The Historic Wakefield Barn Reviews

My husband and I eloped here with our closest family members! It was the most beautiful experience. Brent is hands down the best coordinator. We had the whole venue to ourselves, including the bride and grooms suite, indoor and outdoor venue, horses, and more. Highly recommended!!! 5 stars is not enough!

I got married in December of 2023, and it was the best day of my life - in large part because I chose the Historic Wakefield Barn as my venue.

The staff was incredibly responsive, and they maintained constant communication with me throughout the entire process. I was able to accommodate all my guests and their accessibility needs. I also had a huge bridal suite that fit my seven bridesmaids, the mothers and grandmother, and the makeup artists and photographer/videographer - all without getting too crowded. The best part was being able to have the wedding, cocktail hour, and reception all in the same building, but with each part of the day having a different feel.

The whole day went smoothly and I couldn’t have asked for a better venue. I would highly recommend this to any couple who wants a memorable and special event.

Such a beautiful venue for our wedding we are so happy that we had our special day at the Historic Wakefield Barn!

A lot of people, when they are planning their wedding, experience a lot of stress and ultimately the day is something that they are a little relieved to get over with. This was thankfully NOT my experience at all, and a large part of that was because of my wonderful venue, vendors and all of the people who helped to make my day so beautiful. Working with The Historic Wakefield Barn in Raleigh, NC was truly wonderful. Jessica Tilton was our day of planner, and she was absolutely wonderful. She was always quick to respond to our questions no matter how big or small. She was flexible, and always worked around my schedule (which is truly a challenge as I was in medical school during the planning of my wedding), and truly so kind and really cared about us having a day that we would love and always remember fondly. The venue is stunning, and the food was fabulous. Our food was even better on the day of the wedding than when we did our tasting. People still tell me how fabulous their food was at our wedding!!! The only down side was that the elevator was not operating for our day, and we had some people who needed that for access. They had a chair lift placed, which made it possible to have all of our family and friends involved in our day, which I am incredibly thankful for even if it was not ideal. Their customer service was very responsive when this concern arose, and I do think they did the best they could to make it as small of an inconvenience as possible. I would recommend this venue and their staff to my closest friends. I feel so thankful for all the work that went into a day that we will never forget! Thank you also to all of our other amazing vendors! (Florals by Sweet Love Blossoms, Entertainment by North Carolina Elite Events, Photography by the best Aly Sprecher Creative, Linens and rentals by CE rentals, Hair and Makeup By Chelsea Regan and Lindsey Ajaj, and cake by Miri Nadler Cakes)

I don’t even know where to begin to express my gratitude in making my daughter’s wedding day so special and wonderful. Sarah, our wedding planner with Southern Oak Events, really made planning Carson’s wedding a joy. She was so helpful, always responded right away to any questions we had, and really took away any worry I had planning a wedding while I lived outside of NC. Sarah was invaluable on the wedding day – we didn’t have to worry about a thing but showing up and enjoying ourselves. She took care of every last detail! What can I say about The Historic Wakefield Barn other than I can’t imagine a more beautiful venue for a wedding. Our guests were blown away. One of the great things about having a wedding at The Barn is it’s all inclusive – they provide catering, bar, venue and wedding planning. The food was amazing and our guests really enjoyed the signature cocktail! Carson & Nick’s wedding was perfect and a day they will look back on with great memories and happiness. Thank you so much to Sarah, Jessica and the rest of the team!!

Getting married at the Wakefield Barn was a dream! We got married in October 2021, Erika was our planner and made the planning process a breeze from the moment we met her. The venue is stunning, the staff worked seamlessly and made every moment so special for us. Every detail was taken care of by these true wedding professionals. We cannot recommend this venue enough!

Blake Morrin was absolutely wonderful to work with for our wedding at the Wakefield Barn. From the very beginning of the wedding planning process, she was there to guide us through all the little decisions and make suggestions based on her expertise in the wedding business. Her responses were prompt and friendly, and extremely helpful for someone who felt a little lost in planning a wedding! When my mom and I met with Blake in person on several occasions leading up to the big day, it felt just like we were chatting with a friend!! She is so easy and pleasant to be with and knew exactly how to help us sort out all the details and logistics. She always made me feel like my opinion was the most important thing and that we could do almost anything to make it the perfect wedding day. When it came to the wedding day itself, Blake was invaluable - I really don't know what we would have done without her!! She made everything run smoothly and feel effortless for me, my fiance, and my family. She coordinated with every single one of our outside vendors to ensure that everything fell into place exactly as it needed to. Our wedding day was all that I had dreamed of and more, and we couldn't have done it without Blake. I would recommend her services to anyone planning a wedding!!! 

The Wakefield Barn was THE MOST AMAZING venue for our daughter's wedding June 26, 2021! It would be a great venue for ANY special celebration. The food was fabulous, staff were more than attentive and friendly!! Steph, our coordinator, went above and beyond what I expected in all things but especially in making sure bride/groom had food and drinks throughout the evening. She even found my Rainbows when I couldn't wear my shoes anymore! Our family & friends (including our florist) all complimented us for a fabulous wedding celebration but it was the staff , chef, et al at the Wakefield Barn who made it a spectacular day! I totally recommend!!

My mother and I stumbled across this wedding venue while out for a walk a year and a half ago and fell in love with this space. The Wakefield barn is absolutely stunning. I love the all white reception space and the chandeliers. We were also obsessed with the downstairs stables for cocktail hour. There is SO much you can do with this space. The staff was so friendly and helpful. They were super flexible, especially while planning a COVID wedding, and very attentive and responsive. The venue comes with a caterer and the food was amazing! Highly recommend!

I would highly recommend the Wakefield historic barn. This place is absolutely breathtaking and their wedding planners are so accommodating and sweet.

My husband and I got married at the barn on September 28th of 2019 and it was beautiful! The venue is so unique and breathtaking. Blake Morrin was our wedding planner and she is so amazing. From the late night phone calls, lunch and dinner meetings, and running around with my mom and me to all the vendors to make sure everything was perfect- we cannot thank her enough! My favorite part about working with Blake was that she didn’t feel like a wedding planner, but a friend. The day was so special and beautiful all thanks to Blake and the beautiful Wakefield Barn.

This venue and the service that comes with it is 10/10. Everything about our wedding was made perfect thanks to our coordinator, Sarah Skrobialowski. She contacted all of our vendors so we wouldn't have to worry about it, always had great suggestions and advice, and made the entire experience memorable and easy going. Instead of being stressed with everything I thought I would have to do she was right there always with a solution and there to help. She always had an updated timeline which was extremeley helpful and would answer any texts/calls right away even on her maternity leave!!!! She is simply amazing, the venue is breathtaking, and the experience is one you will remember for life. I am truly thankful for her assistance and guidance throughout our entire engagment preparing for our big day.

This venue was a dream and made our wedding day perfect! Blake Morrin made everything so easy and was a great throughout the whole process! She really makes sure you have/need everything for your big day! Thank you so much for the best wedding day!

I worked with Black Morrin as my wedding coordinator and had the best experience. From the beginning of planning my wedding to the final day Blake was there whenever I needed to answer my questions and provide recommendations. The Wakefield Barn was able to accommodate all my wants and needs. I could not recommend this venue and planner more!

We booked the venue while under construction, but it was worth it. The main room is amazing and looks even better in person. The food and service on the day of the wedding were also excellent.

What an unbelievable venue to get married at. The staff that runs the Historic Wakefield Barn are Amazing. My wife and I could not have asked for a better wedding planner, thanks Blake. The vendors they recommended were great. All around a great establishment. if you are looking for a rustic outdoor wedding or just want a beautiful indoor wedding this place has it all. The grounds are well kept and beautiful. There are plenty of options if you to choose from. I highly recommend checking this place out. You will not be disappointed.

My husband and I fell in love with this venue while it was still under construction. Something nerve wracking to take on while planning a wedding, but we knew that this venue would be made into something breathtaking. Our guests could not stop raving about how unique and beautiful the space was.

The staff was so great- they would check in on us and made sure we were taking in the moment and helping in any way possible.

The catering was so professional- they were so attentive to my husband, our guest and myself.
During cocktail hour while many of us were out taking photos- they were there to serve us appetizers and drinks. They always made sure we had enough to eat, had a glass always full, and a smile on our face. And they were all so friendly! The food was amazing- everyone’s plates were empty. They even made sure my husband and I had food to take home, which we very much appreciated

This venue made my wedding my dream wedding. All of guests were simply stunned by how beautiful it was. The photos taken are gorgeous due in part to the venue. Working with the staff there was incredible and they made sure I was always happy and satisfied. The onsite getting ready suite was wonderful and made the day so easy and fun. I could not recommend this venue more. It was simply PERFECT.

I got married here last October, and I have to say that my wedding day was beautiful, and memorable. I have waited to write this review because I wanted to be sure to accurately express my feelings and talk about my experience with this venue without the high of my wedding day clouding my memories of the stress and unnecessary pain my family and I endured while dealing with the current management. First let me say that this venue is truly a gem. It is absolutely gorgeous and unique, and all the guest complimented us on that fact. Overall the day ran smoothly, and mostly went as planned all thanks to the wedding planners I had to hire literally 60 days before the wedding day, because I fired my current planner. Going into booking an under-construction venue, I knew that there were some bumps in the road, and that was to be expected. We booked this venue Oct. 2017, and hadn't seen it again since Aug. 2018, almost a year later. We were continuously told that it would be ‘better’ to view it closer to the wedding day because more would be done. When we arrived that Wednesday evening to view the venue, I was so excited to finally see the vision that had been painted to us almost a year before, and sadly, still so much hadn't been done. In an attempt to pacify us, we were told that this is 'normal' and that no one else had complained about the items we were complaining about. Which we later found out to be a blatant lie. Simple things like the white fences being caked with red mud, torn up sidewalks, patchy dead grass, unsafe dimly lit spaces and walking paths, a non-functioning onsite kitchen, overgrown weeds around the whole property, and unfinished details around every corner. Overall the property was finished, I have to give them that. But it was the hundreds of missed details like listed above that added up to really ruin the venue as a whole. I don’t want to disclose the details of the several meetings/emails we had to go through to finally get things done at this venue, but all I can say to any bride or family considering booking this venue it to do your research, and DO NOT BOOK WITH THE IN-HOUSE PLANNING SERVICES. You unfortunately will have to deal with the management if your heart is set on this venue. But save yourself the time and energy and tears, and look elsewhere for planning services. We were lied to over and over again, and if it wasn’t for the owner of this venue keeping his word on items we asked to be done by our wedding date, I truly believe nothing would have been done about what was wrong with the venue. On my wedding day, my bridesmaids and even the hairstylist who had never even met or were aware about my issues with this management company on their own accord commented on how cold, rude, and un-helpful the day of manager was. Again, like someone else said, it’s your family and spouse who make the day memorable and beautiful, and that surely was true. And thank God for Janna Brown and Chad Biggs for coming in 4th quarter, and making sure our wedding day was running the way it should have been, and for treating us less like ‘clients’ and more like family. Again, I am not trying to maliciously bash this person’s company just to be mean or out of spite, I just know how much hard work, and money goes into these bride and groom’s wedding days, and I would be doing you, those who are reading this, a disservice if I wasn’t honest about how things were handled by them.

Initially I wanted to give this no stars, however our wedding was beautiful (so they earned one), but everything up until that point was stressful/miserable to deal with.

-Plenty of overpromising and not delivering. They told us that there would be an elevator, which was required by our band and several other vendors given that the reception was on the second floor. They told us weeks before the wedding that they couldn’t get one due to the infrastructure of the barn. You’d think an engineer would have already cleared the building for an elevator if they were promising that they were getting one.

-Inexperienced management. There was a shift of management and we had to readdress all of our specific details with the new contact midway through our planning process, which elevated suspicions of poor management and the venue not being ready on time.

-Multiple times we requested to meet with the owner to circumvent the lack of transparency and authority that was being provided by our venue contact, and they never granted this, despite several serious mishaps that should’ve been addressed by the owner. Terrible transparency working with someone who is a “middle-man” that has no authority to answer the questions and requests you’re seeking.

-The venue was not ready by our October wedding date despite assurance that it would be ready by JUNE! The kitchen was not ready by our date, and so the food at our wedding was prepared well beforehand, and was NOT the same food we tasted at Mulino (same owner).

-The kicker - We found out that several wedding cards were missing from our card box. We relayed this to our planner, who passed along that another bride she worked with had the same thing happen to her at the same venue a few weeks after our wedding. We got in contact with each other, and the only shared vendors were florists (which are gone well before guests arrive) and the venue employees. There were 17 employees that the venue provided worked both events. They said they’d run background checks after the thefts were discovered. Should’ve been done prior if you ask me. It’s been more than 6 months since the thefts and we have yet to hear any follow up regarding the thefts. Nothing. The awkwardness to track down guests you think you should’ve gotten gifts from to tell them to cancel checks furthered our frustration with the venue. The time they’ve had to address it has helped confirm they don’t seem to care. We were furious upon hearing about the thefts, but waited to write our review, thinking they may rectify the situation. Based on the lack of contact from the venue, they seem to have done nothing.

To top it, as I was looking into writing the review, I noticed a five star review from our contact at the barn. This is a conflict of interest in my opinion, and helps clarify they seem more focused on their reputation and getting contracts signed than servicing clients that are holding events there.

The venue is obviously beautiful, but the inexperienced management and untrustworthy employees made our experience negative.