The Glastonbury Boathouse Reviews

We and our guests LOVED the venue! It’s in a very central location with plenty of hotels and restaurants near by, but far enough from any main road We had a gorgeous sunset and we’re so grateful to have Kristen and Kelly coordinate our event. Kristen was so kind and helpful in planning, and Kelly was a joy to have with us the night of. Our guests loved the cocktail hour on the balcony and the openness of the boathouse itself. The bathrooms were very clean and we can’t recommend the boathouse enough!

The Boathouse is a dream wedding venue. The view is spectacular, the facility is incredibly well maintained and there is inside and outside event space. The icing on the cake is their events manager Kristen. She is so kind, easy to work with and beyond accommodating. Our wedding was cancelled in 2020 and she worked with us to find a new date that all of our original vendors could accommodate. We were so happy with our wedding and could not be happier that it was hosted at the Boathouse.

Beautiful location; we loved the location when we saw it and were so happy how it turned out on our wedding day. The space is large and the view is amazing. There are also so many good opportunities for photos on the grounds. Did not bother us at all that it was technically a public park outside of the rented area it was amazing!

One of my top choices, beautiful venue!

The Glastonbury Boathouse was the first venue my fiancé and I looked at while we were wedding planning and we put a deposit down that day. I knew I’d never find a place that compared. The venue manager, Kristen was amazing to work with. She answered my emails almost immediately and was so accommodating. I highly recommend this venue for couples that are looking to have their ceremony onsite, as the waterfront and sunset make for amazing ceremony pictures.

Working with Kristen was fantastic - she was always very responsive to emails and answered all questions (and I had a lot, especially toward the end). The Boathouse was such a beautiful venue - I had so many guests comment on how great the location was. I absolutely loved the water views, upper covered deck, and the indoor space (especially with the addition of string lights across the ceiling). I think the price is very reasonable for such a nice place, compared to others I considered. I highly recommend this venue! The only thing you have to think about (and make clear to guests) is parking, since a lot of the main parking lot gets filled by people with boats, and then guests have to park in the "overflow" parking area.

The boathouse was an absolutely beautiful space for our indoor winter wedding and reception. They decorate the boathouse for the holiday season automatically, and we kept most of their decorations (for free!) in addition to adding our own. They even worked with us to blend their decoration style with the theme for our wedding (changing up some of the colors they typically use). The room is large, airy, and bright. There was plenty of room for our ceremony and reception (think 70 guests). There are great places for pictures outdoors, with the water or even the boathouse itself as a backdrop. Kristen was very responsive and easy to work with. The caterers were very flexible and helped us design a luncheon even though they do not specialize in luncheons for weddings. We had a lovely experience at a very affordable price tag. Highly recommend.

We fell in love with this location the minute we saw pictures online! We went to visit and knew this was the perfect location. It is perfect, lots of windows, natural light, and a beautiful view. We held our short and sweet ceremony down by the water, where our guests had plenty of room. Cocktail hour on the upper deck and had plenty of room for our guests in the dining room, along with a huge dance floor and room for our photo booth!

From the very beginning, I knew I was going to love the Boathouse because it had a calendar of available dates on the website (a pro for someone like me who hates calling/emailing strangers) and a blank canvas for decor. When looking for a venue, my biggest priority was to get away from the stuffy ballrooms and ornate carpeting that Connecticut venues tend to have, and the Boathouse was perfect. So light and airy and open! I'd never actually been inside it until my wedding day, and was blown away at the space (would highly recommend adding strands of lights on the ceiling). It ended up raining during the ceremony and we had to move to the upper deck, but that didn't stop guests from loving the beautiful river view. We had so much fun, and in such a stunning space—I only wish I'd had time to enjoy the venue itself longer! Kristen was a dream to work with, always so kind in answering my millions of questions (planning a wedding from afar is no joke). She is a true expert, and helped me work with my vendors to have what was truly a beautiful day. I would not have wanted to have my wedding at any other venue.

This was the perfect spot for our reception! We lucked out with great weather on the day of our wedding in March and took advantage of the stunning views and waterfront. For the price it can't be beat with hotels right around the corner for guests to stay at. Don't let the fear of having catering separate deter you. The list of approved catering vendors is perfect and within MANY different price points. They are very accommodating and this should be a stop on your list of places to check out - it's a hidden gem!

This venue is so beautiful for waterfront. The views are amazing and was so great for ceremony and reception. So many people enjoyed the deck after cocktail hour and enjoyed it throughout the night.

I got married here last summer and absolutely loved this venue!! The planner was easy to work with and the price is amazing. The building photographs really well inside and out. Having the deck for cocktail hour was perfect. I highly recommend this place!

The Glastonbury Boathouse was incredibly beautiful for our wedding venue. It's very simple/minimalistic and very clean. Works well for any wedding/color scheme. The room is hall, the bathrooms were big and clean and the bridal suite was perfect for the bridal party to store their belongings and escape for a bit. The view was beyond perfect and I highly recommend adding the string lights.
We had our bar outside and everyone loved having it there. My only issue is that when you request the standard of 6 hours for the venue, 30 minutes is taken from that time to allot for set up and clean up (beginning and end of wedding). Our wedding felt as though it was cut short and my family felt it wasn't clearly mentioned to us until the end. Adding additional time on was an option but it was approx. $500 more. Also, they provide round 8 - 10 guest tables. Chairs are provided, but they are very corporate looking. For any fancy chairs, those were an additional rental fee. They provide all the additional tables for guestbook, favors, etc. Overall this place is great and I do recommend, but the venue hosts your entire event, make sure to pay attention to everything!

I will start by saying the Boathouse is absolutely beautiful and a wonderful location to have a wedding. The ceremony location along the river is amazing and the river views from the deck are breathtaking. Our guests loved the deck and spent most of the night out there. We had an incredible sunset which made for great pictures. The reception area has plenty of room and is an open canvas for how you want to decorate.

Unfortunately, we had a less than desirable experience with the Boathouse staff member who was there the night of our wedding. We had the boathouse rented until midnight and rented it an hour earlier in the day so our vendors had adequate time to set up. The boathouse representative turned all of the lights on at 11:30pm, brought out trash cans on the dance floor while our guests were still dancing and went over to the DJ multiple times to cut the music (he was under impression he had until midnight).

After being rushed out we accidentally forgot the arch we used for the ceremony as it was in the back of the boathouse out of sight. My husband received a call on our wedding night and was told by the same staff member we had to remove the arch immediately as there was an 8am baby shower there (later found out this was a lie). My husband apologized and expressed that he would be back within 10 minutes or less to get it. The boathouse member responded "great, I would hate for you to lose your security deposit."

I do not regret having my wedding at the Boathouse as the location and building are beautiful. Just unfortunate the staff are less than great to work with.