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Northshore/Greater Boston/Southern NH Venue

krise2012krise2012
First Comment
in Massachusetts-Boston
Hi All-  Congrats on everyone's engagement! I am just beginning the process and in absolute "sticker shock."  Our budget is $30K for 125 guests, which means I need to be spending about $70pp.  Of course I would love a "unique" venue vs standard function hall/ballroom, but that looks like it comes with a price! Any suggestions for affordable venues in northshore/greater boston/souther NH? We are trying to plan for April/May, so I'm not looking for an outdoor venue, and I'm open to off-season dates.  Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!  Thanks, everyone, and happy planning!
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Re: Northshore/Greater Boston/Southern NH Venue

  • DirtyWaterDirtyWater
    1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    I don't know any "unique" places...Those were all out of our price range.  Ones that I do know of that are in your budget are:

    Danversport Yacht Club

    Spinelli's  in Cambridge as well as Saugus.  Cambridge you can have awesome city skyline pictures

    Andover Country Club

    Indian Ridge Country Club

    Some of the hotels in Boston have city views like the Back Bay Holiday Inn

    Check out the museums around Cambridge and the North Shore

    Black Swan Country Club

    Castleton in Windham, NH

    Searls Castle Windham, NH (awesome castle with a tent outside)




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  • DirtyWaterDirtyWater
    1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    There are also a  bunch of mansions and farms around too that are very nice.  Like the Commanders Mansion, The Hellenic Center in Ipswich, The Villa is new and pretty awesome, Brooksby Farm, Glen Magma Farm in Danvers, is beautiful and the grounds are amazing for ceremony and cocktail hour outside in the gardens.  They also have tents available I think.
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  • love2naplove2nap member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Congrats! I was an april bride and I loved it :) I found it was a little cheaper and a lot more convienent since more vendors were available as well-- I got my first choice for everything and I was pretty busy with work instead of wedding planning.

    I got married at the Topsfield Commons and had a really great experience. I started out with a similiar budget and guest count, so you might want to check them out. I looked at 15+ venues and I liked that one the most-- it was very charming and it was great for a spring wedding. We had the ceremony upstairs and then the guests went downstairs for cocktail hour, and then went back upstairs in an hour for dinner. Topsfield is also a dry town so we were able to bring in our own alcohol so we saved a lot of $$ on an open bar all night.

    Willowdale is also in Topsfield so you might want to check them out as well. Tewksbury Country Club I heard is pretty, but I've never been there. Fratello's in Manchester is a restaurant with a brick interior is really pretty and is really affordable. Good luck!
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  • Sarah0335Sarah0335 member
    Knottie Warrior 100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I looked at a couple vineyards in Southern NH that would definitely be in your price range (Flag Hill Winery was one of them).

    I don't know if you are open to RI, but there are some really nice places there too.  Bay Voyage Inn is really classy, quait Inn on the water (I am booked here).  There is also a great venue at the Roger Williams gardens.
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  • krise2012krise2012
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks for the info/ideas, everone!  I have a lot of research to do, and it's nice to have some direction :)

    Love2nap: Congrats on your marriage! I have checked out The Commons and it looks lovely!  Did you use any hotels for out of town guests?
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  • sunflower331sunflower331
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I am getting married in September and having our reception at The Topsfield Commons...it's absolutely beautiful and different from the usual hotel or yacht club....we chose it b/c it was so beautiful, different, unique, you can do a cocktail hour outside by the garden (weather permitting) and the staff has been just great...they reply to my e-mails almost instantly...they make all the meals on-site and the food is really good....this is an affordable venue...you should definitely check it out
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  • vtbmvtbm
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We got married at Cafe Escadrille and were very very happy with them. The food was great and their package was inclusive of stuff we would have purchased anyways (wine service, cocktail hour, chair covers, chocolate fountain, etc.).  We also looked at the Commons and LOVED it. It was just too small for us.
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  • bnlamy5bnlamy5
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    My sister had her wedding at Danversport and it was amazing, they have indoor or outdoor options (outdoor is worth it for ceremony, nice on the water) and great wedding package!

    Willowdale Estates in Topsfield is absolutely AMAZING! They too have indoor/outdoor options and the venue is so nice. If you are lucky, you may even get a mom deer and her baby in the backround of one of the photos! The staff up there are really nice too. I would love to have my wedding there but 1. cant afford it and 2. ceremony is at grooms church in quincy, so itd be quite a hike!

    Spinellis is nice, easy to get to right on route 1, I think they have a guest minimum, but at 125 people, I think you'll be able to meet that/theyll work with you!

    If you are looking for a beachy feel, Oceanview in nahant is really nice, only drawback is it is kind of hard to get to/find.

    Mount Hood golf course in melrose is gorgeous too, not sure if they have weddings but I'm sure they would.

    Good luck! 
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We are getting married at Danversport Yacht Club in April 2012 in the garden terrace room. This is probably the room you would use because our guest list is similar to yours. It is beautiful and right on the water. It is also very affordable and there is a lot included in the package including tax and gratudity, which can add up if your not careful. The grounds are beautiful and the staff is great!!

    Good Luck!
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  • love2naplove2nap member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Krise-- I had a large room block at the Holiday Inn Peabody. We rented a bus and transportated our guests back and forth. It was about 15 minutes down the road and I got a good rate through Hotelplanner.com ($89 during marathon weekend). Besides the good rate and the new renovations, nothing else really quite met my expectations. My hotel contact (Stephen) was terrible to work with-- He'd get back to me 2 days later just to let me know "he was working on it", so it typically took about 5 business days to get an answer to any questions. They didn't really go above or beyond during our stay and the staff wasn't too friendly. But if you're looking for a good rate and a clean room, then I'd recommend it. If your looking for anything more, than I would go elsewhere. There are a lot of hotels on Route 1-- I needed about 40 rooms so I had a lot less options. Definately check out hotelplanner.com-- hotels will bid for your business and let you know the rate. It's so much easier than calling every hotel in the area! Good luck :)
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  • Blueyed228Blueyed228 member
    5000 Comments Fifth Anniversary 5 Love Its Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    I got married at Danversport Yacht Club in their big ballroom and have nothing but great things to say about them.  Everything was awesome and they are a pleasure to work with.
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