Truffles At The Belvedere

My sister had her wedding here spring of 2011 and it was absolutely beautiful. As a bridesmaid and someone who helped my sister out in the planning I can say first hand that the service, food, and ballrooms were impecable. My sister was really able to relax and enjoy her reception while Truffles took care of all her odds and ends. We even had a private little parlor we could escape to for touching up makeup, stowing purses, and getting ready. The Grand Ballroom looked stunning and all of the guests were amazed at how the staff took care of all their requests. The food was delicious. It looked like food from a fine dining restaurant and was even adorned with edible flowers. Not the typical catered slop. The entire Truffles sales staff was delightful as well. They really made my sister and her fiance feel like they were their #1 priority. I know I can speak for the happily married bride and groom and for my family when I say Truffles was a pleasure to work with and I would highly recommend them to other engaged couples. more

I had an experience with The Belvedere/Truffles that makes me question whether: (a) they negotiate in good faith, and; (b) they conduct their business in a discriminatory manner\r \r I was in contact with Lesley Comfort regarding my August 2010 wedding. Since they don’t have a kosher caterer they would outsource Weiss Catering and we would pay The Belvedere for the food. Since I know Weiss Catering and what their menu cost, The Belvedere was charging $90 for a $60 menu. We approached them with the question of adding additional food without charge and they wouldn’t. So The Belvedere bowed out of the catering and we would work directly with whichever caterer we wanted. That was very nice of them and I was totally happy to deal with the caterer myself. At least I would be getting what I paid for. Of course they increase their facility fee by $2000. This was understandable and I was happy to pay this. \r \r A contract was given to us yet we had one additional issue. This came in was when they wanted one full hour to turn over the room which meant a shorter reception time. I didn’t understand why it would take an hour since the tables were going to be pre-set and stored behind a screen. I have been to many weddings that do not take that long to turn over a room from the ceremony to reception, especially when tables were pre-set, like theirs would be. When we approached them with making this time up by adding it to the reception instead of giving us a “no” they completely pulled their offer. They stated they had to “worry about their reputation.” This comment was stated MANY times by Lesley. What does that mean? Since it was going to be a Jewish orthodox wedding I can only take it as they didn’t want to deal with us. We were at the end of negotiations and instead of saying “no” they pulled the ability of us to rent from them. So be warned that when you think you are on good terms with them and are at the end of negotiations they could and would pull completely out without warning. I spent four weeks dealing with them (out of a four month engagement) and can only say I find the numerous comments Lesley made during our last conversation “we have to worry about our reputation” VERY disturbing. \r more

If you've never been to the historic Belvedere Hotel building in Baltimore nor seen Trufflle's 5 ballrooms there, you've got to check out their website--or better yet, go see them in person. The spaces are utterly magnificent, and some are downright palatial! Built in an era of artisanship rarely replicated today, Truffles at the Belvedere is THE venue for your wedding, mitzvah, or special event. And Truffles' food is excellent; I've never been disappointed. Pros: You will not find a more upscale venue for your event more