Mount Ida Farm + Vineyard

rass, cocktail hour on the patio and reception inside. The problem was the management/ownership: The rental contract offered use of their kitchen by our caterer, but later they changed their mind and we had to spend thousands extra to build a kitchen outside. The bridal suite was supposed to be staged for use, but later they changed it into a "reserve room" and wanted to charge us over a thousand to move any furniture. And when we wanted to use the outside bar area for the buffet tables, they came up with a list of extra charges, thousands of dollars, to move a single table or chair. All of these "extras" and "changes" were not in our contract, which ownership wrote and signed. It was like the Massachusetts ownership and the on-site event people did not communicate. An issue during the event was the venue's bar staffing, which did a bad job by not letting people know what drinks were available and by not mixing the speciality drink correctly -- bet we had no choice but to use their people because, yet again, during the year between our contract and the event, they changed their minds and we had to insist they honor the contract and staff the bar. They even added a 20% surcharge to the wines and beers we had to buy from them (without any mention of this in the contract)!

make it perfect for you big day. One interesting thing about booking with Mount Ida is that you do have limited access to the venue on the wedding day. You get access 2 hours prior to your ceremony time. If you want extra time on the property, you have to book their "first look" package to rent one of the homes. My husband and I are local, so we didn't feel it was necessary to book extra time. A couple weeks before the wedding, I started to panic about not having enough time prior to the ceremony. In the end, 2 hours ended up being the perfect amount of time, so set your worries aside! I am so glad we chose Mount Ida for a big day! It was perfect. The weather was nice enough in November to enjoy our outdoor ceremony, we even were able to include our two dogs in the ceremony. The indoor space is perfect and beautiful for the reception. Don't hesitate to book!!

g and very knowledge about the property and vendor recommendations. We especial loved working with Bronwyn! She was a huge help throughout our whole wedding planning process. A great experience!

a larger reception in 2022. Though this was not our original plan, we felt so supported by the Mount Ida team and they made a stressful planning & re-planning process significantly easier. They were very flexible with us when we had to reschedule twice due to Covid. Bronwyn was incredibly responsive to all of our questions and the whole team made sure our wedding was spectacular (once we finally got to have it!). The venue itself is just stunning, and all of our guests were blown away by the beautiful view. We also used the cottage on the property to get ready the morning before the ceremony, which was perfect for me, my mom, and 7 bridesmaids. I would highly recommend The Lodge at Mount Ida as a wonderful wedding venue!

here. However, the owner/parent company (Murcielago) was extremely difficult to work with throughout Covid. We had already paid Mount Ida in full when we had to postpone our April 2020 wedding. If you have done any wedding venue research, you'll know that April dates in Charlottesville tend to be more expensive because that is considered "wedding season". We paid for an April date, so we expected to be able to have another "wedding season" date when we rescheduled. Mount Ida only offered us dates in February or March and said we either take that or wait until they book new couples for 2021 and see what's left over (In their words- Fridays and Sundays). This was obviously not an acceptable solution for a couple who has already PAID IN FULL. Eventually we wore them down and they offered us 4/3/21, which was great. However, we then needed to reschedule again when it was clear that April 2021 was still going to be limited to a 10-person gathering limit. Again, we had the same issues trying to get what we already paid for- except this time they tried to tell us that there was no cost difference between March and April. I was able to obtain their pricing information and found this to be a lie (which I already knew), and we had to eventually get a lawyer involved- again, just to get what we paid for! VERY shortly after they received the letter from our lawyer, a date in early April magically became available to us! As unlikely as another pandemic may seem- if you want to have your wedding here, make sure it is very clear in your contract what will happen in the event of a rescheduling. Once they have your money, they don't seem to care how they treat you as long as they can still book new clients.

have asked for better partners to help us navigate all the uncertainty and chaos. The Mount Ida Team was flexible. professional and, most importantly, understanding. I heard horror stories from other couples about venues trying to force couples to proceed with their weddings or charging them insane fees to reschedule. We are forever grateful that we had the Mount Ida team in our corner and are so grateful for them. They helped to make sure that we still got our perfect day and we could not have been happier. Booking with Mount Ida is money well spent - trust me!

aves at Thomas Ridge made the backdrop of our ceremony out of this world, and only got better with sunset pictures! The reception at the barn was equally as gorgeous! We have nothing but great things to say about our wedding & the staff, and have heard glowing reviews from our guests! Would 1000% recommend checking out Mount Ida for your Charlottesville-area wedding!!!

this was the one. The Lakeside Gazebo had a wow factor that we knew would leave our guests' jaws on the floor! The background looked absolutely beautiful in our pictures. I would highly recommend!

our event was perfect. Can’t say enough about the venue snd the staff. The barn doors opened so that we could have our event both outside and inside. The pavilion where we had our cocktail hour was beautiful.

ded up having a live band and people were able to dance inside and outside. Our guests kept asking us where we found this venue!

ne is so nice and made sure everything went smoothly. The venue is absolutely gorgeous, and we were so happy with everything

ad one minor miscommunication on the day of, but this was resolved easily. This venue will make your big day everything you have dreamed of!

emic is stressful, and the Mount Ida team was there at every step to answer any questions we had.

vent Barn, we immediately knew that it was the venue for our wedding. And ever since that moment, they have only proven that more true. Now that we’ve had a wedding there, I can’t even imagine doing it anywhere else. Everything about Mount Ida is beautiful: the drive there, the scenery and mountains that surround it, the Event Barn, the amenities, and the people. It was a pleasure to work with Kim Piver, Bronwyn Baumgardner, Tracy and Matt. Each of these people made sure our day ran perfectly and all with a smile on their faces. Their high attention to detail, professionalism, and positivity made our good experience even better! Our wedding guests are still talking about how beautiful the ceremony and reception sites were and that is thanks to the Mount Ida staff that helped with every single detail that day (and in the weeks leading up to the wedding). They are so sharp, attentive, and knowledgeable - they run like a well oiled machine. Thanks to the Mount Ida Staff and our day-of coordinator, we felt comfortable that every single detail that day was handled. Lastly, the included amenities were such a selling point for us when we booked this venue and they proved to be amazing - the tables, chairs, bars, beautiful furniture, bathrooms, etc. that we were able to use were just beautiful. Not to mention, there is a perfect ceremony “rain plan” for inside the Event Barn that would have been just as good as the original ceremony plan at the Gazebo. If you have not visited Mount Ida - you must go! Even if it’s just to enjoy the Taproom - it will blow you away. We enjoyed the Taproom the night before our wedding for our rehearsal and that was equally amazing. The portico outside was the absolute perfect place for us to kick off our wedding weekend. The wine, beer, and food were absolutely delicious and were a huge hit with our guests. We have been to the Taproom about 4 times so far and plan to go back every time we are back in Charlottesville from now on. The only “con” we have about this venue is that they hire ABC officers to regulate the bar if you are serving alcohol and one of ours was very unfriendly - even rude to some of our guests, bringing down the mood at times around the bar while people were getting drinks. However, this certainly did not rain on our amazingly good time! If you are considering this venue, DEFINITELY book it! But it may be wise to ask the Mount Ida Staff if they can only hire ABC officers that have not had negative reviews, if possible. Thank you Mount Ida for everything you did to make our day so special. You truly helped make our wedding day something that we will cherish and remember forever!

ake for a ceremony site, and a beautiful barn for the reception. The staff at Mount Ida was very helpful along the way, and always friendly and accommodating. Though the price was at the top of our budget, it was worth every penny! I would absolutely recommend this venue to anyone!

d relax without feeling too far from the dance floor. The cocktail room is an amazing back up option for bad weather. Tracy and Brownyn are so easy to work with and respond to any questions during the planning process quickly. We had an amazing experience working with Mount Ida!

did the mini destination package and our families rented two additional houses for a 3 day weekend. Tracy was available for any of our questions that weekend and Matt was phenomenal with any maintenance or on site help we needed as well. Mount Ida also has remote staff that worked with us and were available during the entire planning process. I did not have to set up, take down or put away a single thing the entire weekend and especially the day of. Mount Ida is worth every single penny and then some. We will forever be getting compliments on how relaxed the staff was day of as well as the horses and exceptionally gorgeous property. We can't wait to continue to visit and drink wine at their taproom too!

edible landscape, etc. The staff made sure everything went off without a hitch, including a last minute switch to an indoor ceremony due to weather. We loved every second of our wedding day here!

ations. Our guests commented that it was the best venue they had been to. It was gorgeous, the customer service outstanding, and I hands down highly recommend.

e entrance walking down the staircase and the aisle! Multiple people at our wedding said it was the most gorgeous wedding they had ever been to. The staff and everything run so smoothly during the entire process. With their list of vendors, their excellent communication, and their incredible location, they made our wedding absolutely magical! We are so happy we chose Mount Ida Farm for our wedding!! Thank you again, from the bottom of our hearts!

nd so accommodating. The property is stunning and so many of our guests told us or our families that it was the most beautiful wedding they had every attended. We also rented some of the homes on property for our families and bridal party, and everyone had a blast. Our wedding was an absolute dream and it's all thanks to the Lodge and the amazing staff!

area, it is properly priced. Savings with Mount Ida are that you don’t have to buy alcohol from them (vineyard wine is more expensive than buying from your caterer or on your own), and the venues (ceremony and reception) are so beautiful that centerpieces and decorations can be more minimal. There are some specific rules that Mount Ida does require, and I recommend you ask questions and read closely. For example, they require you to have a day-of coordinator (I HIGHLY recommend you do this even if you do not choose Mount Ida), events are required to conclude by 11pm (county laws), and rehearsals have to take place before 12pm if it is on Friday-Sunday I believe due to other weddings (we just did ours at a restaurant). Besides being absolutely stunning and a warm, welcoming place for our wedding, Mount Ida has a fabulous team. Kathryn and Kathleen in the corporate office, Bronwyn for pre-event coordination, and Tracy for day-of management were all super friendly, helpful, and organized. Bronwyn was especially a gem when our original day-of-coordinator did not show up for our walk through. She was calm, collected, and un-phased by the snafu and was willing to walk through paperwork and timeline with me and my now husband. She reassured us that everything would be perfect and that there was nothing to worry about—she was right! She also made sure we had time to practice our first dance in the space, which made us way more comfortable for the day of. I am sure I am missing many details that are amazing in my review, so if you think you like Mount Ida from the pictures online—go visit! The venues book up quickly, so I recommend you ask for available dates during the months you’re thinking about in the same note that asks for a tour.

the staff at Mount Ida. We knew we wanted to have a little piece of the world to ourselves and our family and friends for our wedding- and this place felt like a piece of heaven. From our first visit to walking out of the barn doors leaving our reception, everything felt like a dream. Our guests have never stopped talking about how breathtaking and amazing everything was! I feel so fortunate that we got to celebrate our big day in this beautiful place.

ed us bring our fairy tale to life. I could not have asked for a more perfect day and the entire team at Mount Ida was always so helpful and accommodating throughout the entire journey. My husband and I cannot thank the staff enough for all of their generosity and hard work! I will be recommending this venue forever!

e staff ensured that everything went smoothly!

lakes, Clydesdale horses in the surrounding area. The owners and staff onsite are very helpful throughout the entire wedding planning process. They provide a preferred vendors list which we found useful since we were not from the area. Although they require a day of wedding coordinator, I honestly felt like the onsite mount Ida staff was more organized and helpful, and did more than our wedding coordinator. Overall, our wedding turned out beautiful, we got so many compliments from friends and family asking how we found this amazing venue, and will definitely come back for anniversaries to visit their vineyard at the lodge location. Our only complaint was that the toilets were not open down at the ceremony and my husband almost had to go back to the barn minutes before the ceremony began, and the groom, groomsmen, and father of the bride had to stand outside in the July heat (weren’t allowed in the house down at the ceremony ) for almost an hour before the ceremony began. May have been nice to keep them in the house to stay cool, and keep bride and bridesmaids in the air conditioned bus until the gentleman walked down the isle.

unnecessary details and communication. Tracy was fantastic. As you can tell from the pictures, it's a gorgeous venue. We were lucky that the rain held off and we were able to get married outside, and the reception inside was wonderful.

ntive and the venue set was perfect. We were originally supposed to have an outdoor ceremony and indoor reception, but the weather forced us inside for the whole thing. My favorite part about this venue is that it has a really good indoor space for the ceremony. The staff also flipped the ceremony room very quickly for pictures and cocktails. Tracey is PHENOMENAL. Also, I LOVE that the dance floor room has a stage - it's perfect for the band. The bridal suite is great for a larger bridal party and my husband enjoyed having a groom's suite onsite, too. If you're looking for a "rustic" feel that's not overly rustic and has great views, the Lodge at Mount Ida is the perfect venue for you. The only downside we had was it's somewhat challenging to get to if you use GPS. It's an easy drive from Charlottesville, you just need to provide guests with the driving directions from their website.

ng to a full scale stage and have a new manager, Tracey Shifflett, who is a delight to work with. The Bad: Something to keep in mind is the sun. Our ceremony was in mid-October between 5:00 – 6:00 pm, and our guests who sat on the right side of gazebo had to place their hands or programs over their sunglasses to be able to see the ceremony. The Ugly: Be aware at that time of year the wolf spiders were out. They were in the bridal suite where my daughter was told to make sure her gown was up off the floor to prevent them from crawling in the layers of her gown. We were told that this is a "barn," and the cool weather was bringing them indoors (they reside in the mulch). It's safe to say it is a "barn" in name only. Though they assured me they sprayed, I did request a second spraying. I then found one in the ladies room mere inches from my foot, and though they are harmless, they are huge and frightening! Also, we were recently informed by a couple of our guests that a huge wolf spider fell from the ceiling and began crawling on their dinner table. Fortunately, it was killed quickly. All in all, we still loved the venue, but I feel these are a couple of issues that future brides should be aware of.

our wedding from Denver and it was difficult at times to know what would and would not work with the venue. Kim, Kathleen and Tracy were extremely responsive and helpful with suggestions of what would and would not work in the space. The Lodge is stunning. It is apparent that the whole Mount Ida team takes great pride in what they do as an event space and wedding venue. The surrounding area is beautiful and perfect for pictures with the rolling hills and Blue Ridge in the background. The bridal suite is gorgeous and for changing, last-minute touch ups and bridal party pictures. The grooms room is great as well! The guys were able to watch play off football and get dressed – also a great area for pictures. Ryan and I had a magical day and could not have been happier with our experience at Mount Ida.

rocess. We called and emailed the main office but no one got back to us. We figured they were busy with another wedding and they would get back to us in a prompt manor . HOWEVER, the next morning we woke up to an email, not a phone call, and email, saying that our date had already been booked the MORNING WE WERE VIEWING THE VENUE. So, we drove over 6 hours to view a venue that was already unavailable. I cannot believe the unprofessionalism of this place. We are beyond upset that not only our time had been wasted, but now we will have to begin the venue searching process over. This place is beautiful, but we hope they do not do this to another couple.

sque everything was. The grounds are perfection and the staff is absolutely exceptional. There are so many places for beautiful photos and the venue itself is the perfect place for a party. We got so many compliments on the location I have lost count!

is the perfect venue that has VA charm (horses & barn), but that I could make a bit more elegant because of the Manor homes, gazebo, etc. (it can be rustic instead if you like!). The Mt Ida grounds are HUGE, stunning and perfectly landscaped. Milicent drove us all around the property on our wedding day so we could get the perfect photos (on a bridge, in a field with mountains in the background, inside the Manor home, on a dock on the lake, under the gazebo with the trees and lake lit at nighttime, etc!). There's so much amazing space to take advantage of, it truly feels like your own wedding getaway! You are allowed to select your own outside caterer AND you can bring your own alcohol. HUGE money savers!! Mt Ida is a bit of a drive from Cville, which I was initially nervous about, but we rented buses to transport our guests and it worked out PERFECTLY. This allowed all of our guests to enjoy themselves at the wedding, knowing they had a ride at the end of the night. Cocktail hour was hosted on the lawn, inside their new extension and outside on the porch with a fireplace. The dinner was held in a separate room, that fit all 150 of our guests very comfortably. Dancing was then held in the extension room (where cocktail hour was). This is a huge dancing area, which allowed ALL of our guests to dance and not be too crowded. Again, I was nervous about this unique set up, but it helped the reception flow perfectly and I would recommend this set up to anyone! Milicent and Tracy are wonderful to work with. They are very responsive, both were present on our wedding day to help as needed, and overall just went above and beyond to help us. This is a HUGE perk for a venue to keep you sane as a bride! Stop your venue searching now, Mt Ida is perfect! Thank you SO MUCH Mt Ida for our dream wedding!!!!

ervice from the staff. It was my dream come true!

ently had our wedding there and are confident we made the best decision possible. They provided top notch service and made sure that nothing was overlooked. They treated us like royalty and made sure, not only us, but our guests had the most amazing time. We truly feel like we gained family after our wedding weekend there and would recommend them to any couple in the market for a wedding venue - it's worth every penny and you will not be disappointed!

e a tour telling us about the history of the property and making us feel more like friends or family then potential clients. When ever I had a question on the venue, I knew I could call on Milicent and she would quickly return my email or call with an answer. The venue in its entirety is breathtaking as soon as you drive onto the property. I wanted to give my wedding guests an "Awe factor" and Mt. Ida certainly did that for me. On our wedding day, the staff at Mt. Ida was incredibly accommodating. Everything that day was seamless.

y time we had a question, the first response was "we are more than willing to release you from your contract and refund your money". They don’t want to discuss anything or work with you to answer questions. At one point, I was told "whether it's in your budget or not" about the coordinator situation, which is rude and unprofessional. I was asked a week before our wedding for additional documents not requested before. Hidden costs. It’s $150 for your flower girl to toss flowers, besides the $150 cleaning fee. When asked, they responded "We cannot unfortunately include every hypothetical scenario that a bride may request in the contract". One of the requirements in the contract is that we need to have a "day-of planner". The terminology used in the contract WE signed is “designate one person “. This terminology has since been changed to " hire a professional wedding coordinator” and from a preferred vendor list. Later, I was told that this person needs to be a professional and was sent a list of preferred vendors. First, our contract explicitly DID NOT say professional or hire and second, the list of coordinators that was sent to me were priced ranging from $800-$1200. In shock, I proceeded to panic knowing that we couldn't afford this and that everything might be ruined. I thought we were going to have to cancel our wedding. The issue is that it wasn't in our contract and we were being held to it regardless. Luckily, our caterers had a coordinator on staff that doubled as the catering coordinator and the day of coordinator so she saved us. Another issue is that Milicent knew our caterer, had worked with them before, knew our budget and neglected to tell us. This would have saved a month panic. A prospective client was given a tour on our wedding day. This falls under professionalism. About an hour and a half before our wedding was due to start, Milicent knocked on the bridal suite door as we were getting ready. She popped in asking if we were decent then opened the door to some guy who had no connection with my or my husband’s family and explained that this is where his fiancé would get ready, do her hair/makeup etc. My husband told me that this was repeated for the groom’s suite and I can only assume for the entire establishment shortly before our wedding. To top it off, the prospective client was at my wedding ceremony!!! I saw him sitting in the back row as we were walking out after the big kiss!! Everyone was stunned and in total shock. I had family members and vendors asking me what Milicent thought she was doing. Also, she was nicely dressed while showing the facility to the client, but once he left, she changed into jean shorts and a tee shirt for the remaining four hours of the reception. My vendors couldn't believe how unprofessionally she was dressed for a wedding. -Ruined flowers. Friday, we had our flowers dropped off.The facility is air conditioned but the air wasn't on properly and after a few hours in 82 degrees inside many of our flowers wilted. Hoping to fix them, they were put into the refrigerator-where they froze. 1/3 of our flowers were ruined. I don't recommend getting married here. When remembering my planning process, all I remember is headache and being disrespected. Milicent was rude and unprofessional. Just don't get married here.

as “like a fairy tale,” another referred to it as “straight class,” and a third could not get over “all the little details that really made it special.” As a bride living in Chicago and planning a Charlottesville wedding, I had one day while I was in town to visit the seven reception venues in which I was interested. Our tour of Mount Ida with Milicent was scheduled in the middle of a long day of tours, but it easily stood out as the perfect venue for my wedding! My mother, my sister and I fell in love with Mount Ida as soon as we set foot on inside the charming barn. Once we saw the gazebo area it was all over. We continued with the rest of the venue tours, but after we saw each new venue we all agreed Mount Ida was still the clear winner. Milicent and her team worked very well with my wedding planner to create my perfect wedding. The day went perfectly (even though it rained during cocktail hour). Some of the Mount Ida cows even came over to see the guests as they were arriving, and the guests were delighted! Milicent even drove me, my husband and our photographer around to some of her favorite photo spots during the cocktail hour, and the pictures turned out great. My only regret is that the night couldn’t have lasted longer. I am so glad I chose Mount Ida for my wedding reception, and I recommend it to all brides!