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The gardens of Historic Tuckahoe offer an unforgettable outdoor venue in Richmond, VA. This charming property offers guests a number of beautiful garden spaces and manicured lawns to host your once-in-a-lifetime event. Famously known as the childhood home of Thomas Jefferson, the 18th-century house and outbuildings provide a fascinating backdrop for outdoor celebrations.
The venue at Historic Tuckahoe is the ideal setting for your long-awaited celebration. In addition to both large and small wedding ceremonies, receptions, and elopements, the site can also be used for showers, engagement parties, and rehearsal dinners. A pet-friendly venue, Tuckahoe offers many spaces, including a ceremony site and several reception areas, one of which offers a colonial-style hardscaped patio, and additional al fresco options. Both sides of the wedding party have access to "get-ready rooms," one in the Historic Main House, the other in the renovated Old Stable. Also included a chauffeured golf cart shuttle for limited mobility guests, grounds lighting, power and water, directional signs, lanterns, and restroom facilities for up to 100 guests. Tents can be erected for outdoor receptions and ceremonies as a safeguard in the case of inclement weather and a 60 x 100 foot tent will be included with the venue rental. Up to 600 guests can attend events held in the various outdoor sites. Up to 45 guests can be accommodated in the Great Hall of the Historic Mansion for more intimate ceremonies and receptions. There is plenty of parking at the facility for guests and vendors.
The staff at Tuckahoe provides a wealth of knowledge and ideas for couples planning their weddings, understanding that each pair is unique in their needs and desires. During your stay, you will have exclusive access to the grounds, and the use of a number of event items including a wedding arch, shepherd's hook lanterns, grounds lighting, and more.
Historic Tuckahoe is the perfect venue for you if you are someone who wants control over the details. They don’t have running water, a tent, enough bathrooms if you’re having over 100 guests, chairs, bars, lighting, etc. That being said, it is the most beautiful blanket canvas, conveniently located not too far from the city. The gardens are meticulously maintained, and our coordinator, Holt, was awesome. Reviewed on 17-01-2024
Catherine Irby(bride)5 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 29-06-2019 Beautiful location, grounds & gardens! It also has really neat historical significance that makes it an interesting spot for guests to explore on the wedding day. We recently had our wedding at TP in late June. Every time I pulled up to Tuckahoe prior to that day (to bury the bourbon & multiple times during the week of) I was struck by the natural beauty- there are horses, ducks, sheep, etc all on property. They even have a full-time gardener Holt who was super helpful with letting us use her floral fridge (we did out own flower arrangements) and helping cut some greens for the property to use the in the arrangements. Lyndee was our on-site contact and wedding planner- she was extremely helpful throughout the entire process and a very calm personality which was helpful to me on the wedding weekend! She is very knowledgeable about Tuckahoe events and answered all of my questions in a timely manner throughout my 6 months of engagement. We got ready in the house and had it open during cocktail hour which some of the guests really enjoyed being able to see the inside of Thomas jefferson’s Childhood home. One thing we knew going into the wedding was that the grounds are expansive and required our guests to do a bit of walking which most people did not mind but something to keep in mind if you have a lot of older guests invited. They do have a golf cart and driver for a small fee if needed. It is also an a la carte venue, meaning very little provided other than the site itself (and the stables which was very helpful to store all of our decor, etc. in the week leading up to the wedding day!). You have to bring in rentals, bathrooms (if over 100 guests), etc etc. BUT the gardens are so beautiful during much of the year its not necessary to go overkill with florals. We were aware of all this and ready for the risk of rain but if this is something that would stress you out as a bride I would recommend booking a location that has an indoor option. Overall a great experience and Tuckahoe will always hold a special place in my heart! Reviewed on 16-07-2019
Claire Bear(bride)2 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 22-09-2018 We chose Tuckahoe Plantation, because it was so gorgeous, and unique. It’s located so far from the road that you get total quiet (except for the occasional train). It offered a beautiful flow of ceremony to cocktail hour to reception, with things for guests to explore and enjoy in between. We chose it happily, and we opted for a coordinator provided by Tuckahoe Plantation. The coordinator was very knowledgeable of Tuckahoe, and was helpful during the planning process, but execution wasn’t great on the wedding day in our opnion. The event began late, not due to me or anyone in the wedding party getting ready, but because the reception area wasn’t set up in time. This is unfortunate when everyone is ready on time, and we have the venue for a limited amount of time. The reception took a long time to set up, even with several of our guests helping to set up. We had a welcome station that was supposed to be set up in the garden area on the steps just above the ceremony area. We were supposed to have drinks stationed there, and our greeters were telling guests to expect it there. It wasn’t set up, and there were empty tables there. I mapped this out with our coordinator at our site visit, and she was working directly with the caterer. I don’t know where the miscommunication occurred, but that was supposed to attract guests to get programs, lavender to throw. Instead, my nephews had to set out programs on each seat and hand out the lavender, because no one had seen or gotten any of these things. And, there were items there that were supposed to be in the reception area. They were moved to the reception later on at my request. We also bought about two dozen shepherd’s hooks, lanterns and candles, standalone candles and a bubble machine, which were all supposed to be set out for reception decoration. None of this was set up. Because these things were not used, the cigar area that we set up for guests wasn’t really lit at all, and anything away from our lighted tent wasn’t lit. Lastly, we paid for a fire pit through Tuckahoe to be lit and managed by their staff. It wasn’t lit until I had to ask a wedding guest for help to find the coordinator and see if we could light it, because I couldn’t find her, and had no way of getting in touch. We faced other issues that are to be expected on a wedding day, but nothing major. But there were many things that were avoidable, and characteristic of a lack of coordination rather than expected mishaps. Overall, we put a lot of thought into each detail, spent a good deal of time planning, and paid a significant amount of money for all of these elements, and we didn’t get them. So, while we liked the venue, our experience on the day as it wore on was us wondering, “oh, will that work?”, “did we actually get that set up?”, “did people know about that?”, which is not what we wanted after a year of planning, a lot of discussions, and money spent.I contacted aTuckahoe about my experience and they apologized, but offered no concrete explanations behind why this happened or how they planned to prevent this in the future.I've noticed that wedding rates for next year have dropped. I don't know the reason behind it, but this means that I paid more than future brides for this experience. Reviewed on 19-11-2018
Linda Ha(bride)5 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 30-09-2017 We liked how charming and quaint Tuckahoe Plantation was. A hidden gem in Virginia and there were so many corners of the grounds to explore. With working weddings myself, was drawn to the natural light of being outdoors. We fell in love with the grounds at Tuckahoe Plantation. We definitely knew that we wanted our dog, Bear to be part of the special day. With it being a pet friendly venue, it was certainly a right choice!We strived to create an intimate and warm vibe with the ceremony nested behind the gardens between natural arches of trees to long al fresco tables during dinner located right next to the historic home of Thomas Jefferson. Reviewed on 05-09-2018
Courtney Amburgey(bride)4 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 18-08-2018 Tuckahoe Plantation was the perfect venue for our wedding. Only outdoor Ceremony and Reception options, which was exactly what we wanted. The gardens are absolutely beautiful and gave the feeling of a garden party, very romantic. One downside is the increased cost to bring in all rental equipment that is not associated with many venues that come equipped with seating/etc. We had a tent (10/10 recommend you need for rain plan), brought in tables/chairs, a portable restroom for example that were added cost. Also, I believe they charge a bit much for the bridal suite in the Randolph House on the property. All said and done, the bit extra cost aside, this is a beautiful venue that doesn't require much decor at all because of the existing aesthetics found in the gardens. Love! Reviewed on 04-09-2018
Maegan Foley(bride)1 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 22-09-2017 If I could give this venue 100 negative stars I would. My fiance and I had our wedding booked with them for over 2 years before we got the news that they had cancelled our wedding. Here's the background story: We had originally booked our wedding for a Saturday in September. We were later informed that if we switched to that Friday, we could receive money off so we decided to make the switch. We signed our contract and submitted our deposit. About 6 months out we contacted Tuckahoe to start finalizing some details such as lighting packages, etc. We were informed that Bonnie, who we had previously been working with had permanently left (which was never told to us) and Lyndee was the new point of contact. She went on to inform us that there was no record of our deposit or contract on file. She told us that we could not have our wedding there because the Saturday bride wanted to have her rehearsal dinner there on Friday night and she got first priority even though we had booked long before her (which was also never told to us when we switched from that Saturday to Friday originally). Obviously, we were extremely upset and confused by this news. We showed her our signed contract and deposit slip, along with all of our previous email communications with the venue. She was extremely apologetic and said that the issue would be fixed, along with giving us extra lighting packages for free due to all of the confusion and grief. We started to relax again and went on with planning, including putting down the rest of the money towards the venue.Several weeks later, after we had arranged all of our vendors and put down numerous deposits, Lyndee informed us that they were officially cancelling our wedding again. This was devastating news as our save the dates were sent out and everyone knows it is almost impossible to find a new venue and plan a new wedding in that short of time. Our amazing wedding planner stepped up and found us another plantation (Westover plantation) that could accommodate us on our wedding day. We were relieved that we found a venue and it turned out to be a wonderful wedding, but it took a long time to get over my vision of having my wedding at Tuckahoe. Lyndee and Tuckahoe promised to compensate us $200 towards transportation since this venue was significantly farther (which is no where near the compensation I thought was appropriate). They also took forever to give us our deposits back and never compensated us for the extra credit card fee associated with paying online! After this, myself, finance, and wedding planner were never able to get in touch with Tuckahoe and we never received any compensation. This was one of the most stressful and upsetting things I have had to go through and they put us on a terrible emotional roller coaster. I hope no other bride ever has to go through the same grief. I strongly urge you, even though this venue is beautiful, to not waste your time with the horrible people who manage it. Reviewed on 02-10-2017
Alicia Briney(bride)5 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 21-12-2013 I loved the grounds, close to the city but still had that country feel. Quite accessible from major roads. Tons of photo spots. Picturesque and well kept. Loved all my pics! Reviewed on 09-01-2014
Jenni Grandy(bride)5 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 02-09-2012 As soon as we pulled into the Tuckahoe Platation we were sold. We went with the intent of not deciding on a venue until after we had seen a few. After we toured the gardens, we knew this was the perfect spot. The arbour has a perfect natural slope that was an amazing location for the ceremony.\rThe Tuckahoe Plantation is also extremely accomodating. They will only book one event per weekend. This worked to our advantage when we discovered 10 days before the wedding that our reception location could no longer accomodate us at all. Extensive freaking out aside, we called the Tuckahoe Plantation on the spot, who assured us that we could not only have the ceremony there, but we could also have our reception there now too.\rThis worked out perfectly. There are several locations throughout the planation where you can choose to have the reception. The spot we picked was very close to the ceremony site. This worked to our advantage because it did rain on my wedding day, but only for a short while. We had a chance to say our vows and immediately after there was a quick storm. Everyone ran under the tent and I got to hide inside the plantation house. This made for a great chance to take formal pictures!\rThe storm passed and we all got together to take pictures around the grounds. The gardens make for a perfect backdrop. Everthing was amazing. It was a day that we will cherish forever. Reviewed on 19-09-2012
Kristin Wiles(bride)4 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 05-05-2012 I gave this wedding venue a 4 out of 5 stars rather than a full five stars due to the difficulty we had with contacting staff at the plantation for the majority of the planning period up until there was a specific wedding day coordinator that was identified and also because the expensive price to use the plantation did not include much and left us to have to rent what we need which was also expensive. Once we were in contact with their wedding coordinator, the planning was much easier and they were very responsive to calls and emails and also very fun and detailed during on-site planning consultations. The on-site planner also does floral arranging and she and an assistant, along with my mother who works in the field of horticulture, worked together to create the bouquets and centerpiece arrangements which turned out to be exactly what I had envisioned. The plantation has a wonderful historical significance which is what initially brought us to view the grounds but the venue itself is truly magical with its old world charm and beauty. The ceremony site is absolutely stunning with tons of natural elegance when it is set up and the tent sites are wonderful because they are so close to the ceremony. The gardens at the plantation are beautiful and in full bloom in the spring which is when we got married. Actually, they will make your floral arrangements and bouquets from flowers found in the gardens at the plantation if they meet your design needs. We loved this wedding venue so much that we still felt it was magnificent and our dream wedding while it was raining throughout our tented reception! We are still hearing from our guests about how beautiful our venue, tuckahoe plantation, was and how it was one of the best weddings they had ever attended. Reviewed on 16-09-2012
Holt has worked at Historic Tuckahoe for the past decade, developing an intimate knowledge of the gardens, the history, and the amenities and wide range of event options on the grounds. Her experience, as well as the hard work and talent of the other staff at Tuckahoe, will serve to make your event as breathtaking as you envision!