If you’re anything like me, the thought of having your wedding in a place with gross old hotel carpeting, country clubs, or locations that have multiple weddings a night is horrifying. Instead, you’re scouring the internet in the hopes of finding any solid lead on a nontraditional wedding venue in Rhode Island. Look no further! In my years of searching for my own wedding and experience as a wedding photographer, I’ve rounded up some of the best and most beautiful nontraditional wedding venues in this little state of Rhode Island just for you.
Industrial Wedding Venues in Rhode Island
Hope Artiste Village
One of my personal favorite venues to photograph in – this venue is located in Pawtucket in a beautiful artist loft space, next to the Met music venue. There are stunning windows that let in a ton of natural light, brick walls, concrete floors, a beautiful staircase outside of the main room, AND you can have your cocktail hour in the bowling alley upstairs – how freaking cool is that?
Dye House
I’ve been dye-ing to shoot a wedding here (see what I did there). This newcomer to the wedding scene is part event space and part boutique hotel so you can totally rent out the whole space for overnight accommodations and chic rooms to get ready in. Its origins are as part of the Weybosset Mills Complex, but it’s had many purposes over the past nearly 150 years, now as a stunning event space with original brick flooring, 20 ft ceilings, and huge windows giving a modern industrial vibe and a perfect blank slate for any wedding.
The WaterFire Arts Center
Located in the historic neighborhood of Olneyville in Providence, RI, The WaterFire Arts Center is a stunning refurbished manufacturing building with an industrial feel. It has original whitewashed brickwork, huge windows allowing tons of natural light to stream in, concrete floors, and some fun old machinery hanging from the extremely high ceilings. My favorite thing about this nontraditional venue (aside from the fact that industrial buildings are to die for) is that it’s a giant blank canvas. You can really get creative with floral, drapery, floor plans, and more. Bonus – they also are partnered with Russel Morin Catering – a well-respected caterer in New England.
The Steel Yard
The Steel Yard is a hidden gem of a venue located in Providence, RI in a beautiful industrial artists’ community surrounded by florists, designers, leather craftsman, and other creatives. This is a unique outdoor space where you can have a beautiful and relaxed ceremony in the courtyard and have food trucks or a small sit down dinner and dancing for your guests. Perfect venue for a more intimate celebration and for those couples who appreciate art and the history of the steel yard!
Bonus! If you love the Steel Yard vibes you should also check out ISCO next door!
Historic Wedding Venues in Rhode Island
The Providence Public Library
The Providence Public Library houses a gorgeous early 1900s building with a grand hall, stunning staircases, beautiful old bookshelves, and years of history. Located in the heart of downtown Providence, the Providence Public Library lends itself to stunning photos around the city and access to some great bars for an after party such as Trinity Brewhouse, Union Station, and AS220 to name a few. Once again, this location has a partnership with Russel Morin for all your catering and event coordination needs. If you love books and grand architecture this is absolutely the nontraditional venue for you!
Glen Manor House
Any Gatsby lovers out there? Glen Manor House was built in the 1920s as a family home in Portsmouth, RI on the old Glen Farm. It was designed by famed architect John Russel Pope – the same designer who created the Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C. There are many options for you to make use of for your wedding from their waterfront lawn to their covered patio, interior home to the well-manicured gardens. This home is perfect Rhode Island venue for a range of weddings from intimate to medium-sized and feels much less stuffy than some other mansions in the area so you can make it as formal or relaxed as you please!
Shepherd’s Run
This historic manor located in South Kingston, RI was built in the 1930s and is now home to a winery, inn, and event space. There are options for both indoor and outdoor events ranging from 30 to 300 guests in the event hall with gorgeous vaulted wood ceilings, under a sailcloth tent, in the garden, and more. This space is another one of those places where it’s stunning as it is so you can keep decor minimal or go all out and decorate it as you please with woods, blacks, and whites as your base to work off of.
Botanical Wedding Venues in Rhode Island
Blithewold Mansion, Gardens, & Arboretum
Blithewold is a venue located in Bristol, RI, is known for its stunning waterfront lawn and lush floral grounds including greenhouses, a bamboo grove, lover’s lane, and other botanical backdrops. You will want to leave lots of time for photos here! The ceremonies take place in the beautiful garden next to the mansion with a tented reception, and you also get full use of the mansion’s terrace for cocktail hour and more photos.
Roger Williams Botanical Center
The Roger Williams Botanical Center is a venue located in Providence, RI in the Roger Williams Park. No need to worry about rain here because the giant glass conservatory filled with exotic florals will make you feel like you’re outside while still controlling the environment. This location is beautiful year round – I even had a friend get married here on New Year’s Eve! Perfect for those that love nature but don’t want to risk mother nature’s wrath on their wedding day.
Coastal Wedding Venues in Rhode Island
The Towers
If you’ve ever been to the Narragansett town beach, you’ve likely driven under or near The Towers. The original version of The Towers was part of the Narraganset Pier Casino back in the late 1800s. It has suffered two fires since then and has been continually renovated to reflect the original design. This Rhode Island venue is a gorgeous landmark, historic building, and has the unique feature of a balcony that overlooks the ocean and windows that allow a relaxing sea breeze. The interior is entirely stone and wood giving it a sort of rustic/ industrial vibe while still being very much coastal. Once again, you can really put your personal stamp on this nontraditional venue going for an earthy, boho feel, nautical, fairytale – whatever floats your boat!
Dragonline Studios
This unique venue is situated on land that used to be owned by Benedict Arnold’s grandfather on a site called Bull Point – right next to Fort Wetherill State Park in Jamestown, RI. This gorgeous property is completely private allowing for a tented reception, use of the stunning studio loft-like building, surrounding smaller buildings, private beach, and most importantly – views of Narragansett Bay. This is the perfect location for someone who was thinking of getting married in Newport but wanted a little bit more privacy and seclusion from tourists. It has both a coastal and artistic feel and is the perfect poster child for a nontraditional wedding venue without making your guests feel out of place. (PS. If you’re thinking of getting married here, can I photograph it, please?)
Fort Adams
For those couples still wanting to get married in Newport but wanting something a little different than your standard resorts and hotels, Fort Adams is definitely the venue for you. There are options from waterfront lawns to coastal homes to the hip industrial fort itself for your ceremony with a tented reception. I mean come on – just look at that stunning vintage-vibe in the photograph. This screams nontraditional coastal to me!
Kinney Bungalow
Okay, so this one isn’t exactly on the coast, but it’s right near Scarborough State Beach, so it counts! This beautiful lofted venue boasts 360 degree views so you will always be able to look out and catch the sunset! This venue, located in Narragansett, RI, has a unique square design to it and is covered in windows and beautiful hardwoods. You can have your ceremony onsite at Sunset Farm or if you want to keep it coastal, you can say your vows down the road at Point Judith Lighthouse.
There you have it – 13 of the best nontraditional wedding venues in Rhode Island. Now there are a few others that I didn’t mention because even though they’re nontraditional as well, they don’t have any visible examples of weddings happening in them. It would require a bit more planning on your end, but if you’re up for it here are a few honorable mentions…
– Foolproof Brewing Company (courtyard)
Let me know which one is your favorite or if there is any sick nontraditional venue in Rhode Island that I missed?
Our son and his bride got married in the “bone room” at RISD. Only one wedding had taken place there before them. It was beautiful! Holds around 40 people, so very small. Their dinner was at the Dorrance (amazing food; also a beautiful space).