Karly Sent on 09/22/2019

5 out of 5 rating

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I loved every minute

Mary Beth at the venue helps you with so much. We got married outdoors. Took the boat ride which everyone loved. The food was so good, everyone complimented all night. The venue listened and used my decorations exactly as I asked. Everything was put together and so timely. I loved it!!

Heather Sent on 10/17/2018

5 out of 5 rating

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Amazing wedding location and service

We wanted something different for our wedding and Captain Mike and Marybeth at Lockport Locks delivered. Our guests described the wedding and cruise as "top notch" and "very classy".

Mike is great and Marybeth kept everything rolling, tended to the guests like they were her own, helped bustle my dress (my teenage daughter\bridesmaid was struggling), and had everything all packed up and ready for us at the end of the night. I gave Marybeth pictures of how I wanted the tables to look and she got it perfect. I brought in my own linens as I did not want white or black. They were laid out exactly as I pictured and packed right back up for us to take home.

Mike worked with us on our guest count and was more than flexible and helpful during the planning. There are time constraints with doing a cruise after the wedding so Marybeth kept everything flowing. I would suggest doing pictures before the ceremony due to the time constraints if you are doing the ceremony onsite or you may be rushed. This is not a fault of the location by any means as you are trying to fit in a ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing in 5.5 hours.

We had such a great time!

+2 photos

Theresa Sent on 08/09/2013

5 out of 5 rating

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We absolutely LOVED our wedding at Canal Side! Sharon was so helpful and kept everything running smoothly. Other reviewers have mentioned that they felt the scheduling was too rigid, but believe me, without a third party there to run a tight ship, your day will slip away from you! I really appreciated her keeping everything on track. We loved every minute of our day, and we have also heard from many of our guests who have raved about the food (mouthwatering!!) and the cruise on the canal. Many people had never locked through, and said this will be a wedding they will never forget! I especially appreciated how attentive the staff was. As I was going through the buffet line, I was also helping my daughter plate up. One of the staff members came and offered to carry my plate and help me navigate the line. Everyone was just so kind! I highly recommend Canal Side. It was a wonderful experience, and the price was on par with what you'd pay for your typical hotel/banquet hall wedding. If you're looking for something unique...this is the place!

Sabrina Sent on 06/03/2013

5 out of 5 rating

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We chose to have our wedding at canal side after attending a wedding there. The staff was professional and courteous throughout the entire night. Sharon, the owner/planner, was very helpful with all aspects of the wedding. I had to contact her several times for questions that I had forgotten to ask and she was always more than willing to help (The easiest way to contact her is via email). We opted to do majority of our photos before the wedding ceremony in what our photographer titled a "reveal" this way the wedding stayed on schedule and there was less down time for the guests. She was still able to get the much wanted photos of the grooms first glimpse of the bride by doing photos this way. The staff worked well and was accommodating to all of my vendors. Even my DJ commented on how impressed he was with the professionalism of the staff. All of my guests raved about the staff, food and venue. The wedding ran right on schedule despite on and off thunderstorms all evening. I was especially impressed when there was a staff member assigned to assist me with getting my plate as my 1 1/2 year old son (ring bearer) was attached to my hip. They also made my husband and I sandwich and a wrap to go. After booking my wedding here I read a few of the not so great reviews and was slightly concerned, however after everything the staff did to go out of their way for us I am so glad we chose canal side for our wedding.

Roselyn Sent on 10/26/2012

5 out of 5 rating

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Thanks to the wonderful staff, my daughter's wedding was perfect. The food, the boat ride, the ceremony, the atmosphere, every thing was fantastic. I had brought homemade cookies, but did not have time to put them on the trays, and the staff quickly helped take them from my car, and put them on trays for me. The service was great, and everyone commented on how good the food was. I would definetly recommend Lockport Locks to others.

Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises Inc.'s reply:

Thank you for your nice comments. We want the day to be relaxing and enjoyable for everyone.

Jessica Sent on 10/18/2011

5 out of 5 rating

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My husband and I got married here in September and it was wonderful! The staff AND owners were great. I didn't have to worry about a thing and my entire day went seamlessly. Guests loved the cocktail cruise, the food was really really good and they never cut people off at the bar and when my band went on a little longer than they should have there was no one kicking us out. It is a beautiful location, the price for what you get is spot on, and it will be a unique day for everyone that attends. If you are a flexible and easy person to work with the owners will be too.

Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises Inc.'s reply:

Thank you for your review and for choosing Canal Side to begin your life together.

Jennifer D. Sent on 09/11/2019

4.8 out of 5 rating

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Beautiful, Fun and Funky venue

This is an amazing venue- beautiful and funky and super memorable. We absolutely loved our wedding here. The weather was threatening to rain, but we still got our outdoor ceremony because it was in a beautiful covered area. The venue is super reasonably priced, especially since we got food, beverages and a cocktail hour BOAT RIDE (Erie Canal Cruise) for less than many other places. I got so many compliments on the venue, and we did the boat ride in the rain, and it was still lovely! We had about 130 people which was perfect for the indoor reception space (You can have the reception inside or outside). The only downside is that the owners are more old fashioned and prefer phone communication over e-mail, which took me a little bit of adjusting, but ended up working out. Their wedding day coordinator, Mary Beth, was fantastic and really pulled everything together. The food was yummy- we picked the Premium Hors d’ Oeuvre Menu, but had them adjust it to serve it more like a buffet. Great food choices and my extended family members were overheard saying that my family "always goes over the top", which I'm taking as a compliment, especially since it was said near bacon wrapped scallops. All in all, we had a perfect day and would recommend the venue to everyone.

User2771567 Sent on 09/17/2016

4.8 out of 5 rating

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We recently had our wedding reception at Canalside. We chose to have our cocktail hour on the boat and it is something our guests are still talking about 2 months later! The service was excellent and they made the whole process very easy. Everyone at Canalside was very easy to work with and everything went so smoothly. The food was delicious and there were so many choices to choose from. I would highly recommend a reception at Canalside!!

Shannon Sent on 09/02/2014

4.7 out of 5 rating

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Beautiful reception, very unique with the boat ride. Great food with excellent service and staff. Sharon was always available to answer questions and go over details, both owners are easy to work with and understanding. We didn't have to set anything up or clean anything up, just had to drop anything that needed to be put out off a couple days before wedding. Everything that was left there was put away nicely for us to pick up the next day. Nothing felt rushed, everything was just scheduled so that things moved along nicely so we could have plenty of time for dancing and socializing. Only thing that seemed to be watched was how much alcohol was given to one person, which can be understandable so no one gets out of control. All in all it was perfect and I will never forget my wedding. Thank You Sharon and Mike

User1745073 Sent on 08/02/2014

4.7 out of 5 rating

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We setup a canal cruise preceding our son's wedding rehearsal dinner at the canalside location. The canal cruise was a great way to get everyone introduced and interesting as well. The entire event was executed perfectly, on time and well organized. The venue was very nice and the food was generally quite good. The folks were easy to work with and very accommodating throughout.
We received uniformly positive feedback from our guests.

Sent on 10/24/2019

4.6 out of 5 rating

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Fall 2019 Wedding

Working with Mary Beth was the greatest part of our experience here. The food was wonderful, had many compliments from the guests. If youre having your event here, book the boat, you will not regret.

For the venue, put up some sample table layouts on your website. Our seating arrangement was not correct because there were no gjides for us to use. Also, please don't tell the groom, the DJ, or the best man that you thought the speeches were too long. Very unprofessional.

A Sent on 07/04/2014

3.7 out of 5 rating

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3.5 out of 5 rating

Venue was gorgeous, with a boat ride for our cocktail hour, which was lovely. The food that was good, was good. The rest was rather bland, but there were enough other choices that I had a nice meal. My biggest issue was with the "coordinator". They are EXTREMELY regimented with their time, and therefor, certain aspects of our wedding were rushed or near ruined. Even during our rehearsal walk-thru she allowed random customers to keep jumping in and out of our area and into our processional line (an area that had no use to anyone else, its not like it was part of the attractions.)For example, she insisted we (the bride and bridesmaids) needed to start the procession. However; we didn't have our flowers and she insisted that she gave them "to somebody". "Somebody" according to her, was our photographer. Who does that? Moreover, imagine my surprise when the photographer had no clue what she was talking about and my sister found the flowers in a bucket near the bathroom. She INSISTED someone had to do a speech at dinner, despite us having told our party it was not necessary, as nobody was keen on publicly speaking. Told us to line up for intro of the wedding party and parents, and in the same breath freaking out because we weren't sitting down to dinner.My biggest qualm, and thank God I didn't know until after because I would have lost my religion, pertains to the start of the ceremony. Of course, I didn't see the moms head down first, as I was lined up with my dad. In the videos, you can clearly see that the guests aren't even seated yet, the DJ doesn't know its time to start the processional music, AND THE GROOM ISN'T THERE YET. The moms had to fake getting up and kissing him before my girls headed down! It was a 60 person, 10 minute ceremony. Calm down, lady, you didn't have to ruin this part for my mother, husband, and his mom. I'd suggest this place, only for the scenery.

Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises Inc.'s reply:

Thank you for nice comments about the venue, boat, and food.
By now you have seen the photographs and know why the photographer had the flowers. The photographer asked for all the flowers to take photos of the groomsmen, and others having the flowers pinned on. I of course thought the photographer would give the mothers their flowers.
The guests and groomsmen were ushered to the Patio garden for the ceremony when you arrived. As you may recall, you and the bridesmaids did not want to proceed to the ceremony for quite some time. It is my understanding that many of the guests and groomsmen grew impatient and began moving about. When you were ready, it took some time to reassemble.
It is a very exciting time for the couple and the wedding party. To most couples, it is important that there is time for dancing after dinner. Every delay in the planned timing takes away from that dancing. I take the responsibility of trying to roughly following the couple’s planned timing and agenda seriously. It is a lot easier for me to just relax and let things happen; but the result would disappoint everyone.
I hope you are enjoying married life and look back at your wedding and reception at Canal Side as a great enjoyable day in your life.

User2272129 Sent on 08/16/2015

2.5 out of 5 rating

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2.5 out of 5 rating

I had my wedding here and I have to say the day was beautiful, the boat ride was a blast, food and serving staff amazing. I enjoyed my wedding. Despite all that, I would not work with this venue again. Communication is the main concern. After the initial meeting it was very hard to get responses to questions. The owner has it set how things are going to go and doesn't seem to feel the need to communicate with the client on the details or make any changes. The only areas where this was a real concern for me was in the seating arrangements and packing of belongings at the end of the night. I requested a floor layout to arrange my tables and was told this could not be provided and to just put my tables in order. This resulted in tables that I put in order to be seated near each other being placed on opposite sides of the room. At the end of the night my mother wanted to make sure that the important items were safe and brought home. This was met with hostility and she was told don't worry it is all there. As a result we had to go back the next day because an item was not packed. We also had trouble finding an important item. When we called to ask about it, we were again met with hostility and instant defense tactics. I asked where and how the item was packed but was made to feel that I had no right to ask. Eventually the owner was able to relay to me how and where it had been packed and the item was found. This situation could easily have been avoided had my mother been given the visual assurance she requested the night of the wedding instead of being talked down to.

Chris Sent on 08/18/2014

2.4 out of 5 rating

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Yesterday we had a bridal shower at this venue- first the positives. The food was delicious, the event ran smoothly, and well. Everyone seemed to have a good time.
But dealing with Mike was one of the most unprofessional experiences we have had. He was rude- incredibly rude. We were not local, so we ended up contacting him by phone several times before the event to confirm. He was unprofessional and rude to speak with. Impatient, and miserable.
We arrived only to find out that they had booked a second shower, and placed us in the smaller more cramped room. When we went to discuss it, he was miserable, and actually walked away from us saying he would not deal with us, because " if you bring the people then you get the room". He claimed that "we were told that" which three of us did not "remember"- and then proceeded walk away. It was unbelievably unprofessional. Sharon was better, I think she knew he was wrong. The room ultimately worked, and the event was nice, probably thanks to her. We did our own centerpieces, etc. It turned out to be a nice event, but he was so unprofessional, I would hesitate to recommend them. When we told him that his response was "whatever. Who does that is this is your business? You can probably find a venue that does as equally nice job, but is more professional to work with. Check other references... you will find that this is a theme.

Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises Inc.'s reply:

When the bride left the shower, she gave me a big hug and expressed her thanks. As you stated, “the food was good and the shower was very nice.”
When you arrived 56 Spanish-speaking passengers had just arrived by motor coach. Mike was greeting the passengers at the entrance of the building and directing them to the boats. When you arrived at the same time and immediately began complaining, he could not give you his full attention.
No statement was ever made as to which room would be used for the shower. You were shown the entire building, and I am sorry that you assumed that your shower would be in the Veranda room, which has seating for 150 guests. The Meeting Room, which has seating for 50 guests, is much more suitable, as well as more private, for a shower of 30 guests. The Meeting Room has windows on all 4 sides as well as a huge skylight. 11 windows and a door are approximately 20 feet further from the Canal than the windows in the Veranda.
We apologize that you had the feeling that you were not treated professionally. However, we are pleased that the bride, the guests, and you seem to have enjoyed the shower at Canal Side.

Emily Sent on 08/25/2014

2.2 out of 5 rating

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I am writing this review with a heavy heart. I recently had my bridal shower here. It was organized by my mother and my Aunt who are both from out of town. When we met with the coordinator in the spring, it was a very positive experience. However, on the day of- my mother, younger sister and my aunt were treated very disrespectfully. They had a very unpleasant interaction with the owner, who gave them a hard time for not "understanding" the room situation. While this could have been a slight mis-communication will all parties, his unprofessional-ism regarding the matter was completely unacceptable.

Additionally, the staff was HORRIBLE. I had to ask three separate waiters for coffee and received many blank stares and confusing responses such as "Well, this is decaf, so unless you want that, then you have to wait". Most of the staff looked very young and not well trained for even the smallest of parties. I also watched my mother, AND my soon to be mother in-law get up from their tables to ask for coffee or water, which never came to them. I have worked in food service for many years and believe this to be the basics of good customer care, to which they failed horribly in.

I will note that end the end of the shower I was gracious enough to say thank you to Sharon, the owner, because she tried her best to make up for her husband's unprofessionalism. I was raised to be grateful and polite which I am realizing that everyone has not had that same up bringing.

However, I did not leave this venue with any good feelings, and I felt as if the happiness of my shower was ruined. I will not recommend this venue to anyone who is looking for the true "bridal" experience or even good customer service- it is better equipped for relaxing and small BBQ type events.

Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises Inc.'s reply:

Thank you for your comments. When your mother arrived, she was upset because she wanted the larger room for your shower. As I mentioned in my response to your Mom, 56 Spanish-speaking passengers had just arrived by motor coach. Mike was greeting them at the entrance of the building and directing them to the boats. Your Mom immediately demanded his undivided attention. She was very abusive to Mike; and her language was colorful to say the least. Even the Spanish-speaking guests were laughing; they understood the words she was using.
Our staff is very competent and efficient. (Please read the positive reviews.) They cannot pour regular coffee from a decaf container. When they finished with the decaf, I imagine they went to the tables with regular coffee. Two water pitchers are on the table from throughout the event, and they are kept refilled. Perhaps, your Mom and Aunt were just trying to find fault.
If you were just being polite I would understand the “Thank you”. But you may recall, you also gave me a hug. I am sorry that your mother did not get her way with the room and did her best to ruin the shower. I hope your wedding will be enjoyable.

Rachel Sent on 09/26/2011

2.1 out of 5 rating

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Well I would have to say that they did an amazing job with the food and the way the reception area was set up. The unique factor is there with the option of the canal ride which was different. However, they are unwilling to extend the fun no matter how much money was offered. They basicaly kicked us out and told us to go on our way at 10:30 even though it was offerd to pay for an additional hour because everyone was having so much fun. The food was great but instead of my parents (who paid) to take leftovers home the food was fed to their staff instead. All in all my wedding was great I married my man but I would have chosen a different venue who was more flexiable...they did make it feel rushed.

Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises Inc.'s reply:

Thank you taking the time to write a review for Canal Side. We are glad that everyone had fun and enjoyed the food, venue, and cruise. Canal Side always prepares for more food than the final count. We want all guests have as much food as they would like.

When someone asks to extend the time of an event, we always check with the staff and bartenders. Since they are with the guests, they consider all that is occurring at the time before advising me. We of, course, want everyone to have fun; and we do extend the times if we are comfortable that the evening will end happily. Of course, the decision to end a party is not popular with everyone. However, there are times that it is just the proper time for the guests to go home. We have been privileged host weddings for 14 years and happy to say that as far as we know all the wedding couples and guests have had a safe evening.

Quinn Sent on 09/06/2011

0.4 out of 5 rating

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The only positive things about the lockport locks were the staff, food and the reception area was pretty. My wedding included a boat ride following the ceremony, the boat was supposed to dock at 7:30 but it didn't dock until 8:30!!!! granted the wedding did start about 20 minutes late so the boat docking a little later than 7:30 would be understandable but 8;30 was rediculous. Dinner was served promptly and the staff was friendly and professional. However, the owner almost ruined the wedding! Dinner didn't end until 9:30 and I wanted to extend the time we had the reception hall by an hour to make up for time lost on the boat. My DJ agreed to stay and my bridesmaids tried to arrange an extention with the owner. She was unbelievablly rude, would not let us stay. We offered to pay more of course, but she refused because she said she would not keep the bar open until midnight. In response to that , we offered to close the bar and still pay. She still wouldn't cooperate. When my maid of honor tried to reason with her by saying we would pretty much do anything to have another hour of dancing (because we only had 1.5 hr total) and used the line "she will only be a bride once" the owner said "well maybe not"!!!! Completlely unprofessional and rude! When I signed the contract she said it would not be a problem to extend the time, but it wasn't written in the contract so she wouldn't honor it. I cannot even express in this review the horrible, rude, unprofessional additude of this woman! Please don't get married there, a miserable person with no romantic sensibility can ruin more than you may think!

Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises Inc.'s reply:

We appreciate your review. We are pleased that you enjoyed the staff, the food, and the reception site. There are some delays that are hard to overcome. If guests are slow in boarding the boat after the ceremony, or the photographer takes many landside photos, etc. the boat, of course, will leave the dock late. The reception cruise is almost exactly 1 hour. Because of the size of the boat the captain can only turn at certain places. Once the boat docked you indicated 8:30 passengers were disembarked, seated, you were announced, cut your cake, and were saluted with a toast. You and your guests finishing dinner within 1 hour of the boat docking seems to show the efficiency and flexibility of the staff at Canal Side. The comment attributed by the bridesmaid is indeed inappropriate, and I cannot imagine that it was relayed correctly. As you know, we generate a time line for your event. Using more time than is planned will shorten the time for dancing. Anyone in business would want to accept additional money to extend the time of a party. I know that I will not be popular denying the request. After 14 years of hosting parties, we rely on the bartenders and stoff for recommendations. We are very pleased that you enjoyed your special day so much, you didn't want it to end.

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Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises Inc.