The Schooner Argia Mystic, CT
Will you have a romantic sunset wedding aboard the Argia, or would you prefer sailing on a sunny day under a blue sky? Will you bring your families and loving friends as your guests? The Argia can accommodate up to 49 passengers, including you and your beloved. The captain and crew of the Argia are helpful and friendly but not intrusive.
The Argia is berthed at 12 Steamboat Wharf, Mystic, Connecticut 06355, next the Mystic River Bridge. Please visit the official “Argia Mystic Cruises” website at WWW.ArgiaMystic.Com. You can see directions and a map when you click on the “Contact Us / Find Us” button.
If you’d like music of romance and the sea, Geoff Kauffman (shown above) is highly recommended. Geoff’s website is GeoffKaufman.Com.
If you have your romantic wedding aboard the Argia, you will get your marriage license from the Groton Town Clerk’s Office at 45 Fort Hill Road, Groton, CT 06340, the Office phone number is 860-441-6640, and WWW.Groton-CT.Gov is the official Groton, CT website.
Please call me at 860-543-2334 to talk about your romantic wedding on the water.
Avery Point - Branford Mansion Groton, CT
Local people call it “The Branford Mansion”; UConn calls it “The Branford House”.
Part of the UConn Avery Point Campus in Groton, Connecticut, Branford Mansion is one perfect place for a romantic castle wedding. Enter at 1084 Shennecossett Road, Groton, CT 06340, then follow the UConn campus roads. The Mansion, sculpture walk, a gazebo, Branford House’s large lawn, and a lighthouse all provide outstanding places for photographs.
You can see a photo of a wedding inside Branford Mansion on the Readings Page. The official UConn Avery Point website is AveryPoint.UConn.Edu; the official Branford House website: AveryPoint.UConn.Edu/About/Branford-house.
If you have your romantic castle wedding at Branford Mansion, you will get your marriage license from the Groton Town Clerk’s Office at 45 Fort Hill Road, Groton, CT 06340. The official Groton, CT website is WWW.Groton-CT.Gov, and the Groton Town Clerk’s Office phone number is 860-441-6640.
Please call me at 860-543-2334 to talk about your romantic castle wedding.
Barns at Wesleyan Hills Middletown, CT
For the Barns at Wesleyan Hills, one photograph is not enough. Of the romantic couples I’ve married there, nearly all had their wedding ceremony outside, with the willows, bridges, and water in the background, and their reception inside one of the barns. Shortly before sunset, what wedding photographers call “the golden hour”, the light is at its best for taking pictures of you and your beautiful background.
Your guests will probably stroll to your reception as the natural light begins to fade. The barn interior will have been transformed into a lovely welcoming place for mingling and chatting about how charming your ceremony was. Your musicians, too, will spread the romantic mood with the music that you have chosen. There is plenty of room for you and your sweetheart to dance, along with your guests.
The Barns at Wesleyan Hills are located at 616 Long Hill Road, Middletown, CT 06457. The Connecticut Wedding Group manages The Barns at Wesleyan Hills, The Pavilion on Crystal Lake, and Lyman Orchards Golf Club; their website is WWW.CTweddingGroup.Com, and their phone number is 860-347-7171.
You will get your marriage license at the Middletown Health / Vital Records Office if you get married at either The Barns at Wesleyan Hills or The Pavilion on Crystal Lake. The Office is in the lower level of the Municipal Building at 245 deKoven Drive, Middletown, CT 06457. Their phone number is 860-638-4960, and their website is WWW.MiddletownCT.Gov/330/Online-Marriage-Application. The online wedding license application appears to be functional now.
Please call me at 860-543-2334 to talk about your romantic wedding and rustic barns.
Bill Miller’s Castle Branford, CT
“Quaint” is a word that I don’t use lightly. A picture of Bill Miller’s Castle in Branford should be in your dictionary under the entry for quaint, especially the room on the second floor called “The Chapel”. The photo above shows a very memorable romantic wedding in the Castle’s Chapel; please ask me about it! It is important to know that The Castle hosts only one wedding at a time, so that your wedding will receive all the staff’s attention.
Bill Miller’s Castle is at 834 East Main Street (also known as Route 1), Branford, CT 06405. You’ll find it very easy to get there from Interstate 95, either north-bound or south-bound. You can reach Bill Miller’s Castle at 203-488-4583 or visit the website at WWW.BillMillersCastle.Com.
If you get married at Bill Miller’s Castle, you will get your marriage license at the Branford Town Clerk’s Office, 1019 Main Street, Branford, CT 06405. Her phone number is 203-315-0678, and the official Branford website is WWW.Branford-CT.Gov.
Officiating your wedding at Bill Miller’s Castle would be a special pleasure. Please call me at 860-543-2334.
Elizabeth Park Rose Garden West Hartford, CT
Elizabeth Park Rose Garden, with its ivy-covered gazebo and arches of blooming roses, is a perennial favorite for romantic couples to get married.
In addition to the Rose Garden, Elizabeth Park has a Perennial Garden, Tulip and Annual Garden, Shade Garden, Pergola, pond with bridge, and other ideal areas for your wedding and pictures. In fact, it is impossible to show you all the possibilities! You can visit Elizabeth Park’s website at WWW.ElizabethParkCT.Org to see more.
Elizabeth Park is owned by the City of Hartford, CT, and is physically located in West Hartford, CT. This can be confusing! You must get your marriage license in West Hartford (see below). The former east entrance to Elizabeth Park has been permanently closed and the road that used to circle the rose garden is no longer available for parking or motor vehicle travel. This change was made to ensure public safety, especially for pedestrians. You must use the north entrance at 1561 Asylum Ave, West Hartford, CT 06117.
You will get your license to get married in Elizabeth Park Rose Garden at the West Hartford Town Clerk’s Office in West Hartford Town Hall at 50 South Main Street, Room 313, West Hartford, CT 06107. Please call the Town Clerk’s Office at 860-561-7430 to make an appointment; you can also visit West Hartford’s website at WWW.WestHartfordCT.Gov.
You should get a permit to get married in Elizabeth Park; there are two reasons: First, if you have the relatively inexpensive permit, nobody can take your reserved space, and if somebody without a permit for your time is already there, you can ask them politely to leave, and if they don’t comply then the authorities will force them to let you have the area which you reserved. The second reason you will want an official permit is that the fee that you and other couples pay gives you and your guests access to the new (in early summer of 2022) parking spaces and very nice ladies’ and gentlemen’s rooms (far nicer than the Porta Potties). To get a permit, you can visit HartfordCT.Gov/Government/Departments/DDS/DDS-Services/Elizabeth-Park-Wedding-Ceremony-or-Pictures, or you can call 860-757-9526.
Please call me at 860-543-2334 for more about your Elizabeth Park wedding.
Harkness Memorial State Park - Eolia Mansion Waterford, CT
Harkness Memorial State Park covers 230 acres of the well-maintained estate beside Long Island Sound, including the Eolia Mansion, pergola, amphitheater, fountains, lawns, acres of flowers, and other natural wedding settings. Sometimes people call Long Island Sound “the ocean” because many couples like to have weddings by the ocean. If you were to have your romantic wedding in the amphitheater (shown in part above), then the sea, sand dunes, and beach would be in the background for your wedding pictures. If you decided to have a lawn wedding, then you could choose between the water or the Mansion for your wedding pictures background.
Your garden wedding at Harkness Memorial State Park could be held in the large garden west of Harkness Mansion, the smaller garden east of the Mansion, or in one of the smaller, almost-hidden gardens. Some couples elope at Harkness to get legally married, then later invite friends and family for a more formal social wedding. (There is never any need for anyone to know that the social wedding isn’t your “real” wedding!)
If you would like to have your wedding ceremony in the pergola, part of which is shown above and another part at the top of the Flowers & Decor Page, you will be required to rent the Mansion as well. If you just wanted to take pictures in and around the pergola, you would not need to rent the Mansion!
Harkness Memorial State Park’s entrance is at 275 Great Neck Road, Waterford, CT 06385. The phone number to call to inquire about having your wedding at Harkness Memorial State Park is 860-443-5725. The official Harkness Memorial State Park website is WWW.CT.Gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2716&q=325196, where you can see or download a brochure about weddings at Harkness Memorial State Park. The brochure includes pricing.
For your romantic Harkness Memorial State Park wedding you would get your marriage license at the Waterford Town Clerk’s Office in Waterford Town Hall, 15 Rope Ferry Road, Waterford, CT 06385. You can call the Town Clerk at 860-444-5831. Waterford’s official website is WWW.WaterfordCT.Org.
Please note that Camp Harkness is not part of Harkness Memorial State Park. Camp Harkness is a Waterford Town Park reserved for people with disabilities.
You are welcome to call me at 860-543-2334 with any questions!
The House of 1833 Mystic, CT
Whether you have your romantic wedding in the garden of the House of 1833 or get married in one of the parlors, you will enjoy unsurpassed hospitality at Connecticut’s finest bed and breakfast. Rooms and suites have wide-screen televisions (several HD!), CD & DVD players, beautiful antique 19th century furnishings (including king- or queen-size beds), full private baths, and there is Wi-Fi throughout the B&B. Four of the suites have oversize Jacuzzi hot tubs. The “and” of “bed and breakfast” is amazing; fresh ingredients lovingly prepared. Clearly this is a classic bed and breakfast brought into the 21st century.
Mystic Aquarium (featured below) is just a short ride away, as are other southeastern Connecticut attractions. See Stonington Borough (very near where you’d get your marriage license), a real New England fishing village, with its lighthouse museum . Tired of driving? Take a leisurely stroll through historic downtown Mystic to visit the Mystic Museum of Art (WWW.MysticMuseumOfArt.Org) and see the Bascule bridge over the Mystic River open to let boats of all sizes through. When you’re ready for dinner, choose among a dozen locally owned restaurants for fresh seafood.
Mystic Seaport (WWW.MysticSeaport.Org), a short drive from the House of 1833, is a maritime museum. Some visitors have been surprised that it is not a working seaport. If you were to head a few miles west on Interstate 95, you could tour the Nautilus, the first atomic submarine (USSNautilus.Org).
The House of 1833 is at 72 North Stonington Road, Mystic, CT 06355. Please visit HouseOf1833.Com. Their local number is 860-536-6325, and they also have a toll-free number: 800-FOR-1833.
If you have your romantic wedding at the House of 1833, you’ll get your marriage license at the Stonington Town Clerk’s Office at 152 Elm Street, Stonington, CT 06378. Her phone number is 860-535-5060. Stonington, CT’s official website is WWW.Stonington-CT.Gov.
Please call me at 860-543-2334 to help at your romantic wedding.
The Mansion at Bald Hill Woodstock, CT
Whether you have your romantic wedding in the grand ballroom, on the outdoor patio, or get married in one of the beautiful gardens, you will be surrounded by beauty at one of Connecticut’s finest inns. And, of course, the Mansion at Bald Hill has sumptuous rooms available for your delightful stay.
The Mansion At Bald Hill is located at 29 Plaine Hill Road, Woodstock, CT 06281-2913. You can call 860-974-3456 to schedule a tour or your wedding. You can get further information at MansionAtBaldHillCT.com, the Mansion at Bald Hill’s own website.
To get your marriage license to get married at the Mansion at Bald Hill, you would go to the Woodstock Town Clerk’ Office at 415 Route 169, Woodstock, CT 06281. Her phone number is 860-928-6595 extension 320 or 322. You can visit the Woodstock Town Clerk’s website at WoodstockCT.Gov/town-clerk
And I’d love to be your wedding officiant for your romantic wedding at the Mansion at Bald Hill! Please call me at 860-543-2334 for help or advice.
Mystic Aquarium Mystic, CT
Juno the Beluga whale loves brides! He and the rest of the Belugas will probably watch your wedding, while your guests are enjoying your wedding at Mystic Aquarium. If you have young people attend your Mystic Aquarium wedding, they will be fascinated. The Arctic Coast exhibit has ample space for your guests, and includes easy access for people using wheelchairs or walkers. The huge glass wall of the whales’ tank will provide good views for everyone, but the real stars will be you and your sweetheart.
If you plan to have your wedding when it would be too cold to have your wedding outside, Mystic Aquarium has abundant space inside for your wedding and reception. You and your guests will enjoy seeing all kinds of sea creatures, from mollusks to sharks, and the young people will have the opportunity to touch stingrays and other friendly beasts.
Ocean Blue Catering, Mystic Aquarium’s in-house caterer, provides fabulous wedding receptions with outstanding service.
You can visit Mystic Aquarium’s website at WWW.MysticAquarium.Org. If you would like to visit Mystic Aquarium to plan your romantic wedding, you may be able to get discounted admission tickets online. Mystic Aquarium is worth visiting!
Mystic Aquarium is located at 55 Coogan Boulevard, Mystic, CT 06355. You can call 860-572-5955 to ask questions that aren’t answered here or on their website.
For your romantic Mystic Aquarium wedding, you’ll get your marriage license at the Stonington Town Clerk’s Office at 152 Elm Street, Stonington, CT 06378. Her phone number is 860-535-5060. Stonington, CT’s official website is WWW.Stonington-CT.Gov.
I love weddings at Mystic Aquarium! (And obviously Juno likes me.) Please call me at 860-543-2334 to officiate at your Mystic Aquarium wedding.
New Britain Museum of American Art New Britain, CT
The New Britain Museum of American Art is a magical place for your romantic wedding. NBMAA is the opposite of a stuffy museum! In addition to American art from three centuries, the NBMAA has spaces for you and your guests to celebrate your wedding in style. Please visit their website at WWW.NBMAA.Org or go to the Museum in person at 56 Lexington Street, New Britain, CT 06052.
You will find ample parking for you and your guests. There is specific parking information on WWW.NBMAA.Org. (The NBMAA has been asked to inform visitors not to park in the lot at the Medical Building, 33 Lexington Street; unauthorized vehicles parked there will be towed at the owners’ expense.)
To get married at the New Britain Museum of American Art, you will get your marriage license from the New Britain Town Clerk’s Office, 27 West Main Street, Room 109, New Britain, CT 06051. Call 860-826-3339 for information. The New Britain website is NewBritainCT.Gov, where you can find a link to the Town Clerk’s Office under “City Services”.
Of course, I’d love to be your wedding officiant at the New Britain Museum of American Art! Please call me at 860-543-2334.
Norwich Inn & Spa Norwich, CT
Norwich Inn & Spa is a perfect place for a romantic wedding any time of year, and in any weather. If the weather cooperates, you can have your wedding on the large expanse of lawn by the fountain and reflecting pool. If it is cold or wet outside, the Norwich Inn has romantic wedding options in its well-appointed interior. Whether outside or inside, you will receive outstanding service from the moment that Robert the Bellman greets you as you enter the lobby. You’ll find your room luxurious, the Spa soothing, and the entire staff devoted to making your stay memorable.
The Norwich Inn and Spa are so specialized at insuring that your wedding receives the full attention that you deserve that they have a separate website space for weddings (WWW.TheSpaAtNorwichInn.Com/connecticut-wedding-venue/ [you’ll love the recent photos!]) and a different website for the Spa (WWW.TheSpaAtNorwichInn.Com [check out the romantic “Shop ... Pre-Arrival Concierge”]). You deserve both a wonderful wedding at the Inn and pampering at the Spa!
Norwich Inn & Spa is at 607 West Thames Street, Norwich, CT 06360. You can call 860-425-3686 to chat about your wedding at the Inn, and talk to the Spa staff at 860-425-3500. It is a peaceful stroll between the Inn and the Spa.
When you have your wedding at Norwich Inn, you will get your marriage license at the City Clerk’s Office at Norwich City Hall, Room 215, 100 Broadway, Norwich, CT 06360. The City Clerk’s webpage is WWW.NorwichCT.Org/179/City-Clerk and her phone number is 860-823-3732.
While I will never recommend one wedding venue over another, I will tell you that every couple that I’ve had the honor of marrying at the Norwich Inn has raved about the ambiance, staff, and food. Please contact me at 860-543-2334 and have an officiant equally dedicated to serving you.
St. Clements Castle Portland, CT
St. Clements Castle in Portland, Connecticut is the benchmark of a classic wedding castle. As you would expect of a castle, St. Clements Castle has several unique locations on over 90 acres in the Connecticut River Valley. The estate overlooks a mile of the Connecticut River. The Marina is literally at the edge of the Connecticut River, where you could arrive or depart by boat. At the eastern side of the Castle, there is a large, well-kept lawn which has a magnificent view of the river flowing below. To the northeast of the Castle, there is a sunken garden suitable for either a large wedding or an intimate wedding. There is an enclosed, nearly secret courtyard with a well and covered walkway that wedding photographers love for classic poses of the wedding couple. And a beautiful tent is also an option.
Inside the Castle are several rooms that are appropriate for various wedding sizes, from the cozy Library to the splendid Ballrooms. Because St. Clements Castle is primarily a wedding venue, you are assured of splendid service and cuisine. You and your guests will find abundant parking just steps away from your wedding ceremony and reception.
There are no brides and grooms in the photos above because the couples asked that I not show their faces. Your privacy is just as important as theirs. I respect every couple’s right to confidentiality.
The entrance to St. Clements Castle is at 1931 Portland-Cobalt Road, Portland, CT 06480. You can call 860-342-0593 to speak with an event specialist, and please visit WWW.SaintClementsCastle.Com to browse high-quality photographs and video of St. Clements Castle.
You would get your marriage license at the Office of the Portland Town Clerk, 33 East Main Street, Portland, CT 06480. The Portland Town Clerk’s webpage is https://www.portlandct.org/town-clerk, (you will have to scroll to click on the "Marriage Licenses" link) or you can contact the Town Clerk’s Office at 860-342-6743. (Please note that as of late September 2022, the fee of $50.00 is correct on their Licenses & Certificates Page, but incorrect on the marriage license worksheet!)
You are encouraged to call me at 860-543-2334 to talk about your romantic wedding at St. Clements Castle.
Wadsworth Mansion Middletown, CT
Beautiful Wadsworth Mansion offers acres of pristine lawn, the Parklands at Long Hill (a nature preserve suitable for intimate walks and romantic pictures), a terrace perfect for your cocktail hour and dancing, and gorgeous gardens. And those are just outside!
The interior of Wadsworth Mansion is stunning. From the elegant entrance foyer, with classic furnishings and polished floors, past the grand staircase, through the passage to the French doors out to the wide patio, you’ll feel surrounded by luxury. Did we mention the parquet dance floor? The warm wood has time-honored charm. Because the Mansion hosts only one event per day, you and your guests will receive the exclusive attention of the staff, and will never feel crowded nor neglected. You are welcome to choose your own caterers, so you will have the menu that perfectly suits your tastes.
Wadsworth Mansion’s website asks “Where do you want the rest of your life to begin?” What a good philosophy! Everyone at Wadsworth Mansion truly believes “It is the most special day of your life. ... unique like no other”. You will be treated like royalty on your wedding day.
Enter the tree-lined drive to Wadsworth Mansion at 421 Wadsworth Street, Middletown, CT 06457. You can visit WWW.WadsworthMansion.Com and call 860-347-1064 to arrange a tour.
For your romantic wedding at Wadsworth Mansion, the Middletown Vital Statistics / Health Office will issue your marriage license. You can visit the Vital Statistics / Health Office at 245 deKoven Drive (lower level), Middletown, CT 06457, or their website at WWW.MiddletownCT.Gov/330/Online-Marriage-Application or call the Office at 860-638-4960. The online wedding license application appears to be functional.
If you would like a wedding officiant who is just as devoted to your unique wedding ceremony as Wadsworth Mansion, call me at 860-543-2334.
All the above links are accurate as of June 2022.