If you plan for less than 200, you can really maximize the indoor space dancing in one room, cocktails in another and dining in anotherthe options are plenty! We had our wedding at the Branford House 9/21/13 and it was terrific! Bill Miller's Castle is a wedding venue located in Branford, CT. In addition to all this, the price was competitive. We looked at other venues but it did not take us long to call Vanessa back to book Woodwinds. The Branford House. Randy was an expert on our wedding day; he took care of everything and made sure that we hadn't a care in the world! The food options are incredible and there will be something for everyone! They all made themselves available to us for anything we needed. We are so excited for our big day and feel 100% comfortable with the massive told Woodwinds will be playing in it! A month later and I still get comments how spectacular everything was. The location provides for a unique experience and is not your typical wedding venue. This venue is timeless and the food is excellent! Tony, Scott and the whole woodwinds staff was wonderful. I would highly recommend this venue to get married and have your ceremony. did sell us on choosing The Woodwinds as the best place to start our forever. See all 35 photos. Our We had such an amazing time! You simply cant beat its shoreline location and its grand aesthetic. The food was incredible the drinks were great the staff made you feel welcome all around an amazing time had by all. She fixed my dress, refilled my drinks, and more, all without me asking. We loved the option that people could go outside and down to the water if they wanted to. The whole staff was so great. From the meeting to the rehearsal and the wedding. All our family and friends raved about the food and how nice the venue was, from the set up inside, to the grounds outside. I SHOULD HAVE NOT EVEN WENT!! Phone: 203-488-3805. Its also a great place for wedding portraits if you have a special vehicle to arrive in! The Woodwinds know weddings! She made the experience enjoyable and showed us everything the venue had to offer without making us feel obligated to make a decision r Me and my fianc have been working with Vanessa! We had our wedding at the Branford House Mansion on 7/17/15 and it was absolutely perfect. Now I want to be a guest at a wedding here so I can come back!!! The day was perfect. Unique, Philanthropic & Unforgettable. The wrap-around terrace is amazing and affords a great view of sailboats. The food was absolutely AMAZING, everyone raved about the venetian table, I highly recommend it! Joanna did my flowers, let me just say SHE HAS TALENT! THANK YOU SO MUCH to all of WoodWinds staff for helping making Devon and my day an incredible day to never forget. We had both our ceremony and reception there. The patio is amazing too! Handled everything!! Below is some of what Connecticut wedding professionals had to say about this wedding venue: GORGEOUS! ive & never got annoyed with my many questions. Neeka is the SH*T. That woman holds a smile and grace and a helping hand when you dont even realize you need her. We originally booked the venue, pre-COVID, and were planning to Where do I begin? I think I sent Ken at least 40 emails leading up to our wedding date but he was always so pleasant, and answered every question quickly! Thank you so much to everyone at Woodwinds!! This was clearly not the case. You can have your ceremony inside in the East Room, the center Grand Ballroom, or outside on the patio off of the West Room. She was so helpful and down to earth throughout the whole tour. If you like boats and are up for a little walk, the edge of the campus overlooks the Shennecossett Yacht Club just across the water. By chance, we toured the day of a Halloween themed wedding And I am terrified of clowns. Mr. & Mrs. Salato. So much delicious food!!! Vanessa set up an appointmen We recently booked our wedding for next October and we couldn't be happier with our decision! Built in the 19th century, this mansion has stood the test of time and proudly boasts the design of the Newport Mansions while displaying a perfect ambiance that is ideal for an unforgettable and one of a kind celebration. We sincerely thank everyone that helped make our day so special! us almost in tears. Seriously from the first visit until our wedding day, every single person we interacted with a we just had our wedding here last night and I have to say, it couldn't have been any more better! Inside ceremonies tend to be more intimate with smaller guest counts. He truly knows this business, and goes out of his way to meet any special needs you may have. Its a mansion on the water, what can I say. Most have been with Woodwinds for years; a very good sign. Anything I needed, she was on it. The in-office coordinator was so patient in answering my many questions over the last 2 years of planning (& postponing) and we are so grateful for all of his help and the detailed notes he kept to ensure our wishes were met! I had guests raving about the different appetizers and our Venetian table!! The Woodwinds has an amazing team who decorated everything, kept us on schedule the whole night My husband and I recently got married on June 15th at Woodwinds!! Everyone we have spoken with has been so friendly and willing to answer all of our questions. omments from our guests about how delicious the food was! We got married on June 16, 2017 and it was the happiest day of our lives. The patio and lawn are the best part of the venue so, if you can, maximize the time spent out there. Having an on-site getting ready option is really nice convenience for brides and their bridal party making your logistics of the day much simpler and less stressful. We had a wonderful winter wedding here and walking down the staircase to get married in front of the main fireplace was like something out of a fairytale. erything would be taken care of for me on the big day. Randy was awesome when we got down to the home stretch and did great running the event the day of. We had our ceremony outside and the venue was beautiful. Thats genius! Intimate Wedding in A Castle | Branford House Groton, CT | Connecticut Wedding Film - YouTube Ashley and Dylan's story was held at the incredible Branford House in Groton, CT. Thank you for making our day the best day ever!! Required fields are marked *. Carisa Lockery CR Socials Event Planning, If there ever was a must have location for a wedding venue, this is the spot. Wedding of our dreams at the Branford House! Katherine was responsive, and helped us to find a spot for the huge tent we put out on the back lawn. 100% reccomend this venue! They really take your worries away and make the process stress-free. He kept everything on track and made sure the night went smoothly. And Scott was the best!!! I knew when we first toured that The Woodwinds was my first choice, and only choice really. The staff was absolutely amazing and all of our guests were raving about the food and quality of service. Inside the house, you can take advantage of the intimate decore and design with its grand staircases, fireplaces, and ballrooms. The staff Is simply AMAZING. They have the best staff of any venue we have ever been to, everyone was unbelievably helpful. The Branford House offers an elegant location on the Connecticut shoreline that creates the perfect ambience for a memorable special event. Vanessa is accommodating and genuinely excited about each wedding. ou all for making the wedding of our dreams come true and for making me want to relive the day over and over! Heidi Hanson Always & Forever Weddings, Gorgeous inside and out. A Branford House wedding by the sea, complete with a live painter, live music, and fireworks made this mansion wedding an experience to remember. I genuinely can't say enough good things about the entire staff at woodwinds, I wish I wasn't so in love with my husband so I could do it all over again! t for us to come see everything and it was game over after that. With over 40 years experience in the restaurant business, Chef Silvio is also the author of a popular cookbook, Cooking with Chef Silvio, which contains classic recipes and stories from the Campania region of Italy. She also made sure the wedding party was holding up and that made us feel taken care off! My only wish is that it could have lasted longer! My seating charts were a complete mess and I felt as though I worked at the venue instead of being the groom. Vanessa has been so responsive and helpful throughout the process and we can't wait to work with the rest of the Woodwinds team for our wedding! Specialties: Planning a wedding reception, banquet, corporate event, or just need a special event venue to have your next meeting or holiday party, the Woodwinds on the border of Guilford and Branford CT is an Award winning family owned wedding reception hall and banquet hall in CT. With our beautiful landscaping and our renowned chefs we can make your wedding reception or special event a . day one. We wish we could relive that day over and over again. The Branford House was the perfect wedding venue for us. I am so glad that we could have a backup plan work out so well. ! They do a great job keeping things up. We got so many compliments on how beautiful the venue was, but also how amazing the food was as well! During the wedding my dress broke. ded and kept a watchful eye on us the whole night making sure we were taken care of and making sure everything ran smoothly! From the first day we met with the Woodwinds (Vanessa who is a pleasure) Sign up on The Knot to reach more couples and book more weddings! We are so glad we chose Woodwinds for our special day! Thank you again for such an amazing day. Communication is key with planning a wedding, especially from across the country in California. Branford House Mansion | Venue - Groton, CT | Wedding Spot Oops! Like most of the mansions, there were some restrictions on decorations and expectations on the time that we would be in and the time we'd be out, but they were more than reasonable and we never ran into any issues. But Id like to end this with the feed back we got back from our wedding guest and this has to do with the food! The food was great. When our day finally arrived. This place is beautiful! Then as it got closer Randy stepped in and he was GREAT. Pricing was well worth what you get and they made payments easy. Since the venue itself is so beautiful, you really don't need to do much in terms of decoration and you can still have a beautiful wedding! all the staff has been super communicative and helpful in any way. We are so happy to be married and thank you so much! Randy made our wedding day go exactly as planned. I love the mantle and the staircase inside and the way it looks like a castle. We had our ceremony by the waterfall and it was perfect. It is right on the water. 4 years ago. We are looking forward to working with Vanessa and the Woodwinds team as our big day gets closer! The tour and actual booking were not stressful. Historic/Landmark Building, Mansion, Outdoor. I went to a wedding there years ago and it absolutely blew my mind. Vanessa was so accomodating when I scheduled a last minute tour and even squeezed us in just two days later to see it again! First and only place you need to look for your next venue for any event! - Amplified music OK indoors and outdoors, - Alcohol must be served by licensed bartender/caterer, Price this venue to get your customized estimate, no strings attached. hedule, but the woodwinds made the process very pleasant! Everyone is still talking about the wedding and how amazing it was. 29 reviews. Bill Miller's Castle - Venue - Branford, CT - WeddingWire Weddings Wedding Venues Mansion Weddings Connecticut Hartford Branford Bill Miller's Castle in Bill Miller's Castle Branford, CT View map Phone number Visit website Request pricing 4.9 122 $18k - $22k For 100 Guests Up to 250 Check your date Gallery 44 About FAQs Reviews 122 Real Weddings 1 From our first tour with Vanessa to the last dance everything was beyond perfect. Im not positive but I believe the snowman might have even been his idea when Neka went to talk to him to try and figure out a way to help relax me. If youre having your reception inside, there are some challenges as its separated into three rooms and is unlike many traditional venues. t. Our wedding day was great and went too quickly. We can not thank them enough!! My fiance, parents, and I met with Vanessa to take a tour of the venue on 9/16/17 . It was awesome!! He was the key to our successful day! We also loved being able to drop off our decorations before the day of the wedding and how the crew set them up perfectly. He was so nice about everything and quick to respond! Having been to weddings in the past, I know what a great job the Woodwinds does and how delicious their food is. The day came out better David and I got married on New Years Eve. I am so glad we picked the Branford House for our Fall wedding in CT. They were the only vendor we would've felt horrible saying "we've decided to go with someone else" to, mostly because they were extremely helpful, genuinely caring, and very accommodating. You guys did that! My guests are still talking about the food didnt miss a beat! ty to sample some of the food at Cafe' Allegre prior to selecting meals for the wedding. We highly recommend the Branford House (plus, the cost of renting the mansion goes towards the university's educational programs, so that was a nice added bonus). I can't thank everyone enough. *it wouldnt allow me to change the date of the wedding on the second page of this review but it was 10/25/19. Neka entered the scene and I can honestly say that I IMMEDIATELY felt relieved. It is perfectly situated in every way. We couldn't be happier with everything. If you are thinking of getting married in a mansion in New England, this is the best choice for you. Everyone we worked with from sales, to day of coordinator, to servers, to the bridal attendant was absolutely f Our wedding was perfect. Well, they were the only venue we physically looked at, thats how sold we were from the start. They have several large suites available for getting ready. During our First Looks and throughout the entire night, the staff ensured I had champagne in my hand, my husband had a gin and tonic in his, and we were fed and happy. Everyone loved the venue and kept saying how beautiful it was. and the food is SO good! You can dress this venue to the max or you can leave it as is and it will stand on it's own. I had my wedding here last night and cant even begin to express my appreciation for the wonderful staff who made my wedding so amazing. The WW did a great job for our 9.30.22 wedding. We can't wait for our wedding in the Spring to spend time with our loved ones in such a welcoming and beautiful place! We are currently working together with her to pull our Christmastime wedding off! The Branford House is a magical setting for your wedding or celebration. We are definitely happy with our decision and know we can count on Vanessa and the staff if any questions arise before our special day. When you book with this venue, you immediately feel like a part of the WoodWinds fam. Joanna, the venues Florist, did spectacular work on our arrangements, and was great to work with. The staff was amazing, food was beyond perfect, and there are no words for Scott! Finally, the big day arrives And it rains. During our initial meeting with Carmine, he made us feel so comfortable. They made sure the night went so smooth without a hitch. WoodWinds was the first place we looked at after getting engaged and we knew right then and there we were going to book there. Every Branford House Wedding centers around the Grand Ballroom with its massive fireplace, ornately carved wood walls, and a two-story ceiling. tions we've had so far. My friends and family said this was hands-down the best wedding - most elegant, most fun, gorgeous venue they had ever seen! For the entire year and a half of planning (during a pandemic nonetheless) Vanessa, Ken, and Randy were responsive, kind, SO FUN, and comforting. Whether it was bustling my dress or making sure my drink was never empty. Along with the amazing packages they offer, she really Rehearsal Dinners, Bridal Showers & Parties, Flower Girl Dresses and Ring Bearer Outfits. Kevin Kelley Kevin Kelley Photography, Another gem that captivates guests with granite, mahogany and marble. It was extra for my package but SO WORTH IT. Our wedding there was all I had imagined & more. We are very excited to be working with Woodwinds for our wedding. ), and how smoothly the night went. Hire good vendors (especially a day-of coordinator!) Its much nicer than a hotel room for getting ready or for putting the dress on. The only reason I am giving a 4/5 is because there was a another wed Woodwinds is amazing! The day of, Randy was a master at running the show, honestly, not one thing went wrong. It was the b Booking our wedding at Woodwinds has been a wonderful decision. We had our wedding at the Branford House in August and it was everything we could have asked for and more! It was so nice to finally re My husband and I got married on July 6th at The Woodwinds. I would recommend verifying with the Woodwinds if there will be another ceremony taking place on the same day, so you can verify the times of the second wedding, and give yourself enough of a time cushion should the first wedding be running behind, and your wedding is the second of the day. LOVE THEM!!! But from the minute we left our tour visit with Vanessa we knew we'd get married at The Woodwinds just as my sister did My experience with the Woodwinds was EVERYTHING!!!! The staff that worked our event made our experience a dream and for that I am thankful! Our ceremony was set up for outside on the lawn facing the water, but the storm that rolled through forced us to re-evaluate our plans and we moved everything inside. We booked a little over a year early and was able to get the 2nd Saturday in August. Scott was so helpful the entire night and really made us feel like we didn't have to worry about a thing! Highly recommended (already). Its the best in CT & the best in New England! I also did not have to set up or take things down, I just had to show up, how incredible is that! This is such a stunning site for a wedding. She went above and beyond all night! Randy and Neka were on top of everything. Edit. The setting was nothing short of romantic; big enough to fit all of our loved ones but also small enough to feel intimate. For me this was really important due to one of my family members was in the hospital. Randy was the best along with my bridal attendant! Booking Woodwinds was an easy decision for us and we couldnt be happier! Love love love this venue! Neka, was constantly by our side providing the best service and everything we needed. Randy was our coordinator the day of the Wedding, and the two young ladies who stood by me alllll day, were phenomenal. The grounds were gorgeous for pictures and the decor inside was very elegant. Their communication was excellent & the whole day ran smoothly. The staff is very helpful and nice. The front door to the mansion is a great place for family photos as its shaded and cooler in the afternoon and easy to get to for grandparents. We ended up having a ridiculously stormy day for our wedding and because of the beautiful architecture and features inside, we were still happy because it felt like we were in an old castle. They are true professionals. The food was phenomenal and the venetian table was amazing!! We're down for a bit but the team is working hard to fix this! The food, AMAZING, although as a bride it was hard to eat, but every single person can't stop complimenting the food. The staff was 2 steps ahead of us the entire time. So despite being assured multiple times before hand that we would get the food, we never did because everything was sent out. Any questions I had they were answered within minutes! They worked with my budget, were incredible with the planning and the food was amazing. Randy, our coordinator, made the whole wedding go smoothly. They have everything down from planning to executing! thank you again from the bottom of our hearts. After going to several venues, we didn't have to look any further after visiting the woodwins, I'd get married here every year if i could Everything they do is professional and perfect. Branford House has both indoor and outdoor event spaces where you can host your wedding celebrations. Ceremonies and receptions are welcome here, allowing you to host your entire celebration at this esteemed location. He made sure the everything went smoothly, was extremely friendly and on top of everything. Just a bit further away is Downtown Mystic, which has many lodging options like the Whalers Inn, The Inn at Mystic, and the Hilton Mystic. Flanking the ballroom are the equally exquisite East Wing and West Wing rooms.