Saint Clements Castle & Marina — Attraction in Portland

Our wedding at St. Clement's Castle in July 2024 was, unfortunately, an experience filled with dishonesty, unprofessionalism, and stress. What should have been a joyous day for us turned into months of frustration, disappointment, and blatant disregard for the couple's wishes.

First off, the pressure to book was intense, with constant lies about available dates to push us into a decision. The lack of transparency around pricing was equally troubling. Significant price increases happened on items that were not noted are subject to have price increases. For example, we opted for Jumbo Shrimp as an appetizer, but were never told about a price hike until we had the option to add it to our wedding and noticed it was not the same price noted at booking. After many disagreements, they reluctantly honored the original price, yet our guests, my husband, myself or our parents never even saw the shrimp despite paying for it!!

My mother, noted missing items from her meal—no goat cheese on the salad, substituted with parmesan—and the pasta course was a joke. Written communication stated we would have large bowls of pasta as was usually given at their events, but guests were served tiny ramekins. My husband and I didn't even receive our pasta course at all!

As if the food issues weren’t enough, St. Clement's is rigid and controlling when it comes to customizing your wedding. They flat-out refused changes that would have made our day more personal. Worse, their discriminatory practices barred us from bringing in an ethnic celebratory alcohol tied to our culture—while allowing other similar drinks from different backgrounds (EDIT: with the same high levels of pre-approved alcohol). They nearly banned us from having our traditional dance as well. The venue’s lack of respect for cultural traditions was deeply upsetting for both us and our families.

Trying to coordinate with our wedding coordinator, Rebecca, was next to impossible, especially in the final weeks when critical decisions needed to be made. Communication became sparse, and it was clear they cared more about marketing to our guests than our experience. In a written email from Rebecca, she explicitly referred to our wedding as a "marketing event" for St. Clement’s, rather than focusing on making it a special day for us. This is not just unprofessional; it’s heartless.

Upper management, Pam, was just as unhelpful and disrespectful. When we raised concerns, she would constantly talk over us, going on long-winded rants to avoid listening to our grievances. At one point, she even claimed she was talking over us because she couldn’t hear us due to her air conditioning unit. Her dismissiveness and refusal to acknowledge our concerns were infuriating.

To add insult to injury, the venue completely ignored our detailed wedding packet, which included specific instructions and photos on how things should be set up. Our welcome sign was set in the wrong place, our seating chart was incorrectly positioned due to the venue giving us the wrong information of where guests would be entering the reception, and other key signs and displays were either hidden or placed inappropriately from what we discussed with St. Clement's during our final meeting. Despite months of planning and discussions, it was as if they hadn’t even bothered to look at the packet we provided that went in great detail so the venue could execute everything exactly as we would have hoped. While no vendor can be perfect, the level of neglect we experienced at St. Clement's was beyond unacceptable. We poured months of effort into making our day special, only for St. Clement’s to ignore most of our wishes and treat us with contempt.

This venue is not only expensive, but also deceptive, manipulative, and discriminatory. It was by far the most stressful part of our wedding, and I regret choosing St. Clement’s. Many of our vendors and guests called their behavior “disgusting” and “unacceptable,” and I couldn’t agree more. Save yourself the heartache and look elsewhere for a venue that values your day as...

Our wedding day on August 4th, 2024, at St. Clements Castle and Marina in Portland, Connecticut, was nothing short of a dream come true! From the moment we stepped onto the grounds, we knew we had chosen the perfect venue, but what made the experience truly unforgettable was the incredible team at St Clements.

The Venue:

St. Clements is a stunning, picturesque venue that feels like a fairytale come to life. The grand castle, with its timeless architecture, combined with the breathtaking beautiful gardens, provided the perfect backdrop for our ceremony and reception. Every inch of the venue is meticulously maintained, and the view of the Connecticut River was absolutely magical, adding an extra layer of elegance and charm to our special day. We had the pleasure of getting married at the Prince Edward’s Ballroom. The ballroom was timeless and elegant and served as the perfect reception/ceremony space. It did rain on our date and we had to move the ceremony inside. The staff made all the accommodations without hesitation to overturn the reception space into the most magical indoor ceremony space that I could have ever imagined. It transformed ❤️ it was giving small chapel vibes. Although my heart and the initial plan was to have an outdoor ceremony, the staff made sure my ceremony was nothing but perfect. They acted timely and efficiently to ensure our back up plan was properly executed. I was still able to get beautiful photos on the grounds as the weather cleared up.

The Staff:

The staff at St. Clements truly went above and beyond. From the very beginning, Rebecca my sales coordinator, was an absolute gem. She was not only informative and knowledgeable, but her attention to detail and dedication to making our day perfect were unparalleled. She listened to all our ideas, offered thoughtful suggestions, and made sure everything was on point! Rebecca was truly a key part of making our day so seamless and special! Thank you.

The Food:

The food at St. Clements was another highlight of our wedding. Our guests are still raving about it! The menu was delicious, diverse, and beautifully presented. From the hors d'oeuvres to the main course, every dish was bursting with flavor and perfectly prepared. The staff ensured that everyone’s dietary preferences were met with ease, and the service was impeccable.

Overall Experience:

Our wedding at St. Clements was everything we had dreamed of and more. The picturesque setting, combined with the incredible service, made for an unforgettable experience that we will cherish forever. Rebecca and the entire team at St. Clements Castle and Marina went above and beyond to ensure that our day was nothing short of magical. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect venue or a more dedicated team to help bring our vision to life. If you're looking for a place that combines beauty, elegance, and unparalleled service, St. Clements is the place to be. Thank you, St. Clements, for making our wedding day an experience we'll never forget! Highly recommend to any...

The search for our Holiday Party venue, for 500+ guests began in January 2015. After researching, visiting and speaking to referrals at five other CT locations, ProHealth Physicians selected the St. Clements Castle in Portland CT. We were drawn to the beauty of the venue, from the elegant chandeliers of the Waterford Ballroom, the Collectible Antiques in the Art Gallery, the casualness of the Carriage Room and Tavern Bar to the sophistication of the Prince Edwards Ballroom, St. Clements Castle met all of our needs. Our guests vary in ages from 20 to 70. St. Clements was able to offer something for everyone. The staff at St. Clements specifically designed all the rooms to meet our needs: the Prince Edwards Ballroom offered a more sophisticated celebration at sit-down tables with Rat Pat music piped in; the Waterford Ballroom was designed to encourage mingling and dancing with high top tables, a dance floor, dimmed lighting and of course a DJ; the smaller rooms (Taylor Dining Room, Art Gallery, Foyer) provided comfortable seating for smaller groups of 2 to 4 and finally the Tavern bar offered a fun and casual location for group conversation and comfortable seating. St. Clements staff took special care to strategically locate food stations throughout the castle thus encouraging guests to walk about and discover all the nooks and crannies. The flow in both large rooms and nooks and crannies of the Castle provides a constant feeling of both spaciousness and intimacy, an unusual balance to achieve.

The food was outstanding! The staff worked with us to create a fantastic menu from pass hors d’oeuvres to stationary displays, to carving, pasta, slider, mashed potato and grilled cheese stations. There was something for all dietary needs including gluten, sugar and dairy free choices. Dessert and Coffee/Cappuccino Stations were also strategically placed within the castle.

As this was our second year it was extremely easy to plan and coordinate. We simply called the Director of Corporate Sales and asked for a “redo” of last year. She had amazing notes on the event of the previous year and was quick to make suggestions on improving the flow of people, location of food stations and even some tweaks to the menu.

The wait staff was superb in anticipating and meeting the needs of guests. They were very present, yet not in the way. The discarded dishes quickly. They were especially attentive to our company President and his wife, standing at the door for the majority of the evening greeting guests, making sure they had food and beverages through the evening.

I did not worry about parking or managing the flow of cars as St. Clements provides that service along with hiring a Portland CT police officer to be sure people exit the parking lot safely onto Rt 17. An event at St Clements Castle is virtually effortless for the event planners, spectacular for the guests and at the end can’t wait to...