Belle Meade Plantation
5025 Harding Pike Nashville, TN 37205 www.BelleMeadePlantation.com Average Cost: $16,500 *Average cost for THIS venue, including tax and gratuity, is calculated by figuring a 125-person guest list for a 6-hour reception on a Saturday night using the least expensive menu and bar options, as well as the venue’s tables and chairs. They do not include transportation to/from the venue, or any optional fees such as tents or decorations such as flowers and table linens. Numbers are rounded up to the nearest hundred.How it breaks down:
Facility Rental Fee: $5,000 for use of the property from 3 p.m. on. For brides (and wedding planners) wishing to start setting up by 8 a.m., it jumps to $6,000.Food: A licensed caterer must be used. Assume the going rate is anywhere between $50-$100/pp. Using the least expensive option, it would be $6,250.
Bar: BYOB (you’ll just have to supply bartenders and setups, which can also be arranged via the caterers). You can assume a generous $20/pp cost for alcohol, plus up to $500 for servers. $3,000
Tax and Service: This will be unique to your chosen caterer, but plan for a 18% service charge and 9.25% sales tax on food, beverage, and any rented equipment.
Party On! Events can start anytime after 5 p.m. Music in the interior of the Carriage House must stop at 11:00 p.m. Music in any other area must stop at 10:00 p.m.
What’s Included? 250 natural wood folding chairs, 25 sixty-inch round tables, 10 eight foot tables, and 10 six foot tables. You’ll have to bring in everything else.
More Stats:
Space Type: Inside/Outside
Size: If not tenting, the interior(s) and covered exterior can comfortably hold between 175-200.
Food Service Type: Caterers can arrange for formal seated or buffet. However, a buffet would open up a lot more space
Dressing Rooms Available: Bridal room available
Elevator: N/A
Security Provided: No
Valet: No.
How Will Grandma Get There? The plantation is approximately 15-20 mins from downtown Nashville. Out-of-town guests would have to be shuttled to the plantation. This cost can be anywhere from $2-4,000.
Things To Remember:
-The event location is not in the actual mansion, but in the covered Carriage House, Stables, and Boxwood Garden. You can also opt to have a tent in their Paddock Area, however there is no covered walkway between the Paddock and the other areas.
-If you’re planning to have the ceremony in the Boxwood Garden (which most brides using this facility do) there is a Plan B if it rains. The Stables has a long walkway which can hold up to 120-125 chairs. However, the aisle would be a bit narrow.
-The on-site kitchen is very small and no cooking is allowed, so the caterer will have to bring in the food already prepared.
The Report:
The Belle Meade plantation is located in Belle Meade, an upscale part of town with huge houses and a lot of history. The plantation is a historic site that is situated on 30-acres of land and used to be a famous stud farm (hence the stables). The drive into the plantation is gorgeous…you cross an old bridge that brings you onto the main property, which is surrounded by patches of sunflowers and boxwood trees. The grounds are expansive, with old slave houses (this is the South, after all) and even a working winery. The Boxwood Garden, where the ceremony would take place, is a shady garden with a stone aisle for the bride to walk down. What’s unique about the garden setup is that guests can be faced towards the bride as she walks down the aisle, with the musicians behind them or to the side. Guests can then walk over to the reception area, either the Carriage House and Stables, or a tented Paddock Area, which is basically a giant lawn. The Carriage House and Stables are covered and have giant wooden doors, and there is a covered walkway in between and around them that can be used for either a food station area or additional seating and bars. In the winter, you can install plastic drop-downs on the covered walkway to insulate the area and keep it warm.
Woman Getting Married Says:
While the grounds are very nice and the Carriage House and Stables are unique, if you want to have a somewhat formal wedding here, there is quite a bit that has to be done to spruce it up. The space seems better suited for a themed rehearsal dinner or casual wedding. As you can see from the pictures below, there are a lot of things you can do to dress the place up. From flowing curtains and hanging lanterns, you can make the space look great. But if you’re going to attempt to make it look like you’re somewhere else, why get married there? Also, while the rental fee includes tables and chairs, a formal event would require something fancier than what they offer (you can see their folding wooden chairs in the second picture, below). Considering everything that would have to be done to make this place look great, you’re looking at at least another $3-5,000. Given all of that, I thought it was definitely a good option, but it didn’t WOW me.
In the Stables. The carriages are moved out prior to the event. This area is also the rain option for the ceremony.
The area alongside the Carriage House.
In the Carriage House. Recangular tables such as this one would not allow for a large dance floor/band area.
In the Boxwood Garden.
