Crystal-Lynn Conservatory

The Crystal-Lynn Conservatory located on the main level of the Retreat House, received updated furnishings last year to include two refinished church pews for seating (they were original to the house when the church previously owned the property), two antique side tables and four velvet chairs.  This space can be used for ceremony or cocktail seating, depending on your vision for this space.  Chairs can be added to this space to offer a rain location for the ceremony that will not disappoint.  With three-sided water views of the bay, the sun-filled room is an ideal spot to host your ceremony.  This room can also offer cocktail seating with the addition of a few bistro tables, or it can provide dance floor space.    

When I first began my stewardship of the estate, it was with a heart full of memories of my older sister and cousins here at the Retreat House.  As children, we ran along the shore looking for the perfect skipping stones, played hide and seek in the woods, and picked blueberries in the field around the homes.  At this time, the church-owned the property and they hosted summer camps each year and retreats and they offered rental of the property to families for reunions and weddings. Our summer jobs we working for the caterers who fed guests.  My older sister Crystal-Lynn was seven years my senior.  She had big, bright, vibrant dreams of hosting her wedding here.  In the quiet of our room, she shared a little notebook with little snippets of her vision of this celebration.  I loved, adored and admired my big sister, so I could easily see her plans come to life in my imagination.  Sadly, my sister passed away at a young age.  In a way, each wedding that takes place here is the fulfillment of little girl’s dreams and a gift to my heart.  When we renovated the Retreat House in 2005, the Conservatory with its remarkable views and gorgeous light was dedicated to Crystal and her dreams.    

Photos by Greta Tucker