Wayside Inn

Overall we told ourselves nothing would ruin our day. However, there are pros/cons we would like to highlight to help other couples make their decision. PROS: • Mark MacKay is amazing, he was the first initial contact I had at the venue & was there for us throughout the entire process (2+ years) he was so accommodating • Our $ would go back into restoring the inn • The actual setting was beautiful • Our guests all agreed the meals & cake were delicious & the chef whipped up mashed potatoes for me! I loved it! He also made a special pasta dish for my husband who doesn't eat meat! • Mark was awesome with updating our contract whenever something changed CONS: • My biggest problem was the lack of help with ceremony set-up & clarity around communication. It was hard to get straight answers or clarity on our questions • No real structure around weddings besides the packet outlining food, beverages & cost & rules • I felt like I was the one doing the planning & outreach • Servers were walking right in front of our videographers during speeches • It was not clear we would need to have folks decorating the chapel for us until days before the wedding. I feel like there is enough people that 1-2 could help, I would have hired runners if I knew. • Did not meet the DOC until the day before our wedding & was only supporting the reception, her title should be changed unless she’s with the bride all day • My aunt who is handicapped could not make it safely up the stairs to the bathroom, no ramp? She ended up leaving early, if I had known I would have helped her or brought her inside. I'm surprised since they have so many older guests. • I had to beg for someone to be at the chapel to walk us through the rehearsal...the sextant was stressed even though we had the chapel booked. She was kind of rude & barking orders. She asked us if we wanted the cross up/removed & we said we don't want it up & they never removed it so its in all of our pictures • Too strict about the times, you can only have the tent for so long, you need to start the ceremony at a certain time • No tastings... • The cocktail hour went over the $1,500 we put down, the DOC told us but then we said ok please tell us if we get near $3k, we were never told even though we went over that. I also wonder if folks were crashing our wedding at the cocktail hour because there were a ton of people we didn't know outside when we arrived to the cocktail hour after pictures we were both confused obviously the inn has guests & dining & visitors but they were in the garden so what was stopping them from getting served free drinks? I don't know for how much we spent I just wasn't 100% happy with what we got. I think as a wedding venue there is so much room for improvement that will make it amazing. I still appreciate everything folks who worked that day did for us but I just wish we had some support with the ceremony space. I also think they should work based on first come first served, the fact this wedding was planned over 2 years in advanced and someone's daughter slipped in to have a small wedding during our original rehearsal time & our wedding weekend is messed up, it really threw the entire weekend off. Anyways, I hope if you choose this venue they improve because there really is so much potential & I know the staff are all good people they just need a little more departmental structure or someone with wedding industry experience to get in there.

We absolutely loved our wedding at the Wayside Inn. Mark was amazing to work with and was very quick to get back to us with our many questions. He also worked to be super accommodating and ensure we were able to enact our vision. The day of the wedding, lots of small touches made it clear the entire staff were doing everything to make our day the best. A server came over to the wedding party taking pictures by the pond to ensure we were able to have cocktail hour appetizers even though we were doing a photoshoot through the cocktail hour. Our three year old nephew was given ice cream instead of cake when he asked for it. The innkeeper was so kind to all our guests and worked to let several check in early with no warning. During the reception, we pretty much sat back and enjoyed ourselves without a care because the amazing staff had it all in control. We loved the food and the cake was beautiful and delicious as well. This is all aside from the venue itself, which is gorgeous and charming (and loaded with fun history for locals and out of towners). We are so, so glad we chose to have our reception here.

What a lovely place! My husband and I were married there in August 2019. It was the perfect place for a small summer wedding (we had 34 guests). Our ceremony was held in Longfellow's Garden and our reception was in the Ford Room. We had a simple garden wedding, so our decorations were minimal. We rented a room at the Inn to prepare and stay the night. The ceremony in the garden was nice - it's a beautiful setting that doesn't need any decor, and they provided plain white folding chairs for guests. Before the ceremony, we did need to go wipe them all down - so bring wipes. If you are planning on walking down the path as an aisle keep in mind that it is quite narrow - I had a sheath dress, but I think anyone with a puffier dress might have a little trouble. Something I personally didn't notice but my JP noted later was that at the front of the garden where the ceremony takes place, there were a few bees. They did not bother us, and it makes perfect sense for there to be bees near flowers outside in the summer - it's just something to keep in mind in case any of the wedding party has allergies. The Ford Room was cozy and bright, but probably would not hold more than the 36 people we had. We used the window seat for gifts and a card box and took over the drinks table later in the evening for a party game. The location is right next to the garden and you can access it through a side door which is perfect so there is no need to cut through the inn itself. It has a rustic look to it, and I appreciate the wait staff supplementing our centerpieces with candles from the restaurant - I was not expecting it, but it looked beautiful and intentional, haha! The portion sizes for the meals were excellent and the waitstaff were super friendly. There is a tiny bit of space in the front if you and your spouse want to have a 'first dance' but this space is definitely more for a 'sit down' celebration. The only reason I removed a star is because the communication between us and the event manager could have been better. We had to ask repeatedly what our cake options were until we were finally emailed a menu, and I wish that they had pictures of what the cake would actually look like (it was pretty swirls of white frosting). A floor plan for how the tables would be set up would also have been helpful, which we asked for and were told that they would be spread out in the room. We were allowed to walk through the room a few days beforehand, but the tables were set up differently, so when we went, we brought a small table (for gifts and favors) of our own, not realizing that there would be no need and no room for it. When you reserve the garden, it remains open to the public, and while no one wandered through our wedding during the ceremony, it probably wouldn't take much effort to put up a little sign letting people know the garden would be in use for an hour. Since you have to pay extra to use the garden, it seems a little confusing that it would remain open. I will also say, in order to try some of the dishes on the wedding menu, you need to go to the restaurant and order it as a meal. If it isn't on the every day menu, then you need to order in advance. It makes sense in hindsight, but I wish we didn't feel like we had to dig for info for this kind of stuff. Other than some struggles with communication, the day itself was perfect! I wouldn't change anything, and I highly recommend this place for a small, laid back wedding! What a lovely place!

My aunt and Uncle had their wedding here on 28 October, and to say it was a disaster would be an understatement. First, they made the wedding on Sunday only because there were supposed to be revolutionary war reenactments all day Saturday - and since it rained Saturday, the wayside decided to reschedule the re-enactment event to Sunday. There were tons of reenactors all over, and all you could hear during their vows was gun fires, drums, and flutes outside and it was awkward. There was also a fiasco with the tables - the bride was under the impression that the space could fit 8 tables, and then a couple days in advance they said no only 6, so she had to do damage control and move it to two long tables last minute. But then when we thought things could get worse, in the middle of the ceremony the power went out! It got dark and then during “cocktail hour” the bartenders said they couldn’t serve us drinks without power due to Massachusetts state law (we looked this up later, couldn’t find anything of the sort) and they weren’t even nice about it - like “oh well, no drinks for you, not our problem” even though there were literally bottles of wine and cups just sitting there (ever heard of a cash bar??) It was so dark it was a fire hazard and I could have fallen down the stairs - they served platters of cheese and crackers in the dark with no tongs, so we couldn’t even see what we were putting on our plates. They had no backup generator, and were dismayed that we even asked about it. Finally, after 2+ hours of no power, we had to just pick up everything and leave to go to a nearby restaurant that could accommodate a group of 50-ish people so that folks could eat (and drink!) something. The wedding ceremony ended at 12:15pm and we didn’t end up eating until 4pm. It was a major disaster, and the worst part is that the wayside inn staff wasn’t even nice or apologetic or accommodating about it (no one brought out candles or flashlights when they power went out -they just shrugged and walked away!) Brides beware - do not book this as a wedding venue.