Your family and friends turn onto a country road, through a grand gated entrance, drive over a mile through woods, pasture and trails, crest a hill and there laid before them is a magnificent, sprawling lawn leading to one of the stateliest Georgian Revival Mansions they'll ever see. It's seated on a promontory overlooking the Taconic and Green Mountains, the Battenkill River, farms and fields below. And this epic backdrop comes with a formal garden as picture perfect as any you have ever strolled through.

This kind of natural beauty, this vintage estate, and all its million-dollar views are unique. Family, friends, and loved ones will enter stunned; they will watch your wedding day unfold before them and forever link the elegance of the surroundings to your union. They will leave with permanent storybook memories that mark none other than the beginning of your married lives!

Facilities and Capacity

In 2023, Hildene began building a new event facility to replace our tent in the same footprint. Construction and landscaping are complete. The beauty of this building brings the outdoors inside. Lincoln Hall offers seating capacity for 225 guests, a dance area, a 28' X 12' stage with massive amounts of power, a 17' built-in bar, onsite modern restrooms, and a ready room for your necessities.

From mid-May through mid-October, Hildene offers different views, from the ceremony outside through the formal garden at the Overlook. Cocktail hour commenses in and around the formal gardens, outside the mansion museum with views of the Taconic and Green Mountains. From there we will invite your guests to the newly constructed, climate-controlled, Lincoln Hall for a sumptuous reception, filled with fine dining, dancing, and more.

From mid-October through mid-May, the natural beauty of Hildene continues to sparkle with ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception taking place inside Lincoln Hall. Manchester offers various venues of religious faiths to conduct the ceremony, if you desire, and then come to Hildene to continue your celebration with a cocktail hour and reception in Lincoln Hall.

Services Offered

At Hildene, there is one site fee, and a cleaning fee charged. Included in the site fee are white resin chairs for the ceremony, tables and chairs for the cocktail hour, tables and natural wood chivari chairs with ivory cushions for the reception, and the use of Ready Room (upper and lower). Also included is our coordination of services for your floral and tasting meeting, rehearsal, and day of your wedding. Our goal is to make your special day truly amazing and worry-free.

Cuisine

Pangaea Restaurant, from North Bennington, is Hildene’s exclusive caterer. Pangaea's philosophy is to host your event in a aspect that will continue to have your guests remark about their dining experience a long time after your special day takes place. Pangaea Catering is attuned to the many allergies and dietary preferences of guests' palates. Service is their expertise and your cuisine will be served in an efficient and timely manner that showcases the locally sourced ingredients.

Floral

Lily of the Valley Florist Events, from Manchester, is Hildene's exclusive florist. Through surveys, inspiration boards, and floral meetings, Lily of the Valley Florist Events will work to create the event of your dreams. The expertise and creativity of Lily of the Valley shines bright particularly at the Overlook, for the ceremony, and in Lincoln Hall, for the reception, as their incredible displays are set out to please your guests. Whether it is remaining conscious of conversations at a table, or fluency of decor from one stage of the day to the next, Lily of the Valley Florist will help with your creation in a manner that displays the elegance for your guests as they give your vision life.

History

Robert Todd Lincoln, the only surviving son of President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln, purchased the land to construct a summer home in 1902. Robert first visited Manchester with his mother when he was in his early twenty's while studying to be an attorney at Harvard Law School in Massachusetts. Many years later, when he was named the president of the largest manufacturing company in the United States, The Pullman Company, Robert returned to Manchester, VT. The Georgian Revival Mansion was completed in 1905. The mansion, land, and 13 accompanying buildings were occupied by the Lincoln family until 1975. In 1978, the nonprofit organization, Friends of Hildene, Inc., raised the money to save the mansion and land from developers and began to carefully restore the estate.

Location

Hildene is nestled between the Taconic and Green Mountains in Manchester, a small town in southern Vermont. Manchester is home to multiple shopping outlets, restaurants, and hotels, as well as year-round outdoor activities. The nearest major airports are located in Boston, Albany, Burlington, and Hartford.