New Bedford Whaling Museum Reviews

Thank you Casey for your help and care throughout the wedding planning process. From the tasting (which was a blast) to the night of our wedding you made sure that everything went off without a hitch!

On our wedding day we were treated like royalty. No, really… I was amazed!!! Casey greeted us with champagne the second we arrived at the museum. Janet swooped in and informed us that she was a master as bustles. My train was literally about 2 yards long so my bridesmaids and I were very relieved!! If it were not for the help, we would've spent the better portion of cocktail hour fussing with the train. We were able to get freshened up, buttoned up, and join our guests for most of the cocktail hour. (Janet you are a sweetheart – thank you!) Janet and Casey ensured that my husband, me, our wedding party and parents were all well fed, hydrated and had everything we needed from cocktail hour, on.

Casey was always close by ensuring that everything went smoothly, making adjustments to the night’s line of events if we felt that some things needed to be moved around, etc. The teamwork between Casey and the other vendors at the NBWM that night was impressive! Right up to the very end of the night Casey was working hard to make sure everything was perfect. Casey, you are awesome! Thank you!

Lastly, all of the food that evening was delicious! Hor d’oeuvres were flowing all through cocktail hour with a personal plate following us around. Our guests had a blast checking out the museum and catching up with friends and family. Dinner was delicious as well – and all of the guests we have chatted with have raved about the food. I was so worried that with the day being so busy my husband and I would end up not eating enough, but that did not happen. We were cared for by the staff and allowed to enjoy a relaxing meal in such a busy day. Thank you Janet! Thank you Casey!! & Thank you Russell Morin Catering & Events!!!

We had our ceremony and reception at the Whaling Museum in July. Casey and Nikki were incredibly easy to work with and executed a flawless night. They were responsive throughout the planning process and worked with our budget to customize a wedding that felt natural to us. The food was delicious and the mini lobster rolls were especially a hit! The venue itself was beautiful and unique. The staff was attentive throughout the night and we were never without a drink in hand :) All of our guests really enjoyed cocktail hour in the Lagoda Room, the view from the Harbor Room, and the Museum exhibits. We highly recommend Morin's Catering and the New Bedford Whaling Museum for weddings or corporate functions!

We had an amazing experience with the Whaling Museum and its top-notch staff, kudos to all involved. Casey was incredibly responsive, informative, and accommodating, and she and the event/catering staff were more than able to deal with some of our last minute requests, including leading up to and on the day of the wedding. The space was beautifully arranged with all of our planned small touches, and guests raved about the museum experience, as well as the reception itself. It was a night both we and our guests will never forget and we are so glad we picked this venue. One small tip: When booking our date, we were unaware of New Bedford's Annual Folk Festival, which coincided with our wedding day (yikes!) and made parking a little trickier. We ended up hiring a valet service, so all was salvaged, but it would be wise to check in on local events planned on and around your big day.

My experience, from start to finish, was unparalleled at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. My husband and I stopped looking after we viewed the museum with our initial sales manager, Bethany. Bethany left the company while we were planning our wedding, and the transition to the new manager, Casey, was flawless. From start to finish, I only have the best things to say about Casey, her associate, Nikki, and the entire staff at the museum. Beyond the professional and warm staff, here are a few points as to why, if we did it all over again, there is no doubt we would choose the museum for our wedding ceremony and reception.
-They work exclusively with Russell Morin's Catering. The food and beverage service were such a great value and executed as promised. The tasting experience was an absolute blast, and the staff was so helpful with recommendations and making changes to their menu. We had five passed appetizers during cocktail house (uncommon stuffed mushrooms, petite lobster rolls, fish and chip cones, bbq beef brisket sliders, cheddar biscuits with carolina pulled pork were are all crowd favorites). The staff also passed wine and prosecco during cocktail hour. Dinner service was flawless and fast (we chose to have salad at the tables when guests sat down at their seats) and dinner was delicious (short ribs tuscano, wild mushroom ravioli and Chicken Cote d’Azur).
-Location in New Bedford close to the Marriott & Fort Phoenix for photos beforehand.
-Ability to choose all vendors accept for Caterer (including baker)
-The venue itself set it apart from anywhere else outside of Boston. We were thrilled to have 2 balconies outside of the reception area, a separate cocktail hour space (the Lagoda Room) and onsite ceremony. The balconies were a huge hit for all of the guests (we had a cigar station on 1 and cornhole game/cocktail tables on the other).
I do not have enough good things to say about Casey, her team, and the entire experience.

My husband and I could not recommend the New Bedford Whaling Museum and Russell Mirin catering enough! Guests loved the cocktail hour in the museum; it was such a unique experience! Many of our guests (and us included) commented that the food was the best that we had ever tasted at a wedding. We couldn't recommend the venue and Russell Morin in general enough!

This venue was absolutely gorgeous! Our guests were blown away by the cocktail hour in the Lagoda room, as well as the stunning views from the Harbor View Gallery. Everyone from the museum was incredibly great to work with. The museum does have an exclusive contract with Russell Morin catering, which provided phenomenal food, but is on the expensive side (12k catering minimum), but worth it for the experience!

The venue was AMAZING!! Such a beautiful new room with amazing views and amazing service!! Our wedding could not have been more perfect. Thank You Bethany for everything!!

Thank you for a job so WELL DONE!!!!!!

To Arolin our event planner at the New Bedford
Whaling Museum and with Russell Morin Catering.
Just wanted you to know that we ALL think that you did
a "FANTABULOUS" job. The day went so well. It was PERFECT and
you helped it to be that perfect. Even the old aunts and my Mom said
that it was FLAWLESS and they never saw a wedding like that ever.

Excellent job!!!!!! Loved it ALL!!!!
Hugs.....Jan, Dan, Ruzica & Matt

If you want a museum wedding with a New England vibe, this place is incredible. Every single guest who had never been there before was awestruck upon entering the museum, and again when entering the Lagoda room for cocktail hour. The museum works solely with Russell Morin caterers, which we found convenient. Further, we were able to rent tables and chairs through the museum, again convenient. The place looked awesome, and we lost count of the times we heard our guests say "Wow!"

My husband and I got married at the New Bedford whaling museum almost a year ago. Embarrassingly enough I am just getting to all of my reviews.

The whaling museum was the perfect setting for our wedding as we were looking for something a bit non traditional and unique. We had our cocktail hour in the Lagoda room which was amazing with the large whaling vessel. Our guests really loved the fact that the whole museum was open during the cocktail hour so they could socialize, but then go explore if they'd like. The kids especially love the large whaling vessel as they could get on the boat and play around.

We were introduced into our reception from upstairs which was a great surprise since our wedding party was announced from the main floor where the reception was held. The staircase was perfect for making that grand entrance we were looking for. We had about 130 guests at our wedding which was just perfect since we could have all of our tables in the main area and still have a giant dance floor.

The staff at the museum was exceptionally helpful throughout or whole wedding process. Elizabeth who runs the special events was great in providing information and guiding us through the whole process of planning. We brought lots of centerpieces and chalkboards for our wedding and she gladly stored them for us the night before the wedding and the staff helped unload and load the car with no hesitation.

If you are looking for a unique wedding venu where your guests will be entertained from beginning to end, definitely take a look at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Oh and did I mention you will have some of the most amazing pictures ever?! You will!!!

I absolutely loved having my wedding in the museum. Initially we were a bit put off by the fact that they work with one catering company exclusively, however it turned out to be the best choice since their partnership is fantastic and it makes the planning so much easier and flawless. Elizabeth is fantastic. Extremely professional and responsive and very friendly and easy to work with. Between her and our caterer they took care of every little detail and answered all of my million questions. And I can't stress enough the beauty and impact that the space offers! all of my guests were flabbergasted with how unique and gorgeous the space is. We had about 100 guests and it was the perfect location. There is plenty of room, amazing views and a lot of incredibly nice spots (inside and outside the museum) for taking photographs. Very unique, classic and elegant location! It was the whole package for a very reasonable price!! I would recommend the Whaling museum a thousand times!!

I had my jack and Jill shower in the Jacobs Family Gallery. We had quite a few people attend since we didn't know where to cut off the family. Around 130 showed. My contact person from the museum was Elizabeth. She was extremely helpful. Every question I had she answered right away no matter what time I emailed her. My shower went off without a hitch and my family is still talking about how beautiful everything turned out.The staff was extremely helpful and friendly. The museum is beautiful inside for any type of event. I would recommend this venue to any bride wether it be a reception, rehearsal dinner or shower.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum served as the unique space for our wedding reception. The museum is located in the stunning historic district of downtown New Bedford, complete with cobblestone streets. What a great place for photos too! Our reception area with inside the Jacobs Family Gallery. With a little customization through uplighting, pipe and drape and custom table linens, the room was just what I imagined. Though the area is a little tight for a sit-down meal, a full band and a dance floor, it worked out just fine.

We picked the museum as a great venue to show off some of the best features of our hometown. While we had a bit of a rocky start with some changes in staffing, we really enjoyed working with Bethany. She was warm and very organized which helped us get everything in order for the big day. We knew the venue would be great, but it was even better than we remembered from our grade school field trips. We had our ceremony in the theatre, our cocktail hour in the Lagoda Room, and our reception in the new Harbor View Gallery. Even the guests who had lived most of their lives in the New Bedford area were awed at the updates to the space and the breathtaking view of the New Bedford Harbor from the reception space. We could not have asked for a better team between Russell Morin Catering and the Whaling Museum staff. We and our guests had an excellent time and would highly recommend this venue to those looking for a beautiful and unique wedding location.

We absolutely loved the Whaling Museum for our wedding! It was such a beautiful and unique setting. Of course, they aren't the most flexible venue because it is a museum so there are a few rules such as no flames (had to use battery tea lights, no big deal) and no drinks past a certain point. Their event coordinator changed a few months ago, so there was a bit of difficulty with communication for a week or so. But the new coordinator, Elizabeth, is great, so no problem. All of our guests raved about how fantastic and different the museum was for our wedding. We also had the ceremony in the Wattles Gallery and it was absolutely gorgeous. Guests were able to explore the whole museum during cocktail hour. The area immediately around the museum is also a really great setting with cobblestone streets and historical houses and buildings. Overall, I definitely recommend the museum for couples who aren't interested in the typical country club/reception hall wedding.

The whaling museum was a beautiful venue for our wedding, guests had so many wonderful comments on how "cool" the venue was. It was a perfect fit for our sophisticated nautical wedding. Unfortunately, more than mid way into our planning our planner for the venue changed but they did a decent job making sure everything was taken care of under the new coordinator.

Excellent wedding venue, our out of town guests LOVED the museum. Only negative is the reception room was a bit tight, they claim capacity to 180 but we had 160 & it was tight. Beautiful though, highly recommend for eddings of 150 or less.

The Whaling Museum is gorgeous, and our guests loved it. Really we didn’t need to add anything other than centerpieces and minimal lighting. In retrospect I wish we hadn’t spent as much on decorating as we did. I do think the chair upgrade was worth it. The staff was friendly and cooperative throughout. I fully recommend this venue.