The Clifton Inn is a beautiful and perfect venue. We encountered some issues with the reservation desk, but management (Nial) did everything he could to fix it. Having Melissa there as a wedding planner is also well worth money. You get the Inn for the weekend, which allows you to host a ceremony at 2 pm or 4 pm (versus 6 pm at a vineyard - believe me, I was in grad school with an almost two year engagement and visited every possible site outside of private homes).

By far the best food in Charlottesville (although our rehearsal dinner catered by Orzo Kitchen is a very very close second).
And, they allowed me to exchange the dessert bar for a credit to use toward my wedding cake. The cake was gorgeous, custom made and tasted delicious!

And, at the end of the day, a far better value then any of the vineyards, especially considering that they allow you to use multiple wines, beer, and liquor (the vineyards won't let you bring in liquor).

They recommend the Carriage House for the bride, but I would recommend the suite above the kitchen (large bathroom and you can get downstairs without being seen if you are having your ceremony there).

And, if you have a complex set up for the Inn (you are required to guarantee that the Inn will be rented and most brides put their bridal party in the Inn), be prepared to be proactive and on the phone with Melissa or Eric (reservation desk) often. We had a partially subsidized set-up with different rates for each room (the groom's father agreed to help us by doing a partial subsidy) and Clifton's system was not prepared to handle this. I do believe that we were unique in our issues though, and at the end of the day, Clifton was gorgeous, the food was perfect, and the day was as smooth as can be.

Final note - the current planner/contact is Melissa McCombs.

When I first visited The Clifton Inn I feel in love with the beauty of the Inn. It captures historic antique meets modern pieces beautifully. I had a winter weekday destination wedding and was on a tight budget. Clifton Inn was able to work with me to have a reasonably priced wedding.

During my first visit I met with one of their sales employees, Brigette. I had met with another wedding venue that day and Bri was so friendly, sincere, and enthusiastic. Bri had great ideas for our big day and we were able to ask her questions. After meeting my sister and I contacted her through email and phone to ask other various questions.

My second trip to The Clifton Inn my now husband and I booked for the venue. We didn't book or reserve any rooms yet because we were not worried about any events going on. Sadly, there was a wedding on Saturday that we didn't find out till later on so our guests could not stay there Saturday- Monday. We did reserve a few rooms Sunday night. Some of my friends had a tough time making the reservations when they called. One time someone said "we don't have a wedding for that day." However, they were finally able to book those rooms.

The next time I visited the Clifton Inn my sister and I met with the wedding coordinator Melissa. We didn't get the warm and fuzzy feeling that Bri gave us. Melissa was professional but we didn't feel as excited as before. Some of the things that Bri said was possible Melissa said they couldn't do. A few weeks later we received an email from Bri that she was no longer working for The Clifton Inn and I was really bummed out.

Over the last final weeks we contacted Melissa through phone and email. My sister who was supposed to be my planner was really busy and played phone tag with Melissa for two weeks. I was finally able to contact her and ask her the million questions I had which she was able to answer. We were able to negotiate on food as well as make decisions on beer and wine. I thought that we had decided that only beer, wine, and mimosas were to be served so when we received the bill I was not psyched that guests had ordered things that we didn't decide on. Not sure if it was because Bri didn't pass that information along or if we were not vocal enough.

The day of the wedding the Clifton Inn team was able to set up the decor that we brought as well as set out the name tags. It looked fantastic as well as the cake that I emailed a photo idea of. I had asked Melissa if she would be there the day of the wedding to keep us and the guests on time and she shared that she might only be there in the morning but her coworker Stacey would be there. We arrived on time for the brunch and sat down. The food was delicious as well as the wine they helped us select. However, we never were greeted by Melissa, Stacey, or anyone else on The Clifton team. I was really confused on who was in charge and who was going to keep us on schedule. Needless to say we were over schedule and had like twenty minutes of dancing towards the end at which we were hoping for a bit longer. I did email Melissa that evening to see where they were and she said she was there but didn't want to interrupt me when I was having conversations with our guests. I understand that but my husband and I didn't feel special or welcomed. We kinda felt like we were the poor couple that couldn't afford a wedding there. The night of the wedding I was thinking that our room would of had a note like congratulations new husband and wife or something but nope. I guess I was hoping for a more special treatment.

Overall the wedding day was beautiful and I still recommend someone to get married at The Clifton Inn because the food and service from the wait staff was awesome. The cake was also delicious and very reasonably priced. There is also a deal right now for winter weddings that I wish we could of had.

Amazing food, excellent service, wonderful, wonderful venue! Highly recommended.