Brides & Weddings Magazine
By Katrina Wilson
Sponsored by Briar Patch Bed and Breakfast Inn
The serene, plush and green landscape is the backdrop to your wedding as you view your guests. This is the moment you have been waiting for as you smile and make eye contact with your significant other. As you both stand there together, the Blue Ridge Mountains are the final touch to your charming wedding day.
That is what a wedding may look like at Briar Patch Bed and Breakfast Inn in Middleburg, Virginia. This bed and breakfast is a wedding venue in Loudoun County with a history that dates back to the early 1800s.
Ellen Goldberg, owner of the establishment, describes what makes Briar Patch unique.
A View Like No Other
Goldberg said the 47 acres of land and 12 bedrooms in three buildings allow brides and grooms an opportunity to surround themselves with friends and family for a whole weekend. They have horses on site and allow pet dogs too. The Blue Ridge Mountains can be seen from the bed and breakfast — and the physical beauty is not the only beauty available.
The Main House
This house was built in stages – the first section built in 1805, the next in the 1840s and the newer section in the 1870s.
At one point this property was a dairy farm, but more rooms were added.
“The family that owned it, when that family grew, they added on to the house and it resulted in eight bedrooms,” Goldberg said.
It has two bedrooms on the first floor, six bedrooms on the second floor, two living rooms, a big kitchen and a patio to serve breakfast. It is full of antiques and old-world charm.
The Cottage
The Cottage is also from the 1800s. Goldberg said this is where the bride and groom usually stays overnight, but the bridal party uses it the day of the wedding to get dressed and do makeup. It has a bedroom, living room, dining area, kitchen and bathroom.
“It has a lot of character and we think at one point it was where grain was stored,” Goldberg said. “As the years went on, the different rooms were added.”
There are other buildings on site, and those will be discussed in a future article.
Ambiance, Luxury
Guests say the tone and mood of this bed and breakfast lifts their spirits.
Goldberg thinks this ambiance comes from the property’s natural beauty.
“I think the physical beauty aspect of the rolling hills, the horses on the property and also the hospitality of the staff – plus my husband and myself — create that aura,” she said. “We have enjoyed doing this for 18 years. It feels special being a part of one of the most important days of a couple’s life.”
Couples may consider the bed and breakfast as a luxury because so many unique things came with the property. The pool came with the property, but it needed to be updated to commercial standards; couples enjoy rehearsal dinners around the pool. The horses can roam the 47 acres as guests view their beauty from the comfort of their cozy rooms.
Flexibility and Pet-Friendly
“My husband and I really pride ourselves on flexibility,” Goldberg said. “We have rescheduled over 25 2020 weddings into 2021 and 2022 with no problem. We offered couples the opportunity to move their weddings to any future available date with no restrictions.”
If you’d like your furry friend to join you on your big day, say no more. Wedding guests and other overnight guests can bring their dogs.
“We have had quite a few dogs walk down the aisle,” Goldberg said. “A bride’s pet dog danced with her at the wedding reception. Many dogs have participated in the wedding festivities.”
Breakfast
Wedding packages include breakfast for those that stay overnight.
“We do require that guests stay overnight in all the rooms in the main house and the Cottage for one night or the whole weekend,” Goldberg said. “The other meals for the wedding can be provided by a caterer of the guests’ choosing and we do have a recommended list that they can use to pick a caterer. It’s not required. They can bring any licensed and insured caterer of their choosing for their wedding. They do not have to choose someone exclusive to our list.”
Goldberg’s History with Briar Patch
For those who may be interested in why Briar Patch was special to Goldberg: In the 1980s, the company she worked for would have company picnics there.
By the time she retired from the company in the early 2000s, she was ready to try something different.
She and her husband purchased the property in 2001. She said everything was overgrown and did not look like it did in the 1980s. After renovations, they opened the bed and breakfast in June 2002.
Pre-COVID, they were having about 40 weddings a year. That is over 700 weddings in their 18-year history!
For more information, view the website at BriarPatchBandB.com/weddings
