Classic Coordinates

Dreaming of a vineyard ceremony? Fantasizing about a ballroom fete? We've sniffed out of the quintessential New England sites for every type of reception.

Photograph by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

Photograph by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

Grand Ambitions: The Fairmont Copley Plaza

Boston, Massachusetts
A breathtaking ballroom has been the fairy-tale setting for many a modern wedding. With multiple crystal chandeliers, 30-foot coffered ceilings, balconies, and gilded columns, the Grand Ballroom at the Fairmont Copley Plaza looks like it was transplanted from Versailles: Even with 450 guests the regal space has room for a large stage and dance floor. The royal treatment continues with customized menus, white-glove service, a first-rate downtown location, and 383 lavish guest rooms and suites. Looking for something a tad smaller? Fairmont’s three additional ballrooms, the Oval, St. James, and Venetian, are just as formal but more intimate in size. >> 138 St. James Ave., 617-267-5300, fairmont.com/copleyplaza

 

Photograph by Heather Parker

Photograph by Heather Parker

Industrial Appeal: Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation

Waltham, Massachusetts
Nearly 200 years after its construction, America’s first modern factory still stands on the banks of the Charles River in Waltham — and it’s perfect for unique nuptials. There’s an industrial flavor to this 19th-century textile mill: 50-foot ceilings, arched windows, period-style lighting, and exposed-brick walls. Couples can wed just across the wooden footbridge in Landry Park, then invite guests to the museum’s main exhibit area to nosh on hors d’oeuvres and cocktails while enjoying a healthy dose of Americana (thanks to the displays of modern-age inventions like telephones and fire engines). Move upstairs to the Jackson Room for dinner, river views, and music courtesy of a baby grand piano, and you’ll understand why this diamond in the rough earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. >> 154 Moody St., 781-893-5410, crmi.org