Cyanna

My son has asked me to chase down possibilities for a wedding site in Massachusetts, or possibly NH, Maine or RI. They have no money, and her parents and we have little more than that. In addition, they say they want to have their two dogs in attendance (maybe even as attendants) because they met at a dog park and they consider themselves part of a 12-footed family.

Their idea is to perhaps find a beach-front beach house (that could accommodate some out-of-town family) . I thought maybe they could also consider a state park in a scenic area with a clubhouse in case the weather gets bad, which it probably will. Would love to find a place near a lighthouse for them, but that'll be a (wait for it...) tall order.

For something completely different, I've looked at the Mary Martha Chapel by the Wayside Inn for the ceremony, which we could afford (just the service in the Chapel, not the reception), but that leaves open the question of where to have the reception/"picnic."

In any case, I suspect "catering" will be largely family-supplied.

You're going to ask what time of year. Not set yet, but I'm going to urge them to plan it for late spring or early fall to avoid summer prices.

Anyone had a social event - family reunion or ... - in such a place, or have a suggestion re: location/facility?

yk

Halibut Point State Park in Rockport comes to mind. It's very, very scenic there. There is an area with greens with some picnic benches, so you can have a picnic there.

Since it's a state park, you can't "reserve" it, but if your party is small, I don't think it'll be too much of a problem, esp if you go there off-season.

Dogs are allowed to the State Park.

http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/northeast/halb.htm

djkbooks

There are not so many large beachfront rentals (especially affordable) as you would presume.

Depending on the location, early fall rates may be higher than summer rates.

We attended a wedding once in a state park where the couple was married on the pitcher's mound of the ball field. Everyone was asked to bring their own picnic. The groom's mother brought a cake. It worked out very well!

sobster

Well, the National Seashore should get a call. Maybe they permit it. Also contact the Commodore Inn/Hotel in W. Harwich. They might be able to help. There is a beach down the street from them.

portiaperu

I'm going to ask whether you are local (you write catering might be family supplied) or if you will require hotel accommodations (more $), and how many of you will there be? Your geographic area of interest is large and would suggest an overnight stay will be needed in some instances.

The Martha Mary Chapel in Sudbury MA is stunning for a wedding. I live nearby and enjoy seeing the wedding parties preparing for the ceremony, riding in horse drawn carriages to take their wedding photos at the grist mill, and milling on the lawn following their wedding ceremony.

I would suggest contacting the Wayside Inn and inquiring about having a picnic on the grounds of the Inn or at the Grist Mill.

I know families and small groups often picnic at the grist mill. I don't know if there are other locations on the Inn's grounds that might be available and I don't know if you would be permitted to bring in food since the Inn has it's own function rooms (restaurant, kitchens, etc). It's a long shot but worth inquiring.

You might check for conservation lands or state parks in the local area that could be used.

I searched for outdoor function settings in MA and found some lovely ideas: historic homes, country inns, seaside estates, etc. There are many options but they are often very expensive.

See, for example, the Pierce House in Lincoln MA:

http://www.piercehouse.com/

I held my wedding here 25 years ago. It's a beautiful setting and the house and grounds are lovely.

The rate schedule is included at the site. It appears reasonable for the area, but considerably higher than the chapel rate. You could have the ceremony and a reception at the Pierce House which might mitigate the expense.

Or, the New England Wildflower Society Garden in the Woods in nearby Framingham, MA:

http://www.newfs.org/visit/rentals

If you are not familiar with the Garden, it's a lovely wooded setting with gorgeous native plantings in extensive natural gardens. The Garden hosts outdoor weddings and has a function hall. Dogs are not allowed at the Garden but perhaps an exception for a wedding could be requested. Rates are posted at the website, ceremony and reception rentals look reasonable.

I'm sure others will have suggestions based on personal experience and/or knowledge of their local area. There are so many options.

Enjoy your planning and here's to a happy day!

yk

I just noticed that for the MA State Park, you have to request a special permit ($35) in order to hold a wedding. So, if you are considering Halibut Point State Park or other MA State Parks, take a look at this http://www.mass.gov/dcr/permits/index.htm

dfrostnh

Perhaps late spring is not a good idea for some locations such as NH during black fly season. August is usually popular for outdoor events because of lack of bugs. We just had a big 4th of July get together. During the day there weren't any bugs but one evening the mosquitos were fierce.

DS and DIL got married on a tight budget. They ended up getting married in our small riverside town park. The setting was lovely. We only put out chairs for the older guests. People were able to walk across the road to the town/grange hall for the reception. The hall was a reasonable rental fee and we had full use of the kitchen and outdoor barbecue pit (my sister and her family have a lot of experience grilling chicken for a crowd and donated their services as a wedding present). There are Grange halls throughout New England that might work esp if they are close to a scenic area. If it had rained, then the wedding ceremony would have been in the town hall, too. Dogs weren't specifically invited but one couple brought their dog (with a tie).
State parks with pavilions would work too.
Family catering can work out well but we also hired a local lady who caters to be kitchen boss and take care of the buffet table.
Best wishes.

emalloy

In RI, look at the area from Missquamicut to Naragansett for beach front rentals. If you choose the shoulder season, the rates may be more reasonable.

Cyanna

Thank you so much for your helpful answers. I love Halibut Pt., yk; and portiaperu, thanks for your detailed suggestions.

Our son lives near Boston with his fiancee but has only been there a year after living on the West Coast for 5 yrs.. We live in NC (where he went to h.s.), but I grew up in Mass. and still have many friends and relatives there.

They - like many at that stage of life - are a little starry-eyed about what they'll be able to do on a tight budget. They claim they can't possibly have fewer than 100 guests (it's true, both families are large and extended, but . . . ), and so far they've found a very pretty, pet-friendly large ocean-front house on Boston's South Shore that's very expensive, but they're expecting to get a break if they're only there two days. I don't know how realistic that will be (they're now thinking of mid-May, so maybe . . . ). Moreover, I don't think they have any idea how much food it will take to feed 100 guests.

I will keep your great suggestions handy, though, in case they hit a wall and ask again. Know I'm supposed to keep my opinions to myself, but having been an event planner (nevermind being mother of only-child groom), it's hard at times. I think it's a good thing my son can't hear the sighing coming from NC.

persimmondeb

Unfortunately, it's unlikely that they'll get a break on a two-day rental, since most rental houses are really set up for weekly (or longer) rentals, since the costs associated with turn-over don't make economic sense for short-term rentals. It does, however, never hurt to ask.

Parks are always nice venues for informal weddings, and while I don't have any specific information on State Parks in New England, parks in general often offer really spectacular settings for very small money.

A couple of years ago we stayed at a very old-fashioned resort in Maine, Poland Spring Resort, which offered very low-cost wedding packages that clearly included pretty much anything you could think of for a single price. There were a couple of weddings while we were there and it looked like they did a good, if somewhat old-fashioned and not terribly fancy, job. This was typical of our experience vacationing there, as well, and we enjoyed our stay, but it reminded me strongly of places I'd been taken to as a child (I'm in my forties), which wouldn't exactly have been cutting-edge even then.

sobster

Hm, you might try Sebasco Resort in Maine.

cw

Here's a link to a list of outdoor sites: http://www.maweddingguide.com/planni...s/overview.htm

They list some parks, I noticed.

One word about beach weddings. We attended one a couple of years ago in mid-September in the Manchester-by-the-Sea area of Massachusetts. The ceremony was held on the beach with the reception in a beachfront club. The weather was fine but there had been some Atlantic storms, so even though we were in a protected harbor area, the sound of the waves crashing made hearing the ceremony all but impossible for everyone but those in the front row.

Good luck with your search! Off season it seems more likely that you could rent a beachfront house for a weekend rather than a week.

Ackislander

I live on Nantucket which doesn't meet any of your criteria and is foggy as hell to boot, esp in May and June. I know of places where the family and friends could not see the bride, groom and minister owing to fog -- and they were only 20 feet away! At another beach wedding, the congregation ignored the bride and groom to watch a pod of whales offshore. So I would not encourage a seaside wedding in May or early June in much of SE Massachusetts.

Having said that, do you know Westport Point, MA? It is a tiny village almost in Rhode Island and has an inn which has to be googleable. We saw a wedding party there last summer, and it looked really nice and very casual.

Cyanna

You guys are great, and continue to be. Thanks.

Cyanna

Okay, here's the update: They were told by the place in Plymouth that neighbors had complained about the house being used as a commercial enterprise when it involves parties of more than 30 or so people - easy to understand why, but I suspect that would be a problem no matter where they look re: beachhouse, private rental property.

I have looked at all the links here - many of which are really wonderful - but in some ways, they're back to square one. They've expanded what they're willing to look at (doesn't have to be beach) but it's still about 100 guests, and after that: their first priority is a place where the dogs would be permitted offleash - which might still include a number of parks in the Greater Boston area (notably Larz Anderson Park), EXCEPT those parks tend to exclude alcohol (worrying, I suppose, about soused unleashed dogs... ;-) ), and they think they need to be able to offer wine or beer to some branches of the family.

I think where we're at, then, might be a barn on private property, owned by understanding people... or some park area where we could have a rented tent and also serve drinks.

Remember, this is me, "M.O.G.," NOT telling them how to have their wedding, just trying to help them research their options.

So:

help! (It's going to be interesting to see how this all works out.)

portiaperu

You wrote barn, and I thought of a venue I hadn't considered (and I drive by it often!). There's a barn in Lincoln, MA that might appeal to your son and his fiancee.

See: http://www.codmanfarm.org/services/

Codman Farms has been operating for 150 years. It's in a rural setting and would be a great place for a casual wedding. Since it's a working farm the barn is just that - an old barn - but it is used for weddings and other celebrations.

Photos of the farm, including the barn: http://tiny.cc/57cea

cw

Cyanna,

I think it will be hard if not impossible to find a public or private park or space to host 100 people with food and alcohol--at no or low cost. No public parks will sanction this because of liability, and private places have the same concerns. They could get away with a small picnic/wedding with a small group, but a large group would be noticed.

Larz Anderson allows dogs off lease only in certain parts of the park (not near the picnic tables) and only until 1:00 p.m.

Good luck to them. Hope they find a place for their dream wedding. I can't think of any free or very low-cost locations without restrictions but will keep it in mind.

china_cat

I'm not sure if it's a nice enough spot, but Hopkinton state park does have a large group picnic area. We have had work events there with probably close to 100 people. And they allow alcohol if you hire a policeman (at least that was true in the past. The website says no alcohol, but I know we have had beer and wine for picnics, so I think there is a loophole).

The park is nice enough, but the large pavilion is not the most scenic part, its a little distance from the water, and basically a big field with a pavilion and picnic tables.

I have no idea what their rules are regarding dogs.
Here's the website:
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/northeast/hpsp.htm

Cyanna

Have passed along your suggestions and comments, portiaperu and china_cat. Thank you very much.

cw, they take their dogs to Larz Anderson all the time (after 1 pm, too), so they looked into that first. It might have worked to have the ceremony in the formal gardens (with dogs waiting outside, and then the reception in the more open area but the alcohol issue was the obstacle.

I too think they're going to have trouble w/ the 100 people with booze in a public place idea - the rules might be bent for 6-12 but not 100. But it works better if they begin to figure this out instead of having Cyanna-in-law saying "not going to work."

china_cat

another idea, though I don't know the cost and this might be out of the budget. But its a lovely place for a wedding.
Tower Hill Botanical Garden, northeast of Worcester MA
http://www.towerhillbg.org/thwebwed.html