The Essex Room

Living in Texas and planning a New England wedding can be a bit of a challenge. I sent inquiries to multiple venues, all beautiful, We selected The Essex Room after a conversation with Maureen Woodman followed by a tour of the venue and the outside area. Maureen was the only person who actually called me within an hour (on a a Sunday, no less) to talk about my vision for the wedding. We first met with Faye Broderick which reinforced that we selected the right venue as I knew we were in great hands for making sure every detail was covered. In addition to Maureen and Faye, Donna Roy, Lauren Muise, Norman Lemcke and Chef Ned and the rest of the staff are INCREDIBLE. Donna was extremely responsive to my numerous e-mails and they were easy to work with to schedule to tours of the venue for a variety of vendors (florists, photographer, our officiant, etc.) for times that I was in Massachusetts. Donna and Lauren checked & double-checked all the details and coordinated / executed everything professionally and perfectly on our wedding day. They set everything up just the way we wanted with the centerpieces we brought in, didn't have to worry about anything. Norman is fun and personable and great with postings and updates on social media and a willing dog handler if you want to include your furry friend in your wedding ceremony. (Bear, our 135 lb. Mastiff, has few manners and drools on everybody so he did not participate in the ceremony, to my and Norman's dismay! ;-) This was the right decision by my husband, btw!) The ceremony on the manicured lawn was lovely, the bar service for cocktail hour and reception was terrific & the food was amazing. Our guests rave about every aspect: from apple cider donuts pre-ceremony to passed hor d'oeuvres & cheeses to clam chowder & mouth-watering filet / chicken / risotto served for the main course. Chef Ned is very talented in the kitchen and our guests LOVED talking to him about the cheeses and other menu items. Highest recommendation!