Tented Reception Area

Thank you for a wonderful stay! Our women's retreat greatly appreciated the delicious food, warm hospitality, and beautiful environment of Friendly Crossways.

Friendly crossways offered the perfect backdrop to celebrate our wedding weekend. When you find yourself on the grounds you are immediately surrounded by flowers, bushes, and trees of all varieties. The vegetable garden, rows of corn, and fire pit add a country feel that you would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. The building itself is the quaint little inn that rustic dreams are made of. The space itself is impeccably clean and cozy. Not only that, but there is a feeling that you have arrived home when you first walk inside the door. It has such a wonderful vibe and all our guests immediately felt welcome and at ease. This was huge for us because we wanted our weekend to feel casual and inviting so people could truly unwind and reconnect with one another.

The staff at Friendly Crossways was also always handy if you needed anything at all. They were present without interrupting quality family time or feeling overbearing. It was the perfect balance of convenience and comfort for everyone.The ability to enjoy the grounds for such an extended time also allowed us to fully enjoy our weekend without feeling rushed or scattered. We spent quality time with all of our friends and family from Friday evening until Sunday morning. We used the extra time to reflect and relax by the fire as we listened to the sounds of nature and gazed at the stars in the sky. It really is a magical place in the stillness of the night. You feel extremely far removed from the city, despite the fact that it's only about 45 minutes to Boston.

Beyond all of that, our celebration could not have been more seamless. We did not actually have our ceremony that weekend. Instead, we entrusted FC with our reception, which included all our friends and extended family. Seamless really is the perfect word to describe the entire weekend. From getting the tent set up on Friday to handling the caterer, bar services, and general flow of people coming to and from the parking lot, FC did it all with ease. They are true professionals and you can tell that they have done this many, many times before. You will be in excellent hands with Mary Helen, Keith and the crew at FC. Whatever you need done, the team at FC will be able to deliver what you need and then some. Save yourself the headache and get out there to meet the team and see the beautiful grounds. You may even get the chance to try some of Mary Helen’s famous pie!!

Because all of our friends and family were traveling for our wedding, we wanted a welcoming, joy-filled space that would allow them to stay for the whole weekend. Friendly Crossways gave us this and so much more.

Our group landed on Friday and didn't leave until Sunday. So many of our favorite memories happened outside of "official wedding" times - s'mores by the campfire, ping pong in the basement, board games until 3am, friends from different groups lounging on the front porch over breakfast. Friendly Crossways had the perfect amount of room, giving everyone plenty of room to explore while being feeling cozy. The outdoor space in particular was absolutely gorgeous, and perfect for everything from photos to frisbees.

As for the wedding itself, Mary Helan and Keith are incredible planners. They were super supportive, and amazingly fast on email. Whenever we came to them with "unique" ideas, their first thoughts were always "well how can we make this happen here?" They are super familiar with the flow of events and spaces, and have great advice for how to make things fit. They independently checked in with all the vendors the week before the wedding and made sure everything was thought of along the way.

Our wedding felt like a big operation to us - a Tea Ceremony and pre-wedding dinner with 70 people; friends cooking breakfast for 45 people; an outdoor wedding with 95 people. Most of the beds were full for the whole weekend. But the staff at FC made it look like a breeze, and made it feel like a breeze to us. We cannot thank or recommend them enough. Big or small, busy or relaxed, formal or chill - this team can make anything happen.

Oh, and the food was incredible.

One of our out-of-town friends loved the wedding so much, he booked FC as a hostel for the whole rest of the week. Another one of our friends raved about his first "sleepaway camp" wedding, and proposed having one here every year. If those aren't recommendations, we don't know what are.

We wanted a place to relax with our loved ones for a whole weekend, not just one evening, and Friendly Crossways was perfect for that. It was amazing to wake up the morning of our wedding already surrounded by our friends, making us breakfast! The food was delicious, the house and grounds are beautiful, and the Friendly Crossways team is warm and caring. Some advice if you have a summer wedding (ours was early July): some of the upstairs sleeping space can get very hot, and be careful about the bonfire -- the biting bugs are NOT playing around over there.

I spent 7 nights at The Friendly Crossways while attending the Walden Woods Project Institute and I had a peaceful experience. The rooms are clean, great staff, excellent WiFi connection, large and organized kitchen, natural environment and very secure. I will certainly be back! 🙂

Thank you, Friendly Crossways Retreat Center.🙏🙏🙏