Tidewater Inn

The Tidewater Inn was the perfect venue for our small (35), intimate wedding. We were able to schedule our night before meet and greet buffet, ceremony, reception, and dinner in different rooms, providing a special space for each event. Melanie Bennett understood our "vision" from the beginning, and worked with us to deliver exactly what we wanted. Service, food and accommodations were excellent. We received glowing feedback from all of our guests.

My husband and I were married at the Tidewater Inn on Saturday, October 8, 2011. We could not be happier with our choice in a wedding ceremony and reception venue! The Inn is gorgeous and offers many options for a ceremony and reception. Our ceremony was held in the beautiful courtyard and our reception in the Gold Ballroom. Our coordinator, Melanie, was fantastic!! She was so organized and flexible! We have received endless compliments on the food and everyone's overall experience. Highly Recommend!

We cannot say enough how pleased we are with how our wedding turned out at Tidewater Inn. We were so stressed that things wouldn't go as planned, especially with some ugly weather looming, but everything went off without a hitch (no pun intended)! The hotel is centrally located, within very short walking distance of the great restaurants, galleries, and shops in the cute little town of Easton. Tidewater also has its own restaurant (one of our all-time favorites) called Hunter's Tavern, which has a great space for a rehearsal dinner. We chose to have both our ceremony and reception at the Tidewater and our rehearsal dinner at a restaurant less than a block away. Our guests were also staying at the inn, so it made the whole weekend very convenient for us and our guests. Due to the less than ideal weather, we had to make a split decision to move the ceremony indoors. Melanie and Lauren (our wonderfully helpful coordinators) made the decision easy and stress free for us. They decided to move the ceremony to the back part of the Crystal Room, which was were we had our reception. It turned out beautifully! They even put our aisle flowers on glass pedestals which made them look even more lovely. I didn't get a chance to see the space before the ceremony, so I saw it for the first time as I was walking down the aisle with my dad. It was so beautiful and intimate that I almost got choked up. Over all, our guests were happy they didn't have to endure the cold and rain, and we received so many compliments about the ceremony. Some even said it was the most beautiful and intimate they had seen. We agree, but we may be biased :) A free honeymoon suite was included as a part of the package, but Melanie was nice enough to upgrade us to a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom suite (also free) because we were having our hair and makeup done at the hotel. The extra space was a godsend! We had plenty of room to get ready and the room was great for pictures as well. They also ensured that the room was refreshed while we were busy dining and dancing, so that it was perfect when we returned. I have to dedicate a paragraph to the food alone because they really go above and beyond at Tidewater. Everything was incredible! Our guests were raving about the brie in phyllo, ahi tuna crisps, lamb lollypops, crabcakes, and of course the main courses, lemon chive chicken and filet with gorgonzola. The food at Tidewater can only be called gourmet. SOOOO delicious! We were able to have a private tasting which was wonderful and allowed us to really get a taste for what we wanted. We also attended a group tasting which was a nice way to get a sampling of lots of different appetizers. Unfortunately, they no longer do the private tastings, but that is really the only thing I can recommend they change in future. In all, we received so many compliments from our guests about this venue. From the humorous bartender and helpful wait staff, to the decadent cuisine and the elegant yet quaint hotel. The Tidewater really made our wedding day perfect, and we highly recommend to anyone planning to get married on the Eastern Shore!

We had our wedding and reception at the Tidewater Inn and the one word I can use to describe it was perfect! The staff was helpful and courteous. The wedding coordinator, Lauren, was warm and supportive and I could not have pulled it off without her help. The food and service was exceptional. The hotel rooms were very nice. It is such a quaint hotel in a town with so much character and one I would highly recommend. We are extremely happy with our choice of the Tidewater Inn as the location for our wedding and reception!

I cannot come up with enough superlatives to describe our experience at the Tidewater Inn. We hosted our daughter's wedding at this venue and everything was fantastic. Alex and Melanie are the best! They were responsive and always one or two steps ahead of us. They made throwing an elegant wedding seem effortless. We received so many wonderful comments from our guests, and people are still calling us to say what a perfect weekend it was. Many said it was the best wedding they'd ever attended. The town is wonderful. They have great little places for dining, a farmers market on Saturday, great shops and St Michael's right down the road. The Tidewater is classy but not stuffy and the staff is friendly and accommodating. Honestly, everyone just loved this place. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Tidewater and staff, for making my daughter's wedding so memorable. We will never forget this day!

The Tidewater Inn exceeded our expectations in every way possible. I cannot say enough about the quality of service and wonderful experience the Tidewater provided throughout our entire wedding weekend. The town of Easton is so quaint, very walkable and offers so much for guests in both dining and entertainment. Guests shopped, golfed, fished, went biking, painted pottery, visited the Bay, and so much more, enhancing their whole experience. St. Michaels is also only a short drive away, and is LOVELY. We held our rehearsal dinner there, on the water at St. Michaels Crab and Steak House, fantastic! The Tidewater Inn is historic, beautifully decorated, intimate and warm. We planned to have our ceremony in the back courtyard, which is well landscaped with plants, flowers and a little fountain. There is also an outdoor terrace in front with a brick fire place for chilly evenings. Our cocktail hour and reception were held at the Tidewater as well, so the flow of the evening went perfectly. There is even a spiral staircase where we captured some GORGEOUS photos. Elegant but very comfortable, a great balance. Melanie was our wedding coordinator and she was SUPERB! She was extremely responsive, answered all of my questions immediately, had great ideas, and left me feeling at ease throughout the entire process. She has a very calm presence and a great smile. The night of the rehearsal felt chaotic, unloading luggage, all of our wedding stuff, greeting guests, etc. and then there was Melanie, so relaxed and confident, I immediately felt a sense of comfort and let go. Alex, Lauren, and the other staff were also so wonderful, managing the entire event so well I did not have to worry about a thing. Everything fell into place, and even if they felt the pressure and hurry of the day, I felt none of it. Isn't that what we all want out of our venue? The comfort of knowing that one of the most important days of your life is handled with competence and care is truly a gift. I was able to enjoy celebrating with my friends, family and my new husband that much more. My gratitude is infinite, thank you.

Cannot say enough nice thinigs about the Tidewater!! We had our wedding here on July 2, 2011 and everything was absolutely perfect. The staff is amazing and so easy to work with (big shout outs to Melanie and Alex) and the venue is beautiful. We have gotten countless compliments on how great the venue was as well as countless compliments on the food! We had a filet paired with crabcake and are still hearing rave revues from our guests. The hotel rooms are also great, as they are super clean and trendy. Our guests were so happy with everything. Our wedding was SO much fun and everything seemed to fall into place so easily the day of. I cannot thank Tidewater enough for giving us our dream wedding!

Everyone was so helpful from the planning up to the wedding day. I had a small wedding in a short time frame and everything was perfect. Food was excellent. Highly recommend!!

All my guests used one word to describe my wedding at the Tidewater - perfect. And it truly was just that. From the moment the bellhop unpacked our car to the moment he packed it back up for us 4 days later, the weekend was perfect. The professionlalism and responsiveness of the staff far exceeded our expectations. The decor and comfort of the inn was astounding. And the wedding planner, Ms. Lauren Finiello, was a dream come true. She even cried when I walked down the aisle. My wedding was better than I ever dreamed it would be and if i had to chose, I would do it exactly the same way, minute for minute.

My husband and I were extremely pleased by the quality of the wedding reception at the Tidewater Inn. EVERYTHING WENT SMOOTHLY! Need I say more? The staff was outstanding. Our wedding coordiator was beyond what we had expected. Our guests, many from the Easton area, have gone back for dinner after having had fabulous food at our reception. If I did not know where to go for a source, we were given the appropriate information. We were never disappointed. If I had to do my reception all over again, the Tidewater Inn is hands down the only place I would consider.

we expressed what we wanted and then listened to their suggestions....and they helped us plan an event that was everything we had hoped it to be!..we couldn't have been happier. the facility is beautiful..we used the patio for our cocktail hour and the crystal room for dinner... our event was a rehearsal dinner, but most quests were from out of town so it was for over 100 people. we wanted it elegant, but different than a wedding, so we had stations for the food and the meats were barbequed on the patio..it was unique! we were so glad we chose the tidewater inn!

The Tidewater Inn was an amazing place to get married! We loved Mel, the onsite wedding coordinator. She was always there to answer any of our questions! The majority of our guest were from out of town and they all commented how lovely the hotel was and how helpful the entire staff was! The food was amazing and the town is such a great place to have a little getaway weekend. It is truely the perfect place to get married! I wish I could do it all over again! LOVE LOVE LOVE the Tidewater Inn!

The Tidewater Staff was just amazing. Melanie Bennett went above and beyond from the very start. She really made me feel like I was the only wedding being planned. Everyone is just so nice and the venue was stunning. The Tidewater Inn will forever have a special place in my heart!! Can't wait to go back and visit!

The Tidewater is a beautiful Location and I had the best time getting married there. I would definitely recommend it to everyone. All of the staff is very nice and professional, the food was fabulous, and they were very on point with the timing. The only issue I came across was the change in price, over and over again. They had to of changed the price at least 15 times, Very annoying.

Melanie was great at combining my husband's and my ideas together to create the perfect reception. It was such a great celebration-everyone loved the venue and we've recommended it to several friends!

My wedding was close to perfect! Although some minor details didn't go according to plan, they did a wonderful job of making things conspicuous. This venue had our names all over it from the first time we visited. We fell in love with the historic atmosphere, quaint town, Crystal ballroom, and delicious food. The staff was always friendly and accommodating. We had many issues with the contract however, stuff in there that didn't pertain to our event and was difficult to understand the legal terms, and we felt we had much opposition attempting to understand what we were signing (wouldn't you? its thousands of dollars!!). We had the unfortunate experience of a change of management right during this time and we were lost to followup until I contacted them directly. I only have wonderful things to say about Melanie Bennett and Alex Zullo, who stayed by our side and were so flexible with our picky and minute details that made our day/weekend special. We also had a few front desk employees that had no idea what our contract stated regarding our room block, and after telling my guests wrong information we lost a number of family to another hotel. One big mistake that took place that I found out afterwards was that guest rooms that were supposed to be ready for check-in at 3pm (my ceremony was at 4pm) were not, and I had multiple guests leave luggage in the lobby and change/get ready in the lobby restrooms. I was disappointed that this happened and would hope that they make a better effort in the future to plan for more efficient room turnover during busy weekends. We were very impressed with the bellmen and the staff that worked our reception- Greg was the only reason I had anything to drink at my own wedding! The food was absolutely delicious and prepared perfectly, the flow of events were perfect, and all our guests enjoyed a fantastic party. They worked with every one of our vendors smoothly. We were given two HUGE suites that were more than enough room for the bridal party events. The overall cost is a bit high but I suppose this is what is competitive for a DC area wedding. Their business department could also use a little help- the bill was drastically different from our itemized google doc, but somehow came close to the actual total so we just said the heck with it. Despite a few of the aformentioned blunders, if I could do the entire weekend over again, I would...and I would definitely return to the Tidewater.

While the hotel itself is beautiful and the wait staff very responsive, I was incredibly disappointed with my experience overall. The hotel changed hands after we booked and the new management never followed up. I followed up with them, and the results were pitiful. Many of my guests had difficulty in booking rooms, either no one returned calls from the reservation number, or when they did reach a front desk person, this person was rude and not helpful. I had to call and email time and time again to ensure that my menu was set and plans were in place. Even with my constant micromanaging, things still fell through the cracks. The general manager, Thad, promised that my guests would receive continental breakfast in the lobby on Saturday and Sunday mornings because this was advertised on the hotel web site. This never happened. I paid for (which was confirmed on the banquet order) a flight of mousses for each guests for dessert, including 3 mousses and 2 chocolate dipped strawberries PER PERSON. Instead each guest received 1 small mousse and if they were lucky they got a strawberry. My vendors weren't served dessert, even though I paid for it until I asked a server to do so. Other details from the BO were neglected, such as sauces for the crab cakes. The wedding manager, Lauren, neglected many details, and I felt like I had to work at my wedding to ensure everything went according to plan. Guests had rooms that weren't heated (in January!) and they were told, oh well, it's an old hotel. Following the wedding, I contacted the management of the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club (owners of the Tidewater) directly. I was promised a follow up, but no one ever contacted me. The complete lack of follow up prior to and after the wedding is appalling. In fact, one month before the wedding I contacted another hotel to see if they could accomodate us. Although they said yes, I stayed with the Tidewater thinking they would get it together. Unfortunately, they did not. Although some of my bridal party have wanted to go back to the Tidewater for dinner, I refuse to give them any further business. I would not recommend the venue to another bride and I would tell her about all of the hassles (only a few listed here) we went through. If someone had tried to make things right, I would have understood, but my concerns were simply ignored.