Wedding Venue Asheville, NC | Chestnut Ridge
Meet, Preston and Taylor Gregg, owners/founders of what is one of the newest wedding venues just outside Asheville, NC. Chestnut Ridge is located in Canton, NC on 150 acres of beautiful land with amazing mountain views. I happened to be at the venue taking a few pictures of the progress of the venue for this post and I was able to watch these two interact. They are a team in every sense of the word. As they walked together, Taylor place her hand on Preston’s shoulder and he walked through the barn (I still say “barn”, it’s clearly not the right word for it, but I digress) discussing each and every detail together. Taylor showed me the tables for the venue, and how she tried to leave them stained as they were but it would not be a match with the rest of the venue so she was going to have them refinished so that they would be perfect. How amazing to have your wedding in a place where every detail has been picked and prayed over with care! If they take this much care with the tables and trim, imagine the care they will give to your once in a lifetime day.
I love that included with every wedding is lunch. It is like you are in their “home,” and in southern tradition you have to have something to eat. Love! This family is passionate, trustworthy, Godly, live what they believe. Be on the lookout for a family session that I took of them recently.
I asked Taylor a few questions about the venue and was so happy to receive a quick response! When asked about the inspiration behind Chestnut Ridge she answered, “Chestnut Ridge started out of the creation of our own wedding on this same land 6+ years ago. We were married in the pasture fields, and had to create our wedding from scratch but it wasn’t hard with such a beautiful backdrop. Quickly thereafter, many people started to inquire about ‘can we get married there?’ And ‘Are you all doing events?” Doing it for your own wedding is one thing, but creating a production out of cow fields for others was a whole other story!! We started thinking, and praying, on it a lot and decided that instead of rejecting the idea completely we would do some research. Extensive research, in-person visits to some of our favorite (& least favorite) venues across the Southeast led us to morphing what we now have to and is known as Chestnut Ridge.
“We cherry picked things we loved, notated things we didn’t, and created an event space that was truly needed in Western NC for all its amenities, views, & southern charm. We sit on Chestnut Mountain, and our family owns 150 on the side of the mountain up to the ridge-line…hence the name Chestnut Ridge!”
When it comes to venues, a unique response is vital. When I asked her about what sets Chestnut Ridge apart from the other local venues, I was surprised to see how all-inclusive this venue truly is! Full-day access to a comfortable and spacious bridal suite, a separate groom’s den catering specifically to all things ‘man-cave’ inclusive of a pool table, flat screen & lounge couches, along with lunch provided the day-of to prevent stress and scrambling adds to the many features that Chestnut Ridge has added as standard to every wedding package. They truly are the only true ‘All-Inclusive’ wedding venue in Western NC offering a one-stop-shop that is perfect for the ‘I don’t want to make all these decisions’ or destination bride and is inclusive of all local vendors.
As a wedding photographer that has photographed at venues throughout the area I have to point out two more things that I love about Chestnut Ridge… parking and a rain plan. Everything is within walking distance and you park at the venue. I love that the guests don’t have to be shuttled and everything you need is literally at your fingertips. Now I know you don’t want to think about rain on your wedding day, but you have to have a rain plan. Well with Chestnut Ridge the rain plan is built in and is a gorgeous option. Chestnut Ridge offers two ceremony site options. They have a full outdoor ceremony site located on an intimate, mountain backdrop patio that’s perfect for any intimate affair. The other option is a fully covered, open air ceremony pavilion that has the option for vinyl windows if weather gets bad. Either option overlooks the Blue Ridge Mountains, but not having to worry about your rain option is a HUGE plus!!! I think many couples will choose this an their 1st choice ceremony location. Oh, and did I mention there are antique church pews for seating in the pavilion?
“We have a full outdoor ceremony site located on an intimate, mountain backdrop patio that’s perfect for any intimate affair. The great part is our other ceremony site can either be your 1st choice, or your rain option. It is a fully covered, open air ceremony pavilion that has the option for vinyl windows if weather gets bad. Either option overlooks the Blue Ridge Mountains, but not having to worry about your rain option is a HUGE plus!!!”
They are currently booking for the 2018 and 2019 seasons (2017 is already full!!). Easily contact them via the contact form on the website; we will response within the business day with a full brochure of their packages; from there, the bride can decide which package she’s interested in. They’ll send pricing and line up a site tour at that time. You definitely don’t have to know an exact guest count, but it’s helpful specifically if you’re selecting the “All Inclusive” package (since this is guest count specifics) or many of the a la carte items such as the bar package, on-site southern skeet shooting or any place setting china or flatware as these are all items driven by guest count. They welcome guests counts from as low as 50 up to 299! The less people simply offers more flexibility inside of the space for food, memory tables, cake tables, photo booths, dance floor, etc.
I hadn’t heard about the idea of an all-inclusive package before, so I was thrilled to learn more. “The All Inclusive Package is truly ‘all inclusive.’ It gives the brides who don’t want to worry about all the vendor decisions, specifically the destination brides (about 85% of our clients) the ability to not have to pick and choose between the vast variety of vendors offered in our area. It gives them a selected set of vendors who come highly qualified by our previous work with them, and all of which have been voted consistently in many of the wedding industry accolades. Our all inclusive package not only provides the bride with all of our exclusive ‘basics’ (bridal suite, groom’s den, lunch day of, farm tables, cross-back chairs, rounds & cocktails, and 2 ceremony sites) but it also gives them exclusive access to our vendors to include catering, planning, photography, videography, floral, hair/make-up, baker, & DJ.
Guys, they keep adding some great options and features. They have doves that can be released at your wedding!! I asked Taylor what some other things they have in the work are? “We would love to offer vintage cars for the grand-exit of the bride/groom, for local brides we plan to add on-site fitness classes during the week, and many other exciting (& secret) a la carte items on our minds! :)”
As a food-lover, I was so excited to hear that any caterer is acceptable as long as they have signed the Outside Catering Agreement stating they’ll comply with the policies and procedures and that Liability insurance is provided when serving food to guests. The best thing? One wedding, per day…end of story!! “We do not want to rush people in and out…we want them to truly enjoy their day…no one else’s! Your day of coordinator is your go-to for all things on the wedding day, and we will have at minimum 2 staff members to be there for administrative or managerial issues along the way. Our staff is also responsible for setting up the tables and chairs in your provided layout. Off-season starts at $7,000; All Inclusive starts at ~$23,000”
The Gregg Family. Chestnut Ridge is a pet friendly venue. Your four legged family members are invited! Chestnut Ridge will open for it’s first couples in a few short months. It is nothing short of amazing with all that you need for your wedding in one gorgeous location. Be sure to follow along with Chestnut Ridge’s Facebook page and Chestnut Ridge Instagram to continue to watch the progress! Or, contact them directly to find out more.
