Northern Virginia Wedding Venue; Saving Money
Let’s face it, having a wedding in NOVA is an expensive ordeal, I completely get it. With all the line items to take care of with your wedding day, from the dress to the catering, nothing is more important than finding the right wedding venue.
That’s because everything will revolve around it, so you want to make the best choice possible for you and your budget.
Well, I’d like to share a little secret with you Northern Virginia brides and couples.
What if I told you that you could have that $50,000 for roughly half the cost?
You can in fact and today, I’m going to share this little secret with you.
Having Your Wedding in SWVA Costs Less and Gives You MORE
Having been in the wedding industry for 25 years, I’ve covered them all across the Commonwealth, traveling to the DC Metro, Richmond, Tidewater, and everywhere too, including Lousiville, Myrtle Beach, and even the West Coast.
I can tell you that a common theme among all the couples that I’ve covered as a wedding filmmaker and photographer is the budget.
When couples such as yourselves get married, you start to look at what it will cost to have a wedding.
Well, in Northern Virginia, the average cost of a venue is about $10,800, many will range into the $30,000 range, while the lower numbers are typically for elopements.
Just 3.5 hours Southwest of you is the Roanoke Valley and the same types of venues will cost you less, roughly $3,000 to $4,000 less in fact. ( a bit longer if you take Amtrak)
And it’s not just the venue, it’s all the vendors too.
From catering to DJs, flowers, and photography, things are cheaper here.
Now, you might be wondering why that is.
Very simple, the cost of living is roughly 25-30% less than where you are, things just cost much less to live.
In turn, rates for services, the same quality services, in fact, cost less.
I in turn would film a lot of weddings up in Leesburg, Culpepper, and Fairfax because my rates were much less than my competitors up there, even with a small travel fee to cover my fuel and hotel.
Lots of NOVA Couples Flock to SHL
In recent years though, I’ve seen a lot more couples from up north head down to Silver Hearth.
I’ve asked a few of them why they decided to get married here instead of up there and I usually got one of three answers:
The mountaintop views are amazing
The overall cost of the wedding is much cheaper here
The large wedding campus the property has is over-the-top for the price point
And yes, those are all great points about the property, if you want to know more about the property here, I wrote a great blog about it, just click below.
A little Deeper Dive into Costs
Comparing costs using the Wedding.report data, they found that a wedding with 100-150 guests cost the following on average:
Washington DC Metro: $40,939
Roanoke Valley: $24,209
“There is roughly a $17,000 difference between getting married in Northern Virginia compared to the Roanoke Valley which is just 2.5-3 hrs away. ”
That is an incredible amount of saving by moving the wedding down here!
Saving more than $16,000, you could take that money and do something else with it, like tuck it away for savings, have an amazing honeymoon, or pay down some credit card debt too.
It’s a no-brainer switch in my opinion.
Beyond the Money
If you look past the money, you will find that this venue offers some amazing views and I personally LOVE working with couples at this place.
Sitting atop the Blue Ridge Mountains and seeing all the greenery around, there has been a lot of thought put into this wedding campus.
It’s sort of a “Disneyworld” of wedding venues because there is so much to offer with the scenery and amenities, from the award-winning reception hall to a tiny church, large Native American fire pit, a Starbucks coffee bar, to a cantina bar, I could literally fill up the blog with all the details large and small.
But couples love coming to the venue for the atmosphere. Let me pull just a few reviews from real couples that you can read from Wedding Wire.
Real Reviews from Wedding Wire
Trysten R. Getting married on 10/13/2023
We didn’t have a wedding but the experience deserves a review
Upon arriving at Silver Hearth we were admittedly nervous due to the apprehension we had experienced previously with other vendors/venues. We are a same sex couple in Virginia; it can be rough. None the less we were met with a warm embrace, literally. We were offered a blanket and a seat to have a wholesome conversation about our lives as well as to learn about Bob and his home/venue. It was immediately the best experience we have had to date. We were sold, though Bob isn’t attempting to sell you anything. This is YOUR day and YOUR wedding. This was made clear from the beginning. One thing he said has stuck with me and I tell people regularly, “if you want to get married on my roof I’ll make it happen.” So many other venue owners want to make it about them and their venue. I witnessed this recently when I attended a friends wedding. The owner would not allow her to use her own arch way, she had to walk the way the owner wanted her to due to it being “traditional” and “traditional” is how you marry. The owner went as far as unplugging the brides phone from her own speaker to stop the music. It really set things in stone for me; Bob is truly a gem in the wedding world and I’m general. It breaks my heart that we are not able to have our wedding at Silver Hearth (this is due to our financial situation). Thank you so much, Bob. We adore you and wish you and your venue the best. Keep giving hugs and granting brides/grooms/and anyone in between the best day of their lives. They will find it on the top of Bent Mountain.
Abbie R. Married on 10/22/2022
Silver Hearth Lodge is a DREAM!
SHL and team were so incredible to work with!! The venue is absolutely breathtaking and unique in so many ways. From the beautiful mountain overlook, to the stunning Iron Dome ceremony area, this venue truly could not be more gorgeous. Another incredible perk of SHL is the Vista View Hall is how it is already tastefully decorated! We were able to save some money from our "decor" budget because there was little besides centerpieces we felt we needed to make the space beautiful - it already is! In addition to the STUNNING venue - Bob and Ashley are incredible to work with! Bob has truly thought through every single detail that a couple could need when it comes to planning. His extensive planning guide is so helpful to ensure that everything is thought out. I have bragged about SHL since I laid my eyes on it for the first time, and will continue to do so! I would HIGHLY recommend SHL to anyone looking for their dream wedding venue!
Liz F. Married on 05/14/2022
Todd & Liz Hendrix's Wedding 05/14/2022
The moment I arrived at Silver Hearth Lodge, I was embraced with a warm hug and an even warmer blanket. One of the SHL staff members literally offered me a blanket to wrap around me while my fiancé and I took our crisp fall morning tour with Bob Johnston, the SHL owner.
Prior to our visit, my fiancé and I had been researching venues throughout Virginia and nothing seemed to be “The Location.” We came across Silver Hearth Lodge and watched the video that was provided on their website. After watching the video of how SHL came to be, we felt we were one step closer to finding our venue and scheduled a tour. The video and pictures on their site are great; however, even they cannot do the property justice. Silver Hearth Lodge seems like a place straight out of a fairytale. After our tour, we knew this was “The Location”. The property offers several different ceremony locations; like The Smallest Chapel if you desire a religiously adjacent setting, or the Iron Gazebo, which we ended up choosing. No matter which location you end up selecting, you will have the majestic mountains as your backdrop. Bob not only helped with booking the venue for our wedding date, but also had recommendations of vendors that we would need for our wedding. He provided recommendations for caterers, florists, wedding planners/day-of coordinators, DJs, hotel group block. You name it, he seemed to know of someone. He even advised that if we had any trouble with anything to reach out to him. I literally gave him the honorary name of my “Fairy Bob-Mother.” We also appreciated that Silver Hearth Lodge offered an inclement weather plan, and that it only takes about 3 minutes to convert to the indoor version. Additionally, the venue offered both a Bridal Suite as well as a Groom’s Cabin, which can be used for the wedding party to get ready in. You could utilize this space for hair and makeup styling, however, I ended up opting to have hair and makeup offsite at the salon (GlamHouse Day Spa) and just had the bridal party change into their dresses once we arrived on location. Within the Bridal Suite, we fit 12 people (bride, 5 bridesmaids, mother of the bride, 2 flower girls and their mothers, and our day-of coordinator), however it was a little snug. There was room for our party, however if you have a larger group, I recommend doing hair/makeup off-site and just using the Bridal Suite for final touches and relaxing. Silver Hearth Lodge truly made our wedding day perfect on May 14, 2022. If you’re looking for your fairytale location, look no further than Silver Hearth Lodge.
Jessica Married on 06/10/2021
Silver Hearth Lodge is hands down the best venue out there! If you want something other than a wedding in a box, this is the place for you! The venue itself is absolutely gorgeous and constantly evolving. There are so many different places for guests to hang out and enjoy the beautiful mountaintop views. Our guests couldn't stop talking about how beautiful it all was! Not only is the venue absolutely gorgeous, Bob and his staff are a dream to work with! Bob (the owner) is the nicest guy you will ever meet. He genuinely wants to make sure your wedding is perfect down to the smallest detail. His staff is so thoughtful and professional. They have contingency plans for EVERYTHING and there is very little they don't have somewhere on site. When we got married there, we felt like part of the family. We can't wait to go back to visit on our anniversary!
Reach Out and See About Your Wedding Date
If you’re a NOVA bride-to-be, then I suggest that you watch the video below and take a virtual tour, then reach out to Bob and his wife Ashley to schedule an appointment and see the property for yourself before you book a venue.
