Good vibes are good for business

The Bristol wedding scene is stronger than ever, fueled by the trend toward outdoor venues and the desire for intimate experiences

BY SCOTT PICKERING

The wedding business is booming in Bristol. It remains to be seen whether 2023 will be the biggest year ever, but it’s tracking like it could be, and those at the heart of selling, booking and manag- ing this seaside destination believe the future is bright.

This was not always the certainty it is today. A generation ago, there were two options for a grand wedding in Bristol — Blithewold Mansion and Linden Place. Those two institutions, both historic mansions preserved by philanthropists and volunteers, put Bristol on the wedding map.

Today that map is more colorful than ever before. Mount Hope Farm has risen from being a distant third in the wedding business to becoming one of the busiest hubs in the region. In a typical summer weekend, the sprawling estate overlooking Mount Hope Bay will host six weddings — two a day for three days in a row. Last year, they hosted more than 100 private events on the farm.

The Herreshoff Marine Museum is a relatively new player, but is its own busy hub. Their large Bristol Harbor-front tent

Continued on page 26 hosts at least one, and often multiple weddings, every weekend through the “outdoor” season, which begins in May and ends in October.

Of course business leads to more business. As Bristol’s wedding reputation has grown over the years, so have the venue options. With its permanent waterfront tent site, the Bristol Harbor Inn is a regular host. Across the harbor, the Bristol Yacht Club gets a chunk of the action. The town’s Maritime Center, Coggeshall Farm and other small venues have all hosted weddings as well.

Insiders say there are a multitude of reasons why Bristol is such a successful wedding destination, but there is one common thread — vibe.

The Bristol vibe

Bristol wedding planners inevitably make comparisons to the Newport wedding scene. As one of the elite wedding destinations in the world, the City-bythe-Sea attracts brides and grooms from everywhere. But that scene is not for everyone.

“Here in Bristol, things are smaller, calmer. You don’t get the same level of hustle and bustle. There aren’t wedding parties up and down the street, everywhere,” said Alyssa Wood, special events coordinator at Herreshoff.

“When you drive into Bristol, you realize that everything is so much more intimate,” said Emily Rachels, director of

Event Success for Russell Morin Catering, which caters all of the weddings at Mount Hope Farm and Linden Place. “There is much less distraction. You find no problems with parking. You can grab a drink on the rooftop at Thames Waterside Grille, you can walk the streets … everything is accessible and intimate.”

Susan Battle, executive director at Linden Place, said Bristol has inherent advantages. “There are still many couples who start their search in Newport, where they’re going to get some sticker shock. Many of them eventually find their way to Bristol. I’ve seen it so many times, where they really fall in love with Bristol.”

Battle also believes the downtown dis- trict sells itself. “They don’t have to spend $30 to park their car. They can stroll into a restaurant and get a table. Their friends and family can all find a place to stay downtown. They can all walk to their destination … I think people stumble onto Bristol, and they really like the charm. Newport just does not have charm. Bristol is so much charming and low-key.”

Karen Binder, executive director of the majestic Blithewold Mansion Gardens and Arboretum, loves how Bristol has continued to invest in itself, keeping the destination desirable to all audiences, including young couples.

“Bristol continues to develop its restaurant scene, which means it’s a great destination for rehearsal dinners. There are more short-term rentals than ever before, so people are better able to find accommodations. The work at Unity Park is a real plus for the wedding business. It attracts a younger crowd with a younger vibe,” Binder said.

“Overall, Bristol has a lot more authenticity than the Newport scene … For ease of guest experience, Bristol offers a full bandwidth for any type of wedding.”

Business is good

From nearly all corners, planners say business is great. At Blithewold, Binder said they raised their prices, still booked out their entire 2023 schedule and are currently booking into 2024 and taking calls about 2025.

“We used to do 68 to 70 weddings a year,” Binder said. “Now our sweet spot is 55 to 60.” Blithewold is perfectly content at that volume. The events put less stress on the pristine, historic grounds, and they still keep Blithewold’s revenue as high as it’s ever been.

At Mount Hope Farm, Rachels said 2022 was a record-breaking year, as they booked every date, Thursday to Sunday, often with two events per day.

The farm is blessed to have two separate, very distinct sites on the 127-acre property. The most visible is the circa 1860 barn, located just across from the

Continued on page 29 grand Governor Bradford House. Both buildings, plus the nearby gardens, can be incorporated into weddings plans, or couples can choose a more remote setting. They can drive a mile down the road and enjoy the rustic Cove Cabin and an outdoor tent in one of the most remote nooks in the region. “You’re right on the water, you have a historic cabin … It’s breathtaking once you get down there,” said Rachels, who held her own wedding there.

“At this point, things feel a little more ‘normal’ than they did in 2022,” Rachels said. “We have a few select dates available in 2023, but not many, and we’re definitely booking into 2024 at this point.”

She also said Thursday weddings have become much more popular. They come with a slightly lower price tag, and it can be easier to contract vendors on those nights.

Because it is so different than its waterfront peers, Linden Place is not seeing the same peak demand as others, but it is still solidly booked and getting more creative in its approach. The biggest factor is the public’s desire for outdoor venues, tented receptions and open air — a lasting symptom of the pandemic. Most of Linden Place’s infrastructure is designed for indoor experiences in magnificent, historic spaces.

“So we really have pivoted over the past couple of years,” said Battle. “We have two acres of gorgeous gardens … So we took a fresh look at the space and asked, ‘what do we need to do to make this venue all it can be?’ ”

They added professional lighting to the gardens. They upgraded the electrical service for outdoor activities. They’re hosting more tent weddings than ever before. They’re also opening up the mansion (in addition to their grand barn), for cocktail parties, small gatherings and more unique experiences. They’re using the entire property for an event — having cocktails in the mansion, dinner under the tent, and dancing with a band in the ballroom.

“No matter what we do, we’re never going to have a water view,” Battle said. “But what we do offer is a really pretty, really unique, classic venue in the heart of downtown. We’re selling this as a destination experience, and we’re giving people as many options as we can to match their vision.”

Alyssa Wood and Herreshoff are also selling the downtown destination, along with a venue at the heart of world-class boating. “We do get a lot of people who are boat lovers, or they’re from the sailing world, and they want to be on the water. That’s a big part of our appeal,” Wood said.

Their wedding business is stronger than it’s ever been. A big appeal has been Herreshoff’s large tent, which can hold up to 250 people for dinner. These days, 250-person weddings are rare, and the norm has trended toward smaller gatherings, often around 100 people.

“We are still getting a few inquiries for 2023, but caterers and vendors are really booked up,” Wood said. “We’re not fully booked for this year yet, but we’re getting close. We’re doing great, and we’re hoping to see even bigger numbers for 2024.”