Say “I Do” at One of These Gorgeous Waterfront Venues

Photo by Erica Ferrone

HARBOR HAVEN

Woods Hill Pier 4
Boston, Massachusetts
Head count Up to 125 guests seated
Price Starting at $30,000

Woods Hill Pier 4 offers the best of New England, combining coastal and urban sensibilities with farm-to-table cuisine. The harbor location lends a maritime flavor, while the city skyline provides glitz and glam. Couples can claim the full restaurant, which opened in November 2019 on the ground floor of a dynamic mixed-use building adjacent to the Institute of Contemporary Art; reserve their choice of two smaller rooms; or stage the entire celebration outdoors. Ceremonies on the patio are perfection, with the grassy lawn and busy harbor just beyond. Guests can wander down the pier, craft cocktails in hand, or find shade beneath the cantilevered canopy and nibble inventive hors d’oeuvres. Executive chef Charlie Foster creates bespoke menus featuring sustainably sourced ingredients raised on family farms (including owner Kristin Canty’s in New Hampshire).

GUEST DIGS

Guests looking to explore downtown— but not stray too far from the Seaport— can book a room or a duplex loft at the Langham, Boston. The 99-year-old Renaissance Revival building reopened in June after a luxurious top-to-bottom renovation that nods to its former identity as the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

Photo by Lovely Valentine

SEASIDE SPLENDOR

Pelham House Resort
Dennis Port, Massachusetts
Head count Up to 250 seated
Price Starting at $400 per person

For a quintessential Cape Cod wedding, minus the crowds and kitsch, plan your beach party at the Pelham House Resort, which unveiled a new oceanside event venue in 2020. The resort, which has a clean-lined aesthetic and 33 well-appointed but unfussy guest rooms, hosts just one event per weekend. That means the private beach, the saltwater pool, the fire tables on the patio, and everything else is exclusively yours. Greet guests with a welcome party by the pool, host a post-wedding beach bonfire, and arrange a morning-after brunch. As for the main event, make it official overlooking the ocean in an outdoor ceremony. After photos on the jetty, move to the Sea Level ballroom with 18-foot ceilings or the glass-walled rooftop restaurant; both boast expansive views of the Atlantic. The on-site chef, pastry chef, and coordinator make planning a breeze.

UNIQUE VENDOR

Forêt Design Studio proprietor Erin Heath conjures coastal vibes by channeling the minimalist art of ikebana. Heath arranges ephemeral blooms—Japanese anemones are a current fave—showcasing the beauty of single stems and evoking the seaside surroundings in altogether unexpected ways.

Photo by Carolina Marles

Photo by Carolina Marles

LAKE ESCAPE

Autumn Lane Estate
Sebago, Maine
Head count Up to 175 seated
Price Starting at $17,500, plus food and drink

The concept for the Autumn Lane Estate, a 22-acre wedding destination on Sebago Lake with a pristine barn, light-strung patio, and flower-covered field, materialized as owners Mackenzie and Daniel Bowe planned their own nuptials. The couple hasn’t slowed down since. The newest addition—10 cabins perched above a floating boardwalk beside the plant-filtered pool—will debut next season, bringing the number of overnight accommodations to 60. (There’s also a four-bedroom modern farmhouse and an airy couple’s cottage with a private patio and water view.) Exchange vows on the field with family and friends on Maine cedar benches, sip cocktails in the courtyard, then dine and dance in the barn or under a tent. End the day by riding off into the sunset on the estate’s electric boat, or stick around for s’mores by the fire pit.

PREWEDDING ADVENTURE

Start the weekend aboard the Songo River Queen II, a 93-foot-long replica of a Mississippi River paddle-wheel boat docked 8 miles north in Naples. Family and friends can get acquainted on a two-hour cruise of Long Lake, taking in sights that include the former waterfront home of Stephen King.

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