AN EXCLUSIVE USE WEDDING VENUE IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA
Your wedding journey begins at Rixey Manor, one of the most inclusive and flexible wedding venues in Northern Virginia. We believe that your wedding should be an unforgettable experience, no matter if you're newly engaged or already married. We're here to help you celebrate with your loved ones while affirming your commitment to each other.
We are proud of our venue and encourage you to use our expertise. Over the past decade, we have organized and coordinated a variety of family traditions and makeups at our inclusive wedding venue. We believe that your wedding should reflect your unique love story, capturing everything that brought you together.
Our local town of Culpeper offers a lot, from an Amtrak train station to local breweries and the famous "love" sign. There are also many hotels just 15 minutes from Rixey Manor, making it easy for your guests to find accommodations near the wedding venue.
We support all forms of marriage, from the classic beauty of Indian ceremonies to military weddings with sword arches and every rainbow color. We even went viral organizing the first ever bridal photoshoot with Madeline Stuart, an amazing model with Downs Syndrome. As a wedding venue located just outside Washington D.C. and easily accessible from Dulles Airport, we've hosted couples from across the United States and worldwide.
Most importantly, we are dedicated to our couples' visions, whether it's a grand affair or something more intimate, such as having their beloved pet walk down the aisle. We strive to make your wedding planning journey as streamlined as possible. The first step is to review our packages, prices, and guidelines to see if we're a good fit for your goals and budget (we're very flexible on both), and then book a tour to see if we're the right wedding venue for you. We hope you'll also be inspired by our galleries and videos of real couples and the testimonials they've kindly left us.
We look forward to meeting you soon.
Best regards,
The Rixey Manor Team.
Say your vows on our breathtaking front lawn with a stunning lake view in the background. Our outside ceremony is the perfect spot for a wedding. The shady area provides a comfortable space for all guests. Let the natural scenery take your breath away and create unforgettable memories.
Outside Wedding Ceremony
Elegant and sophisticated, our Inside Ceremony option offers a ballroom setting with a stunning crystal chandelier. This is the perfect choice for those who want a classic wedding feel. With enough room for up to 175 guests, there is plenty of space for your loved ones to celebrate with you. Moreover, it is all-weather accessible, so it can be enjoyed year-round.
Inside Wedding Ceremony
Our Stone Patio offers the perfect al fresco option for couples who want to say 'I do' surrounded by the beauty of nature. With breathtaking mountain views and a spectacular sunset as a backdrop, your wedding photos will be unforgettable. The patio can accommodate up to 200 guests and is designed to fit a tent to keep everyone comfortable no matter the weather.
Outside Wedding Reception
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With a stunning view of the outdoors through the large windows, our Ballroom is the perfect venue for your wedding or dinner event. The space can easily accommodate up to 120 guests, along with a spacious dance floor. Enjoy the elegant ambiance created by the crystal chandeliers and the natural light streaming through the windows. Our Ballroom is also climate-controlled to ensure guests remain comfortable throughout the event.
Inside Wedding Reception
Step into The Manor and transport yourself to a world of timeless elegance. Our stunning venue blends original features with modern amenities to create an unforgettable experience. Built-in 1801, we've thoughtfully updated our space to create a custom-designed wedding venue that exudes a timeless elegance.
Our comfortable and relaxed atmosphere will put you and your guests at ease as you celebrate your special day. With guest bedrooms available on-site, you can turn your wedding into a mini-vacation. And don't forget our luxurious newlywed suite, complete with a stunning chandelier and a bathtub to soak in after your big day.
Inside Rixey Manor Wedding Venue
The Rooftop, with its 1500 sq ft of panoramic views, is a genuinely unique venue space that showcases all that Virginia has to offer. The stunning Blue Ridge Mountain views and unforgettable sunsets will make for lifelong memories for you and your guests. The Rooftop is a versatile space that can be used for multiple uses, ensuring your special day is tailored to your exact needs.
The Rooftop
For a truly unique wedding experience, don't limit your photography spaces. At Rixey Manor, we offer various notable options to make your special day as magical as possible. From our serene gardens and rustic fencelines to the charming swing donated by a previous bride, our property offers endless opportunities for unforgettable moments. Our friendly horses add an extra warmth to the occasion and make for fantastic photo opportunities. You, your photographer, and your guests will all be inspired to keep snapping those gallery-worthy pictures.
Other Notable Spots around our Wedding Venue
"Their graciousness, efficiency and professionalism de-stressed the entire wedding! The Manor, the scenery and the staff were simply amazing! Our most heartfelt thanks for everything you did to make my daughter’s wedding absolutely perfect."
Allyson C
"Rixey Manor is the most beautiful venue I’ve ever seen. I attended a wedding this weekend for my best friends and everything was so beautiful. From the property to the bridal sweet to the ballroom. The staff was AMAZING."
Annie J
"I am still swooning over my wedding! The entire weekend was planned down to the minute and I didn’t have to worry about ANYTHING. My day was even more beautiful than I ever imagined."
Devan C
"If you don’t get married at Rixey you aren’t doing it right! It's not only is stunning but offers so many amenities and a contingency plan for everything! We had planned for an outdoor ceremony with cocktails on the roof but when the weather decided to flip, the team created the most beautiful indoor ceremony in the gorgeous ballroom."
Kasey J
"Rixey Manor was the absolute perfect wedding venue for me and my husband. Yes the location and house and landscapes are amazing, but it's the people that work there that make your dreams come true."
Kevin C
"I did not grow up dreaming of my "fairytale" wedding, but the minute my husband and I pulled into the driveway of Rixey Manor, all of our dreams came true and we knew this was our venue. The mountain views, architecture, history, animal friendly venue we're all things we were looking for."
Cassandra C
The Handbook
The Rixey Manor Handbook is a 30+ page document with whimsical tips and advice for getting to your wedding day - and beyond. It is tailored to our venue and area but can benefit any couple.
"For most Couples, we are the first stop on the wedding trail. It is hard, if not impossible, to book other vendors as it also gives you a date! From this point onward, you are now faced with a massive list of tasks broken down into months and when you need to achieve them. We hate this and consequently would like to propose our way of organizing your wedding planning based on some simple points:
1. Throw out the month-by-month timeline. There is nothing wrong with booking things as soon as you want to book or buy them. Why you should wait until a month or two to accept your guest book is crazy. Just get things as you find them, and ensure you have them all before the wedding. You can get most last-minute stuff on Amazon (overnighted) or Michaels. If you really care about it, buy it early, and if you don't care about it, buy it the next time you drive by a wedding-type store and be done with it.
2. On that subject, if there is someone you really want to book. Book them as soon as you have a date.
3. Don't put your guest list together, and then try and figure out how you will pay for that many meals or how you'll fit all of the guests into your venue. Have a clear idea of what you would like your food budget per head, where you would like to do your ceremony, and your budget in general (invitations aren't cheap). Then, come up with a maximum number of guests. It will help to figure out some guest list rules (that apply to both sides) to get you to that number. The first thing we always tell couples is if they wouldn't take someone out for a three-course meal when it isn't their wedding, why would they do that on a day that is so much more than that? Wedding parties are hard to change. Start small, choose wisely, then increase the guest list total as the months roll on.
Using these rules, here is our Wedding To-Do list from priority to last.
P.S. Unlike some websites, we haven't broken it down into bite-size pieces (research caterers, talk to caterers, get quotes from caterers, set up tastings, go to tastings, etc.). Our philosophy is that you get the ball rolling and keep on top of moving it forward.
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Budget
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Venue and Date
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Guest list
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D.J./Music
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Photographer and/or Videographer
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Book Hair and Makeup
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Engagement Shoot
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Hotel Block
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Wedding Party
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Florist
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Caterers (including Linens etc.)
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Dress
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Save the Dates
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Tent/Arbor/Big rentals
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Cake
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Officiant
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Transportation (Shuttles)
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Timeline (broad)
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Bridesmaids/Groomsmen Clothing
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Invitations
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Plan Rehearsal Dinner
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Smaller Rentals like Signage
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Rings
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Marriage License (no sooner than 60 days away)
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Chase down RSVP's
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Work out Alcohol
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Upload all contracts, reference photos and table layouts to Honeybook
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Confirm (numbers and arrival times) with all vendors
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Seating Chart
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Timeline (detailed, including order of photos)
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All the random bits (ring pillow, ceremony sand, etc.)
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Order lunches/breakfast or any other meals, about which vendors will also need a feed at those times.
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GET MARRIED!
From "Will you" to "I Do" - How Our Wedding Venue Can Help You Get There
We like to share our knowledge wherever we can to aid in planning your NOVA event. Our goal is to ease you through the planning process. This will allow the day of your event to run smoothly and with as little stress as possible.
Here is what to expect when you join the Rixey Manor Family.
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An experienced and caring team who truly care about your wedding weekend experience, want to learn what your priorities are, and will help you meet your goals within your budget. We have been lucky enough to be an expert for Martha Stewart, The Daily Meal, and OffbeatWed among others.
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Our first meeting (which you can book here) will last about 90 minutes. We take a walk around the spaces and then sit down and go through your wedding priorities and vision so we can match you with some vendors we think will be perfect - and give you advice on how to interview new vendors yourselves. Our wedding venue is about an hour from Alexandria, Arlington and Dulles Airport.
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If you choose to ask for a contract, it will be sent to you directly on our Honeybook workspace. It's a wedding-specific site that allows for invoice reminders, a place to upload all your contracts so we can double-check them, and for all the Rixey Manor team to keep up to date on your wedding coordination.
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We will also send you the Rixey Manor Handbook and a custom Google Sheets spreadsheet to keep track of your wedding planning. The Handbook and practical advice list everything you can borrow from our "borrow cottage" - the less you bring in, the less you have to pack up. It can also help keep your budget low if you don't have to buy or rent the more generic aspects of your wedding decor and let the wedding venue provide them instead.
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There are often several meetings between your first tour and wedding date - catching up on plans, meeting parents, and at the mixers and educational events we plan throughout the year. We want you to feel at home, so we encourage these meetings to take place at our Northern Virginia wedding venue, but we are used to planning with those further afield utilizing Zoom and other remote help.
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We will do the final planning meeting about four to six weeks before your wedding. Together, we will go through every element of your wedding, looking for sticky points and ensuring we understand how best to meet your needs and vision (and get your snack order for stocking the kitchen). We will also invite new wedding vendors to tour the venue so they are prepared for your big day.
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You can schedule a drop-off appointment the week of your wedding to bring your decor, alcohol, and other bits into the Manor a few days early. It lets us check in and reduces our couple's anxiety, knowing it's all onsite.
Below are some other ways to help ensure you are prepared, on track, and don't feel too overwhelmed.
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Rixey Manor Handbook - 30+ pages of advice about talking to vendors, planning your time, and, most importantly, spending your budget wisely. You can read an excerpt below. It is advice very specific to the Northern Virginia wedding market, and to our wedding venue.
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Vendor Recommendations - we can recommend an extensive range of vendors in Northern Virginia for your wedding to cover all styles and budgets. While it's not our job to tell you how to allocate your budget, we feel responsible for ensuring that the people you employ represent good value for money and will deliver on the vision they promised. The vendors we recommend have done that repeatedly (look at our Instagram; tagged vendors are those we love), and if you bring someone new, we meet with them before the wedding to ensure we are all on the same page.
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Bootcamp - a day of practical wedding planning held every year at Rixey Manor for all our couples to attend, ask questions, and learn the valuable bits of a wedding that Pinterest can't teach.
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Table Layouts and Timelines - While we encourage you to make your wedding unique, we also provide table layouts and help you build a timeline for your vendors to help create a natural flow.
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Experienced Team - no man is an island, and no wedding is possible without a great team around to support you and your family. Much of our Team, which ranges from bartenders to someone setting up your rehearsal dinner table, have been with us since we opened and fully reflected the philosophy of the Manor.
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Coordination - while you are on-site at the wedding venue, we include a coordinator to ensure all the hard work we have done together is executed without a hitch. In a dream world, your coordinator is nothing more than someone overseeing the fantastic work of your vendors - but in reality, there are little glitches throughout a wedding, and they are there to offer a solution before anyone is even aware there is a problem.