Seven Beyond-Beautiful Outdoor Wedding Venues for Nature Lovers
These farms, gardens, and even a summer camp (!) are just outside of Boston.
Dreaming of a scenic celebration surrounded by wildflowers, by a lake, or on a mountaintop? Capture your love for mother nature at one of these stunning outdoor wedding venues that are located just a short drive away from the city.
Glen Manga Farms / Photo by Lena Mirisola
Get ready to host the ultimate garden party. This historic mansion sits on an 11-acre estate featuring gardens, fountains, and arboretum all connected by gravel pathways. Say “I do” under a wisteria-covered pergola surrounded by colorful buds, then dance into the night with up to 200 guests under the venue’s new permanent sailcloth tent.
29 Ingersoll St., Danvers, 978-774-9165, glenmagnafarms.org.
For an intimate wedding brimming with charm, look to this four acre working farm in Groton where the Gilson family have been growing produce, flowers, and herbs since the 19th century. Your ceremony will take place on the grounds, surrounded by hickory trees and herb gardens that are inspired by those in Provence and Tuscany. Host a small reception with up to 30 guests in the renovated post and beam carriage house featuring local farm-to-table fare from chef Will Gilson (who co-owns and operates Puritan and Company in Cambridge). Or, for receptions of up to 150, celebrate in the renovated greenhouse or under a permanent tent on the grounds.
368 Main St., Groton, 617-615-6194, herblyceum.com.
Weddings at Camp Wing aren’t just one-day affairs. Recreate those joyous summer camp days at this peaceful venue that offers woodlands, a pond, and log cabins that can house up to 250 guests for the weekend. The venue boasts several outdoor ceremony spots as well as a reception hall that seats up to 200. Throughout the wedding weekend, the camp’s instructors will also be on hand to lead activities such as canoeing, lawn games, and roasting s’mores on the campfire. Plus, proceeds from your wedding go toward Crossroads, a non-profit that operates the camp and provides programs for under-resourced youth across the state.
742 Keene St., Duxbury, 781-834-2700, crossroadsma.org.
Fruitlands Museum / Photo by Esther Mathieu
Two things you can count on at the Fruitlands Museum: breathtaking vistas and unbeatable cuisine. Established in 1914, the museum sits atop Harvard’s Prospect Hill with views of the Nashoba River Valley and all of its orchards, hayfields, and forests, making its lawn a magnificent backdrop for your ceremony. Throw a reception with up to 192 guests on the museum’s patio, which is tented and features chandeliers and removable walls. Then dine on a custom crafted menu courtesy of Fireside Catering with fare sourced from Gibbet Hill Farm.
102 Prospect Hill Road, Harvard, 978-944-9799, fruitlandsevents.com.
Want to feel like you’re walking on air on your wedding day? Wachusett Mountain offers just that with a chance to travel all the way (2,006 feet!) up to the summit as part of their “Skyride” cocktail hour experience, which will leave you and all of your guests in awe as you take in the landscape from a chairlift. The mountain also offers multiple ceremony and reception sites, including a pondside deck, ballroom, and tent.
499 Mountain Rd., Princeton, 978-464-2300, wachusett.com.
This Beverly estate is set on 175 acres of forest and farmland featuring a Fredrick Law Olmstead-designed landscape of lawns and gardens. Plan a celebration that’s straight out of a fairytale on the curved stone patio with views of Wenham lake or tie the knot on the lawn beside the tea house.
719 Cabot St., Beverly, 781-221-4811, estateatmorainefarm.com.
Mass Audubon Habitat Education Center & Wildlife Sanctuary
Escape the hustle and bustle of the city by heading just six miles northwest to Belmont. Here, you’ll find 90 acres of majestic meadows, forests, and perennial gardens surrounding a brick Georgian-style mansion. With a 100 guest capacity, this intimate venue encompasses a lawn surrounded by oak and birch trees, a patio with the perfect pergola, and gardens that bloom beautifully spring through fall.
10 Juniper Rd., Belmont, 617-489-5050, massaudubon.org.
