Rust Manor House — Attraction in Leesburg

I have finally had a chance to settle after the wedding chaos and there are a few things I feel the need to give feedback on, for other brides looking for this venue. Unless the location is super convient… don’t book here. Where to start… let’s start with our official walk through in April ( our wedding was end of may) Alexandra or one of the employees had an awful attitude the entire time, was completely unhelpful and made promises ( I.e saying we can lift the sides of the tent IF WE WANT BUT DOESNT RECOMMNED. I don’t care I wanted them up… day of the wedding they told my husband “absolutely not” now we payed a pretty penny for this venue to say no but okay. Second (still on our “walk through”) we were completely rushed because no one could make it on a Wednesday after work by the time they needed ( they need to be gone by 5 on the dot) they literallly reminded us several times and rushed us out which was annoying, this is quite literally your job but go ahead and rush home. I could go into more detail but I have to get to the wedding. On the day of the wedding they completely dropped the ball. First you’re forced to cater with great blue herring catering and that’s where they get you price wise. The price of catering and alcohol was insane and you’re not allowed to do anything outside of what they provide. THE SERVICE WAS AWFUL. We paid for 2 bars and a satellite bar only one was open for the majority of the time, to a point where a giant line was created behind the sweetheart table, the bartenders were rude, harassed me the bride for a tip right in the middle of my party, they forgot a main ingredient in my signature drink ( all ingredient we personally bought and provided) and we got many complaints about how bad the food was. Brides, I learned the hard way, go somewhere else. Oh and also the only available hotel block area is at this trashy Clarendon and you have to pay $500 for an hour extra to get beautiful getting...

Rust Manor is a beautiful wedding venue and had everything I was looking for: (1) a lovely dressing room for both the bride and groom to get ready in, (2) a scenic outdoor ceremony space, and (3) a tented reception option.

That said, there are a few considerations to be aware of:

-Tent restrictions: The tent must remain closed during the event due to noise concerns from nearby neighbors, which limits the open-air feel some couples might be looking for. -Catering and alcohol limitations: You are required to use their in-house caterer, GBH. While the team was friendly and accommodating, their alcohol offerings feel dated—limited to options like Corona, Sam Adams, Miller Lite, and basic wines. You also can’t pay by consumption; instead, you're charged as if every guest over 21 will drink, even if they don’t. -Limited indoor seating: The historic house only has one main room with seating. If you plan to hold your cocktail hour indoors and expect older guests, consider renting extra chairs or lounge furniture—or, if the weather permits, encourage guests to use the ceremony seating outside. -Catering tasting experience: GBH was kind enough to let us sample every item on their menu, but we left with excessive leftovers. It would have been more efficient had they asked upfront if there were any dishes we definitely didn’t want—this could’ve avoided unnecessary food waste (e.g., pork dishes we weren’t considering). -Wedding day logistics: When you’re allowed into the building to get ready other activities may be taking place downstairs. Also, if you have family arriving early for photos, plan to bring your own water or beverages to keep everyone comfortable, as Rust doesn’t provide refreshments or easy access to them during that time.

These are all small details, but they do add up, however I would absolutely choose Rust Manor again. The setting is stunning, and with a bit of planning around the logistics, you can have a truly...

Rust Manor is a dream of a venue, all the staff from the house was attentive and a pleasure to work with. The actual venue was amazing and created beautiful pictures. There were only a couple of things that I wish could have been better to make the entire experience perfect. For one, the cottage where my groomsmen were to be waiting for the wedding wasn't finished, they do provide another room inside the house around the way of the room where the bride gets ready so the room won't be in view and that room had a fridge and a TV but that room was upstairs and one of my groomsmen is in a wheelchair and it was inaccesible to him so we decided to have them wait downstairs to make it easier for everyone. The room had no AC and it only had a couple of chairs so it wasn't what we were hoping for. Luckly they didn't have to wait for long. The other thing was that catering is a lot easier to get through Great Blue Heron because they have a contract with Nova Parks and the food and staff was amazing but the person who I had to deal with the entire time while I was planning was very difficult and rude almost every time I had to reach out to her. Her name is Liz Gearhart-Bowers and she's the catering Administrative Assistant. Every time I had a question she would respond in a very condesending way and would make every communication as hard as possible. She was the only person I hated having to deal with during my entire time planning the wedding and I didn't even meet her once, she only comunicated through email but the experience of working with her left an bad taste. She was not a very nice person. Other than that the venue, staff, chef and the area where the girls got ready...