Mount Ida Farm Reviews

We recently had our wedding at the Event Barn and Gazebo and it was spectacular. Our guests could not stop talking about how beautiful the space was, and the staff was so courteous and friendly. They were a dream to work with. We would recommend Mount Ida to any couple!

Mt. Ida is a beautiful place for a wedding. I did, however, find the difficult to work with and inflexible. They are slow to return calls and emails. When we did reach someone they were very pleasant. Frankie was at the wedding and did a fabulous job on the day of. There are several different locations for weddings but we felt that we were the only ones there.

We LOVED Mt. Ida Farm and Vineyard. First, they were very accommodating when it came to scheduling a visit. We did visit in what is considered the off season (March) to tour the facilities, but we never felt rushed when touring and our tour facilitator patiently answered all our questions. Our tour facilitator was Matt. We HIGHLY recommend working with him. He is very professional and had more answers to questions that we never thought of (such as rain plans, electricity backups, portable restrooms, driving between sites and more). He definitely knows Mt. Ida in and out and can answer almost any question. As for the facilities, they were wonderful. They were clean, modern, and useful. Also the staff was fast at fixing issues and were there to NOT add stress. They really wanted you to enjoy your wedding day. Mt. Ida does have a lot of conditions when it comes to picking the site, reception area, and housing. We chose the Black Branch Ceremony Site for its amazing views of the mountains, but as a result, you have to have your reception at The Barn. We liked the Barn, but we liked The Lodge better. Matt and the staff definitely walk you through all the conditions, but definitely read everything so you have no surprises. If you read all the information and understand it, nothing should be a shock. There are several other venue options I did not discuss as well here so you must tour to find the right location on the property for you. The team also put new signs in to help direct guests and vendors and those signs were lifesavers! We also recommend a good map made by your coordinator to send out but otherwise this is a great place to get married!

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L! We stumbled across our dream venue and couldn’t have been happier! It was
important to have a great indoor rain option which we luckily didn’t have to use, but we had peace of
mind with the iffy forecast knowing the indoor option was beautiful too. The Grove Ceremony site was
unlike any other, enjoying the amazing mountain view just up the hill from the Lodge. The Lodge itself
provided the perfect space for cocktail hour, dinner, and then the ability for some of the older folks to
talk all night in the main dinner room while the others partied in the separate dancing room. The
outdoor space with deck furniture and a fireplace was also a nice plus for cocktail hour and late in the
night. Mount Ida has four venues, so take a look at them all as they each have their own unique
personalities. We almost didn’t tour the Lodge, and what a mistake that would have been! Mount Ida
also has many houses across the property available for rent making it very convenient for our immediate
families. You cannot get ready in the Lodge, so this was convenient to get ready in a house while still
having a view of the Lodge and all its glory including two staged Clydesdale horses.

Book Mount Ida now! We got married at the Event Barn and it is worth every penny (any more). It ended up raining on our wedding day and I am so grateful we had the indoor option at the Event Barn. I was sad we didn't get the beautiful gazebo photos for the wedding ceremony but luckily we did get a few pictures there for our first look.

Our guests loved how easy it was that our ceremony was in the Event Barn and so was the reception (seriously, don't sleep on an indoor ceremony, it worked out for the best). Everyone we worked with like Bronwyn and Rachael were so nice. The space photographs so well and caterers LOVE Mount Ida (if you want Exchange Events as your caterer, go ahead and book Mount Ida).

They have four different spaces to choose from (and pro-tip Event Barn does not require their wine/beer) so there are tons of options with Mount Ida. I am so grateful we had our wedding there!!

The Lodge venue is beautiful. The views are spectacular. Our event manager Matt was very helpful and easy to work with before and during the reception. The entire event went smoothly and all our decorations were packed and ready for us to pick up in the moring.
I would reccommend staying on the property if available. The only thing missing was a arbor onthe ceremony site so my son in law built on and set it up. I would reccommend this venue.

We loved having our wedding at Mount Ida! We got married at The Lodge and couldn’t be happier with our decision. We actually hosted two events there – a small ceremony in 2021 and a larger reception in 2022. Though this was not our original plan, we felt so supported by the Mount Ida team and they made a stressful planning & re-planning process significantly easier. They were very flexible with us when we had to reschedule twice due to Covid. Bronwyn was incredibly responsive to all of our questions and the whole team made sure our wedding was spectacular (once we finally got to have it!). The venue itself is just stunning, and all of our guests were blown away by the beautiful view. We also used the cottage on the property to get ready the morning before the ceremony, which was perfect for me, my mom, and 7 bridesmaids. I would highly recommend The Lodge at Mount Ida as a wonderful wedding venue!

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

As unlikely as another pandemic may seem- if you want to have your wedding here, make sure it is very clear in your contract what will happen in the event of a rescheduling. Once they have your money, they don't seem to care how they treat you as long as they can still book new clients.

Got married on 11/13 at the Thomas Ridge ceremony site, and had our reception at The Event Barn at Mount Ida, and it was absolutely stunning! The views of the mountains and fall leaves at Thomas Ridge made the backdrop of our ceremony out of this world, and only got better with sunset pictures! The reception at the barn was equally as gorgeous! We have nothing but great things to say about our wedding & the staff, and have heard glowing reviews from our guests! Would 1000% recommend checking out Mount Ida for your Charlottesville-area wedding!!!

Mount Ida is a great vendor and a well oiled machine when it comes to weddings. Our wedding was supposed to be September 2020, and they worked with us to be as flexible as they could be within their means to have the wedding day we dreamed of. So we split up our wedding- had the ceremony September 2020 at the absolutely gorgeous gazebo among our immediate family, and then planned and replanned our wedding reception until we finally pulled it off this past weekend. They were so accommodating the whole time and we had many calls and check ins during those 2 years. The reception was absolutely gorgeous. So many raving compliments about how dreamy the Event Barn was!! We did a grand entrance into cocktail hour where we played a short video of our ceremony on the 2 flat screen TVs that flank the stage, and then opened up the curtains that unveiled the grand ballroom and my husband and I walked out to meet all of our guests. They went wild! It was a magical moment that we’ve been waiting a long time for! Thank you so much for an unforgettable night!!

Good morning, first of all I want to say that the wedding venue was so beautiful and our children are now happily married and enjoying their honeymoon. The Wedding time went by all too quickly and my husband and I did not even have a chance to visit your tasting room. A couple of our family staying with us did go and really enjoyed it. The scenery during their morning run was also breath taking. It truly is a beautiful place.

In regard to the house where we stayed. It too was wonderful so well set up with a nice large kitchen to gather around and visit while we all caught up. There were family members from NJ, UAE, CA and NY.

There were a few issues in the house. The master bedroom toilet would not flush even urine down without multiple flushes and plunging. The showers scalded several of our guests during their showers in the main floor shower. Master bathroom was better in that area. The bunk beds had a dirty bed that was never cleaned it was turned down and there was hair in the bed showing it had been slept in and not cleaned. There were many bugs in the house in the bedrooms. The pool was full of wasps and could not be used. There was a birds nest on the master balcony that had fallen and we told them about it but it was never cleaned up and so the balcony could not be used as there was debris and dead baby birds. It needed a once over cleaning before we arrived and this could have all been avoided and our family completely enjoy our stay with you. Pest control would have helped our one guest with fears as she is very allergic to stings. I am requesting a discounted amount of our payment to be returned as compensation for these issues that could have been avoided with cleaning and care. The amount paid for the house should have insured a clean and safe stay with working plumbing and pool use. I sent all my payments to you through Bank of America and the refund can be sent the same way. Thank you for your understanding.
Response from Venue- With respect to your stay at our Mount Pleasant let me try to address each of the issues: the toilet in the master is an eco-friendly model so it does not have a strong flush like others because it doesn't empty the whole tank. You really have to hold the button down and wait for it to flush so that was probably part of what was occurring. On the downstairs shower I am so sorry someone put the water too hot but it is a two handle fixture with separate hot and cold handles so it is entirely in their control as to how much cold water they add. Perhaps they didn't feel the temperature before they entered the shower? With respect to the bugs and birds nest and dead birds on the balcony we are a farm and bugs and critters do often come with the territory. Pest control comes every month to do all of our houses and buildings and the homes are cleaned prior to every stay but even with that we do run a through on the houses an hour prior to check specifically to check for bugs. But they are a part of farm life and even with pest control and cleaning they are going to be there. If there were bugs in windowsills, etc those arrived within an hour or two of your stay and wasps in the pool are also a common occurrence. We just can't outrun the bugs entirely on the farm!

Unfortunately none of what you experienced is something for which we would provide a refund or compensation for. It sounds like the wedding weekend was otherwise enjoyable and I'm glad for that and I am sorry that the stay in the home wasn't quite as you expected.
My next email- In response to your email. I was raised on a farm so please don't accuse farm life and the great outdoors for excuses to why a house that you charge over $1000 a night is not prepared to be rented. I notice you did not address the issue of the dirty bed. The dead birds did not just happen the carcasses were not fresh. The bugs in the house were not recent. The toilet doesn't flush even when it is held down the whole time. My husband tried to fix with plunger etc. Literally took over 10 flushes to get 3pieces of toilet paper ( squares) and pee flushed down. The scalding in the shower happened after checking the temperature and was midway through rinsing hair and all they could do was jump out. The breaker blew when I unplugged a curling iron and I had to go in the basement to put it back on. Staff was told about the bugs and birds. The wedding event the staff forgot to put out cookies on the cookie table. Each one was a favorite brought to share with event. I had to tell staff to fix issue. They also did not serve the cake that was for desert requested by grooms mother. Sheet cake decorated for guests to eat. Just things that need to be addressed with staff training and cleaning and fixing your very pricey rental. Your response was disrespectful and an attempt to blame us and our stupidity of farm knowledge instead of owning your part in an unprepared rental. I will let the guests know as they were holding their reviews to see how you responded.

I was part of a wedding party celebrating a good friend’s wedding at Mt. Ida. The property, venue, and staff were all wonderful and it’s my understanding that the married couple were thrilled with the overall experience.

This two star review is solely in respect to my experience dealing with Mt. Ida over the remittance of funds from our security deposit related to a house on the property that our party stayed in.

Long story short, there was pre-existing damage to the home that manifested itself during our stay (a pedestal sink disconnected from the wall while in regular use and subsequently collapsed on itself, thus rendering it useless). Rather than assuming the cost of replacing the faulty sink or accepting my proposal to split the cost, management withheld funds from our security deposit equivalent to the full cost of replacement – $900.

Feedback: Just because you may have legal authority doesn’t mean that it’s good business to exercise it. Sinks are not supposed to fall out the wall at the slightest touch / guests that stay on your properties should not be liable for regular-way depreciation.

We had such a wonderful experience as Mount Ida's Water's Edge venue. The venue was stunning, and the entire Mount Ida team was easy to work with. Planning a wedding during a pandemic is stressful, and the Mount Ida team was there at every step to answer any questions we had.

Mt. Ida Event barn was the perfect venue for our May wedding. The gazebo ceremony site is simply beautiful and the property is immaculately well taken care of. We had to postpone our September wedding to May- adjust numbers and seating — and add a tent to comply with local guidelines. The team at Mt. Ida was accommodating and responsive throughout the process. While there are a fair amount of restrictions for the venue itself- they are ultimately very accommodating. Special shout out to Kim who was particularly accessible and awesome with my many many questions leading up to the big day and Matt who served as our venue coordinator ensuring everything to run smoothly.

From our initial tour at Mt. Ida in January 2020 (before COVID19 came to North America) to our wedding in April 2021 (a year into COVID19), the team at Mt. Ida has been a dream to work with. Those 15 months were fraught with uncertainty and constant change, yet the team remained communicative, accomodating and flexible. We had a delicious rehearsal dinner at the Tasting Room & Taphouse, an amazing two-night stay at Mt. Ida Manor, a beautiful ceremony at the lakeside Gazebo and a wonderful cocktail hour and reception at the Event Barn.

In particular, we would like to give shout outs to Bronwyn and Kim. Whenever we have questions, Bronwyn was incredibly responsive (ie we would hear back from her within a day) and professional with her communication. In addition, Kim served as an excellent intermediary between Mt. Ida's owner, the management team and us. She proposed feasible and reasonable solutions to problems posed by changes in the state's gathering recommendations/restrictions. In all, we couldn't ask for a better or more beautiful venue for our wedding weekend, nor could we ask for a better team to handle it.

This wedding venue is absolutely beautiful! Tracy was great to work with and made everything so easy!

When our original wedding venue cancelled on us two months before the big day citing COVID, my now husband and I scrambled to find a new venue for a micro wedding while postponing our big celebration to next year. I was thrilled to find Mount Ida was offering elopement packages and it was truly the best experience we could have possibly had. We selected the Aventador House and Thomas Ridge ceremony site. All of our guests were blown away by the beauty of the property and ceremony space. It was a weekend we will never forget. Special thanks to Matt who was so helpful and gracious throughout our stay! This venue will always have a special place in our hearts.

For anyone looking for a classically beautiful wedding venue right outside of Charlottesville, look no further. The Lodge at Mount Ida provides a stunning canvas for couples to create the wedding of their dreams. With their breathtaking sweeping mountain views to their exceptionally friendly staff, it's a no brainer for my couples when they make the decision to have their weddings at the beauty that Mount Ida truly is. I always look forward to my next event there!

It's hard to even put into words just how fabulous our New Year's Eve wedding was at The Lodge on 12/31/19. We are still getting texts and calls almost a month later about how gorgeous the venue was and how perfect and intimate of setting it was for our wedding. The staff at Mount Ida was absolutely fabulous and so incredible to work with. My bridesmaids and I got ready up at the Manor home and it was such a beautiful and relaxing setting before the wedding. Of course, not to mention just how amazing the weather ended up being (honestly, bury that bourbon, it works!!!) so our golden hour sunset shots were phenomenal! Thank you to Tracy, Bronwyn and the rest of the team at Mount Ida, I will be recommending this venue to any of our friends in the future!!!

This venue is very professional however, very inflexible.
we ran into major ceremony delays and Mount Ida would not allow us to stay longer. we were very, very sad.

We had our wedding here in October 2019. It was like a setting out of a dream! The staff definitely has some rules that you should be familiar with in the contract, but nothing that hinders a good party! Easily accessible by busses from central Charlottesville. Worth the spacious insides and gorgeous views.

We had a beautiful setting, beautiful view, and spacious area. The separate dinning, dancing, and out door area left enough space for guests to spread out and find their own little nooks. We got compliments from so many guests that this venue was the perfect Charlottesville venue!

My husband and I got married at Mount Ida on 9/21 and it was absolutely perfect! We fell in love with the venue the moment we first walked into the Event Barn. Then when we saw the Gazebo we were sold. We stayed the weekend at the Manor House with our parents and bridal party. It was so fun spending the whole weekend together. All our guests loved the venue and talked about how beautiful everything was. I highly recommend Mount Ida.

Beautiful venue. Communication from vendor could have been better.

We visited The Lodge Mount Ida about a year before our wedding, and not only is the property absolutely stunning, but the people were so sweet and welcoming they had a big influence on our decision to choose Mount Ida! They were very sweet, and allowed us to visit a couple of times so our parents could see, and were very easy to work with. The wedding couldn't have gone smoother!