Garth Woodside Mansion

The Garth is a beautiful setting for an intimate wedding. I know they also are able to do larger weddings, but for us, we had 25 guests and this was the perfect place to accommodate our needs. My husband I live 5.5 hours away from Hannibal, so made one visit, when we chose the Garth, and one other about 6 weeks prior to the wedding to review details. Julie Rolsen, the innkeeper/owner was very warm, welcoming, and accommodating. I was not a bride with a lot of specific requests when it came to the details - so I was able to give her some pictures of things I liked, and let her do her work to just make everything look nice. We brought several things we wanted included for the reception (signs, guest poster to sign, activity for kids, etc.) - she was able to get that all set-up, which made the day of the wedding very enjoyable for us and our families. After getting our hair done, my best woman, my parents and I were able to use the parlor at the mansion to relax, and hang out before the wedding. I got dressed in one of the front rooms - it was great light allowing my photographer to get really good pictures. The grounds have great spots for photos. We got married in mid-March, so things weren't green/blooming but it's still a beautiful place. The dinner was good - we did the family style lasagna and salad (did not get bread which it mentioned in the contract, but not a big deal for us). I didn't even eat a cupcake, but our guests thought they tasted pretty good. Bottom line - if you are looking for a quaint location, where you can be pretty hands-of and know all of the details will be taken care of for you, and your guests will be cared for, then I recommend the Garth. Julie is especially great with children - she went above and beyond to make my niece have a great birthday (the morning after our wedding, and they were overnight guests in the mansion too). The little touches were really thoughtful. We chose to stay 4 nights at the Dowager house, it is a beautiful cabin and we recommend it for other brides and grooms. Especially since we were from out of state it was great to have the extra space and room to settle in. For the price we paid I would have expected a little more (room wasn't cleaned the first day even though were told it would be while we were at our rehearsal dinner, I had to ask multiple times for fresh towels, the shower while magnificent in theory, had barely enough water pressure to rinse the shampoo out of my hair). But even with those little things, we would stay again in a heart beat! I'm happy to chat with any prospective brides/grooms that have questions. I would chose the Garth again if I were doing it all over!

John and Julie made our small intimate wedding and mini honeymoon into a time to remember! From the venue to the food and our romantic cottage... everything was perfect. The photo opportunities were amazing with so many areas on property and in the mansion! Julie made dinner for the reception and the cake was amazing! We stayed a few extra days in their romantic cottage behind the mansion. Each morning, we enjoyed hot cocoa in the hot tub and waited for our breakfast to be delivered. With the kitchen door closed, a little light is flipped on once breakfast is set up and the person delivering is leaving. And of course, we got a copy of the Garth Mansion cookbook to take home. :)

We just experienced the most wonderful wedding weekend at Garth Woodside Mansion. Julie & John were amazing, literally they took care of everything for us and our families. They are like family to us. We would highly recommend you find a time to go visit and stay. You will not be disappointed. We have stayed there three times now and plan on traveling back again and again. The mansion is a wonderful getaway for couples and for our wedding weekend, it was a big hit with the family. It’s beautiful, a hidden jewel. Danny & Michelle.