Photograph by www.reneenicoledesign.com
Can you imagine one of the most special moments of your life taking place on a glorious mountaintop overlooking breathtaking views, or next to a pristine mountain lake, surrounded by the ones you love most while music plays and the stars shine down from above? It sounds like a fairytale, but this time it’s real! And, even though the mountaintop is thousands of feet high, the dream is well within your reach. In Rabun County, the wedding of your dreams is waiting for you, just a short trip away. Only two hours from downtown Atlanta, Rabun County has wedding venues to fulfill any storybook ending. From mountain and lake retreats to elegant resorts, and charming bed & breakfasts to enchanting farms and wineries ideal for celebrating, there’s just the right place for you to create those precious memories which will last a lifetime.
Mountain and Lake Retreats: With your perfect wedding in mind, these facilities help make planning your event as simple as it will be beautiful. The Pavilion at Lake Rabun offers a charming open-air facility made of rock and native wood, surrounded by old hemlocks and laurel with breathtaking views of Lake Rabun. Splendor Mountain, winner of WeddingWire’s Couples’ Choice award for 2020, is ideal for your woodland garden wedding. With cabins available on the grounds for up to 26 guests, convenience and excellence go hand-in-hand. For true elegance and all-inclusive facilities, Chota Falls Estate, also a WeddingWire award winner, will amaze you with their selection of ceremony locations including a stunning waterfall backdrop, quaint chapel, vineyard overlook, or mountain meadow. Separate on-site reception locations are just as lovely, and guest accommodations are both plentiful and gracious. The Kaplan Mitchell Retreat Center at Ramah Darom is a 185-acre kosher facility with a beautiful waterfall and serene lake, creating the perfect setting for your special moment. Exceptional health and safety protocols, a wonderful kosher menu prepared by an award-winning chef, and a variety of lodging options complete a full-service package to ensure a first-class experience.
Elegant Resorts: Premier golfing, pools, and spas, fine dining, top-notch guest rooms and services, spectacular views and facilities…Rabun County resorts have it all! Soaring above Lake Burton, The Waterfall Club is the most exquisite resort imaginable. Extremely well-appointed with everything you could want including the most magnificent views, your event will be beyond your highest expectations. Kingwood Resort & Winery’s variety of lovely ceremony and reception venues, coupled with customized services and packages for every budget, make it a premier north Georgia mountain wedding venue. Guests can enjoy on-site golfing, spa treatments, or the outdoor pool and tennis courts during their stay. At 4,200 feet in elevation, Sky Valley Country Club is about as close to heaven as a wedding venue can be. You will be delighted with its graceful setting, amazing cuisine, and the personalized service provided by the staff which can accommodate up to 200 guests. At the Dillard House, they understand it’s the little things that help make your occasion extra special, so they specialize in attention to detail. From the perfect place setting and extensive menu selections to a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride, you’ll find the quality and care that sets them apart and see why they’ve been around for over 200 years.
Charming Bed & Breakfasts: If intimate and unique are the way you envision your special day, then perhaps one of Rabun County’s Historic Bed & Breakfasts would suit you. The Rabun Manor is a 175-year-old manor house that has been transformed in to a world-class restaurant and inn, while retaining all of its original charm. With in-house planners, cake designers, décor specialists, bartenders, chef, massage specialists, and more, your wedding is sure to be as spectacular as the mountain backdrop it’s set against. An original mountain lodge from 1920, The Lake Rabun Hotel offers rustic, old-world nostalgic appeal. In 2008, the hotel was carefully restored by preservationists to maintain its historic character, while adding modern amenities and a full award-winning restaurant and bar. The Beechwood Inn, named one of the South’s Most Charming Inns by Southern Living and specializing in small weddings of up to 30 people, is the very definition of classic and intimate. Two Best Chefs America, owners Gayle and David Darrugh will delight you and your guests in every way. The Parker Ranch was built in 1907 as a summer home and imbues a sense of peaceful, old-fashioned relaxation. Nestled on 14 acres of sheltering trees, it’s the perfect place for friends and family to gather to celebrate the most important time of your life.
Farms and Wineries: Rabun County’s wineries and farms provide a wonderful way to make your wedding memorable. Situated at the very top of a mountain above Lake Rabun with unparalleled views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, you’ll find Terra Incognita Vineyard. The 1,800 square foot pavilion with an attached catering kitchen, fireplace, bar, and upstairs suite surrounded by grapevines, sunsets, and stars will make the most enchanting wedding experience you could possibly imagine. The Red Barn at Tiger Mountain Vineyard is a beautifully refurbished, 80-year-old dairy barn turned event venue meant for celebrating and enjoying every moment. The barn features a full kitchen, restrooms, dining room, stone patio with fire pit, and spectacular vineyard and mountain views and is ideal for weddings of 50 to 125. Julep Farms, a modern farm resort and event facility, sits on 22 acres of the most picturesque pastures in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Here, star-filled nights light up with help from the fireflies, magic fills the air, and your dreams can come true.
With all these amazing places to host your wedding just a short trip away, your dream is not only within reach but waiting for you to come and live it. We hope you’ll visit Rabun County when planning your special day, because we think every day in our mountains is special and we’re sure you will too. Learn more at ExploreRabun.com.
