Rock Spring Retreat

and mature tree grove boasting evening dinner settings backed by pastel skies and peaceful, green fields. If I thought the pictures were incredible, actually setting foot on the idyllic grounds is an enchanting experience! We even had wedding guests comment on the magical feeling at Rock Spring Retreat. There are endless options on the property for a ceremony site! Honestly, I had trouble choosing a specific spot, but trust me, there is no wrong decision! Likewise, we had our engagement photos taken on the property, and there are so many beautiful locations that every picture (engagement and wedding both) feels fresh and unique. Somehow, the house itself is just as beautiful and as charming as the grounds. Rock Spring Retreat blends historic and modern in a comfortable, yet editorial manner. It’s spacious, full of character, and offers all the conveniences of home while still feeling luxurious: the stunning bathrooms, the lovely kitchen, the picturesque front porch, and the commanding dining room table. Also, I highly recommend enjoying coffee in the sunroom while watching the sunrise! While staying at Rock Spring Retreat, we were able to host a get-together for friends one evening, the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner the following evening, and a wedding morning breakfast. Again, the options are endless! We took advantage of the bridal and groomsmen’s suites as prep spaces for the wedding. My mom and matron of honor both commented on how relaxing it was to have the makeup artist and hairstylist travel to us at Rock Spring Retreat and be pampered for the day in the light-filled, spacious upstairs bedrooms of the farmhouse. Once ready, the wedding party was able to line up in the house and walk right out the door for the ceremony (no traveling required). Our intimate reception was held in the rustic barn, also on the grounds. The barn was the perfect setting for an elegant, yet relaxed dinner, while also blocking some unwelcome, brisk October winds. To my surprise, the barn photographed even more beautifully than it looked in person! Our wedding guests fell in love with Rock Spring Retreat as quickly and as deeply as we did, often commenting on the well-manicured grounds and the charismatic farmhouse. We received many compliments on our ceremony and reception, even so far as it was the most beautiful wedding one guest had ever attended! If the property isn’t wonderful enough, Tom and Walt truly make it “almost heaven” with their welcoming hospitality! Tom and Walt were timely with communication, truly enthusiastic about hosting us and our wedding, thoughtful, helpful, accommodating, and relatable. My husband and I even found special touches around the house, including flowers in vases in various rooms, a handwritten note addressed to us, and a few tokens of appreciation. Following our wedding there, my husband and I were able to stay at Rock Spring Retreat for a few relaxing and romantic days. We enjoyed autumn evenings by the fire pit and danced to our wedding song under the bistro lights. Rock Spring Retreat will always hold a special place in our hearts, and we are very much looking forward to more stays there in the future!

I'm obsessed with this venue!

is built up in its doorframes wide as my shoulders, its worn basement stairs, its finnicky latches on the doors with divots in the iron where a blacksmith's hammer struck them years ago. The house smells like old books. The outside is good country air. For a bibliophile English major with an interest in history, it was absolutely lovely. The grounds were excellently kept. The decor was minimalistic with several items of well-chosen furniture in each room and soothing colors on the walls. Nothing was overdone. For a bride with a very long fragile veil, I appreciated that the house was clean and did not have too much furniture, and what was there was tastefully done. The rooms were elegant backdrops for pictures, and right outside, we could see cattle and horses in the fields around us. We drove through apple orchards to reach it. Shepherdstown, where my wife goes to college, is near enough that we easily made a day trip there the morning after we were married to have breakfast in a little diner along the old German historic street. The town is full of beautiful old buildings and churches. The house itself--well, suffice to say I felt very at home there during the extended weekend when it was ours. It is a beautiful venue that feels grand without taking itself too seriously. As for the service provided by the location as a venue, I can't say enough. The owners are all business. They gave us accurate cost estimates and a manageable payment plan up front. The setup of the outdoor tents, chairs, and equipment is efficient and mostly unseen. We glimpsed a few men taking down the tent in the back field the morning we packed to leave. That was all we saw of anyone outside our own group. The owners aren't intrusive. Everything was very clean when we arrived, with odds and ends for cleaning up accidental spills tucked in a cabinet behind the kitchen door. I likely drank too much of their complimentary coffee. They left leather guidebooks out on a table in the foyer and upstairs and downstairs in every room, describing the house's history, down to the fact that if you walk to the window in the dining room, you can see where one of the long-ago occupants etched his name in the glass. The whole house is temp controlled by an energy saving system, and for all its age and high ceilings, it's not a drafty house. This venue meant so much more to us than the first place we toured. Whether you are here to be married or are a quiet couple looking for a pleasant place to honeymoon, I recommend this place, hands down. The surrounding towns are interesting themselves and the house is peaceful enough behind its hedges that you can kick off your heels, steal a bite of your own wedding cake, and watch the big flat-screen TV with your best friend (i.e., your new husband/wife) without worrying about anything in the world.

gs has my heart! Not to mention Tom and Walt are so amazing, they helped every step of the way!

The backyard is breathtaking. Laying under the lights and watching the stars with all of my best friends is something I’m never going to forget. Tom and Walt have been awesome to work with. By far the easiest check in and check out I could have had with all of our wedding stuff going on. When I say that my husband and I will be back for memories to come. So will every single one of my guests. We all felt like royalty in our own way. Every guest that walked through the front door to be there for our big day was amazed by how gorgeous this home is. We felt so invited and comfortable. 🤍

ofessional wedding planner whose couple got married at Rock Spring in October 2021. Each time I met at Rock Spring, Tom and Walt were spectacular to work with, going out of their way to accommodate my client's needs. Rock Spring also has a rustic barn to use as a back up in the event of weather, or in our case wind! Tom and Walt ensured the back up barn was just as "ready" for it's debut as was the main house and grounds by adding gorgeous lighting to set a romantic mood for the evening. All in all, I loved working at Rock Spring Retreat and I hope to do events there more frequently. I'm also 10 minutes down the road, so please reach out if you are considering Rock Spring Retreat for your wedding day or other special event! Tracy Phipps P3 Events https://p3events.wixsite.com/p3events-designs

ed the versatility for intimate gatherings and larger parties that we were looking for in a venue. We used Rock Spring Retreat for our engagement photos, wedding photos, and multiple events of different sizes over the course of our wedding weekend. The Grove was the perfect location for a welcome event to kickoff the weekend, the boxwood garden provided a picturesque backdrop for our ceremony, and the field was a great spot for the large tent where we held the reception. One of the best parts of the weekend was having the ability for a handful of us to stay onsite, which eliminated the stress of traveling back and forth between the hotel and venue. This brought a measure of relaxation and intimacy to the weekend that balanced well with the larger official events and wouldn't have been possible at a different venue. It's not just the venue itself that sets Rock Spring Retreat apart - the responsiveness, engagement, and attention to detail from Tom, Walt, and the entire team who make the place run were truly remarkable. They answered every question, were there with helpful recommendations, and even arranged for the house to be cleaned in the middle of our stay prior to the wedding itself. When we wanted a personal chef to help with an appreciation dinner for the group staying at the house, they were right there with an introduction. When we were looking for ways to help our guests make the most of beautiful Shepherdstown, as well as the neighboring vineyards and breweries within close proximity to Rock Spring Retreat, they not only provided a sample itinerary, but also connected us with a transportation company to drive the group around. The venue itself is special, but the care that Tom and Walt brought to helping us plan a weekend that was unique to us made our entire wedding experience memorable and exceptional. Finally, Rock Spring Retreat's location can't be beat. We were looking for a venue that would allow us to get out of the city, take full advantage of the beautiful natural landscape in the area, but that was also convenient for guests traveling from around the country. By being 90 minutes from Washington, DC and an hour from Dulles airport, our guests could easily get to and from the area without hassle. Finding a venue for your wedding is a big decision. Choosing Rock Spring Retreat - and having partners in the experience like Tom and Walt - was the key to having an amazing wedding weekend and creating memories that we will cherish for the rest of our lives. I cannot recommend trusting them with your special day highly enough!

nd and the hedge maze! The attention to detail is exquisite! No detail went unnoticed by them and you can tell they put so much time and effort into making sure their guests were comfortable and enjoyed their stay. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better blend of historic elements and modern comforts. Being in the house took me straight back to the 1700s in the best way possible! Now for the details: The bed, sheets and down comforter were the best I’ve ever slept on! The kitchen came fully stocked with everything we needed to host a party! The Edison lights and fire pit were the scene of many good times with friends and family. Some of our guests even fished the pond (catch and release). The library was by far my favorite room. We could hardly count the fireplaces also! The sunroom was a lovely addition to overlook the back of the property. Even the art on the walls made me smile. The furniture and decor were clearly picked out with an artistic eye that overlooked no small detail. The historic doorbell was the cherry on top! It’s impossible to list all the things we loved about the property, we could go on for days! We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to make so many memories here at your estate! Thank you so so much from the bottom of our hearts!