Vivian C.
Yelp
It was my first wedding at the Boston Harbor Hotel, and I was in it. We met up in a suite upstairs, and the bellhop accompanying me in the elevator had to tap his card. Yes, security.
The suite was roomy enough for three ladies to be worked on at a time in the living room while another lady was found doing her nails at the couch. The bedroom wasn't the most spacious, with the flat screen television set right at the foot of the bed.
We were provided with a room to gather, just a few steps up from the lobby floor, and below the stairs which led up to the Atlantic Room, where the ceremony would take place. It was spacious, with a nice window where the photographer took the opportunity to take some picturesque shots of the bride and then the bride and her father. It turned out a bit far though for our poor wedding coordinator friend who came down to bring us up for our entrance (as none of us were able to carry a cellphone for her to call between our bouquets and our gowns).
The Atlantic Room was L shaped with a stage raised up at the base, by the window. Turns out the sun light outside made it hard for the guests seated facing the stage from further along the long part of the L shape to see what was actually going on. There was also a breeze which caused one of the two lit candles to melt down really fast at an angle. Additional seats set along the shorter end of the L was great for sneaking in late comers through the side door.
Scheduling a rehearsal in the ceremony space was tough. We ended up having it a month prior to the event, and were allotted only an hour. So basically we only had the chance to do one run through, and immediately forgot what we were supposed to do. Fortunately our presiding pastor said not to worry, he'd help the bride and groom.
The cocktail hour and reception were held across the way at The Wharf Room. Fortunately we were blessed with fine weather - no rain and just slightly cool - so we had no trouble making our way over.
The private space allotted to the bride was actually a walk through coat room that they had emptied out. We had to ask for them to assign someone to keep guests and staff out so she could leave things stashed in there whenever she wasn't actively changing outfits.
The cocktail space was irregularly shaped and set with two bar stations. The staff did their best to make their way through the space with their platters. I managed to get myself a few bites. The lamb chop was great, as were their mini crab cakes.
The banquet space was separated by several double doors. Dance floor in the middle between the square columns, with a table for two set before the stage where the band was playing.
The room was lit with colored lights, and beautifully decorated with flowers. Given where I was seated at my table, however, I couldn't see much due to the column that stood squarely between me and the stage.
Half of my table had responsibilities during the meal, so unfortunately our dinner grew cold as we awaited our cue outside the banquet hall. But when our duties were completed and we turned our attention to the filet mignon and the sea bass awaiting us, it was quite good! The meat was tender, the fish perfectly cooked, and I particularly enjoyed the corn flan and crispy potato cake. Unfortunately, during our short turn in having our table photo taken with the bride and groom (just to the side of our table), we returned to our seats only to find our plates in the midst of being prematurely cleared. I tried to get the older gentleman to stop, but he just said a quiet apology and kept going. A sore disappointment since my plate was still a third full.
(In following with my belief that it isn't fair to just take your complaints online without having given the business a chance to handle the issue in real time, I did let the well dressed gentleman whom I perceived to be in charge know what happened. And when the bride later asked her bridal party to spill the beans on what might have happened at her party that she had missed, we told her as well, and she said that she would bring it to his attention as well.)
Fortunately, after my slice of cake, made in house, I was contentedly full. It was lemon poppyseed with a raspberry filling, and satisfied the tame sweet tooth of the older generation at the reception.
Parking at the hotel is normally $60 valet/$49 self-parking (according to their website), but on evenings and weekends, the price tops out at $18 at 30 Rowes Wharf by the entrance to the Residences at Rowes Wharf (https://en.parkopedia.com/parking/underground/rowes_wharf_garage/02110/boston/?arriving=201910082130&leaving=201910082330). The space down there is a bit cramped, I was told. I, however, had managed to find a metered parking spot on a Sunday, though I did have to drive around a bit first.