I thought I would start a board for any brides in the Philadelphia area looking for a rustic/barn style venue. I chose my venue about a year ago and found the process to be so overwhelming. It would have been helpful to have a thread going of different specific style venues to give brides some inside information. Alas, here we are!
I chose the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove. It is located in Audubon, PA. I fell in love with the venue the second I saw it in person. It has that whimsical/outdoorsy/rustic barn vibe, while maintaining sophistication. One of the things that sold me on the venue was their caterer. They exclusively use Jeffrey Miller (JAM) Catering, which has been a godsend. I have finished menu planning and it was the easiest thing to do. JAM Catering handles every detail- menu, cake, and service. They even have a floral and decor division to purchase all of those elements as well. I found all of their prices to be very reasonable for what was included. Their event planners are friendly and helpful, without being pushy about add-ons.
Their menu tasting is a group tasting and it was phenomenal. The food was all fresh and delicious. It was great to be able to see how the dishes would come out when cooked for large numbers of people. The group tasting was almost like attending a real wedding reception.
The only thing that they do not provide is alcohol. However, they have suggestions on how best to handle purchasing it.
My wedding is this May and I am beyond excited. I hope you find this thread useful for planning your dream wedding! Hopefully more brides can add similar venues and/or experiences from this venue/caterer!