So, the question was popped, you’ve answered in the affirmative, you’ve ridden the euphoric high, and now comes the time to work out the logistics. Planning an event of this scale can be challenge, but it can also be one of the most exciting and rewarding journeys of your life.
If you’re thinking about a wedding in Gloucester, we think that you are off to great start and we are here to help you bring it on home with our Top 5 Gloucester MA Wedding Venues.
When Courtney and I planned our wedding our number one objective was that everyone at the wedding have a great time and enjoy themselves. Too often, weddings can just be viewed as another obligation where you fly in, stay at the local chain hotel, eat some subpar food, and hit the road a few hundred bucks shorter. We think that a Cape Ann wedding is the perfect way to prevent this atrocity.
Cape Ann has such an overabundance of natural beauty, a bevy of historic towns to explore like Rockport, Ipswich, Essex and Salem, and wedding accommodation options, that all of your guests will love it. It’s truly the perfect spot to extend your stay to a few days and enjoy the local beaches, shops, and restaurants and put on a wedding that friends and family will look back upon fondly.
Ok, so we have put a lot of thought into this list. We know it can be tricky to work through some of the aggregate sites like The Knot and find the right venues. So, this list is comprised of the highest quality, best rated, best staffed venues in Gloucester and we will provide a detailed overview of each of the venues.
Hammond Castle is truly a North Shore treasure. This medieval style castle was constructed in the 1920’s by the eccentric inventor, and Thomas Edison disciple, John Hayes Hammond Junior. The castle features a drawbridge, indoor swimming pool, secret passageways, a war room, and a gorgeous renaissance style dining room for you and your guests.
Wedding ceremonies usually take place on the back lawn of the property with the Atlantic Ocean providing a stunning backdrop to complement the ceremony.
There was a fantastic photo shoot performed by photographer Julianne Lesinski of Scarlet Roots that can give you a good feel for the property. The stunning wedding was actually featured in an article in Boston Magazine that you can view here: Boston Magazine Article.
The venue is perfect for both the wedding ceremony and the reception. Usually guests host the ceremony on the back lawn and move inside to the great hall for the reception. While the venue states that it can host 120 guests it’s really perfectly sized for receptions of around 100 guests or less, it can get a little cramped with larger parties.
Insider tip: you will want to consider parking/transportation because Hammond Castle only has about 40 spots.
Overall, we think that Hammond Castle is a unique and interesting venue that will provide a fun and memorable experience for you and your guests. The property is wildly photogenic and provides an almost fairy tale like experience.
In addition, you and your guests can even take tours of this impressive facility. For these reasons we rank Hammond Castle as one of the best Gloucester MA wedding venues.
Hammond Castle
80 Hesperus Ave
Gloucester, MA 01930
http://www.hammondcastle.org/
The Beauport Hotel is a fantastic Gloucester MA wedding venue. It is perfectly situated in the heart of Gloucester providing friends, family and guests access to the town and all of the fantastic restaurants, shops and beaches in the area.
The main event space is over 10,000 square feet and can accommodate a wedding of up to 230 people. Plus, a big benefit of the Beauport is that it offers 94 rooms so that many of the guests can even stay on site. Insider tip: be sure to coordinate room blocks as early as possible to ensure availability.
The Beauport is a great site for both the ceremony and the wedding. Ceremonies will usually take place on the back deck of the facility providing a beautiful Gloucester harbor backdrop and a great places for guests to enjoy cocktails and appetizers.
Photographer Catherine Threlkeld took some great photos of a Summer wedding at the Beauport and her photos give you a good feel for the local flavor of Gloucester and the layout of the hotel. You can view the weddings pictures here: Beauport Wedding Pictures.
The hotel has all of the food, catering and alcohol handled, so you don’t need to worry about coordinating with a number of external vendors, which can help streamline the planning process.
In addition to the Beauport hotel, they also own Cruiseport which is a 4,500 sqaure foot luxury ballroom that can accommodate a wedding reception of up to 300 people. Take a closer look at Cruiseport pictures.
The Beauport, and Cruiseport alike, are beautiful facilities in a fantastic location, with very skilled and experienced staff. For these reasons we definitely recommend Beauport as one of the top Gloucester MA wedding venues.
Beauport Hotel
55 Commercial Street
Gloucester, MA 01930
https://www.beauporthotel.com/
If you are looking to have a Gloucester wedding, it doesn’t get much more authentic than at Cape Ann Marina, home of Wicked Tuna Fishing! The Cape Ann Marina is situated on the scenic Annisquam river and the docks and backdrop offer some fantastic photo opportunities.
The site features a bar and restaurant, Mile Marker One, which is very convenient and will help keep your guests comfortable and properly lubricated throughout the proceedings. You can take a peek at the dinner menu here.
The facility can accommodate anything from a smaller wedding to a larger wedding with 200 guests and getting some photos on the docks can make for some fantastic coastal fodder. You can take a peek at some event photos on Wedding Spot which give you a feel for the facility.
In addition to the wedding tent, deck and restaurant the Cape Ann Marina also has the Compass room which is a smaller more intimate setting that is perfect for rehearsal dinners.
Like the Beauport, having accommodations on site can be very helpful from a logistics perspective as well. Be sure to book your room blocks early. Insider Tip: it’s important to tour the facility to get a feel for the rooms to see if they are a good fit for you and your guests. But with the Beauport and other great Rockport MA hotel and inn options available, you should be able to find lodging for everyone.
We love the Cape Ann Marina and enjoy the local events, like the Bluefin Blowout, which they host and do a fantastic job managing all of the moving pieces. For these reasons Cape Ann Marina makes our list as one of the top wedding venues in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Cape Ann Marina
75 Essex Street
Gloucester, MA 01930
https://capeannmarina.com/
Want to say I do on a pristine golf course that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean? Sounds fantastic right? The Bass Rocks Golf Club is a fabulous Gloucester wedding venue that can accommodate up to 200 guests and will provide a top-notch experience for you and your guests.
The wedding ceremonies take place right on the lawn overlooking the course and the ocean. It’s the perfect setting for a storybook wedding.
Even better than the course and views is the fact that the staff at Bass Rocks are extremely professional and on point. We have heard horror stories at some other wedding venues, but this one has always come back positive.
In addition to beautiful exterior views, the modern 14,000 square foot clubhouse has a fantastic banquet hall and facility that are perfect to accommodate your wedding. The food is provided by their caterers GoodMan Hospitality which has been professionally catering for over 30 years.
If you are looking for a top-notch professional facility that will work with you every step of the way to ensure your wedding goes perfectly you should definitely consider Bass Rocks Golf Club for your wedding.
Bass Rocks Golf Club
34 Beach Road
Gloucester, MA 01930
https://www.bassrocksgolfclub.org/
For nontraditional, smaller weddings we are going to throw two non-traditional venues out there for #5 and our bonus venue #6.
If you have a wedding party between 1 and 49 guests you can take your ceremony out to sea in the Schooner Lannon. You and your guests can enjoy beautiful coastline views of Massachusetts’ scenic north shore while getting betrothed.
The 65-foot Schooner Thomas E. Lannon was built in Essex, MA back in 1997 and offers a fun venue for weddings, anniversary parties, rehearsal dinners and more. The Lannon sails from mid-May through mid-October and will give you an appreciation for what fishing was like 100+ years ago ala Captain’s Courageous.
Alternatively, if you are looking to channel your inner-dudeness, you could consider a wedding at Cape Ann Lanes. The bowling Alley was recently acquired by Caitlin and Nick Pszenny who have revitalized the property and installed a brand-new brew pub on site.
For weddings, rehearsal dinners and other corporate events, the venue can host up to 130 guests. We think that it could offer a fun, unique environment for your special day.
Cape Ann Lanes
53 Gloucester Ave
Gloucester, MA 01930
https://www.capeannlanes.com
We hope that you enjoyed our Top 5 list of Gloucester MA Wedding Venues. We think that this list provides a great selection of locations for your wedding ceremony and wedding reception on Cape Ann!
If you are looking for a hotel rental, we hope that you will consider Addison Choate, we offer full house rentals for wedding parties and would love to help make your wedding as enjoyable and memorable as possible.
