Castle Hill Inn wedding

Castle Hill Inn Wedding Guide

Introduction: Castle Hill Inn  Wedding Venue

Sean and Laurie’s wedding gallery

Weddings are meant to be unique and memorable events. And without an iota of doubt, one of the defining features of a sumptuous wedding is an equally elegant and magnificent wedding venue. As wedding locations go, there are certainly few better than Castle Hill Inn (CHI), Newport, Rhode Island.

Although not a castle, Castle Hill Inn is one of the magical seaside locations you can ever host your dream wedding. Just think of a wedding venue rich in historical splendor, old-world charm, and unrivaled, calming water views all in one package, and you might be able to wrap your head around the beautiful scenery in this Inn. Add its ever-impressive lighthouse, award-winning cuisine, and the utmost attention to detail, and you know you have everything in place for a memorable wedding.

In this guide, I will be walking you through everything you need to know about Castle Hill Inn and what it takes to host your wedding in this prestigious Inn.

Castle Hill Inn’s History

Castle Hill Inn was commissioned in 1874 by marine biologist and naturalist Alexander Agassiz of Harvard University. It was at a time when Newport began to grow into one of the prominent seaports, and the rich were building splendid and multiple-roomed mansions known as Cottages.

The house, which started as a summer home to Alexander Agassiz, was filled with some of the most luxurious Chinese and Japanese art and mainly porcelain and bronze furnishings.

At the time of the Second World War, Castle Hill Inn served as accommodation for Naval officers and an emergency base due to its strategic location. After the war, it became a summer hotel and hosted some Hollywood royalties consistently. Later, all the rooms in CHI were winterized, and it became a year-round retreat.

During the building years of Castle Hill Inn to prominence, it hosted some notable guests like actress Grace Kelly, playwright Thornton Wilder, and some world-renowned Naval officers. Fast forward to this century, and Castle Hill Inn remains the best hotel in the whole of Newport, Rhode Island. There have been massive upgrades to meet the modern standard and a nice blend of old-world charm.

As further proof of CHI’s position as the lead hotel in Newport, it became the first Rhode Island property to be invited to the prestigious Relais and Chateaux Family in 2008. This family is widely regarded as the foremost authority on luxury hospitality and only recognizes hotels that offer the combination of top-notch accommodations and exceptional cuisines.

Castle Hill Inn Wedding Options

Located on a 40-acre peninsula, Castle Hill Inn has lots of venues for lovely, majestic, and serene weddings. It boasts some of the best indoor and outdoor venues in the world and the undoubted best in the whole of Newport. Just think of the perfect scenery for your wedding, and you will get a suitable venue and package in CHI.

Below are locations the venue can offer:  

1.    The Chalet Terrace. This special Sperry tent exhibits a unique representation of Newport’s fine sailing tradition thanks to its graceful lines. It boasts eye-catching panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and the Narragansett Bay from all angles. It is just breathtaking in all ways you can think of.

2.    The Lighthouse is an iconic guiding light situated at the Castle Hill shoreline’s edge. One of it’s kind in the whole of the area; it’s the best location for an intimate seaside wedding. When it comes to making history with your wedding, few venues can surpass Castle Hill’s historical splendor.

3.    The Lawn: The lawn is a vast oceanfront evergreen spread of grass overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. This classic Newport reception is stunning with its views, style, and décor and, at the same time, incredibly simple. There are few better places to say “I Do” than a location with a calm ocean breeze and superb scenes.

Note that Castle Hill Inn wedding venue capacity depends on your wedding style and the purpose of the venue. Ceremonies at CHI are hosted as seated events with a maximum capacity of 250 for indoor events and 55 for outdoor events. Also, receptions are hosted as seated events with a maximum capacity of 250 guests for indoor events and 400 for outdoor events. Lastly, cocktails and the likes are hosted as standing events with a maximum capacity of 400 for indoor events and outdoor events.

Castle Hill Inn Wedding Cost

Just like with most wedding venues, the cost of hosting your wedding at Castle Hill Inn largely depends on factors like the number of guests, wedding venue, and other things in the package.

However, the popular opinion with Castle Hill Inn is the lowest rental fee is $6000. The cost can only increase depending on the day of the week and the package. The lowest package price is $195 per person, depending on what you want in your package. All this does not include the gratuity and additional service charges, which stands at 20%.

Hence, depending on what you want, like the number of guests and the package, a Castle Hill Inn wedding could cost north of $50 000 or $100 000.

Accommodation Options

With the enormous landmass of Castle Hill Inn, it is only expected that there will be lots of mouth-watering accommodations on offer. Whether it is the cottages on the Hill’s private beach, the lighthouse suite, or the ever-impressive Chalet Room, you are assured of luxury, comfort, and lovely panoramic views.

Below are some of the elegant accommodations available at CHI

1.    Beach Cottage Rooms: The Beach Cottages are located around the dunes of the private beach. They have a queen-size bed and a sofa in the sitting room. The beach cottages are of three types with varying capacities and sizes: The standard type (maximum of two guests), the particular type (maximum of three guests), and the premier type (maximum of two guests).

2.    Rose Room: The rose room is beautiful and romantic, situated on the Agassiz Mansion’s second floor. It offers an eye-catching view of the Narragansett Bay and a comfortable custom marble bath. It has a king-size bed and can accommodate a maximum of two guests at a time.

3.    Agassiz Room: This is a recently renovated room with some of the latest amenities. It’s situated on the second floor of the Agassiz Mansion and offers an eye-catching view of Narragansett Bay. It has a king-size bed and can accommodate a maximum of two guests.

4.    Master Bedroom: As the name implies, it’s one of the most elegant and luxurious accommodations on offer at CHI. It features beautiful custom decor and offers a full view of the East Passage and the Narragansett Bay. And It has a king-size sleigh bed and can accommodate a maximum of 2 guests.

5.    Lighthouse Suite: This is one of the most spacious accommodations in the whole of CHI, featuring a bedroom and sitting area separated by well-designed French doors. It has a king-size bed in the bedroom, a queen-size pull-out sofa, and a spa-like marble stands up steam shower, amongst other amenities. Also, it can accommodate a maximum of 4 guests.

6.    Chalet Suite: The Chalet suite is situated just above the historic Chalet event area. This accommodation features a sitting room with incredible decor and a luxurious bedroom. It can be connected to the Chalet room to form a 2-bedroom suite, depending on the package, but space is usually offered as separate accommodation. The Chalet suite can accommodate four guests, while the Chalet room can accommodate a maximum of two guests.

Conclusion

There is no way you can think of a sumptuous seaside celebration with so much to cherish in Rhode Island without thinking of Castle Hill Inn wedding. With the range of packages available, you will indeed find one that suits your dream wedding.

I was so happy to work with Sean and Lauri on their Castle Hill Inn wedding, and I was so honored to get this great review from the bride Laurie:

“I’m about to sound like Alex is either in my family or paying me money to write this review, but that’s just how happy I am with the work that he did as our wedding photographer! My now-husband found Alex’s work early in the wedding planning game, and I regret that I took so long deliberating (meaning, obsessively revisiting photographer blogs!) before deciding on Alex. This was one of the best wedding decisions we made, without question. In short, Alex not only outperformed all expectations in terms of delivering stunning photographs, but he also made our wedding better by being there. He is relaxed, and kind, and managed to be everywhere at the same time without disrupting the natural flow of the day. Family portraits were executed with expert precision and efficiency before the ceremony so that the whole party was ours to enjoy. He emailed us a brief collection of our best shots literally the day after the wedding (!) and had the full collection to us a week and change later. Our only problem is that with literally hundreds of beautiful photos that documented real moments as they were unfolding but made them look like we had spent all day to get them so right, how are we to choose what to print? I also want to say that Alex takes his craft seriously and is so transparent, fair, and reasonable in his pricing – after experiences with other vendors and I now see how unique and wonderful that is. You agree to a price, and then he sets himself to ensure that you get exactly what you are looking for. He was wildly generous with his time – even driving an hour to meet us at the venue months before to take some pics and explore the grounds for the best angles. I am so thankful to Alex and so glad that we trusted him with documenting this important day in our lives. Five hundred stars.”

Information: 

Website – https://www.castlehillinn.com/https://www.castlehillinn.com/

Address: 590 Ocean Drive, Newport, RI 02840

Phone: +18884661355

Thanks for your interest in the Castle Hill Inn wedding! Looking forward to hearing from you!