Kimpton Marlowe

26 GWM / Winter 2018 Photo by John LaConte of 617 Weddings

Kimpton Marlowe

Every couple knows that a spectacular wedding venue and excellent service are must-haves for a successful event. Kimpton Marlowe hotel overlooking Boston raises both of these characteristics to a higher level. Our experience at the Marlowe was so unique that we insisted on sharing all it has to offer with our readers.

Location: If you are at the beginning of your wedding plans, then location is a crucial first step to consider. We’ve attended hundreds of weddings, and we all agree hands-down that this hotel is perfectly situated for any wedding or event. It is a short walk to historic Boston, so your guests will have plenty to do during their stay. However, the venue is positioned just outside of the busiest areas. Guests will not have to fight tourists and traffic to arrive at your wedding. Kimpton Marlowe is placed between the Charles River and historic Boston; perfect for a variety of wedding photos you’ll want to capture.

Service: Before we arrived, we knew it would be a vacation to remember. The hotel staff reached out to us to inquire about our food preferences, favorite drinks, and travel plans. They anticipated our arrival, had sweets and treats waiting for us in our room, and staff members greeted us by name. We couldn’t help but think that if this was the level of service offered for a regular guest stay, then how much better would the experience be on a couple’s wedding day?

Charm: Décor and style are at the top of every couple’s list when planning the big day. Kimpton Marlowe’s engaging and intuitive beauty sets the scene for a decadent event. Very little décor needs to be added to this already luxurious location.

I sat down with Nicola Dresser; the Area Director of Catering for Kimpton Hotels in Boston to talk about what the Kimpton Marlowe has to offer to our couples planning a wedding.

Nicola: For us it’s about flexibility. The flexibility of our space, our service, our packages, menu offerings and really the customization of a couple’s wedding to their specific needs is a priority. Our outdoor space, which other hotels do not offer, includes a beautiful park for ceremonies that has a view of the Charles river canal, weeping willows, and a beautiful grassy area. Then right within the walls of the hotel we have an outdoor courtyard space that’s fun. We can do ceremonies, cocktail receptions, and seated dinners here in the courtyard. Everything is completely customizable. We have options with our Pick Your Perks wedding packages, which based on your food and beverage minimum, you can select different perks or rewards. You can opt for two nights

GWM: What’s the Kimpton bed and linen perk?

Nicola: It’s a new Kimpton mattress complete with luxurious Frette linens. The same bed that our guests love to sleep on, we’re offering as a perk for couples that get married with us.

GWM: Do they take them home?

Nicola: We ship them a new set of everything.

GWM: You do? That’s amazing!

Nicola: We have a couple that’s taking advantage of it right now. They are moving to the west coast and instead of shipping their mattress and all their bedding there, they’re taking advantage of the Kimpton mattress. We’ll ship them the new mattress, the Frette linens, down comforter, pillows, and sheet sets in three different colors. You can only imagine how happy this couple is. One less thing for them to worry about as they start their newlywed life together.

GWM: I slept fabulously last night by the way! The beds really are a dream.

Nicola: Thanks! Our guests love the bed, and this is a fun way for guest to feel like they are taking a piece of Kimpton home with them, after they have had a wonderful wedding with us.

GWM: I have never heard of that before!

Nicola: We like to have fun! We like to think outside the box! For us, we want to be creative when it comes to hosting weddings. We love bringing couples that are madly in love and their friends and family together. In a relaxed and welcoming setting that they will remember for the rest of their lives.

GWM: I walked the canal park next door where ceremonies can be held. I love the variety that Kimpton Marlowe offers of being able to have the outdoor and indoor space. Everything is right here.

dinners here in our restaurant, Bambara Kitchen & Bar. We can do bachelor parties in our Lobby Bar which features more than 100 types of brandies. We’ll do a post wedding brunch if you want. We can set up room block rates for couples to have their family call or book online. Guests can move from the beautiful grassy area outdoors to the courtyard for cocktails then come inside for dinner and dancing. You’re moving your guests through different spaces and experiences, and they tend to love that.

GWM: Which keeps the evening interesting and fun.

Nicola: Correct. You have to keep people engaged and entertained. It’s been a long day for everybody. You really want to keep guests excited, create great memories, and then, of course, guarantee that they will have amazing photos afterwards with all these unique spaces.

GWM: When a couple is planning their wedding where would you suggest they start?

Nicola: I suggest they start with the venue, like us. I think it’s important for couples to have a good understanding of their budget as they start to look at venue options. We work with a lot of couples who are on a budget. And we want them to be comfortable talking about what their needs and wishes are, because again, going back to our flexibility, we can tweak and tailor things based on what a couple is comfortable spending. The first step is to build a relationship with your wedding planner, and we love priding ourselves on doing that.

Nicola: It is. We try to make it something where our couples are comfortable, and if you really want to get married here, we’ll do everything we can to make it happen. Communication is key from the beginning. Especially here at Kimpton Marlowe, where we work with you from start to finish. We don’t pass you off to a day-of planner and we’ll be fully staffed with seasoned professionals to ensure your wedding is flawless. Our main job, once the planning process is done, is to ensure that our couples have a fun time at their wedding, and creating positive memories that will last a lifetime.

GWM: There’s no need to hire a separate day of coordinator?

Nicola: Usually my suggestion with day of coordinators is to hire them if you have a large list of vendors. If you need someone to help pull together your guest list, or if your ceremony is off

site, and you need someone to assist you at the venue for your ceremony, then bring on a planner. We’ll help you as much as we can. We have all that knowledge and insight as well. We just can’t go to your offsite ceremony venue, if it’s not happening here at the Marlowe. But we’re always happy to work with a wedding planner.

GWM: If a couple isn’t sure about their style or decor preferences. How do you help them design a theme?

Nicola: We have couples walk into our ballroom and our function space and say “This is exactly our theme.” Or they’re going to say “I saw this awesome wedding that I’d like to recreate.” I’ve done a goth wedding, a Downton Abbey meets retro picnic themed wedding. A lot of our couples are here because they went to college nearby so maybe one’s going for a doctorate or law degree, and they like to tie those themes and ideas into their wedding. I’ve put together

Pinterest boards for couples, or I’ve said “You have to call this planner, because she’s got the best ideas ever and can help you with this theme and decor.” Linens and chairs are included in our packages, so we’ll bring all those in and walk you through what those look like and set them up in the space so you can see your vision coming to life.

GWM: What about couples planning destination weddings? Do you help them plan the entire weekend and the events surrounding it?

Nicola: We love to do that! I think one of the great things about the Marlowe is we have a lot of extracurricular activities that surprise and delight our guests such as bikes, kayaks, paddle boards, and jogging maps. We also have two other Kimpton Hotels in the greater Boston area so if guests wanted to do a rehearsal dinner at any of our other properties we can work with our colleagues to arrange

for that. We can provide guest room blocks for people to call in or book online. Our concierge is great at referring restaurants for large parties. We’re also located next to a mall so if a guest forgot something they can head next door and easily find it. We love the way our city location and connection to other Kimpton properties can easily translate into a destination wedding.

GWM: I haven’t been to a wedding yet where someone didn’t forget something.

Nicola: Exactly! There’s something for everyone. Whatever you might need can be found in the mall next door, and you don’t even have to go outside to shop. We’re connected to the shopping center.

GWM: There’s even a customizing specialty wedding shop next door.

Nicola: Absolutely. Our packages do include a wedding cake. We work with two vendors, so couples can pick which one they want, and our vendors are super flexible. If they wanted to add in things to make it super special, they can work directly with our vendors on that opportunity. Our sales and catering managers are focused on the food and beverage component. They’re big foodies and can do customized menus. It’s also fine if couples have specific dietary restriction or allergies or are committed to a certain diet. We can accommodate any F&B request.

GWM: Is there any other advice you’d give to a couple when planning their wedding in general?

Nicola: Which we’ve used! Kimpton has a great program called ‘Forgot it? We got it’. We really have all of the necessities for our guests; toothbrushes, razors, flat irons, curling irons, anything you can think of that you potentially forgot we have here.

GWM: Do you have a preferred vendor list? Are couples allowed to hire outside vendors?

Nicola: We welcome everybody and we love working with new partners in the wedding industry. We like to start with recommendations based on people that we’ve worked with in the past. We have a lot of great relationships with photographers, deejays, wedding planners, florists, and rental companies. We can also make recommendations based on the couple’s personalities, budget and preferences.

Nicola: Yes. Take a deep breath, and gather some good resources early on. There’s a lot online. Talk to your friends or relatives who recently wed. Communicate what you want. Think of those weddings that you’ve really loved, or even weddings that you did not enjoy for one reason or another. Take notes. Pinterest is also a great resource. And when it comes time to meet you wedding partners, do not be afraid to ask any and all questions. Questions are key to our mutual success.

GWM: I think couples are too worried about having the perfect day, but it’s really about having the perfect day for them.

Nicola: Yes. Things always happen. Whether it’s vendors showing up late because they got lost, or having a hard time with the last few touches or even forgetting the

rings! There’s going to be a solution for everything, and if anything, you’ll have a good laugh about it afterwards. I think you’re right, there’s so much pressure on the wedding having to be perfect. But really what is perfect?. As long as it’s perfect for you, that’s what matters most. Whatever happens during the day will happen. Just remember to relax, laugh and enjoy. Spend time with people who have traveled a long way to be with you. You can’t do that if you’re stressed out about the champagne toast or making sure you don’t run 20 minutes behind schedule. It’s all going to come together. We promise you! It’s about having a good time and celebrating with those you love.

Find out more about all that Kimpton Marlowe can offer you on their site www.hotelmarlowe.com.

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Locals and guests relish the flavors of the lively American restaurant that sits along the Cambridge riverfront in greater Boston. Bambara Kitchen & Bar can accommodate parties of all sizes— whether it’s a birthday party for 10 or a business dinner for 100, they have the perfect dining spaces for your next event. The restaurant invites diners into cozy booths, a chic cocktail lounge and onto their outdoor dining spaces; inside, enjoy the venue’s very cool open kitchen and a palette of cool blues and rich jewel tones. The result? A smart, urbane atmosphere, where local flavors shine and menus rotate according to the season.

Chef David Bazirgan from Bambara (he also oversees the hotel kitchens) took some time to chat with us and give our readers advice about how

GWM: What advice would you give couples when planning their wedding menu?

Chef: Take your time. Get aligned before you move forward with the tasting. It’s important that the couple is on the same page before they even start the process.

GWM: What are the benefits of a plated dinner compared to a buffet?

Chef: Presentation, temperature, quality. You’re getting something plated and personalized compared to something that’s been sitting in a chaffing dish. Not that a buffet can’t be fresh, but when a meal hits the plate within minutes of being served the freshness and quality increase. It’s truly like dining at your favorite restaurant.

GWM: I feel like a plated dinner elevates the quality and overall ambiance of an event.

Chef: I couldn’t agree more. Again, it’s taking that restaurant experience that we all love - the cuisine, service and personal touches that make a restaurant standout - and applying it to one of the biggest days of your life.

GWM: What’s your favorite meal to cook for a wedding?

Chef: I definitely like to cook pasta. Any nice proteins with seasonal produce is always a nice touch, and most guests love pasta with local influences.

GWM: Many couples are choosing a dessert buffet compared to a wedding cake. Which do you prefer?

Chef: I like both. I like the elaborate presentation of a traditional wedding cake, but I also like the variety you can get from doing a mixed platter and presentation of sweets.

GWM: Okay, so you’re at home. You’re alone. No one’s around. What do you cook for yourself?

Chef: For myself?

marinated beefsteak potatoes, some herbs from the garden. Something easy and simple but delicious.

Check out www.hotelmarlowe. com or www.bambara-cambridge. com to find out more of what Chef Bazirgan has planned for Bambara and weddings overall.

Photo credit this page: Top (Squash & Ricotta Pansoti.)/ Morgan Ione Yeager Bottom/Kristin Teig