Seven Unique New England Wedding Venues You Didn’t Know About
From dramatic theaters to castles in the sky.
photograph courtesy of the liberty fleet
A TALL SHIP
The Liberty Clipper
Head Count: Up to 100
Price: Upon request
Tie the knot on the open seas with a ceremony and reception aboard the Liberty Clipper, a 125-foot schooner that sets sail from Boston’s Central Wharf for private charters. The ship boasts not only first-rate views of the city skyline, but also a fully stocked bar and enough space for a dinner buffet, barbecue, or clambake. The Clipper can also accommodate a DJ or a small band, giving you plenty of room to dance with your first mate.
7 Long Wharf, Boston, 617-742-0333, libertyfleet.com.
photograph by tara morris/hitched studios photography
A LIGHTNING CHAMBER
Museum of Science
Head Count: Up to 350 with limited seating
Price: Starting at $5,200
Get hitched at the Museum of Science, and sparks will fly on your big day—literally. For an extra fee, you can host your ceremony inside the venue’s Theater of Electricity, home to the world’s largest air-insulated Van de Graaff generator (a device that produces indoor lightning bolts). Guests also have the run of the Blue Wing’s three-level gallery space, which counts a 45-foot-long T. rex among its permanent residents.
One Science Park, Boston, 617-723-2500, mos.org.
photograph by krista photography
A SCULPTURE PARK
DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum
Head Count: Up to 400
Price: Starting at $7,800
Wedding portraits become art at the deCordova, a lush, 30-acre estate in Lincoln where you can say “I do” among more than 60 outdoor sculptures and installations. Kick off cocktail hour on the Rappaport Roof Terrace, with panoramic views of the grounds, before moving on to dinner and dancing in the Dewey Family Gallery, where friends and family can ponder pieces from the museum’s collection of contemporary and modern art—or simply take in the scenery from the pond-side terrace.
51 Sandy Pond Rd., Lincoln, 781-259-3661, decordova.org.
photograph courtesy of castle in the clouds
A CASTLE
Castle in the Clouds
Head Count: Up to 200 (Winnipesaukee Room and Terrace); other venues available
Price: Starting at $3,000
Set 1,300 feet above the town of Moultonborough, New Hampshire, Castle in the Clouds brings new meaning to the term “fairy-tale wedding.” The Arts & Crafts manse, built in 1914 for millionaire shoemaker Thomas Plant, offers both indoor and outdoor options for your ceremony, cocktail hour, and party, all of which boast sweeping views of the surrounding lakes and mountains. Choose from sites like the Winnipesaukee Room, with its exposed beams and wrought-iron banisters, and the more-intimate Terrace, where guests can explore the 5,500-acre estate’s original horse stalls after a vintage-trolley ride.
455 Old Mountain Rd., Moultonborough, NH, 603-476-5900, castleintheclouds.org.
photograph courtesy of the opera house
A THEATER
Boston Opera House
Head Count: Up to 200
Price: Starting at $6,500
Lift the curtain on a stunning celebration at the Boston Opera House, where you can recite your vows in the spotlight, then invite your guests onstage to celebrate with you. Alternatively, host a reception in the Grand Lobby, where marble columns, silk-covered walls, and original 1928 chandeliers ooze Old World glamour and drama.
539 Washington St., Boston, 617-259-3400, bostonoperahouseonline.com.
photograph by garnick moore photographers
A GREENHOUSE
Tower Hill Botanic Garden
Head Count: Up to 180 (orangerie); other venues available
Price: Starting at $3,600
Anyone who says you can’t have a lush, tropical wedding in New England hasn’t been to Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston. Typically home to fragrant orange trees, orchids, and palms, the 18th-century-style Orangerie greenhouse, with its glass cathedral ceiling and wood-paneled floor-to-ceiling windows, is a colorful place to walk down the aisle from Memorial Day through mid-September.
11 French Dr., Boylston, 508-869-6111, towerhillbg.org.
photograph by eve event photography
A MOUNTAIN
Stowe Mountain Lodge
Head Count: Up to 75 (Cliff House restaurant); up to 300 (Terrace); other venues available
Price: Upon request
Accessible only by the resort-operated gondola, Stowe Mountain Lodge’s Cliff House Restaurant sits atop Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s highest peak. That translates to stunning 360-degree views, yes, but also to an anything-but-banquet-food menu from executive chef Gary Crouse—think: seared scallops with butternut-squash purée, and Vermont sausage ragout with seasonal grilled vegetables. You can also host an outdoor ceremony and reception on the equally breathtaking Terrace, where guests can cozy up around a year-round fire pit. After the party’s over, unwind with a hot-stone massage or a facial at the resort’s sprawling, 21,000-square-foot spa and wellness center.
7412 Mountain Rd., Stowe, VT, stowemountainlodge.com.
For more venue inspiration, take a peek at our guide to New England’s top celebration spots.
