We’re pretty lucky here in New England because of the sheer choice of wedding settings we have. Couples can get married at gorgeous beaches or cool urban areas, and just short drives away are lovely farm venues tucked away in picturesque villages, mansions and estates, peaceful forests, and mountains.

As a New England wedding photographer, I get to shoot weddings at some pretty awesome venues. This coming season, I am so looking forward to working at great venues like The River Mill in Dover, NH, Hollis Hills Farm, Zukas Hilltop Barn, The Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden in Portsmouth, NH, and more! Below are some of my favorite Boston Wedding Venues (or venues that are easily accessible from the Boston area) in no particular order. Click on the venue name to view each website!

Willowdale Estate

Located in Topsfield, MA, Willowdale Estate is an absolutely stunning mansion set in the midst of a beautiful park. It looks like a beautiful fairy house in the middle of the woods. This venue could be perfect for so many different styles of wedding, whether you want your wedding to be vintage, rustic, whimsical, formal, or all of the above, Willowdale will be a great backdrop. There are great location options both indoors and outdoors for portraits, ceremonies, and receptions. Just steps outside of the mansion itself is a field, forest, and a lovely walkway by a river.

On top of the beautiful setting, the team at Willowdale is absolutely fantastic. I have worked at several weddings here, and each time the staff makes sure everything runs smoothly and you don’t have anything to stress about on your day. It doesn’t hurt that the food is amazing either….

Tower Hill Botanic Garden

Tower Hill Botanic Garden is located just an hour or so west of Boston in Boylston, MA. This 132 acre garden boasts manicured gardens, fields, forests, an apple orchard, and the some of the loveliest greenhouses I have ever seen. Couples can get married outdoors in a few different locations, explore the gardens and grounds for couples portraits, and then enjoy cocktail hour and a reception in a few different dining rooms. My favorites are the Limonaia and the Orangerie – glass conservatory rooms where guests can mingle and dine surrounded by plants and with gorgeous views into the gardens.

Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary

If you want to get married close to the city, but you don’t want an urban vibe, Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary in Belmont, MA might be the perfect venue for you. Really, there is just something so very beautiful to me about two people celebrating their love in a pretty patch of trees and green. That is exactly what you will be able to do here. There are some formal gardens and a mansion, too!

Camp Becket

Ok – so it’s definitely not a secret that I have a serious thing for summer camp weddings, and Camp Becket is the perfect place to host a really rad one. Located a few hours from Boston in a tiny town in the Berkshires, Camp Becket boasts accommodations for you and your guests, so you can have a great mini-destination wedding full of nostalgic camp activities and beautiful scenery. I mean, any venue where you can enjoy a post-ceremony canoe ride and a bonfire after your reception is awesome in my book. There’s a lake, an outdoor chapel, a sauna, cabins galore, a library, and plenty of forest to frolic in. Your reception can be held in the spacious dining hall, and numerous beautiful old camp buildings provide indoor ceremony alternatives if the weather doesn’t happen to cooperate.

Some other great New England Summer Camp venues to check out include Camp Wing in Duxbury, MA (where I actually held my own wedding this past June) and Windsor Mountain Summer Camp in New Hampshire. The photos are from Julia & Mike’s intimate wedding, which I second shot for Wonderbliss.

The Crane Estate

You guys. This venue. It’s seriously amazing. It feels like something out of a Jane Austen novel or The Great Gatsby. I just want to put on a long, flowing gown, and run down the sprawling lawn overlooking the sea while dramatic piano music plays in the background. And while I probably will never be able to do that, you might pull it off if you book your wedding here. There is ocean and gardens, a grand old mansion and several other indoor areas you can use. This venue would be absolutely perfect for a glamorous or traditional wedding.

Moraine Farm

The Estate at Moraine Farm in Beverly, MA is a wonderful outdoor venue great for summer celebrations. You can get ready in their comfortable suites, have your ceremony on their lawn or in front of their elegant and unusual tea room, then explore the acres of fields, gardens, and woods with your love for portraits. Everywhere you look there is another gorgeous photo backdrop. After the ceremony, enjoy cocktails on the stone terrace and celebrate with guests at a tented reception.

For more outdoor farm venues, also check out The Barn at Gibbet Hill, Smolak Farms, and Hartman’s Herb Farm.

The White Room at Crompton Collective

This industrial space is located an hour west of Boston in Worcester, MA.  I think it is one of the most unique event spaces in Central Massachusetts. With its painted brick walls, massive windows, and concrete floors, the only way to adequately describe it really is that it is just…super cool. Any style of wedding would look great in here – it’s basically a giant, pretty blank slate just waiting for you to turn it into your dream wedding. There’s also a pretty courtyard, a nearby mural for some colorful portraits, and plenty of locations for cool, urban photographs. Perhaps best of all, The White Room is part of Crompton Collective – an awesome collective of vendors selling great handmade and vintage items. So you can do all your wedding shopping right at your venue – BOOM.

While I have yet to shoot a wedding there (hint, hint), I did have the opportunity to shoot some photos in The White Room at a boudoir workshop by Shannon Grant Photography, and it was a treat. Some of those are below.

For a venue with a similar feel a bit closer to Boston, also be sure to check out the gorgeous Warehouse XI in Somerville.

Fruitlands Museum

Perched on the top of a hill, this incredibly lovely venue is less than an hour from Boston in Harvard, MA. The Fruitlands Museum has some of the most stunning sunset views around, which makes it beautiful for outdoor weddings. The grounds are full of amazing scenery, and the tented receptions make it great for crowds of all sizes.

Mass MOCA 

Ok, ok, this one is a little further out from Boston in North Adams, MA. But it is so stinking cool that I needed to include it on the list anyway….The museum itself is in a restored factory building, which gives it lots of great architectural character like huge windows to let in tons of light, high ceilings, and exposed brick and ductwork. Plus, who wouldn’t want to be married in the midst of the amazing contemporary art housed in its walls? There are also wonderful scenic parks nearby so you and your guests can enjoy hiking and all sorts of outdoorsy stuff before or after your wedding. Bonus points if you also stay at The Porches Inn, a wonderful boutique hotel right nearby. It’s impeccably decorated rooms and great service make it just about the perfect place to prepare for your wedding day.

Thanks to my wonderful husband for snapping a few of these photos on a trip to Mass MOCA.

Bonus:

Your favorite backyard, mountain top, patch of forest, or little cove on the coast. I adore the spectacular venues in the area, but I also love really personal celebrations in unique spots off the beaten path. So if your dream has always been to hike to the top of a mountain to be married, or to host your celebration in the backyard where you grew up, I think that is amazing.

Happy wedding planning!

xoxo
Hannah

P.S. I have shot weddings at some of these, and some of them are places where I would love to work. Regardless, if you booked your 2016 or 2017 wedding at one of the venues on this list, ask me about a special discount code! I always love to take photos at some of my favorite places!