The Gardens at Elm Bank at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society is a historical venue located in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Couples will be surrounded by twelve different gardens on 36 lush acres. You can have a beautiful outdoor ceremony and then dance the night away in their restored carriage house. The Gardens at Elm Bank offers guests the chance to enjoy architectural gems, fields, forests and amazing gardens just 30 minutes from Boston.
Facilities and Capacity
Our unique and stunning property can accommodate weddings and celebrations up to 400 guests. You can exchange vows in the formal and romantic Italianate Garden surrounded by the flowers of the season. Then you can move to the whimsical Children's Garden while enjoying cocktails. Finally, you can finish the night at the elegant Hunnewell Building which was once the carriage house for the former Cheney-Baltzell estate. It includes 3,000 square feet of event space adorned with a vaulted and trussed ceiling.
Services Offered
This award-winning venue is available any time of the year. Their services include:
Other Services
In addition to hosting your wedding, the Gardens at Elm Bank will also host the following:
Recommended by 95% of couples
9 User photos
Amanda Sibley · Married on 10/12/2018
Perfect and magical wedding
Elm Bank was the dream location for our wedding. We actually booked it without seeing it first, since we live in San Francisco, but have family in Boston. A family member went in the middle of the winter and even said it was beautiful (without flowers, etc). We wanted a place that was outdoors, and beautiful without doing too much to it. The best part of Elm Bank is the ability to use any of the gardens for your wedding, we used the Italiante for the ceremony, and the Weezy’s children’s garden for cocktail hour. Our guests were definitely in awe of the place. We lucked out and had 3 hours of sun on our wedding day (torrential downpour the morning of....) but we were going to still have it outside even if it was light rain, that is how gorgeous it was.
Sent on 11/06/2018
I loved that we were able to do exactly what we wanted at Elm Bank. My Dad made handmade corn hole boards and welcome signs that we had during cocktail hour, we decorated the bars how we wanted, and brought in our own decor for the ceremony. You really can make the perfect wedding at Elm Bank, however you want. We had a black tie optional wedding, but you could also do a rustic wedding and it would go very well, as well as any kind of outdoor/garden/flower theme.
The carriage house was also spectacular, we had a chandelier and bistro lights from the ceiling, which made the whole room sparkle. The space is fantastic, we had ~90 guests which was the perfect size for keeping it all in the carriage house and not using the attached tent.
Kayleigh, the event director at Elm Bank was a complete joy to work with. From the first time I called to ask about the venue (and told her I lived on the West Coast and couldn’t stop by...) to the day of the wedding, she was upbeat, caring, and always had a smile on her face. I never encountered anyone at Elm Bank who wasn’t thrilled to talk to me. Kayleigh went above and beyond and helped my family FaceTime me when they went to the venue while I was on the West Coast, so I could see the space before securing it.
It did book up fast, I got the last Friday of the season and I booked a year ahead, and I get why, it was perfect. A hidden gem in Wellesley.
The Gardens at Elm Bank's reply:
Thank you for such a sweet review, Amanda! It was such a pleasure to work with you and Pat! I hope that you will visit the gardens again when you're back in the Boston area! Congratulations!! - Kayleigh & The Gardens at Elm Bank TeamAlexandra Solsvig · Married on 08/09/2019
Elegant, great staff
We loved getting married here!!Kayleigh took great care of us and was quick with replies and detail oriented.
Sent on 08/30/2019
The Gardens at Elm Bank's reply:
Thank you Ala! I loved working with you and Michael and I hope the wedding was everything you dreamed of and more! Congratulations and please visit the gardens again soon! Best Wishes, Kayleigh
Matthew · Married on 06/07/2019
The most beautiful venue!
After looking at a bunch of wedding venues, we visited Elm Bank and immediately knew it was our venue. It’s one of the most beautiful gardens and settings in New England. The Italianate garden is the perfect, fairytale-level ceremony setting, the children’s garden was fantastic for our guests during cocktail hour, and we not only had a great dinner but turned all the way up for the reception/party in the carriage house/tent! Kayleigh was so responsive in working with us, answering our questions, re-arranging our tables, and working with our vendors. Trish was invaluable on the day of to make sure everything ran smoothly. If you want the best of both indoor and outdoor settings, book Elm Bank!
Sent on 06/18/2019
The Gardens at Elm Bank's reply:
Thank you for your kind words Matt! It was wonderful to work with you and Jannelle and I'm so happy that you enjoyed your experience with us! We can't wait to see more photos. Best wishes!!
8 Endorsements
This summer I had the pleasure of photographing a wedding for one of my couples, they chose The Gardens at Elm Bank as their ceremony location. What a gorgeous setting! It was a stunning place to tie the knot, everything was coordinated beautifully to perfection. Even in the 95 degree heat it still was a perfect setting for an outdoor ceremony. Even though the heat deterred us from using the gardens to the fullest for photography, the shade of the estate provided a great spot for family photos and some bridal portraits. I'm looking forward to photographing at The Gardens at Elm Bank again in the future!
The staff are very professional. The venue is beautiful. They will make sure you have the best day of your life. DJ Photo Booths highly recommends The Gardens at Elm Bank. www.facebook.com/djphotobooths
The Gardens at Elm Bank in Wellesley is a beautiful venue offering several options as places to hold your ceremony. Depending upon the season, the gardens provide ever changing flowers, plants etc. to enhance wedding photos.
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