The 228 In Sterling — Attraction in Sterling

When we booked, we met with Maria seemed very flexible that we didn’t need to book a beverage company as they where all TIP certified and so on so we went ahead and booked for our special day. Then after we booked, that’s when things started to go downhill fast, first we were set up with one portal that had suggestions of vendors we went to one for a cake for the cake vendor never show up and say oops sorry I wrote down the wrong date and time Then Maria disappeared and we started getting nasty condescending emails from Jessica and not Maria no information as to what happened. I had said several times I wanted floating barn doors when I looked at the bill and saw that they were not there, I asked and Jessica said “oh I just assumed that you didn’t want them”, in this business You don’t assume you take your five minutes and you email the person or pick up a phone and call. to find out those barn Doors were damaged and I could no longer have them. That is when I said I’m not renting another thing from this Place , and I will do everything on my own. We also was told that they no longer have their own beverage service part and that we would have to find our own only six months to the wedding when everything should’ve been booked and done. Again more money that we weren’t expecting to need. So we sat down with Kim from Cordials and Sharon. Got the invoices again and nothing was right. The 228 doesn’t care at all in fact they added on more things for us to rent and had adjusting all the time. Which we were supposed to have 3 meetings we only had two. No wonder my big special day was a complete disaster. Leading up to the wedding I should have never had anxiety I should have been excited and then the day of was filled with more as they nickel and dime for everything so I was watching every move I made and made sure that no one was going to get charged. I should be excited and instead I am not excited at all. seeing the other bad reviews I was praying the day of the wedding will go better than leading up to the wedding. However I am sad to say it was not and ever since my wedding day I have had the most breakdowns about everything that went so very wrong. Clearly, my vision was not their vision and whatever I have said has gone through one ear and out the other. they nickel and dime for everything. they only allow 5 hours for a wedding and when have a ceremony you don’t have much time for a reception, time to taken away to clear the floor for a dance floor. we were first told when we first saw the place that as the wedding is going on and if everyone’s having a great time, if you would like to add on more time, we could, however, leading up to the wedding, we were told differently and had to add another hour for an additional cost and even at that they started shutting down and cleaning things up an hour before the ending time of my wedding. Waist of extra money. They set up a wedding as a chew and screw. They give you a ridiculous timeline, dj/band even started things earliersaying “this is ridiculous set up” made my day horrible. When the 228 started clearing tables for a dance floor I lost half my people as they thought they were closing the wedding. I still needed photos taken and couldn’t cause those people left. I saw things missing and needed to ask where was my lights for the guests? For them to ask me if I even showed them was a complete insult when I had a photo of them and how they should look at the tables. I had high anxiety all day and my vision for photos got ruined. I wanted my photos taken by the barn, tree or garden but was too afraid to go near anything as we had drilled in our head the amount to use things. They wouldn’t even let us do our first look on the premises without paying an extra. I do not recommend this place unless you want to spend nights like I am rethinking how things could have gone right. Crying my eyes out and would do anything to redo it again cause I shouldn’t be feeling like this. Waste of money run away from this place please and go...

The 228 team was very understanding, friendly, and flexible from the beginning. You could tell they had seen it all and were prepared for anything. I'll break this into sections where I can. TLDR: -beautiful space -affordable -friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating staff -flexibility and preparedness for any situation -the one con was that there were sometimes lulls/gaps in communication when asking questions, and they seemed to forget about one our meetings (and rushed to arrive anyway) but it was minor and in general, everything got addressed in the end. Wasn't enough to detract from overall experience. -Limitations: Indoor space is capped, so larger weddings (100+) would have to be outside, or hybrid, and you'd need to rent additional chairs/tent. If going entirely outdoors, ensure the DJ/music you choose can set up outside with their booth/speakers etc). -Overall, would recommend

Staff/Planning: From the beginning, they try to get an idea of your vision, and have plenty of advice as well to help you get a clearer picture of what your wedding will look like. In addition, they provide a lot of the services some other venues normally would leave you on your own with - tons of decor options, additional guest entertainment (firepit, smores, yard games) as well as doing the agreed-upon set up by their staff before the wedding. They also have a wide list of partnerships in terms of catering, entertainment, music, and other logistics.

The Space: It's a beautiful location, especially in the New England fall, complete with all types of locations you would need for a good ceremony setting or photographs - a gazebo, a large & looming tree, a pond, flower/bush arrangements, and a pavilion to hold the ceremony in for the questionable weather. The 228 is very flexible and can pivot fast in the face of inclement weather, as was our case, so no need to worry if that's a concern. The barn was great for a reception, as it can hold 92 people indoors, but there's also a furnished deck outside where a bar, photobooth, and people can go. There is also an option to include yard games, as the grassy area is massive, and there is also a patio with a nice stone firepit and seating for additional hangout options.

Approaching the Wedding: The team routinely checks in to make sure our planning is going well, and will tell you what you need from the vendors you've selected for insurance, licenses, etc. We got a bit unlucky as they were transitioning from paper to a site so some of the decor/resources weren't readily available to browse visually, but that has changed since then which should be very useful. But we were allowed to come onsite to see what they had in storage below and to schedule calls to ask questions or opinions as well. One minor gripe we had was that occasionally the response time in the months between was slow, or we wouldn't get a response to all our questions at all until we repeated. Could be just be due to how busy they are, so it wasn't enough to ruin the experience for us.

Wedding: We were unlucky yet again and were likely catching a rainy day. Despite that, we were in good hands, as The 228 was prepared with their pavilion for the ceremony site and had everything beginning set up the night before for us to rehearse, and Maria took charge in helping us play out the ceremony and get a nice timeline of events. The staff was very quick and worked with the vendors to get everything set up and taken down as the event progressed so we didn't have to worry about much of anything. All in all, we could say our wedding day was a great success and we owe...

The 228 was a perfect venue. It is so beautiful, there is many beautiful spots on the property to choose from to have your wedding ceremony. Sharon and Maria were incredible. We were originally supposed to have our wedding at on a family members property, but they pulled out on us 82 days from the wedding. With a stroke of luck they had our date available. I emailed and called on a Monday morning and Sharon called me on speaker phone while driving her kids to work because she understood my urgency. They got me in for a meeting that very day and we officially booked the venue the next day. Honestly the entire situation was a blessing. They really handle everything for you the day of and the help so much in the planning process when it comes to your decor and schedule planning. They communicated well and promptly. They were there on time and waiting for us at every meeting we had scheduled. They accommodated our schedules. I joked that although I have never taken anxiety meds, I believe that Maria is that in human form. Our wedding came together so beautifully. We were wanting a fun, and relax vibe of a family BBQ and we got exactly that. Having the covered porch was so nice for our guests that would rather conversate and chill, than dance and party. We were able to have an ice cream and pizza truck at the end of the night and they coordinated with them to set up in the right spot. For decor we literally just dropped off our boxes and went over last minute things, and they took it from there. We arrived and it was just how we wanted things and at the end of the night everything was neatly packed in the car to go. Pricing was also insanely good. We looked at many other bring your own vendor venues and non were priced as well as them and also coordinated the day for you. I would highly recommended this venue for your wedding, other large party or even smaller more...