Extraordinary Hidden Gem in MA with Stunning Views
Welcome! We are so glad you are considering the Montague Retreat Center for hosting your wedding!
The Montague Retreat Center is a hidden gem, nestled in the rolling hills of the upper Pioneer Valley. From single day events to full wedding weekend events, there are countless ways to put a personal stamp on your wedding! We offer both indoor and outdoor spaces across our expansive land for up to 200 guests.
Say "I DO!" in our lush Ceremony Circle, nestled up to the apple orchard just beneath one of the oldest maple groves in Massachusetts, while enjoying stunning views across the valley. Then, make your way down to our bluestone gravel courtyard and the Stone Patio for cocktail hour and dinner. The lovingly installed goshen stone patio features a 40’ x 50’ dinner tent and a 75’ long retaining wall/bench surrounded by beautiful land and the sounds of the Sawmill River.
Following dinner, guests will make their way to our Great Hall Barn with exposed chestnut beams, bamboo floors, lots of glass and geothermal cooling. It's the perfect place for your after dinner dance reception! After the reception, those in your party that are staying on site can enjoy time around the fire. And starting in the fall of 2024, you can choose a soak in. our 10 person hot tub, that will sit atop of our southern facing slope, with a view down the valley to the river.
When it comes to catering & bar service, our couples can work with our preferred catering team, Wheelhouse on the wedding day. Their farm to table offerings will wow your guests!
Some of our other amenities include 10 private on-site accommodations, a getting ready lounge in our Robert Frost Suite, an on site yurt, an ADA-compliant lift, and accessible restrooms. Two streams run through the property and the Robert Frost Trail is within walking distance. Get in touch today to talk about hosting your wedding in our extraordinary place. We'd love to provide you with more package information and book you a tour.
The Montague Retreat Center hosts weddings from May through October.
We are currently accepting inquiries for the 2025 and 2026 Wedding Season!
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Pricing details
Couples usually spend $15,000
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Amenities + details
Amenities
Ceremony Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
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
Barn
Farm & Ranch
Estate
Garden
Historic Venue
Mountain
Tented
Trees
Venue Service Offerings
Bar & Drinks
Cakes & Desserts
Other Desserts
Destination Weddings
Food & Catering
Rentals & Equipment
Tents
Service Staff
Any questions?
Availability
Reviews
4.8
out of 5.019 reviews
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Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Montague Retreat Center is highly praised by reviewers for its beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces, comfortable on-site lodging, and flexible weekend buyout option. Wheelhouse Catering is highlighted for serving delicious wedding food, and the staff, especially Jason and Casey, receive rave reviews for their exceptional service and attention to detail throughout the entire planning process and wedding weekend. Guests appreciated the spacious layout that allowed them to comfortably enjoy various activities, from brick oven pizza to live entertainment, creating a magical and memorable experience for all.Review photos
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Jeremy D
5.0
5/01/2025
My wife & I had the privilege to get married surrounded by our friends & family at the beautiful Montague Retreat Center in June of 2024. There’s a seemingly endless list of what drew us to MRC, but some key features to highlight:
- Incredibly beautiful indoor & outdoor spaces
- Comfortable, spacious, and accessible on-site lodging options
- Flexible weekend buyout, enabling us to bring all of our ideas to life without much restriction or hurdles
- Wheelhouse Catering: some of the best wedding food we’ve ever tasted in our lives
- All of Montague staff, especially Jason
Jason deserves his own dedicated review, but from the planning stages all the way through until the end of our weekend, Jason made himself available and ready to help. Jason referred several our vendors that made our day go off without a hitch, all of whom brought creative and personal touches that made our day so special. He consistently went above and beyond day of as well, from catching decorations that needed to be put out, to being hands-on assisting guests that needed extra help, and facilitating vendors to ensure everything was in its right place. His knowledge and general presence brought a calming energy that really helped us feel at home at MRC.
For our wedding weekend (~170 guests), we really took advantage of all we could at MRC. We observed first hand and heard from guests after our wedding that they felt they had plenty of space to enjoy themselves comfortably through the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and reception. With the full weekend rented, we used every square inch that the venue offered:
- Friday: Portable Brick Oven Pizza in front of the Great Hall
- Saturday AM: family provided breakfast buffet near the dining tent
- Ceremony: Outdoor up on the ceremony ring
- Cocktail Hour: Custom Poetry and plenty of activities all around the barn
- Reception: Live band with stage lighting & sound; DJ later in the evening
- Saturday Night: Late night fire pit & snacks for the wedding party
- Sunday AM: Bagel sandwiches from Tandem Bagel in the lower level of the barn
We can’t stress enough how perfect our weekend was at MRC. Montague Retreat Center will always hold a special place in our hearts, as it left a lasting impact on not only us, but our friends and family as well. At the end of our wedding weekend, many of our family members suggested that we rent out the space for a night every few years for a recurring big family bash. We may have to do just that!
Response from The Barn at Montague Retreat Center on 05/01/2025
It was such a pleasure hosting you and all of your wonderful people Amanda & Jeremy. You a...
ll had so much heart. Thank you so much for your kind words and for trusting us with your big day. We definitely hope to have you all back from a big family bash someday. Happy spring.
Megan D
4.0
10/27/2024
We had a beautiful wedding weekend at the Montague Retreat Center. The space is gorgeous and our wedding party had a lot of fun staying on site. The in-house caterer, Wheelhouse, made incredible food and drinks and was lovely to work with. When we signed on to the venue, there was a different management team. Possibly as a result of the transition, it wasn't always easy to get in touch. However, we'd strongly recommend this venue.
Response from The Barn at Montague Retreat Center on 05/01/2025
Hello Megan. Thank you so much for choosing us and trusting us with your wedding experien...
ce. We are sorry for any lack of communication that occurred during our time of transition.
Any questions?
linda m
5.0
9/24/2024
My daughter was married at the Montague Retreat Center earlier this month, and I just have to gush about how wonderful the weekend was. If you are looking for a spectacularly beautiful venue, look no further. It is a truly magical setting. Casey and Jason were extremely easy to work with, with attention to every detail throughout the year of planning and during the entire weekend. They are 100% invested in making sure that your event is perfect. Wheelhouse, the internal caterer for MRC, is exceptional. In fact, my nephew told me that the dinner was the best he has had at any of the numerous weddings he has attended. The delicious menu was prepared beautifully from locally sourced ingredients, and they were able to accommodate various dietary restrictions (nut allergies, GF, DF, vegan, etc.) without sacrificing taste. The cabins are nicely appointed and comfortable. The wedding suite is lovely. Honestly, we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect place for a wedding.
Response from The Barn at Montague Retreat Center on 05/01/2025
It was a real pleasure hosting you and your family Linda. It was inspiring to witness you...
r hard work, kindness and wisdom throughout the wedding. We are so happy to read these words and know that you all were held to a standard that you deserved.
Nicole L
5.0
12/14/2023
We cannot overstate how amazing the staff at MRC were in helping us plan our wedding and making the day of go so seamlessly! They were so communicative and accommodating. And the venue is breathtakingly gorgeous! Highly recommended!
Rachel F
5.0
11/04/2022
Where do I start...from the beginning we knew that MRC was going to be our wedding venue. We first met Jackie and Kellsey at a spring tasting event, where we were able to see them and their exclusive caterer, Wheelhouse, in action. The location is absolutely beautiful, the indoor/outdoor areas are a major plus to have variety on your wedding day, and really we barely added to what's already there in terms of decor because it did not need anything additional. Our wedding day went so smoothly and they even went out of their way the night before/morning of to move a semi-fixed birch arbor so that our own arbor could be put out for our ceremony. This was such an amazing service they did and I cannot recommend them enough. The nicest, calmest and most helpful people you will meet in the wedding industry, I 100% recommend Montague Retreat Center to other couples looking for an amazing and beautiful experience on their wedding day.
Lauren C
5.0
7/04/2022
We had our wedding at the MRC in June 2022. It is a stunning venue with professional staff who are passionate about what they do! Jackie and Kellsey were wonderful coordinators to work with. Their communication and planning before the event made us feel like everything was taken care of, and they ran the wedding flawlessly so that we didn't have to worry about any details day-of. Dale takes great care of the facility and the grounds; his passion is evident. Wheelhouse catering provided the best wedding meal we've ever had. We stayed on site with our wedding party in the gorgeous new cabins, which was such a fun and unique experience. Overall we could not recommend MRC more!!
Courtney B
5.0
10/07/2021
This venue is a special, one-of-a-kind place that I will forever think about when I think back to my wedding. Driving down that gravel road when I first visited the venue, I knew it was where I wanted to celebrate my wedding. My husband and I are very outdoorsy and were looking for a venue we could really call our own for the weekend. MRC was the place! The owners Bill and Beth and caretaker John were so welcoming and organized, there to make sure the weekend was everything I hoped for. I used the bridal suite the entire weekend and was very helpful for our friends to crash in the suite with us after the wedding. We had so much flexibility to make this our own and spent lots of time by the roaring fire pit. The turning foliage made this place magical for our wedding and can't wait to see all of the photos taken in so many spots on this special venue!
SHANNON M
5.0
3/29/2020
Montague Retreat Center was an amazing venue. You can't beat the location and everything that comes with it. Absolutely gorgeous scenery. We got married in fall '19 and the place and staff were everything or more than we could hope for. They were helpful, accomodating, and made sure we had anything we could need. It was all very well thought out and they made it easy to plan our big day. I'm so grateful we got married at this beautiful place and have wonderful memories of the days we spent there.
K & I E
5.0
8/13/2019
When we started planning our July 2019 wedding, we knew that we wanted a beautiful, eco-conscious, outdoor venue in the rolling Massachusetts hills where we could host guests for the whole weekend and people could camp and sit by a fire at night. We weren’t sure we’d find someplace that checked all those boxes; then we found the Montague Retreat Center.
It was everything we were looking for and more. We loved that we had the whole weekend to see our guests and that they got to know the place, too. The Center already has a tent set up for the reception, and the venue was so well set up with its own furniture and catering-ready kitchen, that other vendors kept telling us how delighted they were to be going back there.
We had around 100 guests, about 25 of which camped at the Center. The camp site is in a pine forest on the property, and our camping guests were all very happy with their stay and with the facilities.
A lot happens in a wedding weekend, but the staff is prepared for anything and everything. The caretaker, John, was particularly notable in how quickly and quietly he took care of the facilities while we were there. We’d turn around and he’d have taken care of the trash or put another few logs on the fire. It was easy and wonderful. It was wonderful to have things like lights already set up, and a room of wedding decorations others have left to reuse or leave instead of stress about bringing everything and cleaning it all up. We were glad they compost everything and the facility even runs on geo-thermal heating/cooling.
We took the Retreat Center’s recommendations for almost all of our vendors, and they were all wonderful (especially Wheelhouse Catering for our reception and Jackie M coordinating all of our vendors and the day of the wedding). We got flowers from Red Fire Farm, and sent our guests to check out the Montague Book Mill (and took photos there ourselves!).
We are so glad we found the Montague Retreat Center and through them got to know the Pioneer Valley better!
Jessica B
5.0
6/07/2019
My wife and I got married at the retreat center on 8/18/18 and we have nothing but great things to say about the venue and the staff. Beth & Bill were great to work with and the venue is AMAZING. Beautiful stone patio, great barn for the reception and great area under the willow tree for cocktail hour! Plus you have plenty of great places to take photos. We couldn't have imagined a better wedding venue!
Stephanie B
5.0
9/23/2018
The Montague Retreat Center is the best! Beth & Bill and their team have cared significantly for the property and the venue is so beautiful it needs very little to make it a perfect wedding venue. They are also very nice and wonderful to work with. It’s a hidden gem where you can have access to the venue for many days (and you are the only wedding for the weekend) so you can prepare the venue however you choose with little stress. You also bring in all your own vendors which allows you to truly make it your own wedding. We loved every minute of our time there. One tip - hire at least a day-of coordinator to help manage all the vendors so that you can fully enjoy your big day :)
Elizabeth R
3.0
8/09/2018
My husband and I were married at Montague Retreat Center on 7/7/18. We rented the accommodations beginning Tuesday 7/3 as many of our friends and family were traveling for the event. We have so many fond memories of our time at MRC. It was a seriously dreamy week, however; it came with a few surprises that I will share here in case you are considering the space as your venue.
The Good: From the time we booked the venue, Beth and Bill were very flexible and allowed us to visit multiple times over the winter. They provided lots of information via e-mail that greatly helped us plan our day. As for the wedding week, the place is remarkably beautiful. It felt like we were on another planet all week. The space itself is serene and minimalist which really highlights the natural beauty of the surrounding hills. Because of this, lots of decorations are not a necessity (though if you want more decor last minute, they have a decorations storeroom with just about everything). Beth, Bill, John and Kate kept the place clean and were super professional on the wedding day. They were reasonably flexible about anything we needed during the week.
The Less Than Good: As I mentioned, my family rented the rooms at MRC beginning Tuesday 7/3. MRC became our family's "hub" as people got into town leading up to the wedding. During the week, we were really surprised with how poorly we were treated. During our time, multiple tours were given of the property and our private accommodations with no notice. Our napping guests were pretty weirded out when they woke up to a group of strangers being paraded through their bedroom. I understand that this is a business, but a simple call or text to let us know there would be a tour would have gone a long way. Additionally, there is a summer camp that uses the woods surrounding MRC (which we were told with plenty of time) but what we were not told was if the summer camp gets rained on, they will take over the stone patio and basement area. If it rains all day, they will be there all day. It was really a shame we were not told this for a couple reasons. One, we were storing all our decorations in the basement (per instructions) and some of them became games for the kids. Two, it rained all day on Friday, and we had a DIY rehearsal lunch planned for the stone patio. When we brought this up to the camp counselors, we were told they would not be able to leave. When we brought it up to Beth and Bill, they told us that they really needed to put the possibility that this would happen in the contract (I truly hope they do!). Luckily, we were able to work around the kids, but it was a stressful time.
All in all, MRC provided us with a beautiful wedding. At this point, I could not recommend staying there all week unless you have a pretty tame group that only wants to use the sleeping quarters as a makeshift hotel. On the other hand, I can 100% recommend MRC for your wedding day. It is a beautiful blank slate and the MRC crew really knows what they are doing when it comes to the day-of. Everything went off as we envisioned and we could not have been happier. I simply hope they can figure out the week-of accommodations because the place really is something special.
Response from The Barn at Montague Retreat Center on 10/22/2023
Hello Elizabeth. My name is Jason and I led the new group that took over the MRC. I want...
ed to share that we have added 7 new accommodations to the site making out total 10 now. We couldn't agree with you assessment more. We are happy to be able to house between 20-30 guests now. We hope you and your family are well and that you will come back sometime and see us.
Gwendolyn C
5.0
6/01/2017
What a fantastic place the retreat center is. It is simply great and all our guests thoroughly enjoyed every event we held there for our wedding celebration (4 events over 4 days). The premise has a beautiful barn ideal for dancing, a spacious tent which can be used as dinning room (we had 125 people sitting comfortably). The barn also has a lovely ceremony circle where you can celebrate your wedding ceremony. The owners, Bill and Beth, are extremely organized and they are very helpful in terms of planning and executing all the events related to the weeding. The really make a very stressful event very smooth and easy. Our experience was fantastic and we advise anyone who is thinking of using this venue for their wedding to go and see it and fall in love with it. After talking to Bill and Beth you will know what we mean.
Gwen and Luis.
Kate C
5.0
11/13/2016
We held our wedding at the Barn at Montague Retreat Center, and we couldn't have been happier. We initially chose the venue because of its incredible landscape, but ultimately, we were glad to have chosen it thanks to its amazing, built-in rain plan.
Our wedding ceremony and reception were both beautiful, and we would highly recommend this as a venue to low-key couples hoping to spend time visiting with loved ones surrounded by nature.
5.0
2/09/2016
If you would like to share here is Tara & Keith's Wedding Video at the Montague Retreat Center on 6/20/15
https://vimeo.com/153842975
Melissa W
5.0
8/06/2015
The Montague Retreat Center does not disappoint as a wedding venue. Since it has only recently become available as such, many local people have not yet been there. They are taken aback by the grounds, the historic barn, the spacing, the fields, flowers and views. It is a unique venue in Western Massachusetts and we are so lucky that we stumbled upon it. Bill and Beth were attentive to our needs, were very flexible, and did their up most best to insure our day was perfect. The event was executed without a hitch and we are so grateful. The venue is not a “one size fits all” place where every aspect of the event is dictated. We really were able to personalize our wedding with unique details that we would not have been able to do in another setting. We were so happy to work with Beth and Bill and look forward to seeing more events booked at the Retreat Center!
Meghan A
5.0
12/02/2014
Our experience with the Montague Retreat Center as the venue for our wedding last summer was nothing short of amazing. I grew up just a short ways down the road, and when the property changed hands and became the Montague Retreat Center I heard many good things from the community about the group of people running the place. When the time came to find a venue to gather our friends and family in a celebration of our marriage, the Retreat Center was an obvious choice.
The site itself is breathtaking. Perched on the hillside overlooking the valley and the hills beyond, we were surrounded by wildflowers and a lush pallet of greenery that required little in the way of "decoration". We held our ceremony up in the meadow, after which family musicians lead the party down through the grassy paths to awaiting drinks and appetizers. We set up the space in a way that allowed some guests to cool off indoors, while others partook in friendly but fierce competition in a variety of yard games set up out in front of the barn.
At dinner, the tent comfortably fit our large crowd, and the food prep and serving went off without a hitch in large part due to the kitchen facilities. As the sun went down we moved into the great hall for a lively contra dance followed by a late-night funk party.
One of the most rewarding aspects about the Montague Retreat Center was the versatility of the space, and the variation of activities it enabled. At a wedding you bring together a large variety of people with different needs and interests. There was an amazing dance floor for the kooky aunts and wild friends to boogie down while the older crowd looked on and the kids slept on meditation cushions in the corner. At the same time other groups of people, old friends and new acquaintances, watched the moon rise out on the beautiful patio in the quiet summer night. We got an overwhelmingly positive response from all our friends and family about the wedding, and a lot of it had to do with being comfortable and at-ease with the flow of activities and the nature of the space. That quality would have been hard to achieve at any other venue.
In addition to the beautiful setting and facilities, the staff were a joy to work with. My husband and I had a particular vision of how we wanted the day to flow, and the staff did an amazing job working with us leading up to the day to get things in place. They were incredibly receptive to our ideas. It felt like a productive collaboration, and a true community event.
I would, without any hesitation, highly recommend the Montague Retreat Center for a beautiful rural wedding in Western Massachusetts.
5.0
9/09/2014
The Montague Retreat Center had every thing we wanted in a venue.
A nice big sun lit room to get ready in.
Beautiful grounds with rolling fields enabled us to create our ceremony on top of the hill next to an old apple orchard over looking lush mountains.
We had our happy our under the big weeping willow tree.
The reception was nestled in the large court yard atop of a beautiful goshen stone patio with the sound of the river in the background. Our caterers had full use of the brand new industrial kitchen, and walk in refrigerator.
We danced into the night in the stunning refurbished barn equiped with two stories, large windows, bamboo floors, temp control, and an elevator.
On top of all of the wonderful amenities the owners were a joy to work with. Always available to answer questions, and address concerns.
We are so pleased we chose the Montague retreat center, and would highly recommend it.
Shannon L
5.0
8/24/2014
How can I even begin to put into words how phenomenal my experience was? Starting with a killer location and venue, the Montague Retreat Center is the venue of any rustic, vintage, or country wedding's dreams. The property is absolutely breathtaking, and coupled with the newly renovated facilities as well as fabulous managers, I would recommend this place to any and everyone.
Do be advised that there is a lot of planning that goes into this space that is the responsibility of the bride/groom or planner. What this venue offers is a gorgeous blank canvas with the opportunity to turn it into whatever you would like. I was the Retreat Center's 7th wedding and I kept hearing from the staff how every single wedding was incredible different. You will have to organize people to park, set etc.
That being said, the owners, Bill and Beth Jacobson were an absolute dream to work with. They have such wonderful vision for the property and were extremely invested with my wedding and making sure all of my needs, desires, and frivolous wishes were met with a smile. I am sure if I asked, they would have given me the shirts off their own backs. They let me cut wildflowers from the property, let me begin setting up almost 6 days in advance, and continued to check in with me about whatever else I wanted.
Do not think twice about getting married here, and just do it!
Wedding: Recently Married
Services Used: Flowers, Ceremony & Reception Venue
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