VT Wedding Venue: The Hildene

The Hildene is a beautiful historic mansion located in Manchester, VT. The house was build by Abraham and Mary Lincoln's son, Robert in 1905. During the day the house and stunning gardens are open to the public to tour. Starting at 5:30 pm the grounds are turned over to wedding parties to hold ceremonies and receptions. The most notable thing about the Hildene, besides its history, are the gardens. They are perfectly manicured and a wonderful place to hold your ceremony. The facility is large enough to hold 250 people, using a tent. The rental fee only gets you the facility and you have to use their exclusive catering company, Pangaea Restaurant. You also are required to use their exclusive florist, Nancy Bishop Floral Design. They include tables, chairs, and a dance floor but pretty much everything else has to be rented. The thing that prevented us from considering this as a venue was the cost. To rent just the facility for a Friday, Saturday or Sunday wedding is $12,000! It was just too much for us. I would recommend this place to anyone who would like a historic garden wedding, has a large party and big budget. Details below!

Information		Comments
The Venue: The Hildene		The house was build by Abe Lincoln's son, so very historic.
Location: Manchester, VT		Touristy VT town, with cute upscale shopping, B&B's and restaurants.
Rental Season: No prime season specified.
Ceremony Onsite: Yes, outdoors or inside.		Most have the ceremony outside in the famous gardens.
Capacity: up to 250.		This includes the house and event tent.
Guest Min Required? None specified.
Bridal/Groom Rooms? No, you must get ready offsite.
Function Rental Fee: Fri-Sun $12,000, Mon-Thur: $4,000		The rental is for 6 hours starting at 5:30 pm for the ceremony and ending at 11:30 pm.
Overtime Fee: Not offered.
Ceremony Fee: Included in facility fee.
Catering: Food done by 1 exclusive caterer.
Alcohol: No details given, I assume done by caterer as well.
Food/Beverage Min? No
Bar Fee: None
Extra Fees: No additional tax is mentioned for the rental fee.		They have an exclusive florist you must use.
Accommodations: None
Venue Contact: Sheila Burks		burks@hildene.org