The Elks at Bass Rocks

While some people may turn their noses up at the Elks, I think they are missing out on a perfect wedding location, directly across the street from the ocean, with no obstructed views. The building and the reception room are well maintained and during our wedding, you could see the water during our ceremony as well as during the reception while we were dancing. it almost felt like we were on a cruise ship because of the positioning of the windows. In warmer weather you can do the wedding outside. BUT, the best thing about it is the service. Particularly Stacey Dexter who is the wedding coordinator. she is down to earth, flexible, warm and friendly AND she just does a fabulous job keeping on top of things. You get the feeling she really cares about doing a good job and making sure your special day is in fact, special. I encourage all brides to be to check it out, and their rates are very reasonable. You have a choice of caterers and vendors and the Elks has made sure your choices are top notch.

My only regret is that the wedding is over! We were looking for something large enough to accommodate our guest list (my dad's family is HUGE), something that would look great (we've been to lots of weddings over the past few years, all at fancy hotels in Boston, beautiful exclusive resorts, etc.), and something that wasn't going to completely deplete our savings account (with the exception of a few things, we paid for the wedding ourselves)-enter the Elks at Bass Rocks, and Stacey Dexter. The venue itself is gorgeous!
We did the planning, organizing, and design ourselves and most venues would not let us do some things that were must-haves for us. Within minutes of talking with Stacey, and seeing the venue, we felt at ease. She not only assured us that we could do the things we had envisioned, but she encouraged us throughout the whole process! We did most of the decorations, details on our own (centerpieces, place cards/table numbers, lighting, DJ, photographer, etc.) Stacey was there offering smart, helpful advice the whole time and helped us set everything up the night before and morning of; she helped with sanity-checks throughout the days and weeks leading up to the wedding, and genuinely put us at ease. She was literally there with us at 10PM the night before, helping us get everything organized and offering kind encouragement that helped calm us down and allow us to really enjoy the wedding and the hours leading up to the wedding. We could not have done it without her!! Another thing that really helped is all of the vendors she recommends. Anything she suggested, from something as major as the caterer, to the minimal details like the nail salon was spot on.

We had our reception at the Elks. Stacy the event coordinator was beyond amazing! She was so attentive and professional yet she had a very caring nature. The venue was of course gorgeous and having her there to coordinate everything brought our entire wedding full circle. She was absolutely phenomenal and I would not have wanted anyone else in charge of our wedding. She was there from day 1 explaining details and was completely flexible when we ran into small issues. I love Stacy to death and even my family would not stop talking about how amazing she is. I am so thankful we had our reception at the Elks. It was the most amazing night of our lives!! We love you Stacy...thank you for EVERYTHING!!!

The elks was beautiful!! I was so happy with the way everything turned out! You can't beat the view.....all you see is the ocean! Uplighting from c-zone made it more beautiful! Stacy was very helpful and made the night flow very nicely! I love looking at all te pictures! Everyone is still telling me how perfect everything was!

This place is GORGEOUS. It is right on the ocean and was the most reasonably priced venue from Maine to CT, trust me I looked at everything. The interior is nice, the windows are big and look out on the ocean. The chairs are gold chivari - at no extra cost which is a HUGE bonus. The rest of the decor is neutral enough to fit any decor. I had my wedding on the lawn in front of the building. The only con was that there was a road between the ceremony and the ocean, but it wasn't an issue for me. Traffic is surprisingly not very heavy.

My coordinator was Stacey. She was great. She was willing to be flexible and help me with everything. She let me store decorations in her office the day before, she let me borrow an easel to put my espresso menu on, she acts as a DOC which is included in the rental cost, she will help with the ceremony setup by placing tablecloths and flowers.

This place is great, just make sure to book as early as...

This is place to get married! Not only for the value but for the view, the people and the choices of caterers that you have!! I starting my planning process feb 2011 and first spoke and met with Kelly, who was great but by the end of 2011 Stacey was the new coordinator at the ELks, she was fantastic! She made me feel comfortable and was easy to work with. The Elks has new beautiful chivari chairs as well as a wonderfully large dancefloor! I couldnt have been happier on my wedding day! Everything was perfect, and I have the weather, the caterer and Stacey all to thank for that!! So thank you, thank, thank you!! You want to get married at a place that makes you feel comfortable, at ease and just have a lax wonderful wedding this is the place for you!!! VERY affordable too!!

When the mother-of-the-groom suggested that we get married at "The Elks" we immediately pictured a crusty old lodge behind a town hall with cramped parking, a dingy little room with animal hides on the wall.

We couldn't have been further from reality. The Elks at Bass Rocks is painting-above-the-fireplace picturesque, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Gloucester. Any season, event or time of day, it provides the absolute greatest value.

1. It's truly breathtaking -- you cannot find a better backdrop for your reception. And you can host your ceremony on the front lawn just steps from the ocean.

2. Stacey Dexter is a wedding planner/coordinator/director nonpareil. Her experience, skills and personality allow your rehearsal and wedding day to run smoothly.

3. The liquor/bar costs are less than any other location. Consider that an open bar for 150 people for 4.5 hours came in around $2500.

Overall, the value of The Elks at Bass Rocks simply cannot be beat. A breathtaking location, an inexpensive bar and an included wedding coordinator ... your wedding will be unforgettable, and you'll have so much money left over you can take an extra week on your honeymoon!

Our wedding was truly all that we had hoped for, and in large part due to The Elks at Bass Rocks and...

The Elks is such an amazing place to have a wedding. You cant beat the view! Inside is so elegant with a nice big dance floor :) Stacey is beyond excellent. She helped me feel calm even during the big day. There wasnt a single question i didnt feel comfortable asking her. i am so thankful i found out about the Elks. All of my guests had a blast and found it to be absolutely perfect!
Thanks again Stacey! I will never forget you and all the special time we had together
Love
~Crystal

My husband said it all above, but I just wanted to reiterate, this was amazing. Thank you so much Stacey!

We were married at The Elks at Bass Rocks this past June and couldn't be happier with our choice. The venue fit 120 guests perfectly. The large wrap-around windows provide guests with a gorgeous ocean view and really opens up the room. The venue was very clean, freshly painted with recently renovated bathrooms. The event director was extremely helpful and attentive to our needs. She had our tables set up with our decorations beautifully and really helped the day to move along smoothly. I didn't feel that I had to stress about anything on my wedding day. I wouldn't have changed a thing!

The Elks was a perfect place to get married. I had my ceremony and wedding photos overlooking the ocean and they came out beautifully. Stacy is amazing. She took care of everything and made sure I had a great time and that everything turned out perfect.

The Elks at Bass Rocks new Event Manager is Stacey. She is a blessing to work with. She doesn't let you lift a finger the day of and is very organized which helps to make everything run smoothly.
I even had a problem with the band getting stuck and traffic and not have arrived before some guests started to arrive but not one guest mentioned that they noticed that.
She is very responsive the whole way through the planning and day of.

The Elks itself is a wonderful venue. They are very experienced in having weddings. There is just enough space to play around with your layout. They have many trusted vendors who really enjoy working at the Elks (so they have said).
The location is gorgeous. It overlooks the ocean and has these big rocks that make for an excellent photography location.

It's a little bit out of the way but well worth it. The towns nearby are also cute and will give your guests a nice little vacay if they wanted.

The Elks is a key location for wedding reception. I chose not to have my ceremony here because I wasn't keen on the thought of cars (and possibly loud motorcycles) driving by during my ceremony (which someone I knew told me this had happened to their nephew with the motorcycles during his ceremony). I actually worked with 2 coordinators there as they were in the process of switching from Kelly to a new coordinator. In the interim they had Samantha and the new permanent coordinator is Stacey, so I got to have both of those ladies working with me on my wedding day. Aside from a couple of miscommunication issues in the midst of the switch, everything was amazing. Stacey and Sam were right by my side at every moment they needed to be, to let me know of what needed to happen next. The hall is beautiful and they had recently had the ladies room redone, which it desperately needed! I had been to a wedding there a few years before. The location cannot be beat. Staring at the ocean all night was exactly what I wanted to do and there is no missing that at the Elks! The only thing that I will be really bummed about forever is that someone stole part of my cake topper. It was 2 adirondack chairs and someone took one. I have no idea if it was a staff member or a guest, but it was a low blow, and I'll always be saddened by that. The staff working the venue were all employees of the caterer aside from the bartender, I think, so unless it was Stacey herself (which I absolutely know it wasn't!) then the Elks is not responsible for that.
Every day I wish I could have my wedding over and over, it was just so fun and beautiful, and I would always choose the Elks as my venue!

Amazing, amazing! Kelly was absolutely fabulous..was always there, to answer any questions..we went a million times to look at the hall..It was the best day of our lives hands down..everyone who attended our wedding was stunned by the Elks..how beautiful it was.how warm the room was, the view...I could go on forever...I would suggest this venue to ANYONE looking for a gorgeous location, on the water, with an amazing coordinator in Kelly!

AMAZING, GORGEOUS, PERFECT location for our wedding ceremony and reception. Kelly is absolutely fantastic, and willing to accomodate any and all requests. We had our chuppah and ketubah ceremony at Elks, as well as the reception. Our friends and family are raving about this place...we had the most perfect wedding here!!

Great Location. Right on the water and the wedding coordinator Kelly is phenomenal. She helped us with so many aspects to help us create a perfect day.

Kelly Barusso (event coordinator) is an absolute gem. From the moment she toured us around the property, shared our catering options (there are several companies to choose from), and helped us envision different creative options...I was in love every step of the way.
The value you receive is unique for the location. The property is located on Bass Rocks, which is also known as the "Back Shore." The Atlantic sprawls across a panorama of windows. For anywhere on Cape Ann, particularly Gloucester, there is no where you will get more for your money.

We had our wedding on August 7th at the Elks. It was an absolutely perfect day and the most perfect venue. The Elks has windows on three sides of the ballroom so you get a constant view of the Atlantic. The wedding/event coordinator Kelly was the most helpful person ever. She coordinated everything with all my outside vendors so everything flowed smoothly. All my guests had a wonderful time and told me it was by far in the top 3 weddings they have been to.

The Elks is a beautiful venue! Especially with all the refurbishing that was just done. And really you cant beat the view! Kelly is fantastic to work with and helped keep me on track - she's and excellent DOC!

The Elks is beautiful. You and everyone else will get over that it's an "Elks" once you see the view. The cost is next to nothing and it's NON SMOKING!!! Sharine was also very helpful and very "on the ball" the day of the wedding.

The day of the wedding was amazing but leading up to the weekend, it was very hard to get in contact with the coordinator, causing me to hire someone else to do day of coordination.

There are many private event venues in Gloucester but none boast a better location than The Elks at Bass Rocks. The ocean view is breathtaking and the staff, who seems to have remained in tact forever, makes every event exceedingly pleasant. We've never worked with such a personable onsite staff and their space, which has undergone recent renovations, is beautiful. If you want an event on the ocean of the North Shore, there's no better choice!