Garden Locations in Metro Richmond

grinnellian2001 · July 2009

Hi Ladies,I am looking for some advice on potential sites in Metro Richmond for a mid-2010 wedding. We are looking to do a garden ceremony followed by an indoor reception (not necessarily at the same place, but if not I would need to keep the fee under $1,000 for the ceremony site), for somewhere between 100 and 200 guests. Any advice?The Poe Museum gardens are on our list, but may be too small. We will also look at the Botanical Gardens, but could use some other suggestions. Reception facilities would need to let us bring in our own caterer (licensed) and ideally our own bartenders.

kiarra89 · July 2009

Wow Deja Vue lol. I was looking for the same exact thing! Some places that Fi and I went to view were: The Gardens at Sunday park, their ceremony site not really a garden but its niceCelebrations at the Reservoir has a lot of options. Tuckahoe Plantation was really nice a whole lot more of a garden feelMaymont but I think their reception site is too smallEarlyhouse in Louisa has a beautiful gazebo over the lakeMy personal fave was the Carillon at Byrd Park its absolutely amazing but they were booked for May

lol definitely fairly priced since its owned by the cityWe decided on The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen so you may want to check that outUmm If I can remember anymore Ill let you know but we seriously looked all over Richmond and I dont remember everyones pricing but you could always call or email them

msnelly · July 2009

Hi Ladies, One place that I have been for an outdoor wedding then inside reception is the Crossings at VA Center. I also like the Carillion at Byrd park

grinnellian2001 · July 2009

Oh, the Carillon is a brilliant idea. I've never been inside, but it is just so *Richmond*. We're having a lot of out of town guests and I work downtown in the historic preservation business, so something very uniquely Richmond is a high priority.I've also considered Tuckahoe, but I don't think they rent for ceremony only. Am I wrong?Thanks so much for the tips ladies, I welcome any other ideas. We're working on a short time frame, but with relative flexibility so far on dates (letting the venue dictate, to some extent), so more places to look is better than fewer!

sewhoo09 · July 2009

We got married last month at Lewis Ginter in the rose garden and it was gorgeous, I'd recommend LG 100%. It went smoothly, wasn't crazy expensive, and they knew what they were doing. It won't work for you as a reception location because you have to use their caterer, but I believe they could accommodate you for a ceremony in one of the gardens

jlrva · July 2009

I actually got married at the Carillon in May and it was really neat. I totally agree with you about it being so "richmond." There is a link to pics and stuff in my bio.We checked out maymont too, and there are actually 2 different places there that you can have your reception but you have to use their caterers. If you do your reception in the nature center you probably want to see if you can use their tram to take some of your elderly/disabled guests over there, its kind of a hike and very hilly.There is a girl in Richmond who has a wedding blog called The LIttle White Book. she used to do a feature on Richmond Weddings every Wednesday and she has pcitures of one that was at Libby Hill Park- but I don't know where they had their reception.I can't think of anywhere else, but there is a spreadsheet that comes in the back of every issue of Richmond Brides Magazine that has a very comprehensive list of ceremony and reception sites in and around Richmond. This was a huge help to me when I was first trying to decide where to get married. Good Luck!

jlrva · July 2009

Whoops! just re-read your 2nd post and should have mentioned that we had a ton of out of town guests too. They stayed at the Crowne Plaza and I rented a 40 some passenger bus to drive them to the Carillon and back after the whole thing was over. I have pictures of what the inside of the Carillon looks like as well. I took pictures of it empty and pictures of it set up before someone elses's wedding. I don't think my pro pics show a whole lot of what the room itself looks like all set up, so if you want me to send you a link to some of the other pics, or you have any questions feel free to email me at may16th2009 at gmail dot comAlso- the Carillon has funny availability in the spring- they only let you rent it for the first few weeks in May and then they wont let you rent it again until the end of August because of the concerts at Dogwood Dell. We got married May 16, but if I could do it over again I would have gotten married in the middle or end of April because the cherry blossoms that line the area in front of the carillon were all in bloom then and it was GORGEOUS! The weather was perfect too. By the time we got married it was all green and a little toasty in the sunshine!

grinnellian2001 · July 2009

I love those pics of the Carillon--will definitely have to call about Sept dates.Sewhoo09--I didn't realize that Ginter required you to use their caterer. Who is it, and what did you think of them?Thanks ladies, I'm getting some great ideas now.

sewhoo09 · July 2009

Their "exclusive caterer" as they call it is Merriwether Godsey here is their website: <a href="http://www.merig.com/">http://www.merig.com/</a> . Sorry if the link doesn't work I haven't posted here a ton! The food was excellent we actually had both our rehearsal dinner there and wedding (used two different venues w/in the Gardens) so we also used the catering twice. They have tastings a few times a year, but if you'd like to taste before signing you can go eat at any of the cafes for lunch and the food is prepared MG as well. There's no cake cutting fee (which I love) and overall everyone was very nice and good to work with. The staff was polite and while getting ready for the wedding all the way up to the reception we had a staff member assisting us (bringing us water, etc.). That was very helpful and we definitely appreciated it since it was so hot.We realized during the reception that we hadn't ordered enough champagne for the toast and they were able to quikcly chill and serve enough to accomodate our error..I was very impressed by that. Prices are not crazy..they do charge a 20% service fee and for you to use their linens. Those were the only added costs over the food other than like state taxes in my opinion..but you also find that anywhere pretty much. Sorry for such a long post and just send me an e-mail if you have any other questions or want any other reviews at Diamondsareforever87@gmail.com!

megglemoo · July 2009

The Wilton House isn't a garden exactly, but their backyard is beautiful and sits right on the James River. I definitely recommend that. Also, try Maymont (although that's probably already been mentioned).

msalg01 · August 2009

I just saw this post and sewhoo, I would really like to hear more about your experience at the Botanical Gardens, because I have fallen in love with the place and really want to have it there, I just kind of need that final push. I saw your email address above, is it okay if I email you? Sorry to invade the post like this, but I was really excited to see a bride that had her wedding here.

grinnellian2001 · August 2009

Thanks ladies! It looks like we're going to go with Wilton (pending final approval by FI and MOM, both of whom love the pictures). So beautiful!We really wanted the Carillon, but they were unavailable for any of the dates we looked at. Ah, well, Wilton is even better for us, I think, since I work in the historic preservation field and FI loves the James River.

Garden Locations in Metro Richmond

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