New Haven Lawn Club
New Haven, CT

The event did have a major change at the last minute, the groom was in an accident the day before the wedding, and he had surgery the day of the wedding. The actual ceremony was postponed, but with guests traveling from as far away as Tokyo, we still had a celebration. Christine and the vendors (band, flowers, cake, etc.) all did a wonderful job dealing with the last minute changes.

So.... why the 3 star rating? We were very busy, including shuttling between the hospital and event. After talking with guests the next day, we found that the kitchen manager universally made folks feel unwelcome, and rushed things along without any consideration for the guests or wedding party. I should have noticed something was amiss when it became apparent that bread never made to any of the tables at the start of dinner. When the cake was cut, just after dinner had been served, I made a toast (the first of the night). Much to my surprise, I have since learned that the toast flutes had already been cleared from most of the tables. The mother of the bride and I brought cake to the groom and bride (in the hospital nearby), but never got any cake ourselves.... it was disposed of without ever asking if we like to save the leftovers. Lastly, we rented the facility until 11 PM, yet things were unceremoniously boxed up at 10. Finally, we got home and discovered that the left over meals (about 20 @$90 each) had been tossed. NHLC did cook up replacements and provide those to us the next day, which is a testament to their overall good will. But the other shortfalls this "manager" inflicted on the wedding were already done, and NHLC didn't really have any options to make things right.

My impression is that this manager was more concerned about getting things done than providing a proper welcoming wedding reception, which in a business that is centered on hospitality is simply unprofessional. Any one of the issues I've mentioned would be forgivable, but the string of mistakes is too much to overlook. I certainly expected our guests to be treated with respect when I'm writing a check for well over $10K just to the facility/caterer. While the general staff was fantastic, there still was this feeling of being in a cafeteria where the clients are moved along like cattle.

So, NHLC has the potential to be a 5 star site, but they need to get rid of the unprofessional management. I wrote them regarding this and never received a reply, so I can only assume that things remain as they were. Thus, I cannot recommend them, despite the wonderful help from Christine and the rest of the staff.