We had our wedding at the Aldrich on 9/10/11, and it was amazing. I'll break up the review into categories to make sure I cover everything. For some reason there aren't many reviews of this place, so I want to provide you with as much information as possible.

Venue location: Warwick was perfect for us. We toured several venues, and our final decision came down to the Aldrich vs. Oceancliff in Newport. For us, the Aldrich won out because there was no event minimum, and we liked that Warwick was away from the hustle and bustle of Newport. We also loved the mansion feel. My husband is from a small town in western Canada, so we had a lot of out of town guests, and I didn't want them to be overwhelmed getting in and out of Newport. I also didn't want them to pay too much for accommodations. We ended up with a room block at the Crowne Plaza Warwick, which was only 15 minutes away, for $119/night, with a hot breakfast buffet included. In addition, we booked a coach bus through Fisher Bus Company (I will separately review them) for our guests between the hotel and the mansion, and it worked out great.

Venue style: We were worried that the two dining rooms and lack of designated dance floor might be issues with how the night went, but I have to say, and my husband agrees, that we think we prefer the two separate dining rooms and would recommend that people not consider it a con, but rather a pro for the venue. We sat our families in one dining room, and our friends in the other. It was perfect because the older folks got to sit and eat their dinner in a relatively quiet setting, while our friends could get as rowdy as they wanted in the other room. We also felt that the venue did a great job of escorting us from eating our soup/salad in one room to dinner in the other room. I think that both rooms felt like we spent enough time with them. As for the dance floor, no one seemed to care that it was in the foyer of the mansion. People were dancing all night. So long as you have a good DJ and/or band, people will dance!

Food: The food was amazing. People keep telling me that the food was the best they've had at a wedding, and we have to agree. The lobster bisque was amazing-- Chef Al did not skimp on the lobster in there! The petite filets were cooked perfectly. Even the wedding cake was amazing, and I'm normally not a cake person. The only "complaint" I have is that we had the dessert room for $12.95/pp, and unfortunately, they ran out of bananas foster wayyy too quickly. That should be adjusted so that more guests can have it if they want.

Decor: The ladies at the mansion set up everything perfectly. We didn't add much to the mansion since we thought it was gorgeous on its own, but we did have some personalized touches that they set up exactly as we discussed. In addition, online pictures of the mansion do not do it justice. It is a gorgeous venue, both inside and out. If you luck out with weather, you'll get to do your introductions, toasts, and first dance outside on the patio, which we loved.

Service: The ladies who run the mansion are truly amazing. They promptly responded to all my emails during the planning process. If they couldn't reach me by email, then they would call. In addition, the service on the day of the wedding was second to none. As the bride and groom, we had hostesses getting us drinks, telling us where to go, what to do next etc. all night long. Our guests were in awe of how smoothly everything ran. Little did they know that our wonderful hostesses were orchestrating everything behind the scenes.

Other: I can't think of much else. Our day was perfect. The only real downside to the mansion is that it is expensive. You have to pay a flat fee ($8k as of 2011) to rent the property, which includes tables, chairs,and standard linens (which looked great to me!). The food bill, security detail, insurance and other expenses are in addition to the rental fee. However, note that you save some money on the liquor since you buy it yourself. There are several stores around that will buy back all the unopened bottles.

Bottom line: My husband and I loved the mansion, and we are so glad we chose it for our venue. Our guests loved it, too. So don't hesitate to book the Aldrich if it is on your short list. You really can't go wrong here!

I really wanted to write a review for Aldrich because so few are there. I just got married here this past weekend and I wanted to share my ideas about it. The mansion inside and out are amazing! Of course there are things like dead grass that I felt should have been taken care of but that doesn't ruin anything. The view more then makes up for grass not being watered. The food is also very good, honestly the best food I ever had at a wedding. In addition, chef Al is extremely understanding and accomodating. The best part is the hostesses that cater to you on your day. My hostesses made sure everything went smoothly, waited on me and my husband the whole time, and made sure we ate and took care of ourselves. The only complaint is sometimes they were a little too much on schedule which interferred with seeing our guests or having moments to soak in everything. I must say though during the planning process the office staff made me feel a little like I was bothering them. I just had things that I wanted to do that were a little different from the usual norm because I had so many personalized touches. The value is huge though as the meals are not too expensive. One thing I would recommend is rent linens, I did because their linens are short and you see the tables underneath which I personally don't like. Also make sure you ask for what you want and if you have to be a little pushy go for it, just make sure you are polite. Lastly get the dessert room option guests love it, the only thing is ours was a little sparse since we had 100 guests. I definitely would have liked to see more because the wow factor is not as impressive when there are only about 20 items (it might have been less). We had a coffee bar which was nice too and the second room we filled with all types of candy which guests loved. Last complaint I would have to add is the bars had tip jars. I hate that and felt the gratuity we had to pay for everything should have been enough so our guests could have a night without paying for any items. Overall the night wasn't perfect, but I definitely would have had my wedding at Aldrich-no regrets!

I was so impressed with the quality of service and attention to detail. Whether you were on the phone with a wedding coordinator or there in person, they were so attentive!
We wanted a mansion type feel without having to go to Newport. The food was incredible, the dessert room was a hit, and the mansion was jaw dropping!
I highly recommend the Aldrich Mansion!!

The Aldrich Mansion was so beautiful and wowed all of our out-of-town guests. The setting, inside and out, was perfect. the food was fantastic and even though there were so many separate rooms, are guests mingled everywhere. The best part was that we were never rushed and we had the entire place to ourselves.

I can't imagine getting married any other way. This is truly a special place. To begin, it was love at first site for us, the mansion and grounds are stunning. There are few more exquisite settings for a wedding - this is your waterfront mansion for a whole day! (One of the prettiest times is late spring when the grounds are in bloom). The lawns are sprawling and the whole scene just makes for the most amazing backdrop for photos. You cannot take bad photos here.

The staff, led by Delia, guides you from the first visit through last call and I can guarantee that you will not find a staff that is more attentive during this entire time. From day one, they treated us like family and we are treated the same almost two years later. They honestly care about you and will do anything they can to make your day unforgettable. The staff is unbeatable.

We had our ceremony on site at the chapel and transitioned directly to the mansion for the reception. The chapel is really unique because its set up in the old English teaching seminary style where the pews face inward and are graduated like stadium seats, so everyone has a good view of you walking down the aisle. Their staff ran the rehearsal and orchestrated the ceremony behind the scenes. There was no need for a coordinator.

After the ceremony, our guests walked right over to the mansion and were greeted with trays of champagne and an amazing spread including a raw bar that seemed endless. Overall, the food experience is overwhelming, in a good way! You are given so many menu options, including buffet or sit-down. Some guests still tell us that the filet they had at our wedding was one of the best they've ever had. Without question though, the best option you're given is to have the dessert room which comes at a very reasonable per person additional cost. Whenever guests talk about your wedding, they'll talk about this room. They stuff a banquet table in the library with 32 . . . that's 32 different desserts! There's no sliver of cake, this is a full size abundant feast of indulgence that cannot be matched anywhere by any venue . . . at least not at this cost! I personally guarantee you that not one person will leave your wedding with a complaint about food.

One thing about the venue people immediately consider is that there are two separate rooms. You have the flexibility to use the space as you like. We made the two rooms two separate dining rooms and put family in one, friends in the other. We sat with family and visited friends. The rooms were removed from the dance area. Our older guests liked this because they could maintain conversations without the distractions and overwhelming noise. I think our guests liked it because those people dancing didn't feel like they were on display. We felt that people have the freedom to walk the mansion and the grounds at their leisure was a lot more liberating and enjoyable than being confined to one function room. Certainly, the back veranda makes for an amazing backdrop for a pre-dinner drink and post-dinner cigar (we even used it for our introductions and first dance - at sunset!).

Some of the things you don't really consider, but that we found really appealing were that there was ample parking on site and a a beautiful chapel on site. There is no Newport traffic to contend with. This made things really easy for our family traveling from Boston. There are no tourists running interrupting your occasion. All the cooking is done on site and all the furnishings are kept on site. There is no need for caterers or furnishers. This is really a "one stop" venue; a self contained operation.

The pricing is comparable to elegant Rhode Island venues and slightly cheaper than the Newport venues. We've been to weddings at the Newport venues and they're all beautiful, but when you compare what you get here, the value far exceeds the actual cost. Especially if you consider the savings alone just by being able to provide your own alcohol. Consider your bar bill at another venue and then compare it to the cost to supply your own alcohol. It will be a deciding factor for you. The Aldrich has many intangibles that other venues do not.

Ultimately, I can't say enough about the Aldrich. It was picture perfect. As I said before, the staff makes you feel like family. You develop a connection to your venue. Some people return to the hotel where they got married for a nice anniversary tradition, other people may visit the beach where they exchanged vows or eat at the restaurant where they had their reception. For us, every year we return for their holiday banquet and its like reliving our wedding every December. We know the mansion will always be there for us to visit and we usually do whenever we're in the area. We know that, when we do, the door will always be open!