Weddings at Larz Anderson

You can hold a wedding ceremony at Larz Anderson Park at one of three Town sites — the Temple of Love by the lagoon (up to 100 guests), the Top of the Hill with its Boston skyline view (up to 150) or the Allée of trees (up to 50) — booked through Brookline Recreation for $175 (Brookline residents) or $275 (non-residents) for a half day. The Town permits ceremonies only, in half-day blocks of 10 am – 2:30 pm or 3 – 7:30 pm. A reception indoors is a separate booking with the Larz Anderson Auto Museum, which rents its Carriage House for private events.

The Temple of Love

The Temple of Love, which the Town also calls the Tempietto, is a small domed temple at the edge of the lagoon. Brookline Recreation says it was modeled after the Temple of Love at Versailles. The Town took the old structure down in 2021 and built a replica in its place, along with a new causeway and footbridge, and reopened the lagoon area in 2022. It holds up to 100 people for a ceremony. Read more about the lagoon and the temple.

The Top of the Hill

The Top of the Hill is the park's highest point, on the Goddard Avenue and Newton Street side of the property near the auto museum. Brookline Recreation describes an exceptional view of the Boston skyline and a cement platform with a semi-circular bench. It is the largest of the three sites, holding up to 150 people, and it is booked for ceremonies.

The Allée

The Allée, also on the Goddard Avenue and Newton Street side, is a double row of trees leading to a semi-circular cement bench. It's the smallest site, up to 50 people, and the Town's landscape map lists it among the estate's surviving features as an allée of trees with stone exedras (curved stone benches).

Cost and Booking

• Brookline residents: $175 for a half day
• Non-residents: $275 for a half day
• Half-day blocks: 10 am – 2:30 pm or 3 – 7:30 pm; wedding ceremonies are half-day only

Reserve online through Brookline Recreation's system (from its Reservations page), in person at the Recreation Office, 133 Eliot St., Brookline, or by phone at 617-730-2069. Brookline Recreation also lists a wedding application. Fees are the Town's, read October 18, 2026.

Permits Beyond the Ceremony Site

Brookline Recreation says any event with catering or entertainment needs a special events permit, whatever space you reserve. Under the Town's park rules, amplified sound, filming and photo shoots, tents and structures, and signs all need permits too, so a musician with a speaker or a hired videographer is something to raise when you apply. The Town's brochure adds that a hired caterer or entertainer must file a $1,000,000 certificate of liability insurance naming the Town as additional insured.

Rules for the Day

• No alcohol. Brookline bans it in all parks, which rules out a champagne toast at the site.
• No fireworks or inflatables.
• Guests park in the designated lots; cars can't drive on the paths. Parking guide.
• The park stays open to the public, so expect walkers and dogs on leash nearby.
• The museum bans drones anywhere in the park.

Receptions and Indoor Space

The Town's sites are ceremony-only. For a reception at Larz, the Larz Anderson Auto Museum rents its Carriage House for private functions through its Private Events Manager (functions@larzanderson.org, 617-522-6547 x18) and keeps its own list of authorized caterers and preferred vendors. That is a private booking with the museum, priced by the museum. See our auto museum page.

Picking a Date

Summer and fall weekends are also car-show weekends: the museum holds lawn events nearly every weekend from May to October, and it calls parking very limited on those days. If your guests are driving, check the museum's event schedule before you book (lawn events). The Town's brochure also says refunds aren't given for bad weather and dates can't be changed, so plan a rain option.

Other Brookline Ceremony Sites

Brookline Recreation also permits ceremonies at the sundial in Corey Hill Park, another hilltop with a view of Boston and Cambridge, on a first-come, first-served basis. See other Brookline parks.