The Best Wedding Venues in Massachusetts
Wedding season!? Yikes! It’s right around the corner! With close to 40 weddings already booked this year, our team has been busy scouting locations to prep for our 2021 Big Days. This week, we hopped in Mike’s Equinox and headed north to scope out a few upcoming locations in Massachusetts. Each destination has its own appeal and charm, but our quick trip resurfaced memories of some of our favorite places to shoot. Here are our top three favorite venues in Massachusetts.
Lakeview Pavilion – Foxboro, MA
After arriving at our first stop: the newly renovated Lakeside venue, we’re treated to not one, but two grand ballrooms. Having been recently rebuilt nearly from the ground up, the team at Lakeview spared no expense when bringing their dream venue to life.
The expansive windows of the Lakeview & Lakeside ballrooms stretch from the ground 20’ up towards the vaulted ceiling, giving the guests a stunning, floor-to-ceiling view of the lake and surrounding woodlands. The dark, hardwoods artistically accent the brilliant white walls and uplighting in the ceiling. Both rooms center around a crescendo of crystals in a pair of jaw-dropping chandeliers.
We step outside to the serene scene of nothing but the quiet forest and lake as a beautiful gazebo sits elegantly at the water’s edge. A perfect place for a first look or even just a photo op, this quaint yet dazzling gazebo is the cherry on top for this perfect location!
Grand View – Mendon, MA
Situated on the scenic shores of Lake Nipmuc in Mendon, MA, Grand View boasts spectacular waterfront views with the privacy and elegance you’d only dream of on your wedding day. The 85-acre lake is dotted by maple and pine trees that reflect in the water creating the most charming New England setting. This single-event venue boasts multiple locations to celebrate on your wedding day.
With panoramic views of the lake, the cocktail room centers around a 35-foot oak table beneath oak shelves and decorative glassware, (and lots of liquor, too).
The lavish crystal chandeliers hang elegantly from the ceiling as you enter the contemporary Grand Ballroom. You can hear the echo as your soles tap across the beautiful hardwood dancefloor graced by the wall-to-wall views of stunning Lake Nipmuc. Oh and the 12-foot long (WOW!) fireplace really accents the room!
Stepping outside, there’s a couple choices for your outdoor ceremony. Walking down the steps from the ballroom, you’ll come across a beautiful stone patio much like one you’d see along the fine Italian shores of Lake Como. Aptly named Bella Vista, this stone patio hugs Lake Nipmuc’s shoreline where words can’t describe the beauty your guests will be subject to at the moment when you say your ‘I do’s’.
The last location at Grand View that we scoped out was the Terraza. This beautiful terrace adorned with Doric columns sits parallel to the lake where guests will be blessed with unrivaled views of the sparking waters. Guests will be graced with the beautiful view of the lake to their left while they watch you tie the knot under a sophisticated pergola.
The Barn at Gibbet Hill – Groton, MA
Continuing north, our next stop was the rustic Barn at Gibbet Hill in Groton, MA. This gorgeous property houses a few different options for wedding settings. First and foremost, there’s the barn, of course! With a 220-person capacity, this immense barn and property is more than suited for any sized gathering. Once you step inside this immense post-and-beam, turn-of-the-century barn your eyes are immediately drawn to the sophisticated chandeliers suspended from the ceiling artfully accented by a backdrop of antique exposed beams. This charming, but immense barn is the heart of the property but there’s much more to gawk at here at Gibbet Hill!
The lawn at Gibbet Hill is a sight to behold. At the height of wedding season, this pristine greenery rolls on for acres, dotted by the black Angus cattle roaming the hills. The blue sky, fresh air, and serene setting build a prime setting for a relaxed and intimate ceremony.
Topping off our list of locations at Gibbet Hill is the Top of the Hill. An exclusive, outdoor tented venue is just a few minutes’ shuttle ride from the Barn. Located at the summit of Gibbet hill sits the ivy-covered ruins of a stone hunting lodge built by General Bancroft in 1906. This unique setting are sure to offer one-of-a-kind experiences and it’s an especially amazing place to shoot!
But wait there’s more!
There’s hundreds of spectacular venues across the state and we couldn’t stop at these three. With just enough gas in the tank for one more stop, our team headed west towards Harrington Farm!
Harrington Farm - Princeton, MA
Harrington Farm, an expansive New England farm located in Princeton, MA was our last stop on the trip. The venue has a host of marvelous settings - spread across their sixty-acre property – whose antique charm meets modern design through stunning renovations. The farm is home to a beautiful barn (honestly, is it even a farm if there’s no barn??), a charming farmhouse, sprawling meadows, and a peaceful Goshen stone ceremony garden.
Stepping inside the barn at Harrington Hill, we are immediately hypnotized by the intricate woodwork of the hammer-beam trusses holding the massive, lofted roof high above our heads. The engineering that must have gone into the architecture of this venue is astounding. What’s more, a massive fireplace warms the room as its brilliant bluestone chimney clammers its way up the back wall of the barn. This picturesque beauty is sure to be a tough setting to turn away from!
The sixty-acre property has a plethora of stunning scenes that make the property perfect for tying the knot. The farm – which is situated on Wachusett mountain – faces west; gracing its guests to remarkable sunsets that dance across the golden meadows, no matter the time of year. From the outdoor fireplace patio where guests can enjoy a nice drink, to the Goshen Stone Patio garden, and the spanning meadows, Harrington’s outdoor spaces are second-to-none.
With wedding season heating up these are four venues our team at Neilan Media is pleased to recommend! If you are still searching for photography or video for your wedding day, we would love to talk! Fill out a contact form to get in touch :)
Top 3 Wedding Venues in Rhode Island
There’s no shortage of amazing places to tie the knot here in Rhode Island! Between the ocean breeze, calm New England air, and scenic views, this state is primed to make choosing a wedding venue a difficult decision for any to-be newlyweds. Neilan Media has shot at over a hundred locations across southern New England, so we thought we’d share our top 3 favorite Rhode Island wedding venues. It was really hard to narrow down our list to just three! What do you think made our list? Let us know what YOUR favorite venues are in the comment section below!
Harbor Lights – Warwick, RI
Smack-dab in the middle of our tiny state we find the centralized city of Warwick. It’s an easy drive from any spot in the West Bay, and a quick jaunt over a few bridges for those far-flung East Bay and Massachusetts residents. Warwick is home to a plethora of great venues, but up there on our list is the popular location of Harbor Lights.
Harbor Lights isn’t just a great wedding venue. Its host to a marina, a 9-hole golf course, two restaurants, and a pool. It goes without saying that this may be one of the most distinctive venues for a multitude of events; not only weddings. But boy, when it comes to weddings, Harbor Lights does not disappoint. Here’s a video for a couple we were lucky to work with in the Summer of 2018.
Newport Naval Base Officers’ Club – Newport, RI
One of the most iconic seaside New England towns – Newport – is home to countless, stunning wedding venues. Heck! Everywhere you turn there’s another beautiful location. Between the beaches, the mansions, Cliffwalk, and downtown, Newport is crawling with captivating settings.
Nowhere are those scenes more sweetly soaked in than from the unparalleled views of the deck at the O’Club; the Officer’s Club on the Naval Station in Newport. Situated on the western edge of Aquidneck Island just north of the spectacular Newport Pell Bridge, the Newport Naval Station boasts amazing views of Narragansett Bay. With three rooms capable of holding 30-125 guests, plus the deck and yard that provide exceptional views, the O’Club can host almost any size wedding and is sure to highlight the true beauty of the bay accentuated by the immense 51-year old bridge.
Now there is a small caveat to this location; though its beautiful setting and glowing reviews can set you sailing toward your dream wedding, in order to get hitched here, you’ll need to be in the military, OR have a military sponsor to sign off for use of the venue.
Newport Beach House – Newport, RI
Wowing each guest who walks through those venue doors, the Newport Beach House boasts 180º views of the ocean and the wave-washed sands of the Rhode Island shoreline. With stunning coastline to the east, and the mansion-dotted cliffs to the west, Newport Beach House is centrally located in one of the most picturesque places in Rhode Island. We can’t say enough to highlight the natural and architectural beauty found at the Newport Beach House.
There you have it – our top three favorite venues in the Lil’ Rhody! Was your venue on our list? If we expanded the list, what other places would you suggest?
If you’re still searching for photo or video for your special day, we’d love to talk! Head to our contact page or leave a comment below!
3 Apps to Say “I do” to
It goes without saying that Wedding planning would be nothing without the proper resources. With technology experiencing exponential growth seemingly each day, it’s not hard to see we have so many resources right at our fingertips…literally! Each day thousands of apps are downloaded on the app store. The market’s flooded with wedding apps!
Of course, there’s Pinterest and Instagram; the tried and true source for inspiration and aspiration, and sometimes perspiration. These apps are great for open-ended searching, when you’re not really sure what you’re looking for but when you find it “you just know”. Instagram can be great for searching wedding hashtags, looking at vendors work, and much more. These simple, but irreplaceable apps are a perfect start for a bride-to-be, but it doesn’t stop there. Here are a few other options that you hay have overlooked, but are worth checking out!
Mint:
When you can keep track of your money, planning is simpler! (And not to mention, a little less stressful.) Mint is an app provided by Intuit – you know, the tax guys. I think they know a thing or two about keeping track of your cash! Mint allows you to keep your financial life together, so you don’t have a fractured wedding budget. You can categorize your spending to document what you’ve been putting money toward. Check it out!
Mint’s pie chart budget organization tool.
WeddingHappy:
Let WeddingHappy be your digital wedding planner of sorts. The app keeps you on task; giving you an active countdown till your Big Day. It will give you step-by-step suggestions for your “To-Do-Before-I-Do” list. Over 16,000,000 wedding tasks have been completed using WeddingHappy! What’s more, they even have a feature that allows you to track your budget here, inside the app as well! With thousands of glowing reviews, this free app is certainly one you should look into.
Trello:
Out of left field comes a workspace app that many of you in the tech world may recognize; Trello. Trello is your go-to virtual sticky board; letting you stick “Post-its” on your own designated, digital board. Create cards to build out your To-Do list! You can attach files, add “team members” (Bridesmaids or your hubby-to-be), add due dates and set reminders as they approach. This is super helpful to use throughout the planning process as it allows you to create individual checklists inside each card – so you can be sure to stay focused on each task individually.
As I write this, I too am planning my wedding! Let’s get a look inside one of my Trello cards. Here’s what we’ve got for our Ceremony so far. You see, we’re still in the middle of dialing in our date and venue, so most of you will be a bit further along than us! - Max M.
Inside this card I have our checklist that we need to complete in order to have the ceremony all set and taken care of. I’ve also added my fiancée to the card as well so that she can contribute and be notified when there is any action on the card. I can also attach images to reference some of our favorite venues and assign a due date to get an accurate countdown before my card is due.
We know there are tons of apps out there to help you plan your wedding; some specifically design for your Big Day, and some were designed for other reasons but can still be great wedding planning tools! We hope some of these ideas help stay organized as you march down the aisle toward your wedding day!
If you have any questions for us, please submit a form on our contact page! Got an app that you use and want to share? Leave it below in the comments! Hope you’re all doing well and staying safe. <3
CAKE CAKE CAKE | 3 Wedding Cake Ideas
Time to get your wedding cake! Do you want something small? big? 2 tiers or 3 tiers? What flavor? So many options! Here’s a few ideas to help you choose your cake!
Here’s a smaller cake from a wedding we shot at Newport Beach House back in October of 2019. We loved the wood background at the venue and the simplicity of this cake.
This is a slightly larger cake from a wedding at Merrimack Valley Golf Club in May of 2019. Check out that chocolate chip inside and the ribbon outside!
Here’s a 4 layer cake from a wedding at Alpine Country Club back in October of 2018! The subtle pinkish red gradient going up the cake is a very nice touch along with the red / pink flowers on it. Perfect for a fall wedding!
Why not one more for good luck! This is one of our personal favorites.
This cake is from a wedding in June of 2019 at the Easton Beach Rotunda Ballroom in Newport, RI. With the beach chairs and sea shells up top, this was perfect for a beach wedding!
Thanks for reading! We hope this helped you pick a cake! If you have any questions for us or if you’re looking for photo or video for your wedding day, don’t hesitate to reach out here!
Caroline + Mike | 9.28.19 | Old Sturbridge Village
We truly had a blast working with Caroline + Mike on their wedding day. The weather was great, the day ran smooth and we all enjoyed ourselves.
Caroline + Mike got ready at the Old Sturbridge Inn before heading to Old Sturbridge Village for their ceremony and reception. They did some family photos outside of the Tavern and then headed over in horse-drawn carriage to the ceremony. They read their vows, said I do, and the party began! Greg Bedard DJ + Entertainment kicked the party off and kept it going all night. Caroline had some desserts from a local bakery as well as some that she actually made herself, we tried a few and they were absolutely delicious! Caroline + Mike danced all night and really enjoyed their wedding. Check out their highlight video here and let us know what you think!
To inquire about your wedding date, email mywedding@mikeneilan.com! Thanks for reading!
Vendors
Venue: Old Sturbridge Village
Photo: Heather Fuller Photographer
Video: Mike Neilan Media
DJ: Greg Bedard DJ
Desserts: Francesco’s Bakery
Lindsey + Tiger | 9.21.19 | Harrington Farm
Do you remember, the 21st night of September? Well Lindsey and Tiger sure do because it was the day they got married!
We had the pleasure of capturing Lindsey + Tiger’s special day at Harrington Farm in Princeton, MA. They started their day at the Beechwood Hotel in Worcester, MA where they got ready and did their first look. Tiger had a bet with his groomsmen that he wouldn’t cry at the first look, it’s still up in the air whether he won or lost that bet. The wedding party and family then went to a nearby park in Worcester for more photos, and then off to the venue for the ceremony and the reception!
The weather was great for their wedding; a little hot during the day but better than raining! They had a wonderful ceremony and a blast of a party after. We worked with some great vendors there which we will link to below. Take a look at their highlight video and let us know what you think!
If you or someone you know is interesting in photography or video for their big day, don’t hesitate to reach out! See more of our work here on our website and you can email us directly at mywedding@mikeneilan.com
Photo: Alyssa Parker Photography
DJ: Greg Gates Plowman
Venue: Harrington Farm
Flowers: Whole Foods Market
Makeup: Kimberly Fosher
Hair: Shannon Hughes
Cake: Bean Counter Bakery
Katie + Steve | 07.05.19 | Gibbet Hill Barn
The funny thing about this couple is that the bride Katie actually went to college with our founder, Mike Neilan! Very soon after Katie got engaged, she reached out about having us do her wedding video and we’re happy it all worked out! We were glad it didn’t rain on their wedding, but instead it was one of the hottest days all Summer and with an outside ceremony it wasn’t easy, but we all braved through it!
They started their day getting ready at an Inn around the corner and made the short trip to Gibbet Hill for the ceremony and reception. Their vows almost made us cry while editing this, so check those our for sure. Mike actually went to college with the photographer too! Her company is Freckled Mermaid Photography
The wedding was a blast; we had an awesome time with Katie + Steve. They had a few fun surprise dances at the reception as well as some glow sticks to throw around, which made for some cool video. Again, don’t miss their vows in this video! Check it out and let us know what you think!
Venue: Barn at Gibbet Hill
Photo: Freckled Mermaid
Vicki + Adam | 06.29.19 | Roseland Park
Vicki + Adam had a beautiful wedding on June 29, 2019 at Roseland Park in Woodstock, CT. They turned up the heat for their wedding….literally. It was about 100 degrees that day but it didn’t stop these two! Their love was clear and the day was amazing. They had an intimate wedding with close friends and family and we were honored to capture their day. Vicki got ready at her parents house about a half hour from the venue. They got married at Roseland Park under some shade and the party happened over in the barn. It was such a cool venue and we hope you enjoy their video!
Venue: Roseland Park
Brittany + Duncan | 06.01.19 | Indian Pond Country Club
Brittany and Duncan actually booked us for their wedding almost 2 years ago so we had plenty of time to prepare with them! It was a slightly cloudy day on June 1, but the weather held up for their ceremony and it was an amazing day. They both got ready at hotels nearby and made their way to Indian Pond Country Club for the ceremony and the party. Surrounded by over 200 guests, Brittany and Duncan said I do and the party began. Baltazar Entertainment kept the crowd moving all night with a great selection of music. The couple even ended the night with a firework show!
Check out their highlight video here and let us know what you think!
Venue: Indian Pond Country Club
Photo: Lisa Ann Photography
DJ: Baltazar Entertainment
Jackie & Mike | Small Ceremony In Boston
A little over a month ago I got a Facebook message from someone I met back in high school. She was getting married; having a small ceremony for their close family in Boston and she was looking for a photographer. It was not your typical 8 hour wedding day, but I was available and I happily agreed to do it. It took place at the Old City Hall in Boston, which is now Ruth Chris’ Steak House. The outside is awesome and makes for a great spot for photos.
We took some right out front of the steps as you see above, and we took some in this smaller area off to the side as well. It was pretty cold out as it was February 23rd, but Jackie and Mike were troopers.
Jackie & Mike braved the cold for almost an hour, props to them honestly.
Funny story about this photo right above here; I didn’t think I was going to like it when I took it. The light coming from outside was obviously daylight and the light inside was very yellow, but I ended up really liking it in black and white. Anyway, once we did the family photos and their portraits outside, we went inside for a few more family photos and for the ceremony.
That’s all! Hope you enjoyed this set and this article, let me know what you thought.
If you or someone you know is searching for a wedding photographer or videographer, have them reach out, I’d be happy to talk.
Email mywedding@mikeneilan.com to inquire and check out other videos on the site!
Thank you.
Wedding Videos: What Happens After The Wedding
A wedding video can be 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 8 minutes, 10, 20, 60, 120. You might get 1 videographer, you might get 2. Some companies even offer 3 videographers. You might need 6 hours of coverage, you might want 8, maybe 10? Some couples even just want 4 hours. You get the point; a wedding video can really vary depending where you go.
One thing you might not completely think of is just how much time is spent after the wedding to make your video. Whether it’s a short 5 minute video or a long 60 minute video, there’s a lot of work that happens behind the scenes to make your video come out the way it is. Here are a few samples.
I’ll spoil this article and tell you how many hours it takes now. Nah, maybe not. Keep reading.
So after the wedding is over, the first thing I do when I get home is take the memory cards and back up all the footage to a hard drive at my desk. All the videos, the audio, everything. Depending on how long the wedding day was and how much we shot, this takes about an hour. That night I might even back it up to a 2nd hard drive so I have it in two places. If I do that, it’s another half hour. Other times I’ll back it up again the next day instead of that night. Point is, I want to make sure all the media is safe and on my hard drives so I can clear my memory cards and have it stored properly. Now it’s ready to edit.
The next thing I do is sort through all the video. Every clip we shot gets looked at, every single one. We are usually at a wedding about 8-9 hours. Now, we aren’t recording every second of the day but we are shooting a lot, and we have multiple cameras, so there is a lot to go through. I go through all of it and pull out the best pieces of every clip. Some clips have nothing I see that I want to use, some have 3 or 4 good parts, it all varies. This process takes about 10-12 hours. Now I have gone through all the clips, found the best pieces and I know what I like. The next part is putting the ceremony and reception together.
We usually shoot the ceremony with 3 cameras, sometimes 4. We also have audio from wireless mics. This needs to get synchronized so we can easily switch between camera angles when we want, and see the ceremony all put together with each camera angle. Depending on how long the ceremony was and how many cameras we used, this takes an hour or two. Then there’s the reception. Now we don’t record the entire reception but we have the introductions, the formal dances, and the toasts that need to be synced up. Similar process to the ceremony so this takes another hour or two to organize that and get it put together. Now we’re at about 12-16 hours.
Now the footage is sorted through, ceremony and reception are organized. Time to find music! No joke, sometimes this takes me 30 seconds, sometimes it takes me 2 hours. I might find the song that sounds right the second I start looking, and I’ve also had times where I played through songs for almost 2 hours and didn’t find the right one. It’s one of the most important pieces.
Next up, edit the video! Now it’s time to take that music, and put some video over it. What I’ll do is listen through the vows and the toasts for the best pieces and I pull those aside so I know what I want to use. That takes about and hour or two. Then I start putting clips over the music, and I mostly go in order of the day. I’ll put in some clips of the bride getting ready, her bridesmaids, getting hair done, makeup, etc. Then I go through and put in pieces of the toasts and vows that match and make the most sense to me. I might show the actual footage from the ceremony or the reception of them speaking or I may keep it on them getting ready. Then I do the same thing for the groom. The way I edited my videos is basically two halves; I show the bride and groom getting ready, go into their first look if they have one, then to their ceremony, and that’s the first half. If you’ve never seen my videos, it might seem like the video is over at the end of the ceremony. But it’s just a short 2 second pause and then I go into the 2nd half of the video.
The 2nd half of the video is the reception; so I show some footage of decorations, the cake, the venue, then the introductions of the wedding party, and then the bride and groom getting introduced. Then some clips of them dancing, then their parent dances, the cake cutting, and then the video is finished off with a 2-3 minute montage of people dancing and having a blast at the reception. This whole part takes about 10 hours. Now the video is edited from start to finish.
Last but not least, similar to the icing on a cake, I do the color correction. Throughout the day of the wedding we are changing settings from indoor to outdoor, changing lighting settings, etc. So the footage might look off in color, or be dark in some areas, too light in other shots, things like that. Color correction is where that all gets fixed. We brighten up things that are too dark, tone down areas that are too bright, and fix colors that are just not set right. For a 5-10 minute highlight video, this takes about 1.5 hours. For a 20-40 minute video it takes close to 2-3 hours. Now the video is done! About 25-28 hours later, the video is ready to send to the couple.
(If I’m doing a longer video in addition to the highlight, it’s another 6-8 hours of editing. This is the time of adding more ceremony footage, removing certain parts and adding more in other areas, adding more to the reception.)
It’s quite the process. When I first started doing wedding videos, it actually took me 35-40 hours to edit the video. That’s a whole work week for most people, pretty crazy. But after many times of doing it, figuring out better ways to do things, getting more efficient, I got to where I am now.
I hope you enjoyed this article. This is a craft we as wedding videographers take our time to perfect and we really put our heart into it. At least speaking for myself, it’s something we do because we love it. Getting the reaction emails of “OMG this is amazing I cried! Thank you so much!” or “Thank you so much Mike, we are truly grateful we had you capture our day this is more than we could ask for” is something that really means a lot to me. It makes it all worth it and it truly brings me joy. I actually did a screen recording and voice over of me editing a wedding video once, if you would like to see it, go here. If you have any questions for me or if you are looking for a wedding videographer, reach out to me at mike@mikeneilan.com and check out my work on my wedding video section.
Thank you for reading.