Market at Grelen Weddings: Elegance and Romance at a Nature-Inspired Venue

Market at Grelen Weddings provide the ultimate canvas for the wedding day of your dreams. It is elegance and nature and whimsy all rolled into one. Say “I do” surrounded by the serene Blue Ridge Mountains, rolling orchards, and beautifully manicured gardens on this 1000-acre tree nursery. One thing you’ll love about this venue is its destination wedding feel. Despite being a one-and-a-half-hour drive from DC and just a short 35-minute scenic drive from Charlottesville, this location is completely tranquil. At the Market at Grelen Somerset, VA, you get the perfect mix of convenience and remote beauty.

Are you looking for a charming and picturesque but peaceful venue around Virginia? Then you’ll love this wedding venue and all it has to offer. Read more on the beauty of this location and how to have a Market at Grelen wedding below.

From getting ready in the newly renovated and beautifully lit Magnolia Cottage to a variety of enchanting ceremony spaces, such as the picturesque Berry Field or the serene Shade Garden, the possibilities here are endless. 

Brief History

The Market at Grelen’s story begins with Dan Gregg. In 1990, he founded a nursery on a cattle farm that had been in his family for three generations. He called it Grelen Nursery, and it became a local favorite. By 2003, demand for the plants from the nursery had grown so much that Gregg purchased a 200-acre farm in Somerset. That farm grew to be one of the largest tree nurseries in Virginia. The wedding venue is on this farm, and the Market at Grelen has hosted events since 2013.

Market at Grelen Wedding Ceremony

The Market at Grelen is perfect for outdoor, garden, country, vineyard, Boho, or eco-friendly weddings. It offers a myriad of captivating outdoor spaces with tent weather options for ceremonies and receptions. The Market at Grelen can host up to 400 wedding guests and has many elegant places designed to embrace nature.

The Berry Field and Half Moon Garden are perfect for couples looking for a picturesque outdoor space with beautiful backdrops. Berry Field provides a rolling hills backdrop and you’ll love the magnificent weeping cherry tree at the Half Moon Garden. For a more serene and shaded experience on a hot day, you can go for the Shade Garden instead.

If you’re more adventurous, then you’ll love Bloomfield, which is a ceremony space nestled on top of the nursery with breathtaking views. Or you can choose the Love Lawn, which is the Market at Grelen’s newest wedding venue addition. It offers wonderful views of the nursery similar to Berry Field.

For inclement weather, the Market at Grelen offers the Grelen Greenhouse as a sophisticated and cozy option for ceremonies. The cascading vines and vibrant greenery add to the charm of this space, which can host up to 130 guests. If you have bigger guest counts, you can go for the Orchard Overlook Tent instead, which can host up to 250 guests and overlooks the Berry Field and nursery.

Market at Grelen Cocktail Hour

The Blue Stone Terrace is perfect for Cocktail Hour at the Market at Grelen wedding and can host up to 250. It offers a unique blend of the outdoors and sophistication with designer iron-wrought furniture. You’ll get a picturesque view of the Blue Ridge Mountains and sloping rows of the vibrant tree farm.

The Greenhouse, romantic Half Moon Garden and the cool Shade Garden are also great for cocktail hour. Or you can choose to relax and enjoy the experience at the Potting Shed with its rustic charm. Lastly, Market at Grelen weddings can also have their cocktail hour at the Pergola of the nursery, which has a charming and rustic ambiance.

Market at Grelen Wedding Reception

The Orchard Overlook Tent is the wedding reception space for the Market at Grelen weddings. It is one of the most unique features of this venue. This magnificent tent has breathtaking views that span over 100 acres. Its entrance is at Bluestone Terrace and it opens to an open-air patio. You’ll love how enchanting this space is with its clear top and retractable sides. It is adorned with iron chandeliers and twinkling lights that turn this place into a captivating sanctuary perfect for wining and dining and dancing the night away. The Orchard Overlook Tent can seat up to 250 guests and provides ample space for everyone.

The Marketing at Grelen Wedding Features

The Market at Grelen is an opportunity to showcase nature while having an unforgettable wedding. You’ll get extraordinary attention to detail for your wedding here. Below are some of the services this luxurious wedding venue offers.

Wedding Team

The Market at Grelen sets you to work with a dedicated wedding team committed to creating an extraordinary celebration. There is an onsite venue team that goes over your celebration details, helping you to dot your i’s and cross your t’s. The Market at Grelen also offers plant specialists to help you pick out in-season plants for your wedding at no cost!

Bridal Suite

Get ready at a suite that is part of the onsite Magnolia Cottage and offers elegance and luxury. This stunning large bridal suite has a lounge area, kitchenette, beauty bar for five, and a private half bath. As a wedding photographer, I love how bright and clean this space is, which is great for getting ready photos.

Grooms Den

The Grooms Den at the Market at Grelen is also part of Magnolia Cottage. It offers a dining table, a private full bath, a living area, and a getting-ready area. Both the Grooms Den and Bridal Suite are complimentary for up to four hours.

Accommodations

Other accommodation options at this venue include the Spotswood Lodge, which is ten minutes away and sleeps up to 20 guests. This cozy lodge is very versatile and has lovely views of a picturesque pond. Your guests can also stay at the historical Boxwood Villa, which is 10 minutes away, and can sleep 10.

Client Planning Portal

As part of the services at Market at Grelen, there is a planning portal to help you organize your wedding details. It offers everything from vendor coordination to guest lists.

Experienced Vendors

The Market at Grelen offers an exclusive vendors list for your wedding. You are required to choose your caterer and planner from this list. However, you’ll be working with quality and experienced professionals who will ensure that celebration will run smoothly.

Rentals

The Market at Grelen offers tables, chairs, barrel bars, restroom trailers, and lighting for rentals. You also get garden shop plants to adorn your wedding event spaces at no cost. The patio and lounge furniture surrounding this venue also come at no extra cost.

Parking

For parking, you and your guests can use over 40 spaces at the Market at Grelen parking lots. The Magnolia lot also offers additional spaces but is a separate area. You’ll need to offer guest transportation as a requirement for this venue.

Photography Opportunities

The Market at Grelen offers complimentary use of their wedding venue for your engagement session. Plus, the events teams will provide complimentary Kubota ride for breathtaking sunset portraits on your wedding day.

The Market at Grelen Wedding Cost

For your wedding at The Market at Grelen Somerset, VA, you’ll spend around $6,000 to $15,500 depending on the season. Weddings during peak season (April-June and September-November) cost between $10,000 and $15,500. In the off-season (March, July-August, and December), you can book weddings between $6,000 to $9,500.

Final Thoughts

The Market at Grelen Weddings are a truly unique experience with expansive mountain views and a myriad of romantic nature-inspired event spaces. You’ll also love this wedding venue for its additional services and free perks from being located on a plant nursery. I’m Lucy Jalin, a relationship-centered boutique wedding photographer passionate about capturing candid moments in artful ways. If you’ve chosen The Market at Grelen for your special day, I would be honored to photograph your celebration. Please contact me for more details!

Still exploring venues? Click here to learn more about my favorite venues in Charlottesville.

Looking for another gorgeous outdoor venue? Keswick Vineyards is one of my favorites!