The Meadowlands at the DCA

Our experience at the DCA Meadowlands was wonderful! The property is tucked in the charming neighborhoods of Darien, CT and only five minutes from I-95. The mansion has quintessential New England character. Guests enter a beautiful foyer with a large, curved staircase (perfect for the bride and or wedding party to descend). Directly adjacent to the foyer, is The McKitterick Room—with two fireplaces and French doors facing the gardens. We were married in this room due to rain and it was a perfect back-up plan. Our guests commented that it was the most intimate wedding they had seen! Our original plan was to get married in the garden, where beautifully landscaped flowers and greenery surround a fountain. Fortunately, it was dry enough for us to take pictures in the garden after the ceremony. Nearly every room on the first floor faces the garden (imagine an “L” shape surrounding the garden). By opening the French doors of each room, our guests seamlessly flowed between indoors and outdoors during the 90-minute cocktail hour. Our reception was held in The Garden Wing. We easily fit 10 tables including a long 18-person table for the bridal party (115 guests). Our DJ sat atop the stage, which allowed ample room to dance. Our bar was in the next room over, very convenient for guests to grab cocktails. During the reception, we opened the French Doors to the garden. Our guests, my wife and I enjoyed conversation and drinks in the cool Autumn weather in between dances (we were married 9/23). Most importantly, the team at the DCA is incredible! Susan, the Private Events Manager, is a great partner throughout the end-to-end planning process. She offered creative suggestions to maximize the space, was highly accessible, and made herself available for multiple vendor meetings. She works well with other vendors (caterer, wedding planner, photographer, florist, etc.), which allowed for everyone to work as a team. Steve, the facilities manager, was imperative to the wedding’s success. He has long-standing relationships with local vendors, including the police department. He was crucial in ensuring our plan was executed properly and safely. When we arrived two days later to pick up our decorations, he had packed up everything in boxes for our convenience. The service at the DCA is extremely professional and personal. My wife and I loved working with Susan and Steve. I felt the venue was priced very fair and, therefore, a tremendous value. I highly recommend the DCA Meadowlands.

We were married in July this year at beautiful Darien Meadowlands. We made the booking at the last minute as our other venue was not going to suit us with the heat and recent wildfire smoke. Susan at DCA saved the day and booked us in for the date we needed. Our experience at the house was outstanding! The facilities are excellent and the gardens delightful. We had our ceremony in the garden near the fountain, our cocktail hour on the terrace and the dinner and dancing in the spacious banquet room. Our guests loved the open space and proximity to the other rooms filled with flowers and deserts. The photos are perfect with the elegant colonial house as a backdrop. This place is spectacular, the management is attentive and welcoming. DCA will always be a special place for us!

The DCA was a perfect venue! Everything about the garden and house is stunning - only small touches were needed to bring our vision to life! The DCA team were so communicative, easy and understanding to work with, we can't thank Laura and the team enough for everything! Don't hesitate to book the DCA for your wedding, you won't regret!

It was such a wonderful wedding for us and thanks to the DCA Meadowlands Team for making it that way!! We were really impressed with the garden, ambience, decor, service, coordination, and positive attitude from the DCA Meadowlands Team 🙂 Looking forward to planning any future events with you, and we will definitely recommend you to others.

It is hard to imagine a better venue at which to be married! We were truly shocked that the place was even available for booking; after walking the grounds I would have guessed it would be booked 2 years in advance AND that it would cost over twice what it does for a day's use. Our guests were stunned at how beautiful, elegant and accessible the grounds are! The garden is spectacular. The rooms of the mansion are impeccable, inviting and ideal for a wedding or most any formal celebration. The place is just gorgeous! And not least, the staff are warm and accommodating! We were allowed to visit, re-visit and tour the mansion and grounds several times before the actual event. Book this place! And ask yourself as we have, why doesn't EVERYONE get married here! Truly a hidden gem. -Lily & James Handel

Outstanding service! We’ve planned our wedding originally outside in a park only to learn three days ahead of our day that it would snow (Yes, snow in October). In a panic I did my research and found the DCA. They immediately got back to me and helped me getting everything up and running within less than 3 days. They were incredibly professional, absolutely uncomplicated, and very welcoming. Plus made sure everybody was safe. All of this during a global pandemic. Highly recommend the team and the location. We were able to take such wonderful pictures in the rose garden! If I’d done my research sooner I would have planned to go with the DCA right from the beginning. Thank you DCA team for making our day special!!!

The DCA was perfect for our wedding! It is a New England estate with a beautiful garden and reception space. We were able to decorate to make it our own, while maintaining the historical aesthetic and beauty . Laura was wonderful! She helped make our dream wedding happen, despite the constraints presented by the pandemic. It was very affordable and allows for personalization for a crowd large or small! We cannot thank them enough for everything they did to accommodate our requests and vision!

We would highly recommend the DCA Meadowlands for any of your event needs. We got married there this past July and couldn't have asked for a more beautiful location. From the ceremony in the Formal Garden, to taking photos in the Secret Garden, to dancing the night away in the Garden Wing, the Meadowlands was everything we were looking for. Laura was a pleasure to work with and make planning a wedding from out of state much less stressful. We loved the flexibility of bringing in our own vendors and our own decorations. Having access to the whole mansion gave everyone the opportunity to explore the grounds and mingle. It was the hottest day of the summer on the day of the wedding and the Meadowlands staff were extremely cooperative and helpful with our last minute adjustments, including taking photos of the garden to send to us so we could prepare where to put seats in the shade as well as being on site for box fan deliveries. The Garden Wing and upstairs air conditioning were real life savers and worked really well despite 105 degree heat! We loved the uniqueness and beauty of the DCA Meadowlands and can't wait to visit again.

We knew from the moment we first saw this absolutely gorgeous venue that it would be the perfect place for our wedding. We were glad, but not surprised, that our feelings were confirmed by our guests as nearly all of them commented on how beautiful the DCA is and how gorgeous of a setting it provided for our wedding. Everyone at the DCA was an absolute pleasure to work with and helped to make our day that much better. We wish we could do it all over again just so we can spend another day at the DCA!

We had our wedding reception at the DCA on June 15th, and I can't say enough about the venue and how perfectly our wedding night went. In the beginning, we found and wrote to the venue through the Knot, and Laura, the Event Coordinator, promptly responded and invited us for a tour. Once we visited the mansion, it was like love at first sight. The mansion is so cozy and charming. It has a lovely garden which is beautifully designed from top to toe. Everything about the venue was so positive and appealing. All in all, the venue was the first and the last place that we had a visit, and we directly booked the mansion without hesitation, which was one of the best decisions we have ever made. In our wedding night, our guests fell in love with the venue as well. We are still hearing great comments from families and friends about how everything was so perfect about our wedding. We had our ceremony and the cocktail in the garden, and the reception in the McKitterick Room. Everybody enjoyed the garden while they were sipping their drinks on a nice summer night, followed by dinner in the McKitterick Room. Everything went so smooth and pleasant. Beyond all, I would like to give a special thanks to Laura for her patience while I was bombarding her with questions. Until the wedding, my husband's and my work schedule were quite packed. Whenever I emailed her or requested for something, she was always nice and very responsive and never said no. Her help lifted a weight off our shoulders. Also, whenever we visited the DCA to plan the event, the Facilities Manager was so helpful as well. He kindly responded to what we have asked for. He greatly helped us make everything worry-free. Great people, great place. Thanks so much again to the DCA for making our special night as what we totally hoped for.

We just had our wedding at the DCA and I can't say enough good things about it. The grounds are gorgeous, the rooms are spacious and charming, and the staff is incredible. We ended up hiring their Catered Events Coordinator, Laura Boulton, as our day-of wedding coordinator, and she was an absolute MVP, liaising between all our vendors. She was so hands on and kind and organized, it was just a pleasure. She worked so hard to make sure that our vision (a low-key, backyard BBQ vibe) was executed) was realized. Some things to know about the venue--there are large, park-like grounds, a bird sanctuary, and an inner courtyard/garden with lovely plantings; the main reception room is air conditioned; the bathrooms are cute, the caterer's kitchen is large, there's AMPLE parking, and the venue itself comes with a number of tables, chairs, plates, etc. It's an amazing value and kind of a ridiculously good value for what you get.

Our original wedding venue was no longer an option 11 days prior to our wedding date June 10th. Our original venue was a beautiful farm in northern CT, but it was devasting to find out less than 2 weeks before our. Wedding that the farm was never allowed to hold wedding ceremonies / receptions. We had an awful experience there. We almost ended up cancelling the entire wedding because it was nearly impossible to find a replacement venue and change the entire functionality of our wedding in less than two weeks. My husband found The DCA Meadowlands on The Knot and reached out. Thank God he did. We met Laura and she was so kind and helpful. She was dedicated to helping us secure the DCA and our wedding was saved! The DCA is beautiful, I wish we had enough time to take advantage of the entire property with our photographer. The garden is the absolute selling point, every brides dream! The dressing room was beautiful and spacious. Our photographer was in love with the lighting lol. Thank you so much to The DCA for saving our day!