Herreshoff Marine Museum — Attraction in Bristol

We stumbled upon the Herreshoff Marine Museum after searching high and low for a venue that wouldn't feel like a typical wedding setting. Upon meeting their events manager, Elsie, we nearly signed the contract on the spot. Elsie was such a joy to work with during the six months that we planned our day. We didn't have a coordinator, so Elsie helped us with a lot more than she needed to and we couldn't have been more grateful to her for that. I trusted her immensely and followed her advice whenever she suggested something because she's overseen dozens of events here. The spaces at the Herreshoff are very flexible for whatever kind of day you're planning. We ended up having a colder day in October, so the morning of our wedding, we decided to move our ceremony inside to the Hall of Boats instead of getting married out on the dock. We then had our cocktail hour and reception inside the tent and we couldn't be happier with how everything turned out. The Herreshoff asks that you work with one of their preferred catering vendors (which I honestly welcomed, since vetting vendors was sometimes the hardest part of planning), but really lets you work with whatever other vendors you'd like. I'm not the most creative person, so we really didn't do anything to the space and it turned out beautiful. With that being said, if you're looking for a blank canvas, the Herreshoff can absolutely be that as well! All in all, we're so happy that we found Elsie and...

We couldn't have asked for a better venue for our 170 person late September wedding! Alyssa and her team were kind, attentive, professional, and helped us execute an incredibly special day.

All of our guests couldn't stop raving about how beautiful and historic the venue was. Everyone loved being by the water and getting to check out the Hall of Boats during our cocktail hour. There were so many special touches like getting to ring a large bell to signal the end of our cocktail hour, firing a cannon between the cocktail hour and our reception, and allowing us to fly a flag of our choice on our wedding day.

We purchased tickets for their viewing party to see the Bristol, RI Independence Day Parade, the oldest in the nation. It was amazing! The provided covered seating, copious bottled water, breakfast and lunch, and toys for the kids (we have 2). The best part was the staff; they don't have diaper changing stations in their bathrooms, so they put a foam pad and sheets on a sturdy table in the conference room and even provided wipes! The staff were so friendly, thoughtful, and welcoming. It was just a fantastic experience, and we look forward to going back for...