We pour our 20+ years of experience in the wedding industry into each and every wedding.
The cottage maxes out at 25 wedding guests. The couple, lap children and vendors do not count in your guest count. As much as we'd love to accomodate more, that number is firm. This guest count cannot be combined with the greenhouse guest count. To determine your count, ask yourself, "who needs to sit down at the reception?"
There is 1 overnight stay included! Check-in is 2:00pm. Check out is 10:00am. We do recommend adding an additional night of stay to really be able to enjoy the space as intended.
Your wedding guests are permitted on-site for 4 hours. Additional time is available! We also allow site access 2 hours prior to the ceremony for any vendor set up and DIY set up you'd like to do. This is additional to your 4 hour timeframe, as well as clean up after the reception is over.
We provide two on-site coordinators on the wedding day. They assist with greeting your guests when they arrive, parking, lining up the processional (if you have one), as well as all ceremony and reception happenings.
They also act as your DJ. They handle playing of the music and any announcements that need to be made. We make sure questions come to us, not the couple. See the 'Music' FAQ for more information.
We provide ceremony chairs and reception tables, and handle flipping the ceremony space to the reception space.
We also provide tables for food, drinks, gifts and desserts. There's also a serving window for the bar on the Lower Patio.
The Enchantry (with bistro lighting included) is available for plan B in the event of inclement weather at no additional cost. On chilly evenings, we can light the fire in the stone fireplace.
The Lower Patio has plenty of space for dancing.
Restrooms are available.
We also handle all trash takeaway.
And of course, the cottage is a work of art on it's own in any season.
Two Realms is a special package we put together for those who want their guests to experience both the greenhouse and the cottage. The maximum guest count for this package is 25 plus the couple. If you have over 25 guests, the Greenhouse Flora & Fauna package will be best for you!
There are two different versions of this package:
Greenhouse Ceremony + Cottage Reception
Cottage Ceremony + Greenhouse Reception
The rain plan for the ceremony and/or reception is the Enchantry. This call must be made by 10:00am the day off so all vendors know where they need to be. Additionally if you have a decor package, the fairies need to know where to decorate!
Greenhouse Ceremony + Cottage Reception
Cottage Ceremony + Greenhouse Reception
For date availability, we need to see what you're interested in first! Your selections will depend on the calendars we check for open dates. Once we see your brochure, we'll send you open dates for your desired month/year. We are not able to send available dates until we see your selections. The cottage is closed for weddings December - March.
Please note: We do have a minimum spend requirement for holidays and Friday-Sunday dates. This minimum can be met by selecting a base package + multiple in-house services. If our base package pricing is within your budget, please inquire through our contact form for our full pricing guide and more information.
Payments are typically split into 1/4s, but it will depend on the size of your package and the year of your wedding.
Please note: 2025 is almost fully booked. Our 2025 books will close soon.
Food:
We do not provide food in house (except with the Enchanted Collection) however we do provide a recommended vendor list for you! You're welcome to chose from our listed vendors who have been here before and do an excellent job, or do your own research and bring someone in. If you bring in a caterer not on our list, please have them contact us - they will have questions! It's also popular to cater from a favorite restaurant or have a pot luck. Vaughan House staff is not permitted to handle food, so please make sure you have all cutlery needed and food servers! Please note: The cottage kitchen is not available for food prep. Food must come ready to serve.
We provide food tables that will be setup on the Lower Patio. Please note: Due to the location of the cottage, food trucks are not conducive for a cottage reception. If you'd like a food truck, please make sure they can cater an event without their truck!
When it comes to food costs, a typical wedding caterer will be roughly $85-$125 per head, depending on the food type and services you contract with them. To cut down on food costs, bringing in a food truck that can cater without their truck or catering from a local restaurant will definitely help!
Alcohol:
A liquor license is required to serve alcohol. The direct link is sent to you after you're officially booked. Any and all alcohol service must be served by a licensed and insured bartender. We highly recommend the Go Bar! They include bartenders, consultations, customized menu, ice, syrups, herbs, fruits, garnishes, juices, purees, bitters and more! They also consult with you on how much alcohol you need to bring in. Legally, you have to bring in on-site and then surrender it to the bar. It depends on what you're getting, but estimate $400-$600 for your alcohol. Don't want alcohol? No problem! They can also do all of the above with a mocktail menu.
You can find all their contact information in our Recommended Vendor link below.
Music:
Because of the unique location of our space, we cannot allow a DJ, bands (string instruments like acoustic guitar, harp, cello, etc. are fine!), microphones or large speakers. Please create a Spotify or Apple Music playlist and share it with us. Based on your music answers in the questionnaire, our coordinators will connect to our sound system and play your music when required.
Yes! Most of our couples are from out of state! Hotels/airbnbs, officiants, caterers, local restaurants, hair/makeup, things to do, etc. all tried and true, all offering expert services.
Reception Decor & Styling (along with Candlelight) is our #1 added service. We want to see your Pinterest board with all your inspiration photos! Be sure to pin colors, arrangements, setups, etc. that you've seen and love. We will recreate it for you, completely unique and custom to you. We supply the decor, set it all up and tear it all down. It will be completed and done when your guests arrive on the wedding day.
ACOTAR x Lord of the Rings?
Twilight x Harry Potter?
Narnia x The Shire?
Velaris x The Forbidden Forest?
Secret Garden? Tea Party?
Dark, moody jewel tones?
Fresh, bright pastels?
Wildflowers x Disco Balls?
Whimsigoth? All white?
Done.
If you do not select our Decor & Styling services, your designated decorators will have site access up to 2 hours prior to the ceremony start time to setup. You will also need to designate someone to stay after to pack up all your belongings.
The Enchantry is available in the event of inclement weather. All rain plan calls will need to be officially made by the couple by 10:00am the day of the wedding. All food/decor/florals will be moved underneath the Enchantry. The couple will be responsible for making outside vendors aware of the change.
You're able to add an additional night of stay. Two nights will allow you to arrive the day before and enjoy the space as a couple or with a couple friends. You'll wake up on-site in the cottage on the wedding day and have the whole day to get ready. When it's ceremony time, our coordinators will be there to take over! Check out is at 10:00am.
We limit the visitors at the cottage to 10 total humans pre-ceremony. The couple may decide who and when those humans visit the cottage. When it comes to your guests 'touring' the cottage, this is completely up to the couple. If the couple chooses to open the cottage for 'tours' during their reception, it can only be 10 humans at a time, a Vaughan House coordinator must accompany the group and shoes must be removed before entering. It must also be at a time when a coordinator is available and not preforming their necessary duties. The main bedchamber will remain private. If you do not want your guests to 'tour' the cottage, our staff will make sure it remains private for you.
Please note: Guests will access the Den for restroom use.
Please note: When adding the cottage on for a second night, it is not available for rehearsal dinners. If you are interested in having a rehearsal dinner at the cottage, we're happy to send over a quote.
Additionally (and sadly!) the cottage is not handicap accessible or suitable for guests with mobility issues. There are stone steps that take you down to the cottage. On the interior, the cottage is 3 levels, accessible by the stairs in the turret. There are also steps connecting the Upper and Lower patios.
We encourage carpooling! We can park up to 25 guest + vendor vehicles. Vendors may use the driveway by the fence to unload and park. Carpooling/shuttle service or Uber/Lyft is required if you are expecting more vehicles than that. Overflow parking is available if needed.
Are there restrooms on-site?
Do you take care of all the trash?
Is there a place for dancing?
Are you LGBT friendly?
Can we schedule a tour?