LaKota Oaks, formerly Dolce, was exactly what we could have hoped for and I say this with complete earnestness. Where do we begin?! My husband and I started our venue search over a year and a half ago, beginning with LaKota Oaks. We got an energetic venue tour with the catering sales manager Hazel Scudder. Her true title should be “Catering Sales, Wedding Planning, and Organizing on Your Big Day Manager.” We looked at a few venues, but nothing measured up to LaKota Oaks. First of all, Hazel is in charge of making sure you know what you’re doing from the first tour until the reception happens. She was readily available through email and phone. Second, the venue includes so much: all of the food and drinks for both cocktail hour and reception, a hotel space, outdoor ceremony space, a custom cake from DiMare’s in Stamford, table linens and tea lights, a beautiful ballroom, and a full-service gym for guests at the hotel. Oh, and a room for the couple the night of the wedding. The day of went so smoothly because all of the pieces were accounted for. One of my favorite parts was getting to have our cocktail hour hors d’oeuvres alone with my husband right after our ceremony - where Hazel bustled my dress. The food is absolutely delicious, all of the servers are attentive and friendly. The only vendors you really need to find are DJ/band, clothing, flowers, and officiant. I loved my wedding prep and wedding day because of this gorgeous venue.

In writing this review, we cannot think of a single negative thing to say about LaKota Oaks. We fell in love with Lakota Oaks (then Dolce) the moment we walked in and met with Hazel. The venue is beautiful both inside and out. The grounds were perfect for taking gorgeous Fall wedding pictures. The food was outstanding for both cocktail hour and dinner, and the portions were generous. The wait staff was attentive and friendly. Hazel made us feel comfortable from day one, and was always on top of next steps. Many of our guests spent the entire weekend at the venue and enjoyed all the amenities. We received nothing but great feedback from our guests as well. LaKota Oaks was a huge part of us having a perfect day.

LaKota Oaks was the perfect venue for our September wedding of 90 guests. Right from our first meeting with on-site coordinator Hazel, I immediately understood why she was mentioned by name in most of the reviews we had read. Ours is no different! Hazel left no question unanswered and no detail neglected. She patiently and thoroughly addressed all of my concerns, and even anticipated some before I did. The rest of the staff at Lakota is also wonderful – my guests said the service they received was phenomenal and the Fillet Mignon was the best meal they have ever had at a wedding, each steak was cooked to perfection. Having everything on site makes it such a pleasant experience for the guests and really felt like a getaway for everyone. The reception and ceremony were set up exactly as I requested with every detail placed just as I had planned. I would highly recommend this venue for anyone planning a smaller event like ours in the Norwalk room, as well as for bigger weddings in the Ballroom. We cannot thank Hazel and the Lakota Oaks team enough for making our dream wedding a reality!

My husband and I had our wedding reception at LaKota Oaks in May. Walking the grounds of LaKota Oaks, we fell in love with the space and its glamorous and rustic ambience. It was a huge plus for us that LaKota Oaks has on-site accommodations and the rooms are reasonably priced and very nice. Once we met the Director of Catering, the amazing Hazel Scudder, we absolutely knew LaKota Oaks was the place for us. From beginning to end, Hazel was an extraordinary help and advocate throughout the (often stressful) wedding process. Her organizational skills are bar none and she helped us create our wedding schedule, provided local vendor recommendations, kept us & our wedding vendors informed, bustled my wedding dress the day of (!!) all the while bringing a smile to our faces and keeping the mood up-beat. Hazel goes above and beyond and clearly loves what she does. I can’t stress enough how working with Hazel is a huge benefit and one you may not consider when looking at wedding venues. Thank you so much for making our wedding reception so perfect! We’re looking forward to persuading our friends to get married at LaKota Oaks so we can come back as an alumni couple! 😊