Opt for a unique celebration at one of these gorgeous spots around Delaware and the Main Line.

By Theresa Gawlas Medoff 

Make your wedding one for the ages. Couples looking for a remarkable reception venue that will express their personalities should check out the many museums, gardens and historic homes that can be rented out for celebrations. Here are some that captured our attention. 

Appleford is the quintessential Main Line country estate. Photo by Mike Morby.

Appleford, Villanova

A fieldstone farmhouse with portions dating back 300 years stands out like a diamond amid 24 acres of garden gems on this historic property—originally part of a land grant from William Penn—which is maintained as an arboretum and bird sanctuary. Choose one of several gorgeous gardens for your ceremony—the rose garden for intimate gatherings, the walled perennial garden with its abundant seasonal flowers for mid-sized weddings, or the lush woodland garden with its waterfall and weeping willow. Receptions are held on the tented flagstone terrace adjacent to the home from April through November. Photo ops: Descending the home’s architectural staircase; beneath the natural arbors in the rose garden; near the pond, with resident ducks gliding along the water; in the old-time charm of the boxwood maze. Accommodates: Up to 200 seated under the reception tent. Catering: Choose from among six approved caterers. Fee: $5,500-$8,200. (610) 527-4280, applefordestate.com

Brandywine River Museum of Art, Chadds Ford

The Brandywine River Museum houses the world’s finest collection of works by the Wyeth family of artists. This three-story structure along Brandywine Creek, which was a grist mill in the 19th century, combines art, history and nature to serve as the perfect setting for your wedding. Have your ceremony in the stone courtyard, and then adjourn to the museum for cocktails and the reception. You might choose a traditional seated reception in the modern Millstone Café, or a station-style reception throughout the galleries and atrium. Either way, your guests have two hours to peruse the galleries. Photo ops: Along the creek banks, where naturalistic gardens are ornamented with sculptures; in the atrium with its floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Brandywine; in the galleries with stunning artwork surrounding you. Accommodates: Up to 120 for a seated dinner; more with stations. Catering: Blanch & Shock. Fee: $2,500 for the museum; $500 each for courtyard and Millstone Café. (610) 388-8112, brandywine.org/museum

Cairnwood Estate, Bryn Athyn

Imagine a Gilded Age mansion reserved just for you on your wedding day. Ever since the first wedding reception was held at Cairnwood Estate in 1896, brides and grooms have been fêted at this magnificent Beaux Arts-style mansion surrounded by gardens, expansive lawns and woodlands. As part of the package, the bride gets her own dressing suite and the groom a leather-furnished lounge. Photo ops: A white-and-natural-oak balustraded balcony leading to a grand staircase; a smaller, Juliet-style balcony; the fountain garden; the dramatic wrought-iron gates. Accommodates: Up to 160 seated inside the mansion, or 200 on the tented flagstone terrace. Afterward, have dessert in the magnificent Louis XVI music room, or cigars and scotch in the porte cochère off the billiard room. Catering: Choose from four preferred vendors. Fee: $1,800 to $8,800. (215) 947-2004, cairnwood.org

Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington

The Delaware Art Museum offers the perfect setting for a unique and sophisticated wedding. Nestled in a historic Wilmington neighborhood, the museum offers grand contemporary spaces with a lovely terrace overlooking a sculpture garden. In warmer weather, outdoor ceremonies in the garden can be followed by a reception on the nearby terrace. Indoors, Grand Fusco Hall, with high ceilings and soaring windows, makes for an ideal reception space. Nearby, East Court, a modern asymmetrical space, is perfect for an indoor ceremony or pre-reception cocktails. Photo ops: Chihuly Bridge—which features a two-story blown glass masterpiece overlooking the sculpture garden—and inside the museum galleries with exquisite artworks. Accommodates: Up to 200 for a seated dinner, buffet or station-style reception. Catering: Toscana Catering. Fee: Museum rental fees begin at $1,500. (302) 351-8530, delart.org

The Delaware Contemporary is unexpectedly romantic.

The Delaware Contemporary, Wilmington

Love the unexpected? A wedding at The Delaware Contemporary might be just right for you. This modern art museum, located on Wilmington’s riverfront, surprises and delights with its changing exhibits, which might include paintings, sculpture or video. Some couples wed outdoors at the nearby DuPont Environmental Education Center with its views of the city skyline, while others choose to have their ceremony in the museum’s auditorium with a video background. Following cocktails in the galleries, have a seated dinner in the expansive lobby. Or go casual with food trucks in the parking lot. Photo ops: Get playful with the exhibits for colorful and unexpected wedding photos. Accommodates: Auditorium seats 150 for a ceremony and the lobby up to 200 a seated dinner. Catering: Choose from six preferred caterers. Fee: $2,500 for up to 100 guests plus $500 for each additional 50 guests. (302) 656-6466, decontemporary.org

Dare to be different? Wed at the Delaware Museum of Natural History.

Delaware Museum of Natural History, Wilmington

Imagine a ceremony in a sunny meadow followed by a memorable cocktail hour where guests can interact with geckos, a bearded dragon and a hedgehog, culminating in a seated dinner amid life-size dioramas of an African watering hole. If that scenario strikes your desire to be different, you can have it all by renting out the Delaware Museum of Natural History for your wedding. Bonus: All galleries are open to guests, and you can arrange for an extra fee to have live-animal demos; the Nature Nook, with babysitting, can be made available for young wedding guests. Photo ops: Colorful butterflies flitting around the bridal couple in the butterfly garden; the towering skeletons of dinos Tuojiangosaurus and Yangchuanosaurus; woodland photos on the 1-mile nature trail; the bridal couple with
colorful exotic birds—a new offering. Accommodates: Inside, 80 guests seated in the largest gallery; on occasion the Exhibit Hall is available, which seats 150; outside under the tent, 200 seated. Caterer: Toscana Catering. Fee: $2,500-$3,000. (302) 658-9111, delmnh.org

The Indian River Life-Saving Station.

Indian River Life-Saving Station, Rehoboth Beach

Craving a beach wedding with a side of history? Marry at Delaware Seashore State Park and have your reception underneath a tent adjoining the circa 1876 life-saving station, which has been restored to its 1905 appearance and houses a museum. For just $25 per hour, you can hire a docent to have the museum open to guests during your cocktail hour. Act early if you’re interested, because only 17 weddings can be held at the life-saving station each year. Photo ops: In front of the exterior doors to the boat room with the USLSS Indian River Inlet sign above; on top of the sand dune with the wooden life-saving station while the sun sets behind you; inside the museum, peeking around the edge of the large surf boat. Accommodates: Up to 250. Caterer: Choose from a list of state-approved caterers and vendors. Fee: $4,500. (302) 227-4297, destateparks.com/events/life-saving-station/index.asp. Also consider: A number of Delaware state parks in New Castle County with historic properties, including Auburn Heights with its steam museum and Blue Ball Barn, which houses the Delaware Folk Art Collection.

Old Town Hall, Wilmington

Make your wedding one for the history books with a ceremony and reception at Wilmington’s grand brick Old Town Hall. Built in 1798, the Federal-style building has seen celebratory dinners for the Marquis de Lafayette and President Andrew Jackson—and now you and your intended. Have your ceremony in the Poole Gallery with the dramatic backdrop of a twin staircase. Retire to the terrace and gardens for cocktails, and then return inside to the stately Council Chambers for a sit-down dinner. Photo ops: Classic architecture, dramatic columns and natural light streaming through the arched windows provide a formal backdrop, or step outside into the courtyard for casual shots. Accommodates: 80 for a seated dinner. Catering: Your choice. Fee: $1,200-$2,500. (302) 655-7161,
dehistory.org

Rockwood Mansion and Carriage House has multiple gardens.

Rockwood Mansion and Carriage House, Wilmington

From spring through fall, you can have your ceremony outdoors in one of the multiple gardens in this county park, two of which—the North Lawn and the South Lawn—have the 19th-century Gothic Revival Rockwood Mansion as a backdrop. If it’s winter—or it rains—you can marry indoors on the second story of the historic Carriage House with its stone walls, wooden beams and wooden floors. The Carriage House also provides an updated yet charming venue for cocktails and a reception. Photo ops: The rose garden with its classic symbols of love; the mansion’s porch; Rockwood’s glass conservatory with its abundance of flora. Accommodates: Up to 225 people for a seated dinner. Catering: Greenery Caterers. Fee: For a garden ceremony, $700-$800; for a Carriage House reception, $1,000-$5,500. (302) 472-CHEF (2433), greenerycaterers.com

Tyler Arboretum is punctuated by the whimsy of seven tree houses and the rustic charm
of a 19th-century stone barn. Photo by Fuller Photography.

Tyler Arboretum, Media

Whether it’s lilacs and magnolias in spring, or autumn’s dazzling display of color, Tyler Arboretum provides a scenic backdrop for your ceremony and reception. The 650 acres of rolling meadows and old-growth forest are punctuated by the whimsy of seven tree houses and the rustic charm of a 19th-century stone barn. Have cocktails on the porch of the circa 1738 Lachford Hall, next to a 200-year-old ginkgo tree. Photos ops: The bride emerging from among the trees for her walk down the aisle; fields of wildflowers; the new fragrant herb garden; framed by Imagination Station. Accommodates: Up to 140 seated in the newly renovated, air-conditioned barn, or 200 in two long tents behind the barn, with dancing inside. Catering: Jeffrey A. Miller Catering. Fee: $2,400-$4,500. (610) 213-3097, tylerarboretum.org

Welkinweir, East Nantmeal Township

Talk about garden variety! Welkinweir has it all in its 197 acres—a 55-acre arboretum, wildflower-strewn meadows, formal and naturalistic perennial gardens, wetlands, and an 18th-century estate house that was updated in the 19th and 20th centuries. The ruins of a stone barn now thrive with blossoms in the spring and are surrounded by azaleas, rhododendron, redbud and magnolias, creating a floral fantasy location for an outdoor ceremony. For your reception, a tent near the stone manor home creates the perfect cover for partying into the evening. Furnished (and photogenic) rooms are provided in the manor house for the bridal party to dress—the bride in the library with adjacent bath, and the groom in the Pine Room. Photo ops: On the bridge that crosses a stepped waterfall at the far end of the Great Pond; beside the enormous and dramatic Chinese hackberry tree; amid the varied textures of the pinetum, a collection of evergreens; beside the wooden root cellar door, which contrasts with the stone wall. Accommodates: Up to 150 for a seated dinner. Catering: Jeffrey A. Miller Catering. Fee: $5,500. (610) 469-7543, welkinweir.org