The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
‘Back to some sort of normalcy’
St. Clements Castle eager to host weddings, other events postponed by pandemic
PORTLAND — Get ready to party.
If all goes well, in two weeks, the 90-acre wedding/banquet facility and grounds that straddle East Hampton and Portland will be permitted to hold large indoor and outdoor gatherings under the governor’s new pandemic capacity plan laid out Thursday.
Beginning March 19, if the number of COVID-19 cases statewide remain stable, Gov. Ned Lamont will allow indoor venues to host a maximum of 100 individuals; 200 for those taking place outdoors. Thursday’s COVID positivity rate was just 1.86 percent, he said during a 4
p.m. press conference.
“We’ve been waiting for this day to come,” Saint Clements Castle Director of Sales Pam Marshall said.
“We’re more than excited. We’re ready to see people face to face,” said Amanda Delzio, vice president of marketing and communications.
The 1931 Portland-Cobalt Road business, located on Route 66, has been unable to host nuptials and other activities during the coronavirus pandemic due to state regulations. “We’re very excited to open our doors to smiling faces and do what we do best. We’ve been doing it for well over 25 years. We’re excited to get back to some sort of normalcy,” Delzio said.
Safety guidelines, including face masks, social distancing and an 11 p.m. curfew, still will be required under the governor’s plan.
The first thing Saint Clements administrators plan is to rehire seasonal, part-time “core” crew members who were laid off at the beginning of the pandemic — such as waitstaff, bussers, bartenders, hosts and others, Delzio said. “That’s going to be a major priority.”
Staff have been in continuous contact with brides/ grooms and others planning large events at the facility over the past year, Delzio said. The majority of weddings planned for 2020 were postponed due to the pandemic.
“We’ve have very few cancellations,” she said. In fact, Saint Clements has bookings well into 2023.
“Our main focus will be [helping] our couples who have waited so long for this day,” some of whom have had to postpone multiple times due to the governor’s orders, “and being able to run [weddings] as safely as possible,” Delzio said.
Those who hoped for a large number of invitees still may have to whittle down their guests lists. “The majority of our couples have been great,” Delzio said. “There have been so many unknowns, so, to come to a place when we have some answers, finally, I think they’re going to be ecstatic. They’ve been troopers throughout the entire process.”
For information, visit saintclementscastle.com.