I recently attended a wedding here and it was a lovely venue. If you are looking for a place to hold a classy event i would strongly recommend looking into this location!! read more

What a beautiful place to have an event. Our guests were very happy and everything was beautiful. The house is old so there are a few rules and you really have to do everything. But it's worth it. We loved having an event there and will be back! Smaller events would be fantastic - maybe a dinner or some smaller function. The rooms are beautiful and tastefully decorated. read more

Commander's Mansion - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Watertown, Massachusetts

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As a wedding photographer, I had a chance to photograph a wedding here. The historic mansion is beautiful, grounds are well kept, and tent is pretty spacious. If you are getting married here, they have 2 separate rooms on the 2nd floor for girls and guys to get ready. read more

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I cannot imagine anyplace more perfect to be wed. My husband and I just celebrated our wedding this past weekend. I will get around to posting some pictures, but wanted to remark before then what a wonderful place this is. We had 80 guests (the indoor part of the mansion holds about 100). We wed outside in the Arbor which is just perfectly set up for an isle walk and had a tree for vows. Beautiful. Inside we had dinner upstairs, with a few rooms for guests to eat in. I was very relieved when I saw that there were his and hers suites to get ready in. Downstairs we had a bar, lots of room for dancing and seating rooms set up for relaxing. We even had boardgames upstairs for anyone who didn't want to dance. Chandeliers, beautiful wooden cabinets, mirrors, classic windows, doors and wallpaper. It really makes you feel like a princess. Not to mention the lovely staff. Tammy and Victoria helped us plan all the little details of the venue (where to put the tables, the bar, the chairs outside). On the day of we had Charlene as our coordinator at the venue and she made me feel very reassured. She was hiding behind the scenes making sure everything went smoothly, yet whenever I did run into her, she was like a member of our family, smiling, hugging or taking a picture. Very sweet! What they say when you tour the mansion is, "Your home for the day". It really felt that way every step of the way. Very happy this place will always feel like our home. read more

We had our wedding there this past weekend. So thankful the weather held up because this allowed us to utilize all the spaces at Commander's Mansion. We had the ceremony in the grape arbor area, the cocktail hour on the first floor of the mansion and the reception in the tent (that is always there). Rae and Tammy, coordinators at the mansion, are extremely helpful, pleasant and great to work with. They allow you to visit the house as much as you need to and respond quickly. On the day of, Tammy is very supportive of the bride and can answer questions about the house to the vendors. The mansion itself is gorgeous, and is a one stop place for an easy, fun wedding. They have free parking on site. The mansion is kept clean and in good condition. The landscape is beautiful and is perfect for pictures without any more decorations. Under the tent, there is brick paving under the tent (much better than grass). They have a bride's suite and groom's quite for getting ready. Overall, I can't recommend Commander's Mansion enough for those who want an easy, beautiful wedding that is reasonably priced. All of our guests were very impressed with the location and it has enough space for everything you could need on a wedding day. read more

My son and new daughter celebrated their marriage at the Commander's Mansion a few weeks ago. Instead of a traditional wedding, they wanted an afternoon tea dance, elegant yet relaxed, where they could really make the event their own. The Mansion was the perfect canvas, beautiful architecture with plenty of space for dancing and separate rooms for quiet conversations, kids activities, impromptu musical interludes and fabulous food. Tammy and Casey, the facility managers were so accommodating and helpful, yet the house seemed like our own home while we were there. They even let us borrow an antique typewriter which complimented the couple's literature-themed decorations beautifully. The whole experience was so different from the rigid and formulaic approach they encountered at most "wedding venues" and there was no wedding upcharge to the very reasonable rental rates. read more

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Not a great place to book an event, once you've paid your deposit the nice face turns on and the why are you bothering me face turns on.

I just got married here two weeks ago and it was awesome. You should probably get married here too. So, the mansion is beautiful and the grounds are ridiculous. I'm obviously biased but I think the setting is at least as pretty as any country club I've visited and without the snootiness. Go visit if you don't believe me. AND-- you have SO much more control over your event at the mansion than at typical venues. They do not have required vendors for anything except the tent and tables/chairs for the tent, though they can make a lot of suggestions. We used Blue Ribbon BBQ for the food, hired a separate service company, and shopped around for all of the booze. Being able to do this obviously saves some money, but it also let us pick and choose and make the party exactly how we wanted. Last, the staff is overall really awesome. We worked mostly with Rae and she was friendly, helpful as can be, and knowledgable. Unfortunately we did have a couple issues with another staff member who was just unpleasant to work with (like, openly rude to my mom, unwilling to come in to show the venue to us during the holidays since we live out of town when Rae was more than happy to, etc). I would remove a star for her if I weren't still on such a high from how fun the wedding was, so instead I'll just give potential event planners some advice: Stick with Rae. Anyway, if you're looking for a beautiful, not boring, flexible kind of place, have your wedding/event at the Commander's Mansion. Unless you're trying to have it on our 5 year anniversary, in which case you're outta luck because we are booking it right now for our anniversary party. WOO!! katy perry!! read more

I've been to several events at the Commander's Mansion- every time I'm delighted and amazed at the beauty of the place and the professionalism of the staff. read more

We had our wedding reception here about 3 weeks ago and it was amazing! I grew up in Watertown and wanted to have our reception close to home but also wanted to have a wedding at a venue with class and vintage charm. I had been to events at the Commander's mansion before and had my heart set on this venue even prior to our engagement. Once we were engaged it was the first place I looked into and we booked it! It truly was the best decision, we had an amazing day! Planning was a piece of cake. The staff were fantastic! We worked closely with Rae Grassia and she always got right back to us with answers to our questions, accommodated us anytime we wanted to tour the mansion, offered suggestions to help us personalize the venue and make our wedding what we wanted! She also had a lot of great insight into the vendors we worked with, she knew all of them and helped put everything together to run smoothly. On our wedding day, we entered the mansion and although it is a few streets away from the bustling town I grew up in I felt like I was in another place and time. I truly was magical. The mansion was set up perfectly and so was the tent. Our guests had the run of the place, sipping cocktails in the mansion, touring the grounds which are impeccably kept and then to the tent for dinner and dancing. Rae was the event manager on the night of our wedding and she helped us with everything! It was the perfect venue for our day and if I had to do it again I wouldn't do anything differently! read more

I recently got married at the Commander's Mansion and found it to be a wonderful experience. We decided in January to have our wedding in May (yes, less than 5 months) and the staff were very helpful making it all happen. There is a closed list of vendors that they require you use for the food and rentals, but the variety of types and styles of caterer is very wide and I think that anyone should be able to find a vendor to suit their wedding. We found our caterer through the mansion's Wedding and Events showcase and were surprised with the variety of options available. Details: - We had a small wedding with about 40 guests. The ceremony was held upstairs and the reception was held downstairs. The buffet was set up in the study and the drinks and dessert were set up in the dining room. There is a full kitchen that the caterers had access to and used. The reception was held in the front and back parlors which make for one big room. We didn't have any dancing but it was suggested that we supply some music and a way to play it so that there wouldn't be any awkward moments if it suddenly got quiet while eating. - Tables and chairs are provided for indoor use only. The tables fit 7 people comfortably. There were more than enough chairs for our guests. Linens, silverware, plates, cups, etc. are not provided. - The furniture can be moved from the rooms to other areas of the mansion if needed and our caterer and the staffed did this for us. There is a credenza in the main hallway that makes for a great favors staging area and we also put our card box there. - Our guests had some time to explore the mansion during a cocktail hour and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. There was no shortage of great places for both romantic and silly photos. Some of our guests also stayed in the main hallway where our caterer set up cheese and crackers and some high-tops. - I got sent an invoice the day after the wedding and had the option to pay by credit card, which I did. My payment was processed almost immediately. - I found the rental price extremely reasonable. I paid the lowest rate because I had everything inside and on a weekday. I also saved money by using the provided tables and chairs. read more

My wife and I got married at Commander's Mansion last weekend, and everything about it was perfect! Casey, Tammy, and Charlene were so helpful as we figured out all of the details over many months--and our guests were blown away by how beautiful the house, the tent, the grape arbor, and the grounds are. It was everything we hoped for and more! We had such a wonderful day. If only we could do it all over again! read more

My husband and I recently had a wedding celebration/baby shower there for ~100 adults and ~25 kids. In short, it was the perfect place. There are a couple smaller rooms where we set up finger-food and cake, and then a larger dining room where our guests could comfortably sit and enjoy. The house is very inviting to explore and the staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. Many of our guests from the area were impressed, and said they had wished they had known it was there. They also have some beautiful grounds with a veranda and plenty of space for kids to run around (if that isn't enough there's a playground across the street). The whole thing was a casual and classy - perfect for what we wanted. They were very accommodating and I would use the space again in a heartbeat if we had the occasion. read more

This is definitely not the review I had hoped to write. I had my wedding at the Commander's Mansion last month and I am so disappointed. We had planned to get ready and take pictures at the Commander's Mansion prior to the ceremony and reception. We arrived on schedule with our entire wedding party and no one was there. The mansion was locked. I frantically tried to call anyone I could to find out what was going on and no one answered. Finally, 45 minutes of standing with family and friends outside in the summer, our day of coordinator showed up. I had never met her before and she neither introduced herself nor apologized, over the entire course of the evening. The show went on and the venue is beautiful but I would caution any couple away from the agonizing minutes of wondering whether or not the wedding will happen. The lack of customer service really added insult to injury. The Commander's Mansion has provided a myriad of excuses as to why this would happen. In the end they have agreed to cover the overage charges we incurred (as opposed to refunding us any amount) but I really didn't feel as though they were forthcoming with that solution. Lots of Boston venues are beautiful. Don't waste your time here. (Note Rae, who has great reviews, left the mansion staff this year. I have a feeling the mansion is a lesser place without her.) read more

My wife and I recently were married at Commander's and had a great experience. From the day we visited a year before the ceremony to the day of, Tammy and Rae were extremely helpful and patient with our many questions throughout the process. We used the tent for the reception and everything was great and the facility as a whole is VERY reasonably priced. I'd absolutely recommend the Commander's Mansion for any event. read more

Perfect venue for a wedding on a budget or a bride who wants to create a beautiful reception away from the cookie-cutter hotel banquet halls! This was an incredible location for our May wedding! The grape arbor outside was the perfect setting for our ceremony and the Mansion provided ample space for our luncheon reception. The staff at the Mansion is very easy to work with and will help make your day run smoothly--you won't have to think about a thing! As an out-of-town bride trying to plan my wedding from Washington, DC I really appreciated how communicative and responsive Tammy and the rest of the Mansion staff was whenever I had a question or concern about the wedding. Once we found out that the Walk for Hunger would be taking place on my wedding day and that Arsenal Park would be one of the pit-stops, I was a little worried about the extra 40,000 people milling about the Arsenal, but Tammy and her crew took care of everything--posting extra security at the entrance to the Mansion to ensure no one crashed or stole our guests parking spaces. We never even noticed the event and our outdoor ceremony went off without a hitch! The Mansion was also great to work with because they were so flexible, letting this DIY bride bring over all my supplies two days early to store in the office and offering to return our cake stand to the nearby bakery after the wedding. The Mansion and grounds are beautiful and so well-maintained. We looked at other state-owned properties in the area, but none were as beautiful and spacious as the Commanders Mansion. Our outdoor pictures are gorgeous and the lighting in the bride's suite was perfect for the "getting ready" pictures. Overall, I would highly recommend the Commanders Mansion for a wedding or any special event. They will work with you to make your day special and they are so flexible about how you use the space--it's yours to use however you'd like to! A bonus: because the interior is so pretty you'll definitely save on the decorations. read more

We loved the commanders mansion! This place was absolutely perfect. It had ambiance, character and a layout that I truly desired. So many times you go to a wedding and it is just one giant ball room, not for me. I wanted intimacy, elegance and more importantly I didn't want my guests to have to yell over the music. To note, I wanted a dance floor! The Commanders Mansion offered everything I was looking for, and at a reasonable price for "Boston" area. The staff was incredible as well, they made us feel so special. I adore Tammy. To note my husband and I were married almost 2 years ago and our guests still talk about our wedding. I am a bit of a perfectionist so this always gives me great pleasure. The first room downstairs on the left, we kept the French Doors open and had our DJ in there and setup high cocktail rounds for the Hors D'ouvres for cocktail hour. We had setup the bar in the study to the left so it was more private but accessible and guests could step out from there on the side patio. Dinner was served upstairs in each of the rooms and it offered elegance, ambiance and intimacy that I truly loved. It was meticulously done and guests mentioned they felt so special like they were out for fine dinning. Our caterers Forklift Catering did an awesome job with this. After dinner we resumed downstairs for dancing, drinks etc. One of the rooms upstairs was transformed to a lounge, it offered guests a quiet space to play board games, have a scotch and sit and chat. We also used part of the main room downstairs to have the sofa's placed so guests could sit and watch dancing while the other have of the room was reserved for dancing. Again, this is where the bar was fabulous because it was off in another room, guests could mingle and not compete with our awesome DJ. Our wedding photos were stunning because this place has so much history and stature. Book here you will be so delighted. read more