As including family was super important to us, my fiance and I decided to book with the Heritage Museum because as a historic home, it carries with it the love and care of many generations. The lovely cream-colored Kellog House, a Victorian wh...ich has been restored and is simply immaculate, was the perfect backdrop to our large family photos. The grounds are large and well-manicured, boasting a field of wildflowers during spring/summer, a rustic barn area (if you dont want that, like we didnt, you can simply ignore it because it's far out of the way), a rose garden, a small orange grove, and breathtaking trellises and greenery. It was BEAUTIFUL and we got so many compliments on our venue. Another bonus: because the venue is so lush and gorgeous, we were able to save a lot of money on flowers. There is space for both ceremony and reception, which we did.
Their required caterer, Country Gardens Caterers, was SUPERB. (And I will admit, we almost didn't book the Heritage because I didn't want to be tied to a required vendor.) However, after our first free tasting with CGC (before we even booked with Heritage), we were hooked. Everything was hot, delicious, and delivered as promised. And we were able to hire the catering manager, Diana Perkins, as our day of coordinator. She and her staff were a God-sent blessing!
I fancied myself a sort of kitschy, DIY bride, as I sourced and set up all of our centerpieces, candy bar, guest book table, and the like. With that said, the staff at the Heritage was very hands off. They called only to collect our payments and to schedule our rehearsal. This worked for me, as I didn't need the help of the venue, but if you are looking for a more involved venue you should be aware of this.
With that said, everything went beautifully, and our wedding photos are STUNNING because we booked with HMOC. I hope you love it as much as we did.