Searles Castle at Windham

Couldn't ask for a more perfect reception site. Everyone at Searle's is a pleasure to work with. They are so accommodating and helpful. During the entire process, someone was always calling or emailing to follow up with me and let me know what was next. They truly treat you like extended family. Right down to the wedding night, they assure that everything is perfect down to every little detail. I couldn't thank them enough for all they did. It was truly a perfect day!

Our wedding was nice, but there were a few things that went wrong. First, there was confusion at cocktail hour because the second bar (inside the castle) was not open. When I had my consultation 2 weeks before, I was told that I did not need the second bar since I was having about 100 guests. So I chose to save $100 by not having it. This was a HUGE mistake. The venue cost over $20,000, so saving $100 was just stupid and totally not worth it. People thought the bar was open because it was stocked. My sister (maid of honor) had to explain to people that the bar outside (adjoining the tent) was open and they should go there. That seemed to resolve the situation but it bugs me to no end that I hired a stringed quartet to play during cocktail hour and almost no one listened to them because they were all outside.
The worst aspect of the wedding was an issue with the table decor. When I had my consultation, I told the wedding coordinator that I wanted the table number cards in frames on the tables. The theme of my wedding was "old world romance". The coordinator said that the castle had frames they could use for the vintange looking cards I had designed. I was glad to save the $200 or so by not having to buy my own frames but --HUGE mistake to rely on them. After cocktail hour I walked into the tent, expecting to see beautiful flowers, candles, and an overall vintage effect. Instead, to my absolute HORROR, I discovered that the staff had put the table number cards in these HIDEOUS clip stands--which they had then stuck into the center of my beautiful centerpeices. The look I was going for was that of a vintage, turn-of-the century dinner party. Instead, it looked like bingo night in a church basement with each number card the highest and most prominent object on the table, absolutely ruining my decor and all of my venue photos.
My advice to you if you go with Searles: You DO need to micromanage.

They took all the stress out of wedding planning. They were flexible with everything and so easy going. My husband and I were thinking of using them for our ten year anniversary. They were professional, courteous, and the facility just beautiful for anyone dreaming of the storybook wedding.

We chose the castle for our wedding reception because of the fond childhood memories I had of growing up near it. While at first things seemed to go OK, it started to be apparent that clients are just another paycheck...it was tough to get timely, complete responses leading up to the event.
In the week before the event, there was much concern about the weather, which led us to ask (several times) what contingency plans were in place--what if the worst happened? (The response was "change your date" or "don't worry about it; we've never canceled".) Imagine my surprise to find a voicemail from the castle on the morning of my wedding. Barely 3 hours before the wedding, they left a message canceling the reception.
Granted, they have no control over the weather, but they do have control over how they responded. Who leaves a message for a bride on the morning of her wedding canceling the event? When we finally contacted them, there was no expression of regret, and no assistance in coming up with an alternative. I should mention that they had accepted delivery of our flowers, our cake, our favors...all of our personal items. No offer was made to get those to us.
Thanks to our other vendors who rallied around us and our families who went above and beyond, we found another location for a reception, a caterer, and even managed to transport everything from the castle to our new location.
Even in the aftermath, I was not impressed with the professionalism (or lack thereof) of the staff. It was hard to get in touch with them to find out what our options were: plan another event (except there is no availability until 2012!), get a refund (which took a REALLY long time--more than a month after the wedding), and I should mention that, again, they weren't forthcoming with options. Their attitude seemed to be one of 'no harm, no foul', but in such a situation, a refund doesn't repair all damages--all the other vendors were paid, some of our personal items were lost at the castle, and a wedding day only happens once. A refund doesn't cover the heartache of having your dream wedding canceled. A little empathy and sincerity might have gone a long way to making this a more positive review, but they were very lacking in that department--once our date was passed, we were not of much concern to them.
This venue is beautiful, and I would have loved to have had my wedding there. However, what I learned is that they can put on a good event, as long as nothing goes wrong. And what wedding goes off without a hitch? I can't recommend them--a wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and they were, unfortunately, a poor contribution to ours. I am still waiting for any expression of regret on their part.

Scott, Shaun and the entire staff at Searles are so great. Our wedding day was truly perfect - throughout the entire planning process they were so responsive to all our questions and extremely accomodating. If you want a beautiful, fairytale wedding at a truly unique venue, Searles is the place! They are 100% flexible and made sure every request we made was met, the entire staff is super friendly and constantly smiling!

VERY happy with Searles! Scott easily makes you feel like you're the only bride getting married there (and, if there is anything I learned from the wedding planning process, is that dealing with people who make it very apparent that this is a business makes things SUPER unpleasant). They are super flexible and the package that comes along with it is a LIFESAVER (and moneysaver =)).

But what really made me fall in love with it was the antiques. I mean, the castle was originally built so a duke could house his antiques overseas, so there are some serious treasures in there! So, so, so recommend!

Shaun and Scott and every minute and detail were over the top. People are still raving about the day.

Searles Castle gets a 6 out of 5 in my book :). Not only is it an absolutely beautiful setting, but the staff is friendly, helpful, and extremely accomodating too. It was worth every penny!!

Our wedding day went so smoothly! The staff was extremely helpful and flexible! The castle grounds are beautiful and provide an amazing atmosphere for a wedding reception!

Searles helped make our wedding a memorable event. Everyone said things would go wrong (as they do with every wedding). Well, nothing went wrong with Searles. They were accommodating with all of our requests from special dietary needs to help with staying within our budget. They paid complete attention to all the details, even the smallest ones. Also the feedback from our guests was all very positive from "the place looked beautiful" to "this was the best wedding food ever!".

Our experience with Searles was absolutely top notch. They were the least of my concerns along the planning process and made everything so easy. They were responsive to all my questions, most of the time within a few hours of my asking, no matter how stupid or silly they were.

If I wanted to do something that was out of the ordinary, they were 100% flexible and basically let anything go ... even if it meant more effort on their part! The management team is very nice and smiling all the time.

I would absolutely recommend Searles Castle to anyone looking for a dream wedding. I have been told by many of our guests that our wedding is the best one they'd been to, and I owe much of that to this wonderful location.

We had our wedding here a couple of weeks ago and I am still speachless. The place feels like it is out of a fairytale, the service was outstanding, the staff is super friendly and helpful and our guests were amazed. I do not have any regrets whatsoever about choosing this place. I highly recommend it to everyone who is looking for a venue to get married at.

Searles Castle provided an unbelievable experience for my husband and I. THey were extremely helpful, courteous, professional and flexible. Their primary focus was always on whether our needs were met. Even though none of our day went as planned, the castle was awesome at accommodating us with each twist and turn of the day. I would recommend them to anyone who asked!! Thank you!!

My husband and I had the wedding of our dreams at Searles Castle on June 18, 2009. Scott and the rest of the staff was nothing short of amazing. My entire family was impressed with the staff and their professionalism as well as the beauty of the castle itself. Everything we needed or asked for we were taken care of without question; it was always "we can take care of that for you". Of course June 2009 was the rainiest June since 1903, so our planned outdoor ceremony had to be moved inside the castle, but it was still just as, if not more, beautiful.

It can be pricey if you have the wedding on a Saturday so we opted for a Thursday night indtead. We saved a bundle and got everything we wanted for our special day. We never felt like we were one of many weddings planned for the 2009 wedding season; the staff always made us feel like we were the only couple ever getting married there. I highly recommend this venue; it made my wedding day so memorable. I wish I could do it all over again.

I had to plan a really quick wedding and everyone at Searles was very helpful and understanding. Loved the venue and the staff and I would recommend this place to anyone. Scott and Sean are awesome.

Searles castle was amazing to us. My husband and I have never even been to a wedding before. So our wedding was the first! Scott and Shaun were always amazing and quick at answering an questions we ever had. They also did a wonderful job the day of to help us. We would recommend this beautiful place to anyone!

Searles Castle is absolutely gorgeous! As far as the facility rental fee goes, it was much cheaper than expected. The package option, to include all your other vendors/services, is well worth the investment. It saves money for the bride and groom. The management staff is very professional, courteous, and flexible. They were able to accomodate all of my requests and personal needs. Any time I called or e-mailed, they were so quick to respond. If you want a fairy tale, dream come true, I highly recommend Searles Castle :o)

This is a magical and beautiful setting - I loved shooting here. I want to get married all over again just to do it here!

Searles Castle is without question, New England's most unique wedding venue. The food, service and location can not be beat.
An authentic Castle atmosphere, Impeccable service and outstanding food! What more could you ask for?

I LOVE photographing weddings at Searles Castle! I have the most unique and awesome scenery to photograph my couples in - it looks great anytime of the day or night. This wedding facility is second to none; the staff is wonderful, the food is marvelous and they work with me to help create the most memorable and beautiful images for my couples. They even drive me around to all of the most stunning spots on their property. I cannot say enough about Searles Castle - you just have to go there and see for yourselves.

Searles Castle is one of my favorite venues. The service, atmosphere and food are second to none. It's a special place.