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What Makes French’s Point Unique: Part III: It’s a Family Affair
Published January 3rd, 2013
What Makes French’s Point: Part III: It’s a Family Affair
The distinction makes all the difference when it comes to picking a wedding venue. We at French’s Point think our spot is as unique as they come, and in this series, we’ll briefly touch on a few of our favorite, special attributes. Last time, we looked at how being open year-round gives our couples creative and affordable opportunities. Today, our family’s long-time devotion to the property.
My parents and I own the French’s Point properties, and we have been a part of this little coastal community for 4 generations.
My family has owned a cottage down the road on Hersey Point for 90 years. My cousins and older sister went to summer camp at French’s Point(then known as The Hersey Retreat), back when it was a church-owned retreat. When I was a young woman I worked with caterers at weddings and other events here from time to time. In fact, what sparked my interest in event planning as a career was all of the weddings I saw here at French’s Point. As a matter of course and with all the time I spent in my formative years here with my family, I fell in love with the property. So when the property went up for sale a few years ago, my family and I knew we had to do all we could to buy it and preserve it as a historic event site.
Since buying French’s Point, my family and I have done a lot of hands-on work on the property that makes it feel even more like home. We have built over time what my father refers to with a grin as “Sweat-Equity”. My mother Bonnie is the director of landscaping and design, a lot of which she does herself. Even in late into this fall, mom was out trimming the roses. She was out there today in 30-degree temperature trimming our beautiful, but VERY thorny Rugosa roses. She’s the heart and soul behind the manicured grounds and the Beach Rose Farm Historical Garden.
My dad, Bob, is my business partner. Dad has specialized in repairing broken companies for many years and he was really passionate about saving this property when it went up for sale. It meant so much to my sister and I as children. He didn’t want to see it taken apart or gated off as private property. Dad’s experience as a business consultant has really helped me make my dream a reality.
And other family pitch in, too. My husband, Fred, is an accountant, so he has helped with financials, and he’s done a lot of the manual labor right alongside me. In the early weeks of owning the property, Fred and I raked all the earth of the newly laid grounds and put stones around the flowerbeds. Every spring, he is here for weekends after tax season ends helping with the miles of edging and wheeler trucks of mulch we spread. Any grounds-work that we could do ourselves, we do. When I was pregnant with our first child, he painted ceilings (and we have lots of them)! And my younger brother, Rob spent months here with us after college just before we opened French’s Point Estate when he helped weld all the handrails on the property and tied all the rope rails (a sailor and engineer by trade, his skills have come in handy).
My family’s investment in French’s Point really makes it a special place for me, and guests often say that our affection for the property really shows through in their experience. That’s great news for us, because we consider the familial atmosphere at French’s Point our calling card.