this little hidden gem was such a wonderful surprise! we put it on our list of locations to check out just because we wanted to look at something closer, we didn’t expect much but were so happy when we stepped out of the car.
the house is located in the back of a residential neighborhood and backs right up to the james river (just like the plantations). when you pull up to this location you’re at the highest point, as it’s all below street level. the front lawn is 2 terraced levels as is the back.
our plans here were to hold cocktails in the front and then move dinner to the last terrace in the back, which would be tented for dinner. this location also has an indoor space that comes with the rental. due to the residential location they do have restrictions on noise and prefer only strings or music of that sort. you must keep the noise down even if you’re using the indoor area (which is where you’d have to put a band or dj). unfortunately the indoor space has a rather unfortunate drop ceiling, such a sad fact given the distinguished look of the rest of location.
when we looked at this location the rates were:
(for sat/sun daytime) from $750 for 3 hours + $225 each hour after
(for fri/sat/sun evening) from $975 for 3 hours + $250 each hour after
includes:
setup & clean up time (this does not cost extra for a reasonable amount of time used)
seats 80 indoors; 200 outdoors
your decision of caterers & rental co. (though they provide you with a list of co. that have worked there before which always helps)
parking for only 40 cars – you must arrange for valet for all cars over this
6 tables + 150 chairs (though the chairs go well with the drop ceiling, they’re very hotel ballroom-esque but definitely useable – can not be used outside though)
for saturday and sunday events you have use at whatever times you’d like, they basically book the entire weekend for you
fridays, however, you can not begin your event until the museum hours are over
the house is not open to your guests for tours
you can tent any of the areas, and use tables & chairs but you’re not allowed to put a dance floor down outside as it will kill the grass
you can use seeds and sparklers here
the on-site coordinator here is great! she responded to all my emails and calls very quickly and helped answer every question we had
we really loved the layout here and since it’s so cozy and surrounded by trees you wouldn’t need so much decoration to fill the space. the overall venue rates are great for everything you get here.
it's always like this 
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