The Riverview — Attraction in Simsbury

My wife and I chose The Riverview after visiting 15+ venues in the Connecticut area. We were very taken back by the appearance of the venue and the grounds surrounding it and found it to be a suitable fit for our Gatsby themed wedding. After hearing a few concerns from friends about the food quality at the Riverview from past weddings that they had attended, we decided that it was a good idea to attend the showcase events and even arranged for a personal tasting on a separate date. The food at all three showcase events and the personal tasting was wonderful. We felt confident that we had nothing to worry about at that point and that we would achieve our goal of providing our guests with great food. Food and music for our guests were our top priorities. Out of the 150ish guests we had, 108 chose the Filet Mignon. We relayed this total to our coordinator with the instructions to cook them all medium. On the day of our wedding, my wife and I were both given VERY well-done and DRY steaks that we chose not to finish. Caught up in all that was going on on our big day, we assumed it was just ours and paid no mind to it. In the weeks following our wedding, upon talking to friends and family we soon learned how truly bad the steak situation was. Not only were our steaks well-done and dry, but many of our guests were as well. Several people finally hesitantly revealed that they sent the steaks back multiple times, only to receive more of the same. It seems like the only guests who truly enjoyed their meals were those who ordered the halibut and the chicken piccata. We were very disappointed that a venue that has been in business for over 10 years now seemingly does not know how to provide the most popular dish for a wedding. Had we not heard the previous warnings, we would have thought it was just a fluke. Aside from the food, our coordinator and bridal assistants whom we were told would be our "shadows" throughout day, were for the most part absent. Perhaps hiding in the shadows instead. Because it rained on our wedding day, my wife's dress was drenched at the bottom and when it came time for our first dance and her father/daughter dance, she was slipping all over the dance floor. It was so bad that she and her father had to resort to swaying, after they had been practicing the waltz for months. Our bridal assistants were nowhere to be found with a solution while our coordinator watched from the sidelines pretending everything was alright. Friends and family had to get us drinks. We were not walked around by our coordinator to greet and thank our guests so we had to take it upon ourselves to do so with no clue of our time frame. All in all, our wedding day was amazing and our guests had a blast. Our add-on and late-night stations were very good and we were very happy with the huge...

I had pictured a rustic barn and farmhouse style wedding however, none of the venues of this type were screaming out to me or my husband. We heard about The Riverview and booked an appointment for a tour, I was skeptical because I had never visioned a ballroom style venue. Once upon arrival, we were immediately greeted by the receptionist with champagne and was given a very thorough tour of the venue. We sat down with the venue’s manager and was given samples of desserts while we listened to the details on packages, menu options, and add-ons. We decided to revisit the venue another time, this time with our 3 children in tow, and was given another tour. After the tour was over we were brought into an office for a second time hear all the options but they not only had desserts for us again, but snacks, water and coloring pages for our children. Everyone we spoke to during those visits were happy, energetic and seemed to genuinely enjoy their jobs working there. Fast forward to the 400-something days of planning, I was even more blown away with the communication and how clearly laid out everything was from the way payment plans were due, to when you would be scheduled for your tasting to the final meetings to finalize the last-minute details. We worked directly with Chelsea and I cannot put into the exact words to explain just how AMAZING she is! Not only did she keep in contact with speedy responses via email but she also helped me with odd requests like measuring how long the aisle was. She never seemed annoyed or frustrated with my constant contact and instead just seemed eager to help make this day an unforgettable one. Fast forward one more time to the actual day of the wedding and continued to be blown away. Not only did EVERYTHING go smoothly, just as planned, the staff that works at The Riverview is top-notch! The bartenders were so attentive, kind and one even reached over the bar to block me from hitting my head on the side of the bar when I bent down to fix my heels. The bridal attendants literally would give you their hand for you to eat over so that you didn’t get food on your dress. We enjoyed this venue and cannot explain how perfect of a match it was! Not only are the employees that work there amazing, the venue itself is spacious, the food is tasty, and the building itself is beautiful. We enjoyed the spacious outdoor ceremony and land to take pictures outside! My husband and I keep saying that we hope to visit again at another person’s wedding! We got married in November of 2024 and it was the most perfect day, thank you to...

We cannot say enough about The Riverview – not only did they give us our dream wedding, but every step of the process couldn’t have been easier. First of all, it’s SO great that everything is included – a beautiful outdoor space for the ceremony, the spacious and gorgeous reception hall itself, the food, AND alcohol. Just knowing that all that stuff was taken care of by an experienced team that specializes in event planning made the entire process that much easier. It allowed us to actually enjoy the planning process, which can sometimes turn an exciting event into something pretty stressful.

The outdoor space for the ceremony sits right on the Farmington River, and our photographer was able to capture the scope of the whole scene and its picturesque setting (we were on the east side). The food was delicious, especially considering how many people they serve on a regular basis and the size of the operation (we recommend the bacon wrapped scallops, goat cheese medallions, crab cakes, and pepper sirloin crostini). They also throw in some really cool extras on the “chefs table” like fried calamari and steak tips, which was a pleasant surprise after expecting just the normal cheese, crackers, and veggie spread. There’s alcohol all over the place; aside from the open bar, you get bottles of wine on every table, a champagne toast, red and white sangria, and a specialty drink of your choice (we went with Star Wars themed drinks for May the Fourth, and they were happy to oblige). We went with a DJ and florist off their vendor list, who could not have been more professional and perfect. Just a side note – if you’re going to venture beyond their vendor list, we’d suggest that you check to make sure they’re familiar with the Riverview – it really helps that our vendors knew the space so well).

Chelsea, our planner, was SO helpful and really put us at ease, even when the unexpected happened. It’s so nice to know that we had an experienced and confident team taking care of all the little stuff you can’t prepare for, and we’re so grateful for their help. Honestly, we can’t imagine a better venue choice than the Riverview, especially in their price range. So many people have been coming up to us in the weeks since the wedding talking about how spectacular the whole event was. Our experience as the bride and groom was such a crazy whirlwind that one of the first things we said to each other the next day was that we hope to be invited to someone ELSE’S wedding at the Riverview, so that we can experience it...