Part 1 and Part 2 of this blog series have given you a glance at some of the magic Connecticut offers for your wedding day. Now, it’s time to cozy up to one of the best seasons Connecticut has to offer: Fall! A Fall Wedding in Connecticut is as anticipated as any combination of chocolate and peanut butter.
Despite what those holiday commercials say, Fall is the most wonderful time of the year! From the warm days and cool nights, right down to the foliage. It is, in my opinion, the best time of year to take advantage of the great outdoors.
Here we have it! Read on to begin falling in love with some of Connecticut’s greatest Fall wedding venues!
Smith Farm Gardens is one of my favorite locations for a wedding in Connecticut, no less a fall wedding, because it’s comparable to having a home wedding without having to build the venue in your own backyard! Their well-manicured gardens and grounds are noticed the moment you step foot onto the property. It’s idyllic in every sense it can be!
Set on 15 acres, your ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception can host within a list of beautiful corners of this property. The vegetable and flower garden, apple orchard, or the main house with its original posts and beams and massive fireplace inside! You can certainly toast with a large number of guests here as your event takes place 100% outdoors with the capacity for a tent! To top it off, there are stunning onsite accommodations in the house, which is perfect for getting ready and hanging with your favorite people once the last song has been played.
The Audobon, specifically the Barn at Greenwich Audobon Center is idyllic for the lovers of a rustic aesthetic. This restored 1800s structure with its original exposed beams is perfect for a smaller, yet still lively guest group of 80 – 100 guests. Apple orchards and trails hug the property, offering unique opportunities to take advantage of the layout of your entire event!
For those with a philanthropic heart, the site fee goes to not only maintaining the inherent structure of the barn but also supporting a sanctuary for nature’s smallest creatures throughout the state!
There is something picturesque about saying your vows with the colors in front of a pond filled with the reflection of the Fall foliage. Postcards couldn’t paint a better picture, though I’m sure a live painter could!
For smaller, more intimate celebrations, the Mayflower offers The Garden Room and The Tap Room which have been recently renovated to create a space you’ll never want to leave. For groups up to about 150, you can host your loved ones in their brand-new custom tent, tucked privately behind the spa alongside the property’s pond. Not only are onsite accommodations available, but this venue is also the perfect location for a full weekend buyout as there are personalized amenities to appeal to any type of adventurer! I love how easily this property lends itself to a destination wedding as the onsite offerings, most notably the spa and surrounding trails allow for enjoyable getaways no matter the interests of your guest group!
Also known as the Chatfield Hollow B+B, this natural oasis offers a variety of ceremony locations. Choose between their two ponds, fruit orchard, grassy meadows, or birch grove to start. Imagine being snuggled in among all the colorful foliage, or having a small breeze carry some leaves around you and your guests during your vows. Just like a pretty snowfall without the cold and wet!
Along with the clear top tent on-site for up to 150 guests, the property — including their charming inn — belongs to you the entire weekend. With fully functioning flower and food gardens, you have the opportunity to bring the freshest details to your menu or decor, found right on site. The amenities and care this location provides is unparalleled and ideal for a variety of design approaches for your fall wedding!
Located in North Stonington (not to be confused with the beautiful town of Stonington), Jonathan Edwards offers all the lush, rolling greens that a vineyard should. Hugged by trees that provide a colorful splash of Fall foliage vibrantly welcomes guests to the property. The winery includes a tent for dining and dancing all night long for up to 200 of your friends and family. Additionally, their rustic barrel room is perfect for a smaller affair – even that back up rain plan we mentioned! Their tasting room and the wrap-around porch are the best way to take in the views of your entire wedding day in addition to enjoying their wine that is produced during this season.
Entering the Fall season reintroduces you to those sinfully-favorite foods that we all love to indulge in! Surrounding Jonathan Edwards Winery are several local farms that your caterer can partner with to create a one-of-a-kind farm-to-table dining experience for you and your guests!
Having enjoyed the most amazing Fall wedding at the Gallaher Mansion, it’s no wonder why this venue sits comfortably on our list! The Gallaher Mansion provides a timeless setting and romantic views indoors and out. Open to hosting 100 guests inside the gorgeous stone monument or 200+ on their tented terrace, the Gallaher offers some rentals and several other amenities to help make the day your own!
Pro tip: take advantage of the side garden and sprawling lawn for photos or other moments of your wedding day to create a big impact for your guests!
One of the most iconic farm venues in Connecticut, exclusively reserved for weddings and celebrations taking place onsite! Set a little more inland in Morris, South Farms is one of our favorite family-run farm venues! Once you step foot on the property, you’ll know exactly why! Not only do they offer the parlor, hayloft, bull room, and stone barn, plus their brand new Garage, opening the opportunity to their couples to host just under 50 guests all the way up to 175. Whether rustic, natural, or industrial, this space offers so much to its clients and exceeds your wildest dreams!
Where luxury meets comfort! The Graybarns is the first venue I think of for the perfect intimate wedding. Able to accommodate up to 75 guests, you and your guests can enjoy a variety of settings throughout the property, including their courtyard, the barn, the tavern, and the porch. I anticipate seeing a surplus of more intimate events with our couples this year and beyond. This venue is the perfect location to make it your own for the weekend!
As if the venue wasn’t enough to love as is, they have the most flavorful and memorable menus to enjoy, something that certainly impacts the overall experience imparted on you and your guests! Their onsite accommodations make getting ready and other weekend events seamless and relaxing.
This storied estate offers multiple sites and venues on its unique property, prepared to host you and your loved ones with their onsite accommodations. This charming site is 113 acres of rolling lawns, stone walls, wildflower meadows and enchanted woodlands, all of which are in their full, lush, colorful state during the Fall, making an impactful statement for your wedding weekend experience!
With the level of opportunity of Winvian Farm, you can host more intimate celebrations to grander affairs with larger guest counts. I love how easily this property lends itself to a destination wedding as the amenities, most notably the spa and surrounding trails allow for enjoyable getaways no matter the interests of your guest group!
Another popular vineyard, but this time located right in Clinton. Whether you’re hosting an intimate celebration of 30 guests up to a bash of 150 of your loved ones, the vineyard has several outdoor and indoor locations for your ceremony or reception. As an added bonus to the local wine you can enjoy, Chamard is responsible for your fresh culinary experience. While quiet and set back, the vineyard is not far from the center of town, so some noise ordinance rules may apply!