Albemarle Wedding Venues

Il Bella Gardens

A Magical Wooded Setting For Your Special Day
5 out of 5 stars and 13 reviews
·
Albemarle, NC
Holds ceremonies and receptions
Deals
Custom discountExpires on 12/31/2025
Spring 2026 Sale
OfferPermanent
Intimate Wedding
Custom discountPermanent
Off Season Discounts

About this venue

Vendor
Callie Smith
EVENTS DIRECTOR
Typically responds within 24h
Il Bella Gardens is a charming countryside wedding venue located in Albemarle, NC. Blending the outdoor beauty of North Carolina with an elegant charm, this stunning event space is an ideal setting for an event to remember. From the marble collonades to the peaceful countryside views, this venue offers a serene, luxurious setting for your special day. With over 20 acres of serene countryside available, this event space welcomes you and up to 200 guests for your celebration. Il Bella Gardens offers a variety of reception areas, all of which can be personalized to suit your event. The main reception space is located under a romantic colonnaded outdoor pavilion. With its oak ceiling and sheer drapes, it offers a peaceful and secluded setting for your special celebration. Located on the property is also a large guest house conveniently available for over night stays. The guest house is an ideal setting for getting ready or close-knit celebrations with your nearest and dearest. For your wedding ceremony, this venue presents a selection of outdoor settings, all surrounded by natural beauty and serenity. Il Bella Gardens aims to be the complete wedding venue for each client. They want you to be able to relax and enjoy your long-awaited celebration as they cater to your needs. From professional bartenders to high-quality catering, they can help you find vendors to make your dream day come to life.
Woman-owned Business
+20 years in business
Speaks English
Small team (2-10 members)
Amenities + details
Amenities
Ceremony Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Liability Insurance
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Ceremony Types
Civil Union
Commitment Ceremony
Elopement
Interfaith Ceremony
Non-Religious Ceremony
Religious Ceremony
Second Wedding
Vow Renewal Ceremony
Guest Capacity
Up to 200
Settings
Backyard
Estate
Garden
Trees
Venue Service Offerings
Bar & Drinks
Bar Rental
Destination Weddings
Destination Wedding Packages
Destination Wedding Planning
Planning
Destination Wedding Planning
Transportation
Shuttle Service
Circle Message
Any questions?
Meet the team
  • Vendor
    Crystal Hatley
    Events Director
    Hi, I’m Crystal - one of the event directors here at Il Bella! I love getting a front seat as people say “I do” in the gardens. I can’t wait to meet you and see your dreams come to life!
Reviews
5.0
out of 5.0
13 reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
AvatarE
6/16/2025
Bella Gardens could not have been a more beautiful spot for our wedding. It was perfectly landscaped, flowers blooming, outdoors, far enough from the road to where you couldn’t hear cars, large, full of options, and overall absolutely gorgeous. The venue owners were incredible as well as far as communication, payments, meetings, details, and day-of-coordination. I heard so many great reviews on how well they did at the rehearsal dinner and at the wedding! I would recommend this venue to every bride and groom possible!
AvatarA
10/26/2023
Callie and Crystal made my wedding day such a dream!! They are the sweetest and did everything they could to help me achieve my vision. Not to mention the venue is stunning and guests were so amazed by it. They also let us have the rehearsal dinner there and we stayed in the adorable guest house for the night before. I would recommend them time and time again!
Response from Il Bella Gardens on 10/27/2023
Abigail, we just love you! Thank you so much for these kind words! We enjoyed every second...
of working with you and being a part of your beautiful day.
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AvatarK
3/31/2023
This venue was absolutely magic. We rented it for the weekend for our wedding, and could not have been happier with the whole experience. Callie and Chrystal are absolutely the best and worked so hard that weekend to make sure everything was perfect for us. They are a well oiled machine, handling our vendors day of, making sure everyone knew where they should be and when, helping get the wedding party down the aisle in the right order at the right time. They had such personalized service, and the venue is stunning. It was absolutely the storybook magical wedding we dreamed it would be. Everything was neat and clean, it all ran on time and professionally. If we could do it all over again, we’d choose them again.
Response from Il Bella Gardens on 10/27/2023
Oh Katie, I am not sure how I previously missed responding on here - thank you so much for...
this! We are still so thankful you chose us for your special day. We truly enjoyed spending time with you and Jason - it seems like just yesterday. Y'all were such a blessing to us!
AvatarK
10/02/2022
I know this is so cliché and everyone says this about every wedding venue but I truly mean it when I say that Callie, Crystal and the whole team at Bella Gardens made our wedding so perfect. They are so incredibly kind, caring and helpful. They were able to have our wedding day be completely stress free and the added perk of the guest house on site was all we could have asked for. The ceremony site was so intimate and the reception area was beautiful with the lights above the dance floor. Easily accessible and all around a beautiful venue. Can't thank them enough for making our dream wedding come to life. 💞
AvatarK
9/13/2020
This location is absolutely beautiful! Kim helps you plan everything and helped us with so many things. The day was magical and everything was breathtaking.
AvatarK
3/18/2019
I could write a whole novel about how amazing Kim and Larry Mcllwaine and II Bella Gardens is. The hard work, love, and excellence they put into this wedding venue is one of the many reason I choose to get married at II Bella. Kim made sure I had the wedding of my dreams and that everything ran smoothly during the whole process. The location is breath taking and can be transformed in so many ways! Kim will help take care of all your needs, questions to where you as a bride can have the most magical day. I came into her office with a vision and she helped make my wedding a fairy tale dream. You can honestly tell they put their heart and souls into this place and it shows. Kim and Larry have become family to my husband and I and we will forever share all of life special moments with them. Il Bella and the Mcllwaines will always have a special place in our hearts.
AvatarK
10/27/2018
Kim was our wedding planner for our October wedding at an offsite location. She was beyond amazing!! Her and her husband came to our home to pick up our wedding venue decorations. Kim was with us every step of the way. She was beyond caring and made us feel as our wedding was her priority. She checked in just to make sure as a bride I felt calm and answered any question I may have had. Day of she was there and ensured everything was set and to beyond anything we could have dreamed of. She was without a doubt absolutely the best planner anyone could wish for, caring, detail oriented and organized. Thank you Kim!!!
AvatarP
9/30/2018
I cannot say enough about Il Bella Gardens and Kim McIlwaine. Kim is very supportive of her brides and grooms; she helps guide them and asks many questions to determine their vision for their special day. The McIlwaines include so many services in their venue package, from wedding planning services to accommodations in the guest house as part of the wedding package. The families are not rushed, as Kim only books one wedding per weekend. It's an event to be savored and not pushed. Her brides are pampered and guided every step of the way, alleviating many stressors for the bride, the groom, and the entire party. Kim is a calming influence for brides and grooms; she develops a timeline for the entire party, coordinates with vendors, keeping them on a timeline as well. My daughter envisioned an enchanted woodland wedding and that's exactly what we experienced, enchantment. As mother of the bride, I could not be more pleased with Kim and Larry McIlwaine and Il Bella Gardens. It's where magic happens and Kim is the magic maker.
AvatarI
8/30/2018
Our son got married at Il Bella on March 31st. We were so thrilled with everything. I don’t know which is lovelier, the grounds and amenities or the couple that owns it. This place is a real gem. Kim and Larry were great to work with and you can tell they absolutely love what they do and the folks they serve. Great value’
AvatarJ
4/10/2018
Absolutely gorgeous venue with amazing owners! Beautiful outdoor site with lights, a pavilion, and the cutest decorations to decorate the site with. Kim is one of the sweetest and most genuine people you will meet. She went out of her way to help coordinate and make sure everything was in place and in order on our big day. There was a two-story house on site for me and my bridal party/family to stay at the night before to get ready and be comfortable. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day!
AvatarC
10/24/2017
Il Bella Gardens is beyond gorgeous! I can not even begin to describe how amazing this venue is. Kim, the wedding planner/owner makes your wedding experience above and beyond what you could ever expect. My wedding was amazing because of her and I am so thankful to have chosen Il Bella Gardens!
AvatarA
1/16/2016
Il Bella Gardens is absolutely beautiful! There are so many things that caught my eye when I first visited this venue! Kim, the owner, and wedding planner is fantastic! She helps you every step of the way!
AvatarB
6/09/2012
The venue is super nice and very affordable. Also, Kim the owner and wedding planner is awesome!

Service area & Contact info

24767 Snickers Lane, Albemarle, NC
24767 Snickers Lane, Albemarle, NC
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meet the owner
Il Bella Gardens
Callie Smith
|
Events Director
Typically responds within 24h
My wedding date is flexible
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Il Bella Gardens
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