“Overall, we were happy with our wedding at Briar Patch. I’m going to give an honest review about our experience below with both good things and some things to consider. Even with some things not going perfectly, we feel that we would choose this venue again if we had the choice.
We were very happy with:
1. The ability to have a wedding weekend here for a relatively low price, the ability to have our rehearsal, welcome dinner, wedding ceremony, wedding reception, and breakfast on Sunday all at the same place but in different spaces onsite. This was very convenient and our entire wedding party could stay onsite with us. We enjoyed this. They gave my husband a Veteran’s discount, which we very much appreciated. The property is gorgeous, and we made use at our November wedding of the mountains in the background. T This fit our vision of a romantic rural venue that was elegant, but not pretentious, with lovely views.
2. Dan and Ellen were very nice to me and my husband. They brought us breakfast in the cottage on our wedding day so we could have a quiet breakfast together before the day started. That’s what we wanted. The Chef made my mom a special breakfast sandwich to order in the morning. They were accommodating about us bringing in lunch on Friday for the wedding party, snacks on the wedding day, and doing a customized breakfast for us on Sunday. We appreciated their ability to be flexible.
3. The fall colors were perfect, the horse was on property, we got amazing pictures under the stars, and we loved being able to make use of all of the spaces onsite for our different events. The scenery was really picturesque! The reception hall is perfect for a wedding reception and plenty of space for dancing. The location was close to Dulles for people to fly in and get there easily.
4. The cottage for the couple was fun and the kitchenette was nice. The bathtub was nice, and it was a good space for all of the ladies to get ready in on the day of the wedding, hang out, and have snacks.
5. On Friday night, we had a country western party themed welcome party and dinner in the space outside of the ballroom. We had adequate space to turn that space into a dance floor (near the fireplace) and set up food/drinks and tables for 50 in that space. Dan recommended Hammerdown BBQ, which is very nearby. We had people raving about the BBQ, saying it was the best cornbread they had ever had, and the best brisket.
Things that could have been improved:
1. The rooms are quirky and there are insects and rodents around. If that is a deal breaker, than this may not be the place for you. It is rustic! That's part of the charm and also comes with some things that are unavoidable.
2. There are not bathrooms in all of the rooms and for some people in our wedding party, that was an issue.
3. There was some lack in communication between the owners and our wedding coordinators and caterer.
4. There were some issues where our coordinators couldn’t find Dan, Ellen, or staff on the day of the wedding when they needed them.
5. Some spots around the venue are not easily handicap accessible and there are not bathrooms at every site.
Overall, we are satisfied with our choice to go with Briar Patch. It was a great choice and we have many happy memories and beautiful pictures from that day. For a wedding weekend near the DC area, you can’t beat the value and beauty of this venue!”