Floriana at the Hellenic Center — Attraction in Ipswich

Here are the positives: gorgeous grounds, gorgeous getting ready spaces. And here's what you need to know before booking: While planning my wedding at the Floriana, the team got back to my emails in a timely fashion. I really felt like all my needs would be met come wedding day and that I wouldn’t have anything to manage come the big day. However, on our wedding day the coordinator we were assigned (Christine) had so many questions for me while I was getting ready upstairs, taking a walk around the venue before guests arrived, and during the reception. I was asked questions that were set in stone weeks ago on the day of like “what votives did you want again?” “how are these napkins meant to be folded?” “what’s next on the schedule? Cake cutting or dances?” Mind you all of the answers to these questions were in countless emails and documented thoroughly on the website they use for planning. I'm sorry but no bride should have to deal with being asked to fold napkins and look through emails to confirm what you told your coordinator days ago on YOUR WEDDING DAY as you're LITERALLY getting ready. Come on. I requested that my husband and my family's rows be swapped for the ceremony so I could see their faces as I married my husband, and my coordinator instead made the entire ceremony BACKWARDS and had my husband and groomsmen standing on the left instead of the right. This threw me off entirely and I couldn't even do my dip correctly at the middle of the aisle because I was backwards. This is something that could have easily been avoided had there been a rehearsal included but this venue doesn't do that. If you want a rehearsal you have to spend 500 dollars on one. I was told it wasn't needed. I beg to differ. In one of calls my husband and I told the team that enjoying our dinner and not being interrupted while we sat at our sweetheart table was important to us and we were told that would be no issue. Well none of the staff did anything to stop the countless guests that approached our table while we were trying to eat our meals. In fact we had a total of 5 minutes of eating time because no one thought to tell guests to stay seated so we could enjoy our meal like they assured us they would. I had cocktail napkins custom made to be passed with cocktails and appetizers. The coordinator knew this. And yet those napkins were left sitting at the bar and in the end only 50 of the 300 I ordered were even used. Same goes for our programs. They were never handed out or even pointed to. Guests told me that no one was even clearly directing them to the table at our ceremony that had our programs and bubbles for our bubble exit. At one point I was getting ready upstairs when my coordinator came up to me and said that the bride from last night took home the gold easel I reserved and paid extra for to hold our welcome sign. They didn't even notice their large iron easel was missing until I was getting ready. And even then they didn't even offer to reimburse me for their mistake. Who does that? I have been planning my wedding for the last 2 years. I have spent a ridiculous amount of money along the way to ensure that the best vendors are hired so that nothing major would go wrong on the day I spent years planning for. And here we are, only a few days after my wedding has passed, filled with so much regret over this day I put my whole heart into planning. All because the team I hired didn't put nearly as much thought or care into it as...

I can’t say enough good things about my wedding experience with Floriana at the Hellenic Center!!!

I booked them for my venue only 4 months in advance of my wedding day and I didn’t have to worry about a thing because Kelsey was so helpful throughout the entire process! Kelsey was very flexible and easy to communicate with - which is something that I so appreciated during an exciting, but pretty stressful, time wedding planning. Kelsey also checked in with me regularly throughout the event so we were on the same page about timing and was very accommodating.

Floriana uses a wedding planning website to organize all your details so it made everything go very smoothly and everyone was on the same page on the wedding day. Friends and family commented on how unstressed I was on my wedding day and I credit a lot of that to Kelsey and her amazing demeanor and attention to detail - I did not have to worry about a thing! I came with a bunch of decorations and flower arrangements and Kelsey knew how to place them all so beautifully and I was blown away.

I also appreciated the nice space to get ready inside the mansion. I liked that there were two main areas so that the wedding party could get ready separately and there was a common space too. The mansion had a lot of natural light and was really nice and spacious so it was perfect for a large group to get ready in but also enough space to take really nice photos. It was nice to have access to that space through the even so I could go there to regroup when needed.

The service was excellent. Having the bride and groom drinks served to us as we entered cocktail hour was a nice touch - made you feel like royalty! There was never a long line at the bar or at the buffet. The timing of the salad course and desserts was also well done. The food and drinks were delicious! We received many compliments on the appetizers and meal!

I had heard people say that they had been to weddings at the Hellenic Center before and how beautiful the venue was but I’m telling you it completely exceeded my expectations!! We lucked out with nice weather and it was absolutely stunning! I loved how there are different areas within the venue so there could be a change of scenery for the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. They even let us have a mini after party inside after our formal reception was over outside. I really loved having our reception under the sail cloth tent - such a nice atmosphere and the lighting was beautiful. There are also plenty of nice spaces to take photos outside and inside.

The location is also nice because there are a bunch of accommodations close by for friends and family to stay in after the wedding - inns and Airbnbs.

I highly recommend Floriana at the...

My husband and I had our wedding at Floriana this August, and we truly could not have imagined a more perfect experience. From the very first visit to the big day itself, everything was beyond incredible. Jenna & Kelsey made the booking process easy and stress-free, and it only got better from there! During the many months leading up to the wedding, Amber and Kelsey answered every single question I had and helped me iron out every single detail. Then when we sat down with Amber for our planning meeting we felt like we simply had a couple of loose ends to tie up, which Amber helped us do! She kept everything organized and accessible on their planning software, so when the day finally came, we were ready to go! The venue is absolutely stunning — every corner feels magical, elegant, and beautifully maintained. Our guests couldn’t stop commenting on how gorgeous everything was, from the sculpted garden to the mansion to the tent! Every corner of the property is immaculate! And those prep suites upstairs…unbelieveable!! Not only are they gorgeous and comfortable, but they have all the space in the world to spread out. We kept all our belongings up there all night, and I had everything I needed to change into my second dress!! And we can’t forget the food! I haven’t gotten feedback from guests that hasn’t included a compliment on the food! Every single thing we picked from the menu was out of this world (cocktails included!). Our guests left full and happy! One of the things that truly made our experience unforgettable was the staff. Every single person we interacted with was professional, kind, and genuinely invested in making our day perfect. The coordination by Amber was flawless — every little detail was handled with such care and precision that all we had to do was show up and soak in every moment. It was clear that the team knows exactly what they’re doing, and they do it with heart. As someone who has worked in hospitality and event planning for over 10 years, I can’t even begin to tell you the value of good staff. To feel taken care of by them on my wedding day was a feeling that you can’t put a price on. I was able to put everything in Amber’s hands and just be the bride!! Thanks to Floriana, our wedding day was stress-free, full of joy, and completely unforgettable. We feel so lucky to have celebrated the most important day of our lives here. If you’re considering this venue — stop thinking and book it. You’ll be so...