A gorgeous castle surrounded by pretty gardens on a heart-shaped island in the Thousand Islands area!
Lovely, isn't it?!
It wasn't always that way. The castle was built by George C. Boldt for his wife Louise as a labor of love, but unfortunately mid-construction she passed away. Heartbroken, Boldt abandoned the project and the castle.
Years later in 1977, renovations began to take place and now a good part of the castle is back to, or greater than, its former glory and open to the public. There are still many parts of the castle left to work on, and as time passes more and more areas of the castle are completed.
Weddings here are a bit structured to say the least. You can only have the wedding outside at the gazebo, (if raining on the veranda) but since the rental fee is basically just admission fees to the castle, (and a new $150 "reservation fee" XP) all attending can view the castle if they like.
What to expect for a wedding at Boldt Castle:
First and foremost, it is on an island, so the biggest thing is getting your guests, your bridal party, your decorations, your officiant, your musicians, etc. across the water to your ceremony! Fortunately Uncle Sam Boat Tours does group sales for its shuttle, so you can decide to either pay for your guest tickets or just reserve a block of tickets for them.
You have a limit of 150 people in attendance, including the officiant, musicians, photographer, etc. and you have an hour and a half for setup, the ceremony, and cleanup of the site. Not much time to work with, but I assume you can have photos taken onsite before or after the ceremony without much fuss, since it is a public attraction after all!
They say the staircase in the castle is not available for photos, but I would definitely try to make a special request...
Every ceremony comes with a changing/waiting room for the bride and bridesmaids, all ceremony chairs, a portable address system, and a free wedding rehearsal for the wedding party.
Costs for a ceremony is $7 per adult, $4.50 per young child for all attending, (again, officiant, musicians, photographer, etc. included), and a $150 reservation fee.
You cannot have a reception on the island, unfortunately, but if you're really set on having your reception at a castle, Singer Castle might be more up your alley!
I will probably do a review for Singer Castle sometime, but personally I like the grounds of Boldt Castle more. However if it can hold a decent number of people for a seated dinner then I may consider it Thousand Island reception option #5! XD
So yes, while the castle is pretty, it's no bargain in my opinion. If I have 100 guests, that's $850 just for the ceremony site... XP At least viewing the rest of the castle will give my guests something to do before the reception??? *shrugs*
But it is a castle...such a pretty, pretty castle XD
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