The Commons 1854 — Attraction in Topsfield

The Commons 1854 was an absolute dream to work with, with a special shout out to Gianna and Paige. Our journey with them started in 2018 where we planned an April 2020 wedding. After the pandemic began, our April 2020 wedding turned into a November 2020 wedding, and then turned into an October 2021 wedding. Having to reschedule an entire wedding a month before it was supposed to happen was emotionally draining, but the Commons made it so easy for us to pick a new date. We truly thought the excitement we initially had about a wedding would never return, and thought it would be impossible to still have the perfect day we had been waiting for—boy, were we wrong!

The Commons team knows their stuff—they know how to help you plan, whether you’re more of a DIY-er or want a lot of assistance. They know the right questions to ask to make sure your special day is truly the celebration you want it to be. While I consider myself a heavy planner, I was thrilled at the idea of being able to let them take the wheel when it got to our wedding day, and to be able to sit back and enjoy. Whether you are more traditional or looking to re-envision what a wedding can be, they are there to support you in bringing that vision to life.

I have to take a moment to also talk about the food. THE FOOD. Everyone can think of a wedding they’ve been to where the food just wasn’t very good. Being a couple that loves to eat, tasty food was really important to us. We asked the Commons to help us with a custom menu—breakfast for dinner—and they knocked it out of the park. Our guests were absolutely floored over the mini quiches and chicken and waffles during cocktail hour (I wish I could have eaten 100) and the full breakfast buffet for dinner (I also wish I could have eaten 100 slices of the maple glazed bacon).

The venue itself is beautiful—it is stunning enough that you need very minimal decorations, as all spaces really speak for themselves. Our guests talked about how they loved having the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception all within just a few feet of another.

The day of our wedding was magical—we literally could not stop crying. It’s the little things that at the end of the day, make a big difference. For example, when one of our vendors didn’t show up, their team called to ensure that we still got the items we had rented from the company. After our ceremony, there was a big tray of appetizers and two drinks waiting for us, so that we could enjoy a quiet moment together before joining cocktail hour. They plated our food for us, and made sure that we were having the time of our lives the entire night. You can tell the entire team (from the coordinators, to the bar staff, to the chefs) loves their jobs. Every single person there added something special. You can feel genuine excitement radiating from them.

Every day since our wedding my husband and I have been talking about how we wish we could do the day all over again, and that there is not one thing we would change. If you’re looking for a gorgeous venue with incredible food and staff who want to give you the best day possible, look no further than the...

We had our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception at The Commons 1854 in October, and the entire experience was exceptional. Our outdoor ceremony knocked our guests’ socks off. The burnt orange, red, and yellow foliage, the pergola, the hydrangea-lined gate and arch, the grandness of the stark white building itself, it was incredibly picturesque. The venue itself is the perfect blend of New England charm and European opulence… marble, columns, statues, chandeliers. The food and drinks were quite frankly too good for a wedding. Typically, wedding food is unremarkable, but this is not the case for The Commons 1854. When we booked with The Commons, we kept hearing about the food being outstanding, and the rumors were true. We have been getting many, many, many unprompted compliments about how delicious the food was - some saying “the best wedding food they’ve ever had!” It seemed that a place like The Commons 1854 with its beauty and culinary offerings was too good to be true… but it was REAL! Now, let’s talk about the service. It matched the magnificence of The Commons 1854 itself. We worked mainly with Giana and Maura, and they are Pros!!!! Throughout the entire wedding planning process, whenever we had a question or concern, they were very responsive and immediately put as at ease each time. The wedding day was a smashing success mainly because of Maura and her team's incredible expertise. Maura runs a tight ship, and kept our ginormous bridal party in order… everyone was where they needed to be and everything ran like clockwork. Not only that, but Maura couldn’t have been kinder. She bent over backwards to make everything run smoothly and truly made us feel that we were in the best hands. She gave us great advice about all things wedding related, and was constantly saying “Don’t worry! We’ll take care of it!”, and she even helped me with my bustle the day of! Way above the call of duty! Giana who we met on our initial tour of The Commons 1854 couldn't have been sweeter - answering every silly question we had, joking with us, being incredibly helpful in every way. Kim the beverage manager was even trialing different cocktail experiments with us during our tasting to make sure we had the perfect his & her signature drinks! My husband and I cannot believe how lucky we were to have found The Commons 1854 and the whole team. It is a Massachusetts gem. Aesthetic, food and beverage, service, convenience of having everything in one place…. You cannot go wrong. 10/10 in every category. It’s miraculous how absolutely perfect our wedding day was. We can’t believe we’re saying this unironically, but it was truly the wedding of our dreams. Thank you to the whole Commons...

When we started the process of looking at wedding venues, we knew that The Commons HAD to be on our list of venues to tour after reading so many rave reviews and seeing the many photos from past weddings. After touring the venue and speaking with Paige from The Commons, we realized that the reviews and the pictures did not do the venue justice and we knew right away that this was the right place to have our wedding. After booking with The Commons, we were constantly reassured that we had made the right choice throughout the entirety of our planning process.

Every question we had prior to the wedding was answered promptly and with great detail and we were pleased to receive phone check-ins just to see if we had any questions/needed any assistance. When it came time for the testing, we were blown away by the food offered, as well as by the kindness we were met with by all staff present. As we scheduled our final details meeting with Maura at the end of our tasting, we were so happy to have found such a wonderful support in our day-of coordinator who reassured us that everything would be "just beautiful".

On the day of the wedding itself, we found our guests, and ourselves, to be absolutely speechless by the service that was provided by staff at The Commons. From waters for the bridal party, to making sure that one of our groomsmen made it upstairs safely while on crutches, we remained happy. One thing that truly was the cherry on top for our pick in venue was when the bride's brother had left prior to their special dance and our day-of coordinator, Paige, offered to go and get him herself while the bride was saying she would skip her dance. Paige made sure we were supported in that moment, that we were comfortable, and that the bride got her special dance.

The physical beauty of The Commons 1854 is not the selling point for this place; don't get me wrong, it's truly a fairytale venue with crystal chandeliers and white marble. The true beauty of The Commons is the staff who work hard to bring your vision to life and work to make sure that your wedding day is stress free. Fairytale + supportive and fun staff = the...