One of the many perks of getting married in Asheville is the variety of venues you and your fiancé can choose from. Whether it’s a breathtaking outdoor farm with a gorgeous view of the Blue Ridge Mountains, an industrial brewery space that highlights the essence of Asheville’s craft beer diversity, or a classic setting close to downtown that allows your friends and family to explore the city, Asheville has many options for couples looking to tie the knot.

With so many wonderful wedding venues to choose from, you and your partner may find it difficult to choose the perfect location. Fear not! As a planner who has been organizing weddings in the Asheville area for more than 10 years, I’m familiar with the many venues in town.

In this post, I’m going to share with you our favorite wedding venues in Asheville and tell you a little bit about what makes each of them special.

Let’s dive in!

Mountain Wedding Venues

Let’s start with the mountains! The Western North Carolina (WNC) area is filled with many amazing wedding venues that offer breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains for your friends and family. If you've always dreamed of having a scenic mountain view backdrop at your wedding, then these venues are great places to consider.

Longleaf Vineyard

Dreaming of a vineyard wedding? Located just 25 minutes away from Asheville, Longleaf Vineyard is a beautiful outdoor venue with lush vineyards and a stunning mountain backdrop. This gorgeous venue has an outdoor ceremony location, a covered pavilion and an elegant white tent for a reception.

One of our favorite parts about Longleaf Vineyard is the view! Imagine saying “I Do” while overlooking the majestic mountains including Mount Mitchell, Grandfather Mountain, and Mount Pisgah. You can even get a glimpse of downtown Asheville that shines through the mountains on a sunny day.

Here are some great pictures from Gabi and Trey’s summer wedding at Longleaf Vineyards.

Learn more about Longleaf Vineyard.

The Ridge

Located 30 minutes away from downtown Asheville in Marshall, NC, the Ridge offers 360-degree mountain views and an elegant French and Spanish-inspired event space.

Apart from its scenic backdrop , one of the aspects that we love the most about The Ridge is its variety spaces, including an outdoor ceremony site called The Knoll and an indoor reception space called The Chateau.

The Knoll is located on a beautiful hill that overlooks the Blue Ridge Mountains and offers a wonderful spot to host an outdoor ceremony. You have the option to rent The Knoll as a ceremony space while still being able to host your reception elsewhere.

However, if you’d like to keep things nearby, there is also a reception space available at the Ridge called the Chateau. Not far from The Knoll, The Chateau is an elegant French and Spanish-inspired event space perfect for hosting sit down dinner or a cocktail hour. We love their beautiful chandelier! 

Here are a few pictures from some weddings hosted at The Ridge and The Chateau.

Learn more about The Ridge.

Farm and Barn Wedding Venues

Another popular option for couples getting married in North Carolina are barn and farm weddings. Whether you’re looking for a rustic countryside ceremony or a modern reception under the stars, most farm and barn venues offer a beautiful outdoor area that can be transformed in many ways and give your guests a chance to enjoy the fresh mountain air. 

Check out some of our favorite barn and farm wedding venues near Asheville below.

Yesterday Spaces

Situated just outside of Asheville in the town of Leicester, NC, Yesterday Spaces is a beautiful barn and farm venue. 

Their Main Event Barn is a rustic indoor loft-style reception space, perfect for dinner and dancing. But our favorite part about this venue is the Dairy Barn and Silo. What once was a functioning dairy barn in the 1900’s has been perfectly restored to create a one-of-a-kind event space that’s great for rehearsal dinners or small, intimate gatherings. They also offer lodging on the farm for up to 13 guests in their fully restored 1911 Farmhouse.

Note: This is a 70-acre working family farm, so your guests will most likely spot some farm animals meandering around the space! 

Kate and Nathan decided to take advantage of the space and use it for their ceremony site. Take a look below at a few pictures from their beautiful wedding day.

Learn more about Yesterday Spaces.

Claxton Farm

Located just 25 minutes north of downtown Asheville, Claxton Farm is, a working farm and venue is a wonderful venue. This rustic indoor barn with lush pastures and mountain views has a massive outdoor area that can be transformed for any event. With the right decor and vendor team, you can transform this beautiful outdoor space into the perfect wedding site that enhances the natural view of the mountains and allows guests to enjoy a fun outdoor wedding. 

Another fun surprise for the guests: Chocolate Chip, Claxton’s famous, adorable llama! He provides cheer to all that greet him and offers a unique experience for friends and family. 

We loved being a part of Kailey and Danny’s summer wedding at Claxton last year. Here are a few highlights from the day.

Learn more about Claxton Farm.

Downtown and Brewery Wedding Venues

While mountains and rural areas are wonderful, if you and your partner are looking for ways to take advantage of the city of Asheville on your wedding day, there are many downtown and brewery venues that will provide your guests with an amazing experience! These venues allow you to host a private, perfect wedding and follow it up with an after party downtown.

Highland Brewery

One thing that Asheville is quite famous for is its plethora of craft breweries. Asheville’s flagship craft brewery, Highland Brewing Company has an amazing indoor private event space and a rooftop beer garden as well. Replete with gorgeous views of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains mountains, the also includes a shipping container bar for guests to grab drinks. It’s a great spot to enjoy an outdoor ceremony!

Perfect for a wedding reception, Highland’s indoor Event Center includes a first-floor level and a mezzanine to provide additional seating for guests. Bonus: there are floor-to-ceiling glass walls that look into the brewery’s working shipping and bottling area. We love sneaking couples away for some fun pictures in this space! 

This venue is a great space for your guests to embrace the industrial decor of the brewery and try some delicious craft beers. 

Check out some pictures from previous weddings at Highland!

Learn more about Highland Brewing’s event space.

The Crest Center & Pavilion

The Crest Center & Pavilion is one of Western North Carolina’s most popular wedding venues. Located just minutes from downtown Asheville, this space offers an open floor plan which allows couples to get creative and design the space in so many different ways! Featuring floor-to-ceiling windows facing the Blue Ridge Mountains and a canopy of twinkle lights, the Crest Pavilion is both whimsical and elegant. We especially love the outdoor cocktail area on the Crest Center porch which includes a beautiful outdoor fireplace area. This venue also offers multiple outdoor locations to host your ceremony as well.

Below we’ve shared a few pictures from some wonderful wedding receptions at the Crest Pavillion.

Learn more about The Crest Center & Pavilion. 

Homewood

This castle-like venue, located in the historic Montford neighborhood, has an incredible history behind it. Homewood was formerly the home of the Dr. and Mrs. Robert Carole. This wealthy couple would host guests including Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Vanderbilts as Bela Bartok played on Mrs. Carole’s piano, which is still there to this day.

Today, Homewood is a beautifully restored stone manor with an intimate indoor reception space and lush outdoor gardens. The indoor reception space is called The Great Room. It includes a lovely working stone fireplace and luminous iron chandeliers. On the other hand, Homewood’s beautiful lush garden provides the perfect spot for an outdoor ceremony. 

Whether you want to throw a big wedding and invite all your friends and family, or have an intimate reception, Homewood provides a beautiful space that your guests are sure to enjoy! 

We’re proud to be the in-house planners for this venue and hope you enjoy some pictures from past weddings below.

Learn more about Homewood.

The Venue

Located in the heart of downtown Asheville, just steps away from Pack’s Square, The Venue is an elegant two-story event space. It includes a spacious floor plan and a beautiful balcony overlooking Asheville and the mountains. With exposed brick walls, barn ceilings, and vintage tiled floors, The Venue’s interior design is inspired by a French cottage.

This downtown venue provides a warm atmosphere that is perfect for friends and family to enjoy. It’s a great spot to celebrate a marriage and keep the party going downtown! 

Here are a few of our favorite pictures from past weddings at The Venue.

Learn more about The Venue.

The Grove Park Inn

The Omni Grove Park Inn is a beautiful, historic hotel and spa that offers classic comfort and modern conveniences. In addition to being a gorgeous resort with wonderful views of the Blue Ridge Mountain, the Grove Park Inn offers a variety of private event spaces that are perfect for weddings: The Seely Pavilion, The Country Club, the Mountain View Terrace, the Skyline Room, and The Vanderbilt Terrace. 

No matter the location you choose, you are guaranteed a stunning view of the mountains while exchanging your vows or dancing with your partner. The unique structure and beautiful views at this venue puts it as one of our favorite locations to work.

Here are a few pictures from our recent Omni Grove Park Inn weddings. You can also see more pictures of Ashley and Stephen’s Summer Wedding on the Blog!

Learn more about the Omni Grove Park Inn.

Things To Consider

While the information above is great to help you start your venue search, there are still many factors to consider before deciding on a venue for your Asheville wedding.

Guest Count

One of the first things you will need to consider when searching for your dream Asheville wedding venue is your guest count. It’s important to find a venue that will comfortably fit your guests while still providing an intimate feel as guests mingle and enjoy dinner. The perfect venue should be not too big, nor too small. It needs to be just right (yes, like Goldilocks!). 

If you can, take a tour of the venue and ask about possible layouts before making a decision.  

Location

Another important factor is the location! It’s important to find a venue that is accessible to your guests. If you have a lot of out-of-towners and the venue is not located near hotel accommodations, you may need to consider factors such as transportation and lodging accommodations. Before deciding on a venue that may be difficult to reach, consider if you are able to budget for transportation and accommodations.

Look & Feel

The last and most important factor when picking your perfect Asheville wedding venue is the look and feel of it. Your wedding venue should make you feel excited and inspire ideas of how to make your wedding day special. You should feel comfortable with your decision from the beginning. 

If there are any specific aspects you want on your wedding day, be sure to ask your venue tour director as you are walking through or considering the space. These things could include having a band, having a liquor bar, wanting to bring your pup to the ceremony, having a plated dinner, etc. If you know something is important and you do not want to compromise on that detail, find a venue that will work with you to make it happen!

Other Factors

Some other factors to consider when choosing a venue include amenities, hours for setup/breakdown, and a rain plan! Some venues will include things such as tables and chairs, glassware, china, etc. while others don’t. Consider these things if you are working with a budget so there are not additional (surprise!) expenses later. 

Be sure to ask about hours that the venue will be available to both guests and vendors. If you are envisioning an intricate floral design piece to decorate the ceremony arbor, you need to be sure the florist will have enough time at the venue. This is especially important if venues book multiple events in a day. 

In addition, you may want to ask about any noise ordinance or restrictions. If you think your wedding guests will want to party until midnight, be sure to find out about any laws and regulations before signing a contract. Lastly, and importantly, think about the weather! The weather is unpredictable, but that’s what back-up plans are for. Make sure the venue offers a back-up plan in case of rain or cold weather. This is especially important if the majority of the venue’s locations are outdoors or if you are planning a few outdoor events on your wedding day.

Conclusion

There are so many wonderful places to get married in and around Asheville. We hope you find this guide on some of our favorite wedding venues helpful when planning your big day! 

Need help with planning or coordinating your Asheville wedding? We’d love to chat! We’ve helped hundreds of couples plan their wedding in Asheville and are well-acquainted with the many venues and vendors in town. 

Learn more about our full-service, partial planning, and day-of coordination packages.