Gold Coast Mansion weddings and events

About 12 Gold Coast Mansions host weddings and private events today. Some are hotels, some are museums and county parks that rent their rooms and grounds, and 1 belongs to a university. Each house’s own site, or the site of the public body that owns it, says what it offers, and that is the place to start. The Gold Coast Mansions that take events run from Sands Point in the west to Centerport in the east.

Hempstead House and Castle Gould, Sands Point. The 2 houses stand in Sands Point Preserve, a Nassau County park run by the Sands Point Preserve Conservancy. The conservancy books weddings and parties in Hempstead House, using the entry foyer, the library and the palm court indoors and the Rose Garden for tented ceremonies. Corporate events, fundraisers and holiday parties go in Hempstead House or the Great Hall of Castle Gould. The conservancy sets a minimum of 150 guests for its venues. Start at its weddings and parties page.

Westbury House, Old Westbury. Old Westbury Gardens takes small private events in the gardens: ceremonies, bridal showers and other gatherings of 50 or fewer guests, arranged by email with its events office. It also allows a limited number of large tented celebrations each year through its event partner. Start at the Gardens’ private events page.

Templeton, the de Seversky Mansion, Old Westbury. New York Institute of Technology runs the former home of Frederick and Amy Phipps Guest as an event venue. It hosts weddings, showers and rehearsal dinners, with ceremonies under the linden tree, on the patio, on the east lawn, in the garden room or in the ballroom. The venue states that it holds 1 wedding a day, for 100 to 300 adult guests. Start at the mansion’s weddings page.

Clayton, Roslyn Harbor. The Nassau County Museum of Art rents a tented pavilion, the library, a gallery and the outdoor terraces of the former Frick house, and offers the formal garden for ceremonies and dinners. The museum states that the pavilion seats 150 for dinner. Start at the museum’s event rentals page.

The Manor, Glen Cove. The John Teele Pratt house is now The Mansion at Glen Cove, a hotel with 186 rooms. Ceremonies are held on the patio or in a seasonal tent, and receptions in the Garden Ballroom, the Embassy and the Crystal Room. The hotel states that the ballroom holds 280 guests and the tent 480. Start at the hotel’s wedding venues page.

Chelsea, Muttontown. Nassau County owns the Benjamin Moore house inside Muttontown Preserve and books it for private functions, including weddings and corporate retreats, through the county’s caterer. Wedding and photography permits come from the county parks department. Start at the county’s Chelsea Mansion page.

Mill Neck Manor, Mill Neck. The Mill Neck Family of Organizations, which runs deaf education and services on the campus, opens the Tudor Revival house for private events, photography and film work, and the proceeds support its programs and the upkeep of the house. Start at its private events page.

Coe Hall, Upper Brookville. Planting Fields Foundation books ceremonies in the Cloister Garden, the Blue Pool Garden, the West Portico and the Great Hall of the house, now called the Main House, after the park closes to the public at 5:30 pm, and books receptions and rehearsal dinners as well. The foundation states a limit of 120 guests. Start at its weddings and private events page.

Oheka Castle, Huntington. Otto Kahn’s house is a hotel and holds 1 wedding a day. Receptions use the Grand Ballroom, the Formal Dining Room and the Terrace Room, and ceremonies take place in the Formal Gardens when the weather allows and move indoors when it does not. The castle states that the Terrace Room seats 350 for dinner. Start at Oheka’s wedding page.

Coindre Hall, Huntington. Suffolk County owns the chateau on Huntington Harbor as a park and describes it as a site for weddings and holiday celebrations. Events are catered through the county’s listed caterer, Lessing’s, and need a county event permit. Start at the county parks page for Coindre Hall.

Eagle’s Nest, Centerport. The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum hosts ceremonies, receptions, rehearsal dinners and elopements, in a tent on the former golf course and under the planetarium dome. Start at the museum’s weddings and events page.

What to ask a venue

Every Gold Coast Mansion sets its own rules. Ask whether the ceremony and the reception can both be held on the grounds, and where each moves if it rains. Ask which rooms and which parts of the grounds are included, and whether the house itself or only a tent is open to your guests. Ask about the season, since many of these houses hold events only in the warmer months or close for public programs on certain dates. Ask what the limits are on guest numbers, music, hours and photography, and whether you must use the venue’s caterer. Ask about access: step-free routes into the house and to the restrooms, parking close to the door, and seating for guests who cannot stand for long. Then read the venue’s own site once more before you sign, since terms change from year to year.