The Crane Estate

A Grand Seaside Estate

300+ guests

AWARD WINNER (5X)

Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot

The Crane Estate features 3 distinct venues on the property, detailed below. Please get in touch with our team for pricing details for each area of the property. THE GREAT HOUSE Celebrate your special occasion at this stunning seaside property, The Great House at The Crane Estate. The Crane Estate, a property of the trustees of reservations, encompasses over 2,100 acres overlooking Crane Beach, Crane wildlife refuge, and winding salt marshes. The exclusive use of The Great House is the perfect venue for your dream day.Perched high above beautiful Crane Beach, The Great House is a country place era estate offering a dramatic setting for weddings, events, and corporate functions, with extraordinary atmosphere and breathtaking views along the half-mile-long Grand Allée.The Crane Estate has additional venue options for your wedding celebration and private event. STEEP HILL BEACH If you've always dreamed of saying "I do" with sun, sand, and surf as your setting, then choose Steep Hill Beach for a seaside ceremony. Two private lawns overlooking the Atlantic provide the perfect spot for a reception to remember. THE BARN AT THE CRANE ESTATE The historic Italian style barn, boasts terra cotta walls, post and beam interior, wood floors and a green tiled roof. The Barn on The Crane Estate can accommodate up to 140 people for a New England barn celebration. Combine The Barn with Steep Hill Beach or The Vegetable Garden for your ceremony for breathtaking views of winding salt marsh, tidal rivers, woodlands, and the Atlantic Ocean.No matter which venue you choose, our professional and experienced event staff will be there to help you every step of the way. Please call 781-221-3003 or find us at www.craneestateevents.com for more info.Brides have chosen The Crane Estate as TheKnot.com's Best of Weddings pick for seven years in a row. FIRESIDE CATERING Fireside Catering is proud to be the exclusive caterer for The Crane Estate. We look forward to exceeding your expectations with our delicious seasonal cuisine, elegant presentation and professional, experienced staff!

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Pricing details

Starting prices

Reception:

$6,500

Ceremony:

$500

Bar services:

Contact for price

Catering:

Contact for price

Starting prices don't include service fees, taxes, gratuity, and rental fees. Guest count and seasonality may also affect prices.

Amenities + details

Amenities

Covered Outdoors Space

Dressing Room

Handicap Accessible

Indoor Event Space

On-Site Accommodations

Outdoor Event Space

Reception Area

Guest Capacity

300+

Settings

Ballroom

Barn

Beach

Waterfront

Castle

Estate

Garden

Historic Venue

Tented

Venue Service Offerings

Planning

Awards and Affiliations

Any questions?

Availability

4.4

out of 5.0

38 reviews

Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Review Summary

This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.

The Crane Estate receives overwhelmingly positive reviews with reviewers praising the stunning beauty and attentive staff, particularly highlighting Maura for her exceptional service. The venue's scenic views, elegant architecture, and well-executed event planning contribute to creating magical wedding experiences. Guests appreciate the delicious food, seamless coordination, and timeless elegance of the estate. Despite unexpected challenges such as a medical emergency, the staff handled situations efficiently, ensuring a stress-free and unforgettable wedding day. Overall, The Crane Estate is highly recommended for its picturesque settings and superior service.

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Justin S

7/19/2024

The Crane Estate was nothing short of spectacular. Maura was absolutely incredible to work with and helped us plan our dream wedding. She was responsive, answering all of our questions and managing last minute changes leading up to the wedding. It was incredibly easy to plan the specific details with their team including free reign to design our ceremony, cocktail hour and seating arrangement. The Crane Estate team day off was incredible, always making sure that we stayed on our timeline and making sure we were having our dream day (thank you Heather!). All in all, we couldn't be happier with our decision and would strongly recommend the Crane Estate for anyone considering.

Arielle L

7/16/2024

We could not have imagined our wedding anywhere else than the Crane Estate. I cried when I first saw the venue and knew we had to get married there. The rolling hills of the allee to the ocean made for the most beautiful scene for our wedding day. Maura and team were so wonderful to work with and took our special requests with ease and executed them flawlessly. Everyone at our wedding said it was the most beautiful wedding they had ever been to and the food was the best they had ever had at a wedding. Our bridal attendant Lily was also so amazing and tended to anything we needed on wedding day. We have the most beautiful pictures from our day due to the stunning architecture and gardening on site. Couldn’t recommend The Crane Estate enough!!

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Kathleen D

7/13/2024

The Crane Estate is 100% worth the wait to secure a wedding date. We booked this venue over a year and a half before we actually got married and I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. The estate is absolutely stunning and blew all of my guests away. The planning process was as easy & seamless as our wedding day turned out to be. The event staff were attentive & there to take care of anything we needed. There unfortunately was a medical emergency during our reception & the staff handled it quickly & calmly and we were back on schedule before we knew it. I wish I could relive my wedding day at the Crane Estate 100 more times- truly magical!

Mike S

7/17/2023

The venue is absolutely stunning however the service by fireside catering is absolutely awful. The event staff was rude to my guests and myself along with serving food cold and forgetting to serve several guest tables.

Claire D

7/05/2023

We were absolutely blown away by the way everything came together at our Barn at the Crane Estate wedding in June 2023. From the delicious food and drinks from Fireside Catering to the incredible service (thanks to our bridal attendant and event manager!), all of our guests had the best time. Despite a day of nonstop rain, we walked into the Barn completely speechless to see the vision we had planned with Maura come together in such a beautiful way. Both our families and and us as the couple felt really taken care of by the team who were so attentive (more than one staff member took the time to fluff my dress for me during cocktail hour) and the flow of the night was seamless. Maura was wonderful to work with every step of the way and the wedding day felt stress free knowing she was in charge. The Crane Estate offers beautiful natural settings (even in the rain), timeless elegance, and a Coastal New England feel. We just hope we know someone else getting married there so we can attend!

Meghan B

11/12/2022

Two months later we are still SPEECHLESS. Our wedding was seamless. The ceremony and reception were pure magic. Crane Estate offers timeless, romantic beauty, incredibly helpful venue coordinators (Maura is a superstar), incredible food (Fireside Catering), several site locations (gardens for first look, grand allee for ceremony, tent and ballroom for reception), and stunning views. My husband and I fell in love with Crane Estate in the dead of winter and watched it come alive with color for our fall wedding. We had the best time and the team was endlessly attentive - we even had someone making sure we got to try everything and that we had a fresh beverage in hand! Crane Estate is an absolute dream, and we are so happy it's a part of our history.

Rachel L

10/06/2020

We had originally planned a 125 person wedding at the Barn. Then, COVID happened and our plans were upended. Maura and her team were wonderful every step of the way. She was incredibly supportive, communicative and flexible as we had to shift our wedding date, location (to the Great House and tent), redo our seating and reduce our numbers multiple times. Crane and Maura went above and beyond to make sure we had the best celebration. The food was delicious, the service was superb and they made sure our wedding was joyous and safe. It's a very personal decision whether to delay your wedding due to the pandemic, but we could not be happier that we celebrated with 40 close friends and family. And, we are forever grateful to Crane and Fireside Catering for supporting us through all the changes and hosting an amazing and happy wedding!

Kayla D

5/09/2020

Any covid brides still rate 5 stars? How’s the real review time...

Cassie P

6/11/2019

We got married at the Barn and it was incredible. Maura was FANTASTIC and the staff the entire night was incredible. I had so many people come up and were so impressed by the food, the staff and the ease of the entire day/evening. The Barn was the perfect location.

Victoria B

9/05/2018

An amazing venue with amazing people! Maura truly made our wedding go off without a hitch and was incredible throughout the entire process of planning our wedding. Thank you!

Joshua H

7/25/2018

We absolutely loved this venue. The whole property is gorgeous and there are so many wonderful areas to take photos.

Jessica F

5/31/2018

We just got married at the Crane Estate on Memorial day weekend 2018. Maura McCarthy was excellent to work with. The venue was stunning and the food was amazing. The organizers keep things running smoothly. The weather was unseasonably cold. We were able to do the ceremony outside and then had cocktail hour inside the house and the reception under the tent. They recommended we rent heaters through them and I'm glad we did. The bridal attendant was outstanding. She was attentive, a good listener, and helped keep us on track for the schedule. She brought us our drinks, got me hand warmers since I was so cold, and made sure we got to try each of the appetizers even though we were busy doing photos. We had the most amazing night. The only down side to the whole venue was the liquor choices. We did not love the options for beer on tier 1 or tier 2 and it was very costly to order the custom drinks we wanted. In the end we just stuck with the lowest tier bar and since it was open bar I don't think any of our guests cared about what options they had.

Mariah G

10/25/2017

Working with Maura from FireSide Caterjng in conjunction with the Estate was such an incredible experience! I CANNOT say enough about how lovely, hilarious, patient, communicative, and capable she was. She handles family meditation with grace, made sure our wedding in The Vegetable Garden and reception in The Barn were exactly what we hoped for. Maura and her staff were impeccably organized and flexible and created a special set up just for our event. Later, during the reception Maura was on call and when some distant relatives expressed homophobia she was ready to help us stay enjoying our wedding and even to remove them if we requested. Late night emails, over the top event outlines, familial disagreement, Maura can handle it all with grace, tact, and humor. Our venue was incredibly beautiful and magical and Maura was seriously the most outstanding cross between fairy god mother, family therapist, life coach, and Sarah Silverman. Cranes was my dream venue, the vegetarian meals and apps were delicious, having a server dedicated solely to myself and my wife made our dining experience perfect, and Maura was truly truly truly more than I could have ever asked for in a coordinator. I just might go into events because I admire her so much :)

Erin D

6/08/2017

The view from the Crane Estate is just stunning. It's just a very special place to get married. Sam, my bridal attendant, could not have been sweeter or more helpful. Jim, who worked at Crane was also just a lovely man. Lastly, the food from Fireside was amazing, especially the appetizers. I received multiple compliments from our guests regarding the food.

Emily S

11/02/2016

We were just married at the Crane Estate on October 7, 2016 and had the most wonderful experience with both the venue and the Crane team! We worked with Maura, who was exceptionally responsive throughout out 8 month engagement and who ensured every little aspect of our wedding was taken into consideration to ensure we had the most perfect day. She even took the extra step of reminding me that my job on the wedding day was to enjoy it (e.g. no need to micromanage while in a wedding dress - she had this;). Maura truly went above and beyond to make the day go smoothly and assist us through any small crisis - such as our arriving quite late for pictures. Additionally, we found the Crane-recommended vendors to be exceptional as well (and it was wonderful that everyone involved in our big day already knew and regularly worked with one another). It was such a relief to have such a great team to work with at such a strikingly beautiful location. Our guests were thrilled with the views, interesting history of our venue, and ability to move from room to room throughout the night (there was something for everyone). We will be recommending the Crane Estate to all of our friends/family and would 110% make the same venue choice if we had it all to do over again!

Ericca C

10/13/2016

My husband and I recently got married at the Crane Estate and I could not have been happier with how everything turned out. The mansion is incredible and if you get married out on the lawn the back drop is stunning. All of our guests could not get over how incredible this venue was and everything from the ceremony, to the cocktail hour to the reception was perfect. We could not have asked for a more perfect wedding.

Nicole C

10/18/2015

The venue was stunning! We were still able to choose from a select list of caterers for our wedding and were not restricted to just one option. We were married on the lawn at the Great House with our cocktail hour and dancing on the back patio and dinner inside the house. Fortunately, the weather was amazing because our rain plans would not have been very comfortable. They are rather strict on certain items so be sure to read the contract before you sign in case there is anything you have your heart set on. The wedding coordinators were wonderful to work with but our little interaction with the trustees and their staff was not as pleasant. Local accommodations for large groups are not available, your best plan is to rent a bus and transport people because as another review noted the roads are not easy to navigate at night.

Kayle B

9/07/2015

The venue itself is absolutely gorgeous. Our coordinator, however, was not so great. About 3 months before our wedding our coordinator was changed. The first one was wonderful, she made us feel very comfortable and gave us everything we wanted. The second one was not so great. The day of she didn't do anything that she was supposed to and gave everyone, including guests and vendors, attitude. She would disappear for 45 minutes at a time and was not pleasant at all. The park ranger that they have walking around threatened to arrest our DJ if he played music one minute past 11pm. Thankfully we had awesome caterers who picked up the slack and we were able to have a beautiful and very fun wedding. I do know that things at the Crane Estate are changing how they do things. They are now doing it as everything one stop.

Christina S

10/16/2014

Nothing more picturesque and beautiful than Castle Hill on the Crane Estate! If you want a combination of grand and homey, this is the venue. No extensive decoration needed - the venue speaks for itself. Our venue coordinator was absolutely wonderful to work with! Available for venue visits. Totally advocated for us. Concerns: -strict rules with time, options for alcohol/beverage (pricey), rental pickup by vendors, etc.

Jonathan A

9/28/2014

We always knew we wanted to get married at Cranes. The great house and grounds can not be beat anywhere in MA. Our coordinator Danielle was amazing and so easy to work with. Danielle and the rest of the Crane Estate staff worked hard to make our day flawless. We highly recommend this venue!

Kathryn E

9/27/2014

Every reviewer on here is absolutely correct when they say this venue is amazingly beautiful and that there's nothing quite like it -- possibly for hundreds of miles. But, I really want to point out that their staff is absolutely fantastic. My family and friends were raving over the bar service they received, and the dining staff was really incredible. Throughout the night they really were on top of everything. Quite awesome!

Joyce D

10/25/2013

Just got married at The Crane estate in Ipswich at the end of September. The day was beautiful and so was the location. The grounds and view of the ocean are magnificent, the Great House is elegant and grand, but the event manager and staff at the estate are warm, down to earth and welcoming. We were able to totally let go once we arrived, because we felt confident things would go smoothly and they did. We had fun at our wedding and so did the guests!

Alida J

10/07/2013

Our wedding was perfect and that is in huge part due to the level of service that we received at the Crane Estate. We worked with Laura who made our day go seamlessly, despite the disorganization of our DJ, and despite our forgetfulness in giving her some last minute detail updates. We had rain on our wedding date and they had begun to setup inside for the ceremony, but as promised, the whole staff was able to make the wedding happen outside when the weather cleared just half an hour prior to our ceremony start time. The Crane Estate is wildly beautiful - there is truly nothing else like it. Our guests said that it was the most incredible wedding venue they had been to. Even the photographs our friends took look like pages of a Vogue fashion shoot. I am so happy to have had the ability to have my wedding at this amazing venue!

Amy L

8/20/2013

If you want an elegant, tasteful, classic wedding, this is the location. Not only are you getting married in the most gorgeous location (both architecturally and scenically), but it is staffed by true professionals! Francie was our wedding coordinator, and she organized all the vendors, created a day-of timeline, let everyone know what they should do and when on the day of (which was important since we had no idea what we were doing!) and kept us on track so we weren't just wandering around. She is a pro and whatever we asked of her she did with grace and ease. As others have said, they come up with real alternate plans in case of rain that will be just as beautiful. In fact after our ceremony there was a little rain, and in what seemed like seconds Francie had everything rearranged to take place indoors. Seriously, if you want a wedding day that'll go off without a hitch, surrounded by capable professionals who know their stuff, allowing you to truly enjoy your wedding day in a gorgeous location, THIS is your venue!

dennis d

5/29/2013

Our experience with our reception at The Crane Estate was wonderful. Not only does this venue have a breathtaking view from The Great House, but the staff were very helpful and friendly. We highly recommend this venue!

Allison C

5/20/2013

We wanted a historical house for our wedding. The Crane Estate is by far the grandest and most well run that we saw. We knew we wanted it. However, it is a very very popular venue. This means it is more expensive and they are less flexible. Most of the things they were inflexible on did not really matter to us (e.g. no dogs in the ceremony, no open flame, no sparklers, ceremony must start at 5pm and reception must end by 11pm). Our major complaint was that the Inn on site (where many bridal parties stay) is expensive and difficult to deal with. We ended up staying elsewhere (and unfortunately there are no hotels close by). Overall though, I would not have had my wedding elsewhere. The venue was just spectacularly beautiful and all the guests were raving about it.

Emily T

10/02/2012

A gorgeous venue with a view that simply cannot be beat. The staff at Crane are professional and helpful and made planning the flow of our day a breeze. The only downside to this fantastic venue is a local zoning ordinance which prevents the party from continuing past 11pm.

Erica W

9/08/2012

Since I was in 6th grade, I wanted to get married at the Crane Estate- and I did! It was a dream come true. The view of the Atlantic, the lush green alley and gardens, and the timeless mansion made for the most incredible backdrop to our ceremony and reception. Our guests took advantage of the grounds and wandered off to enjoy the views. Weather is important (and bug spray!) but luckily we had only a light passing shower after dinner-which resulted in a rainbow! The staff was attentive- though strict, which is understandable, since it is a landmark on conservation land. Go visit and you'll fall in love!

Nicole R

8/01/2012

First off, this venue was lovely but just because it is lovely does not make it a great venue for your guest. A friend of mine got married here in June. This place is hard to drive to. It's up quite the hill and really not great for night driving. We had to stay quite a ways away from the wedding because of the lack of local accommodations. This really came into play because a lot of the wedding guest traveled. I traveled 600 miles and wasn't even close to being the farthest away. The staff was incredibly rude to many of the guest. They bar was cutting people off after two drinks. Some people may need to be cut off after two drinks but this wasn't the case. I went to the bar to get a glass of water. Before they would serve me the bar tenders very loudly told each other that I was too intoxicated to be server. I had a BAC of 0 because I didn't get any champagne for the toast before:( i didn't realize that dancing and having fun made you intoxicated. They ended up following a friend of mine to the bathroom and accusing her of vomiting and being too intoxicated. She had to pee and was certainly not drunk! The venue is unbelievably beautiful and I the bride looked so happy! And to be fair, that is the most important thing. I am so glad the terrible staff did not ruin her day but I would not want to go back to wedding here. If you are looking at this for a venue I would think twice. Guest want to have a good time and celebrate your marriage too but the Crane Estate made that very hard. This venue is more for a local morning or afternoon wedding where people wouldn't really drink and would be able to drive home safely.

response 08/06/2012

I am disappointed to hear that our venue did not meet your expectations. We want you to kn...

ow that we strive to provide the best service possible to our guests, and to our clients so everyone has a memorable experience. Our mansion being set upon a 165 acre hill does create a breath-taking view of the ocean. The driving at night would only be upon the departure of the event in which our parking lot area is well lit; and our structured traffic flow is one way around the estate to ensure safety departing the hilltop. Our estate does have a B&B on site for the convenience of our guests, or we are happy to provide local area hotels within a 20 mile radius for everyone's convenience. All of our staff are trainined for alcohol service and we do strive to accommodate our guests with the utmost professional and expedient service. We do have a policy to not over serve individuals, but it is not our policy to cut guests off after two drinks. Our goal is to ensure the safety of all who are here to celebrate one of the most important days of our wedding couple!

7/09/2012

Incredibly professional staff, breathtaking setting. I recommend this venue without any reservations!

Karen L

6/18/2012

While an expensive venue, I would not have changed a thing! The Crane estate is a wonderful venue for a wedding - they think of everything and were very attentive to every detail. All of my guests are still raving about the beauty of the site alone, not to mention the food, the service, and the overall atmosphere. I was managing most of the wedding details on my own, and would never have made it through the planning process without the help of the wedding coordinators! They think of everything! For an enchanting, memorable and really special venue - look no further!

Abigail H

1/22/2012

It's a undeniably stunning place to get married--look at any photos of the estate and you'll see why it needs no further comment here. But it also has a real rain plan that won't leave you soggy or in some drab conference room. It can handle weddings of almost any size and make them feel at once intimate and grand. The staff is helpful, friendly and accommodating. Loved getting married here.

Soong C

1/03/2012

If you have guests coming in from out of town, especially from another country, Crane Estate is postcard picture perfect and a real treat. It is majestic, and very "Old New England," while still having modern amenities. The fees for your reception rental go to a good cause (preservation fund) and the staff is so helpful throughout the planning process. You can get married in so many spots on their grounds its just too beautiful and will take you a while to decide the perfect area. If you are blessed with perfect weather, you get to have your cocktail hour outdoors on the patio overlooking the rolling hills. It still takes my breath away.

alyssa D

9/12/2011

Castle Hill was the most amazing venue. It is such a beautiful spot and provides so many places for fabulous pictures. I am from the area but live in the UK and planned my entire wedding from overseas. The staff at the Castle were extremely helpful and very accomodating, esp given the fact that we never met face to face. The only problem with the venue is the time. They are EXTREMELY strict with time and will charge you for every minute that your wedding runs over. Just keep this in mind. Your day goes by faster than you can ever imagine an with a 5hr window at the Castle you are on a tight schedule. I would also recommend doing photos before hand to save on time.

Jessica H

9/02/2010

Castle Hill has many pros: it's beautiful, you get the entire place to yourself (no worrying about hotel guests or gawkers), there is plenty of parking. Did I mention it's beautiful?!! My only issues were that it was expensive, even on a Sunday, and they are very strict about time - you can get extra time, but not past 11pm.

Lauren H

8/26/2010

I was very happy with Castle Hill staff during the planning and on my wedding day. Our guests were very impressed with the setting, it is hard to beat in MA. The staff was available to answer my many questions throughout the process. My only disappointment was that certain (little) details I requested and prepared ahead for the wedding didn't happen. All of the "important" stuff was covered, though. Don't expect them to go to extra lengths for you, but they will meet your expectations.

Kate M

8/11/2010

We recently had our wedding at Castle Hill, and everyone is still gushing about it months later! The setting was perfect and romantic and everyone had a blast. Our event coordinator for the estate, Ashley, was perfect and kept the evening moving. She was on top of things and made sure everything was how I wanted it. You do have to choose from their (long) list of caterers, but I actually found this helpful since I wouldn't have known where to start. Also, all the caterers are high quality, so you really can't go wrong. Castle Hill really made our wedding special and beautiful. It's a night we won't forget.

Marisa T

5/17/2010

Castle Hill cannot be beat in terms of the beautiful mansion house with incredible view. This was my dream venue, and I felt so lucky to be able to have our wedding there. However, the cost is astronomical. They provide very little (and what they do provide doesn't match the expectation of what you should get for what you are paying) - all equipment must be brought in by outside vendors. They also have their own liquor license, and charge extremely high rates for the alcohol, adding significantly to the cost. They also charge a separate ceremony fee, tent fee, overtime fee, and they clearly charge the caterers a separate fee as well, which ends up getting passed on to the bride/groom. This is a lot of add-ons for a place that charges a very steep fee just to rent the space! All that aside, the place is just amazing and I would do it again in a heartbeat. There really is nothing else like it.

Location

290 Argilla Road, Ipswich, MA

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(781) 221-3003

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