Hildene Estate Wedding in Manchester, VT

Kelsey and Scott’s Hildene Estate wedding in Manchester, VT was nothing short of breathtaking. This was our first time documenting a wedding at this outdoor venue and we were completely smitten. The manicured gardens and scenic landscape at the Hildene was the perfect backdrop for our style of fine art wedding photography, and the light was absolutely magical. Even the wedding guests during the outdoor cocktail hour were commenting on the light, which is usually only a topic of conversation among nerdy photographers! This is the second wedding we’ve had the honor of documenting for a Stone family member… we photographed Kelsey’s cousin’s beach wedding on Cape Cod a few years ago and were so flattered to be invited to another Stone wedding!

Bride and groom at the Hildene in Vermont.

View of the gardens at the Hildene wedding venue in Manchester, VT.

Bride details of dress and shoes at the Equinox Resort in VT.

Artistic wedding photo of bride at the Equinox in Manchester, VT.

Documentary photo of father seeing daughter for the first time on wedding day at the Equinox Resort in VT.

Artistic reflection photo of bride on the wedding day at the Equinox Resort in Manchester, VT.

Bridal party leaving the Charles Orvis Inn on the wedding day in VT.

Inside of St. Paul's Church in Manchester, VT for wedding.

Wedding ceremony photos at St. Paul's Church in Manchester, VT.

Candid photo of the bride with wedding guests at the Hildene in Manchester, VT.

Artistic black and white photo of bride and groom with guests at their outdoor wedding at the Hildene in Manchester, VT.

Great candid wedding photo of the father of the groom with friends at the Hildene in Manchester, VT.

Bride and groom hug guests during their receiving line at the St. Paul's Church in Manchester, VT.

Hildene VT wedding photography, great view of gardens and cocktail hour area.

Birch place cards at wedding reception at the Hildene in VT.

Reception dinner tent set up at the Hildene in Manchester, VT for an outdoor estate wedding.

Handmade guest book for an estate wedding at the Hildene in VT.

Ben and Jerry's cart set up in the tent at the Hildene for a summer wedding in VT.

Documentary photo of the bride and groom at their estate wedding at the Hildene in Manchester, VT.

Funny groomsmen photo at the estate wedding venue at the Hildene in VT.

Bridesmaids in sea green dresses at a summer wedding at the Hildene Estate venue in Manchester, VT.

Ethereal wedding photo of bride and groom in the garden at the Hildene Estate in Manchester, VT.

Fine art wedding photography of bride and groom at the scenic Hildene Estate venue in Manchester, VT.

Hipster wedding photography at the Hildene in Manchester, VT.

Unique wedding rings photo on tree stump at the Hildene in Manchester, VT.

Great candid moment of wedding guest hugging the bride at the Hildene in VT.

Documentary wedding photography of guests at the Hildene in Manchester, VT.

Sweet family photo with baby at the Hildene Estate wedding venue in Manchester, VT.

Great photo of Colgate college friends at a Hildene wedding in Manchester, VT.

View of the reception tent set up at the Hildene Estate wedding venue in Manchester, VT.

View of the green mountains from the Hildene Linoln Family Home wedding venue in VT.

The band K2 performs at the Hildene Estate wedding venue in Manchester, VT.

Hilarious toast photo of best man giving speech at a Hildene wedding in VT.

Guests laughing during wedding speeches in the tent at the Hildene in Manchester, VT.

Documentary photo of the bride laughing during the maid of honor speech at the Hildene in VT.

Photo of the groomsmen doing a ski shot in front of wedding guests during speeches at the Hildene in VT.

Groomsmen taking a ski shot whiskey drink during the toasts at the Hildene in VT.

Candid moments during the speeches at the Hildene in VT.

Artistic wedding photography at the Hildene in VT.

Best wedding photo of the band K2 singing with a kid at the wedding reception at the Hildene in VT.

Documentary wedding photo of couple dancing during the wedding reception at the Hildene.

Bride and groom cut the cake during the wedding reception at the Hildene.

Twilight view of the tent during dancing at the Hildene in Manchester, VT.

More about Kelsey and Scott’s Estate Wedding…

Both Kelsey and Scott prepared for the day at the Equinox Resort in downtown Manchester, VT, and had their ceremony nearby at St. Paul’s Church. Guests then headed to the Hildene for cocktails in the garden, followed by a tented reception in the field. One of the most unique things about this estate venue was that it originally belonged to Abraham Lincoln’s son. Members of the Lincoln family actually lived at the house until 1975! The inside of the house has since been turned into a museum, and wedding guests could tour the home and even see one of (only three in the country) Lincoln’s stovepipe hats. Also, FYI to Scott’s mom–I did eventually sneak upstairs to see the hat for myself! :)

Sometimes I think estate weddings can conjure up feelings of “overly fancy”, but Kelsey and Scott created a very relaxed and laid back feel to their reception. They really let the natural beauty of the area be the focus for their wedding, and used simple natural decorations like birch bark place cards (handmade by Kelsey’s mom!) and pastel floral centerpieces designed by Lily of the Valley Florist at the tables.

Congratulations to these happy newlyweds. We had a wonderful time spending the day with the two of you, and your incredibly kind family members and friends!

Thanks to the following vendors who helped make this day so incredible:

Nicole Brock, coordinator at the Hildene

Florist – Lily of the Valley

Appetizers, Dinner and Desserts – Pangaea Catering

Birch place cards – Handmade by bride’s mom!

Hair and Makeup – The Green Door Day Spa & Salon

Bride’s shoes – Sole Society

Bride’s dress – Monique Lhuillier

Bridesmaids dresses – J.Crew

Groom/Groomsmen ties – Vineyard Vines

Engagement ring – Cynthia Britt

Wedding Bands – Tiffany’s

Band – K2

Ice Cream – Ben & Jerry’s

Bridesmaid Vermont bags – Maptote

Guest book – Handmade by groom’s aunt!