What’s New with Venues

Venues

This gorgeous ceremony scene at The Distillery in Garner came together with the help of American Party Rentals, White of Raleigh, The Black Tux, Mews Floral Designers, Mena Garcia Beauty and Chad Biggs Event Planning & Design. Photo by Autumn Harrison Photography

Discover new or recently updated North Carolina wedding venues

By Marie Muir

Venues book quickly, so they should be considered early in the planning process. The location is the base for your event’s tone and sets the stage for your overall wedding theme. Heart of NC Weddings is proud to share one of the most comprehensive resource guides of the best wedding venues in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary and Apex, as well as some special venues on the coast and

in the mountains. Overwhelmed by the options? Turn to page 289 for our venue directory, which will help you sort venues by seating capacity, overnight accommodations and more. Below, discover new venues or recently updated mainstay venues that might have availability – even for prime dates in 2022 and 2023.

Even though Hayfield at Murchison Farms opened in summer 2021, this 150-year-old barn and farm wedding venue in Liberty makes you feel right at home. At 6,000 square feet, the venue can fit up to 300 guests. There are picturesque ceremony sites outdoors – a 2,000-squarefoot terrace, two covered open-air verandas, plus a built-in bar, fire pit and paved on-site parking. Imagine taking photos with your soul mate at sunset with a backdrop of pastures filled with Black Angus cows and hay bales. Can’t quite picture it? Turn to page 18.

The Distillery opened its doors in downtown Garner in May 2021. This 8,300-square-foot event hall has three luxury gathering spaces filled with gold metal accents, polished concrete floors and urban light fixtures. For an indoor ceremony or reception, the White Room can accommodate up to 300 guests. The Distillery also offers an outdoor patio for cocktail hour or smaller ceremonies, and its urban garden is a beautiful setting for photos.

Inspired by their daughter’s flower

farm, Don Neal and Joann Neal turned their dream of building a family-owned venue into a reality. Construction of The Cornealius Properties wrapped up in fall 2021. This rustic-chic venue is located on 90 acres of farmland and forests in Goldsboro and has an open-air church, Birdsong Chapel, gettingready houses, natural areas, front porches and the Carriage Hall – a 3,000-square-foot heated and airconditioned space designed for dining and dancing.

Tar Heels and Blue Devils alike got a new luxury event venue conveniently located between both campuses. The

Birdsong Chapel at The Cornealius Properties in Goldsboro.

The newly renovated Sheraton Chapel Hill Hotel can host up to 350 guests in its 6,900-square-foot ballroom, 2,000-square-foot outdoor terrace and cozy-chic guest rooms.

newly renovated Sheraton Chapel Hill Hotel can host up to 350 guests in its state-of-the-art, 6,900-square-foot ballroom, 2,000-square-foot outdoor terrace and cozy-chic rooms. Your wedding guests will enjoy access to an outdoor pool, 24-hour fitness center and its new in-house restaurant Blue

Corners Bistro & Bar.

The Hibiscus Event Space is a newly renovated venue in Raleigh that can host 500-plus guests and offers a catering kitchen, getting-ready suite and ample on-site parking. Centrally and conveniently located on Gresham Lake Road, the venue is 20 minutes

from downtown Raleigh, 20 minutes from Raleigh-Durham International Airport and is surrounded by a number of restaurants and hotels. Hibiscus also offers backdrops, linens, centerpieces, throne chairs, event lighting and more.

If you’re looking for a venue with unbeatable views of Raleigh’s skyline,

put The Willard Rooftop Lounge at the top of your list. The Willard offers multiple modern indoor and outdoor event spaces located on the seventh floor of the brand-new AC

Hotel Raleigh Downtown. Say “I do” next to a double-sided fireplace on the terrace or raise a glass to new

beginnings in the Horizon Ballroom – a contemporary room with floor-toceiling windows and the city backdrop of your dreams.

Bluebird Meadows Farm is a barn and farm venue fantasy with multiple ceremony and reception event spaces nestled on 100 acres. Roughly one hour north of Raleigh in Louisburg, this venue offers wideopen countryside views, wooded trails, ponds and fields overflowing with wildflowers. Get ready in a midcentury farmhouse with original hardwood floors, and take portraits in the blueberry patch, where you can pick fresh blueberries that you’ll find in homemade blueberry cobbler after dinner in the greenhouse.

Discover The Kinsleeshop Farm – a 50-acre venue with beautifully restored barn event spaces, a historic farmhouse and lush green fields in Statesville. This country-chic farm recently added another space for wedding parties to get ready and spend time together before the ceremony. The Bro Barn includes six large-screen TVs, a full wet bar, a pool table, pinball, foosball, a loft lounge and a patio deck that is 27 feet off of the ground and offers sweeping views of sunsets on the farm.

The Upchurch is now booking 2022 weddings and events. Cara Powell, a recently retired wedding photographer with decades of experience, poured her heart, soul and knowledge of events into preserving the historic home and property in Apex. The Conservatory, a newly constructed greenhouse-esque event space, perfectly complements the restored Southern home.

Chapel Hill welcomed a new venue with an old soul in 2021. The Story, named after the tale of the nine young men from the town’s all-Black Lincoln High School who sat at a booth for equal rights in the Colonial Drug Store, building’s former occupant, on Feb. 28, 1960, is now owned by Mediterranean Deli, Bakery & Catering. The Story will capture the hearts of the Carolina fans among your wedding guests with its multiple industrial-chic event spaces that span three floors and rooftop views of Franklin Street.

The Oaks at Salem already features a historic home, rustic barn, oak trees and rolling fields – it’s hard to believe that the Apex-based venue could include more, but its newest addition takes the location above and beyond. The appropriately named Overlook is a 1,000-square-foot patio that overlooks the property’s serene pond and grounds. It features a cozy fire pit and a modern pergola – perfect for cocktail hour, cigar-rolling stations or after-dinner s’mores.

Belt Line Station, an open-air venue connected to The Cotton Room in Durham, recently received some major updates. The former train station now has a fully finished interior with a large bar, a patio with market lights and a train platform with retractable sides so that guests can enjoy the breeze of a refreshing day or enclose themselves and use heaters in chilly weather.

Overlook Barn in Banner Elk has also received some new amenities and renovations. Couples can now enjoy comfortable outdoor gatherings at the Pavilion and Cliffside Barn thanks to added heaters, and newlyweds can rent either the House or the Honeymoon Suite for overnight accommodations on their wedding day. The three-bedroom House features a large wraparound deck, a wood-burning fireplace and a spa-inspired primary bathroom. The Honeymoon Suite, designed with couples in mind, is a studio-style getaway with modern amenities and a bed with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. 

The Kinsleeshop Farm Photo by CORE Digital Design

The greenhouse at Bluebird Meadows Farm. Photo by Amber Rhodes Photography

Paramount Event Venue, a hidden gem located in Morrisville, recently renovated its getting-ready suites. This family-owned venue has state-of-the-art lighting, elegant ceiling drapery and amenities that can be customized to meet your wedding-day needs. Paramount can accommodate weddings and events of varying sizes, with a seating capacity of 250 in the Dogwood Ballroom and 144 in the Pine Room.

The Plant at Chatham Beverage District has been many things – a flower farm, an aluminum smelting factory, an abandoned building – but today, it is a multiuse eco-industrial park for sustainable small businesses, artists, events and more. Located on 17 acres of land in Pittsboro, this industrial-chic venue can seat up to 300 guests outside and 100 inside. Take wedding photos beneath the circus lights hanging above The Plant’s main street or have an intimate dinner reception in an art gallery. The venue will be repaved for better aesthetics and stormwater drainage in January 2022.

Farmhouse and barn venue Union Grove Farm in Chapel Hill received some updates: Modern bathrooms, barn heat and air conditioning, a freshly painted deck and gazebo, 200 tables and chairs, rustic benches for ceremony seating and fresh landscaping. Stay tuned for a new ceremony event space in the works.

Raleigh-based barn and farm venue Walnut Hill has a new getting ready space - a thoughtfully renovated house that sleeps 13 guests and overlooks the venue’s lake and pastures. The house is available as an addon rental for the day in 2022 and is included in the overall rental in 2023. Another improvement includes a fresh coat of white paint inside the barn, and venue owner Amanda Peoples is already planning the construction of a new ceremony space. “Yes, I know I said I was done building, but I can’t help it,” Amanda says. She plans to knock down two structures beside the lake and build an open-air chapel in their place.

and event management team. Mitchell•Casteel A Fine Catered Affair’s staff have elevated the experience that couples can expect to receive at the Park Alumni Center on N.C. State’s Centennial Campus in Raleigh. Whether you are a Wolfpack fan or not, the center’s elegant ambiance paired with Mitchell•Casteel’s food and service make for an excellent choice in venue.

A few more of our favorite venues have also gotten new on-site catering and event management teams. Rocky Top Catering, a Raleigh-based catering team with a reputation for exquisite cuisine, is now the exclusive catering company for The Cannon Room, Rose Hill

The Upstairs at Jiddi Space & Courtyard, a hidden gem of a venue in the heart of downtown Raleigh, was recently elevated with new decor and signage. Tucked behind restaurants Sitti and Gravy, Jiddi is a warehousestyle venue with a large open-air courtyard and a secluded indoor event space that can seat up to 140 guests. Its sister venue, The Glass Box at The Stockroom at 230, also received fresh look and the addition of a coffee bar. The Umstead Hotel & Spa in Cary renovated all 150 of its guest rooms and suites. New carpeting, drapery, beds, desks, chairs and more have given the rooms a spacious, updated look. All of The Umstead’s corridors and elevator landings were also updated with new carpet designs and wall coverings. The Bar & Lounge and Herons restaurant were completely renovated as well. Make

a reservation for dinner served on custom-made chargers and bread plates by local artisan Ben Owen III and peruse artwork commissioned by Carol Knapp. The Mayton, a boutique hotel in downtown Cary, opened a new on-site restaurant called Peck & Plume. Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, Peck & Plume’s menu includes a wide variety of dishes such as bone-in braised short ribs, roasted cauliflower with harissa hummus and creme brulee French toast. The bar also offers premium cocktails, approachable wines and North Carolina craft beers. One of Raleigh’s most romantic venues got a new on-site catering The gazebo at Union Grove Farm in Chapel Hill is the perfect location for a first look. Photo by Cirque91 Photography Estate and The Power House at Rocky Mount Mills.

Speaking of a powerhouse, North Carolina Museum of Art now partners with Catering Works as its catering company. The draw of the venue’s contemporary architecture, light-filled galleries and outdoor sculpture gardens are made all that more appetizing now that it has a professional event catering staff on-site. To see wedding inspiration at NCMA, turn to page 232.