Receptions: Water Views
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What’s better than a room with a view? A room with a water view, of course—on your wedding day. Lucky us: There’s no shortage of those in our beautiful state. So we did a little beachcombing from one end of the shore to the other (and a few rivers in between) to find the wedding venues that offer the best of the best water views. After all, blue sky, blue water and bright sun are hard to top.
Theme from a summer place
Eolia, set on 230 seaside acres in Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford (860/443-5725 or ct.gov/dep), was once the summer home of Edward Harkness, a philanthropist whose father was a silent partner in John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Co. The 42-room Italianate villa, which Edward and his wife, Mary, purchased in 1907, was where the Harknesses (along with their 80 servants) generally spent early June through September of each year. In 1951, it was bequeathed to the state, which has, in recent years, spent more than $3.5 million to restore it to its former glory.
Rental includes: exclusive use of the first floor of the mansion, highlights of which include the morning room, finished in black- walnut paneling painted, as is much of the rest of the mansion, in soft mother-of-pearl pastels; and the adjoining music room, which would have been used as a parlor or drawing room and leads to the west loggia and panoramic views of Long Island Sound. To the right is the Italian garden designed, as were many of the estate’s gardens, by renowned landscape designer Beatrix Farrand, and the ornate pergola where Mary Harkness would often sit sipping her afternoon tea with friends. Facing the water is an elegant “living hall” with grand Palladian windows, parquet flooring and a textured plaster ceiling. For receptions of up to 150 guests, a tent with a limestone terrace is in the courtyard off the living area (and between the west and east loggias). An outdoor amphitheater can be used for ceremonies.
Living on the edge
The landmark Water’s Edge Resort & Spa on Long Island Sound in Westbrook (860/399-5901 or watersedgeresortandspa.com) is one of the few Connecticut resorts with its own private beachfront. Ceremonies are held on the 20-acre resort’s beautiful lower lawn just in front of the beach. When it’s time for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and, later, dining and dancing, you still won’t need to move very far from the water: The Garden Terrace is where guests sipping Chardonnay can mingle, and the grand Royal Ballroom (which seats up to 250) has walls of windows overlooking the Sound. You won’t find many who find fault with one recent bride’s to-the-point assessment of her Water’s Edge wedding: “Perfect day, perfect weather, perfect location.”
Is F. Scott on the guest list?
There is an air of Gatsby about Westport’s Inn at Longshore (203/227-0002 or innatlongshore.com). In fact, this stately white clapboard Victorian with Long Island Sound in its back yard was once an exclusive country club that entertained Rockefellers, Roosevelts and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
For ceremonies and cocktail hours with the Sound as a backdrop, cocktail tables with crisp white linens brushing the green, green grass are scattered across the Great Lawn, and billowing white tents erected to house the bar and hors d’oeuvres setups. For receptions, the inn offers the Grand Ballroom, which boasts a vaulted ceiling, wrought-iron chandeliers, gold chiavari chairs and, most importantly, floor-to-ceiling windows on the water. The sunken ballroom can seat up to 200, while an additional 80 can be seated on an L-shaped promenade that overlooks the room.
Home port
Calling itself “The Museum of America and the Sea,” Mystic Seaport (860/572-5305 or mysticseaport.org) has a lot to live up to in terms of a wedding on the waterfront. No worries. It delivers—and then some. All catering at the seaport is now provided by celebrated Coastal Gourmet (who’ve already brought us the gourmet Mystic Market, Stonington Meadows event facility and Aspen Restaurant and Bar in Old Saybrook) and centers around centerpiece restaurant Latitude 41°. You have your choice of the open and airy River Room for receptions of up to 230 seated guests, or the picture-perfect North Lawn for tented receptions directly on the Mystic River. The Boat Shed at Lighthouse Point, meanwhile, is an open-air pavilion on the river made for casual (but elegant) clambake receptions and buffets for up to 200.
Old man river
The River House at Goodspeed Station (860/345-4100 or theriverhouse.com), which opened in June 2007, is set on a secluded ridge above the Connecticut River in Haddam. From both the 320-seat ballroom with its dramatic vaulted ceiling and the wood-and-wrought-iron balcony that runs its length you can drink in bluesy views of the river, Goodspeed Opera House and the East Haddam swing bridge. “It’s so tranquil back here,” says Libby Rutty, wedding coordinator. “The combination of woods, fields and river is just gorgeous.” A Bridal Patio with a dramatic pergola is used for ceremonies, while a two-story atrium with a grand staircase, floor-to-ceiling windows and the welcoming feel of a country home is just right for pre-reception mingling.
All boats lead to . . .
The Guilford Yacht Club (203/272-8213 or jordancaterers.com/venues) is located at 41 degrees, 16 minutes, 15 seconds north latitude and 72 degrees, 40 minutes, 70 seconds west longitude. What does that mean for you? Spectacular views of Long Island Sound.
From different parts of the clubhouse you can see marshland, the 125-slip marina, Faulkner’s Island and its signature lighthouse, and, of course, the Sound itself—in fact, the whole back of the building is windows that overlook a lawn that rolls down to the water. “The clubhouse is pristine,” says event manager Marissa McCue. “It’s formal but not stuffy, and lends itself to everything from a fun clambake reception to a white-glove affair.”
Ceremonies are often held on the lawn and there’s a terrace off the main ballroom for cocktails. The ballroom itself has gleaming hardwood floors and a cut-out ceiling that allows light to spill in. The foyer’s grand spiral staircase leads to a galleria and a bridal suite.
Castles in the air
Built in 1902 as a private home, Saint Clements Castle in Portland (860/342-0593 or saintclementscastle.com) was designed by noted architect Sidney Algernon Bell and recalls 16th-century European castles. The balcony that overlooks the Connecticut River and runs along the rear of the house, for example, was modeled after one at the Inn of William the Conqueror in France. Not too shabby.
Saint Clements’ two Norman towers are distinctive features of the French Tudor exterior. The Waterford Room is in keeping with this Tudor style and rich with Victorian jewel tones, antiques and Waterford-style chandeliers—it has seating for 220 guests. A stone courtyard with a traditional bridal arch and wisteria arbor is ideal for ceremonies and photos, as is the two-story Grand Hall, with its granite walls, stained glass and art gallery. The lawn overlooking the 82-acre manor’s mile-long riverfront is the spot for cocktails, while the Prince Edward Ballroom, which seats 280, is adjacent to the original carriage house, now an Old World-style tavern.
