If you’re dreaming of a garden wedding venue or estate venue for your celebration, New England has so many amazing options! We’re lucky to have some truly stunning historic estates, manicured gardens, and sprawling grounds that make for an incredibly romantic and memorable wedding day.
As a New England wedding photographer, I’ve had the pleasure of photographing weddings at many of these properties, and I’m so excited to share my favorites in each state with you today!
Garden Wedding Venues & Estate Venues in Massachusetts
The Garden at Elm Bank, Wellesley, MA
The Garden at Elm Bank is one of my absolute favorites, and I’ve actually written more about what I love about it in this post.
The property features twelve manicured gardens throughout, providing so much variety for photos and giving guests lots to explore on your wedding day. There are indoor and outdoor options, including a tented reception option during the summer months. You can even rent their Hunnewell building with an attached tent, which gives you plenty of space and flexibility.
In addition to the gardens, the property also has several different spaces for your ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception, so you have lots of variety to choose from.
[You can read more about Elli + Cam’s wedding day there in this post!]
Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Ipswich, MA
Crane Estate is iconic on the North Shore and is truly one of the most stunning wedding venues in New England.
If you’ve ever wanted to feel like you’re living in The Great Gatsby, this venue is the one for you! My favorite part of the property is the tree-lined rolling hills that lead down to the ocean. It’s truly breathtaking.
There are several gardens to explore throughout the grounds and multiple reception space options depending on the vibe you’re looking for. I wrote a full guide to weddings at the Crane Estate here if you’d like to learn more!
The Mansion on Turner Hill, Ipswich, MA
Turner Hill is a timeless historic estate featuring gorgeous Elizabethan-style architecture throughout. The property is elegant and grand, and one of my favorite features is the terrace right outside the mansion and the steps that lead up to it. They make for such a grand entrance to your cocktail hour and some really stunning photos!
I’ve photographed several weddings here, including Kelsey + Matt and Olivia + Jason, and always love coming back to this beautiful property.
Long Hill, Beverly, MA
Long Hill is a 114-acre Federal-style estate on the North Shore where the gardens are organized into distinct “rooms.” I love this setup because each has its own character.
The property features varied plantings, statuary, an apple orchard, and over 100 acres of woodland trails beyond the gardens. With a capacity of around 140 guests, it’s an intimate setting that feels very romantic and garden-immersed.
If you’re looking for a venue where nature is truly at the center of your celebration, Long Hill is a great option!
Lyman Estate, Waltham, MA
The Lyman Estate is a stunning 1793 estate that was actually in the movie Little Women! The property features a historic greenhouse and the famous Peach Wall Garden, giving it a truly unique and historic charm. It’s an amazing venue choice in Massachusetts!
The Mount, Lenox, MA
Located in the Berkshires, The Mount is the former home of author Edith Wharton. Literary history meets French and Italian-style architecture at this venue! The property features Italianate gardens and stone terraces that are so beautiful. Late summer and early fall are particularly stunning here.
The Mount is also open to the public for events, live music, author talks, and tours throughout the year, so it has a real sense of culture beyond weddings.
Garden Wedding Venues & Estate Venues in Rhode Island
Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum, Bristol, RI
Blithewold is a 33-acre waterfront estate right on Narragansett Bay. The venue is a 45-room stone manor and an arboretum, which happens to include the tallest giant sequoia on the East Coast. It also has a bamboo forest and woodlands for you and your guests to wander. It’s botanical, grand, and a little wild.
If you’re a garden lover and also looking for great water views for your venue, Blithewold is an incredible choice.
Glen Manor House, Portsmouth, RI
Glen Manor House is one of my favorite European-style wedding venues in New England. It’s a French château-inspired estate that features a riverside ceremony lawn, stone terraces, and a grand ballroom with parquet floors and beautiful antique detail. I especially love the stone-covered veranda and the overall elegance of the building.
Located close to Newport, Glen Manor specializes in what they call “grand yet intimate events,” which really captures the feeling of the place perfectly!
Garden Wedding Venues & Estate Venues in Connecticut
Eolia Mansion at Harkness Memorial State Park, Waterford, CT
Eolia Mansion is a coastal estate with formal fountain gardens, stone loggias, and an ocean-facing ceremony lawn overlooking Long Island Sound. The manicured grounds make for such a romantic setting at this venue.
The combination of the formal gardens and coastal views makes this an incredible venue option in Connecticut!
Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill Estate, Middletown, CT
The Wadsworth Mansion is a 1911 classical-revival mansion set on over 100 wooded acres. The stately white building has grand pillars and is surrounded by parklands and manicured gardens, with terraces and garden corners throughout the property. One of my favorite details is the tennis pavilion wrapped in a rose trellis. It’s such a beautiful garden touch!
Wadsworth is a lovely country estate with European vibes. I also featured this venue in my roundup of European-style wedding venues in New England, which you can read in this post!
Garden Wedding Venues & Estate Venues in Vermont
Shelburne Farms, Shelburne, VT
Shelburne Farms is a Vanderbilt-Webb estate situated on the shores of Lake Champlain with landscaping designed in the Olmsted tradition. The heart of the property is the Queen Anne-style Inn, but I also love that it’s surrounded by rolling pastoral grounds and stunning mountain and lake views. The entire setting gives you a genuine sense of being in another era. It’s a really magical setting for a wedding!
Garden Wedding Venues & Estate Venues in New Hampshire
Aldworth Manor, Harrisville, NH
Aldworth Manor is a favorite venue of mine in New Hampshire. It’s an early 1800s manor that was actually relocated and rebuilt piece by piece, and is now surrounded by gardens and meadows with views of Mount Monadnock. The property has a charming and private feel to it, and a little bit of Tuscan vibes, making it really unique. If you’re looking for a venue with beautiful gardens and mountain views, I highly recommend this venue!
Garden Wedding Venues & Estate Venues in Maine
Hamilton House, South Berwick, ME
Lastly, the Hamilton House is a beautiful Georgian mansion that overlooks the Salmon Falls River. It has rolling lawns and flower gardens that are especially beautiful in autumn. It’s a more intimate venue, with a capacity of around 120 guests, but it’s full of quintessential New England charm. It’s also located just across the New Hampshire border in South Berwick, so it’s convenient to most locations in New England.
New England Wedding Photographer
Hopefully this list of garden and estate venues throughout New England has been helpful! We’re so lucky to have such amazing scenery and properties like these.
If you’re planning a wedding at one of these venues, or anywhere else in New England, and still searching for your photographer, I’d love to connect! I take a documentary-style approach to photographing your wedding, capturing every special moment as it unfolds naturally, and connecting with couples is my favorite part of what I do.
You can reach out to me through my website’s contact page, and I’ll be in touch to hear all about your vision for your wedding!
