Granite Rose by Wedgewood Weddings — Attraction in Hampstead

The initial hook for me in this venue was the fact that they had packages that took a lot of the finer details of planning off my plate. The invitations I got through them actually had me gasp when I opened them because they were prettier than I expected. Part of me expected them to be cheaply made because of their inclusion, but they were definitely not. Their option for a plated meal vs a buffet made sure the event suited my style. And all of their recommended vendors were a dream to work with. The venue itself is gorgeous! Large cocktail area with big barn doors leading to the reception area with large black trim windows and a stunning chandelier. Even has separate “get ready” spaces for the bride and the groom. When assembled for my wedding things were absolutely breathtaking. Their outdoor areas are maintained very well and someone took a lot of care to make sure there are things planted that attract interest though all the seasons. One of my bridesmaids even asked us, jokingly, how we planned to have the bunnies hopping around and called me Snow White. Their planning team (Megan, Carley, and Victoria) were on the ball and made sure to respond to my pestering emails with all of my bridal anxieties promptly and with grace. They were gentile with their reminders of the things that I needed to be doing independently and took a lot of the finer details of the planning process into their own hands to ease my stress while still keeping the event true to my vision. This team clearly knows how to throw a party. When it came to day of, we had two people who were our “person” to go to. Victoria was present for the lead up and ceremony portion. She was very reactive (the weather was turning on me the day of), and her confidence really put me at ease. I trusted her 100% and she did not disappoint, even with the decision to move inside. Janet was the banquet captain who took over for the reception and she was on the ball with keeping the timeline on schedule and was very in tune with her ability to read the room and react to what was going on. All of the other details, perfect. I received several comments after that the food was incredible so props to our chef Jim and his assistant Joe. They even took the care to check in on guests I had listed with food allergies and offer them a separate plate of food during my buffet to be sure everyone had a dinner that suited their needs. Our bartender, Abby, was a pro. My people like to get down and she handled business. She even shelled out a pair of flip flops that were left over from a prior event to one of my guests who wore less than comfortable shoes. The waitstaff, Karissa, Allyson and JP, were attentive and everyone was served with a smile and care, and there was no clutter or mess left at the tables which is a perk. My only few criticisms, if I had to search for something, are that the planning team is difficult to reach by phone. This would be more of an issue if they weren’t so prompt with email responses so that was the best way to contact them. For an anxious bride with type A tendencies, the planning meetings seemed to start a little late (I think the big meeting is somewhere around 6 months out). Lastly, they don’t give you the exact date/time for your rehearsal until 10 days before which made things really difficult for my future mother in law in trying to book something for the rehearsal dinner. Overall, my experience with this venue left me forever grateful and full of...

Do not book with this company! The bureaucracy and corporate hierarchy has been miserable to deal with during the COVID-19 Pandemic. We have several close relatives and family friends who have significant compromising health conditions that would be put at high risk by attending our wedding during the midst of this pandemic.

We booked our 10-10-2020 wedding 2 years out and put ⅓ of the payment down up front as required by the contract. When the Pandemic struck I called to talk about the possibilities of moving our wedding out for the safety of our family and friends and the initial response was that a postponement was considered a cancellation so we would have to forfeit our deposit and rebook. My fiance calls and requests to speak with the next level up which is the General Manager at Granite Rose. We waited about 6 weeks for a call back. We only received one after at least 3 unreplied phone messages and an email. There was nothing the General Manager had the authorization to do, so after waiting six weeks for help we were still at the same place. Our next call was about 2 and half weeks later with the Regional Manager.

Throughout these conversations we kept getting told that it was taking so long because they were dealing with all of their summer brides first. I completely understand and am empathetic to the fact that they are busy but we had people coming from all over the country and needed to give our guests some indication of what was going on.

When we spoke with the Regional Manager we were told they could move our wedding to the winter, January thru March any day that was available OR any Monday-Thursday from April through the remainder of 2021. We want a fall wedding and in New England the season matters. Frankly the offer of a weekday wedding only in October felt like a slap in the face. In my opinion, the company is putting the loss of profits on the backs of the 2020 couples. It seems to me the couples are getting undesirable dates to recoup those losses and the company can still book 2021 weekend dates with their new pricing structure.

On June 3rd, before our second payment was due on June 10th, the CEO sent an email blast to people and I was appalled. It was entitled ‘Good News About Your 2020 Wedding’. They addressed some safety concerns, which to me seem lackluster and more about telling people what they want to hear rather than actually speaking to the safety of having a large gathering. To me it also comes off very irresponsible as the phrasing seems to promote loopholes. Below is one section of the email: “Currently, our staff is wearing protective face coverings, however, as a private event, you and your guests are not required to wear masks of any kind. Your event = your choice. “ We went back one more time to the Regional Manager to discuss weekend options in October and they wouldn’t budge. We made the difficult and financially risky decision to walk away from a toxic relationship with this venue because we care more about the safety of our family and friends. Every time I think about this venue it infuriates me how they are treating their couples. Everyone wants their wedding day to be the most important and when you find a venue that makes you feel like the only couple instead of a cog in a wheel it makes all the difference. At Wedgewood you are a cog and it is particularly evident during the pandemic. With that said do not go with...

We recently had our wedding at The Granite Rose, and we couldn't be more thrilled with how everything turned out. From start to finish, the venue exceeded our expectations and helped make our day unforgettable.

Initially, our ceremony was supposed to be outside, but due to unexpected rain, we had to move everything indoors. We were a little worried about how the last-minute change would affect the feel of our ceremony, but Victoria and the staff were unbelievable in how they handled it. They quickly transformed the indoor space into a beautiful and intimate setting that felt just as magical as we had hoped for outdoors. It truly took the stress off of us and allowed us to enjoy the moment without missing a beat. The cocktail hour was immediately following the ceremony in the same room, and the clean-up was a total of 5-minutes. We got many comments from our guests saying how fast they converted the room into cocktail hour.

The food was absolutely amazing, especially considering we had 160 guests! A huge shoutout to the chefs, Jim and Joe, who truly knocked it out of the park. Every course was delicious, and so many of our guests have complimented the quality and variety of the dishes. We had the center sirloin cut and the herb crusted chicken on the duet plated meal.

The wait staff was also phenomenal. Lilliana, Tirk, Joshua, and Ro were attentive and pleasant, making sure our guests were well taken care of throughout the evening. Abby and Mariah, the bartenders, were on their game the entire night—ensuring drinks were flowing smoothly and everyone was happy.

Despite the rain forcing us indoors, the staff didn't miss a beat in ensuring everything was flawless. The indoor ceremony setup felt cozy and elegant, with thoughtful touches that made the space feel intimate and personal. We were so impressed by how they pulled it together, and many of our guests commented on how beautiful the indoor setting turned out to be. We can’t thank Victoria and her team enough for their flexibility and creativity.

Our banquet captain, Janet, deserves special recognition. She was instrumental in bringing everything together, taking care of those final touches that made our night run seamlessly. We felt completely supported, and her attention to detail made sure that everything stayed on track before we headed into our after-party.

While our DJ, Kevin, made the night enjoyable by playing music that appealed to all ages, there was one hiccup: he changed our grand entrance song without informing us, which was a bit frustrating. Thankfully, he made up for it by keeping the dance floor alive and fun for everyone.

We also want to give a special mention to Victoria, who was with us from the planning phase through most of our wedding day. She was more than accommodating and will forever hold a special place in our memories for how smoothly she helped coordinate everything.

Overall, we were very pleased with the value Granite Rose provided. The venue, the team, and the overall experience made our wedding day perfect, rain or shine. We loved every...