Rockport Art Association

The Rockport Art Association was the PERFECT location for our wedding reception. We were SO happy with everything. Joanna was the perfect coordinator and made planning our wedding at the Art Association seamless. Our guests are still commenting on the beautiful location!

The Rockport Art Association offers a gorgeous space with high ceilings and hardwood floors. The space is both elegant and rustic, and you are surrounded by paintings and photographs by talented local artists. The staff, especially Joanna Read, is friendly and helpful, going above and beyond their job descriptions. The location is fantastic. There are several local beaches and parks at which you can hold an outdoor ceremony if you don't want to have it in the RAA.

Rockport Art Association was perfect for us .. we wanted a unique space to accomodate about 100 people for a cocktail hour, dinner with 4 food stations and dancing and what better setting than an art gallery. We used asian lanterns as decorations on the high, wood beam ceiling and it gave the room a lovely glow - it photographed amazingly well!

We loved the ambiance created by the two galleries and appreciated all the help that Joanna, our contact, provided. We were able to reuse lovely paper lanterns from a previous wedding that looked perfect! It also helped to have a back-up, indoor option in case of rain. Considering the price, it seemed very appropriate compared to other reception fees around the area. We also had wonderful vendors that had worked at the gallery previously and were a tremendous, seamless team.

The RAA was a beautiful reception site. Rustic, coastal, charming.

Pre planning - staff was very nice to deal with, accomodating visits, etc. We sent RAA our police detail check and they handled the details with the police. Walk through ahead of time was a great to visualize how the rooms will be set up.

Decorating - we were told originally that we could decorate between 2 pm - 5 pm the day before our reception. We went to the RAA to hang our lanterns and were told we were unable to do so until after 5 pm or the next day due to a high profile exhibit. Luckily, I had family members who were able to hang the lanterns the next morning. We should have been notified about this ahead of time to plan accordingly. But, it wasn't really a big deal since it was just a few lanterns.

Day of - the signs on the doors of the RAA welcoming our guests had a misspelling of my husband's name. Kind of a bummer, because ALL the guests saw it. We even had email correspondance regarding the spelling of the name.

I wish we had an option to hold a longer reception, you are limited to 5 hours.

Chairs are provided, which is nice so you do not need to rent them.

At least some of our wedding budget went to supporting a non profit agency - :)

We had a 150 person station style wedding, I think it would be tight with more than that # of people at the site.

I would HIGHLY recommend the RAA for any affair. It is unique, not your average wedding site.

The Rockport Art Association was the perfect place for our wedding - rustic and charming is the perfect description. I could not have been more pleased with the outcome - working with Joanna was a pleasure and having a special exhibit during our wedding was extra special. The hardwood floors and exposed beams give it a wonderfully charming feel - all we needed to do was hang a few xmas lights and we have the perfect ambiance.
I would HIGHLY recommend RAA to any bride looking for something just a little different.

Thank you!!!

The Rockport Art Association was the perfect venue for our daughter's midsummer wedding reception for 160 guests. The garden courtyard and two large galleries (one with a cathedral ceiling from which multicolored lanterns hung) provided a wonderful and flexible space for lots of dancing, multiple food stations and bars and lively conversation at the small cocktail tables spread throughout. Three small front rooms near the entrance provided ample space for guest book, wedding favors and gifts as well as coats and umbrellas but could be used in other creative ways. The art exhibit is a delightful bonus for guests. It enhances the rooms rather than intruding. The RAA staff was most responsive and cooperative from our first meeting to the reception's end. As part of the contract, a professional wedding consultant is on site for the entire event to keep things running smoothly. Parking can be arranged at the bank lot adjoining the RAA. One caution--depending on the season, you may want your florist to check out the courtyard as additional plants and flowers may be needed.

RAA is located in the heart of the picturesque downtown area close to the local beach and several churches. The many B&B's located nearby enable out-of-town guests to walk to the reception. Our entire experience with RAA was fabulous. It was a great place for a celebration. Our family wanted to share our love of Rockport with our guests and the Art Association was the perfect place to make that happen.

The Greenery, Rockport, MA did the catering for our wedding. The food was extraordinary and all of the guests commented on how awesome the presentation and the dinner was. We chose to do stations versus a sit down meal. The food was hot and the staff was very helpful in removing the dirty dishes and the breakdown afterwards. The RAA was a fabulous place to have the wedding!!!!

November 22, 2008

"Dear Friends,

Not long ago, our daughter Ann Gallagher was married to Ron May at the Rockport Art Association.

We, as parents, and the rest of the families, were very impressed by the setting, the Gruppe' Exhibit, and the warmth and intimacy of the wedding and reception.

Ann's aunt, (and my sister) Margaret Manship, was so happy to have Ann & Ron arrange the wedding to be near us, and especially happy to be able to attend!

Ann really enjoyed working with the staff!

A Happy Thanksgiving to All!

Sincerely,

Clare Emi Condon"

"This is an absolutely beautiful place to hold your wedding and they are great to work with!" October 17th, 2008

"We photographed a wedding at the Rockport Art Association over the weekend. It was beautiful. The space was great and really added to original looking photographs. The area around the building is also great for photo backdrops!" October 14th, 2008

"Dan and I would very much like to thank you all. Your gallery was beautiful for our wedding. I have since received many compliments of the gallery and we certainly enjoyed the space. It was a pleasure working with you all, and I trust we will meet again!

Gratefully,

Dan and Olivia

"The galleries at the Rockport Art Association lent themselves wonderfully to our wedding celebration. Splendid paintings and photos decorated the galleries, setting the perfect tone for the night. Our guets praised the galleries and the art in them. We'll send some photos of the galleries when we receive them. Thanks for making the night one to remember."