The Capen House — Local services in Winter Park

I cannot rave about this venue enough! My husband and I just had our wedding here and this gorgeous venue really set the stage for a beautiful event.

The location is ideal. It is situated in a quiet area of Winter Park very close to Park Ave shopping and tons of restaurants and cafes, which we liked because it is a very nice area to accommodate traveling guests. It is also not too far from Orlando attractions, which was great for guests traveling with kids.

The venue itself is stunning. It is a well-maintained historic home with a lovely waterfront view, though the major appeal for us was the botanical garden setting behind the house and sculpture garden. The landscaping is gorgeous and encourages guests to explore, which I felt was ideal to keep everyone occupied throughout the cocktail hour. The interior is also very elegant and provides a great backdrop for dancing, catching up with guests, and it is nice to have as a backup in the event of rain.

There is a full kitchen onsite, handicap accessible bathrooms for guests, and a private bridal suite with a separate bathroom. My bridal party used this suite to get ready and frequently found each other back in here throughout the night to take breaks from all the activity or to use the restroom. It’s a very nice perk.

The Capen House does not provide tables, catering, etc. They do require using some of their preferred vendors and you have the option of some vendors such as the cake, florist, etc. This is something to factor into cost, but their preferred vendors are top tier so I imagine you would be in good hands with any of them.

We hired Hannah as our day-of coordinator and I cannot recommend this enough!!! I honestly can’t imagine pulling together this wedding without this service. They coordinated with all of our vendors to make sure our event went according or our vision, made sure our details and finishing touches were all worked out, brought up any questions we might not have anticipated and helped us figure out any outstanding needs, organized our rehearsal, and made sure we had every detail down for the big day. As someone who knew pretty much nothing about weddings before, the day-of coordination was probably the most valuable asset and it really helped having someone who works with the venue directly.

If you are considering the Capen House for your wedding, definitely check it out. I am still over the moon with how perfect our wedding was because of this venue and several of our guests told us it was the most beautiful wedding they had ever attended. This place really sets the scene for a...

I feel very fortunate that we were able to celebrate our wedding at such a beautiful venue. The setting was truly stunning, and leading up to the big day, the staff were incredibly helpful and attentive. They made the planning process smooth and stress-free, which I really appreciated.

Additionally, the list of recommended vendors they provided was absolutely fantastic. I have to give special thanks to Four Rivers Barbecue, Cocktails Catering, and Kaleidoscope Lighting, all of whom made the actual event so easy and seamless. Their services truly elevated our day and helped everything run smoothly.

However, my experience on the actual wedding day was unfortunately not as positive. From the moment my bridesmaids and I arrived, the venue attendants were unwelcoming and made us feel as though we were an inconvenience. There was no greeting, no introductions, and no effort to make us feel comfortable, which was especially upsetting on what was supposed to be one of the happiest and most important days of my life.

Additionally, there were issues with museum guests still being present less than an hour before our event began, and we had to ask multiple times for them to leave. This should have been handled by the staff, as it added unnecessary stress to the already hectic pre-wedding preparations.

At the end of the night, the venue attendants started telling our guests that they needed to leave in 20 minutes, which was perfectly reasonable. However, they failed to inform me, my bridal party, or the groom about this timing, which created confusion and made the event's conclusion feel rushed. While I didn’t use a coordinator because I felt confident in my planning abilities, I would have appreciated receiving the same time warning that was given to a few of my guests. It would have helped us to better manage the end of the event.

To make matters worse, as we were breaking down, the attendants were rude to both myself and my guests, which was extremely disappointing. There is definitely a way to be firm yet kind, but that wasn’t the approach we received.

Overall, while the venue itself was beautiful and all of the staff were great leading up to the day, the attitude and behavior of the venue attendants on the wedding day really left a negative impression. I hope they can address these issues for future couples, as it detracted from what should have been a...

My event planner (Premier Events Catering) recommended The Capen House and I have to admit that I wasn't sure it would work for us. Boy was I wrong. The venue is lovely. There is history about the house that is told in framed hangings (moved to present location on a barge). The house has two names, 1/2 is Fred, the other half is Ginger. The House is historic and has beautiful plantings that entice anyone with a love for gardening. The numerous sculptures are a delight for the eyes for an art enthusiast. A lovely and serene boat dock calms your spirit and the water view is beautiful from the patio. We had a tent over the patio and with 4 fans, it was very comfortable for our sit down dinner at the end of July. Katlyn Landes was my contact and she went above and beyond in advice. In our tour of the grounds and house prior to my guests arriving, we were shown different parts of the garden that could be used for other special events like weddings. If you live in the Orlando area (the venue is in Winter Park) be sure to check it out. Being in a residential setting it does have some limitations on timing and the amount of noise that can be generated outside. Never the less, it is well worth you taking a walk through the...