About this vendor
The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley is currently only booking events for June 2021 and beyond.
Museum of the Shenandoah Valley is a picturesque wedding venue in Winchester, VA. Carefully manicured grounds provide a charming backdrop for garden-style events. Sophisticated fountains and delicate flowers provide a breathtaking backdrop to the day.
Please note, the MSV is a site only. The MSV does NOT offer packages that include catering, tent rentals, event equipment, or any other wedding needs beyond the site. These services must be purchased by an outside vendor.
This unique museum venue has a choice of lovely spaces to set up the celebrations. Couples with an extravagant event in mind will have plenty of space in the Grand Allée. This lush garden venue accommodates up to 300 guests. It is the property’s largest event space. For a celebration doused in classic romance, the Rose Garden is an ideal choice. This charming space has room for 200 guests to celebrate in timeless ambiance. More intimate ceremonies and reception can be held in the Pink Pavilion and Courtyard. This refined space has room for up to 100 loved ones. Couples looking to add some historic character to their special day can celebrate in the 18th-century Glen Burnie House. This classic indoor venue features a drawing room, library, and outdoor terrace. The drawing room has room for cocktail receptions of 120 and banquets of 50. Views of the gardens keep guests in touch with the venue’s stunning natural surroundings. Finally, to-be-weds planning a contemporary affair will find excellent amenities inside the museum. A lavish reception hall has room for ceremonies of 120 and receptions of up to 60 guests. Exposed wooden beams add to the sophisticated style of the space. A number of intimate indoor and outdoor spaces are also available for guest lists below 50.
Amenities + details
Handicap Accessible
Liability Insurance
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Indoor Event Space
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Settings
- Garden
- Historic Venue
- Museum
- Park
- Tented
Reviews
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4.6
out of 5.08 reviews
Let me start by saying the venue is absolutely lovely. The gardens are exquisite and offer the perfect classic touch to any wedding.
We’re rating the MSV with three stars due to t...
he experiences we had on our wedding day.
I was informed the Monday before our wedding that another wedding would be occurring at the museum in the exact same location a few hours prior to ours. Catherine stressed that everything would be fine and we wouldn’t even notice the other wedding. We could not set up the Friday before as originally planned due to the other wedding being before ours. This left us a tad stressed not knowing where and how things would be set up.
Because of the other bride being in the GB house, my husband could not get ready in the house (which we paid for) but instead had to get ready in a classroom up at the actual museum. We have 5 pictures of him getting ready and none of them include his groomsmen. 5. There are 300 of me and my bridesmaids, 5 of him (that are staged), and none of the groomsmen getting ready. We specially wanted him getting ready in the GB house, but he couldn’t get in there until it was cleaned out from the previous wedding and by then we were behind schedule. Therefore, those pictures couldn’t happen. He felt so rushed and that he didn’t have the “scenery” we paid for while getting ready.
Had we not had a day of coordinator other than Catherine, we feel that the day would have had so many other stressful obstacles. The fact that we paid to use the museum, yet were unable to, very much bothered and disappointed us.
I recommend booking a separate day of coordinator, and understanding EXACTLY what you’re booking and when it is booked for to ensure no one else is able to use that area except for your wedding party the day of your wedding.
Catherine made sure everything was set and ready to go. She did a WONDERFUL job invitiing guests in, keeping the general public at bay. All of us had a wonderful time!
I had my wedding at the gardens of the Musuem of the Shenandoah Valley, and it was so perfect! My wedding was August 1st, so there was a lot of lush vegitation, making for the best...
photos! It was so beautiful, and gave my guests something to look at if they arrived earlier and while they were waiting to take photos.
Catherine coordinated the area for me. She was very responsive and helpful! She has done a lot of weddings, so I was able to trust to her ideas and direction. Because I live an hour away from Winchester, we were not able to find good times to meet before the wedding. I didn't have a rehersal, but everything still turned out great because of her organizing the situation well!
This is such a beautiful venue! Catherine even let me get ready in one of the apartments in the historic buildings, which was also lovely for photos. It was also great to have a space to relax and wait before the ceremony with my mom and sisters. I highly recommend this place for your wedding ceremony (and they offer reception options too), you are in good hands with Catherine!
LOVED my venue!! It was great! The only thing that I wish we could have changed was the staffing...Catherine was great. She responded to all of my emails in a timely manner and off...
ered to help with everything. I wish there had been more staff there though. We took pictures before the ceremony. We had scheduled to stop taking pictures 30 minutes ahead of the ceremony. We were taking some family shots and then a few guests showed up. No one was there to ask them not to enter the Grand Allee, no one asked them to leave, there were no maps handed out (partially my fault). No one was guiding people where to go. That's the only complaint that I have. I had a great ceremony. That was the ONLY flaw!
I loved having wedding in the gardens! I knew the second I walk thru the gates this was the venue for me! It is a pricey but worth it!
Everything about the garden was perfect for our wedding day. Catherine, the event coordinator, is organized, friendly, and nothing but helpful. The setting is gorgeous and the gues...
ts loved wandering through the gardens after the ceremony for the cocktail hour. We received so many compliments on the location that I can't imagine having our wedding anywhere else.
What a truly wonderful venue the “MSV” is! I feel like it is a secret that few D.C.ers find. If you haven’t visited the space yet, just you wait... when I first toured it in Januar...
y under feet of snow, even then, I kept saying, “I wish I was going to be a guest at this wedding!” It is absolutely stunning. You will have the greatest pictures ever and all of your guests will be in awe of the setting, which can be whatever you want: natural, romantic, whimsical, ethereal, formal, etc. After reading about the venue, lots of our guests wanted to go early -- in fact, many guests went BACK on Sunday because they loved it so much.
The price I paid included use of the entire grounds (!) from 4pm onward on Saturday and a rehearsal at 4pm on the Friday before hand. That price did not include a tent or chairs but does of course include use of the big hall (where we did our dancing at the end of the night)as a backup plan in case it rains. And the price included a beautiful space (a house actually) for the bride and bridesmaids to get ready in. It also includes a house for the groomsmen to get ready in as well. All air conditioned; and where we got ready had a stunning staircase with a huge mirror, which again, means we got some out of this world pictures. Importantly, for guests, there was a bathroom and lovely rooms down near the gardens too for before the ceremony and during the cocktail hour.
Everyone there is extremely friendly but Catherine Bogaty, the event coordinator, is above and beyond. And let me tell you, the event coordinator at your venue is a KEY point person you’re going to be in contact with a lot, so it’s critical to trust the venue and their personnel. Catherine was there to assist us throughout the entire process, plus she walked us through the rehearsal, and she and her assistant were there that day with us to help run things. (All as part of the price – so go ahead and forget about getting a ‘day of planner.’) She is extraordinarily kind, patient, helpful, and a quick responder!
I simply cannot say enough good things about the Museum and Catherine. You can see pictures on my friend Chad Michael Peter’s blog who did the flowers and print materials: http://chadmichaelpeters.squarespace.com/style-blog/2010/10/4/musuem-of-the-shenendoah-valley-weddings-melissa-and-jeremy.html
You can also see pictures on our photographer’s facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.442775823130.235932.96749213130 (We used Artful Weddings – also absolutely fabulous!)
Hope that helps. Happy hunting for venues.
We are so glad that we had our wedding reception at the museum. We had access to the entire grounds and the gardens and buildings were such beautiful backgrounds for all of our pic...
tures. The event coordinator, Catherine Bogaty, was so great to work with and was helpful and accessible throughout the entire process. We could have imagined a better place to celebrate our big day!
Contact
901 Amherst Street, Winchester, VA
Museum of the Shenandoah Valley