The Wintergarden by Monroe's Reviews

Not only is Wintergarden the most stunning venue we visited, but the staff was the most knowledgeable and helpful. Taylor is absolutely incredible and is an expert at what she does. Not once did I ever feel like I wasn't in good hands, I was constantly reassured that Wintergarden was 100% on point. The venue is insanely beautiful, the food is OH MY GOD delicious. There is not one single thing I would change, this venue is perfection.

As many of us know, trying to plan a wedding & reception can be stressful but add a pandemic into the equation and your stress level is beyond what you could conceive. Throughout the pandemic, Taylor was the calming force that kept us reassured that no matter what, the Wintergarden team would come through for us….and they CERTAINLY did!!
We had originally planned to have our daughter’s wedding ceremony & reception in August 2020 at the Wintergarden, but when COVID restrictions closed down many Rochester venues, we were forced to postpone until August 2021, hoping & praying that the pandemic would be over by then and we could celebrate with family and friends.
Like many COVID bridal couples, our daughter & fiancé didn’t’ want to wait a year to get married so they got married August 2020 in Alaska and we decided to have the reception at the Wintergarden on their FIRST Anniversary in August 2021 to celebrate this couple with family and dear friends. We wanted to have an Alaskan theme reception and replicate as much of their Alaskan wedding as possible, and Taylor was certainly on board to make this happen. While our original idea was to helicopter the couple onto the roof of the Court Street Garage to simulate their helicopter ride to the top of Knik Glacier where they were married (Taylor was a yes with this idea but City of Rochester was a no) we decided instead to have the couple arrive to their reception by a team of Siberian Husky Sled Dogs (Kindred Moon), which was one of the most amazing & memorable entrances a bridal couple could imagine!
We would be remiss if we didn’t mention the delicious selection of food prepared by Kathy & her staff at Monroe’s. Our guests could not stop raving , even a month later, how amazing everything was, from the hand passed Hors D’oeuvres ( chicken french bites & lamb lollipops) to the well prepared dinner entrées (chilean sea bass, prime rib & mushroom ravioli), the sweets display and the late night snack of chicken & waffles & mac n cheese.
ALL of the Wintergarden staff (wait staff & bartenders) throughout the entire reception were friendly, respectful and very attentive to us and all of our guests. Many staff anticipated our needs before we could ask, which was just wonderful and very much appreciated.
Taylor, is THE BEST, wedding coordinator you could ever work with, especially during a pandemic. That stress level we mentioned at the beginning of this post was always squelched by Taylor who was always knowledgeable and accommodating to any question or idea (sled dog entrance) or request or last minute change we asked of her. Taylor is phenomenal and will make your day spectacular and one you and your guests will remember for a lifetime.

The Wintergarden by Monroe’s is the most beautiful wedding venue in Rochester, Ny the views are beautiful with all the windows. You get so much for the price you are paying worth the money.

We got Married last August and had an incredible wedding thanks to Kathy, Taylor and their exceptional staff! Honestly with having a covid wedding, we had a roller coaster of emotions with the ongoing rule changes for dancing, number of guests, etc but Kathy and Taylor followed all the guidelines and ensured us we’d have the day we’d always wanted and they never steered us wrong. Beautiful venue, amazing food and service, we highly recommend The Wintergarden by Monroe’s. Best venue in Rochester!

I was so anxious that wintergarden was going to be all up booked up while we were waiting on a couple of things. We have 1 Hindu priest in Rochester and we needed to make sure his dates and the venues dates were open. I think it was a blessing to see that a date was available in the month that we preferred since we have family coming in from India. And Taylor kept periodically checking in to make sure we were doing okay. The wintergarden staff talked us through everything when we were signing the papers, and we're very patient in answering our questions. They gave us recommendations for vendors, 2 of which were using :) I can't wait to have my wedding there it's going to be one to remember for not only myself but for our families as well

Beyond thrilled that we chose to have our wedding at The Wintergarden. From day one the coordinators were all so helpful and incredible. I was a nervous wreck and they made sure the day ran smoothly as promised. I am forever grateful to their service. And there are no words for simply how beautiful and unique the venue is. The food was incredible! My guests won’t stop talking about The Wintergarden! 100000% recommend!
Photos by Alexandra Elise Photography

The owner and her coordinators are fantastic!!! The place is beautiful and the location is spot on!!! Love everything about it!

Whole experience was AMAZING. Kathy, Taylor and the team are a dream to work with. The venue is stunning and the food was amazing our guests are still talking about it! HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend!

had my daughters wedding friday june 28 here cannot say enough positive about the venue and the staff. food was absolutely incredible,staff was very professional, bar staff was there as soon as you walked up ,very little wait to be served. have received many compliments from friends and family,not one person was disappointed.thank you again wintergarden and staff. you rate 10 out of 10

I have worked with Kathy and her staff several times in the capacity of being an Event Planner. I work with many venues but can say that The Wintergarden and its staff (Taylor, Nicole, and Natalie) are so professional and go above and beyond what anyone can imagine. My brides have been so incredibly thankful and happy with how they made their dream wedding into a reality, while working as a team with me! I have also had the pleasure of being a guest and I can tell you that the staff is so friendly and no detail is left undone. Not only is the food excellent, but he ambiance of this place is incredible! All I can say is this place and the people who are there to serve their customers are beyond 5 stars!!!

The Wintergarden venue and staff were the perfect combination for our big day. It is a beautiful venue and the entire staff was super helpful, accommodating, and fun to work with.

The Wintergarden by Monroe's absolutely blew us away. The food is AMAZING, the staff takes care of your every need, and the venue in itself is just completely gorgeous. Our wedding was an absolute dream.

We recently had the privilege of having my son’s wedding at the Wintergarden by Monroe’s. I can honestly say that it was one of the most elegant events I’ve ever attended. It exceeded all of our expectations. From the food, to the service, to the décor, all facets were impeccable.
Our son, our beautiful daughter-in-law, our friends and family were all so pleased. I’m still getting calls from our guests expressing what a wonderful experience and fantastic party it was.

Working with Taylor and her staff (Natalie, Nichole) was just delightful. Their flexibility and creativity allowed for every detail to be met. Their enthusiasm is contagious, and it was just so much fun! We so appreciate all of their hard work and extra touches that were provided. It is because of them that it truly was an unforgettable, magical night.

From the first meeting with Kathy, we knew we made that right choice. She’s a professional and her venue is a first-class operation. The professionalism combined with the personal element, made our event a once in a lifetime dream come true. We are so thankful that we found the Wintergarden by Monroe’s.

What an absolutely beautiful venue. We heard from many of our guests how beautiful it was! The staff was proficient, friendly, and professional. They made sure our day was magical!

The Wintergarden was simply incredible. We held our ceremony and reception there in September 2017, and the experience was wonderful. The venue was gorgeous. We knew this upon choosing the venue, but when we walked in on our actual wedding day, the room took our breath away! The glass windows and ceilings, the "sparkle trees," and the marble dance floor all came together to create a truly unique, classy event space. We knew we didn't want a traditional ballroom wedding, and this was absolutely perfect. Leading up to our wedding day, Taylor and Melissa were great to work with. They met with us multiple times, and always answered every question with pleasure. We held our ceremony in the lobby of the B&L building (attached to Wintergarden), and Melissa & Taylor coordinated the whole thing with our DJ and officiant to go off without a hitch. We can't tell you how many people RAVED about the food. We chose to do a stations party (tacos, pasta, meats, salads, etc.), and everyone loved it all. Many said it was the best wedding food they have ever had! The bartenders were amazing, always available, and even had some guests drinks ready for them as they approached! Talk about service! Finally, the night of the wedding, Melissa was on top of everything. She was quick to bring any issues to our attention, and then take care of them as needed. We always felt well taken-care-of, and we were both able to enjoy our wedding with our guests. We couldn't recommend The Wintergarden with more enthusiasm. Thanks to all of the staff for helping to create the wedding of our dreams!

The perfect place to have your wedding without any concern for the Upstate NY weather! It is elegant with tons of natural beauty and excellent staff. Highly recommend!

I highly recommend this venue for wedding ceremony and reception. This is a beautiful venue, very different from any other in Rochester, NY. The event team and coordinators led by Kathy and Melissa were phenomenal. I was extremely impressed with the quality of service and attention to detail that everyone worked with to make our wedding the best it could be.

Hosted our wedding here, great venue, but you do need to put in some resources to make it feel whatever vibe you are going for. Kathy and the team can be a little tough to deal with at times (obviously a wedding is very stressful for all parties involved!), but all in all, it was a very positive experience and I would do it again!

Planning a wedding with your partner is supposed to be a dream come true, however, because of The Wintergarden, this has become a nightmare for my now husband, our families, and I. If you are considering hosting your event there, I would strongly caution against it.
During our first tour of the venue, we were awestruck, and quickly placed our deposit to hold the date.
Originally, our date was in June of 2021, but after a few months of watching the climate change due to covid, we reached out to Taylor, the senior event coordinator, inquiring about what postponing would look like. When we finally received a response from her, she proposed that we all jump on a conference call, including the owner, Kathy Mott.
During our phone conversation, we were told that the tasting we were promised in our contract would have to be picked up at the restaurant in a take-out box. We do not hold The Wintergarden at fault for being unable to withhold this promise because of NYS COVID guidelines, but it was a disappointing alternative, nonetheless. My husband and I inquired about postponing our date to later in the 2021 year; Kathy and Taylor informed us that our deposit would transfer to a later date, and that the occupancy guidelines provided by NYS did not apply to her because she “files her taxes as a restaurant, not a venue.” That was reasonable to us, and we asked Taylor to send over the addendum to our contract.
Once we received the document, we realized we had entered dark waters. The language in the addendum seemed sinister, and we felt that at times read like an NDA; it seemed like its' purpose was to almost nullify the original contract. We probably would have gone ahead and signed it, but one detail pushed our paranoia over the edge: Kathy would change the event date, but would not alter the payment schedule. We were expected to pay the 50% of our estimated event cost a full year before our proposed new date. The, I ran across other stories from couples in even more egregious situations with Kathy and her team.
We called Taylor and explained that we would love to sign the addendum, providing she updated the payment schedule to reflect the new date. We were met with harsh absolutes, tones, and "non-negotiables." After we realized we were not going to get anywhere, we decided to cancel. However, once we informed Taylor of our decision, she told us we had to give written consent for them to charge us an unknown sum for “the cost of our contract, minus food, beverage, and labor.” I told Taylor that I was not comfortable giving such consent, and requested that she give us the exact number. She threatened to get their attorney involved. Later that evening, we received the total amount that The Wintegarden claimed they were owed for our canceled event: 50% of our estimated event that we had planned pre-COVID. Not only would they keep funds that we had paid them thus far, they claimed that their administrative fees were in the five figure range.
When we implored them to consider the nature of our cancellation and reconsider their charge, they threatened to sue us for the amount, seeking compensation for their attorney’s time as well. Through this whole process, we feel that their team has also been horribly negligent in response, often providing one or two worded answers. It is common to go days, even a week, without a call or email back.
We feel that at their core, The Wintergarden and their team is taking advantage of couples who are attempting to plan their events during COVID by relying on the reputation of the wedding industry--relatively innocuous-- for monetary gain. Few people would anticipate behavior like this in an industry built around love.
As of today, we have still not received our money back, but are finding more and more couples who have had horrible experiences with The Wintergarden.
It is not The Wintergarden’s fault that we are in the middle of a pandemic, but not treating people with respect and operating with what we feel are unethical business practices is.