A Wedding for Every Taste and Style

The resort, situated on the banks of the gently flowing James River, hosts weddings for anywhere from a few of your closest friends to 300 people in a variety of stunning settings featuring panoramic water views and dramatic sunsets.

"We can do whatever you can imagine," says Kaitlin Edwards, Kingsmill Resort’s wedding planner, who has made dreams come true during her years at the resort.

What have people imagined?

Traditional, Southern weddings, Disney-themed weddings, an Avatar-themed wedding, a Stars Wars wedding, traditional Indian and Moroccan weddings, a Big Top wedding, a brunch wedding and, yes, even a Christmas wedding.

Edwards and her team have fielded and filled requests for all kinds of cakes, too, from a Rubik's Cube cake to a T-Rex groom's cake. They've arranged for brides to arrive via horse and carriage and newlyweds to leave that way. They’ve punctuated receptions with fireworks. They’ve supervised setting up pyrotechnics over the river when the happy couple cuts the cake. They've arranged giant sparklers to line their path from the ballroom when they exit the reception as husband and wife.

What makes turning imagination into reality even easier is that Edwards and her team offer in-house wedding planning services to make any bride’s dream come true (although they’re happy to work with outside planners). They have set up ceremonies with 300 guests by the seven trees on the event lawn along the shores of the James River. They've seated 100 for vows on Turtle Cove, a lush peninsula of land within easy walking distance of Kingsmill's ballrooms. And they've created intimate ceremonies for up to 50 guests at Pettus House — a manor once owned by August Busch III, the former CEO and Chairman of Anheuser Busch — with sweeping views of the river. Other interior spaces have included the James River Grand Ballroom, which seats 300 for dinner and dancing, as well as the Burwell Plantation Room, which seats up to 160.

"We make every wedding its own," Edwards says, of the 25-30 weddings a year at the resort.

Kingsmill is a modern place filled with historic charm and tradition so it's no surprise that Southern-themed weddings have become popular in recent years. What is a Southern wedding? Like all Kingsmill weddings, it depends upon what the bride and groom consider traditional.

The traditions are as varied as the couples. Some bury a bottle of bourbon — upside down — to bring good luck and clear weather. Some choose monogram themes, pineapple accents, or colors — blue and white — throughout. For a traditional yet rustic feel, farm tables and benches have been moved into the soaring James River Grand Ballroom, overlooking the river.

Food, too, is an easy way to punctuate a theme thanks to the chefs at Kingsmill. For Southern weddings, they've created crab cakes, bourbon-glazed Virginia ham, mini-bread puddings, and key lime tarts.

But if Southern isn't the way you want to go, the food options are as varied as your imagination. The Kingsmill menu runs to 28 pages from filet and caviar to sandwiches and wraps. Food can be served any style — plated, buffet, family style, or at stations. The resort offers a complimentary tasting to plan the menu. Linen options — chosen three to six months ahead of time — are as varied as the menu.

Before the wedding, members of the groom's party typically hang out at Moody's Tavern upstairs, an event space with large-screen televisions and a pool table. Moody's also serves as an after-party location where a midnight snack, a new trend, is served.

The personal service covers every imaginable need. Staff members will pack up gifts and move them to cars or the honeymoon suite. An audio visual professional will set up music and more. The bride and groom get a complimentary two-night stay. No need to freeze the top of the wedding cake. The pastry chef will make them a new cake for their first-year anniversary (a complimentary one-night stay) at the resort. With the marina, the golf courses, and the expansive views of the river, the resort offers photo options for every taste, too.

Staying on site is convenient for family and friends, thanks to a variety of lodging from condominiums to cottages to three private vacation homes.

Edwards says she has planned and executed weddings in as little as two weeks, but the normal lead time is a year to 18 months. May, June, September and October are the busiest months. But at Kingsmill, the staff is ready any time of the year for whatever you can imagine.

"We cater to any kind of wedding," Edwards adds, "anything you want."

For more information and reservations, visit kingsmill.com or call 800-832-5665.