Lyman Estate

the house, which were the perfect setting for our first look and photos. ​Nicole and Melissa are consummate professionals. They anticipated our every need (even before we realized we needed it!) on our wedding day. Everything went smoothly from the planning period to the rehearsal and finally the wedding day with the ceremony and reception. Honestly, on a day that could, in theory, have been stressful and nerve wracking, your staff made everything run so smoothly those feelings didn’t even have a chance to creep in. Nicole and Melissa set up everything from the signs and florals to the guest book and bud vases. They ensured every detail was executed perfectly. They have the wedding planning and execution down to a science, and both are extremely knowledgeable. Nicole especially offered us some sage advice during the night to make sure we were taking time to ourselves in between all of the festivities, which was welcomed guidance. It’s clear that she has a deft touch in making this kind of magic happen. Melissa was on top of everything all night as well and was a champ in making the gears of the event turn like a well oiled machine. Additionally, our guests also were blown away by the venue and the grounds. Truly, we had the best day, and I’m beyond happy we decided to book our wedding at the Lyman Estate.

d on the day of. Our May wedding here was perfect.

s, DJs, and more to work with based on her past experience with those vendors at the Estate. The day of the wedding went so smoothly, thanks to Nicole’s close collaboration with our other vendors. She & the Lyman team clearly have wedding planning down to a science, and it meant that on the day of, my fiance & I didn’t have to think about anything besides each other & our guests. The Lyman Estate itself is beautiful. We held the ceremony, cocktail hour, & toasts outside, then moved inside for dinner & dancing. We held dancing in the ballroom & put board games in the oval room so our guests could gravitate to whichever activity they wanted to do. Overall, we were thrilled with the Lyman Estate!

for our New England fall wedding with so many spaces for beautiful photos. We absolutely LOVED the estate and were so happy with how our wedding day turned out. I was initially worried that guests would be put off by the different rooms for dinner, but it actually felt like a very intimate and cozy dinner party which was exactly the vibe we were hoping for and many of our guests remarked on how unique this setup was from other weddings. One other thing to note is that Waltham has a law limiting the bar to only be open for 4 hours which I was also initially concerned about but guests didn’t seem to mind. (Photos by Kelly Benvenuto)

ate. The mansion and grounds are simply stunning and truly brought our New England garden party vision to life. One of the best parts of our experience at Lyman was working with the venue coordinator, Nicole. She was so knowledgeable and supportive and was always available to answer questions or offer advice. On the day of, Nicole and Melissa made the day run seamlessly and made sure we were taken care of from start to finish. From bringing us a full tray of our appetizers and signature drinks at cocktail hour to helping pack up decor at the end of the night, Nicole and the team helped us make the day stress-free. We would 100% recommend the Lyman Estate to anyone looking for a beautiful, historic venue!

for an al fresco dinner which was so romantic! Nicole was so fantastic to work with and went above and beyond with helping us plan the day, set up decorations as well as make sure we were enjoying the wedding day of!! We didn't have a planner so Nicole also helped us with suggested other vendors. We could not say enough good things about Lyman Estate as well as Nicole and her team. Thanks so much for making our day special!!!

hen I discovered the Lyman Estate, I was amazed by its charm and affordability compared to similar venues. From the first phone call with Nicole, I knew we were in good hands and that this was the perfect place for our reception. Nicole is organized, responsive, professional, and personable. The Lyman Estate offers incredible spaces. Even if it rains, you will never run out of photo opportunities, whether in the suites upstairs, the ballroom, outdoors, or the greenhouse. It has everything you could want for your wedding day. As we got closer to the big day, I was most impressed by the service. Nicole and our catering company conducted a full walkthrough of the event with us. On the wedding day, they coordinated everything seamlessly and even packed up our decor. Nicole goes above and beyond to ensure your day is executed flawlessly. Our guests have not stopped talking about how fantastic the Lyman Estate is!

tained, and brimming with potential for any event. Nicole and Melissa are SUPERHEROES and made us feel so at ease on our wedding day, taking care of every little detail. Nicole worked with us from day one to provide guidance and ideas on bringing our vision to life, and we couldn’t have done it without her and her team. Cannot recommend enough!!

to see the venue and in all of the planning for the ceremony leading up to our wedding day. She quickly responded to all of my questions via email and coordinated with all of our vendors on the day. Everything went perfectly!

Truly, the place feels out of a fairy tale. However, the most special thing about the Lyman Estate was working with Nicole and Melissa, the venue coordinator team. Both of them were extremely kind, friendly, and responsive throughout the entire process. They hold a meeting with you a couple weeks out from your event to make sure everything is all synced. On top of all that, they were both present on the day of our wedding to make the event run flawlessly. They were super kind to us, our family, and guests and really felt a part of all the fun. Would highly recommend the Lyman and team to anyone looking for a venue in New England! - Katie & Rafael

rs with the fun wallpaper, to our ceremony in the beautiful garden, to guests exploring the historic mansion during cocktail hour, dinner outside in a big sailcloth tent, and ending with dancing in the ballroom - Lyman Estate has a perfect room for everything! Everywhere you look is a beautiful spot for photos, and the manageable size of the estate made it so each event flowed seamlessly into the next. Nicole and her team were great at prompt communication in the year leading up to our wedding, and executed everything flawlessly on the actual day. If Lyman Estate is available, book it now!

ed mansion near Boston. It's not a dream, you can do this, and you should. Nicole & Historic New England were fantastic in helping us plan our day, give us access to the greenhouses for photos, and allow us to design the wedding day we wanted. From the ceremony in the dogwood grove, to the cocktail hour and speeches on the lawn and porch, to the dinner and reception in the historic mansion - it was the best day. Nicole was so easy to work with on the day of, and all of the planning before. During the wedding day, despite some early day rain, she almost 'willed' sunshine into existence as she proclaimed, "none of my outdoor weddings have been rained out". If you're looking for a special, historic, and semi-formal to formal experience, I would HIGHLY recommend the Lyman Estate.

it made such a great photo backdrop! The inside of the house is well-suited for hosting a smaller ceremony (we had 50 guests) and reception, as the ballroom and adjacent rooms are beautiful as well. If looking for a larger wedding, the outside is plenty spacious to have a tent if needed!! Aside from the aesthetics of the venue, working with the venue coordinator, Nicole, was so great! She helped in so many ways (coordinating with vendors, day-of timeline management, helping setup decorations prior to arrival) and really did all she could to make our day as stress free as possible. She has a wealth of knowledge for what works best in the venue but is also open to new approaches (a lot of coordinators are very much not open to new approaches, so this is a big plus). Overall, would recommend this venue to anyone looking to get married in the area. We shopped around a lot in eastern Mass. and this was by far the best one we came to!

es the immaculately preserved historical rooms and grounds, the staff is unreal. Nicole Skarbek is such a pro and put my mind completely at ease. I probably asked her about a million questions in the lead up to the event and she always answered them thoroughly and promptly. She and her team were incredible on the day of our wedding. I felt so taken care of and in such good hands. The Lyman Estate is an absolutely wonderful venue. I loved having my special day there and recommend the venue to anyone looking for a special and historic experience.

a total gem -- quick to respond, knowledgeable, and flexible all along the way. We were initially unsure about the multiple-room setup and the way that might affect the flow of our reception, but the format of the house ended up being really helpful for creating different spaces guests could mingle in while still retaining a unified feel due to the big central hallway. Because it's a house, we felt like we were able to welcome guests into a really hospitable and homey (while still elegant) space. The staff were skilled at managing the event in the context of the layout -- it was amazing how they flipped the ballroom from a dining room into a dance floor and were also SO helpful in set-up and teardown. (We had a few DIY decor elements we provided ourselves, and they were helpful in boxing everything up afterwards.) A bonus -- the Estate photographs beautifully from both the inside and outside; we were also able to take some shots in the Estate greenhouses to get some blooms and color even in the dead of Massachusetts winter!! All in all, I couldn't recommend Lyman Estate enough!

icole is also amazing!! We hired her as our day of coordinator, and I couldn't be more thankful that we did!! She was amazing throughout the entire planning process. Nicole was always honest and straight to the point. She gave us suggestions based on her knowledge and expertise while also still encouraging our own personal spin. Throughout the day, she kept things moving smoothly, even distributed our tips to vendors. Thank you, Nicole and the Lyman!!

tate is perfect. I wanted an outdoor ceremony but the moment I saw the ballroom in person I completely changed my mind; it is so stately and elegant yet simple all at once. Plus you get to walk down the staircase to enter the ballroom for the ceremony which is so picturesque! The one thing i wish i had done was ask the photographers for pictures going down the staircase. The grounds have everything you would want for pictures, a little forested area for woodsy shots, open landscaping and a large porch for group photos, and the oldest working greenhouse in the US with richly colored plant life and a huge tree just outside it for super secluded, romantic shots. Finally Nicole was outstanding. She was so kind and welcoming and always had a smile which made me feel at home. She checked in all throughout the day and was good with keeping everything and everyone on schedule. I could tell she had everything under control so I could enjoy the day. Even when I was pushing her schedule a little late with photos and a last minute receiving line she was super nice and gentle with any pushes to get me moving along lol. Thank you so much to Nicole and her team! <3

orations here! We were able to take photos in the greenhouse which was very important to us. You also get amazing coordinators! We had Nicole who was very supportive and knowledge. She got back to every single one of my million emails very quickly. Made me feel at ease through our 2nd postponement because of Covid. I just can’t speak highly enough of her and the Lyman estate! Don’t hesitate to book here!

e Skarbek, were a true pleasure to work with. Nicole is incredibly helpful, knowledgeable, responsive, professional and accommodating. She made many recommendations to help us to nearly every single one of our incredible vendors (including our caterer, DJ, photographer, florist, shuttle service - and even where we had our rehearsal dinner). When we made the decision to move our wedding back by over a year due to the pandemic, she moved the date, no questions asked. I had a million questions throughout the planning process, and Nicole was responsive and gracious, and gave us very helpful tips and hints - from the detailed schedule / flow of the day, to ideas on party favors, to the best floor plan given our guest count. Planning a wedding is incredibly stressful in normal times, let alone during a pandemic, and Nicole made us feel comfortable and confident that our day would not only be fun but also safe for all of our guests and staff.. Second of all, the estate itself - wow! The mansion is full of history (and was even used for one of the scenes in the recent Little Woman movie!), elegant, and beautifully decorated. In fact, we had to do very minimal additional decorations other than flowers which really helped with our budget. We loved that we were able to have our ceremony outside by the dogwoods and then cocktail hour on the lawn and under the covered veranda. Although we were a bit uncertain initially about the layout - as our guests were spread across 3 rooms during dinner (rather than in one large ballroom) - in the end, we felt that the set-up actually enhanced the feel of our wedding. Many of our guests commented that they loved how intimate our event felt, and how there were different spaces to eat, catch-up, or dance. Also, the grounds are absolutely stunning, including the greenhouse where we took photos before the ceremony. We are so grateful to Nicole, Melissa and to the Lyman Estate for making our big day so special, and can’t recommend them highly enough!

gust wedding; the interior of the mansion is well maintained and intricately decorated; the bridal and groomsmen suites are perfect for getting ready photos; and they have a really cool greenhouse where we took some couple portraits. The only real con is the exclusive tent rental agreement, which is why I'm giving 4-stars. They only allow you to choose between Peak and Sperry, two of the most expensive tent rental companies out there. Because of this, the total venue cost becomes way higher than other similar venues where the tent is included. Also, Nicole (the event coordinator) is not very professional or helpful. She sold us on her additional day-of coordination services (Modern Alice Planning) and I found no value in it for the price.

man Estate for our downscaled, socially distant 15-person wedding. Nicole Skarbek, the event coordinator at Lyman, was phenomenal: she is extremely knowledgeable, helpful, detail-oriented and creative in her work. You can truly tell that weddings are her passion and that she knows everything there is about how to plan a perfect wedding. Emails to her were always quickly responded to, and she went above and beyond to make sure our semi-DIY, rescheduled wedding we planned in 3 months was beautifully decorated, coordinated, and as safe as possible. We felt less stressed with her because we knew we were in good hands between her and Tastings (the exclusive caterer we used who was excellent). And the venue itself…Lyman is a truly STUNNING location which words can't describe. The first time we visited, our breaths were taken away, and every subsequent visit was awe-inspiring. During and after the wedding, our guests gushed about how beautiful Lyman was and how impeccably run our wedding was: one of our friends described it as being "like on a movie set" because of how beautiful it was and how incredibly quick and professional Nicole and Tastings were about setting up and transitioning during each part of the wedding. (Appropriate since Lyman was one of the film sets of Little Women as well.) We can't recommend Lyman Estate enough for weddings, especially for those who are looking for a venue that is respectful and extremely careful about safety protocols during the COVID pandemic.

and communicative. She answered all my questions, even the silly ones and we were able to make our wedding as perfect as can be despite all of the regulations. The Lyman was a wonderful place to get married and I'm so glad we went with this venue!

planner of Lyman estate. Nicole is simply the most kind hearted and hard-working planners. From the start she knew my vision and had amazing suggestions along the way. She is what sold us on Lyman Estate. Now the estate it’s self is beautiful, but it definitely helps to have someone help you with your vendors. Nicole unfortunately had family emergencies on the day of our wedding, but she had two people in her place who were able to create the most magical day of our lives. Nicole even FaceTiNow the estate it’s self is beautiful, but it definitely helps to have someone help you with your vendors. Nicole unfortunately had family emergencies on the day of our wedding, but she had two people in her place who were able to create the most magical day of our lives. Nicole even Texted us some pictures the day of our wedding! I highly highly highly recommend Lyman to Stattexted us some pictures the day of our wedding! I highly highly highly recommend Lyman Estate!

f lighting by starting at 5pm. Nicole was amazing throughout the process, helping with all of our questions, big and small. We can't recommend that combination enough!

wedding thanks to their organization and working well with Tastings Catering. As for the Estate itself, it's a beautiful big old house on some wonderful grounds. We loved being able to use the inside and the outside throughout the evening, including a great dance party in the historic ballroom and a beautiful ceremony in front of the classic wall and floers outside. We did our first dance on the veranda, and it was a delight. Everything was so beautiful that we didn't need a lot of decorations - we didn't have to pay for a florist! They also arranged for perfect weather for our special day, or so they say. We certainly had it, so I'm willing to give them the credit. :) I would recommend

indoors with our reception under a tent and I thought it was perfect- the guests got to explore the house without feeling cramped which is what I wanted and they all loved it. Definitely had to work with the tent service to get the price down a little bit but the venue was cheap on Fridays so we were able to come to a reasonable compromise. We got to bring our own alcohol in from Gordon's liquors which was a huge money-saver as well. The event coordinator was very responsive and helpful via emails ahead of the event- answering all my questions and even contacting the tent company the day before when the tent's dance floor placement did not leave enough space for my DJ. My only complaints were regarding day of event coordination -- they did not let us arrive at the venue until 4pm and our wedding ceremony started at 5pm so we did not have much time for our first look photos. We confirmed with the event coordinators the month before, the day before at the rehearsal and even on the day OF the wedding when we arrived that we wanted to take photos in the greenhouse out back (this was one of the BIG reasons we chose the venue in the first place). Still when we went out to take photos here, we were locked out. My photographer had to run all over the venue to track down one of the coordinators to get a key and this took a decent amount of time away from our first look photos so I was very frustrated. No one informed me I would need to track them down to let me in and they knew exactly what time I was doing the first look photos. In addition, I needed to improvise a little bit with getting a family photo around dinner time because the sun was going down early and I could not find my event coordinator to help me do this. When I finally was able to get the crowd together, she came up to me to tell me this would be cutting into my dance time because it was taking too long. Once again, I understand where this was coming from but what I needed was help to get it done- I told the event coordinator ahead of time this was important to me and I felt like I was being reprimanded. This stressed me out and made it really difficult for me to relax. They say the goal is "don't stress out the bride" but I felt very alone in terms of day of coordination and when there was a problem, they directly came to me to complain, not to one of my bridesmaids or my parents. When my guests were taking too long to sit before they announced us as bride and groom, they blamed my wedding guests for "not listening" when all they had to do was have the DJ make an announcement or tell the bar to stop serving people for a few minutes so they would sit down. Unfortunately, I just really felt like they added to my stress in a very unnecessary way on the day of the wedding and I don't think they "problems" were very complicated at all. If you get a wedding planner or have a bridesmaid who can act as a wedding planner, maybe you could avoid this kind of stuff but I was just a little disappointed and had higher expectations since prior to the event, they were so sweet and helpful. Overall, the venue was lovely and my guests had a good time. Hope this helps!

greenhouse and the most gorgeous ballroom ever are only a few of the selling points.Since the first day where we met the onsite contact, Nicole Skarbek, we knew we absolutely had to have our wedding there. She was so incredibly organized and responsive and helped us bring our overall vision to life. It was 100 degrees the day of our wedding and I also have to say the Air Conditioning was ON POINT. Could not recommend this venue and this contact enough. If I could get married again I would choose this venue again and again.

venue coordinator. We didn’t have the best of luck with venues we reached out to previously which was making us a little concerned about the process. When we reached out to the Lyman, Nicole responded in a matter of an hour with great information, which made us feel so at ease. We knew it was our venue even before our first tour. Our experience moving forward was exactly what we expected with Nicole... seamless. She truly understands the process and knows how to work with others. Nicole and her staff were great with guests and totally there when assistance was needed from a stained dress to diffusing drama. If you are considering booking the Lyman for your wedding you won’t be disappointed.

side by the veranda and dinner/dancing inside the mansion. We were incredibly lucky to have gotten great weather, so the plan went off without a hitch. The mansion was the perfect space for our guests - folks who wanted to hit the dance floor hard could do so, and others who preferred to sit and catch up with friends could do so in one of the other rooms. With 130 guests, it felt full but not too crowded. Nicole was such a pleasure to work with throughout the entire process. She was so kind and patient with us, despite what probably felt like an endless stream of questions. We often sought her advice and trusted her judgement inherently (for example, the decision not to do a receiving line, how best to present the placecards, etc.) Beautiful space, wonderful people - what more could you ask for?!

om everyone else. The grounds are lovely, and we got lucky with the weather on the day of our wedding, so guests got to take in some of the scenery. The house itself is BEAUTIFUL, and all the different rooms gave our reception a homey, comfortable feel. We love history and books, and the historic home and its impressive library (where our bar was set up) set a perfect tone for our event. It would be nice if they allowed a slightly longer reception -- but honestly, I think the schedule worked out perfectly.

having the ceremony inside) as we would outside (Plan A). Lucky for us - it rained :) We feel truly lucky to have been at the Lyman for our wedding. The ballroom provided an intimate setting for our ceremony that we could not have replicated outdoors. The house itself is so beautiful and interesting that it kept our guests entertained as they moved from one room to the next. We also loved that there was a bride’s suite and a groom’s suite for getting ready. Once the rain passed, we were able to be outside for pictures and use the grounds for lawn games. We also got some amazing photos in the greenhouse. Our wedding was exactly how we were hoping it would be and our guests have all been raving about the Lyman as a unique and fun venue. On top of the beautiful venue, the Lyman Estate has a great staff that is present and helpful both during the planning process and on the day of the wedding. They ensured that the day went off without a hitch and that we didn't have to worry about a thing on our wedding day. Thank you Nicole! We highly recommend the Lyman Estate!

act. They were very responsive to all questions. Do look out for the exclusive caterer list-- the price of food will be much greater the price of the venue. We appreciated the Friday rental rate though! I LOVE YOU NICOLE, YOU REALLY HELPED A GIRL OUT!!! 10/10 would highly recommend.

the receptions. The guests had a lot of fun exploring all the different room and the library is an awesome photo op. Nicole S. was SO helpful as our wedding coordinator and even jumped in to solve some minor issues day of. I would highly recommend this venue as it is reasonably priced and they bring a lot of previous wedding experience.

was very affordable. One of the best things about this venue, besides how stunning it it, is it’s versatility. It was no problem to change our plans the morning of the wedding to move things outside when the weather worked in our favor, and it was nice to have multiple rooms for the guests to roam through. Nicole was so helpful from when she gave us our first tour to our wedding day. She was so friendly and always ready to answer my questions. And on our wedding day, she and Melissa were just wonderful in making everything happen. They’d worked with our other vendors before, and they knew just how to make things fall into place. I would rent the Lyman Estate again in a heartbeat!

are fantastic and super responsive. No matter how small the question I emailed about, they were always happy to answer it. On the day of, everything was executed perfectly as well. I couldn't be happier about the choice to pick the Lyman Estate!

re. Though we got unlucky with unseasonably cold weather, we were able to have an indoor reception in November for 129 people after our off-site ceremony. Our guests complimented our venue all night, and the "flipping" of the spaces was no trouble at all. We also loved the opportunity to get dressed and take pre-ceremony photos at Lyman. As a warning, the Greenhouse is unfortunately closed on holidays, so we missed out on those pictures. Nicole was a joy to work with, and such a professional. We felt confident that our reception would run smoothly because of her, and it did. The day-of, Nicole made sure that we stayed on schedule and worked with the caterers to successfully execute our party. Leading up to the wedding, Nicole checked in to make sure our plans were good to go, and that we were all on the same page. My husband and I planned our wedding on our own and were so grateful for Nicole's expertise. We love Lyman and so recommend it!

en in Maine, but had to change plans when our guest list landed around 80 people. We searched lots of Boston-area venues for a similar romantic secret garden feel. We selected Lyman because of its spacious and well-maintained outside space – a greenhouse, giant trees with soft sweeping branches, secluded forested spots with sunlight streaming in from above, brick walls coated with ivy. It was beautiful! Our ceremony was outside and we rented a tent for the reception. We personally didn’t want to use the inside of the Estate, but it’s also gorgeous and includes a study, ballroom, and several other rooms lined with floral wallpaper and old details. We did use two charming pink and blue rooms upstairs to put on our dresses and suits. Lyman included all of our white garden chairs and tables within their very reasonable price. The onsite coordinator Nicole was an absolutely crucial part of our wedding day. She was incredibly responsive to emails (usually within just 10 minutes!) and never made me feel silly for asking a million questions. From the big coordination tasks to the smallest details she helped our wedding day run smoothly. If there were any problems with other vendors or guests I never knew, which helped me to fully celebrate the day!

s up anything you don't open so all-in we only spent $1500 on an open bar (beer, wine, bourbon, and vodka) for some heavy drinkers! This is a very elegant venue, for an unbeatable price!!

sition smoothly into a cocktail hour on the veranda before a plated dinner inside. We were able to use the entire first floor of the house for our guests, and the second floor was an easy get-away for dress adjustments and freshening up before the ceremony and throughout the evening. Nicole was a dream to work with as our coordinator, answering many many questions by email throughout the process and meeting with us several times to go over our options and plans. Everything was perfect, from coordination with our caterer, DJ and photographer, to the house itself for an intimate but wedding-ready venue. We are both so happy with the end result and highly recommend the Lyman for your wedding!

eft the estate and many of the agreed apon plans for our wedding night came apart. Although it was the best day of my life, things could have been smoother. Upon arriving to the estate to drop of my dress, I was greeted by a woman who was a coordinator whom I had never met. She began stressing me out about a problem with a flower delivery. Trust me, stress is the last thing that a bride needs mere hours before the ceremony. Secondly, there was no event coordinator present during our entire wedding ceremony and reception. For some reason, this job was passed onto our cateror. As promised when we booked, no one was abailable to cue us during the ceremony and reception, and at the end of the night it was an embarressing mess. For all of the money that we paid to Lyman Estate, it was sub par service and I am still quite upset about it to this day. :( Clearly other couples had an event coordinator, but ours was not present and the ball was greatly dropped.

day! The house looked beautiful and it was a private space for our event vs. a country club or hotel. The onsite coordinator was extremely helpful and always attentive!

ermind the endless rooms to wander through during cocktail hour, the Lyman Estate had it all. The venue managers were helpful and easy to contact. The Estate staff didn't charge us extra to have our ceremony on the premises--another bonus!

bsolutely perfect ceremony location, but the inside of the building is stunning as well – beautiful cheery wallpaper, HUGE windows, gorgeous hardwood floors and décor. It made for an amazing venue through and through. Even if it had rained, our ceremony would have been gorgeous indoors. You can’t beat it. The staff was a pleasure to work with throughout the planning process.