Connecticut River Museum Reviews

From start to finish, everyone at the CT River Museum was tremendous! Kara Beth was very responsive, professional and by far the easiest of all vendors I worked with during wedding planning. She immediately put me at ease and was flawless at coordinating and executing day of events. In addition, this venue is just the most gorgeous and charming! I had the best wedding and could not have asked for anything better from the staff at CT River!

To All Brides,
Kara Beth made our wedding a marvelous success! I hadn't even realized how much I needed her expert guidance and super meticulous attention to detail. She generously offered her talents in so many different realms that just made the reception seem to flow effortlessly. Behind the scenes she did things like: decorate the lavender potted plants that were our favors and seating assignments; arrive early to ensure that the air conditioner was full blast to keep the wedding cake pristine; personally take the artsy canvas to each table for the guests to sign; replace the sound speakers with her own because there was a connectivity glitch; gently herd the guests to the dock as we prepared to leave in our canoe; and manage a willful caterer with graceful authority.
I give Kara Beth the absolute highest praise and gratitude for truly making our wedding the beautiful day that it was!

I got married here in June of 2015. It is such a beautiful location and Kara Beth did a fantastic job coordinating the ceremony and reception for us. She carefully went through a detailed timeline with us and the caterer and made the day go so smoothly. The venue worked with us on our details and requests. Kara Beth proactively reached out to the other vendors and ensured that everything was on target for day-of.

For future couples: Be advised that this venue is fully outdoors and a tent is a necessity (trailer bathrooms also required). Had it rained the backup plan was to have the ceremony and cocktail hour under the tent on the upper lawn as there are limited backup options. It was a risk but it was worth it! Additionally, there is a row of available parking to the back of front lawn that may show up in some "walking down the aisle" pictures.

My husband and I were married at the CT River Museum in September. I grew up in Essex and I knew I wanted to get married downtown, so for us this was the perfect venue. The property is absolutely gorgeous, the views of the CT River are amazing and with a tent lit up at night, the venue is beautiful. My husband and I worked very closely with Joan and Kara Beth from the museum and they are so helpful and sweet to work with. They know what they are doing and are very responsive. Both ladies are very easy to work with and the museum was very flexible when it came to meetings, timing, deliveries, how we wanted things set up, etc. We used CT Rental as our rental company and Gourmet Galley as our caterer, both of whom work with the museum frequently, so on the day of everyone knew each other and knew exactly what to do. I couldn't be happier with how our entire day worked out. All of our guests loved Essex and the River Museum!

Having my wedding at the Connecticut River Museum was a dream come true. We had our tent on the Lay House grounds above the museum and all the guests were able to enjoy the water views and walk down to the docks as well. Joan at the Museum was wonderful to work with as well.