Antebellum of New Kent

I was left without a wedding venue when my original venue renovated and could no longer hold my guest count. Antebellum worked with me to quickly move all of my vendors to their space and even recommended a great rehearsal dinner location. Without the kindness of the owners, I would have had a very difficult time being able to have the wedding my fiancé and I wanted. The venue is large, beautiful, and has the ability to be transformed however the couple wants it. It easily accommodates any style and any decorations. It was absolutely perfect.

This venue is beautiful, clean, and charming and has a great place for the bridal party to get ready before the wedding. The venue worked with us as we needed to communicate with them. There are great spaces for an event.

We paid The Antebellum of New Kent a total of $2,750 for our wedding: $1,000 as a deposit and $1,750 as a partial payment toward the rental costs. When we later decided to elope and cancel the event, we contacted the venue and were told we would not be receiving any of that money back. This directly contradicted the contract we signed, which clearly states that in the event of a cancellation, the venue is entitled to keep part or all of the deposit — not the rental costs.

To be clear: I completely understand and agree with forfeiting the deposit. That’s what deposits are for. But refusing to return the $1,750 in rental fees is wrong — and not supported by their own contract. When we pointed this out, the owner insisted that “deposit” and “rental cost” mean the same thing to her. Common sense — and the wording in her own contract — says otherwise. When we pressed the issue, we were met with repeated responses simply copy-pasting sections of the contract while ignoring the parts that contradicted her claims. It felt dismissive and like they were gaslighting us.

The contract itself was poorly written — dates were crossed out and scribbled over rather than revised properly, which created confusion. The owner claims she’s been writing contracts for 25 years, but if that’s the case, it’s surprising how unprofessionally this one was handled and how poorly she interpreted her own terms.

I also want to acknowledge that I understand this is a small business, and it's possible that the money was already spent or committed. But that doesn't justify rewriting the rules after the fact. A little honesty, professionalism, and accountability would have gone a long way.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the only issue. Throughout the process, the venue staff were unprofessional and unaccommodating. As a lesbian couple, we were consistently misidentified — asked about “the groom” and even asked at one point if my partner and I were the same person. Our relationship was never acknowledged with respect, and that added another layer of frustration to an already disappointing experience.

Beyond the contractual and interpersonal issues, the venue itself has several drawbacks. The location isn’t ideal, and the getting-ready rooms and bathrooms are outdated and poorly decorated. While these spaces are tucked away enough that we initially overlooked them, they definitely don’t match the aesthetic the venue tries to present. Additionally, the venue only provides round tables and chair.

In the end, we lost $2,750 for a wedding that never happened and were treated with dismissiveness, disrespect, and inflexibility throughout the process. The owner was consistently rude and unwilling to acknowledge any mistakes. What should have been a joyful experience turned into an exhausting and disheartening one. I would not recommend The Antebellum of New Kent to any couple — especially LGBTQ+ couples — who expect fairness, professionalism, or respect.