For couples seeking an intimate and memorable wedding, a boutique venue with private dining rooms offers the perfect setting. At Saltwater Grille in South Portland, our two private event spaces, the Spinnaker Room and Seawatch Room, offer a celebration where your guests stay close, connected, and part of every moment. With stunning waterfront views and a focus on personalized service, your wedding will feel like a truly unique gathering, not just another event.

Couples choose boutique wedding venues with private dining rooms because they offer privacy, a smaller guest experience, and a more personal atmosphere. These venues keep all parts of the wedding in one space, reduce distractions, and allow guests to stay connected, making the celebration feel intentional, relaxed, and easy to manage.

Why Choose a Boutique Wedding Venue

A boutique venue means you’re not sharing your day with three other weddings down the hall. At Saltwater Grille, our Spinnaker Room and Seawatch Room are private spaces where your ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception take place without competing with restaurant diners or overlapping with other events.

The Spinnaker Room, with cathedral ceilings, large bay windows overlooking the harbor, and exposed beams, comfortably holds 30 to 40 guests, ensuring a close, intimate atmosphere. We include tables, chairs, white linen, flatware, glassware, and cutlery. The Portland cityscape provides your backdrop, no extra styling needed.

The Seawatch Room accommodates 75 to 100 guests with cathedral ceilings and three walls of bay windows framing Casco Bay. Inside, you’ll find a private bar, small dance floor, and private balcony overlooking the water, perfect for stolen moments or portraits against the skyline. Choose linen colors to match your wedding palette. The fireplace adds warmth on cooler evenings, and the space feels sophisticated without being stuffy.

Benefits of Smaller Wedding Celebrations

Boutique venues work for couples who want control over the guest experience. You’re not worrying about whether relatives will find the right ballroom in a sprawling convention center. At Saltwater Grille, your wedding gets our full attention, not assembly-line treatment alongside four other Saturday bookings.

Smaller capacity means your guest list includes only people who truly matter. Your toasts feel intimate, and your first dance is a private moment, not a performance for distant acquaintances. Couples choose boutique venues because they want their wedding to feel like a gathering, not a production.

Host Your Full Wedding in One Place

You can host your ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, and rehearsal dinner all at Saltwater Grille; no need to book separate venues or shuttle guests across town.

For ceremonies, the bay windows and waterfront views provide your backdrop. After the vows, guests naturally transition to the cocktail hour and the reception in the same space. We also host rehearsal dinners, bridal showers, and bachelor or bachelorette parties. If you’re planning a wedding weekend, keep everything in one location; your out-of-town guests won’t need directions to multiple venues.

Personal Service and Custom Menus

We provide dedicated personal service staff for your wedding only; no split attention. Our experienced team manages setup, timeline coordination, and breakdown. They know these rooms, understand wedding flow, and guide decisions on seating, bar placement, and balcony use.

Room rental covers space and furnishings. A deposit holds your date. Food and beverage services are separate for menu flexibility. We specialize in custom seafood menus: Maine lobster, oysters, shrimp, and haddock. Choose hors d’oeuvres only, add a cocktail reception, or plan a formal 3-course plated dinner. Our signature lobster bake includes 1.5 lb steamed lobster, clams or mussels, corn, red bliss potatoes, rolls, and whoopie pies.

The Seawatch Room’s private bar keeps service contained. Guests order drinks without leaving, and bartenders focus solely on your group. Hors d’oeuvres range from charcuterie boards to jumbo shrimp cocktail and Maine oysters. Butlered options include surf, turf, vegetarian, and vegan selections.

Weddings Flow in Private Dining Rooms

In the Spinnaker Room, you can have both your ceremony and reception in the same space, with a quick reset in between. In the Seawatch Room, the dance floor and private balcony make it easy to move from the ceremony to cocktail hour and dancing without having to move guests.

Both rooms feature bay windows that offer beautiful waterfront views. Daytime ceremonies are filled with natural light, while evening receptions reflect the Portland skyline on the water. The Seawatch Room’s private balcony gives you a peaceful spot to step outside, enjoy the harbor view with your new spouse, and then return to the celebration.

Conclusion

Your wedding deserves a venue where every guest feels included, where waterfront views are visible from every seat, and the celebration stays close and connected. The Spinnaker Room and Seawatch Room deliver that boutique experience with private dining rooms, personal service, and full wedding support.

Contact our events specialist at (207) 799-5400 or email FOH@saltwatergrille.com to discuss your plans. We’ll walk you through the rooms, menus, and how to make the most of the Casco Bay backdrop and intimate setting.

FAQs

Can we host both our ceremony and reception in the same private dining room?

Both rooms accommodate your ceremony and reception. For the Spinnaker Room (30-40 guests), we reset the space between the ceremony and reception. For the Seawatch Room (75-100 guests), the dance floor and private balcony allow smooth transitions. 

What’s included with the room rental, and what do we pay for separately?

Room rental includes the private dining room, tables, chairs, linen, flatware, glassware, and cutlery. A deposit holds your date. Food and beverage services are priced separately..

Can we host our rehearsal dinner at Saltwater Grille before our wedding?

We offer the whole wedding experience, including rehearsal dinners, ceremonies, receptions, bridal showers, and bachelor or bachelorette events.

Does the Seawatch Room’s bar mean we don’t need a separate bartender?

The Seawatch Room includes a private bar. Beverage service and bartending are included in your beverage package and are priced separately from the room rental.