About this vendor
This 6 year project, rendered lovingly by many skilled hands, has built a 'new suit of clothes' for the old dairy farm and its five barns. A large heart shaped stone, set among rose bushes at the entrance, welcomes you. The Retreat Center's 6000 sq ft facility with full professional catering kitchen, large stone fireplace, grand piano and unique grounds is ideal for events up to 150 people... celebrations, weddings, renewal vows and more. Combine the accommodations of The Lodge's two private guest rooms and 2 adjacent studios with the 5 authentic, historic log cabins on the opposite side of the 250 acre farm for a two day or longer stay with friends, family, colleagues.
Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Indoor Event Space
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Liability Insurance
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Settings
- Backyard
- Barn
- Farm & Ranch
- Garden
- Historic Venue
- Mountain
Venue Service Offerings
- Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
Reviews
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4.7
out of 5.07 reviews
Heartstone was absolutely excellent value for all that you receive. We did everything here - lodging, pre-wedding photoshoot, rehearsal dinner, ceremony, reception, and Sunday brun...
ch. The venue and surrounding area are rustic and charming, the perfect size for an intimate wedding of 100 guests or fewer, though it could accomidate more. We reserved all the on-site accommodation for our family and friends, which added greatly to their experience. We stayed in the Creamery studio, which was lovely, and extremely convenient. We hosted our rehearsal dinner outside at the round picnic tables, and fire-pit which I loved. Our ceremony was to be in front of the Meditation arbor, but due to rain (beyond the control of a defeated Bridezilla!!), we moved inside the lodge, and held the reception under a tent in the yard, then returned to the lodge for our live bluegrass band and dancing. It worked perfectly. A huge advantage - the venue layout can facilitate many configurations, depending on preferences, weather conditions, etc. In good weather, the pergola and stone garden with the fish pond, and views of the Blue Ridge would make for an absolutely gorgeous reception. This is a great place for a DIY wedding- it is completely unpretentious and authentic and the hosts are extremely responsive and helpful. If you are open to feeling it, this place is imbued with an energy of love and positivity, I believe due in part to the conscious and intentional energy work practiced by the owners. I am now trying to convince all my remaining unmarried friends and family to host their weddings here, because this is a place I would love to return to again and again!
We had my daughters wedding at Heartstone on July 14 and it was simply perfect. Lesley and Antonia were wonderful to work with. The venue truly is a unique and magical place. Ou...
r guests were very complimentary and seemed to love it as much as we did. It definitely helped to have a picture perfect day in July!! We will always have a special place in our hearts for Heartstone and I know Caitlin and Ryan feel the same way!
Heartstone Lodge was the perfect location for our wedding. The owner Antonia, and her on-site manager Lesley, are responsive and accommodating. Their level of involvement with the ...
wedding itself is as much as you want it to be. They can serve as day-of coordinators, or they can be completely hands-off and unseen. Because we wanted a casual ceremony and reception, we opted for the "hands-off" option. They were very respectful of our space and never once over-imposed themselves despite our use of the venue. We appreciated them trusting their venue to us. We had a beautiful wedding and were told by many guests that it was a" picture perfect and magical" setting.
The venue is gorgeous and it was nice to have the place for several days. The staff was super helpful and attentive. Lesley helped us every step of the way. The price is very reaso...
nable and the venue was great for out of towners to stay. They ensured the venue was ready for our special day. I highly recommend this venue for value, scenery, and friendly staff. Most venues you rent for 8 hours then are kicked out, so it was nice to stay on property and enjoy it a few days. Made it much less stressful and was cheaper than the 8 hr rental facilities.
We had a beautiful wedding weekend at Heartstone Lodge and Retreat Center. The owners lovingly renovated the barn and outbuildings of a former dairy farm to create a very special ...
place. The photos on their website are just an inkling of how beautiful it is. The lodge and outbuildings seem a part of the landscape; historical structures are incorporated to preserve a character and charm that make this place truly special. Added touches such as the pergola, fish pond, sunken stone patio, meditation garden, and moon gate enhance any occasion, from a casual conversation to a cocktail reception. Further afield on the property are five historic cabins that can be rented and a meditation walk with gorgeous 360° views of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mts. The owners are accomplished artists and have tastefully adorned the property with their work.
The center is maintained simply, and requires do-it-yourself arrangements for event hosting. There are two main event rooms in the Heartstone Lodge. The first floor room, complete with a grand piano, comfortably housed our small sized (50 guests) wedding, with plenty of room for a band and dancing after dinner. Large french doors open onto the pergola/patio, making it easy to incorporate both indoor and outdoor spaces. There is a well designed professional kitchen to one side, which pleased our caterer and us. Nothing is provided, however, except for the existing living room type furniture and folding tables and chairs. Everything except the grand piano can be moved around within the first floor, which also has a spacious entryway and guest bathrooms. The upstairs event room is more casually furnished, and almost as large. We were fortunate to have gorgeous weather for our wedding weekend, but the upstairs room was our rainy day backup for the ceremony, and would have been fine. We made good use of the two guest rooms, and third floor loft dormitory room provided in the lodge, as well as renting the 3 studios in outbuildings and 5 cabins. The cabins are excellent accommodations with total privacy. They are a couple minutes’ drive from the lodge (walking is not really an option) and well separated from each other; each one is a private retreat.
There is plenty to do at Heartstone, between walks, and enjoying the many outdoor and indoor spaces. We rented some games that guests enjoyed on the lawn. Lexington has nice restaurants and shops, and we also visited Natural Bridge one afternoon.
I’ve saved the best for last. Working with the manager, Lesley, to put together our vision for the weekend became a special part of our happy memories. Friendly, warm, upfront about exactly what is provided and costs--communication was always a pleasure, and questions were answered promptly. We worked with Lesley to schedule meetings with vendors at Heartstone, and sometimes she showed them around for us. We do not live nearby, so we appreciated that we were able to accomplish everything we needed to in 3 visits, which were always fun. I have to say, we found excellent talent within a 45 minute radius of Lexington, and the Heartstone management is happy to share recommendations. It was a pleasure to meet the owners, as well, for their vision and artistic talent are what make Heartstone special. Everyone at the wedding absolutely loved it, and we share many happy memories.
The Heartstone Lodge was incredible! It was a picture perfect setting & everyone there was super helpful. They really worked with us when the date we wanted wasn't available. We lo...
ved everything about this venue!
I am so conflicted about this place. We held our spring wedding here and it was absolutely beautiful and perfect for our theme (garden, romantic, southern). The site is a converted...
dairy farm with ample outdoor space, beautiful cabins, and a barn with two floors that can be used as separate venues. There are also several cabins onsite and a few more just down the road that we rented out for family and friends.
The venue was just incredible on our wedding day but getting there was a battle. This is the only aspect of planning our wedding that really caused me any anxiety. The management was difficult to work with, the payment schedule was messed up, several of our guests renting cabins on the site were told their credit card numbers had been lost. We even had to renegotiate the contract a few months before the wedding. I was so stressed about this place that we considered switching about six months before.
Pros:
Very inexpensive for what you get!!!
Beautiful venue
Management was very flexible with our arrival and set up times
Very nice set up (excellent bathrooms for guest, onsite kitchen with giant fridge for caterer to use)
Can bring your own alcohol
Cabins and rooms for family and bridal party to rent
Wine welcome gift
Friendly barn cats
Cons:
The stress of dealing with the management - they mean well and are very nice but extremely disorganized
Uncertain payment schedule
Had to renegotiate contract
Coordinating between venue and other vendors (our caterer ended up doing this, I just couldn't handle it anymore)
Family staying on cabins on site had a negative experience with the reservations process (lost credit cards/reservations/etc)
VERY VERY disorganized
In the end this place was worth the fight. All of our guests kept telling us how beautiful the site was and how much they enjoyed our wedding. I am so thankful that we stayed with the venue but the management needs some assistance with the process (maybe hire a site manager or events coordinator??). I love this place and would go through all the stress all over again!
Contact
1366 Stuartsburg Rd, Buena Vista, VA
Heartstone Lodge @ South River Highlands CountryRetreat