The Vineyard Estate at New Kent Winery - New Kent, Virginia

Jessie S.

Wedding date: November 19, 2022

Although our wedding day was wonderful, I cannot recommend The Vineyard Estates at New Kent as a wedding venue due to coordinator turnover, lack of communication and disrespect from the owners, and lack of organization and knowledge from the coordinators.

In March 2022 I booked New Kent. I loved our coordinator but in July she stopped responding to us. After a time, the owners told us she had decided to “choose a different path.” We got a new coordinator, but as we began talking, many crucial details were wrong: start time, length of the wedding, etc. It was frustrating answering the same questions repeatedly. Because she was new, the owners began to work more closely with us.

During our 6-week walkthrough, we met another woman who would be “assisting” our coordinator. The owners were already pushing back on things, not trusting guests to consume an appropriate amount of alcohol despite us having paid for an open bar, and issues over how long we booked the venue.

You get 5 hours of rental upfront. We added an hour when we booked, then wanted to add another. The owners were adamant they wouldn’t do it due to rules about employees working too long but nowhere in the contract does it specify you cannot add more time. Though they relented, things became worse.

In late October, our second coordinator stopped responding to us. I had to actually ask in an email on November 1 if our second coordinator was still an employee. Answer: no. So, with two weeks to go, we found ourselves with a *third* coordinator. On both occasions, the owners didn’t communicate the coordinator change (quitting) and we started from scratch right before the wedding.

What solidified my opinion, though, was how they handled our final invoice and payment. Three weeks before the wedding we received our invoice. Everything was wrong (credit card fee, fire pit, champagne toast, guest count, beverage count, address). I asked for corrections and received the updates a week later. I wanted to clarify who to make the check out to because of the large payment. I didn’t hear back even though I checked in twice. A few days later the owners told us we had 48 hours to pay, or we’d incur a 10% late fee. They were angry that we did not pay four weeks before the wedding, but we didn’t even get an invoice by their payment “deadline”.

They were incredibly rude and disrespectful to us over email especially when they knew my dad had just passed away a few months earlier. Their “business policies” are manipulative. They were condescending, and it took away our time, energy, and trust.

The rehearsal was a disaster. We arrived at 2 pm to go over decorations. The coordinator didn’t show until 2:40 pm. I emailed at 2:10 and 2:30. I texted the owner. No response. When the coordinator arrived, she didn’t apologize, only said she had to help out at the winery. Awkward and unprofessional. Our families, wedding party, and officiant were all waiting, and we were late for our own rehearsal dinner. She didn’t know what she was doing, and called everyone by the wrong names.

I barely saw her the day of the wedding. A family friend set up decorations for us and the coordinator kept asking her for advice. My mom had to keep stepping out to answer questions instead of being with me. When the procession started, right before I went down the aisle, our flowers fell off the wine barrels but our coordinator didn’t move. My bridesmaids had to insist she run out and pick up the flowers because they blocked our path.

During the reception, the owners refused to allow us to put wine on the table and they only filled water at the start so people had to get up and go outside for water/drinks, which took away from dances/speeches.

If it were April 2022, I would’ve given New Kent five stars but our experience in the end was full of mistreatment and unprofessionalism. I loved my wedding day (see photos) but the stress New Kent heaped upon our families should never have happened.

If you are a bride- or groom-to-be, I recommend looking elsewhere.

Enrique R.

It is a nice venue, beautiful views, located in a growing area, easy to find, good place for a weekday afternoon, their wines 🍷are fine (not the best, not the worst), for food they only have snacks (crackers, cheeses, fruit, etc..), servers, some are friendly, and some are rude.

We went there for their Sunday brunch. Their reservations system could be way easier, you have to make a reservation for everything, I had to make a reservation for a table, the brunch, the wine tasting, so if you're a coming on a weekend make sure you have reservation for everything because it gets crowded, and the spaces are limited.

The brunch menu doesn't have many options. it's just a acouple board with different snacks.

There's a boom of wineries in the area, I wouldn't recommend this one. I mean, it is not bad, but there are much better options.

Lindsay F.

My clients were informed last minute that due to a sudden change in ownership and policy they would be charged for an additional night in order to keep their overnight reservation. For a bride, this is the absolute opposite of customer service- it is a panic inducing nightmare. The wedding coordinator under the old contract was joyful and professional however after attempting to introduce myself to the new owner on the Elston’s wedding day I was grumbled at and dismissed. In 15 years of service in this industry I have never been treated so poorly but what disappoints me the most is that my clients were treated with such rigidity and lack of care.

Justin F.

A great wedding venue. The grooms suite is so fun. The bar and food area is great. Such a wonderful place for a wedding. If you are in need of a venue even for an event this is the place! Besides they have outstanding beer and wine!

Cassie E.

We were so excited to have our wedding at the Vineyard Estate. We loved our wedding coordinator, Jackie, and were impressed by her. The venue itself was stunning and exactly what we wanted. I usually don't leave reviews, but want to warn other brides. Be wary of the owners of the venue, JoAnna and her husband. Others have noted that as well. They run a shady business and I was surprised by them (negatively) again and again. First, they told us that we could have up to 180 guests. Our coordinator said that was the max, and it was listed in their wedding information packet and online. We sent out invitations and about 4 months before our wedding, the owner said she was "shocked" we would have 180 guests, because she said the maximum allowed was 150 guests. She said she would have to "think about how to make it work." Our coordinator assured us there were other weddings that had 180 guests and was unsure why the owner was surprised. Additionally, they rent an air b&b on site. The rate per night was $750 a night, and we were going to stay there the night before the wedding. We communicated this 6 months before the wedding and were told that the contract would be forthcoming. Throughout that time, I sent 3 emails asking for the specifics about the airb&b and the contract. Then, THREE weeks before our wedding, two days after she said she was going to send the contract that day, she said we needed to pay an extra $750 to rent the airb&b. She said it was a "new policy as of today." If we wanted to stay there, we needed to pay double what she originally quoted us on. Our wedding coordinator said in writing as well she thought it was unfair to change on us that short of notice and would try to talk to them. We ended up staying somewhere else.
Then, lastly, one of their associates assured my bridesmaids all the decorations and things were packed up and there was nothing they needed to do. Then, I received an email the next day stating that the flowers and food was left behind and they were "displaying your flowers at New Kent Winery" and threw away the extra food. She even apologized to me and a bridesmaid, saying she wasn't sure what happened. However, $200 was taken from our security deposit due to "cleaning fees of food and flowers." (even though they used our flowers for their benefit).

If you want a trustworthy venue, I would not get married here. There are other venues that would give you less stress!

Kaitlyn H.

I cannot recommend this venue enough. If you’re reading these reviews then i’m sure you’re seeing some of the less than favorable reviews, however I can wholeheartedly say that my experience was only positives.

The coordination team was absolutely amazing and while they did ask the same questions a few times it was mostly to ensure our answers/choices hadn’t changed since the last time we spoke.

They were there for any questions we had and were so lovely to meet all of our requests. They were straight forward with a no B.S. attitude but still very kind. They took care of an awkward situation (important family member almost showing up late to the ceremony) with grace and in a way that I hadn’t even noticed until my husband told me about it later that night.

Everyone always says to expect something, anything, to go wrong on your wedding day, but here, with this venue, not a single thing went wrong. Heck, I didn’t even know it had rained for a short time, they took care of everything outside for us. The setup for the rehearsal and drop off was perfect, they took care of small details like finishing the table chalk signs or finding a basket for the flower girls petals. They made sure both the Groom and I were involved in every step and were just super lovely throughout everything. I have absolutely no regrets about choosing this stunning venue!!

Gail A.

Love New Kent Winery! Great food trucks during Good Shot Judy Band! I have had the pleasure of watching Good Shot Judy grow! Love this band!

Hannah B.

I wanted nothing more than to write a raving review of this venue. I had them booked for over a year before my event. I had no issues until the last 6 weeks before my wedding. So I’ll start with the pros: Stunning venue. Picture perfect. Thankful for my coordinator and now friend who made sure my wedding day went perfectly. (This coordinator no longer works for the venue.) plenty of parking and lots of space to mingle.

Now for the cons: you only get 7 hours (5 for your event and 2 for pre ceremony pictures… really only 1.5 because guest arrive 30 mins early). If you have a vendor, like a band that needs space to sit and eat, the venue offers no accommodation for them (we had to use the grooms carriage and kick the groomsmen out).
And last con:
Unfortunately, I cannot in good conscience, recommend this venue so long as the owners have any part to play in wedding coordination. They are very difficult to work with, can be abrasive at times, will show up to your wedding, eat your food and deserts as an uninvited guests and not say congratulations to the bride or groom. there are no provisions in the contract that say that they will do this or that they are entitled to eat and drink at your wedding. They also feel it is appropriate to say negative things about the bride to her family, especially if she has any vision, boundaries, or ideas for how her wedding should go.

The venue shorted the refundable deposit for a cleaning fee that happened at another wedding and they had no proof that the incident did occur at the event. They made no one aware the night of and exceeded the contractual guaranteed return date for the deposit (14 business days was in the contract… they took an additional 18 days to have a check ready) with no explanation.

It truly pains me to write this as I loved my wedding and truly felt this was the perfect place to get married but it only takes one mean person to ruin it for good.

If you are a bride or groom wanting to get married here and you have boundaries, vision, and are well organized… please save yourself the stress and look for another venue.