The Gardens At Uncanoonuc Mountain, located in Goffstown, is the perfect garden wedding venue in New Hampshire. Let me explain why. Truly, nothing says “summer” quite like this stunning oasis.
The Gardens At Uncanoonuc is a gorgeous 15-acre outdoor venue, and offer the perfect space to couples and up to 200 of their guests nestled in Goffstown, New Hampshire.
I remember when this venue was in the very beginning stages of becoming a venue. Now, it has grown into one of my favorite places to document both micro-weddings to larger wedding days.
It is what I like to call my “home-away-from-home.”
Let’s dive into all the reasons why I absolutely adore this venue and why you and your guests will love it, too. I’ll also show some of my favorite moments throughout the years—using both film and digital photography.
Why The Gardens At Uncoonuc Mountain Is The Perfect Garden Wedding Venue In New Hampshire
The Location
There are so many considerations that go into planning your wedding day. So, when you’re trying to find the perfect garden wedding venue in New Hampshire, “location” is a huge factor!
Located in Goffstown, New Hampshire, The Gardens offers a quite oasis space for you and your guests. While it is set away from the typical “hustle and bustle”, it is also conveniently located— less than 30 minutes from Manchester, New Hampshire. Here are the key factors that make The Gardens stand out with location alone:
- Less than 30 minutes from downtown Manchester
- Close to the city, but you get the serene and magical garden experience
- Easy access point for your out-of-town guests with the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport
- Select hotels have partnered with The Gardens, making finding accommodations easy for both you and your guests. It is also a great location to get your hair and makeup done before heading to the venue
- A sense of privacy and peace. It is on a quiet road with really nothing else going on around them. It’s perfect for couples who want to offer a quiet yet elegant space to celebrate their wedding day.
The Garden Spaces
Another reason why The Gardens is the perfect garden venue, is because of their established garden spaces. Open from May through October, there is not a single time of wedding season the gardens isn’t showing off.
Every section of this venue is carefully kept and cared for throughout the year. I have never seen more stunning roses or peonies in my life.
Seriously…they are swoon worthy and the smell alone will stop you in your tracks.
Even after having photographed here for seven years…it still never gets old walking through each section of the The Gardens—let alone experiencing them as they change with each season.
Taking your wedding portraits or your group formals is effortless for literally anywhere you choose. Here are my favorite locations for group photos and wedding portraits throughout the venue:
- The Rose Garden
- The Hydrangeas
- The Stroll Garden
- The Woodland Garden
- Nettie’s Garden
- Everything in-between
The Cottage Suite At The Gardens At Uncanoonuc Mountain
This “getting ready” suite is a dream. The lighting, the stone brick floors, the plant wall, the air-conditioning (haha). It truly has so much charm. The size of the space is great for those final getting ready photos as well as documenting all your beautiful wedding details.
This space is also very central to the venue as a whole, making it perfect to have your wedding party wait while preparing for your ceremony.
Having Multiple Options For Your “First Look” Location
I am a sucker for a first look, so having a perfect location for them on your wedding day is essential. I absolutely love that there are multiple perfect options for couples, which also helps if there are a few first looks planned (i.e. first looks with family and with you and your fiancé).
1. Outside The Cottage
This is perfect if you want to have a very natural transition from you getting ready to your first look. It keeps you hidden enough from guests that are coming in from the opposite side of the cottage, and you also have a quick “get away” should you need to hide for whatever reason and go back into the cottage.
It isn’t the most private option in comparison to The Stroll Garden, but with proper planning and communication with your wedding party and family, you can make it private
2. The Stroll Garden
The Stroll Garden is closest to the entrance of The Gardens, but it is a tucked away “haven” that offers the perfect amount of privacy from the rest of the venue. I love this options for my couples who either want to have a more private first look, would like to read private vows, or simply want a moment with each other without the rest of their family and wedding party around.
Guests cannot see you while you are in “The Stroll Garden”, but you do have to walk back to the cottage without being seen.
Another benefit to “The Stroll Garden” is that there is a larger garden section right at its base that makes it a perfect transition into some pre-ceremony group formals.
3. The Rose Garden
I adore this location for a first look, especially in the summer when the roses are looking their best. The only downside I have found to doing a first look in “The Rose Garden” is that the sun is normally directly over you, and summer can get quite hot. It is also directly in view for any guests or family you may be choosing to hide from before your ceremony. If you don’t mind both of those things, however, you have another beautiful option!
4. Nettie’s Garden
I love “Nettie’s Garden” for wedding portraits, but based on my experience, the time of year for your wedding really counts here for whether or not it is a great option for your first look. Depending on the year and time of your ceremony, the lighting is usually best after your ceremony here.
Having Multiple Options For Your Ceremony Location
When choosing the perfect garden wedding venue, you’re going to want options for your ceremony that logistically make sense. The Gardens At Uncanoonuc offers arguably the most options for your ceremony location—making it truly customizable and fitted to your vision. Here are the options and my personal thoughts on each from a photography perspective:
1. The Great Pine
Honestly one of the earliest and most popular ceremony choices for The Gardens, and for good reason!
The Great Pine is magnificent.
With a newly designed stone platform, this is a nice option for couples who would like a little shade during their ceremony, but note that this doesn’t normally include the guests (also…this is very season and time-of-date dependent). From a photography perspective, you have the recessional photographed with the hydrangeas in the background (stunning).
The only con to this that some couples may have the reception tent in the background. I normally get multiple perspectives to offer variety, but it is still going to be there.
2. The Hydrangeas
Okay, now just “swap” where the guests are facing from The Great Pine to the wall of stunning hydrangeas….
Holy moly are these hydrangeas BEAUTIFUL.
The Gardens team recently included a permanent arch for couples to choose this wall of florals as their backdrop. I have no complaints…it is perfect in every way.
Bonus? You have the Great Pine for the recessional!
My one note is that (again), time-of-year and weather dependent—you will have no shade. Is it worth it considering you are getting married in a stunning garden space?
Umm…yes.
Maybe offer some fans for your guests, though (and maybe think of keeping your ceremony under 30 minutes with this option).
3. The Woodland Garden
I loveeee the “Woodland Garden” for ceremonies. I also believe that as I write this, The Gardens team is planning to create corner section with a platform for ceremonies to happen there—making it a bit more ceremony-friendly from the current wood chips and similar to the platform designed for The Great Pine (with the platform being flush with the ground).
Heyo…that was top insider knowledge that you’re now in the “know” about (hehe)
4. The Rose Garden
“The Rose Garden” is great for smaller standing ceremonies (micro-weddings), but is predominantly used as a cocktail hour highlight or stunning wedding portrait backdrop.
5. The Pavilion
Primarily used for a centerpiece for cocktail hour, but it can be an option for less than ideal weather conditions. Also very popular for the more intimate style wedding days
Unique Features
Besides the garden spaces that are just breathtaking alone to experience, here are some other things that The Gardens offer that I just find really unique or special for wedding days:
- The fire pit — it is the perfect way to transition the reception portion of the night. The dance floor is rocking, the stars are showing off in the night sky. Why not add a fire for guests to cozy up to?
- Hanging string lights in “The Woodland Garden” — ummm…dreamy. That’s all I can say. It is the most beautiful thing to witness at night when you’re just feeling all the “feels”.
- Perfect cocktail hour experience — truly fantastic options for your guests to experience cocktail hour. You can roam and take your portraits knowing that your guests are perfectly happy playing lawn games and touring the gardens
- Onsite rentals — The Gardens also offers a wide arrange of rentals on-site. I am not as familiar about this realm, but I highly recommend talking about what they offer. Every little thing that you can rent from them is one less thing you have to worry about finding or bringing to your wedding day.
- Flexibility — where many venues have a couple options for your ceremony + general set-up for the day, The Gardens has multiple. Not multiple “eh-okay” options—multiple “holy moly” options. The Garden team is also there to help support your vision for your day, which takes a lot of pressure off of you trying to figure out everything for yourself.
- Bars — there are multiple bars that are already onsite for your day that are rentable!
- Sailcloth reception tents — depending on the size of your wedding (and type), the tent is another thing you will not need to worry about!
- Parking — They literally have their own large guest parking lot. SO much room and lower stress for your guests when they arrive to your day. If you’re investing in transportation, this is less of a worry, but still good to have!
- The “Fun” Factor — Honestly, just a 10/10 fun wedding venue.
- Walkability — this venue is large enough to have endless things to look at and experience, but is still walkable for you and your guests. Should you have guests that need help moving around the venue, the team also offers golf-cart transportation (like I said…they’re awesome like that)
- Onsite “basically-royalty” bathrooms — y’all…these bathrooms are bougie. They have music and everything.
Accommodating Multiple-Sized Wedding Days
The Gardens is perfect for couples looking to simply elope, host a micro-wedding, or to have up to 200 guests on their day. Traditionally, there have been these options:
- Elopements – you, your love, and your photographer (*wink wink*)
- Micro Weddings – ceremony only, up to 75 guests
- Intimate Wedding + Intimate Tented Weddings – this is for couples who wish to have an intimate wedding with up to 35 guests, or have an intimate tented wedding that can accommodate up to 75 guests
- Full Tented Weddings – can accommodate up to 200 guests
For more information regarding what they offer, you can visit their informational page here.
The Gardens Team
The team at The Gardens is truly unlike any other, and I can tell you that this has never waivers even after seven years of personally photographing wedding days here. The team is what I call “heart centered”—supportive, attentive, and incredibly invested in their couples.
Thinking The Gardens May Be Your Perfect Wedding Venue?
It has been 7 years that I have documented my first stunning wedding days at The Gardens.
I remember working at Apotheca Flowers and decorating baked goods for The Gardens’ first styled editorial shoot right before they first opened their books.
Similarly, I can also vividly remember my wedding days there (shout out to my amazing couples from these past seven years…you are amazing).
While I may not be part of The Gardens team—they are family. I cannot emphasize their graces enough, and can confidently say they have the heart in this vendor world and would do anything for their couples.
Listen To Their Episode on The New England Wed Podcast
Interested in learning a bit more before reaching out to them? You can listen to their guest appearance on my podcast, The New England Wed — “S1 Ep 4: “The Garden Way” At The Gardens At Uncanoonuc Mountain on Spotify (aired 4/20/2022)
Still Searching For Your NH Wedding Venue? Start Here.
Whether The Gardens at Uncanoonuc Mountain is the absolute perfect fit for your wedding day, or it’s not—it is 100% worth visiting to find out. If it hasn’t already been established, I love this venue so, so much. It isn’t just romantic and stunning for obvious reasons—it also feels like “home”. I have been raving about The Gardens for years, but I love every opportunity to work with couples who choose to have their wedding day here.
If you find yourself reading this, and it eventually brings you to a tour of The Gardens, definitely tell them I say “hi!!” (will likely be Lisa hehe).
And, if you’re planning your wedding at The Gardens at Uncanoonuc and happen to mention my name when you book, I offer a special thank-you pricing for your photography collection. It’s simply my way of celebrating couples who feel aligned with both the space and my approach to documenting the day.
Reach out and tell me all the “things” so we can nerd out about your day and celebrate you finding your wedding day “home.”
Say hello, here!
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