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Rachel Sent on 07/27/2021

5 out of 5 rating

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Fantastic experience with Gilda and the Fearrington Team for a flawless weekend weekend

Booking this venue was the best and most important decision we made for our wedding. I cannot say enough good things about The Fearrington and the people that work here. Our families truly felt that this venue was the absolute best venue in the broader Triangle area (maybe even in the state??).

First off, this venue is idyllic. Many of our guests who came from out of town remarked on how beautiful the area was. The gardens are stunning. The barn is a perfect event space for a large group. The Inn is the epitome of Southern hospitality. The entire village is quiet and peaceful. There are adorable cows in the backdrop. In short, the venue was...

Booking this venue was the best and most important decision we made for our wedding. I cannot say enough good things about The Fearrington and the people that work here. Our families truly felt that this venue was the absolute best venue in the broader Triangle area (maybe even in the state??).

First off, this venue is idyllic. Many of our guests who came from out of town remarked on how beautiful the area was. The gardens are stunning. The barn is a perfect event space for a large group. The Inn is the epitome of Southern hospitality. The entire village is quiet and peaceful. There are adorable cows in the backdrop. In short, the venue was both extremely elegant and very approachable. We think this made guests from all walks of life feel very comfortable in the space.

Second, the food is absolutely incredible. This was important for us and a big reason that we chose The Fearrington (which has an acclaimed restaurant on the property). We wanted everyone to have a delicious meal and to eat their fill. We opted for the classic reception with different stations (the three we chose were the Beef Station, the Seafood Station, and the Southern Station). This was ideal for accommodating a variety of dietary restrictions and food preferences. At our cocktail hour, everyone was raving about the hors d'oeuvres. And after the cake, many guests remarked that they’ve never had wedding cake (or any cake for that matter) that was so delicious.

Third, the wedding coordinator, Gilda, is one of the most competent, fantastic humans we have ever met. Gilda has clearly put “10,000 hours” in to hone her craft, which is to make your wedding day run as beautifully and smoothly as possible. Her attention to detail is remarkable. Gilda and her staff have thought of everything from water stations at the ceremony to attendants that bustle your dress. On the day of our wedding, Gilda procured safety pins for my mother-in-law and individual fans for some of our guests. She was a perfect combination of very calming but clear and direct. It was so easy for us to put our trust in Gilda to just make the day fantastic, which it truly was. We can’t say enough positive things about Gilda, especially when it came to her generosity and understanding about moving our initial wedding date in the middle of the pandemic.

Fourth, hosting a wedding at The Fearrington is so much smoother than at many comparable locations because they do so much of the organization and planning in house. After seeing friends DIY their weddings, we knew we didn’t want that stress on the wedding day. The Fearrington makes it as stress-free as humanly possible to host a big event. From the flowers to the food to the décor, they can do just about everything. For external vendors, Gilda gave us recommendations for preferred vendors, which is how we found excellent people like our photographer (Krystal Kast) and our DJ (Willis Entertainment). On our wedding date, we didn’t need to leave the village the entire day. We had delicious brunch at the Fearrington restaurant, got ready in a spacious bridal suite, and walked out to the gardens for the ceremony. It was just about as smooth and painless as possible for a large wedding.

Fifth and finally, there were endless small touches that Gilda and her team thought about that made things feel so special. After our wedding, as my husband and I walked back to our room, I said to him, “That was perfect, but the one thing I regret is that I didn’t get the cake because we were too busy dancing.” When we opened the door to the bridal suite, we were shocked to see that Gilda had left us a few wrapped slices of cake and a bottle of prosecco!!

It was A++++ quality and service all around, and we feel so grateful to Gilda and the entire team at the Fearrington for giving us the best day of our lives.

Rachel & Taylor (July 2021)

Fearrington Village's reply:

Rachel, thank you so much for the lovely review! We loved hosting your wedding!! Gilda, the catering staff, and Fearrington House chefs, and everybody here takes the work of making your day really special to heart. We are thrilled to hear that it was everything you wished for. ♥

Lily Sent on 03/24/2025

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A magical wedding venue

Gilda and her team were amazing. We had such a beautiful wedding. The grounds, cake, food, drinks, setup, flowers (Once Gathered is AMAZING), logistics, planning, bridal suites, housekeeping, and everyone at Fearrington (especially our wonderful Wedding Director Gilda) made our special day that much better. Fearrington house is THE place to host a magical wedding!

Cassandra Sent on 12/28/2023

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A Dream Wedding Experience at The Fearrington Inn

My husband and I recently had the pleasure of hosting our wedding at The Fearrington Inn, and we couldn't be happier with the experience. From start to finish, every detail was meticulously attended to, creating a day that surpassed all our expectations.

Gilda, the wedding director, is an absolute gem. What sets Gilda apart is her genuine care and personal touch. She took the time to understand our vision and preferences, and then seamlessly brought everything to life. Her impeccable organizational skills and keen eye for detail ensured that everything ran smoothly, allowing us to fully immerse ourselves in the joy of the celebration.

Kara, the cake designer, is a true artist. The wedding cake she crafted...

My husband and I recently had the pleasure of hosting our wedding at The Fearrington Inn, and we couldn't be happier with the experience. From start to finish, every detail was meticulously attended to, creating a day that surpassed all our expectations.

Gilda, the wedding director, is an absolute gem. What sets Gilda apart is her genuine care and personal touch. She took the time to understand our vision and preferences, and then seamlessly brought everything to life. Her impeccable organizational skills and keen eye for detail ensured that everything ran smoothly, allowing us to fully immerse ourselves in the joy of the celebration.

Kara, the cake designer, is a true artist. The wedding cake she crafted for us was not only a visual masterpiece but also absolutely delicious. It was evident that Kara poured her creativity and skill into our cake, creating a unique and delicious centerpiece for our celebration. The entire hospitality staff at The Fearrington Inn deserves applause. The ambience of the venue was enchanting, creating the perfect backdrop for our special day. The food was nothing short of spectacular, and since our wedding day, we have been inundated with compliments from our guests.

The Fearrington Inn truly knows how to create a magical atmosphere and deliver an exceptional experience for both the couple and their guests. To any couple considering The Fearrington Inn for their wedding, you can trust that the exceptional service and wedding day coordination skills are second to none, and your wedding day will undoubtedly be as magical and stress-free as ours.

We wholeheartedly recommend The Fearrington Inn and its incredible team to anyone seeking a wedding venue. Thank you to Gilda, Kara, and the entire staff for making our wedding day the stuff dreams are made of!

Jillian Sent on 09/05/2023

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A true fairytale wedding

I cannot say enough about the Fearrington and Gilda!! First of all, just the ease of having flowers, cake, catering, even a wedding planner all in one place is SO worth it. They have their process nailed down and I was just along for the ride. I never had to worry that something would be forgotten or a minor detail would be missed - even after working on my wedding with Gilda for over a year. The food was absolutely delicious and all of my guests were raving about it. Our cocktail hour appetizers and signature cocktails were made completely custom for us and turned out incredible. The cake was an absolute masterpiece and the most moist, delicious cake...

I cannot say enough about the Fearrington and Gilda!! First of all, just the ease of having flowers, cake, catering, even a wedding planner all in one place is SO worth it. They have their process nailed down and I was just along for the ride. I never had to worry that something would be forgotten or a minor detail would be missed - even after working on my wedding with Gilda for over a year. The food was absolutely delicious and all of my guests were raving about it. Our cocktail hour appetizers and signature cocktails were made completely custom for us and turned out incredible. The cake was an absolute masterpiece and the most moist, delicious cake I have ever tasted. They even made us a late-night snack of french fries. Angela is incredibly talented with the florals - she helped coordinate specific vase rentals that matched my color scheme and they were so beautiful. The bridal suite is gorgeous and had so much room for myself and 10 bridesmaids to get ready that morning. The staff are so attentive - lighting the guests' sparklers for the exit, even leaving two slices of cake and a bottle of champagne in the room at the end of the night. Gilda is a true fairy godmother. She was juggling another wedding rehearsal on the day of my wedding and you would have never been able to tell. She has such calm energy and made me feel so comfortable and taken care of throughout the entire weekend. I will be gushing over our wedding at the Fearrington forever!

Evie Sent on 12/27/2021

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The Best People and Venue!

Gilda is an angel that will not only coordinate your dream wedding but she will be there for you from beginning to end. She was incredibly supportive during the whole process and even more so on the day of the wedding. I could not have gotten through that day without her. The rest of the staff at Fearrington were lovely, helpful and attentive. All the guests raved about the food at our wedding which was also done by the chefs at Fearrington. Gilda and her team were able to give us our dream wedding even in the midst of the pandemic in a safe and beautiful way. Floral did an outstanding job despite there being issues out of their...

Gilda is an angel that will not only coordinate your dream wedding but she will be there for you from beginning to end. She was incredibly supportive during the whole process and even more so on the day of the wedding. I could not have gotten through that day without her. The rest of the staff at Fearrington were lovely, helpful and attentive. All the guests raved about the food at our wedding which was also done by the chefs at Fearrington. Gilda and her team were able to give us our dream wedding even in the midst of the pandemic in a safe and beautiful way. Floral did an outstanding job despite there being issues out of their control. Cake was immaculate, beautiful and tasted amazing all while being gluten free! Accommodations for us and guests were so nice! Gilda and Fearrington Village was amazing and I can't say enough good things about the people and venue.

Hannah Sent on 07/02/2021

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Truly the best!

My husband and I honestly cannot say enough good things about our experience getting married at Fearrington! It was honestly the most joyful and magical day of our lives. I couldn’t believe my eyes on the wedding day because it was all a dream come true: the cake, the flowers, the decor, and the food were all spectacular, not to mention having all our loved ones in one beautiful place! We had our rehearsal dinner on the barn patio, then got married on a gorgeous spring Saturday in the gardens and had our reception in the Garden Terrace. So many of our guests commented on how delicious the food and cake was, and that it was the most fun...

My husband and I honestly cannot say enough good things about our experience getting married at Fearrington! It was honestly the most joyful and magical day of our lives. I couldn’t believe my eyes on the wedding day because it was all a dream come true: the cake, the flowers, the decor, and the food were all spectacular, not to mention having all our loved ones in one beautiful place! We had our rehearsal dinner on the barn patio, then got married on a gorgeous spring Saturday in the gardens and had our reception in the Garden Terrace. So many of our guests commented on how delicious the food and cake was, and that it was the most fun they’ve had at a wedding. We really couldn’t have asked for anything more-- the staff really thinks of everything, and there were countless small touches that made everything all the more special.

Gilda at Fearrington is really the best wedding coordinator in the business. My husband and I felt that Gilda put her entire heart and soul into our wedding. We had the pleasure of working with her over almost two years of planning and she is incredibly helpful, kind, thoughtful, and responsive. She is absolutely lovely to work with and accommodated some unique requests for our special day. Gilda guided us seamlessly through the process of downsizing our wedding because of the pandemic, and was there for us every step of the way, even reminding us to enjoy the moment (because the wedding weekend flies by!). Thanks to Gilda, the day of the wedding was completely stress-free and I was able to be present and enjoy every single moment, knowing that she was taking care of everything. Most of all, we felt that she really cared about us as people. She worked so hard to make our wedding perfect and really went above and beyond. I know there are a thousand things she did behind the scenes, and we cannot thank her enough!

I also cannot say enough good things about the rest of the staff at Fearrington. Bett and her team did a truly perfect job with the flowers. I have never seen more beautiful floral arrangements in my life, and I loved meeting and working with Bett. Kat designed and baked our wedding cake; it looked so beautiful and was incredibly delicious. We are so grateful to the entire staff at Fearrington. Everything was absolutely perfect and we would do it again in a heartbeat! We already cannot wait to come back to celebrate anniversaries and future special occasions.

Acacia Sent on 05/12/2021

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Simple and Elegant

Everything we needed was there, except a DJ and the photographer.

The food was AMAZING. The desserts were exquisite. Gilda and her team had everything covered. She helped to keep the wedding timeline moving and I didn’t feel like I needed to try and take care of things. She and her team had it all.

Fearrington Village's reply:

Acacia, thank you for the lovely review, and thank you for sharing your wedding day with us! We wish you all the best as you start married life. ♥

Sneha Sent on 12/10/2020

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Everything was Perfection!

Let me tell you without Gilda and the dream team my wedding would have fallen to pieces. With the pandemic in full swing and the restrictions changing every other week it was so hard and stressful trying to come up with Plan A through Z. Gilda walked is through each hurdle and guided us in a way where the stress just disappeared.

If you are looking for a timeless venue that has so many nooks for picture perfect moments, amazing food, the best cake/dessert ever, and the best people to work with then this is it!

Omar Sent on 10/14/2020

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Gilda the Great

The venue speaks for its self. I'm hear to talk about the real star of Fearrington Village: Gilda McDaniel. When you book Fearrington you are getting set up with a fantastic wedding planner that will get you the most out of your special day. I can not overstate the value of having Gilda coordinating our day. The venue does come at a bit of a price but I promise that it is worth having everything taken care of from one place.

Katie Sent on 10/10/2020

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Perfection, Magical, Elegant

Fearrington’s beauty, elegance, timelessness, and charm sweeps you off your feet the second you turn in. It’s hard to quickly put into words just how much Fearrington did for us. To start, Gilda and her team went above and beyond all of our expectations. From the magical ceremony on the steps of the garden to the flower arrangements Bet created, to the gorgeous and tasty cake Katherine designed and baked, to the stunning plated meals. Brian tackle all of our seating chart changes, even the one minutes before, like the pro he is. Every recommendation Gilda made was impeccable. From Krystal Kast who we adore to John Oliver our chaplain, to Arioso Strings who played throughout the ceremony and...

Fearrington’s beauty, elegance, timelessness, and charm sweeps you off your feet the second you turn in. It’s hard to quickly put into words just how much Fearrington did for us. To start, Gilda and her team went above and beyond all of our expectations. From the magical ceremony on the steps of the garden to the flower arrangements Bet created, to the gorgeous and tasty cake Katherine designed and baked, to the stunning plated meals. Brian tackle all of our seating chart changes, even the one minutes before, like the pro he is. Every recommendation Gilda made was impeccable. From Krystal Kast who we adore to John Oliver our chaplain, to Arioso Strings who played throughout the ceremony and cocktail hour. I truly wish I could hit rewind and marry Omar at Fearrington a hundred times over.

Our original plan was to have a “small” 150 person wedding until an unplanned global pandemic hit. Plans changed, and Gilda was there ready to not only take on any challenge we faced but to knock each of them out of the park. Gilda and her team cultivated our unbelievably special weekend so responsibly, keeping our guests safe, while allowing us to forget what was happening around the country for a moment to enjoy our new chapter.

We can't wait to see you for our first anniversary, Fearrington! 10/4/21

+2 photos

Grace Sent on 10/01/2020

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Smooth wedding planning, even during a pandemic

I cannot recommend Fearrington Village as a wedding venue enough! We chose Fearrington because we wanted wedding planning to be as smooth and simple as possible. Fearrington provides that because they take care of food, flowers, cake, and all reception planning. Gilda instantly made us feel at ease and we knew we would be taken care of at Fearrington. She is extremely quick in responding to emails and makes your dream come to life. Fearrington worked with us to change our 250 person indoor barn reception to an intimate outdoor ceremony and reception due to the pandemic. They made the switch as painless as possible for us- we simply told Fearrington our visions for food, decor, and the timeline...

I cannot recommend Fearrington Village as a wedding venue enough! We chose Fearrington because we wanted wedding planning to be as smooth and simple as possible. Fearrington provides that because they take care of food, flowers, cake, and all reception planning. Gilda instantly made us feel at ease and we knew we would be taken care of at Fearrington. She is extremely quick in responding to emails and makes your dream come to life. Fearrington worked with us to change our 250 person indoor barn reception to an intimate outdoor ceremony and reception due to the pandemic. They made the switch as painless as possible for us- we simply told Fearrington our visions for food, decor, and the timeline and they took care of the rest. The setting was gorgeous, the food was incredible, and we are still getting compliments from our guests on how wonderful an event it was!

Molly Sent on 04/13/2020

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The most special place!

I have nothing but amazing things to say about Fearrington. Every part of the village feels like a fairy tale, it's full of life and color.

The Fearrington team is absolutely OUTSTANDING, they truly have it down to a science. Gilda, Fearrington's event planner, is a machine. I've never seen one human manage to be in so many places at once. She is all business but cool, calm and collected at the same time.

Fearrington takes care of just about everything which makes the planning process so much easier - from flowers, to cake, to food and drink. My guests raved that it was the best reception food they've had by a long shot.

Fearrington...

I have nothing but amazing things to say about Fearrington. Every part of the village feels like a fairy tale, it's full of life and color.

The Fearrington team is absolutely OUTSTANDING, they truly have it down to a science. Gilda, Fearrington's event planner, is a machine. I've never seen one human manage to be in so many places at once. She is all business but cool, calm and collected at the same time.

Fearrington takes care of just about everything which makes the planning process so much easier - from flowers, to cake, to food and drink. My guests raved that it was the best reception food they've had by a long shot.

Fearrington really made my fairy tale wedding come true and they were lovely to work with the entire way. I'll be making trips back for years to come, it is such a special place!

Fearrington Village's reply:

Thank you! We loved hosting you and your family and friends. Congratulations to you both. Here's wishing you both some time right now to really savor all the memories from your day. ♥

Erin Sent on 11/05/2019

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A dream wedding and experience

Working with the Fearrington was an absolute DREAM.

Not only is the venue itself gorgeous, every single person that we worked with went above and beyond to make our day special.

Gilda is a MAGICIAN when it comes to wedding planning. My husband and I joked that we never saw her the day of the wedding, except when we needed her, and she just popped up at the right time.

The cake was the best dessert I've ever tasted, the flowers were beautiful, and the FOOD WAS THE BEST WEDDING FOOD EVER. So many of our guests have raved about the food.

If you are lucky enough to snag a date...

Working with the Fearrington was an absolute DREAM.

Not only is the venue itself gorgeous, every single person that we worked with went above and beyond to make our day special.

Gilda is a MAGICIAN when it comes to wedding planning. My husband and I joked that we never saw her the day of the wedding, except when we needed her, and she just popped up at the right time.

The cake was the best dessert I've ever tasted, the flowers were beautiful, and the FOOD WAS THE BEST WEDDING FOOD EVER. So many of our guests have raved about the food.

If you are lucky enough to snag a date at the Fearrington, please... do so. And stay on property.

I cannot wait to come back and celebrate our anniversaries at the Inn!

Megan Sent on 06/05/2019

2.6 out of 5 rating

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Disappointing

We got married in October of 2018 and I put off writing this review
because I generally don't like to leave bad reviews, and it was still
so strange that our experience was subpar when everyone else seemed to
love their Fearrington wedding. The truth is there were some issues
with communication, particularly with Gilda, the onsite
planner, that ultimately affected the final result of our wedding in
ways that make me look back with less than fondness. From the
beginning we liked Fearrington because of their stellar reviews,
beautiful venue, and their all-inclusive services. We had a few ideas
about what our wedding would ideally be like, that it...

We got married in October of 2018 and I put off writing this review
because I generally don't like to leave bad reviews, and it was still
so strange that our experience was subpar when everyone else seemed to
love their Fearrington wedding. The truth is there were some issues
with communication, particularly with Gilda, the onsite
planner, that ultimately affected the final result of our wedding in
ways that make me look back with less than fondness. From the
beginning we liked Fearrington because of their stellar reviews,
beautiful venue, and their all-inclusive services. We had a few ideas
about what our wedding would ideally be like, that it would be small
(about 25 people), and that it would be in the morning because I love
brunch and morning light. We emailed our inquiry and were pleased to
find out that even though we were starting planning in May, there were
still a few Saturday dates open in the fall and winter. We met with
Gilda and shared with her our ideas as well as answered some of her
questions so that she could get a sense of who we were and what we
wanted. When she found out how small our wedding was going to be, she
started steering us away from Saturday and towards Sunday. She didn't
really explain why, but later I realized this was probably because
Fearrington only does one wedding per day and she was hoping that she
could get a bigger (and more lucrative) wedding booked for Saturday,
which she did. She gave us Sunday, and pushed us away from brunch
towards dinner, saying something like, 'don't your guests deserve
that?' We expressed concern that a number of our guests are from out
of town and would struggle with our wedding being on a Sunday night.
She assured us that since the following Monday was Columbus day, that
people would be able to make it, and 'if they really loved us they'd
make it work.' We left the meeting a little uneasy but we signed the
contract, paid the $3k deposit, and began planning in June. I
contacted the out of town guests, and while some, like our families,
assured us they would make it at all costs, more of them said that
they would love to come but work/medical school/limited vacation time
prevented them from taking a Monday off. And absolutely no one had
Columbus day off as a holiday, as we suspected. At this point
communications with Gilda slowed down. We hadn't heard whether the
check and contract we mailed in were accepted until our check was
cashed and we emailed her to confirm that she was the one who cashed
it. We asked her about possibly hosting our rehearsal dinner there and
engagement photos, which she responded and offered whether we would
like flowers for the shoot, to which I said yes. She however didn't
respond again for almost a week, after our photo session was done. By
this time we also made up our minds about asking Gilda to switch us
from Sunday night to Sunday morning, for the brunch wedding I had
originally wanted and for the ease of our traveling guests. We asked
to meet and were told she would not be available for a couple of
weeks, so we told her by email what we were hoping to achieve and did
not receive a concrete response. I got upset because I had hoped to
order invitations and set up all the time sensitive elements like
photographer, videographer, etc by this time. A note--we noticed that
almost every time we emailed Gilda, there would be an automatic
response saying she is out of office or out of town, and it would take
at least a few days to hear back, even on simple questions. It seemed
she was out of town every other week. The slow communication really
made things more stressful than they needed to be, and my partner had
to email Gilda to let her know that I was actually getting a bit
frustrated with the process and lack of communication. Afterwards, she
was more responsive, at least in letting us know personally instead of
by automated response that she was going to be out of office/town and
would have to respond later to us. After this, it was established that
we could do a brunch wedding, the same Sunday we had chosen. She
offered us a choice of holding the reception at the Garden Terrace or
Galloways room, and we responded that we would like the Terrace. She
responded that she would do some research and get back to us, and then
later informed us she had booked the Galloways for us. We assumed this
was because the Terrace was not available. She also let us know that
we would get to choose from the brunch menu listed in the information
packet we were given, except that three of the ten options would be
excluded, namely the crab salad, french toast, and lox, which was too
bad because we had wanted the french toast, but we were okay with
choosing from the other options. Towards the end of July I emailed
Gilda to ask for a rough timeline of when we would do things like
choose floral arrangements, cake tasting, ceremony timeline, etc since
she had not brought it up. Again she was out of town, but at least let
us know she would be back by that Thursday, though she really
responded on Saturday. We set up the cake tasting in August. Gilda
asked for what flavors of cake we were interested in and passed it
along, though when we arrived for the cake tasting, we found that some
of the flavors we requested were not present. Luckily, Andrew who was
the new chef de cuisine and was meeting with us for the tasting
quickly whipped it up for us! He was nice and fun to chat with, and we
found out that he was newly hired and that the chef listed in the
information packet we had gotten a few months ago was no longer with
Fearrington. Neither was the pastry chef, and they still had that
position vacant. This all looked a bit unsettling. Towards the end of
September we got an email from the new pastry chef at Fearrington. She
was not informed that we had changed our cake from three tiers (which
we had been encouraged to choose during the cake tasting) to two tiers
(which we were encouraged to do later by Gilda as three tiers was too
much cake). The cake we got on our wedding day was quite different
from the samples we tried at the tasting, denser and not as enjoyable.
We had plenty left over and no one wanted to take any home. After the
cake tasting we met with Gilda to talk about some details. She gave us
a tour of the room that was booked for our reception and we took that
time to ask to see the Terrace too. She asked us why we were
interested, as though we hadn't chosen the Terrace over the Galloways
before. I'm not sure if she had just misread our email or forgotten.
We told her we had assumed we didn't get the Terrace because it had
been booked already, and she let us know that actually it had been
available but someone had just booked it that week! And moreover that
the other party that had booked the Terrace had been hoping to get the
Galloways room that was booked for our reception. She offered that she
would speak with the other party to see if they would be interested in
swapping with us. Later she informed us that the other party wanted to
keep the Terrace after all. She said that we could switch to a
Saturday morning instead, but seeing that it was only two months
before the wedding and we had already sent invitations, this was not
an acceptable solution to us. We told her the Galloways would be fine.
About a week later we received the "function sheet" draft that
contained notes about our wedding details. There were mistakes, like
our names being misspelled and the cake layers/flavors being
incorrect, which we informed Gilda, and then asked her a question
about the night at the Inn that was included with our wedding. She
sent us a response saying she would fix the mistakes later, as she was
out of town. The room at the inn was actually an interesting point for
us. Originally we had no intention of staying at the Inn, seeing as
how we lived only 20 minutes away and already had our honeymoon
travels booked right after the wedding. We asked if the included cost,
which was $575 for the superior suite, could be deducted from our
wedding cost, which was denied. Then I had hoped to use it on our
wedding night as proposed, but we were told if we did that, then we
would not have a place for the bridal party to get ready before the
wedding. We were able to wait before the ceremony in a different
place, but no place other than the room to get dressed and put on
makeup! It became apparent that even though the room was usually
booked for the wedding night, and only one night was included,
Fearrington expects you to book both the night before and the night of
the wedding in order to have a place to get dressed onsite. We chose
to book the room for the night before the wedding so my friends and I
could get dressed and we could put some out of town guests there to
sleep, and were told that we had to have our things packed and out of
the room by noon, which was still during our wedding. We made this
happen, even amidst all the wedding day makeup, preparation, and
photos, thanks to my wonderful friends. Because Jenna, who is in
charge of florals at Fearrington, was not available the day we did the
cake tasting and met with Gilda, I was told that we would be put in
contact with her to arrange a meeting later. What this really meant
was that I had to ask Gilda later for her contact info and then we
were responsible for arranging it ourselves. We did eventually meet
with Jenna. She was really nice and charming, and worked with us to
make arrangements that we liked that cost a reasonable amount. We did
make some extra requests like for some flowers on the wall instead of
the empty baskets that hang from hooks in the room, and to have our
ceremony flowers moved in to the reception room in place of some
columns with some plants sitting on them by the window. In the end,
the plants and columns were still left in the room (no explanation was
given for this), but our ceremony flowers and the flower wall were
really beautiful. We had chosen the glass vases that we were allowed
to keep with the floral arrangements after the wedding and gave some
of them to our guests. This was great, except that a wait staff member
got confused and thought we were trying to take home the ugly baskets
from the wall. We had to assure them that we were not and pointed out
that the baskets were still in the room on a table, which was all a
bit embarrassing in front of our guests. Back to our wedding weekend
in October, we decided to have a rehearsal for the ceremony with our
families the morning of the day before our wedding. Both sides were
running late, after having trouble finding the Fearrington which was
unfamiliar to all of them. It was raining a little, and just off the
heels of a hurricane that had blown through the week or so before. We
showed up to find that Gilda had arranged the chairs at a different
ceremony site than we had chosen, her reason being that the hurricane
weather had torn up some of the grass at the site we had wanted. The
damage was small, and we had chosen that site at the advice of our
videographer, so we told Gilda that we were set on our original site.
We moved the chairs, and then waited about 10 minutes for our families
to arrive. When they showed up, they took some time to greet us and
each other, some of them meeting for the first time. It was clear from
Gilda's face and tone of voice that she was annoyed by this and the
delay. I don't think it is appropriate or professional to ever let
such frustration show when you are dealing with clients.. After all,
the rehearsal only took about 15 minutes and then we all left. I have
to say that every time we had a meeting with Gilda at her office, she
was always running behind, leaving us to wait at the spa storefront.
Sometimes the spa would even be locked and we would have to wait
outside, wondering if we had gotten the meeting time wrong. Despite
the setbacks, our wedding was still magical. Everything was done very
efficiently, though not exactly as we had hoped. The cake was too
dense, as I said before, but the food was generally good, though I do
not recommend the eggs benedict, which was leftover in full pans. In
fact there was a lot of food leftover, which the waitstaff moved in to
eat before we had even left the venue. Gilda wore a bright red shirt
and a skirt printed with a graphic of colored pencils that stood out
in the background of many of our neutrals-themed wedding photos, which
was a little annoying. We actually had to ask Gilda that day (yes, at
the wedding) about receiving a final total for costs as we had not
heard from her about it. It turned out someone else from Fearrington
had emailed the cost sheet, but it had been sent to spam as it was an
unfamiliar address. We hadn't heard anything else about it, so we
assumed that we were going to find out after the wedding. Gilda did
print it out for us and hand it to us at the wedding. We got a
finalized cost sheet afterwards where we saw that we had been charged
for our photographer's meal without being told. The problem with this
is that our photographer is vegan, which she had informed us from the
beginning, and she had not touched any of the food at the Fearrington.
We brought this up to Gilda but received no response, except that
about two weeks later we got a check in the mail written by
Fearrington to give us back the price of the meal. Overall, the
experience was not bad, but certainly not great. All of our other
vendors were excellent, and Jenna the florist was wonderful to work
with. Mainly, there were communication issues, particularly with Gilda, that resulted in not getting the reception venue we had
wanted and in having to fight to get the wedding time and date that
worked for us and our guests. We often felt that we were treated as
less valued, most likely because we had a small wedding. (It may also
have to do with other prejudices, like racial bias, but I have no
evidence for this.) All I can do is wonder why we did not seem to get
the same treatment as other couples did.

Samantha Sent on 05/10/2019

5 out of 5 rating

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Wish I could give it 6 stars!

We cannot say enough good things about Fearrington. This venue was STUNNING and it made the entire wedding planning process possible. With Fearrington, we had a full time wedding planner (Gilda - she is clearly the best at her job. We couldn't have done it without her!) as well as catering and flowers. Every interaction with Fearrington was simple, straightforward and extremely high quality. Our wedding was a dream, and it was because of the Fearrington. If it is at all possible, you NEED to have your wedding at Fearrignton!

Fearrington Village's reply:

Thank you Samantha! It was such a pleasure to host your most special day. We think Gilda is pretty fantastic, too. Congrats!

Rebecca Sent on 03/31/2019

5 out of 5 rating

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Book your wedding here NOW!

Fearrington Village was the perfect place to get married on New Years Eve! Gilda was absolutely wonderful and made wedding planning easy! For the rehearsal dinner we booked one of the private dining room at The Belted Goat. It was the perfect location for a lovely rehearsal dinner. We booked The Garden Terrace for our wedding ceremony and The Barn for our reception and we couldn’t be happier with the way everything turned out! Fearrington exceeded our expectations.

+6 photos

Divya Sent on 12/27/2018

5 out of 5 rating

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Gorgeous Venue + Amazing On-Site Coordination = Unforgettable Day

Fearrington was by far our first choice for wedding venue, and we loved that they could accommodate both our ceremony and reception, making the day itself seamless for the wedding party and guests! We were planning our wedding from abroad, but working with Fearrington's on-site coordinator, Gilda McDaniel, was such a pleasure. She was responsive, straightforward, but also incredibly helpful in guiding us through all of our questions in planning the wedding, sharing her expertise and years of experience. Between the Garden Terrace for the ceremony and Barn for the reception, we were prepared for any type of weather. Even though we had our wedding in the heat of early August, guests loved having the chance to explore the...

Fearrington was by far our first choice for wedding venue, and we loved that they could accommodate both our ceremony and reception, making the day itself seamless for the wedding party and guests! We were planning our wedding from abroad, but working with Fearrington's on-site coordinator, Gilda McDaniel, was such a pleasure. She was responsive, straightforward, but also incredibly helpful in guiding us through all of our questions in planning the wedding, sharing her expertise and years of experience. Between the Garden Terrace for the ceremony and Barn for the reception, we were prepared for any type of weather. Even though we had our wedding in the heat of early August, guests loved having the chance to explore the gardens and check out the belties! We were also thrilled with the station setup we chose - the restaurant was able to prepare off-menu options for guests, and is generally well-known in the area for its top-notch food. We are still receiving compliments from our guests. Finally, the staff was incredibly helpful - Fearrington provided the cake and flowers, both of which helped make our wedding the amazing day it was! I would wholeheartedly recommend the venue and only wish the day hadn't flown by as quickly as it did.

Easton Sent on 12/20/2018

5 out of 5 rating

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Amazing venue!

Gilda at Fearrington was absolutely amazing. There was never a glitch or stress moment in the planning process at all. I described my perfect wedding to her, and it was exactly what I received. From the planning, to the tables at the reception, to the fireplace behind us at the ceremony, to the day of getting ready. Everything was so easy. Fearrington is such a cozy environment, and the barn is absolutely stunning! Our wedding was over a month ago and people are still raving about how perfect everything was and to do it again! I am SO happy with my choice and couldn't imagine my wedding anywhere else!!!

Lauren Sent on 06/23/2018

5 out of 5 rating

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MARY STEVENS (Florist)
My wife and I also had the privilege of working with Mary Stevens, who designed and produced all the flowers for our wedding in April at the Fearrington. After meeting Mary, it was obvious that she had all the ingredients you could ever want in a Florist: passion, care, creativity, organization and the ability to execute. Beyond that, it was obvious how important bringing our vision to life was to her. So much so that the day after our wedding Mary was in tears when hearing my wife say the flowers were everything she could have imagined. It’s not often you find people that are willing to invest their absolute all into a product, and it’s...

MARY STEVENS (Florist)
My wife and I also had the privilege of working with Mary Stevens, who designed and produced all the flowers for our wedding in April at the Fearrington. After meeting Mary, it was obvious that she had all the ingredients you could ever want in a Florist: passion, care, creativity, organization and the ability to execute. Beyond that, it was obvious how important bringing our vision to life was to her. So much so that the day after our wedding Mary was in tears when hearing my wife say the flowers were everything she could have imagined. It’s not often you find people that are willing to invest their absolute all into a product, and it’s even more rare to find someone that cares about the final outcome as much as the customer. Our vision was by no means easy to put together, but Mary made it look easy. She listened designed and executed everything flawlessly at every stage. Our wedding was the best day of our lives in large part because of Mary Stevens, and for that we will forever be grateful. Mary is an incredible florist, creative artist and an even better person.

+2 photos

Roy Sent on 06/23/2018

5 out of 5 rating

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GILDA McDANIEL (Coordinator)
My wife and I had the privilege of working with Gilda McDaniel to coordinate our wedding in April at the Fearrington. While we had heard nothing but rave reviews, Gilda far exceeded our expectations. Gilda had the knowledge, commitment, organization, innovative thinking, creativity and communication skills to take our vision and turn it into a reality. Gilda not only cared about what we wanted our dream wedding to look like, but she also truly cared about Lauren and I as a couple. She did an incredible job balancing between supportive advice and execution. Our wedding day would not have turned out to be the best day of our lives without Gilda. What we feel most fortunate...

GILDA McDANIEL (Coordinator)
My wife and I had the privilege of working with Gilda McDaniel to coordinate our wedding in April at the Fearrington. While we had heard nothing but rave reviews, Gilda far exceeded our expectations. Gilda had the knowledge, commitment, organization, innovative thinking, creativity and communication skills to take our vision and turn it into a reality. Gilda not only cared about what we wanted our dream wedding to look like, but she also truly cared about Lauren and I as a couple. She did an incredible job balancing between supportive advice and execution. Our wedding day would not have turned out to be the best day of our lives without Gilda. What we feel most fortunate for, however, is knowing that we have a new friend in our lives. Gilda sets the standard for wedding coordinators and we would refer her to anyone looking to have a seamless wedding at the Fearrington.

Fearrington Village's reply:

Roy, thank you for the kind review. Gilda is just plain amazing, and she's a wonderful person to boot. We're so glad you got to work with her, and we loved loved loved your wedding! Thank you for choosing us for your most special day.

Ava Sent on 04/14/2018

5 out of 5 rating

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Fearrington is a picture perfect venue for a wedding: numerous lovely lawns to choose from for a romantic garden ceremony, an equally lovely covered terrace in the event of rain, a spacious and attractive venue for receptions, replete with a lovely courtyard for outdoor cocktails, fantastic food, and a talented in-house florist, baker, and sommelier to expertly handle so many of the details. But the one greatest asset of Fearrington, bar none, goes by the name of Gilda McDaniel. Wedding coordinator extraordinaire, Gilda has a depth of experience rarely seen in this business. Her wisdom is outdone only by her patience, Zen calm, warmth, and professionalism. She makes a Fearrington wedding worth every penny. From our experience, Gilda can...

Fearrington is a picture perfect venue for a wedding: numerous lovely lawns to choose from for a romantic garden ceremony, an equally lovely covered terrace in the event of rain, a spacious and attractive venue for receptions, replete with a lovely courtyard for outdoor cocktails, fantastic food, and a talented in-house florist, baker, and sommelier to expertly handle so many of the details. But the one greatest asset of Fearrington, bar none, goes by the name of Gilda McDaniel. Wedding coordinator extraordinaire, Gilda has a depth of experience rarely seen in this business. Her wisdom is outdone only by her patience, Zen calm, warmth, and professionalism. She makes a Fearrington wedding worth every penny. From our experience, Gilda can handle with aplomb just about any situation, and can provide free and reasonable advice on all aspects of the affair.

Clasina Sent on 03/19/2018

5 out of 5 rating

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The Fearrington is a breath-taking venue and should be considered as a first choice for wedding rehearsal dinner, wedding ceremony and reception venue. Our daughter's wedding was a grand success and all our guests raved about the beauty of the The Fearrington and its surroundings; the lovely accommodations; the high-quality food; the deluxe spa; the wedding planner extraordinaire (Gilda McDaniel), who had everyone and everything completely under control at all times and thought of absolutely everything; the beautiful flowers by Mary Stevens of The Fearrington; the gorgeous AND delicious cake by The Fearrington's own pastry chef; and the courteousness of the staff. This is a TOP NOTCH venue and we are grateful to The Fearrington and its staff for making this an unforgettable experience.

Fearrington Village's reply:

Clasina, thank you so much for the lovely review! We are so happy that you and your family had such a great experience.

Kip Sent on 01/04/2018

5 out of 5 rating

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5 out of 5 rating

It is not often that I am at a loss for words, but to try and write what an amazing and magical wedding that our daughter had recently at Fearrington is almost too much to describe. From the moment we booked the venue, until the last candle was extinguished at the send off, we couldn't have asked for a more perfect experience. Gilda McDonald is not only the most amazing event planner ever, but also became a friend to call for any questions or concerns. Her level of professionalism as well her fun and caring personality made our experience one we could enjoy without worrying about any detail. She is simply wonderful!! The ceremony on the terrace followed by...

It is not often that I am at a loss for words, but to try and write what an amazing and magical wedding that our daughter had recently at Fearrington is almost too much to describe. From the moment we booked the venue, until the last candle was extinguished at the send off, we couldn't have asked for a more perfect experience. Gilda McDonald is not only the most amazing event planner ever, but also became a friend to call for any questions or concerns. Her level of professionalism as well her fun and caring personality made our experience one we could enjoy without worrying about any detail. She is simply wonderful!! The ceremony on the terrace followed by the reception in the barn were truly what dreams are made of. Mary Stevens and her floral team transformed both spaces into a winter wonderland. She listened to what my daughter wanted and created designs far beyond our expectations. Again, we felt we made friends for life. All of our guest also commented that the food was the best they had ever had at a wedding. We agree!!! Every mother dreams that their daughter's wedding will be the most special day ever. Fearrington, and the staff helped make this dream come true.

Erin Sent on 12/21/2017

5 out of 5 rating

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Fearrington Village is one of the more charming places in the southeast so it's hard to have a bad looking wedding here but it's the Fearrington staff that make this place truly exceptional. Starting with Gilda McDaniel, the wedding planner - she's smart, artistic and supremely capable. We felt like we were in total pro hands the whole time - she got our somewhat non-traditional vision and executed seamlessly while providing guidance when we needed it. She coordinated our vendors, came up with a super creative bustle for my somewhat unwieldy dress and came up to Matt and I and said " there's an unbelievable full moon out there - want to sneak out for a quick photo op?"...

Fearrington Village is one of the more charming places in the southeast so it's hard to have a bad looking wedding here but it's the Fearrington staff that make this place truly exceptional. Starting with Gilda McDaniel, the wedding planner - she's smart, artistic and supremely capable. We felt like we were in total pro hands the whole time - she got our somewhat non-traditional vision and executed seamlessly while providing guidance when we needed it. She coordinated our vendors, came up with a super creative bustle for my somewhat unwieldy dress and came up to Matt and I and said " there's an unbelievable full moon out there - want to sneak out for a quick photo op?" She was there when you needed her and executing behind the scenes when you didn't inspiring full confidence and taking any stress we may have had out of the evening. Mary Stevens is a true artist when it comes to flowers, greenery and design. We wanted minimalist glam with lots of fresh greens, ivory flowers and candlelight. The Fearrington Barn looked magical - we had towering column birch branch and hydrangea arrangements draped in tea light candles. She cut down fresh stumps and topped with candles to adorn the fireplace in the ceremony room and put together the most beautiful magnolia leaf draping across the mantle. It was stunning. Finally, the food served in the venue by Chef Colin Bedford is the same level of quality as the Fearrington House restaurant which is unbelievable for wedding food. We heard from a significant portion of our guests that it was the best wedding food they've ever tasted. Literally the one regret I have from my wedding was not eating more of the food! Too much dancing and talking to do! This place is magical - I would highly recommend the Fearrington as a wedding venue.

Kimi Sent on 06/29/2017

5 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
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I recently had my ceremony and reception at Fearrington and there are not words to express what a wonderful experience it was, from planning to the wedding day. Being in my first semester of a doctoral program, I had very little free time. Working with Gilda made everything easy -- she walked me through everything I needed to know, kept everything organized and on schedule, and made it so I had absolutely nothing to worry about on the wedding day. I had a vision but very little time to plan. When I walked through the venue on my wedding day it was beyond my dreams. Everything was perfect. The wedding went of without a single hitch and I cannot...

I recently had my ceremony and reception at Fearrington and there are not words to express what a wonderful experience it was, from planning to the wedding day. Being in my first semester of a doctoral program, I had very little free time. Working with Gilda made everything easy -- she walked me through everything I needed to know, kept everything organized and on schedule, and made it so I had absolutely nothing to worry about on the wedding day. I had a vision but very little time to plan. When I walked through the venue on my wedding day it was beyond my dreams. Everything was perfect. The wedding went of without a single hitch and I cannot stress enough how effortlessly the whole evening seemed to flow because there was not one detail that had not been seen to. Gilda kept everything on schedule before the ceremony (even the groom and all his groomsmen), had everyone in place for the ceremony knowing exactly what to do. There were hors d'oeuvres and champagne waiting for the bridal party and family immediately after the ceremony so we could celebrate with the small group prior to cocktail hour. I could list many examples of how the staff went out of their way to make everyone comfortable, but here is one of my favorites: my sister, the matron of honor, had a five month old baby at the time and had gone into a small room to nurse the baby during cocktail hour. A female staff member noticed her and came over with a plate of hors d'oeuvres and a glass of lemonade so she would not miss out. I am so truly grateful to Fearrington for absolutely everything they did to the day I dreamed of and will remember always.

Thank you!
Kimi

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