Located on Narragansett Bay, 25 minutes east of Providence and 60 minutes south of Boston, Blithewold is one of the finest garden estates in New England. Your exploration of Blithewold will include diverse gardens, specimen trees, and a 45-room English style manor house filled with antiques and artwork, all chronicling the rich social history of the lives of one family over a span of more than 80 years..
Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum is a beautifully landscaped 33-acre historic property situated on Bristol Harbor offering sweeping views of Narragansett Bay. A 45-room mansion, heirloom trees, 11-acre Great Lawn, seven historic gardens, and the sea combine to produce an aesthetic experience that is both exciting and refreshing.
Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum offers a particularly beautiful and gracious waterfront setting for your wedding ceremony and reception. The ceremony is held in the exquisite North Garden adjacent to the mansion. Cocktails are enjoyed within the gracious turn-of-the-century mansion, on the terraces and two covered porches, overlooking the Great Lawn with its sweeping sunset views of Narragansett Bay.
Blithewold also offers our beautiful North Garden for morning wedding ceremonies Saturdays and Sundays from May through October. Enjoy the natural beauty that is Blithewold with Narragansett Bay as the backdrop for your ceremony. The garden is the perfect choice for gatherings. There is also the option of having your wedding photography done on our 33-acre estate following your ceremony.
For dinner and dancing, your guests are escorted down to our white 40′ X 100′ Century Wedding Tent. Our tent accommodates approximately 225 guests. The wedding tent features a permanent bluestone slate floor. The tent is situated next to our Linden Grove and overlooks the Great Lawn and unsurpassed sunset views across Narragansett Bay.
During the cocktail party and reception, your guests may stroll through the gardens and watch the sailboat races just as guests at Blithewold have done for the past one hundred years.
Blithewold Mansion is the perfect location for your upcoming rehearsal dinner. Whether you’re planning a small intimate dinner for just family and the wedding party or a clambake on the lawn for a larger crowd, we can make it a raving success.
Blithewold provides you with memorable photo opportunities. You and your groom can stroll the water’s edge, embrace in our bamboo grove, or pause at the Water Garden for unforgettable photographs of your special day. Exuberant wedding party photos on the Great Lawn are treasured equally with formal portraits in our enchanting perennial garden.
For the cocktail portion of your reception, the first floor, terrace, and porches of the mansion are available for use. For dinner and dancing, your guests move into the spacious tent, which accommodates approximately 225. To ensure the greatest enjoyment and personalization for your wedding, we allow only one wedding per day.