Rixey Manor
Rixey Manor
Rixey Manor estate grounds

Rixeyville, Virginia  ·  Est. 1801

Thirty acres.
One wedding.
All weekend.

Everything you need to know about the manor, the spaces, the people who run it, and how it all works.

★★★★★The Knot Hall of Fame  ·  220+ Reviews

The Full Picture

Not a slot for the afternoon.
A home for the weekend.

Rixey Manor is 30 acres of historic Virginia estate in Culpeper County, at the foot of the Blue Ridge: the manor house built in 1801, a private lake, mountain views across the Piedmont, and four bedrooms plus a separate cottage for your wedding party to stay in.

The estate sits in Rixeyville, Virginia — about an hour from Washington DC, 15 minutes from Culpeper, and a straightforward drive from anywhere in Northern Virginia. Couples come from across the DMV, from Richmond, from Charlottesville, and regularly from further afield for the kind of weekend a ballroom-in-a-hotel simply cannot replicate.

When you book Rixey, you get all of it. The whole building. The whole grounds. From Friday afternoon through Sunday morning. No other events, no strangers, no clock running out at midnight. Just your wedding, the way you actually imagined it.

350+Weddings hosted
30Acres
200Maximum outdoor guests
14Overnight guests

The estate

Everything you're imagining,
on 30 acres.

The Spaces

Every part of the estate is yours for the weekend. Here's what you're working with.

Couple exchanging vows on the front steps of Rixey Manor with guests seated on the forecourt and lush lawn

Outdoor ceremony · up to 250 guests

The Ceremony Site

The 225-year-old carriage steps descend toward Rixey Lake, with the Blue Ridge Mountains rising behind your guests. Photographers never have to worry about a bad background here — the backdrop does the work before a camera is raised.

On still mornings, fog lifts off the water. In the afternoon the light comes in from the west and goes warm.

Couple walking toward the glowing clear span terrace tent at Rixey Manor at twilight

Outdoor reception & dining · clear-span tent · up to 200 guests · Blue Ridge views · ADA accessible

The Terrace

A sparkling clear-span tent on the terrace — string lights overhead, mountain views through the walls, the whole evening framed in glass. It works for cocktail hour, al fresco dinners, and dancing. Up to 200 guests under the tent.

The way the lights fall at night is something guests photograph and post without being asked. It has made Rixey one of the most-shared wedding venues in the region. In summer months a white shade tent can be added for guest comfort. In cooler months, standing heaters keep the evening going longer than anyone planned. The terrace is step-free from the parking area and fully accessible. On warm evenings the sides roll up. In autumn the mountains turn and the light does something impossible.

The Ballroom

Indoor reception · climate controlled · up to 100 guests · ADA accessible

The Ballroom

Twenty crystal chandeliers. French doors on three sides. Natural light until the candles take over. Commercial climate control keeps it comfortable year round — making the ballroom the reason a winter wedding here works just as well as any other season.

The ballroom holds up to 100 guests for a seated dinner and is fully accessible from the parking area. Hundreds of weddings have happened in this room. You can feel it — not in a haunted way, in the way that makes first dances feel like they mean something.

Bird's-eye view from the Rixey Manor rooftop looking down at the outdoor ceremony below

Cocktail hour or ceremony alternative · 1,800 sq ft · staircase access only

The Rooftop

1,800 square feet of open rooftop, facing west. Cocktail hour up here means your guests watch the sun drop behind the Blue Ridge while holding their first drink of the evening.

Staircase access only — not suitable for guests with mobility limitations. For accessible outdoor events the terrace is the right choice.

The terrace

The lights that went viral.
See why.

Stay the Weekend

The manor sleeps up to 14.

The manor sleeps up to 14 guests across four bedrooms and a separate cottage. On Friday night, everyone arrives and settles in. On Saturday, the wedding happens. On Sunday morning, there are pastries, bagels, and coffee waiting before everyone heads home.

The Manor — Four Bedrooms

The Newlywed Suite at Rixey Manor — copper soaking tub, ornate ceiling light, and garden views
1 / 5

California King · en suite · copper bathtub · 360-degree mirror · Juliet balcony

The Newlywed Suite

The suite saved for the couple. A California King, a handmade copper bathtub, a 360-degree mirror, and a Juliet balcony. It's a room that knows what it's for.

The Maple Room at Rixey Manor — four-poster bed, fireplace, and hardwood floors

California King four-post bed · en suite · lake and mountain views

The Maple Room

A California King four-poster bed with lake and mountain views. The kind of room you want to stay in when it isn't your wedding night.

Elegant bedroom at Rixey Manor with fireplace, four-poster bed, and period furnishings

Queen sleigh bed · copper tub · Blue Ridge views

The Mountain Room

Queen sleigh bed, copper tub, Blue Ridge Mountain views. Best room to wake up in on Sunday morning.

Elegant bedroom at Rixey Manor with four-poster bed, antique furniture, and hardwood floors

Queen · en suite shower · kitchen access

The Garden Room

A Queen bedroom with its own shower and direct access to the kitchen. Useful for early risers and parents who need to get the kids sorted.

Groomsmen relaxing in the Blacksmith Cottage at Rixey Manor before the ceremony

Separate from the manor house

The Blacksmith Cottage

Separate from the manor house, the Blacksmith Cottage is a full private home.

Two bedrooms (Queen and 2 Twins), a large bathroom, a living area with a U-shaped sofa and Queen pullout, and a kitchen. It sleeps up to six. It's the right option for the bridal party, parents who want their own space, or the friends who want to stay up late without waking the manor.

On the morning of the wedding, it's usually where the groom's party disappears to.

Isadora Martin-Dye, owner of Rixey Manor, at the ceremony altar with autumn foliage and the lake behind her

Isadora Martin-Dye, owner of Rixey Manor since 2014.

How Rixey Manor Came to Be

She found it on Zillow. It was derelict. She bought it anyway.

Before all this, Isadora spent years in Los Angeles working in film, TV, and talent management — running her own company, working on productions like The Hunger Games. That world trained her in the things that matter most: high-pressure logistics, an eye for detail, and knowing how to make a hundred moving parts look effortless on the day.

She found a foreclosed 1801 estate on Zillow. The building had been abandoned. The grounds were overgrown. Most people would have kept scrolling.

She didn't. She bought it, moved in, and started restoring it by hand.

That was 2014. Since then, Rixey Manor has hosted over 350 weddings. Hall of Fame status on The Knot. Couples who write long notes years later to say it was the best decision they made.

What hasn't changed: one wedding at a time. That was the original standard and it remains the standard. Not because it's a marketing line — Isadora knows what happens to a place when you start running it like a factory. It stops being a place.

Couples often say they felt like they were staying in a friend's home. That's the goal. It's also, genuinely, what it is.

Qualifications & Recognition

  • Certified Elite Wedding Planner
  • Member of The Knot Hall of Fame
  • 350+ weddings personally planned and coordinated
  • Inclusive, LGBTQ+ affirming & culturally fluent
  • Dual UK / US citizenship — international client friendly

Featured In

Martha Stewart Weddings · Washingtonian Weddings · People Magazine · The Venue Report · Style Me Pretty · Refinery29 · Virginia Bride Magazine

The Team

Isadora Martin-Dye, owner of Rixey Manor, at the ceremony altar with autumn foliage and the lake behind her

Isadora Martin-Dye

Owner

Isadora built Rixey Manor from a derelict shell and has run it her way for over a decade. Before this, she spent years in film and TV in Los Angeles — including productions like The Hunger Games. That background informs everything here: the standards, the storytelling, the guest experience. Certified Elite Wedding Planner. Knot Hall of Fame.

Grace

Grace

Venue Manager

Grace manages the client journey from the moment you sign your contract through the last Sunday morning goodbye. She handles your planning file, table layouts, vendor coordination, and monthly check-ins. She will have seen your floor plan more times than you have.

The core team is intentionally small. The extended event team — setup crew, day-of staff, breakdown — scales to whatever your wedding needs. Many of the people who work here have been doing so for more than ten years. That kind of loyalty is rare in hospitality. We think it shows on the day.

One wedding at a time. Every time.

What Comes With Your Booking

Every booking includes the following.

No à la carte surprises.

The whole place.

Full exclusive use of the manor house, all outdoor spaces, the rooftop, the ballroom, the terrace and patio, the lake view ceremony site, and all 30 acres of grounds. For the duration of your booking — whether that's a single day or a full weekend. No other events share your time here.

A place to get ready.

The Newlywed Suite is held for the couple on the wedding day. The manor's kitchen, dining room, library, and sitting rooms are available for VIPs and vendors. Overnight accommodation across the manor house and Blacksmith Cottage (up to 14 guests) is available as an add-on — one night, two nights, or three.

Someone who knows what they're doing.

A Rixey coordinator is included with every booking. This is not a day-of coordinator who arrives for the ceremony and leaves after dinner. This is someone who has worked this property, knows these vendors, and has seen what can go sideways — and how to prevent it. Planning meetings and full wedding day coverage included.

The things you forget to budget for.

Classic white Chiavari chairs. Round tables, rectangular tables, cocktail tables. A drop-off appointment the day before. Your wedding rehearsal on site. The décor inventory — table numbers, arbors, card boxes, lanterns, signs and more — free to use. The borrow shed, stocked with items from past weddings. Parking. WiFi throughout the manor. Licensed in-house bartending service (required when serving alcohol). BYO alcohol — no corkage fees.

What Rixey doesn't provide.

Catering, a bar stock, and a required vendor list.

Which means you choose your own caterer, bring your own bar (no corkage fees), and hire whoever you want for flowers, music, photography, and everything else. Couples consistently say this flexibility saved them thousands. It's the point.

Discounts available.

5% off for ceremony held off-site, early event finish, or using only recommended vendors. 10% off for military, veterans, and first responders. Early 2026 dates may qualify for an additional 10%. Discounts are reflected in the pricing calculator.

The list above covers what is always included. Then there is everything else couples have done here — horses, lion dances, live painters, burying a bottle of whiskey, fire pits until 2am.

Only at Rixey →

Details & Policies

Guest capacity.

Indoor reception (ballroom)up to 100 guests
Outdoor reception (terrace/patio with tent)up to 200+ guests
Ceremony (lake view site)up to 250 guests
Overnight accommodationup to 14 guests (manor + cottage)

Location.

9155 Pleasant Hill Lane, Rixeyville, Virginia 22737. Culpeper County, in the Blue Ridge foothills of Northern Virginia.

Washington DC~60 miles, approx. 1 hr via I-66 or Route 29
Warrenton, VA~25 miles, approx. 30 min
Culpeper, VA~10–12 miles, approx. 15 min
Manassas / Gainesville~40 miles, approx. 45 min
Fredericksburg, VA~45 miles, approx. 50 min
Charlottesville, VA~60 miles, approx. 1 hr
Richmond, VA~90 miles, approx. 1.5 hrs

Nearest airports: Dulles (IAD) ~55 miles · Reagan National (DCA) ~70 miles · Richmond (RIC) ~95 miles.

Pets.

Pets are welcome, including at the ceremony. Approximately half of Rixey couples bring their dogs. The grounds are large, the team is used to them, and the rooftop makes for excellent dog photos.

Accessibility.

The main floor of the manor, the ballroom, the terrace, and the patio are ADA accessible. The rooftop is staircase access only. Upper-floor bedrooms are staircase access only.

If accessibility is a priority for your guests, let us know during your tour and we'll walk through the logistics together.

Discounts.

10% discount for active military, veterans, and first responders. Applied to venue fee. Confirm eligibility when booking.

Off-peak pricing available for non-peak months and weekdays, visible in the pricing calculator.

Elopements.

Elopement packages are available Monday through Wednesday for up to 12 guests. Packages range from $950 to $1,250. Contact us for current availability.

Your wedding at Rixey Manor

Come and see it
for yourself.

We want to learn about your wedding as much as tell you about the venue. That takes about an hour.

Or call us: (540) 212-4545Yes, you can text.