The Venue at Portwalk Place Reviews

We had our wedding reception at Portsmouth Harbor Events and were absolutely thrilled with our experience with them. Lauren Lossani was amazing to work with and went above and beyond to work with us and make our day run smoothly. The venue was decorated exactly how we pictured it would be and it was absolutely beautiful.

Lauren made hosting our post-wedding brunch at the PHEC a breeze. She was an absolute pleasure to work with - communicative, organized, and accommodating from day one. We couldn’t be happier with our decision. The food was absolutely delicious and the service was excellent! Thank you for helping us wrap up our wedding weekend!

We couldn’t have asked for a better experience with Portsmouth harbor events! Lauren was extremely responsive and never made me feel like I was asking a dumb question. She truly wanted to make our big day special, and it was. I never worried about things being taken care of for the big day, Lauren took care of it all! The food was absolutely AMAZING, the service was incredible and the staff was great. I have heard multiple times that it was the best wedding food anyone had ever had! Thank you for everything!!

From our first meeting to the final moments of our wedding day, everything about working with the team at PHEC was absolutely perfect. Lauren and Stevanie are two of the best wedding planners in the entire state. They made the wedding planning process a breeze by quickly responding to email questions and accommodating every request we made. They were so knowledgeable and professional, and I completely trusted that our wedding day would go smoothly thanks to them. I also want to give a shout out to the amazing chef at PHEC - we got so many compliments on the food, and are grateful he was able to customize some dishes for us! Our guests also said that the bartenders and servers were super nice, and they felt like they were at a five star restaurant the whole night!

I am so grateful for everyone at PHEC - the entire team was awesome and all contributed to making our day wonderful. I cannot thank Lauren and Stevanie enough, and if you want to get married at a beautiful place in downtown Portsmouth and not have to worry about a thing, choose PHEC!

I can't say enough good things about the Harbor Events Center. They had every detail covered. Lauren and her team were responsive and understanding of our vision. Guests continue to comment on the amazing food and service! I highly recommend having your reception here!

We had a wonderful wedding at PHE from the planning, to the food, to the decorations, to the details of the day itself. We booked almost two years in advance due to scheduling, and Meagan let us lock in the 2015 prices, which was great for us. Lauren became our coordinator, and did a wonderful job keeping us in the loop and sending reminders throughout the planning process. The food tasting was a private meal for 6, and it was impossible to choose our favorites because everything was so amazing. Lauren was able to build a wedding package for us that included only the items we wanted and not those we didn't so we wouldn't have to overpay. And she was very flexible with us when we changed that package around several times in the last few weeks! The wedding itself was wonderful, with all of our guests commenting on the great food and atmosphere. All around a great choice, and would definitely choose it again.

Everyone at The Portsmouth Harbor Events Center was so amazing throughout the whole planning process and the wedding itself. Everyone was sooo professional and helpful. From the planning with Meghan, to sitting down with the chef during our tasting, to the execution of the event itself with Lauren! Lauren really did a great job in guiding us through our big day, and helping us get everything together. She made it painless! The food was outstanding, and the entire staff throughout the night was so great helpful! As a newly wedded couple, we truly highly recommend this venue in beautiful downtown Portsmouth NH!

We just had our rehearsal dinner and wedding through and at PHE this past weekend and we are SO happy with how everything went!

It was such a pleasure to work with Meagan and Lauren as we planned everything and then on the day of. They were very responsive and always took care of everything we needed, from our first visit to the day after the wedding. Everything was so easy and smooth. The event staff took great care of us and our guests all night and the food was delicious!

We highly recommend Portsmouth Harbor Events!

Portsmouth Harbor Event Center was an incredible venue to host our reception. The interior is simple, modern, and beautiful. The neutral color palette compliments almost any color scheme. It was the perfect backdrop to our gold, black, and white fall wedding.

The food was amazing! The tasting they set up is such a fun event for the couple and four guests. The chef is able to customize anything and really work with you to create a one-of-a-kind menu for your wedding day. Having restaurant quality food at the reception was important to us and something our guests raved about.

Meagan and Lauren are the best team to handle every little detail of the day. They are so knowledgable and eager to help with anything you can dream of. They were so fast to respond to all of my detail-oriented questions. It was a blast getting to work with them to create the reception of our dreams.

The Portsmouth Harbor Events Center is a beautiful facility and has a wonderful supportive staff. I really enjoyed working the Meagan, who was so patient as she answered my many wedding planning questions. The staff at my reception were all great and so friendly. I cannot count the amount of times I was asked by a staff member if I needed anything or if they could do anything for me. The food is also delicious!!

Where do I even begin!! We were married on October 1, 2016 and it was the most AMAZING day of our lives, in huge part to Meagan and her amazing staff. I stumbled on another wedding held at PHC online and knew we needed to check it out, my husband is from the area and many of our first dates and first memories happened in Portsmouth. PHC was the first, and only venue we looked at. Not only is it a great venue, but you fall in love with Meagan the first meeting that you have. Their price was perfect and the packages are insane!

I enjoyed every single second of my wedding planning and Meagan was a huge part of that. She answered every (ridiculous) e-mail I sent her way, she worked me through any idea I had, and the day I dropped off all of the pieces to my wedding that I had envisioned in my head, I knew she would put it all together and it would be perfect! She is amazing to say the least. I wish I could take 4 pages of this review just to rave about her.

The food at PHC is UNBELIEVABLE! from the stations, to the passed apps, to the sit down portion of dinner our guests couldn't rave enough about how delicious it all was! No one left hungry that is for sure.
On the note of food, we do need to also say that their banquet manager Jill is INCREDIBLE! she was incredibly attentive to our head table, making sure we were never needing anything. And she is a TOTAL DOLL! She made us feel like she was just as excited about our wedding as we were! Thank you for that!!

If you are considering PHC as an option for your venue, go in, meet Meagan and her staff, and know that your wedding will be everything and more you could want it to be, because they are hands down the best.

Meagan was so great to work with! She always responded to my many, many emails quickly and courteously. Meagan is a true professional who did everything in her power to make sure we had an amazing wedding day, which we most certainly did. The venue itself has the perfect color palette; neutrals with blue and green accents. It's classy and modern. Our families loved the food tasting, everything was so delicious that we even ate the huge sample meals (for three entrees!) All the servers during our reception were fabulous, and everything went off without a hitch. We definitely felt well taken care of. If you want to have your wedding in Downtown Portsmouth, PHE is the best option.

I can not say ENOUGH wonderful things about the ballroom, staff, and especially the coordinator Meagan! My husband and I were planning this wedding all the way from Colorado, not easy to say the least. Meagan was incredible! Easy to communicate with, answered all of our questions in a timely manner, and all with a stellar attitude! The day of the wedding a few of my vendors were dropping the ball, Meagan made sure everything was perfect, even driving 30 minutes to pick up table cloths the morning of the wedding. As a bride, I wanted my family to relax, especially the mother of the bride who tends to want everything perfect. We had a lot of DIY things that the MOB wanted in specific places. Meagan eased her mind, and set up everything just perfectly. The staff on the wedding day was absolutely perfect. They were respectful and on top of it! Also, the FOOD. As a bride, of course I didn't eat much of it. But I have not stopped getting compliments on how wonderful all the food was. I honestly can not say enough amazing things about this venue and the people who work there. If you're looking for a high-class Portsmouth venue with amazing staff and food, this is your place! Do not hesitate!

We had our wedding at Portsmouth harbor events in July of 2016...all i can say is they far surpassed my expectations! I was so happy with how everything came out--it was much better than i had expected, which my expectations were already high. We had never been to a wedding there and the modern charm appealed to me which was what had made me want to have our wedding there. it was hard planning everything not knowing how it would turn out, but man when i walked down that aisle and the wedding began i was so amazed at how beautiful and perfect everything was. Meagan and Lauren are so easy and fun to work with, they help with anything and answer all the million questions i asked some that were stupid to ask to begin with. they were always there to help with anything and everything. and never once did i feel that i was just some other bride. i loved working with them and they made me feel special and important as a bride and i liked that because it can be stressful at times planning a wedding, but i would say they definitely took that away for me. i would so recommend this venue as its perfect for the whole wedding start to finish and has access and connected to hotels right there for your guests as well as being in a beautiful location in my favorite city, Portsmouth!

I was extremely happy with our choice of the Portsmouth Harbor Events Center for our reception. After doing a lot of research of venues in the NH Seacoast area, we really felt this was the best value for such a nice/new venue! If you are a bride searching for venues in the NH Seacoast (especially ones that are in downtown Portsmouth or near the ocean) you will quickly learn there are very limited options. Most are smaller venues that only hold 75 people or tent venues and the reception has to end by 8:45/9 due to sound ordinances. When you start researching ballrooms/banquet rooms/golf courses/functions rooms you will see that many of them are very dated or pricey for what you get. PHEC was by far the best option. It was the best blend of having your guests close to the seacoast, yet downtown where the action is, and in a clean/classy space. There are 3 hotel options for your guests right next to the venue too (they are a bit pricey in the summer months). We were able to eliminate any “banquet room” feel by adding personal decorations to the tables and curtains that separated the room for cocktail hour and were tied by after cocktail hour to add some personality to the room. In addition, the food was delicious!! We LOVED our private tasting had with our parents and so many people have commented to us after the wedding what good food it was. The venue even has a separate “VIP room” that they let the bridal party into before everyone else. They stock the room with drinks and cocktail hour food so you have a chance to taste your own food and grab a drink before you have to enter the cocktail room! There is a small outdoor space with several cocktail tables and lounge couches that our guests all said they loved and found charming. If it is a nice afternoon, most of your cocktail hour people will hang out there. But the very best part of PHEC was working with Meagan, their event coordinator! She was absolutely amazing. She is your main point of contact, the one that co

We recently had a Friday night June wedding at Portsmouth Harbor Events. From the day last summer when we booked our date, until the day we got married, Meagan and Lauren were amazing. We picked PHE for a couple reasons: number one being the organization and flexibility it offered. We didn't want to have to worry about the details on our wedding day, we wanted to celebrate with our guests. After a few details meetings, everything we wanted or wished for, Meagan & Lauren made it happen. We got to live in the moment with our guests on our wedding day, knowing that everything was going to be perfect.

Guest count, not an issue has this is a very large space. They host one wedding per day, so you are not competing for space with other weddings. It was truly wonderful. We were able to keep the airways open during cocktail hour, offering plenty of space for guests to sit or socialize. Everyone raved about the outdoor patio space. People are still telling us how wonderful the food and service was.

Long story short... if you love the small town feel of Portsmouth and the atmosphere it has to offer, but are looking for a place to accommodate a large wedding in an elegant, social space... Portsmouth Harbor Events is right choice for you.

My husband and I were super impressed by Harbor Events, Meagan (the wedding coordinator), Lauren (the catering coordinator) and their staff. The food was top notch and as a bride I felt like I could relax because they had it covered. We had some last minute requests/changes and they did everything they could to accommodate us.

My husband and I had both our ceremony and reception at PHE and could not have been more happy with how it all went. We found Meagan just over 3 months before our wedding date and she made the quick planning so easy and stress free. Neil and I enjoyed our meetings and food tasting with Meagan and the day of our wedding was perfect more than we could have hoped for. The room was beautiful, the service was amazing and the food was delicious, it truly was the best day of our lives and PHE was the perfect place for our day. Meagan and Lauren thank you for making this day everything and more for us! Love,
Mr and Mrs Neil McShane

A great experience and a great venue! Our wedding was perfect. We had both the wedding ceremony and reception at the PHEC. The space is beautiful and new. It was decorated for the holidays with trees, poinsettias, wreaths, and more. A perfect setting. The food was also top notch -- not your average banquet center. I got a lot of feedback after the event about how incredible the food was. The staff was wonderful as well. They handled everything from set-up to tear-down, and they made sure that the entire evening went smoothly. The packages they offer at the PHEC are wonderful - they cover it all! They also have a wedding coordinator who worked very closely with me to plan the event. She was SO helpful, attentive, and detail-oriented which made the process very easy! She also has staff to help pull all of the details together. Not only is the staff good at what they do, but they are incredible at dealing with the unexpected. I had a cocktail spilled down my dress during the cocktail hour -- Meagan and her team came to the rescue and "dabbed" it all out. It was as if it never happened. I went on to enjoy the rest of the night with no signs of the spill! So thankful that we found this place!

We had our wedding reception at Portsmouth Harbor Events on July 11, 2015, and we have no regrets with choosing this location to celebrate our big day! Part way through our planning process the Catering Sales Manager retired her role and moved on to a new company. At first we were so nervous about the change as everything was going so smoothly, but the event center hired a replacement in no time which allowed us to continue forward in the great direction that we were already heading! We worked with Meaghan Cowan from late March on. Meaghan jumped right in connecting with us for an introduction and setting up a time to meet and recap everything that had been planned to date. She definitely did not miss a beat! We also had our rehearsal dinner at the Hilton Inn & Suites, their sister location. Meaghan worked with Chef Steve to help us customize a menu that was elegant yet simple, delicious and at an amazing price. It was very personalized; everything was set when we arrived, we weren't rushed to wrap up the evening either, we had our own personal bartender and again all at a great price! The wedding reception as well couldn't have been any more smooth. Guests are still talking about how beautiful and fun the wedding was and how amazing the food was. Several guests have told us that of all the weddings they have attended, our food ranked in the top ten! The only caveat, be sure to set up a room block at a neighboring hotel before committing to the location, especially if a summer or fall wedding. We ran into some hiccups trying to reserve a block at the Harbor Events sister hotels - Residence Inn & Suites, Hampton Inn & Suites and Hilton Inn & Suites, so we ended up reserving a block at the Sheraton. The other hotels would not honor the discounted block rate without booking a two night minimum. That's a lot to ask for when not all guests have the luxury of getting away for two nights. Lucky for us the Sheraton was just as amazing as the Harbor Events :)

I loved everything about Harbor Events! Christina was so flexible and easy to work with! I would recommend this venue to anyone looking to get married in Portsmouth. Everything went off so smoothly, and all of the staff was so wonderful. There are also 3 hotels in walking distance which is super convenient! I also had my rehearsal dinner at the Hilton Garden Inn (one of their partners) and everything about that was wonderful as well.

Portsmouth Harbor & Events Center in Portsmouth NH was beyond amazing. We got married on Friday July 25th and couldn't have asked for a better wedding reception. The staff went above and beyond our expectations. From day one, Christina our wedding coordinator at Portsmouth Harbor was extremely helpful, professional, personable, and reliable. I had no doubt after touring the event center that our wedding would be amazing. They made everything so easy when planning a wedding can be overwhelming. Everyone at the event center was helpful. We had to schedule a private food tasting since we couldn't make the group tasting and were treated like royalty. They served my fiancé and I along with my parents, my sister, and my brother in law. They went out of their way to make us feel special and look forward to an amazing wedding. Anytime I had to email or call Christina, her responses were so quick and helpful. She helped us brainstorm and plan an unforgettable day. The day of our wedding was a fairy tail. Everything we pictured, planned, and thought up came through perfectly. Every detail was exactly what we wanted, the food was the best food any of our guests had ever had at a wedding, and everything went off without a hitch. I can't say enough about the staff, the location, and the reception room at Portsmouth Harbor & Events. If you want your wedding to be perfect, I would suggest looking into it :)

Portsmouth Harbor Events was the perfect place to have our reception. Our event coordinator, Christina Breen, was incredible to work with. She responded to emails promptly during the planning process and made sure the wedding went off without a hitch. She is such a nice and genuine person and is so good at her job. During the reception the staff was absolutely wonderful, our decor was set up just as we had requested and our guests were well taken care of. We received so many compliments on the food as well! I highly recommend this venue. Our guests are still raving about the amazing time they had.

There is no possible way I could ever truly capture how wonderful everyone is at PHEC in this review! We got married on 5/17/14 and it was the best day of our lives! Christina Breen was wonderful to work with - she was so accommodating and easy going. Everything we requested (we asked for a special beer and champagne to be served) was completed without issue and then some! The food is amazing! And the waitstaff is tremendous! Molly, Emma, Maryann (I'm sorry - I know I'm forgetting someone) and Tom the bartender were so kind and attentive. Everyone was in great spirits and truly made all of our guests feel important. We wanted to have a great party - and we did just that. Two weeks later our guests are still telling us that we had one of the best weddings they had ever been to - and the food was not only the absolute best "wedding food" they had ever had - but some of the best food they had ever had, period!
We would do it all over again - exactly the same way! And I wouldn't hesitate to recommend PHEC to each and every person looking for a Venue for their special day!

We knew that we wanted Portsmouth to be the location for our wedding. From the second we walked into Portsmouth Harbor Events and met Christina, we knew we wanted to hold our wedding reception there. The space is absolutely amazing..from the location to the layout, to the color scheme to the food and staff, there's no better place. Christina was absolutely wonderful to work with, so easy going, accommodating and was always quick with answers to emails and questions...she made planning our wedding so easy and fun. The day of the wedding was so amazing, beautiful and seamless. Our space was setup exactly as I had requested, everyone kept raving about how good the food was (and how much of it there was!) and it was so nice being right downtown and connected to the hotel. If we had to do it all over again, we would choose Portsmouth harbor events again in a heartbeat!

We held our wedding at Portsmouth Harbor Events in October. I have had several guests tell me that it was literally the best wedding they've been to and that the venue was amazing. Working with Christina Breen was absolutely wonderful. She came on board in the middle of our wedding planning and jumped right in and took over the reins - she is professional, reliable and super organized! The event was executed beautifully, the staff was wonderful, and the food was delicious. We had a few guests show up a little early to the reception, and the staff welcomed them in without a problem and served them drinks. I cannot recommend this venue enough - if you want a beautiful wedding right in downtown Portsmouth, this is the place to choose.

Simply amazing. We would not change anything about the way our final day was executed. The Harbor Events Center dealt with emergency weather issues, helped us put together an event we would never forget, provided INCREDIBLE service and the absolute best of everything!

I'm so glad that we held our reception at Harbor Events. Besides being a beautiful space they were so easy to work with. The prices are totally reasonable for the area, and the food was delicious! They completely took care of everything so that I didn't need to worry about anything on the big day! Would absolutely recommend them to anyone getting married in Portsmouth.

My wife and I can not say enough positive things about Portsmouth Harbor Events as a wedding venue. From our initial visit until we found champagne in our room and gifts waiting for us at the end of the reception, their staff provided a level of service that is all too rare. Throughout the planning phases Christina Breen (Catering Manager) was responsive, pleasant, exceptionally accommodating, helpful, and kind. She ceaselessly responded to inquiries with answers that were informed by experience, talent, and respect for our budget. She is a problem solver and consummate professional. Christina and the staff’s priority was to make our wedding reception the classic, warm, beautiful event we hoped it would be. The space is beautiful, clean, well maintained, and well designed. The staff was extremely professional and worked effortlessly to provide the wedding party and guests with great service. My wife and I were frequently checked on by many different staff members, making sure we had everything we needed. They were kind and accommodating. All the guests enjoyed excellent service during the cocktail reception, at the bar service, and at their seats while the meals were plated. As for the food, we were astounded that meals of their quality could be plated for as many people as they did (approximately 145 guests). Every single product that came from the cook’s kitchen was delicious and immaculately prepared. We have received many, many comments from our guests about the food. It was delicious, beautiful, and plentiful. We can’t say enough about the quality that we experienced from our first tasting through our reception. In fact, we were so impressed that we had our rehearsal dinner on site (Hilton Garden Inn), as the chef’s buffet options were also delicious and affordable. Choosing to host our rehearsal dinner and reception with Portsmouth Harbor Events/Colwen Hotels was the best decision we made (outside of getting married!).

I can't say enough good things about Meagan and the team at Portsmouth Harbor Events Center. I was so worried about our wedding having a "conference room" feel but they transformed the room and it was gorgeous. Oh, and the food was so good. Everyone raved about it (and we had some brutally honest guests who wouldn't have said it was amazing if it wasn't). Working with Meagan made the process less stressful and she was always just an email away - she even saved me last minute by helping with rehearsal dinner plans (we 100% recommend doing the rehearsal dinner through PHEC - bomb food, great service).

We're so happy that we chose to have our wedding at PHEC! From our first meeting with Meagan, we knew we'd be well taken care of. Meagan was incredibly helpful (sent me a list of recommended wedding vendors with her personal recommendations), responsive to questions, and well-organized. The final planning call a few months out was very detailed and ensured that we had everything planned out and covered for the big day. Meagan, Lauren, and team made sure that the ballroom looked beautiful on the big day and was set up well for the flow of the evening. We had 130 people and had plenty of space for dancing, mingling, a photo booth, etc. The food was also delicious. Additionally, it was very convenient working with the same team to organize a hotel room block (there are three hotels surrounding the venue to choose from) and a goodbye brunch the next day. Can't say enough good things about PHEC and their wonderful team!

What an amazing venue site! We fell in love with it the second we walked in. The color scheme was refreshing - tans, greys, blues and greens. So nice to see this instead of the reds and golds that we were seeing at other venue locations!

Harbor Events' managers Trish and Josh are the most accomodating people we've ever met. Everything from the linens to the food to the waitstaff was perfect! They're very detailed oriented and extremely responsive to all questions/emails that we had (especially the last few weeks before the wedding)!

Would highly recommend this venue site to anyone that wants to get married in the Portsmouth, NH area. Go check them out!

I booked both my ceremony and reception at PHEC and it was wonderful. We did a New Years Eve wedding, so the space already had a bunch of seasonal decorations, which really helped soften the room. Overall the flow of the event worked really well. The space has a bunch of sliding walls to partition off an area for the ceremony and cocktail hour and our guests were very happy to not have to travel around given it was winter and bit chilly outside. The food is phenomenal and the service was very professional. Meagan and Lauren are great and very helpful. They worked with us to create a customized event substituting where needed to fits the needs of our guests. The primary benefit to booking with PHEC is the location. You are right downtown Portsmouth within walking distance of all the restaurants and shops. Our guests loved the fact that everything was right there and once they got to the hotel they could just walk everywhere. We were also able to get some amazing photos right outside the center as the street is brick lined with trees covered in lights and "Christmas" lights strung across the walkway next to the building. Very pretty all year round.

HORRIBLE! I was so disgusted with this Venue. The staff and their wedding coordinator were AWFUL! The day of the wedding, the groom was stuck setting up the ceremony. The staff didn't even set up enough chairs for the ceremony, the groom had to add more chairs and line them, set up the alter, etc. The wedding coordinator; Christina, was NO WHERE TO BE FOUND. The florist was told to be there at 11am, but arrived at 11:30. When she arrived, nothing had been taken down from the wedding the night before. The Reception area was a mess. THE FLORIST ending up cleaning off the tables, setting up tablecloths/overlays, and place settings. The bridal party got ready in the hotel’s suite. – Right above the ceremony. The Mother-of-the-Bride had to call the hotel to try and find Christina because the party didn't know when they needed to be downstairs. Christina was told by the florist that someone needed to carry the bouquets down to the ceremony so the bridal party wouldn't get their dresses wet. Needless to say, no one came up to the suite. The bridal party, including the Bride, had to carry down their own bouquets (still in their vases- as to not get their dresses wet) and then they had to dry off their bouquets with napkins before they lined up for the ceremony. The staff did NOTHING, to help. After formal pictures were taken, Christina was no where to be found. The bridal party was stuck waiting, their food was not replenished, no drinks were offered while they waited. I would not recommend this venue to anyone! Their WEDDING COORDINATOR WAS AWFUL! So much money was spent on the venue, you would have expected better results. VERY DISAPPOINTING!!!