Island Pond Event Center Reviews

As the bride and groom, we are obviously biased, but we had dozens of guests seek us out throughout the weekend to say this was the best wedding they had ever been to. Fernwood Cove is absolutely gorgeous. We visited three times prior to our big day, and each time it was more beautiful than the last. Being at this youth camp during the offseason felt secluded, intimate, and amazingly nostalgic for so many of our guests. Almost all of our 110 guests stayed onsite for the weekend and bunked with family and friends many hadn't seen in years. It was a chance for adults to feel like kids again, and for kids to run and play until they dropped. Having a couple days meant we could all spend more quality time together, rather than just brief conversations over a few hours. Driving up to the camp took so many by surprise. I think some of our not-so-outdoorsy guests thought they'd be roughing it for a couple days, but when you first catch a glimpse of the property after turning down the dirt road, it's clear Fernwood is a truly special place. The grounds are beautifully kept, the pond is clear, the woods that surround the property offer privacy. To wrap that part up - it's beautiful. In fact, we didn't even decorate outside of our dining table place settings.

Secondly, the food Chef Keith and his team prepared was nothing short of mouth-watering. Every bite was excellent. His menu can be overwhelming because he really can do it all. We asked him to choose some of his favorites to help us narrow it down, and it was spectacular. Chef and his team were helpful, kind, positive, and in general a pleasure to be around.

Beigette and Jim, the owners, and their family were in many ways the best part. They have created a place that feels like a home away from home. They were helpful during the planning process, flexible with the ideas we had, and they are two of the nicest people we've met.

We could not have found a better place to kickstart the rest of our lives. We and our guests will never forget our time at Fernwood Cove! Many thanks to Beigette, Jim, Chef, and all the staff at Fernwood!

My husband and I just got married here on 9/3/22, overall we had an amazing experience. We had perfect weather, so we had the ceremony down on the lake front, had dinner in the dining hall (The Feeder), and had the reception in a separate building (The Chick) located next to the dining hall. The Chick was also our backup plan for an indoor ceremony if weather didn’t allow us to have it outdoors. Having all of these separate spaces to utilize was so nice because we weren’t in the catering staff’s way or vice versa while they tried to clear the tables. The chef catered our reception meal which was Italian pastas, he also allowed us to borrow all table linens and place settings (glasses, silverware, charger plates and dinner plates) free of charge. The entire staff was very helpful and very flexible as far as budget. The cost of the facility rental is well worth it for what you get. The day of, the staff was available if we needed anything but they also stayed away and let us do our own thing and enjoy they day. All of our guests commented on how great the venue and food was. We also really loved being able to make a full weekend out of it so we were able to spend more time with our guests.

My daughter just had her wedding here and I can't recommend the venue highly enough. The owner/director and chef were top notch to work with and the location cannot be beat. Indoor spaces are large and very attractive. Besides the lovely lake, the venue has beautiful grounds and gardens, outdoor fire pits, multiple locations for photos, a large professional kitchen (and the chef catered an amazing meal for us at very reasonable prices!) and loads of cabins as sleeping spaces for guests for a weekend. We loved the Island Pond convention center and would HIGHLY recommend it for weddings.

We booked Fernwood cove for a weekend wedding, (thursday to sunday). We had approximately 125 guests at the wedding in total. The venue has large number of cabins that we were able to comfortably separate people out into small groups. (we booked bedding through a company in Portland which delivered to the camp).

The venue has so many resources and options to use and enjoy over the weekend, it really made an impact on our guests, spending lots of time together and enjoying the pond, tennis courts, basketball court etc.. (Fernwood also has all the kit too including kayaks etc).

For the weekend, we booked Chef Keith the patron of the camp. He catered for the full weekend, friday, saturday and sunday breakfast. His food is excellent and was enjoyed by everyone. He is also just extremely kind person to work with and his team and equally helpful.

We used the Chick for our wedding meal, but used the outside lawn by the waterfront for the wedding service. This worked out really well for us. The main dining room was used for breakfast/lunch etc and worked really well. This has recently been refurbished to a high standard. Each hall has built in speakers and was easy to set up for our style. We had use of a golf cart during the weekend to speed up set up, as well as move those around who were less mobile.

We booked a couple of external things including glasses, some cocktail tables, bar staff and our own alcohol (for a free bar).

The venue is fantastic, as was everyone we came into contact with at the camp, from the owners to the support team. They have recently upgraded their event planning service and looking to extend them further. I would highly recommend booking this venue for a once in a lifetime experience.