Five Affordable Historic Estate Wedding Venues Near Lexington, Kentucky
For those of you who don't know, this is my fiance, Ryan. We just celebrated our one year anniversary of being in a mostly long-distance three-year engagement (because we're both in graduate school and mine just so happens to be in Minnesota—you can read more about the proposal/our story here). Since I live in Minnesota for most of the year, we have started the hunt for wedding venues in and around Lexington, Kentucky, which we both call our hometown.
One thing I noticed while starting my wedding venue search is a lack of resources for this area. I have a relatively small budget (the average wedding in Kentucky is $26,000!—it's safe to say my budget is well, well, well below that), so it was time consuming and disappointing to fall in love with photos of a venue on The Knot or Wedding-Spot, only for their information to be wrong or incomplete and the venue to be out of my budget.
I've always known I wanted to have an outdoor wedding ceremony, and my personal style is very vintage/antique and bohemian, so my search was again narrowed by that. I did find this blog run by a couple of Kentucky photographers to be helpful: Jeff and Michele Photography. They have posts about both outdoor venues that have an indoor option and the best estate and mansion venues in Kentucky; however, you'll notice that I didn't end up touring or including any of these on my list because they were all too expensive!
Frustrated, I went on a deep dive all over the internet, scouring websites like The Knot and photographers' posts about Kentucky weddings they'd shot. I had to email so many venues who didn't include their rates online, only to find them so completely out of budget that I would have to sell a kidney to afford them. In the end, I came up with a list of five venues that fit my vintage mansion aesthetic and don't threaten to plunge me and my family into bankruptcy. I hope this helps someone out there in the same position I was in!
1. Waveland State Historic Site: Lexington
Total budget for 100 guests: ~$9,000
Waveland is the first venue we toured. The site includes several preserved buildings that depict life on a Kentucky plantation in the 1800s: the antebellum mansion, a separate servants' quarters, an icehouse, smokehouse, and a barn. The mansion, the most impressive and beautiful of these structures, was completed in 1848 by Joseph Bryan, a grandnephew of Daniel Boone. The name for the estate came from the way the wind blew or waved the fields of grain and hemp surrounding the building site.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.
The mansion is built in the Greek Revival style, with pillars, high ceilings, and long porches on either side of the house. It had that connection to Kentucky history that was exactly what I was looking for—which is why it was so disappointing that the mansion was not included in the venue itself.
Instead, the $2,000 rental fee includes only a ceremony site anywhere on the grounds, as well as the reception site of the barn. If you didn't want use of the barn, a $1,000 rental fee gains you use of the grounds for a ceremony site and tented reception. This fee entitles you to an entire weekend of use: you get set-up the day before (as long as there isn't another event that Friday), from 9 am to midnight on Saturday, and clean up until noon on Sunday.
The barn is rustic and relatively small compared to other venues, but I was pleasantly surprised by the pretty string lights and barrels. If you have a guest list of over 100, there is also a cool green space behind the barn that has permanent canvas draping. The barn includes a fridge and freezer, but no running water.
As far as add-ons, you can also rent 24 of the 60 in. round tables and 200 white resin slatted garden chairs from the property for $600 (which is less than the average rental in Lexington). The bride changing/waiting area is an add-on, as well. At $200, it includes a small, air-conditioned room in what used to be the servants' quarters and a mini-fridge. This space does not have a connected bathroom, however; you would need to use the one in a separate building closer to the barn.
The grounds are the real appeal of Waveland, at least to me. There are beautiful gardens with arbors (perfect for ceremony arches), a large open field with a double-doors entrance, and a walled-garden that would make a lovely photo backdrop. You can also have the ceremony on one of the side porches to make use of the mansion even though you can't go inside.
Overall, Waveland is affordable, the property manager is personable and responsive, and the grounds are lovely. However, we ultimately decided we wanted a historic venue that allowed you to incorporate the mansion into the reception, so we took Waveland out of the running.
2. Bodley-bullock house: Lexington
Total budget for 100 guests: ~$11,000
Located across from Gratz Park, the Bodley-Bullock House is my personal favorite of three historic venue options nestled in historic downtown Lexington, off Market Street (the others are the Carnegie Center and the Hunt-Morgan House). The house is in the Federal style (like the Ashley Inn further down the list) and was built in 1814 for the mayor and lived in by everyone from war heroes to poets. It is now the headquarters for the Junior League of Lexington, who rent it out as an event venue.
Photos courtesy of Junebug Weddings.
The Bodley-Bullock House is breathtaking. I immediately fell in love with the antique furnishings (which you can use and move around!) and stunning vintage wallpaper, as well as the huge windows that actually transform into doors for the bride's walk out of the house and down the aisle. The three-story cantilevered elliptical staircase leads you from the first floor, which includes a dining room and living room, to the bride and groom changing areas. There are fully functioning restrooms for both, with antique furniture like mirrors and chaises in each room to create the perfect vintage ambiance.
Outside, the gardens create the perfect setting for your ceremony, with an ivy-covered brick wall as the backdrop. Unless you have an intimate wedding (25 or less), the grounds would also serve as the setting for the reception, with the option of renting a tent in case of rain. The rain plan for a ceremony here would also be a tent, or 70 people maximum standing in the front room while the rest of your guests waited behind them in the living room.
Functionality-wise, the house would allow a wedding to flow very smoothly, with the buffet and cake inside in the dining room (which already includes a long table perfectly suited to this purpose) to prevent it from getting too hot or attracting bugs. There are kitchen facilities and enough bathrooms on-site.
The rental fee for a Saturday is $1,800 for 6 hours, plus $100 if a tent is used in the gardens and an extra $100 if a dance floor is placed in the gardens (no dancing, aside from the first dance, is allowed inside the house due to the fragile original floors). However, there are no chairs or tables included, and you must rent everything from Events With Design.
Additionally, the Bodley-Bullock House is in a neighborhood and must follow strict noise restrictions. Due to this, they do not allowed amplified music, which means you must have live acoustic music for both the ceremony and reception, and it must end by 10 pm. You may, however, play an iPod or other device at a reasonable volume through the speakers inside the house. Hiring a live band can be a seriously unanticipated expense if you were planning on having a DJ, and it can be restrictive if you're part of the younger crowd and want to play the Backstreet Boys at your wedding (am I kidding? no).
Ultimately, due to their time and music constraints, the Bodley-Bullock House seemed better suited to an intimate or brunch wedding, where there would be little dancing and perhaps only a sit-down meal. But it's still absolutely gorgeous and definitely worth a look, especially if you're already considering a live band!
3. Gardencourt: Louisville
Total budget for 100 guests: ~$9,000
This venue took us the furthest away from Lexington, but it was worth it to see this magnificent mansion, built in the Beaux-Arts style for three sisters in 1906. The mansion sits on Louisville Seminary's campus, and its breathtaking gardens were designed by one of the men responsible for NYC's Central Park.
The first thing that attracted me to Gardencourt was the striking colonnade overwhelmed by wisteria vines—it's like something out of an Italian villa! Inside the walled-garden are rose bushes, a fountain, and a reflecting pool, perfect backdrops for photos. Another ceremony site is the back porch, which is another huge colonnade with steps leading down to the lawn.
The mansion's interior is equally stunning (and even though the garden is beautiful, I would not pass up an indoor reception here). There are three main "halls" at the back of the house that fit between 50-60 guests at tables of 10: Norton Hall, Anderson Hall, and Brown Hall. Each boast their own unique color schemes, but have antique charm in common: brilliant chandeliers, intricate molding, and marble fireplaces. It feels like being inside a palace.
In addition to the grander rooms, Hundley Hall at the front of the house has a stage for a DJ, complete with speakers, a projector and screen, a permanent dance floor, and a lion's head fountain. There is also a gorgeous glass-enclosed solarium that is often used for the photo booth area. Upstairs, you have access to one room for storage and getting ready. This is a classroom with chalkboards and desks.
Gardencourt's rental fee is a little more expensive than the Bodley-Bullock House at $2,200 for the entire first floor and gardens (you can also rent individual rooms and specific combinations for less), and it includes rounded, blue-cloth chairs and round tables. For the $2,200 package, you have exclusive use of the property for 9 hours: 3 hours to set up, 5 hours for your event, and 1 hour to clean up. You can also add extra hours to your event for $100 per hour; however, there is a bit of a hidden fee here: you are required during any of the hours your event is taking place to pay $25 per hour for a security guard. This means you can add extra hours to setup or cleanup with incurring the extra $25 charge, and it also means that the venue rental will actually be $125 extra minimum. This venue also has "preferred" caterers (this is "wedding-ese" for being required to choose a caterer from a specific list the venue has provided).
Something interesting is that there are overnight rooms on-site at the Seminary's Lodge, just one building over from the venue. The bridal party and groomsmen, or out-of-town guests, could stay there for $78 per night, and every 10 rooms you book, you receive one free.
Gardencourt is impressive, and it certainly fits the bill for any bride who wants to feel like they're getting married at a European court (just me?).
4. Ashley Inn B&B: Bryantsville (halfway between nicholasville and lancaster)
Total budget for 100 guests: ~$9,500
I came across the Ashley Inn late in the game, but the stunning Federal-style home quickly stole my heart. The B&B, built in 1840 by a wealthy southern family from Texas, is also home to an equestrian training and boarding facility, as well as a goat pen and many barn cats. Everything about it, from the horses grazing the fields behind black four-plank fences, to the horse-statue fountain in the front lawn, is distinctly Kentucky.
There are several outdoor ceremony sites on the property: under a weeping willow down by the lake, in a grove of trees beside a garden, and, my personal favorite, underneath towering trees in front of the home.
Inside, there are several rooms the bride can choose from as the backdrop to her getting ready photos, all including gorgeous furnishings and antique porcelain tubs in the bathrooms. A library, full of dark wood and leather, and an elegant dining room are on the first floor, and this dining room can be used as a rehearsal dinner site. There is also a separate house where the groomsmen can wait and get ready in air-conditioning.
There are two reception sites: a gorgeous white barn and an open-air carriage house. The carriage house has bathrooms and more than enough electricity for the DJ, as well as built-in ceiling fans. The barn has lovely rustic wooden chandeliers and an antique blue pickup truck with a truck bed full of flowers permanently parked outside it.
The Ashley Inn is the most expensive of the venues on this list (still less than average in this area), but it also includes a lot in that price. There are three packages: a Sunday-Thursday date for $2,500 (7 hours day-of, only includes chairs and tables), a Saturday wedding package (12 hours day-of), and a weekend wedding package that gives you overnight accommodations Friday night and Saturday night for up to 13 guests for $7,500. The Saturday package strikes the right balance of time and included rental items for me, with tables, chairs, linens, a parking and site attendant, trash receptacles and removal, arches, a large wooden cross, and 10 décor items from their inventory all wrapped up in that price. You also have access to the property for one hour the day before to rehearse and a pre-scheduled time to take engagement pictures, in addition to the 12 hours day-of.
If you're looking for Kentucky flavor and a beautiful old Southern home as the backdrop for your wedding day, the Ashley Inn is a good choice.
5. Warrenwood ManoR: Danville
Total budget for 100 guests: ~$9,000
Warrenwood Manor is one of three Gothic villas built in the mid-1800s in the Danville area. Its architecture is based on the Elley Villa (or the Aylesford House) in Lexington, with columns supporting a widow's walk and large Venetian glass windows on both stories.
The interior of Warrenwood makes you feel as if you've traveled back in time. Off the foyer, four main rooms are decorated with elegant wallpaper, lit by chandeliers, and feature lovely fireplaces (these rooms are most often used for seated receptions of under 80 guests or cocktail hours). Up the oak staircase, there are two suites: one for the bride, and one for the groom. The bridal suite is light and airy, with greenery-inspired vintage wallpaper, beautiful furnishings, and a full restroom. The groom's suite has gorgeous tiled floors and an antique bathtub, as well as a bedroom and a conservatory with a leather couch.
Between the two suites is a door onto the widow's walk and a gorgeous cream-colored vintage couch and chairs, perfect for romantic couple shots. My favorite part? When the sun hits the Venetian glass of the door, it casts miniature rainbows on the floor and furniture.
There are two main sites for an outdoor ceremony: the cottage and pond-side. The cottage is a small brick structure with steps leading up to it, where the officiant, bride, and groom can stand. This is my preferred ceremony site on Warrenwood's property, as I think the cottage serves as a lovely metaphor for building a home together. The rest of the property is beautiful farmland: rolling pastures dotted with cows, fields of grass that light up perfectly in that iconic Kentucky sunset.
For the reception, if your guest count is too large for the house, Warrenwood has a spacious barn with beautiful string lighting and chandeliers. The restrooms in the barn are climate-controlled, which is a huge plus for a July bride like me. And there is also a kitchen with a fridge in both the house and the barn.
Warrenwood, like Ashley Inn, is on the more expensive end of this list. There are three different price options: $5,000 for a May, June, September, and October date; $4,000 for an April, July, August, or November date; or $2,800 for a weekday wedding on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. This price includes round tables, banquet tables, and cocktail tables and all the reception/ceremony chairs, with set up and break down, as well as trash receptacles/removal. You have access to the property for engagement photos, for 5 hours the day before your wedding for the rehearsal and setup, and 15 hours the day-of. I'll also note that this is a family-run business, and the staff are quick to respond and willing to help you with anything!
Warrenwood is the perfect setting for a romantic vintage wedding, and it has definitely worked its way to the top of my venue list.
The Venues that broke my heart
Oxmoor Farm, Louisville: $7,300 rental fee, ~$15,000 total
Fairyhouse Hall, Lexington: $8,000 rental fee, ~$16,000 total
Apiary, Lexington: $8,800 rental fee, ~$20,000 total
Spindletop Hall, Lexington: $3,000 rental fee (deceptive, I know—there's a $68/person food and beverage minimum), ~$15,000 total
GlenLary Estate, Paris: $7,000 rental fee, ~$16,000 total
I still have some pros/cons lists to make before I decide on my venue, but I'm thankful to have narrowed it down to three and to know I get to marry my best friend in less than 2 years!
Have a vote on which venue I should choose, or have a question about one of the venues on this list? Leave a comment! Don't forget—if you liked this post, hit the "heart" button down below!