By Kelsey
The Hermitage, home of President Andrew Jackson, is one of
my favorite wedding and event venues in Nashville. The staff are friendly and
helpful. The property is gorgeous. And you can’t beat the Southern charm.
First things first, the Hermitage is absolutely beautiful,
and a great place for photo opportunities. In the fall, it is surrounded by
colorful leaves. In the winter, you may get lucky enough to get a little snow,
and you won’t beat those pictures!
The main mansion on the property is the home of President
Andrew Jackson. Due to its historical value, it is not available to rent for
functions. However, one thing that that makes The Hermitage unique from other
local venues is that it offers mansion and museum tours for wedding guests. I
can tell you that a lot of guests kind of hate waiting around at cocktail
hours. At The Hermitage, guests can spend time touring the property in between
the ceremony and reception, while you take photos.
Other buildings on the property include a cabin, the chapel,
and Tulip Grove Mansion. The cabin is used for larger wedding receptions. The
staff can also have a tent brought on site for outdoor receptions. The chapel
is a small, quaint little space for ceremonies. It isn’t elaborate, but one or
two lucky guests can sit in Andrew Jackson’s personal pew.
My favorite building on the property is Tulip Grove Mansion,
which was built for the nephew of the President’s wife, Rachel. It is perfect
for small to mid-size wedding receptions. Beautiful on the outside and inside,
the brightly painted interior walls help brides avoid the hotel-ballroom feel.
You might have heard one thing to throw you off: Tulip Grove doesn’t have
public bathrooms, so the staff rent a trailer-bathroom for weddings. Don’t let
this scare you! It’s super nice, and hidden in back, out of site for your
pictures.
I actually only have one negative thing to say about all of
my experience in working with the Hermitage. It is that they have a contract
with Liberty Party Rental, so you have to rent your party supplies from them.
It can be hit-or-miss with Liberty, as some of their staff can be rude and
unhelpful. However, the nice thing about the contract is that they deliver the
tables, chairs, plates, etc. the day before the wedding, and the Hermitage
staff will pack it all up for them to pick up the day after the wedding. This
eliminates a lot of hassle for busy brides. And Liberty’s selection is
adequate.
One final thing about the Hermitage is that they only host
one wedding per weekend. This is awesome because you won’t be competing with
other brides for space and time. The staff will be completely devoted to your
wedding.
All in all, I 100% recommend The Hermitage for your wedding
or event. An Elegant Encounter loves working with them, and we hope to plan or
provide flowers for your wedding at Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage.
