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Fall Wedding in Salem Mass--anyone have experience?

StefyShaunStefyShaun
in Massachusetts-Boston
My fiance and I are finding it difficult to plan our October 2012 wedding in Salem. Our #1 choice for a venue is the House of Seven Gables, but they won't do an October wedding. Does anyone know of any other comparable venues? What about reception locations? Photographers?

Any information would be helpful!

Thanks!

Stef and Shaun
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Re: Fall Wedding in Salem Mass--anyone have experience?

  • JulesbugJulesbug
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Congratulations!  I just got married in Salem on the 19th! I do know that when I was calling places the majority of them said that they don't do weddings in October just because it's so busy here, but feel free to contact me if you want and I can help you as much as possible.  Do you live in Salem, MA?
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  • njlfrednjlfred member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    My SIL got married in Salem in October 2009.  Her reception was at Hamilton Hall, which is a registered historic landmark.  I thought her reception was very nice and I liked the venue. 

    She had her ceremony in a catholic church, but I think the do ceremonies at Hamilton Hall as well.
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  • DirtyWaterDirtyWater
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    edited December 2011
    The Hawtorn Hotel is beautiful if your guest list is under 200!
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  • JulesbugJulesbug
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Something to keep in mind is that if you or the majority of your guests would need hotel rooms they are almost always booked up way in advance, and a lot of the big hotels like the Hawthorne and the Salem Waterfront have events on the weekends in October and so they may not be available for weddings. 
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  • Krissy11284Krissy11284
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I know a co-workers who daughter got married at the Lyceum in Salem in October.  Depending on the size of your wedding they can do a sit down dinner but if it is alittle bigger they dont have al ton of room but can do a cocktail/appetizers reception (i am pretty sure this is what her daughter did as she had about 150 invited and wouldnt have been able to fit everyone for a sit down dinner)  Just another option!
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  • MrsMack10612MrsMack10612 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer First Comment
    edited December 2011

    I live in Salem and getting married in Oct 2012 - what's your date?

    ETA:  Hamilton Hall is really nice.  We looked at it but went with something different.  You can also rent out the Tall Ship Friendship for events as well.

    Unfortunately PPs are right - Salem is tough to do in October because of the all the Halloween events.

     

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  • Blueyed228Blueyed228 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Salem in October for a wedding is nice but a few things to consider:

    Traffic is always crazy on the weekends with the Haunted Happenings

    Most Hotels require a 2-3 night stay if you book with them and rates are high

    Parking will be difficult if there is no lot for your venue.

    If you are going to do Halloween Weekend, allow a lot of travel time.  95 backs way up with people trying to get into Salem, and they close off a lot of roads.

    Some places to look at are Hawthorne Hotel, Lyceum, Salem Waterfront Hotel, Victoria Station, Peabody Essex Museum,  Old Town Hall, and Salem Old Town Hall (there are 2 of them)
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  • soon2bmrs.m-losoon2bmrs.m-lo
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    My best friend got married at Hamilton Hall on Columbus Day weekend (Oct 9th) several years ago and it was beautiful!!!!  The weather was still warm enough that they were able to have their ceremony at the small, private park directly across the street. 

    Guests stayed at the Peabody Marriot which is only a short drive.  They had a huge suite for the bridal party there the night before and the suite accomodated a good number of guests that came back to hang out after the wedding.  I also know that the Peabody Marriot works in conjuction with a local transportation company to offer shuttle service from your venue to the hotel.
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  • HockeyFan4HockeyFan4 member
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    eeks.  good luck.
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  • JulesbugJulesbug
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Also an inexpensive venue is the Nathaniel Silsbee House - a historic home on Salem Common.,  Rental for the entire hall, reception and ceremony room upstairs that includes a bridal suite with private bath is $750 and it's beautiful - we got married there and our DJ had wireless lights and they really made the hall look amazing!
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  • goldnvintagegoldnvintage
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    The Peabody Essex Museum is so nice for weddings. My fiance's cousin got married there and it was great all around. Parking will be crazy, and prices for hotel rooms in the area will be through the roof for October. If you have most of your guests arriving locally then you might not have to worry about it. An option to consider would be nearby towns like the Smith Barn in Peabody or Moraine Farm in Beverly.
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  • sarahandstevenlovesarahandstevenlove member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We got married in a neighboring town and used evangeline from evangeline lane photography.  http://www.evangelinelanephotography.com Her images were beautiful and I cannot encourage you to use her enough.  Especially if you at all into unique/indie and artsy images vs boring every day wedding photos you've seen a zillion times.

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