Regional venue guide

The 10 best wedding venues in New Jersey

New Jersey weddings split between the Shore and the estate country inland. Couples marry at Congress Hall in Cape May, on a private coastal island at Bonnet Island Estate near Manahawkin, inside the imported interiors of Pleasantdale Chateau in West Orange, and on thirty preserved acres at The Ashford Estate outside Allentown. Jersey City supplies the skyline option at Battello, and the farm counties inland carry the barns, vineyards and sculpture parks.

Researched and last reviewed 2026-08-16. We have no commercial relationship with any venue listed.

No. IPleasantdale Chateau

No. I

Pleasantdale Chateau

Historic estateWest Orange, Essex CountyGrand Ballroom up to 350

Parts of this Eagle Rock Avenue estate go back to 1835, and the interiors were assembled from imported pieces rather than decorated: 17th-century Spanish tile through the entry hall, a Scandinavian chapel ceiling with painted beams carried into the Music Room at a height of 35 feet, a Mediterranean tiled Fountain Room. Dinner for up to 350 goes in the Grand Ballroom, whose vaulted ceiling spans a rotunda and finishes in a glass dome. There is also an Orangerie conservatory and an indoor pool ringed with mosaic pillars under a glass roof, plus grounds of old oaks, stone walls, ponds and footbridges. It reads European rather than American, which is the whole reason couples pick it over a tented lawn.

Glass-domed rotunda ballroom

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No. IIThe Ashford Estate

No. II

The Ashford Estate

Country estateAllentown, Monmouth County

Thirty landscaped acres sit inside hundreds more of preserved farmland, which is why the sightlines stay empty in every direction here. Three restored structures divide the day between them — a Barn Chapel for the ceremony, a Carriage House, and a Grand Ballroom for dinner — connected by fountains, waterfalls, stone ruins and a gazebo set out over water. The booking is exclusive-use: a published site fee for the estate, a separate contract with the caterer, and a choice between a five-hour event or the full property overnight.

Barn chapel on preserved farmland

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No. IIIBonnet Island Estate

No. III

Bonnet Island Estate

Waterfront island estateManahawkin, Ocean CountyBallroom up to 250; chapel seats 170

The property occupies its own small coastal island, so water sits on every side of the photographs instead of behind them. Vows happen in the Boathouse Chapel, which seats 140 on the first floor with another 30 on the balcony, before dinner moves to a 250-guest ballroom in the plantation-style main house. Twelve suites sleep the wedding party on site, and a full-estate rental runs from a 2pm check-in to an 11am departure the following morning. Both Newark Liberty and Philadelphia are around ninety minutes out, which matters if a chunk of the guest list is flying in.

Private island with a boathouse chapel

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No. IVCongress Hall

No. IV

Congress Hall

Historic seaside hotelCape MayGrand Ballroom up to 200 seated; Grand Lawn up to 350 standi

Guests have been staying at Congress Hall since 1816, and its three-story pillared front is what couples are actually booking — ceremonies are staged on the Grand Lawn between the building and the ocean, holding up to 350 standing. Dinner moves inside to the Grand Ballroom, 4,218 square feet under 11-foot ceilings, seated for 200. The hotel runs one wedding a day and keeps more than 100 rooms, so the guest list sleeps in the building and walks to everything in Cape May.

Ocean-facing lawn, one wedding a day

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No. VBattello

No. V

Battello

Waterfront event spaceJersey City waterfrontUp to 200 seated; 450 standing

Manhattan sits directly across the Hudson, and the dining room is built to use it: floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides that open out for dockside cocktails in warm months. High ceilings and hard industrial finishes replace the usual ballroom carpet, and the room takes 200 for a seated dinner or 450 standing. A separate lounge with its own entrance, bathrooms and bar handles the after-party, while an enclosed wine cellar seats 16 for a rehearsal dinner. It is also on the PATH line, which no estate in the state can offer.

Skyline views, reachable by PATH

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No. VICrystal Plaza

No. VI

Crystal Plaza

Historic mansionLivingston, Essex CountyUp to 350 seated

A 19th-century mansion fronted by five acres of ceremony gardens, with a gazebo at the far end for outdoor vows and a glassed Atrium standing by as the rain plan. Receptions run in a 5,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom hung with more than thirty crystal chandeliers, seated to 350. Cocktail hour uses a Living Room with a full-length wood bar and a fireplace, opening onto an indoor-outdoor garden patio. Two getting-ready suites, the Penthouse and the Vault, keep the whole day on one property.

Five acres of gardens outside Newark

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No. VIIPerona Farms

No. VII

Perona Farms

Farm estateAndover, Sussex County30 to 300 guests

One family has run this Andover property since 1917, and it now holds three distinct buildings couples choose between — the Barn, the Reserve, and the Refinery, which is the industrial-leaning room of the three. Weddings are taken from 30 guests up to 300, with patios in between for cocktails. An on-site greenhouse feeds the kitchen, which is rare at this scale of venue. Fourth- and fifth-generation family members still work the events themselves.

Three buildings, one family since 1917

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No. VIIILaurita Winery

No. VIII

Laurita Winery

VineyardNew Egypt, Plumsted Township

This is Ocean County farmland rather than hill country, so the vineyard rolls gently and the draw is the sunset over the rows — which is why the late-afternoon ceremony slot goes first. Wedding bookings take exclusive use of the estate, with the ceremony on site, a bridal suite, farm-to-table catering and the winery's own bottles poured through the reception. The rest of the year the property runs public tastings and food-truck festivals, so ask early about which dates can be closed to visitors.

Exclusive use of a working winery

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No. IXGrounds For Sculpture

No. IX

Grounds For Sculpture

Sculpture parkHamilton, Mercer County

Forty-two acres of planted parkland hold more than 270 contemporary sculptures, and weddings run here Tuesday through Sunday, year-round. Ceremonies can be set outdoors among the works — the Nine Muses installation is the usual pick — with indoor galleries kept in reserve for weather, and Rat's Restaurant taking the reception. Admission to the park for the full day is included for the guest list, so people drift through the collection between courses. Catering runs through a single exclusive partner, which fixes a large line of the budget before planning starts.

270 sculptures across 42 acres

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No. XNassau Inn

No. X

Nassau Inn

Historic innPalmer Square, Princeton6 to 300 guests

Sitting on Palmer Square in the center of Princeton, the Nassau Inn has been hosting weddings since 1937 and keeps twelve function rooms across more than 10,000 square feet. The Prince William Ballroom is the biggest, with floor-to-ceiling windows onto the square, gold chandeliers and enough daylight to make an afternoon reception work without much lighting. Numbers run from six guests to 300, so a twenty-person dinner in the Palmer Room and a full ballroom are equally normal here. The guest list sleeps upstairs and walks to dinner, which takes the shuttle line out of the budget.

Downtown Princeton, guests stay upstairs

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Marrying in New Jersey?

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Tell us where you’re marrying in New Jerseyand we’ll build the invitation around it — the venue’s own colours, an illustration of the building if you want one, your map and timings already in place. One link for every guest, with live RSVPs.

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Planning a wedding in New Jersey

The marriage license is issued by a municipal registrar for $28, carries a 72-hour waiting period between application and issue, and requires one witness aged 18 or over to attend the application with you. If neither of you lives in New Jersey you must apply in the municipality where the ceremony itself will happen, and that license is then valid only in that municipality rather than statewide. Shore dates carry a traffic cost nobody quotes: the Parkway and the single causeway onto Long Beach Island back up hard on summer Friday and Saturday afternoons, so a late-afternoon ceremony can mean guests leaving north Jersey before noon.

When to marry — September and October are the state's strongest weeks, with the humidity broken, the Shore emptied out after Labor Day and the northwest hills turning over, followed by late May and June as the second peak before August heat sets in.
What it costs — Exclusive-use estates publish their site fees and they are large — The Ashford Estate lists $37,000 for a full-estate Saturday from May to October and $27,000 off-season, Bonnet Island Estate $34,000 and $26,000 — but those figures buy the property only, with catering contracted and billed separately, whereas the ballroom and hotel venues quote all-inclusive per-head packages instead, which is why two New Jersey quotes often cannot be compared directly.

Once the venue is settled, the next thing most couples deal with is telling everyone. A digital wedding invitation carries the address, a map, your timings and a live RSVP on one link — which matters more than usual when guests are travelling to New Jersey and need directions, and plenty of notice.

Questions

Marrying in New Jersey: your questions.

What does a New Jersey wedding venue actually cost?

The exclusive-use estates publish real numbers. The Ashford Estate lists $37,000 for a full-estate Saturday between May and October and $27,000 for the off-season equivalent; Bonnet Island Estate lists $34,000 and $26,000 for the same slots. Both are site fees only — food and drink go through an exclusive caterer on a separate contract. Ballroom and hotel venues work the opposite way, quoting a per-head package that folds catering, bar and cake into one figure, so establish which structure you are being quoted before comparing two venues.

When is the best time of year to marry in New Jersey?

September and October are the strongest stretch: the humidity breaks, the Shore quiets down after Labor Day, and the northwest hills turn color. Late May and June form the second peak and sell out earliest at the estates. July and August are hot and humid enough that a mid-afternoon outdoor ceremony is a genuine risk, while January through March is when venues discount hardest — the Nassau Inn, for instance, publishes a January-to-March offer that includes Saturdays.

Can we marry in New Jersey if neither of us lives there?

Yes, but the paperwork is tied to a specific town. When neither applicant is a New Jersey resident, you apply for the license at the registrar of the municipality where the ceremony will take place, and the license is then valid only in that municipality rather than statewide. A 72-hour waiting period runs between filing the application and the license being issued, the fee is $28, and one witness aged 18 or over has to be present when you apply. The result is a full civil marriage under New Jersey law and is generally recognized abroad, so a second ceremony at home is not usually required — but several countries want the certificate registered or apostilled before they will record it, so check with your own consulate before you travel.

How many guests do New Jersey venues take?

The spread is unusually wide. Crystal Plaza and Pleasantdale Chateau both seat up to 350; Bonnet Island Estate's ballroom stops at 250; Congress Hall's Grand Ballroom takes 200 seated, though its Grand Lawn holds 350 standing for the ceremony. At the other end, the Nassau Inn books from six guests upward and Battello's wine cellar seats 16 for a rehearsal dinner. Always confirm whether a number is a seated-dinner figure or a standing-cocktail one — Battello is 200 seated against 450 standing in the same room.

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Marrying in New Jersey?

Want an invitation designed for your venue?

Make ours for New Jersey See the designs

The 10 best wedding venues in New Jersey

Researched and last reviewed 2026-08-16. We have no commercial relationship with any venue listed.

Planning a wedding in New Jersey

When to marry — September and October are the state's strongest weeks, with the humidity broken, the Shore emptied out after Labor Day and the northwest hills turning over, followed by late May and June as the second peak before August heat sets in.

What it costs — Exclusive-use estates publish their site fees and they are large — The Ashford Estate lists $37,000 for a full-estate Saturday from May to October and $27,000 off-season, Bonnet Island Estate $34,000 and $26,000 — but those figures buy the property only, with catering contracted and billed separately, whereas the ballroom and hotel venues quote all-inclusive per-head packages instead, which is why two New Jersey quotes often cannot be compared directly.