Wedding venues
Outdoor Wedding Venues in Connecticut
Gardens, meadows, hilltops, lakes and historic lawns give outdoor weddings their look. This guide covers nine Connecticut venues couples consider and how to plan photo and film around natural light.
Discuss outdoor wedding coverage
Tell us your date and the outdoor venue you are considering, and we will talk through photo and video coverage for it.
Planning photo and film for an outdoor wedding
Outdoor venues give you natural light, open sky and scenery without much need for decor. The same things make planning more important: the sun moves, weather changes, and ceremony location decides how the light falls on faces.
- Ceremony and portrait times planned around the sun, with golden hour in mind
- A weather plan agreed with the venue, such as a tent or indoor space
- Several portrait spots within a short walk of the ceremony
- Shade and open areas for different times of day
- Drone use only where the venue and the airspace allow it
- Spring through fall are the usual outdoor seasons in Connecticut
Stone Acres Farm
Stone Acres Farm in Stonington is described with rolling meadows, flowering pathways, a reflection pond, garden rooms, stone terraces and an 18th-century yellow manor.
Ceremonies are described among the gardens or under large shade trees, with cocktail hour on the terraces and lawn. The manor and garden rooms give portrait backdrops.
- Garden rooms and the manor for portraits
- Terraces and lawn for cocktail hour
- Warm late-day light on the grounds
- Ask the venue about its rain plan, indoor or tented option and drone rules for your date
Hill-Stead Museum
Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington is described with hilltop views, historic architecture, meadows, stone walls and flowering gardens, including its Sunken Garden as a ceremony setting.
Receptions are described on the veranda or on a tented lawn. Open fields, walkways and tree lines give portrait variety.
- Sunken Garden as a ceremony setting
- Hilltop and meadow views for wide shots
- Veranda or tented lawn for the reception
- Ask the venue about its rain plan, indoor or tented option and drone rules for your date
Inn at Mystic
Inn at Mystic is described overlooking Fishers Island Sound with lawns, gardens, stone terraces, a harbor with sailboats, and the historic Haley Mansion.
Ceremonies are described on the waterfront lawn, with portraits along the gardens and terraces.
- Waterfront lawn for ceremony light
- Mansion and terraces for formal portraits
- Harbor views at the end of the day
- Ask the venue about its rain plan, indoor or tented option and drone rules for your date
Interlaken Inn
Interlaken Inn in Lakeville is described with lakeside ceremony locations, forested pathways, open fields, tall pines and a secluded lakefront lawn.
The mix of lake, forest and meadow gives a range of portrait settings on one property.
- Lakefront lawn for ceremonies
- Pines and paths for woodland portraits
- Open meadows for brighter portraits
- Ask the venue about its rain plan, indoor or tented option and drone rules for your date
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Florence Griswold Museum
Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme is described beside the Lieutenant River, with historic gardens, waterfront lawns and a historic house. Gardens are described in bloom from spring through fall.
Receptions are described as tented on the lawn.
- Riverside lawns and gardens for portraits
- Historic house for texture and detail
- Tented lawn reception
- Ask the venue about its rain plan, indoor or tented option and drone rules for your date
Heritage Homestead
Heritage Homestead is described with open fields, rolling hills, wildflower paths, wooden fences and a rustic-luxe style.
Ceremonies are described with meadow views and tall trees framing the horizon.
- Meadows and fences for relaxed portraits
- Open sky for sunset light
- Intimate, farm-style setting
- Ask the venue about its rain plan, indoor or tented option and drone rules for your date
The Overlook at Geer Tree Farm
The Overlook at Geer Tree Farm is described with a hilltop ceremony site and wide countryside views, open fields, tree-lined paths and a post-and-beam pavilion for receptions.
- Hilltop ceremony view and open sky
- Pavilion with warm wood tones for the reception
- Paths and fields for portraits
- Ask the venue about its rain plan, indoor or tented option and drone rules for your date
Chatfield Hollow Inn
Chatfield Hollow Inn is described as an intimate setting with forests, gardens, stone pathways and a pond.
Woodland portraits and garden ceremony options are described.
- Shaded woodland portraits
- Garden ceremony area
- Pond for reflective light near the end of the day
- Ask the venue about its rain plan, indoor or tented option and drone rules for your date
The Inn at Woodstock Hill
The Inn at Woodstock Hill is described as a historic estate with wide lawns, a white mansion, formal gardens, stone walls and countryside views.
Ceremonies are described overlooking the grounds and valley, with portraits along walls, paths and gardens.
- Lawns and valley views for the ceremony
- White mansion as a portrait backdrop
- Stone walls and garden paths
- Ask the venue about its rain plan, indoor or tented option and drone rules for your date
Outdoor couple and garden portrait examples
Actual Legend wedding and garden portrait examples; not venue-specific coverage
Couple portrait in the garden 
A dip and a kiss by the barn 
Garden portrait at golden hour
Common questions
What months are used for outdoor weddings in Connecticut?
Spring through fall is typical. Greenery and light vary by month, so ask the venue about your date and we will plan the timeline with you.
What if it rains?
Ask each venue what indoor or tented space it offers and what its decision timeline is. We plan portraits around the answer.
Can we use a drone at an outdoor venue?
It depends on the venue's rules, nearby airspace and weather. Ask early, and we will plan around what is allowed.
Do outdoor weddings photograph better than indoor ones?
Natural light can be flattering, and it changes through the day. Good planning of time and place matters more than the setting itself.
Discuss outdoor wedding coverage
Tell us your date and the outdoor venue you are considering, and we will talk through photo and video coverage for it.