We love being wedding planners and designers in New Bern, North Carolina. We feel so fortunate to have a vibrant downtown area, with many different options for wedding venues.
I have to say, my favorite is Tryon Palace, and one of the reasons for that is that we are one of the teams contracted to plan weddings there. Also it is a beautiful venue and offers five different gardens to choose from and also the History Center which offers a large indoor space. One of the historic homes also is available for two hours before your event for a place to get ready.
For receptions in the gardens, a tent will be needed, but The French Bee will help you with that, so don’t fret. You will also need to think about tables, chairs, and linens.
There is no on property catering and Tryon Palace works from a preferred vendor list, so you will be able to pick one from the list.
https://www.tryonpalace.org/hosted-events/weddings
Another venue downtown New Bern, is the Jarvis at 220. It is perfect for smaller receptions, 75-120 guest will fit very nicely. For a ceremony and reception you would need to have a smaller amount of guest to make best use of the space. What is wonderful about the Jarvis, is that it has 4 bedrooms and really fun basement. You are able to rent the entire house out for the weekend, Which will give the Jarvis suite to get ready in, the basement to have the rehearsal dinner or just to hang out, a tent in the back courtyard. The tent is a basic tent, if you would like to fancy it up, The French Bee can help you with that. And all of it is really lovely and the inn keepers are anxious to attend your every need.
There are no catering facilities at the Jarvis, but they do have a small kitchen for one of the many New Bern Caterers to work out of.
https://thejarvisat220.com/events/
If you would like to have a church ceremony, New Bern offers a wide variety of churches for weddings. Some are more difficult than others if you are not a member of the church. At the French Bee, we know which ones require you to be a member and which ones do not. So if you would like to contact us, we would be more than happy to help you with that.
https://newbernnow.com/new-bern-places-of-worship-and-churches
A really interesting venue is the Craven arts council building. It has really interesting architecture and also offers art for your guest to look at and have conversation starters. It has no catering facilities, but there are some wonderful caterers in downtown New Bern who can accommodate your needs there. It is best suited for guest list of 100 or less.
https://www.cravenarts.org
If a waterfront wedding is what you are after, and you don’t mind a few people or boats going by, you can always choose Union Point, under the gazebo or in front of it. Be prepared for wind. You can rent it through the City of New Bern. You will need to bring everything you need, all there is here is a great view.
https://www.newbern.com/union-point-park.html
If dancing is what you want then there is venue that is also in downtown New Bern called Stanley Hall. This is a great place for a reception, with maybe the ceremony in one of the lovely gardens around town. This is an upstairs ballroom. They have tables and chairs that can be used. Although most people rent chairs due to individual tastes. It has a small warming kitchen for caterers. Be mindful about loading in and out, step stairway or a very small elevator
https://stanlyhallballroom.com
New Bern is very lucky to have some wonderful restaurants that can accommodate wedding receptions. Depending on the size of your guest list will help when choosing one over the other.
The Chesea restaurant has a large banquet room upstairs that can accommodate up to apron 150 depending on the style of reception that you choose. They have everything in house such as tables, chairs and in house catering
https://www.thechelsea.com
Another option in downtown New Bern is Cypress Hall restaurant. They have a small room in the back for aprox. 50 people or less. They also offer a buyout where you can rent the entire restaurant out for the evening, but you have to guarantee a minimum amount of money spent. They have to justify closing the restaurant down for an entire evening.
https://cypresshallrestaurant.com
New Bern has so many options for an entire wedding weekend. The French Bee would be thrilled to help you locate your perfect wedding spot. Please contact us, so that we can get started!
hello@thefrenchbeeevents.com