Winthrop Estate Foyer, ready for the party

This foyer picture looks South, through the French doors to the verandah and Great Lawn. This room stays quite cool in the summer, and was lovely on hot days even before we added the a/c. The building is mostly a stone façade on the first floor, and this room does not get much passive solar hear and it is the coolest place in the whole house. I remember hanging out with friends in the foyer the first year we were at the estate, before we did any restoration, one summer evening marveling at the heat outside. Now the estate is fully air-conditioned and we revealed the wood floor you see here a few years ago. This space is very popular for mingling and socializing. It’s ready for you. Photo by Konrad Brattke

Verandah with Mist, early morning

This picture was taken in 2004 and continues to evoke the morning magic of being at a country estate. When you see the mist rising from the ground in the morning, and rising up from the valley to the west, you can hear many birds singing.

The Music Room

The Music Room is usually used as a living room. However, the room changes depending on the guests. It has had a cabaret singer who played the piano and lead a sing-along for a musical family on their reunion weekend; it has held a 8’ Christmas tree; it has hosted a wedding ceremony on New Year’s Eve for a group of 24; it has held talented musicians from major symphonies (such as the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra) for intimate concerts (to see more about programs we host, see www.LenoxAthenaeum.org/~lenoxath/pastevents.html); it can accommodate a poker table (or 5); it can be a dance floor for a newly married bride and groom.

This part of the estate always surprises guests. The Winthrop Estate may be an old property (the mansion was built in the 1920s), and while we’ve done everything to retain it’s charm, we’ve also made some upgrades. In addition to this exercise space, we also have a massage room right next to the exercise room. A bride once brought in two masseuses and the entire bridal party enjoyed half-hour massages on the morning of the wedding!

Our new driveway finally got completed this month. It sure makes driving in very impressive Especially for a 150 person wedding!

The Winthrop Estate sure is perfect for that special wedding!

For a city wedding, you rent a function space for about five hours, invites guests for a meal and dancing, and the bride and groom and family spend time with their guests and celebrate for about five hours.  But when you plan a destination wedding, you plan a whole weekend, and everyone has a totally different experience. Most importantly, the bride and groom get to spend time with family and friends on Friday night, Saturday morning, afternoon and night, and Sunday morning. You can even plan for it to be longer than a week.

Destination weddings are all  about the people- your relationships.  A destination wedding gives everyone a vacation and more time to spend with each other. Isn’t that the purpose of having a wedding celebration after all? I think the most important and meaningful aspect of a wedding is being with friends and family and celebrating together.  The food and music are nice, and we couldn’t do without them, but the memories and the moments are created by and with the people, your friends and family.

A Whole New Experience
When you rent a private estate for a weekend, you get a large home to welcome and host your guests.  Friends stop by “your home” on Friday night as they get into town.  They enjoy a light meal (maybe a buffet), a drink and some time to catch up.  On Saturday, you might invite your guests for lemonade and Frisbee on “your lawn”, or a card game in your living room.  You might treat your bridal party to massages in “your massage room” or just spend time with friends on the couch.  Saturday afternoon you would enjoy a lovely ceremony (set up by the estate staff, you don’t have to lift a finger) and a delicious meal and dancing.  Unlike a function hall, you do not have to leave after the dancing.  Those who like to stay up late and talk can continue with the wedding energy and enjoy more social time in “your library or conservatory” with midnight sliders and milkshakes, or whatever you enjoy.  On Sunday, you have another opportunity to make memories and have meaningful conversations with your guests as you host a farewell brunch and again welcome guests into “your dining room” to enjoy your favorite foods.

The Advantages of choosing the Winthrop Estate

• You do not pay bar prices for your drinks.  You basically get to pay for all your alcohol at retail prices.
• You can choose your caterer, so it’s up to you whether  you want to make the menu simple or elaborate. Unlike fancy hotels, there are no food and beverage minimum fees at the Winthrop Estate.
• When you rent the Winthrop Estate, you get exclusive use of the estate (think privacy), use of 11 bedrooms for two nights, a venue to  can host the rehearsal dinner,  Saturday afternoon activities, a ceremony, a reception, and an after-party and farewell brunch without any extra fees.  The estate staff takes care of the event coordination, set up and the clean up. You don’t have to worry about a thing, and can focus all your attention to having a good time.
• You will not have a cookie-cutter wedding.  Each weekend wedding reflects the bride and groom’s personality and choices.  You can arrange for a wedding planner to do everything after consulting with you, or  you yourself can make decisions about all the details and tailor everything to suit your style and taste.

By choosing a destination wedding, you’ll find your self spending almost the same as a hotel wedding. But you’re guaranteed a special, incredible wedding experience.  You get a lot more time with your friends and family, and an incredible weekend full of memories to cherish forever. Who wouldn’t want that?