Hamilton House Gardens is an outdoor, historical New England venue located in South Berwick, Maine. Hamilton House, built in 1785, is set on the Salmon Falls River. The features of this venue were created by a mother-daughter team in 1898.
Facilities and Capacity
The current owners have kept up its beauty as it now hosts ceremonies and receptions for up to 150 guests. With two outdoor venues, this site is perfect for couples looking for a natural, yet picturesque, location. Couples can hold their ceremony in the garden or on the shores of the Salmon Falls River. Featuring scenic lawns and meadows, couples will not be short on pictures they want to share.
Services Offered
With the price of renting Hamilton House Gardens, couples will be donating to Historic New England's work of keeping up New England heritage. Couples will then be included in a one-year membership to all Historic New England sites, receive discounts for merchandise and events, and a subscription to their magazine. Other services included in the rental are:
3 Reviews for Hamilton House Gardens
Recommended by 85% of couples
Jacquelyn · Married on 07/16/2011
This is an absolutely gorgeous spot for a wedding. You simply can't beat the location, on a bend in the Salmon Falls River with the historic house itself and its stunning gardens as a backdrop. Peggy, the site manager, is a peach to work with - just a really lovely person, as well as being responsible and responsive.
Sent on 02/23/2012
Grace · Married on 08/04/2018
Gorgeous location!
Hamilton House is a beautiful location! Between the house, the river and the garden we felt we got it all! This gorgeous place makes for a challenging catering event and it is a little DIY as you'll have to rent everything, except restrooms. Communication with Historic New England was patchy at first but in the days leading up to our wedding they were attentive. There was a ton of rain right before our wedding so the area under our tent became swampy. Even with the rain and mud, Hamilton House was still a perfect location for us! Highly recommend!
Sent on 10/28/2018
Catherine · Married on 08/23/2014
My husband and I chose the Hamilton House, because we frequently explore the grounds and the neighboring Vaughan Woods. It's beautifully scenic, overlooking the river, with period gardens. An absolutely gorgeous place.
Sent on 09/30/2014
We also liked the idea of renting a location where our money will be well spent on preservation. I dealt with 4 people over the 11 months before our wedding. The first 2 people we dealt with were wonderful (Sharon and Bridget).. Several months in, a man named Bill took over. His contact, all via email, was slow, and it seemed he hardly read/processed my inquiries before sending in a careless reply. For example, he asked several months, before the event, what our timeline was. I replied with a "prospective timeline" and that nothing was set in stone. He replied that it was an hour over the allotted contract time and he'd send me a $400 bill for an additional hour. PROSPECTIVE.
Then, we organized a site visit with my tent company and caterer to decide where to put the tent. He was sick, didn't attend, the site wasn't mowed so we could barely see the land and when I sent him the idea of where we wanted the tent, he sent back an PDF that showed the one place the tent could go... What's the point of the sitewalk if there's only one site available?!?! What a waste of everybody's time.
The weekend before our wedding, my husband and I went by the grounds. There was a couple there (I can't remember their names!). He was the grounds keeper and she was the events coordinator. They were STELLAR. They showed us where they'd park the cars, where the tent would go, and even made themselves available to us for questions as our date approached. I wish I worked with them from the start.
In the end, we are 100% happy with the value we got for our money, and 80% happy with the customer service. If we didn't have to deal with Bill, we'd have given this 5 stars.
Hamilton House Gardens's reply:
Hello from Hamilton. My name is Bill Blanchfield. I am the one taken to task in this review. I am extremely disappointed that Catherine had a bad experience at Hamilton. I understand her angst and wish she had bought her concerns to me as she felt them. I have reviewed all of our correspondence and this review is the only time she expressed any concern or displeasure. While I disagree with much of Mrs. Allen's review I hope prospective clients will consider the feedback other clients have provided about my service. I have included a few reviews below:Hamilton House Gardens Price Rates
The beautiful Hamilton House & Gardens is offering a special INTIMATE WEDDING rate of $495 for couples effected by COVID 19! You may have up to 10 people and it includes 2 hours for your ceremony and wedding photos!
* All guests must adhere to 6 feet social distancing.
* Masks must be provided to guests and vendors.
* No food or alcoholic beverages are allowed on property.
The rental fee is tax-free and goes toward preserving our landscapes and buidings for future couples and generations to enjoy! Contact us for more information.
