everything together and when she left the service suffered.

moment we arrived for the rehearsal on Friday evening until late Saturday night when the last guests had departed. It was obvious that Village by the Sea is experienced with weddings. They anticipated our every need. The whole evening went like clock work . Most importantly, we ALL had a great time. The pergola is enchanting for exchanging vows; the gardens and lawn were stunning and well groomed for the event. The bridal suite was large and we had the use of a few rooms in which to spread out while hair and make up was completed. Having accommodations on site was a plus. The guests really enjoyed the large suites, complete with full size kitchens, and stunning views off their balconies. It was nice to know that the guests only had to walk a few steps to get "home" after the party was over. The location in Wells Maine is perfect. We had only a short ride to the ocean for a magnificent backdrop for photos of the bridal party. Many guests enjoyed the nearby nature parks, golf courses, and eateries nearby. All -in -all we highly recommend this venue for any couple looking for a warm friendly staff, an experienced wedding planner and a perfect coastal wedding.

ur coordinator, Gail and her entire staff, were a pleasure to work with from the early planning stages to the day itself. Gail was always available and willing to answer my many questions, and her advice and suggestions were always spot on! Village by the Sea's outside grounds are a beautiful, peaceful setting for the ceremony and cocktail hour. The banquet room, even though large, was set up in a warm, intimate way to accommodate our small buffet reception. The food was wonderful and the entire staff provided excellent, efficient service. Another great plus was the block of rooms Village by the Sea held for our out of town guests. It was a great experience from beginning to end!

their beautiful garden . The packages are very flexible with your budget and include so much compared to other venues .Being in the hospitality industry myself I was so Impressed by how organized and on top of everything the staff was .Gail is Awesome I felt like everything was taking care of the whole time gorgeous bridal suit as well to get ready in . Can't wait go back and celebrate our anniversary there thank you VBTS Staff .

a couple who were insistent about an outdoor ceremony, a ridiculously large wedding party to wrangle and keep in order, missing flowers, a car alarm that would NOT stop going off, and various other things to keep us on our toes. We also wanted a very allergy/vegetarian-friendly menu and the chef was so accommodating to us. I was worried our guests would be grumpy about our menu choices, but they seemed to really enjoy the food!! We cannot speak highly enough of our experience with this venue. We had a beautiful weekend with family and friends, and it was truly incredible. I am so thankful to this lovely staff who are all just such wonderful (and significantly more organized than me) people. Village by the Sea has such a special place in our hearts now! Thank you for all your hard work in making such a memorable and special weekend for us! If you are looking for a terrific venue with a great staff, look no further! With much love and appreciation, Jenny and David.

uch!

ient-orientated and have proven they care about all the details of your wedding. We have gotten many compliments on our reception!

as 100% positive, helpful and fantastic. These ladies bent over backwards to help us, our wedding party and our guests have a great experience. Every single one of our guests that stayed in a room at VBTS complimented us on how much they enjoyed the rooms, the view and the fantastic party that we had in the Maine Ballroom. We looked at a lot of venues in our home state of Massachusetts to get married and it was a very happy accident when someone mentioned this fantastic place to us, while visiting my father in law in Wells, that we whipped out our phone and came in for a visit. VBTS was the only venue where my husband and I walked out after viewing that we turned to each other and instantly knew where our wedding would be held. Gail specifically was absolutely amazing and has the patience of a saint. This woman worked all three events and was with me every step of the way the day of the wedding. I don't know when she sleeps. She even took drink orders and had appetizers passed while the wedding party was taking formal pictures. The service, attention to detail, value and genuine kind friendly people are second to none, and certainly more than we ever observed from staff at other venues. We can't wait to come back and visit on our anniversary.

ed.! The Venue is beautiful and welcoming. We loved the layout and the Rooms our guest would be staying in. We picked a date Sept 2017 and worked over a year with planning the guests ,picking the food , cake , music and attire. Gayle, April Jayme and Jill are wonderful! We are so happy that we had the best food music and guest! We ate laughed, danced til late. We will recommend this well organized, kind, professional venue to everyone. We had 14 rooms reserved and our family and friends that stayed enjoyed! Thank you all so much for being so kind. We will see you on our Anniversary!

t rooms. Each room has its own kitchen, living room, two full bathrooms and beautiful deck overlooking the water. They are absolutely amazing and very spacious, which made getting ready with my bridesmaids very easy. We had our rehearsal dinner, ceremony, reception and morning after brunch at Village by the Sea and everything went great! They put in a new pergola outside for the ceremony and it is stunning! The entire staff is so friendly and helpful, especially Jayme--she was our go to with our wedding planning and during our wedding weekend and she was so amazing! We can't wait to go back up and stay there for our 1st anniversary! Definitely book Village by the Sea!!

or some wonderful photos. Our guests loved the passed hor devours (we had mango chicken, steak skewers & meatballs) and were very impressed with our buffet dinner of prime rib and chicken saltimbocca so I highly recommend it over a plated dinner. The cake was made by "let them eat Cake" and turned out beautifully and was part of the package. Overall if you are looking for a beautiful venue without breaking the bank this is it!

and the wait staff was top notch. My husband and I were married on 10/24, we had our ceremony in a church because we were worried about the weather. I really wanted pictures outside in the gazebo but was not sure if we would have enough light. Jill and April kept the gazebo lights on and hung flowers inside so we could get those pictures. I did not have to worry about a thing, Jill and April were on top of everything. We look forward to going back on our anniversary.

us and our wedding guests. The ceremony was everything we had hoped for and the reception was top notch. We highly recommend Village By The Sea!!!

e Sea for the first time, we fell in love with this venue. Not only were the people helpful and gracious, the ballroom, ceremony site, and condominium suites also exceeded our expectations. We visited 5 other venues prior to VBTS and they simply didn't compare when we were reviewing atmosphere, convenience and price! 17 days later and we are still getting calls, emails, and texts from our guests, who can't stop raving about what a great time they had. We know the day would have been special regardless, but Village by the Sea really went above and beyond and helped us create the magical day we'd been dreaming about. Thank you to all who played a role in making our wedding day the best day of our lives together (so far)! We will most definitely be returning for future overnight adventures! Regards, Ryan and Mallory Dunphy

e so easy to work with. They were both incredibly responsive to questions and helpful in making decisions. VBTS offers different packages that include 5 hours with the hall, apps, entrees and even the cake [Cake is provided by Let Them Eat Cake, I wrote a separate review]. We chose the Pearl package, not only was the food delicious but it was also more affordable than other places we had looked at online. The entire reception timeline was planned out perfectly from the introductions to the last call. It was the best night of my life and I am so thankful to Jill and April for helping make sure everything went smoothly. I hope you consider VBTS when looking to plan a wedding in Southern Maine.

age By The Sea fit into our budget pretty comfortably, and we were very happy with it! The rooms for guests were amazing -- everyone raved about the accommodations. The food (food, champagne toast, cake, and cocktail hour snacks were included in the venue price) was very good -- actually much better on the wedding day than it was at our tasting! The cake -- included in the price but made by Let Them Eat Cake was absolutely amazing. I would eat that cake every day of my life if I could -- and it was beautifully made! Jill and April were extremely helpful in the months leading up to the wedding, working with me for decorating and other options. I must have contacted them no less than 5000 times with questions and ideas, and they were always gracious and helpful! They brought my vision to life with the decorations, and I was so happy to see the banquet hall on the day of -- it was exactly what I had envisioned, and it was perfect. They did the ceiling decorations that I had made, and then we did the rest of the decorating ourselves when we got there the day before -- they were very helpful throughout this entire process. On the weekend of the wedding, April and Jill were both around throughout the entire rehearsal and wedding, and they both helped in any way they could! Service was great and helped to make my day as the bride as easy as pie. The area for the bride and bridal party to get ready is very nice as well. The area for the outdoor ceremony concerned me at first, because it IS very close to the road. They did a lot of landscaping this year though, and are doing more for next summer, and it really looks gorgeous at this point. Even with the close proximity to the road, believe me when I told you that during the ceremony, you could not hear traffic at all, nor was the road distracting. Many people, including myself, forgot it was even there! I highly recommend Village By The Sea if you are looking for a wedding on a bit of a budget, but still want that beachy feel of Southern Coastal Maine.

ervice was still fantastic! I compared the pricing at Village by the Sea to other venues and options (ie. having a "backyard style") and their pricing was the best bang for your buck. The package we had included all of the food, the champagne toast, the cake, and two free nights for the bride and groom. The hotel manager and even coordinator were great to work with, and they assigned us our very own person for the day, who took care of our every need and want (often before we even had to ask). They also offer guest accommodations at a discounted rate, which was super helpful for our friends and family. I would definitely recommend Village by the Sea to other couples!

eautiful, we got a beautiful wedding suite for the weekend, and our guests had a great time. Amazing food, helpful and professional staff, A+ overall.

eep track of everything we had talked about with Jennifer, which was very helpful in the end. She did a wonderful job the night of the wedding making sure everything was on track and beautiful! Great bang for your buck, and our guests LOVED the accommodations in the hotel rooms.

ecause their little one didnt care for the food. She also let us do a last minute meal switch for my brother.....We cannot thank you enough for everything you did to make our wedding day a dream come true! The venue was breathtaking and the day flowed perfectly all thanks to you! Thank you so much Jennifer! OH! And the picture's are coming soon!! Michael and Megan