About this vendor
Fort Adams, the country’s largest coastal fortress, offers a unique and stunning venue for weddings and special events in Newport, RI. Situated where Narragansett Bay meets Newport Harbor, the Fort offers an unforgettable place to exchange your vows surrounded by history and natural beauty.
Fort Adams is a National Historic Landmark that offers an exciting setting for one-of-a-kind weddings. This waterfront wedding venue in Rhode Island offers stunning views of Narragansett Bay, Newport Harbor, and the Newport Pell Bridge, which combine to create a breathtaking backdrop for your special day. From the impressive, 200-year-old architecture to the expansive lawns, there are several different indoor and outdoor areas available for hosting everything from the ceremony to the reception. Tie the knot out on the North Lawn for an open-air ceremony as sailboats pass by in the background. The West Lawn offers impressive sunset views and a more intimate setting for up to 135 guests. Elegant tent setups can be arranged on the lawn for sophisticated receptions with an indoor-outdoor feel. Alternatively, ceremonies can be held in front of the stately Eisenhower House, which can accommodate 50 guests inside the ballroom for a reception afterward. Additional venues include The North Casemates, a beautiful indoor space for receptions of up to 100 and cocktail hours of up to 200 guests, and The Parade Field, which includes six acres of historic buildings and more for weddings of all sizes.
At Fort Adams, the events team will work with you to ensure all the details unfold even better than you anticipated. They offer an array of thoughtful offerings to make your celebration unforgettable; after saying “I do,” couples can fire the cannon to chime the proverbial wedding bells and announce their marriage. Additional amenities include changing areas, chaperoned golf carts, ceremony chairs, a luxury restroom trailer, and more. From its coastal backdrops and charming character to its historic architecture and thoughtful amenities, this New England wedding venue makes wedding dreams come true in beautiful ways.
Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Dressing Room
Liability Insurance
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Settings
- Beach
- Waterfront
- Historic Venue
- Museum
- Park
- Tented
Venue Service Offerings
- Service Staff
Reviews
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5
out of 5.018 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 9
After looking at a few other venues for our wedding ceremony and reception we pretty much knew right away that we wanted to choose Fort Adams - and we're so happy we did! We had ou...
r ceremony on the West Lawn, cocktail hour in the casemates, and our reception under a tent on the North Lawn. We loved the variety and uniqueness that each section of the fort provided, and we loved being able to utilize it all! Moving our guests around these different spaces created a really cool (and absolutely gorgeous) experience for everyone. We also loved getting the opportunity to fire a cannon - definitely a memorable experience! The Fort Adams team was so wonderful to work with, always available for questions, and really helped us have the most awesome day!
We could not have picked a better place to have our wedding than Fort Adams. The moment we walked onto the property for a tour I knew it would be perfect. We had the most amazing w...
edding on the North Lawn overlooking the ocean and the Newport Bridge! Cara initially gave us a tour and explaining the details of hosting a wedding at Fort Adams and she was such a pleasure to work with, she was very quick to answer my emails and had a wealth of knowledge about the fort. On our wedding day Trevor was there to make sure everything went smoothly, he drove us around on the golf cart to take our wedding photos and found us the perfect places so we could take the most stunning photos. He was enthusiastic, professional, and really helped make our special day perfect. I have nothing but amazing things to say about the team and venues itself, we are SO happy we had our wedding at Fort Adams!
We could not have picked a more perfect venue for our wedding reception! We had a tent on the west lawn and were quite literally right on the water. Could not have been more pictur...
esque! We used the casemates for our cocktail hour when rain prevented us from having it outside our tent and our guests LOVED it! Such a cool and up unique space. Most importantly, Trevor, the on-site coordinator, is a literal guardian angel. He took such good care of us. He eased our nerves when rain was in the forecast day prior and stayed in close communication with us the days leading up to our event, the morning of, and all throughout the event. We had some issues with our catering/rentals company and he went above and beyond stepping up to make sure we got what we needed and were happy. We felt so well taken care of by him and his team. Everything about The Fort was perfect! The location, the view, and the staff!
Newport is a major destination for weddings, and Fort Adams provides all the best of Newport at a very reasonable price point while also supporting the preservation of the Fort.
T...
he Fort is incredibly expansive which gives guests an immersive experience as they travel throughout the fort during the wedding. Guests can enjoy the Newport scenery and passing by sailboats from atop the Fort and on the lawns. The grounds are truly beautiful and unique!
Trevor, Cara and the team were a joy to work with! They love what they do and care deeply about the Fort and the experience. Trevor and Cara were incredibly responsive and Trevor attended to each detail with amazing care. We are so grateful!
A month ago when our reception venue cancelled on us four weeks before our wedding we found ourselves in a major crisis. We started emailing and calling every venue we could find i...
n the area. That’s when I met Cara from Fort Adams and she introduced me to Trevor. When they took me, my mom and sister on our tour, I knew immediately that everything would workout and in four short weeks we would be better married at Fort Adams. Everything was SEAMLESS. You would have thought we had been planning the wedding there for a year. It was truly incredible.
The views were incredible, the set up and the team that is Cara and Trevor - all amazing. I can’t express my gratitude enough. So many guests commented on the venue throughout the night. I truly have no regrets and feel this was such an upgrade from our original venue and meant to be. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
Jen Chapin at Fort Adams is the world's greatest. We cannot even begin to describe how thankful we were to have her coordinate our wedding day. 30 minutes before our outdoor cere...
mony began, the skies opened up and it started raining... her team immediately moved us to plan B without stress and executed it flawlessly. Also need to mention that ceremony plan B (inside the casemates) was absolutely stunning and our guests were RAVING about it! The entire fort is gorgeous, and Jen and her team really know how to execute. She is fun, low stress & efficient and really knows her sh*t! THANK YOU JEN and the entire team at Fort Adams! 10/10!!!!!
From our first site visit, Andrew and I saw ourselves getting married at Fort Adams. The variety of scenery Fort Adams provides is one of a kind. We have received so many complimen...
ts on how unique and beautiful the backdrops from our wedding photos were. With the Newport Bridge serving as our ceremony backdrop, followed by cocktails in the courtyard guests felt comfortable enjoy the outdoors. Due to the COVID restrictions, we had to downsized our wedding guest count. Silver lining was this allowing us to host our Reception in the Casemates. The exposed brick, enchanting lighting and historic charm created the perfect atmosphere for our intimate celebration. Thank you to Jen and the entire Fort Adams team for making October 10, 2020 a day we will never forget.
I can not thank Joe, Jen & the entire team at Fort Adams for making my wedding THE most special day ever! As a covid bride I had to make MANY changes in wedding plans just like ma...
ny others. While on my 2nd change of plans I ran into a lot of problems with a venue in Newport.
As a wedding planner myself I knew that it was going to be an issue and having it there would have been a disaster- so on a friends suggestion I called Jen at Fort Adams- hopped in the car from NJ and with 3 weeks to my date planned an entirely NEW wedding for the 3rd time!!
When I left Fort Adams that day, I felt like a giant weight had been lifted off my shoulders and knew that I was in incredible hands. They made what could have been a messy and stressful transition into a totally seamless shift. ALL of the vendors they directed me toward were fantastic- the entire staff there the night of my wedding were so attentive and friendly. And just for added fun its an insanely STUNNING location to top it all off.
After what was a very long and stressful year, the entire team at Fort Adams made sure my wedding was the MOST special day ever and I will forever be grateful to them all.
If you are looking to plan a wedding in Newport- don't pass up this location just because it's a non-traditional venue! It was the most spectacular wedding I have seen- and i've probably done 100's of them in my career in this industry.
Thank you Joe & Jen!!
I can’t express enough how perfect our wedding day was at For Adams! Jen was such a pleasure to work with and was helpful and so easygoing! The grounds are breathtaking. We had our...
wedding outdoors, under a tent and being during Covid, It was perfect! My guests can’t get over the venue and how beautiful it is! I could not be more please and beyond happy with our choice! Thank you so much to Jen for being so great and making everything run so smoothly!
We had our reception and cocktail hour at Fort Adams for our Septemeber 2019 wedding. GORGEOUS GORGEOUS GORGEOUS!!! We worked with Jen and she was awesome. She was relaxed and orga...
nized which is exactly my style. The views were perfect, and all of our guests were ranting on how gorgeous the location was!
Fort Adams was a beautiful site for our ceremony and reception. Guests really loved the views, especially of the Newport bridge. Jen and the staff were amazing! Very professional a...
nd accommodating.
WOW. I am still smiling days later at how perfect our wedding reception at Fort Adams was. When initially looking at wedding venues, we knew that Fort Adams was the place for us. F...
irst of all it is a STUNNING place with the best views in Newport. What I love about Fort Adams is you get to customize your wedding to fit your vision. We chose our caterer, entertainment, tent and decor, flowers, etc and Jen from Fort Adams helped coordinate everything for the big day. She provided phenomenal staff (herself included) as well as golf carts, pretty signs, and so much more. She worked SO hard to make sure everything was perfect. The week before our big day, the forecast showed hurricane Dorian heading straight for Fort Adams. We met with Jen and came up with a rain plan and rain or shine I knew it would be incredible. Luckily it didn’t rain but what matters is how professional they were about everything. Our guests were RAVING about the place! I have so much more to say but the long and the short of it is that Fort Adams is really the perfect place to have a story book wedding and everything was perfect! Thank you Jen!
Fort Adams is a special place. In the nighttime it is magical. We had our ceremony inside the fort December 8th. Jen was more than helpful to us throughout the process. She made ev...
ery request, thought, question seem like no big deal, in a good way, and she worked to make our ceremony as special as we hoped it would be.
Between the care they take of the fort, our lighting and florals (shout out to GreenLion), it is truly a magical place. xo, Laurel
We took our wedding photos at Fort Adams (did not have my wedding ceremony or reception there). But from my experience simply taking photos there, this place is amazing! At the sug...
gestion of our photographer, we booked an hour there for our June 2018 wedding. That evening there was a wedding occurring at the Fort, so we were brought to a further-away end to take pictures. The customer service is AMAZING!!! Day of, we worked with Pat, and he helped make our day even better! From the parking lot, he picked us up in a golf cart and drove us all over to take photos. It had rained that day and the ground was a little muddy, so rather than having me walk in my dress a few small steps, Pat drove me in the golf cart! Pat was so accommodating, funny, and helpful! I cannot recommend Fort Adams for photos enough! (And I’m sure having your wedding there is excellent as well). Thank you to Pat- you are the best!
Beautiful Venue and wonderful to work with. As a caterer I really enjoy Fort Adams and all the staff, they are very accommodating and helpful. Its just a place people are proud to...
be a part of. Amazing space.
Sally
Smoke and Pickles Catering Co.
When we walked into Fort Adams almost a year and a half before our date, we knew it was where we were going to get married and we were so happy with our choice. Our wedding was in ...
September 2017. We had our reception on the parade field, cocktail hour in the Casemates then reception on the North Lawn. The best part about booking the Fort was that we got to utilize literally the whole thing. This allowed us to also get a huge variety of pictures. Getting to shoot off a cannon on our wedding day was also pretty incredible. The staff was amazing and of course the event coordinator, Jen, went above and beyond everything she could do throughout the whole planning process and the day off to make sure everything was in place for us. The day off she helped us keep to our day of timeline and make sure everything went exactly as we had planned. She was great at answering all of our questions from the time we booking our venue until even days after our event. Don’t know what we would’ve done without Jen!! Another perk about the venue is also that you were able to make it your own and put your own team of vendors together from your caterer, tent, DJ, etc. We were lucky enough to have an AMAZING sunset the night of our wedding as well which made for great pictures with the Newport Bridge back drop. 100% would recommend Fort Adams!!
We had our wedding this past September at Fort Adams, and have nothing but amazing things to say. There are multiple locations in and around the Fort that can accommodate a wide va...
riety of wedding sizes. The largest are the North Lawn and the Parade Field. We had our wedding on the North Lawn, with chairs set up on the lawn facing the water and the Newport bridge, and a large tent set up on the lawn for our reception. We also were able to use the area inside the Fort (on the Parade Field) for our cocktail hour, where we had the bar setup inside the Casemates (an incredibly beautiful brick-lined room).
The coordinator, Jen, was absolutely amazing throughout the entire experience. She helped answer questions, showed us and our families around the Fort multiple times when we needed another look for planning, and coordinated with all of the vendors leading up to our big day and on the day itself. She was extremely helpful throughout the whole experience, and very responsive to all of our questions as they popped up.
The location itself is absolutely beautiful, and I would recommend anyone considering a Newport wedding to setup a time to visit and take a stroll along the area. The North Lawn has gorgeous views out onto the water; we have great pictures from our ceremony with sailboats sailing in the background out on the water behind us. Having a tent set up on the lawn for the reception gave it a nice, elegant "backyard" feeling, and we had adirondack chairs setup outside the tent for people to relax. The best part is that you can make your wedding completely customizable to whatever your dream is. Sure, it's a little extra work to choose what vendors you want for catering and tents, but there are literally endless possibilities for making your wedding exactly what you want it to be (instead of only being able to work within four walls of a hotel banquet hall).
Overall, 5 stars for amazing location, customizability, and great coordinator/staff!
We wanted something different for our wedding – something our guests would remember for the rest of their lives. And Fort Adams is exactly that.
We got married on the Front Lawn o...
f Fort Adams - the view is stunning, romantic, and ideal for a wedding. I challenge you to not lose your breath when you take in the scene for the first time. It is absolutely incredible, and in my opinion, it is best view in all of Newport.
Leading up to the wedding, Cara Wortley (the event director) was kind, organized, and extremely helpful. We had a lot of special requests and Cara accommodated each one without hesitation. On the actual wedding day, we pulled up to Fort Adams and we were greeted by Cara and her amazing team. Each staff member was so gracious and courteous that it calmed our nerves instantly.
I couldn't have imagined a more perfect, fairy-tale setting to marry the man of my dreams than Fort Adams.
Contact
90 Fort Adams Drive, Newport, RI
