Highgrove Estate

Highgrove Estate is where wedding dreams come true! I had the pleasure of photographing a wedding at the beautiful Highgrove Estate recently and I can say as a photographer and a recent bride myself, this is an absolutely perfect venue for your most special day! The close proximity of everything makes it extremely convenient, there is a variety of space for photos all around the property, and they have gorgeous bridal and groom suites to get ready in!! And overall, the venue is absolutely gorgeous from every angle! It is a photographer's dream with so much variety for your photos!! Your guests walk into the house and are greeted with a beautiful champagne wall as they make their way through the house and then through the white french doors where they get the first glimpse of the beautiful ceremony arches. After the ceremony, your guests are a just steps away from cocktail hour on the patio, and before later being escorted into the beautiful reception space for the evening. The reception space is big, bright and ELEGANT!! With twinkle lights above and an inviting fire place, it is a beautiful and inviting space to celebrate and dance the night away. Lastly, I worked with one of their on-site planners, Angela who was absolutely wonderful! She was so helpful and knowledgeable in the planning process and left no stone unturned. On wedding day, all of the staff members on site were so kind and so helpful, just an absolute pleasure to be around! As someone who works with many venues, I was unbelievably impressed with the well-oiled wedding machine that is the Highgrove Estate team! They are truly there to make your wedding day dreams become a reality with a smile on your face! If you are looking to get married in the Raleigh-Durham area, I cannot recommend Highgrove Estate enough!

✨ The Wedding of My Dreams ✨ I truly don’t even know where to begin — our wedding was absolutely magical, and it’s all thanks to the incredible venue and staff who went above and beyond every step of the way. From the moment we started planning to the last dance of the night, the experience was flawless. The team was kind, professional, and unbelievably helpful. Every email and question (and there were many!) was answered promptly, with patience and care. I never once felt alone in the planning process — their support made all the difference. Channing, Angela, and Kristen were so personable and set this venue apart. The food? Out of this world! Every dish was beautifully presented and absolutely delicious — our guests could not stop raving about it. The cake, which was included in our package, was both stunning and mouthwatering. The late-night snacks were a huge hit and so worth it — they kept the energy going and added a fun, thoughtful touch that people are still talking about! One thing that meant the world to us was how accommodating the venue was with food requests, especially for our Muslim guests. Their ability to make sure everyone felt included, respected, and cared for speaks volumes about their commitment to hospitality. I honestly felt like a princess. It truly was my fairytale wedding, and we’re still hearing from guests that it was the best wedding they’ve ever attended. Every detail was perfect, every moment unforgettable. I cannot recommend this venue and team enough — they made our dream day a reality. 💕

I can’t express how amazed my husband and I were at the dedication and promptness of the entire Highgrove team. Right from when we first contacted them 2 years before our scheduled wedding date the team made us feel prioritized. On the day, our coordinator Angela was on top of everything even before the wedding started making sure that everything was just the way I wanted it to be and if it wasn’t, she went out of her way to make sure as a bride, I was happy. Our guests still talk about our day and how beautiful the entire estate was. Our guests loved the food especially the Parmesan wheel with added brisket! If you are planning a wedding in the Raleigh area, I would definitely recommend Highgrove to be the venue for your special day!

Highgrove is amazing!! They were extremely communicative and helpful. Our day of coordinator was Allie and she was phenomenal and super on top of everything. She must be a superhero because it seemed like she was in 5 places at once. The staff was friendly and amazing. Everything about the day was perfect and it’s truly worth every penny to have your wedding at Highgrove.

Beautiful venue, wonderful staff, and excellent food! Truly, my wedding was almost three years ago and my guests are STILL talking about how wonderful the food was and I wish I was able to have it again. Angela was a wonderful coordinator and ensured the day was flawless from access to the bridal bus, ensuring my husband and I never had an empty glass, and the day to be stress free as we did not have to coordinate a thing! Recommend Highgrove Estate again and again!

I photographed Emily and Austin's wedding at Highgrove Estate and I have to say that I was so impressed with every aspect of the venue! Obviously the venue is incredibly photogenic - and not just the ceremony and reception spaces but all of the getting ready rooms and the downstairs public spaces as well. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful and the food and drinks were amazing too! I highly recommend the venue to all of my couples looking for a beautiful and versatile wedding venue in the Raleigh area.

You have found the wedding venue of your dreams!! I love love love the Highgrove Estate. I've photographed here many times and it is hard to take a bad photo at such a beautiful venue. I love the spacious getting ready areas, so many great photo spots, and the whole vibe. Everyone I've worked with is so nice and helpful. I also got married here and they made everything so easy. I love that it's all inclusive and so close to Raleigh. Definitely one of the best wedding venues in the area...but I'm not biased!

I got married here on 10/25/24 and it was incredible. Almost everyone at my wedding was from NY and everyone was raving about the drinks, food, and scenery. It was stunning. The staff is so sweet and it was stress free planning with them. The only thing I really had to think about of was decor and item removal post wedding. They also made the food tasting experience so much fun!!! Highly recommend.

Had our wedding here. It was phenomenal Angela and the staff were great and helped to accommodate everything. It was a perfect day with 0 issues. Had multiple attendees tell us it was the prettiest venue they've been to. Would highly recommend.

Everyone says their wedding is the best day of their lives and we feel the same about ours! So much of that had to do with this venue and their phenomenal team. From our very first tour, but especially in the last two months leading up to the day, the Highgrove team went out of their way over and over to accommodate us and make sure we got everything we wanted out of our day. They are easy to communicate with, answered every question we had and were very upfront and transparent about pricing. The combined expertise of this group is priceless- from providing their list of recommended vendors, all of the advice they gave over the months of planning and directing the wedding party/guests on the big day, they really know what they are doing at Highgrove. I would highly recommend this venue to anyone. I can't imagine you'll receive better service or have a more beautiful setting in the Raleigh/Durham area.

Brides beware. This venue is absolutely gorgeous and the food and cocktails are amazing, but the people running it lack a moral compass (and you will be nickled and dimed for ev-ery-thing). All I can say is be thankful you were not an early 2020 bride-to-be. When the venue cancelled our wedding, they gave us the choice to have either a Monday or Thursday wedding in the fall, yet, they were going to charge us the same rate as our original weekend date during the regular season. When we tried to move our wedding to the spring of 2021, as Covid was still raging, they said that those dates were for new clients only. We were devastated as we had remained loyal to them, even with the weekday wedding relegation. I had to email them from a different address pretending to be someone brand new to find out when the open spring dates were. And there were so many. When I reached out to them from my normal email address and told them of my newfound knowledge, they flatly told me again that those were not for us but new customers only. My husband and I were LIVID. We were living through an unprecedented pandemic, not simply flip-flopping on when we wanted to get married. They were merciless and so rude. Thankfully, it came to light that our signed contract with them stated we were allowed to change our wedding date to one within 365 days of the original day, as long as we put down another deposit (which was absolutely ridiculous considering it was an act of God that got our wedding cancelled in the first place). They begrudgingly had to accept it, but by that time I had already been crying and crying as to how this venue had treated an incredibly loyal couple. Their original perkiness was such a facade--they only cared about the fact they had to follow the contract. For any potential brides looking at this venue, make sure you read all the fine print; do not let them fool you that they actually care about you and your big day, you are a dollar sign; do not expect any enthusiasm from your wedding planner, as ours seemed very checked out during the whole process; and make SURE they package up and give you any extra food at the end of your wedding that guests who cancelled last minute would've eaten. They told us they would, but that didn't happen. When we called them the next day about it, they gave us a hard time. We stood firm on it, because that is money WE spent, and they finally agreed to it, but we had to drive almost 2 hours round-trip just to pick it all up. They should have just given it to us the night of like they said they would. Even the day after the wedding they were still being sketchy and rude. I thought I was over everything, as this was 2+ years ago, but my blood is boiling yet again writing this long overdue review.

My friend got married here recently and this was one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever been to. The food was delicious, the coordinating was smooth and we really enjoyed all the different spaces for different moments of the day.

From the very beginning of decision making to very end of our celebration I found their services, staff and commitment to excellence bar none. Not only was the wedding planner personable but kind, detailed oriented and accommodating. Everyone was beyond exceptional and the food was 5-star gourmet and delicious. Our daughter and son in law had the most beautiful wedding they could imagine. Thank you High Grove Estate Team!

I have absolutely enjoyed the wedding planning process with this team! From day one they made me feel welcomed and like they were here for me and my future husband. Other venues we visited were great but only offered certain things or didn't allow certain things. When we toured this venue, not only was it beautiful, but the highly accommodating team made sure I knew they were here to make my day all I ever wanted. It's an all inclusive venue so almost everything was already taken care of. All I needed to do was find a photographer/videographer, DJ, and florist. They give a preferred vendors list though that gives plenty of options that work closely with the venue so even that process was made extremely easy. The wedding coordinator, food, drinks, cake...everything was all already included. Not to mention absolutely stunning and delicious! All of my guests asked me who catered and were shocked to find out it was the venue! They had so many options to choose from food wise and a few different service options to cater to every price point! I never felt overwhelmed or stressed by this whole process and my wedding coordinator was there to answer all of my outrageous questions! I will absolutely recommend this venue to any and everyone who asks! It was an amazing and easy experience! 10 out of 10 all the way around! I didn't take any pictures of the food as I was too busy eating it but it was so delicious! Beyond words!!

My wife and I went with my Sister and Niece to take a look at their property for my Niece's wedding. After spending 2 hours listening to the sales person, I casually asked if they had ever hosted a same sex wedding expecting the answer to be yes. We were all shocked when we were told they do not allow same sex weddings because the owner doesn't agree with allowing same sex marriages. If you are going to discriminate...be upfront about it and don't try to hide it. If you are serving the public, you should serve everyone!!

Beautiful venue and everything seemed well organized. Food was amazing and staff extremely helpful. If you are getting married this place is Def worth checking out!

After visiting this estate while wedding planning, it seems beautiful on the outside. My opinion changed when I found out that they discriminate openly. They were willing to book my wedding but after seeing media coverage on their views, we chose another venue. My partner is trans and they had no idea they would have been booking for the lgbtq community. I dodged a bullet when I chose another place to get married. I would never support a business that discriminates against another person.

Highly recommend! Beautiful venue, great staff! Far exceeded my expectations. My daughter was married there on 5/15 and was thrilled with the venue, food, staff and the entire experience. Several guests commented that it was the best wedding event that they had experienced. If you are looking for the perfect venue to host a wedding, Highgrove Estate is a no brainer!

Gorgeous. Simply gorgeous. Roughly three years ago my husband and I were married at Highgrove and it was a beautiful day on all accounts. Not only is the estate clean, chic and lovely but you get it all to yourself! It was the perfect choice for an intimate but spacious wedding day. We were married under the trellis and partied on through the night in the lit and air conditioned tent. The staff who worked our wedding were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable - from the servers to the day-of wedding coordinator. While the day of staff were wonderful, there definitely were days and weeks during the planning process when it was difficult to get the owners and management to respond to questions and requests. Regardless, they are well connected with vendors around town and definitely steered us in the right direction. In terms of the estate itself, there is plenty of parking for a small-medium sized wedding, ample space for the bride and groom (and party) to get ready and pretty views of the greenery and pond. It is really worth noting that the chefs are incredibly talented - the food was ah-mazing. If you're considering an outdoor wedding in the Raleigh area and you're looking for something that's beautiful and intimate, Highgrove is definitely a place you need to look in to.

This place is a hoax, filled with lies to their brides. BEWARE!!!!! Their contracts are as fishy as management. I've owned event planning businesses and I can tell you this place is a hoax.

My daughter was married at Highgrove in July. We had a great experience with them. They made everything very easy. We used their all inclusive package, which includes the DJ, florist, and photographer. You are given a choice of 3 different vendors from each category. They were terrific. Everyone was very professional. We didn't have to worry about a thing, everything was taken care of. The house and grounds are beautiful. The reception space is air conditioned, which is important in the summer! The interior of the house was just freshened up in the fall, with fresh paint colors, light fixtures, refinished floors, furniture and decorations. The food at Highgrove is amazing. It was absolutely delicious. This was another plus- not having to find a catering company. Wedding cake, linens, tables and chairs are also included. The photographer, florist and DJ had worked at Highgrove many times and were very familiar with the venue. They were all there before the bride even arrived! We had many people tell us that this was the best wedding they had ever been to.

My son was married here and it was absolutely beautiful. The director did an excellent job from start to finish.

My daughter and her partner wanted to come out to Highgrove to discuss their August 2020 wedding, but were told the owner does not participate in same sex weddings. Highgrove provided other venues to contact regarding their upcoming nuptials. Recommend you too choose another venue.

Beautiful wedding venue. Top shelf everything down to last detail. I would highly recommend having a wedding here as there is nothing that isn't done for you. You just need to show up and enjoy your wedding!!

My brother in law's brother got married here over the weekend and it is a very pretty place to get married. I liked the outside location overlooking a lake. It was a cloudy day when they got married but luckily the rain didnt start until after the ceremony. The staff did a great job keeping people from getting wet by providing umbrellas when we needed to go outside. The food was great and the staff was wonderful. If you are thinking about getting married in North Carolina it would be a good idea to take a look at Highgrove Estate.

I have NEVER been so disgusted with a business. I booked Highgrove for my wedding in November 2018. I paid $8,000 up front - $2,000 deposit (to reserve the date) and $6,000 paid up front for services to be rendered. Due to extremely unfortunate and unforeseen circumstances, I was forced to cancel my wedding a few months before the wedding date. I immediately notified Highgrove about the cancellation and politely asked for just the $6,000 since I understood that I would lose the $2,000 deposit. Highgrove stated the only way to get the $6,000 back was if another event was booked. I didn't understand why because no services would be rendered so I sought legal advice. My lawyer advised me to send a letter with my request which was ignored. Then, my lawyer sent a letter. This was also ignored. All I could do was wait to see if they used the venue on the day I paid for, which they DID. I called Vicky (the owner) to ask for my money back, since the venue was used on MY day. According to Highgrove, because they were keeping my money, the only person who had rights to that venue on that day was ME. Not only that, but Highgrove was very intentional about removing tags on social media or posting about this event. This is no coincidence since they always post on their social media and the bride and guests are tagged. She intended to keep my money even though the replacement wedding was already paid for.... DOUBLE DIPPING. Vicky STILL refused to give me my money back, so we went to court. The law was clearly on my side and Highgrove was forced to pay me back. I am SO glad to have my money back and hope they have learned from these events. Please be careful before you sign with this venue and their UNETHICAL practices. All they care about is money. They did not even have the decency to cancel my event in their system and stop the automatic notifications. So, while I am dealing with this among other things, I am getting emails to pick out a cake for a wedding that was no longer going to happen. Be careful. Make sure you read the contract. Check out other venues. It was good seeing you in court, Vicky.

I know this is long guys, but I hope it helps! My husband and I got married at the Highgrove Estates a month ago today! We got engaged the week before Christmas of 2012, I immediately started looking at places to get married because I knew they would book quickly, knowing a lot of people get engaged around Christmas. We made a list of a couple different places,but the Highgrove was top on my list to see first. I emailed, called and left voicemails until my face turned blue! I didn't hear anything back. So we kind of gave up and went to venues we couple get appointments at. We went to one that was close by the Highgrove and it was the worst We figured since we were so close by we would just see if we could walk around and look. This was about mid January now. We pulled up and accidentally barged in on someone else's appointment (I apologized profusely!), but we couldn't get ahold of anyone to get an appointment! Susan was nice enough to still let us walk around and look. As soon as we walked outside we knew we found the place for us! We asked Susan if we could make an appointment as soon as possible, she asked me my name and knew I had been emailing her, but never responded (kind of a pain!). Susan said she would be at the bridal show the next week and asked if we could come there and schedule an appointment, we said we didn't know if we could make it, but we would try. So, we left feeling great and immediately on the phone changing plans around the next week to go to the show just to book this appointment! We made to the show and booked our wedding day! While we were wandering around the show we found our photographer as well (Warren McCormack). It was great! So, the planning really gets started! We sit down to sign the official contract and talk about menus and pricing. She wanted us to figure out a menu package that day (just to have on the book, it could be changed). We were a little surprised because we have never had the food before so we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. We came to the conclusion that the menu pricing was a little high for our heavy lunch afternoon wedding. So we asked Susan if we could tweak it a little bit for a lunch instead of dinner. She said she would need to call the chef to make sure on pricing of what we had talked about and she would email me more details, which was fantastic! We at least had a different option. We were also informed that the cake was included with the menu packages. Knowing that we wanted a package, but different pricing myself, my mother and my groom as specifically if the cake would be included in our package as we all remember back in February that it was, three peoples memories can't be wrong right! We will get to that later! Everything is going well with the planning until about a month before the big day! I get a call from Susan saying that our cake was not included and that we need to pay the rest to Sweet Memories Bakery, keep in mind we have already "paid" for our cake to Sweet Memories (they charge extra for the different flavoring that are not included in the package). I was quite stunned! I called my husband and mother to make sure that I wasn't wrong and that the cake was included in our contract (granted it is not in the contract, we looked) they both agreed that I was correct in this point, but did not fight it because we couldn't find the email stating this and we needed a cake! So, my husband paid the extra $500 to the bakery 10 days before the wedding! The wedding day comes and it hectic and chaotic as it always is. The girls and I are at the salon getting hair and makeup done when I get a phone call from the florist at 12:30 asking me if I had center pieces there. I told her that I was going to use the ones that the Highgrove provided. Shelley said that the Highgrove did not have them, that they keep them in an off site facility and we needed to order them if we wanted to use them. So, a little panicked at this point because I'm getting married in 2 1/2 hours! Shelley said that she had some at her shop that we were more than welcome to use and she would be on her way right then to get them. Matters all cleared up I continued to relax and enjoy my day. We get to the Highgrove and everything moves quickly! Pictures getting dressed and some snacks that the Highgrove provides for the girls. Amber (the wedding coordinator) shows me pictures of what the center pieces look like, but at this point I'm not worried about them! Amber also informed me they would take the cost. The wedding goes as smooth as possible. The groom and I get so many compliments on how beautiful the venue was and how great the food is. It was great went off without a hitch! Well, a few but whose counting! Pros: venue is beautiful, food is amazing, Amber (our wedding coordinator, she's amazing!), having a list of other vendors who have worked there before Cons: COMMUNICATION, not having an available lunch menu, leaving out details, mail payments

If you want to spend $12,000+ on a place to take beautiful photos, this is your place. If you want a full service event space where you feel your every need and concern is being addressed and is important then spend your money somewhere else. The only time we were considered important was when it was time to write a check. Hard to find, there are plenty of other venues out there that would be a much better choice.

As pretty as it looks in pictures, this place is awful!!!! I have just started the wedding planning process. I have called highgrove three times in the last 2 weeks and left a message each time requesting a call back to schedule a time to come look around and ask questions regarding prices and what not. I have yet to receive calls back. I expressed concern to a friend who decided to call as well. My friend called 30 times back to back and finally got the owner on the phone who said she would call me that day (got my name and number from my friend). Still NO call!!! The advertise stress free plannin....thats a joke bc you stress out to no end that they can't even return a call back.