The Hartford Club Wedding: Demure CT City Style

History of The Hartford Club

On Prospect Street The Hartford Club, established in 1873, began as a space for arts and literature enthusiasts, later becoming a gathering place for Hartford’s business and civic leaders.

Designed in the Georgian style, the mansion has had many famous Connecticut members over the years like Mark Twain and Katharine Hepburn.

Today, The Hartford Club is just that: a private club for Hartford community members. It has amenities like a cigar lounge, brunches, dinners, and parties.

Additionally, however, the club is an event venue open to the community at large for private bookings. Obviously, this is where the idea of a Hartford Club wedding comes into play.

Venue Vibe and Features

The Hartford Club is a historic CT mansion wedding venue that offers an elegant and intimate atmosphere. Simply put, it’s classic clubhouse building located smack dab in Downtown Hartford.

The overall vibe? Think elegance: black tie, tuxedos, and gowns fit well in this Connecticut wedding venue.

As a Connecticut city venue, your wedding at The Hartford Club will take advantage of the mansion’s unique layout. There are three floors and a multitude of rooms. This means plenty of chances to customize during your event.

Locations During a Hartford Club Wedding

Getting Ready Upstairs

When you enter The Hartford Club for your wedding, you’ll head upstairs to the getting ready areas.

The second and third floors have several rooms, two of which are comfortable private suites for each partner (and their attendants) to get ready for the wedding in.

One of these is the Cigar Lounge. This is a handsome space with a bar, TV, and large windows. There’s a ton of furniture for…lounging (it is a lounge, after all) while getting ready for your wedding at The Hartford Club.

Photos at Travelers Plaza and Prospect St.

Inevitably during your wedding day at The Hartford Club, you’ll want to go outside and enjoy Downtown Hartford for some portraits on Travelers Plaza.

The Travelers property is actually on both sides of Prospect Street. There’s a nice, paved pavilion behind clubhouse. Then, there’s a second one across the street at the base of Travelers Tower.

For Hartford lovers, being able to get outside at this venue is really what can make their day a dream wedding. Within a minute or two, you can walk to several other picturesque portrait locations near The Hartford Club.

Our capitol city really is underrated! I honestly find it to be one of the more picturesque cities on the east coast. (Hartford also has tons of things to do for couples.)

Cocktail Hour in the Fairplay Room

Cocktail hour at The Hartford Club is generally held in the Fairplay Room on the first floor. This space is about 400 square feet in size and opens up to the mansion’s main foyer.

Conveniently, it has a bar and is located right outside the main dining room.

Reception in the Main Dining Room

Finally when it’s time to have some sit-down and dancing fun, The Hartford Club’s main dining room is available for your reception.

At 3600 square feet, the main dining room can seat you two and about 200 of your guests for a wedding reception. There’s a good-sized wooden dance floor on the window end. This is where your wedding DJ or band would set up, too.

Upstairs on the second floor is a second space that’s just as large: The Harford Club’s grand ballroom. Receptions can also be hosted here.

Hartford Club Wedding Ceremonies

Like The Society Room of Hartford, The Hartford Club can accommodate an indoor wedding ceremony (for up to about 220 guests). You would work with the venue to choose a room.

Parking

This wedding venue is very accommodating, including the parking situation. You, your guests, and your wedding vendors are able to park in the Travelers garage (the entrance for which is just before the mansion on Prospect Street).

From the garage, it’s a short walk across the venue-side portion of Travelers Plaza. There’s also limited street parking available on Prospect Street and around the block surrounding the venue.

Costs for a Wedding at The Hartford Club

The Hartford Club’s wedding pricing is focused on their reception experience. They have various five-hour packages which include service and food.

The base options generally range from about $85/person up to $150/person, depending on your choices. There are food add-ons available, such as carving stations, desserts, and late-night snacks.

In addition to food, this venue does really well with bar service. There are add-ons available in this area, such as premium spirits and wine service during dinner.

Lastly, there’s a site fee that the venue charges based on the number of rooms and spaces your wedding will be utilizing. Also, use of the getting ready spaces comes with an extra charge (including optional refreshment service as you get ready).

N&D’s Wedding at The Hartford Club

When they inquired with me, I was immediately intimidated by the prospect of photographing Natalie and Domenic! Why? Because Domenic himself is a professional photographer (and happens to use my preferred brand of professional cameras).

For their engagement session, Natalie and Domenic wanted to head to Hartford City Hall for a good hour of photos before heading to Old Wethersfield for some more fun.

This was fitting, as their wedding day was a solid mix of formal feels with fun emotion. Speaking of which, the day ran flawlessly! From their church ceremony to their private last dance, these two threw a great party for themselves and their guests.

Here are the wedding vendors who helped make their wedding day happen:

• Getting Ready and Reception Venue: The Hartford Club (including catering and dessert)
• Ceremony Venue: Christ The King Church (Wethersfield, CT)
• Wedding Planner: Nicole Parsons of Compass Event Planning
• Hair Stylist: Shelby Dufour Beauty Artistry
• Makeup Artist: Lorna Pulver of Lorna Made Me Blush Artistry
• Florist: Lane and Lenge Florists, Inc.
• Bridal Dress Boutique: Lastrina Girls Bridal Salon
• Groom and Groomsmen Suits: The Black Tux
• Wedding DJ: Justin Bousquet
• Second Photographer: Mike of Evermore Imaging

More Hartford Club Wedding Photos

Here are even more photos from The Hartford Club wedding of Natalie and Domenic: