New England Outdoor Center Reviews

We had our wedding weekend at NEOC the weekend of 10/27/23-10/29/23 and it surpassed all of our expectations. We worked with Julie and she made planning and organizing completely stress free - she gave us timelines for when important decisions would need to be made and made sure everything on the weekend was executed flawlessly. She even gave (extremely helpful and accurate!) suggestions for which cabins would suit family or friends best. In addition, the staff at NEOC was SO KIND and helpful. Our guests could not stop telling us how kind everyone was, how nice the cabins were, and how beautiful the grounds were. It was so amazing to spend the weekend in a place with all of our guests around us. They were able to rent canoes, kayaks, and go on hikes around the grounds! Also the food is incredible! The views from the event center are absolutely stunning, and the brewery was the perfect place to hold our welcome dinner. We give everything about the weekend an 11/10, it truly could not have been better. NEOC is the best place to have your wedding, especially if you want it all in one place.

We got married up at the new event center and had both our ceremony and reception there. It was amazing! I can’t say enough about the views, the opportunities for recreation, the value of an entire weekend in the cabins with our closest friends and family, the event center itself, and the staff who made it all come together flawlessly. I would highly recommend this venue! It’s not exactly inexpensive, but the value of the experience you get is well worth it in my opinion! Many friends and family commented on how amazing this wedding was, how much they loved the food, and the fun things they were able to do in the area!

This was the perfect venue for a Maine wedding. My husband and I had our wedding here in August. Shorey and the whole team were wonderful to work with. The food was fabulous, and the scenic views were gorgeous. We had our rehearsal dinner on the patio of the restaurant the evening before. The ceremony took place outside by the lake with the reception under a tent. We also stayed a couple days extra for our honeymoon and enjoyed the moose tour and hiking nearby.

4-28-19 Vegan Wedding!!!

We just had our wedding at NEOC, after only two months of planning. Let us just start by saying WOW! Yes, there's the beauty of Mount Katahdin, which stayed a mystery all weekend until it graced us with it's presence on our wedding day creating everlasting majestic photos that we will have for the rest of our lives, but honestly, having our wedding at NEOC was so much more than just a spectacular view.

From our very first venue visit, Shorey's casual confidence and cool-as-a-cucumber demeanor was a much needed calming presence throughout our stressful planning. Her masterful vision that matched ours, for rustic elegance, was methodically executed down to every little detail. She was always available to answer any questions regardless of how large or small they may have been.

When the weekend finally arrived, Shorey was the all encompassing gracious host, who, by where we stood, couldn't possibly have slept the entire weekend. She was always present, from our group breakfasts, to the rehearsal dinner, straight through to our afternoon ceremony & late night reception. Shorey was everywhere, ensuring everyone's cabins, meals, and experiences were exceeding expectations! And they did!!!

Our guests raved about everything Shorey, her staff, and NEOC embodied. The staff was so genuinely interested in making our guests happy. There was Glen, who arranged all the fireworks we brought and boy did he make an amazing spectacle for us, that our friends and family will never forget. Thank you, Glen!

And Lynn, who took all of our local beer and booze requests and truly went out of her way to make our selections happen. Truly grateful.

Where to begin about Chef Chelse!! She is incredible! Upon first contacting Shorey, we inquired about their capability of putting on a vegan wedding. We were told it's not cuisine the chef usually prepares but she'd love the challenge, not that it would be challenging. Did she ever capitalize on this opportunity! On our very first visit to NEOC, Chelse whipped up a most scrumptious two-course snack completely unsolicited. And she presented it herself with the utmost excitement, glowing at the opportunity to concoct a vegan feast!

At the tasting, we were blown away by the options she had created. We had some minor critiques, which she completely agreed with, and by the time our celebration weekend arrived, she nailed it!!! TOTAL ROCKSTAR!!!! We went with a buffet-style meal, our request. Her vegetable noodles with pesto were perfectly spiraled and al dente, the mushroom risotto was so delicious that many of our carnivore guests thought there was meat in it! Haha!!! Her grilled vegetable stacks stole the show as their presentation was gorgeous. She also went above and beyond to execute not one, but two flavors of vegan wedding cupcakes! And who could forget the late-night vegan poutine bar!!! :D Everyone was raving about the food all weekend, from the Mexican-themed rehearsal dinner, to the breakfast buffets, to Chelse always preparing something "just for the vegans" for each meal we ate over three days spent at NEOC. As if she wasn't busy enough, we're quite sure that each one of our guests pulled Chelse aside to personally dote on her with accolades.

We chose NEOC because it is a venue that we could return to for so many different reasons, and it will always be the place that signifies our most special day. And after what they've done for us, we will again and again!

We can't recommend NEOC enough! If you're interested in having your wedding there, we whole-heartedly think you should!

Absolutely book this vendor. The location is absolutely gorgeous and the team there is just incredible. I could not have asked for a more perfect day and the team at New England Outdoor Center made sure I had that day.

We couldn't be happier with our decision to get married at NEOC. Some of our guests may have been skeptical about a destination wedding in Millinocket, ME... that is until they arrived. There is a magic about NEOC and being in the shadow of Mt. Katahdin that makes everyone relax. And the staff was incredibly helpful, friendly, and organized. We owe a huge thanks to Shorey, who seemed to really be steering the ship. From day one, we loved that she was a straight shooter (happy to share what did and didn't work) and seemed laid back like us. When it came to our wedding weekend though, she was totally on her game, making sure the details we hadn't even thought of fell perfectly into place. This venue might not be for everyone. But if you are a lover of the outdoors and want a wedding that will feel like a family reunion and a vacation for your guests - I recommend you check out NEOC.

We could not be happier with our decision to get married at the New England Outdoor Center. Not only is it one of the most beautiful spots you can find, but the people there are some of the most caring, genuine, hard-working folks you could ask for. From the beginning Shorey helped us plan out the process and as we ironed-out details, she helped answer our many questions big and small and worked incredibly hard to turn our ideas into reality. On the weekend of our wedding Shorey, Matt, and the entire team worked tremendously hard to make sure our guests were comfortable and having fun and people still talk about how friendly the staff were and what a special place we'd chosen. From the rafting trip we took beforehand to our walk down the aisle and of course to the party afterward and the brunch the next day, the folks at New England Outdoor Center went out of their way to make everything awesome.