Saltwater Farm Vineyard — Attraction in Stonington

My husband and I fell in love with Saltwater Farm Vineyard as our wedding venue the first time we went there together before we were even engaged. Oddly enough I had already been to the venue when I was in my cousin’s wedding here 6 years ago, but when Alex and I went to Saltwater Farm Vineyard for an oyster shucking class we had an awesome experience that cemented it as a part of our own journey. We chatted with Jess and Greg, and the owners Michael and Merrily for hours after the event. The day after we got engaged we went to Saltwater Farm Vineyard to celebrate and booked it as our venue the next day. The space is absolutely gorgeous. I love how intimate the venue feels while also having enough room for all of our guests. The flow of the events at Saltwater is seamless based on the layout. We had the ceremony in the vineyard, the cocktail hour outside/under the tent, and the reception inside. We were able to fit all 124 of our guests on the first floor, but we opened the second floor bar to open up the space even more. My three favorite things about the venue are the space itself, the natural ambiance, and the people. The space makes everything feel together, if you’re upstairs you can still see and hear the dance floor below, if you’re outside under the tent for fresh air or cigars you can still see and hear the dance floor as well. It’s all so connected keeping all of the guests having a similar experience. Additionally, the ambiance is amazing. I described my wedding style as simple but elegant. The lighting in the venue is so unique and is captured beautifully in photos whether the overhead lights are on or off. I also loved getting ready in the bridal suite on site so that I did not have to be transported after I got ready. The space has such incredible natural light which is great for getting ready photos. We also used the bridal suite for the wedding party to wait in while our guests were seated. It was so fun to watch our guests arrive and fill up all of the seats in the vineyard. It was a special moment watching all of our planning come to life. Merrily is very quick to respond and answer any of your questions. Jess and Greg are not only the nicest people and most helpful people, but they also made visiting the venue feel like we were coming home. Very honestly, the first moment I cried at my wedding was when I waved to Jess and Greg before going into the vineyard for my first look. It felt like everything had come full circle since the oyster shucking class all those months ago. I absolutely loved this venue and cannot speak highly enough about it. I cannot wait to go back and visit again. If you choose Saltwater Farm Vineyard for your wedding venue, you will not be...

They do not allow professional photography unless you’re a “paying bride.” Robbie, the parking attendant, laughed at us and treated us with disrespect as we pleaded with him to let us take our engagement pictures that we drove an hour for. Other vineyards allow this as long as you purchase a bottle or spend up to a certain amount. Update: I’ve received no response from the owner to date..

The incident: When I pulled into the parking lot, I had asked the parking attendant, (Robbie I'm assuming from the other negative reviews) where my fiancé could park if the lot filled because we were having a photoshoot. At first, he said "I got you" then "You're getting married here?" and I said we were just there for the engagement shoot. Upon learning this, his demeanor completely changed. Now laughing arrogantly, he said "What makes you think you could do that here? That would take away from our paying brides. There's no way. We don't allow that." I told him we were planning to stay for the music event after our shoot and he said "What event? It's halfway over!" Mind you, it was 6pm and people were coming into the parking lot with their chairs. I had hair and makeup done, drove for over an hour, and was with my photographer. After trying to call the manager to explain the situation, I somehow reached Robbie again where he spoke condescendingly yet again repeating the same message. After pleading with him and offering compensation, he hung up, walked over to where we were parked and told us "You can take pictures on the very end of the vineyards but I don't want to see you ANYWHERE near the building and guests AT ALL." We had planned to do this originally but after being spoken to so poorly, we were left disturbed and felt as if we were totally unwanted as guests. My photographer graciously agreed to reschedule given that this decision took so long and significantly cut into our scheduled time. There are no posted rules about this and guests are free to take photos on their phones. This could have been handled with so much more respect and understanding. We were considering Saltwater as a venue and were excited to share photos of its beauty but unfortunately we left with a horror story and no photos to go along with it. Based on many other negative reviews, Robbie's pompous behavior has done nothing but taint this business's reputation. He is a very mean and insensitive human being and is unfortunately the first impression that guests get upon arrival. We are just so sad that this special...

We chose Saltwater Farm as the venue for our 6/16/18 wedding. After doing extensive research on many CT and MA venues- we narrowed down our list to six sites that we wanted to visit. The moment we walked into Saltwater Farm, we had a great feeling. We were looking for the perfect blend of rustic, industrial, and natural and SWF was certainly all of that and more. We met with the owner Merrily, who provided answers to every single question I had (and I am an event planner by profession, so I had A TON of questions). From start to finish, our experience with SWF was outstanding. Every visit we planned with vendors was coordinated without issue, we were welcomed into the tasting room and recognized as a client by the tasting room staff. Any time we saw Merrily or her husband at the vineyard, they asked how planning was going and if we needed anything. Merrily was extremely prompt and thorough with all communication. Honestly, even though SWF does many weddings each year- we always felt like we were the only bride and groom getting married there that year. The attention to detail, the insurance of privacy for the day of your wedding, the meticulous care of the grounds, and the amenities available at the vineyard (their bridal suite is top notch) were outstanding. I would also highly recommend ordering lunch for your bridal party from MBAR, which Merrily and her...