I’m Stephanie, a wedding + lifestyle photographer based in Colorado Springs, Colorado and Warrenton, Virginia. Whether I’m by the mountains of Colorado or Virginia, my soul feels at home, surrounded by rural living and the raw beauty of nature. I genuinely love what I do, and feel so passionate to share the enthusiasm and joy of these celebrations with you!

DOCUMENTING LOVE'S UNSCRIPTED CHAPTERS FROM COUPLES & FAMILIES IN COLORADO + VIRGINIA

@stephaniemessickphoto

find inspiration

Gallery images

March 7, 2014

Fauquier County, Virginia Wedding Venues

So fortunate to live in an area FULL of different wedding environments! From wineries to manor homes to bed and breakfast venues … Fauquier County serves options for any type of bride. I hear all the time how stressful planning is from the brides perspective. I completely understand! Right away, there is no break to soak in the “ring” time because you are already on the search for a venue and of course the special date. When you are in this BIG search, keep your options open. You cannot go into a venue with a certain date in mind, unless you are asking a year or so in advance. They book up QUICKLY. Know the type of season and possibly the ideal month. Keep your mind open and work with their schedule. If you desperately want a certain venue, sometimes you need to think about having a Friday or a Sunday wedding if it is super popular. You need to keep a few things in mind when “shopping” around. Know how large or small of a wedding you want to have. This will really determine what venue you book because they all have an allowance of space. Also what type of space do you want? Winery? Historical? Rustic? You can immediately narrow down your selection just based on this. Important questions you need to ask: How long can you rent it out? I had a recent bride tell me that she had to book 2 slots (A.M. and P.M.) because the venue wanted to leave it available to book another wedding earlier that day … only thing is that they would not be able to have the place until 5/6 p.m. So that would knock out the getting ready portion of the day. Another important question to ask … do they require you to use their catering service? If you are looking to use a less expensive service for catering, you will have to look elsewhere because many places require you to use their service. Even though it can be a hefty fee, sometimes it is worth the fees because they will take care of everything for you.

Once you have the date, it is important to next go to your selected vendors and make sure that particular date is available in their calendar. We book a year out! I have brides asking sometimes over 1.5 years out! Whew! Talk about thinking ahead! If you have a vendor you HAVE to HAVE, then it will be important to communicate with that vendor to work with their schedule before solidifying a date with the venue. I’ve had many brides do this with my photography business because they felt that photography was number 1 priority above any of the other vendors. I LOVE my couples who take photography so special to their hearts. 🙂

Morais Vineyard, Bealeton, Va
fauquier_county_wedding_venues

Today, I wanted to list a directory of Fauquier County’s wedding venues. Many times, we often rely on Google to find our answer and it can be very overwhelming to find a venue that way with information scattered left and right. I hope this helps any future bride! 🙂 Be sure to check out their websites and get to know the place and visit!

EVENT CENTER
 … it’s prettier than it sounds. 😉
Arlie Center, Warrenton
Great Meadow Event Center, The Plains

COUNTRY CLUBS
Fauquier Springs Country Club, Warrenton

INNS | BED & BREAKFAST
Black Horse Inn, Warrenton
The Blackthorne Inn & Restaurant, Upperville
Inn at Vineyards Crossing, Hume
Inn at Vint Hill Farms, Vint Hill
Kellys Ford Inn, Remington
Poplar Springs Inn & Spa, Casanova
… in the process of reopening with a new owner

HALLS
Buchanan Hall, Upperville

MANOR
Alwyngton Manor, Warrenton
Marriot Ranch, Hume

VINEYARDS
Molon Lave Vineyard, Warrenton
Morais Vineyard, Bealeton

If there are any other venues you know of that I did not list, please comment below and I will add it to the list. 🙂

  1. Ally says:

    Warrenton truly does have a lot of wonderful options! Funny thing, I could probably give you the 2014 costs for about all but two of those venues, not to mention I have visited all but the same two during my hunt for a venue! If anyone has any questions, I can give my feedback!

  2. The Blue Ridge Shenandoah Valley is one of the most beautiful wedding destinations in the United States. From historic hotels – manor homes, country inns, mountain resorts, historic homes, museums, hotels, and private event venues, Blue Ridge Brides have unlimited options.