The Inn at Grace Winery

So I must admit, I have rewritten this review 10 times because each time it has turned into a novel with an immense amount of detail. I could go on and on all day about how incredible I think Grace Winery is, but I don’t think I will ever be able to fully encompass how much I LOVE it and how absolutely wonderful and beautiful our wedding weekend was. When we drove into Grace Winery, my husband and I looked at each other and said “we need to get married here!” We instantly reached out to Rachel (the coordinator) and were so excited to find out that our weekend was available. So what about Grace was so appealing to us? The better question is what wasn’t!? Nothing - every part of our experience and wedding was out of this world! There was not a single thing that I would change - it truly was the most perfect time of our lives. First off, Grace Winery provided us with as much of an “at home” vibe that we could get without actually being at home and this was important to us. The fact that our entire wedding party (and their guests) and family could stay at the Inn from Friday (rehearsal dinner) until Sunday morning (ended with a big brunch) was such a treat and made our wedding celebration last a whole weekend instead of a day, allowing us to spend more time with our loved ones (and our dog!) in a relaxed environment (we almost didn’t leave!). It was almost like a small retreat. I won’t go into too much detail about the entire weekend (many reviews point out the great perks like the pool, fire pit, having the whole place to yourself, the porch, the grounds, the food, etc.) and agenda other than how not once did my husband or I stress, feel rushed, etc. We truly remember each part of the weekend and had time to actually enjoy ourselves without worrying. Rachel and her team at Grace Winery were absolutely wonderful and friendly. They always seemed to pop up right when we needed something, but not once felt intrusive. In fact, they more so felt a part of the family and celebration. I am a major control freak and am very detailed orientated, so my family couldn’t get over how relaxed I was during the entire weekend. I fully attribute that to Rachel and her team because they took care of absolutely everything! They made sure the vendors were in order, the agenda was being adhered to, that everyone was happy and comfortable, etc. And this goes beyond the day of, but throughout the whole wedding planning process as well. Rachel always took the time to answer my crazy amount of emails and questions and provided great insight when I needed help making a final decision. She kept me on track and really got to know my personality so that she could best assist me. It was evident that Rachel and Grace Winery have done many weddings, as they are very professional, easy to work with and have a lot of knowledge about the ins and outs of the industry. I wish I could speak to every couple in person who is looking at Grace Winery so that I could rave about how special it is. Fortunately, a visit to Grace Winery really does speak for itself. It is one of the most beautiful places in the area and little words are needed once you see it for yourself. Take it from this type A bride, Grace Winery was one of the best decisions we ever made and I will forever cherish it.

I don’t even know where to start because everything at Grace was so amazing! We had a very large guest list (over 200 people) so we had our reception offsite, but we rented out the Inn for our rehearsal dinner and wedding weekend. The food at the rehearsal was perfect, as was the service. The smoked chicken was to die for. Everything was so thoughtfully planned by the staff, which allowed my husband and I to enjoy the dinner without worry. We loved being able to spend the entire weekend with those closest with us. The grounds are beautiful and the pool area is the perfect place for the wedding party to unwind. Grace is such a private and relaxing place and the staff doesn’t miss a beat. I really appreciated that they carefully combed over each room after guest left for lost items. They actually found a very important necklace that was left behind by my mother in law and immediately told us that they found it. I wish I could relive this weekend over and over. If you want a relaxing, beautiful, and personal wedding weekend this is the place for you!

Elisabeth Megill and Rachel Testerman are the wedding coordinators/planners managers at Grace. And they are total disasters. The venue is beautiful. And our wedding was great in spite of their poor communication and failure to execute on our requests. They are not gracious when they make a mistake, on the contrary their approach is that we the customer is wrong! They failed to lock our reservation after we formally requested it, they took weeks to respond to our emails and questions, would forget what we had told them, changed their rules on us, didn’t order the champagne we requested and didn’t even serve it to our guests like we had asked. They are very difficult to deal with, they don’t make you feel special. For the money you spend here (plus the wasted extra $3200 you have to pay for Rachel’s worthless help) we all deserve better. They really let us down. But here’s the worst part. The situation with the bill is the most telling about the kind of people they are. We went to pay upon checkout but no one was at the desk. We had to catch a plane for our honeymoon. So we emailed them to say to send us we would pay when we returned. We received an email hours later, while we were flying out of the county with an bill that didn’t have any itemized information. We emailed a question about it and the response we got back was this: “If you don’t pay this bill by 5pm we will send to collections.” Astonishing! Rather than take the approach of congratulating us, thanking us for selecting their venue, owning up to the mistakes they knew they made and trying to make it right, or even just answering our questions about the bill they chose to resort to a Threat like a wannabe mobster! we Called to discuss it and Elizabeth was so rude and unprofessional and the. Hung up on us. All she said was if you’re not calling to pay this now I am hanging up. (We paid the bill and always woIle, and it’s offensive for them to treat us like we wouldn’t.) These two people do not deserve to work at Grace. It could be the best venue in the area but with people like them there, I would stay far away. Pick a place where you’ll be treated well and feel special. Elizabeth Megill and Rachel Testerman should not be allowed to interact with wedding couples...they will just try to make you feel bad.

This venue was absolutely beautiful, and having our bridal parties and immediate families with us at the inn was our favorite part of the wedding. The rooms are gorgeous and the perfect combination of up-to-date and luxurious but also homey. We loved swimming in the pool and sitting on the porch with people--basically, being there was one of our favorite parts of the wedding. We really recommend doing the rehearsal dinner at the Inn, since the food there is absolutely delicious, and it's so nice not to have to drive around all weekend. Farrell was very helpful throughout the planning process, and especially the day of the wedding! The one tricky thing is coordinating what is Grace Winery business and what is your caterer or other vendors. Thankfully, Grace Winery works very closely with a few different vendors on their suggested vendor list, so even without a wedding planner everything went off very smoothly, but there were moments in the planning process where we did feel like everyone was telling us conflicting things about the day-of itinerary, etc., so make sure you double-check details with all vendors.

Beyond thankful that we picked Sweetwater Farms (Grace Winery). The staff was extremely nice the entire weekend even with my big Italian family up all night celebrating! We had a blast there and the wedding definitely would not have been as memorable without this venue. I could not have asked for anything better! Farrell is always on top of any questions you may have and super nice and welcoming! I would recommend this venue to any future bride-to-be!!

Wonderful, beautiful country and rustic venue! It was an absolutely perfect day!!