a COMPLETE guide to getting married in MYSTIC & SOUTHEASTERN Connecticut

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Lodging

Mystic Restaurants & Caterers 

Best Venues in Mystic & Southeastern Connecticut

Other Mystic Wedding Vendors for Your Wedding

Activities for Guests

Engagement Session Information

What Season to Get Married in Mystic?

Getting to Mystic, Connecticut

Marriage License Info

As a Mystic Wedding Photographer, one of the sweetest parts of my husband and mine’s relationship is the way Mystic is woven into each of our love-story-chapters. I grew up sailing to Mystic as a little girl, and the first night I met my now hubby we went bar-hopping in downtown Mystic (it looked a lot different than it does today!) and now we bring our two kiddos here to walk the streets and enjoy coffee and pastries on the regular. From our first night as two single young-ish individuals right to tying the knot and becoming one in the place we love, Mystic will always hold a piece of my heart and sharing it with our little ones is super special. Mystic is the coastal town that provided the most serene, simple, and calming backdrop for the start of our married commitment and led the journey of our family. Since our own wedding, I’ve now had the pleasure of working here for many years and collaborating with incredible local businesses and wedding industry vendors. One of the really kind of fun aspects of Mystic is that it doesn’t really exist. What I mean by that is that while it’s technically a village it’s comprised of two towns (Stonington and Groton) for what we understand to be Mystic. I believe the technical term is a “census-designated place,” which seems is a fancy way for the government to give voice to the historical settlement of a place and the local recognition of what that place is - officially: CDPs are a statistical geography representing closely settled, unincorporated communities that are locally recognized and identified by name. I digress. The reason this is cool for our purposes here? In my mind when I think of Mystic I think of the coastal community that in some way encompasses a lot more than just the downtown area by the famous bridge (Bascule Bridge is an incredible counterweighted bridge that my husband and I are pictured with here - I’ve spent so much time walking the area that I often forget just how unique it is but it’s truly worth checking out). This fact about the geography of Mystic is why you’ll hear me chat about Stonington, Groton, Waterford (think Eolia Mansion) - Southeastern, Connecticut, and honestly even a bit of Westerly and Watch Hill, Rhode Island in this guide. So basically, if you’re looking to get married with a hint of saltwater taste, the breeze in your hair, and to work with a team of creatives that are rooted in this coastal area with an appreciation for the maritime charm and history this is your guide. While it definitely isn’t all MYSTIC it’s real hard to separate this coastal area out and some of the great wedding venues and vendors are right on the coast and some are a bit inland. They’re all a part of the fam.

I may be a bit biased, but getting married in Mystic, Connecticut really is wonderful. If you read through this guide and have questions or would like to connect with a local gal, feel free to reach out using the Contact form linked at the bottom!

ACTIVITIES FOR GUESTS

A couple of the wonderful aspects of getting married in the Mystic area (again, I’m aware of my incredible bias as a Mystic Wedding Photographer that was married in Mystic - I’m owning it) is that it often creates a wonderful little destination getaway for many of your guests. Unless you live in the area you really can play up the destination wedding feel of Mystic because it’s very well structured for tourism and a great unforgettable weekend away - can we also just take a second to appreciate that Mystic, Connecticut was just listed by USA Today as one of the top 10 2023 summer travel destinations? Here for it. Except you’ll actually find me out and about in Mystic more in the winter months, personally, more on that in a little bit. Which it seems now would be the appropriate time to mention that Hallmark Channel just finished filming Mystic Christmas, which will premiere on the Hallmark Channel this holiday season. This place really is starting to get the quaint-new-england-town-recognition it deserves.

The other benefit to tying the knot here in our maritime village is it makes for a great place to come back to for your anniversary. Built in celebration spot for life (I think the new USA Today list confirms it, if I haven’t already)! So here are some ideas for you or your guests while they’re visiting the area.

ATTRACTIONS:

Mystic Aquarium: As I’m quite certain our membership to the Mystic Aquarium was much of the reason we got through the pandemic with a toddler, I have to mention it here. Not only is it a great place to go and visit, it’s also an option for your wedding venue! And right across from the Mystic Aquarium is…

Olde Mistick Village which is definitely worth a little detour. Walk around, enjoy the ducks, grab a coffee from Deviant Donuts, some olive oil and honey from Sticky Situations to take home, and a pizza from Mango’s (I promise you won’t regret it). When my husband and I were married in Mystic we put together some DIY gift bags for our guests that included a map of the village from the Service Center and it was a huge hit especially for guests that were visiting Mystic, Connecticut for the first time.

Mystic Seaport: I worked in the marine and boating industry when I first moved to the Mystic area and grounding yourself in the history of this coastal town is an important piece of understanding the culture. The Seaport is a great place to walk around and take a bit of a step back in time.

OUTDOOR RECREATION:

Bluff Point State Park: Worth checking out for some outdoor time while you’re here! A great place to go for a beautiful coastal walk, Bluff has wooded paths as well as a gorgeous stretch along the coast. The further you make it out towards the point, the more stunning the views of the Long Island Sound. Our family is often here to walk, run and bike and it’s a family favorite for some outdoor time.

MYSTIC ENGAGEMENT SESSION

If you found your way here because you are simply looking to take engagement photos in the Mystic area then I have some ideas! Downtown Mystic is a great area for a wide variety of backdrops to give a robust gallery. Working with someone local is really key. While Mystic can feel serene in the right season when there aren’t a lot of people bustling in the streets, during the months that are typically warmer and more comfortable for engagement photos you’ll benefit from working with someone who really knows the side streets and alleys.

In addition to downtown Mystic, Stonington Borough is one of my favorite local spots - again, Stonington is an area that requires having photographed a bit before to understand the best way to tackle an hour session with sunset lighting and hidden publicly accessible areas. And of course, there’s always Harkness Memorial State Park which is a highly photographed area - Harkness is home to the Eolia Mansion and does provide not only a variety of backdrops but also a lot of space, which basically means that even though there are often upwards of 15-20 sessions happening on a Friday or Saturday evening because the grounds are so large you may not feel like there are that many people there. That is until about sunset time when everyone is inevitably on the beach for sunset photos.

IS THERE A BEST SEASON TO GET MARRIED IN MYSTIC?

Truly, any. That being said, there are a few things to consider with each of the seasons and we’ll take a minute to chat about the things to think about below!

Summer

We’ll start with summer because it is a highly sought after season around here and for good reason! Boating, fresh seafood, beach days, sun-kissed skin, warm nights in downtown and a walk along the Mystic River with an ice cream in hand - really, is there anything better or more Mystic than that visual? Summer is a whole vibe around here and we embrace it; however, you may want to consider that it’s truly very very busy during the summer months (and HOT) - a lot of us locals keep a low profile in the peak tourism seasons. Read: if you plan to get married in downtown Mystic especially and will be at multiple venues for your wedding day be sure to consider the busy-ness for the sake of traffic. Once the Bascule Bridge goes up to let a boat through on the Mystic River it could easily turn a 5 minute drive into a 25 minute drive depending on the water traffic. I worked in Mystic for over a year where it required driving from one side of the bridge to the other so I know this all to well from experience. Where the difference in travel time might not be that big of a deal on a regular vacation day, if you encounter the bridge going up on your wedding day when you aren’t expecting it it will be a major bummer. The biggest way around this complication is to hop on the highway if you are in a crunch, but it requires really looking at your travel and understanding how hopping on I-95 is actually a benefit when initially it looks like it takes longer. It also may be worth checking your desired wedding date against a local event calendar. Having run the Mystic Half Marathon I would be so bummed if I was a bride that had accidentally planned my wedding the weekend of the half or a similar event. Getting married at a not-central-to-Mystic venue like Eolia Mansion, Saltwater Farm Vineyard, Stone Acres, or The Hounds could alleviate some of these concerns… but only if you stay in one spot the entire day.

But! Sipping on a Fisher’s Island Lemonade on a summer evening after getting married does sound like the absolute perfect summer moment so if that is your vision for your day then I say it’s worth battling the logistics - just know the potential variables to a Mystic Summer Wedding!

Fall

Fall is going to get one big HECK YES from me. The perfect transitional weather. Crisp air, gorgeous sunsets (and the timing still isn’t too late to make sunset portraits in your wedding day timeline make sense). I will say things are still pretty busy but it depends on the date you choose and the cooler weather definitely leads to less boating and less crowds overall. You can also stop and enjoy a cider donut at Holmberg Orchards on your way out of town and, personally, that would be enough of a reason for me to choose Fall.

Winter

Before diving into chatting about a winter Mystic Wedding….we got married in March, so take the following information with a grain of salt. Winter in Mystic is glorious. A slower pace, more locals roaming around enjoying the restaurants and just a little bit more room to breathe. You’ll often find a few local vendors and venues may even offer a discounted price to book during this shoulder season so it’s worth starting the conversation if you’re not afraid of the cold.

One of the biggest things to consider here is the variable of weather - it could be 60 degrees or it could be a good ol’ New England Blizzard. Obviously, my husband and I ultimately decided to take the risk, and we had pretty decent weather but it was for sure cold. Though, it was cool (pun intended) that we were basically the only wedding on our friends and families calendar so most people were able to make an entire getaway weekend out of it - and they’re all still talking about it many years later! And the final bonus of a winter wedding, in my opinion, is that it allows us to celebrate our anniversary in some of our favorite places during an “off season.” Take Block Island for instance! Another place that I grew up sailing to in the summer as a little girl and we also did our adventure engagement session on BI. I’ve always loved the island but have even more of an appreciation for it now that I’ve been several times in the month of March for our anniversary when thing are so quiet and serene. You really get a chance to explore the whole island and meet the locals when it isn’t peak tourism season. And that’s all I’ll say about that…

Spring

You can pretty much look to all of my notes about Fall and I have the same feelings about Spring. The added benefit of Spring is some truly gorgeous blooms but there’s also no real way of knowing if you’ll have an actual warm day. Really there’s no wrong season to plan a Mystic Wedding, just lots of things to consider before you choose what’s right for you!

GETTING HERE

Airports: Providence, Rhode Island will be your closest option with Bradley in Hartford, Connecticut being a fine option as well! If you need a bigger airport to fly into with more non-stop flight options flying into Boston or NYC are both doable with trains that come into Mystic and New London.

Driving: Mystic is only about 134 miles from NYC (2.5 hours driving) and 99 miles from Boston (1 hour 45 minutes driving). Located conveniently off of I-95 it really is pretty simple to get to!

Train: With a stop right in Mystic, Amtrak is a great option for traveling to and from Mystic, Connecticut. My best friend easily hopped on a train to Boston following our day-after-brunch and it was super convenient.

MAKE IT LEGAL

Be sure not to get too caught up in the celebration planning that you forget to obtain your marriage license! Remember, Mystic doesn’t really exist, it’s just a village, so if you’re getting married here you’ll be going to Stonington or Groton to get this license depending of course where you’ll actually be tying the knot (or from a surrounding town if you select another area in Southeastern Connecticut). You can take a look at all of the Connecticut Marriage License Guidelines here.

MYSTIC, CONNECTICUT WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

If you find yourself having made it through the entirety of this guide and are still in need of booking your local wedding photographer, I would love to chat with you about the vision you have for your day and how I can help bring it to life and capture every bit of the coastal goodness. Fill out the contact form using the link below and let’s start chatting!

LOCAL VENUE OR VENDOR?

If you are a local venue or vendor and would like to reach out to connect about being added to this guide send a note and I’d be happy to connect!
info@corajanephoto.com