Imagine, for a moment, the celebration of a lifetime, with all your friends and family, on a private and luxurious 54-acre mountain estate that is yours and yours alone for the duration of your stay. This is Hawkesdene.
Nestled in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains in Andrews, North Carolina, Hawkesdene is located less than two hours west of Asheville and two hours north of Atlanta. This amazing venue is unique in its exclusive privacy, a reunion-style wedding venue with onsite accommodations for as many as 102 guests and event facilities for up to 125 guests. Our special property hosts just one group at a time and includes personal use of the entire estate with no curfews, elegant accommodations, beautifully manicured grounds and gardens, an abundance of chef-created, delicious cuisine, with a professional event and service staff here just for you.
Hawkesdene prides itself on its differentiation from “same-day” venues, in which you’re in and you’re out so quickly. An extended stay here is about bringing all your close friends and family together for a comfortable, relaxing, private getaway in the mountains.
Attention to detail here is second to none, as you’ll see the moment you arrive. Take a look at past reviews from people who’ve celebrated here. The constant hands-on improvement of, and investment in, the property is what helps keep Hawkesdene a place where expectations are exceeded and memories that last forever are born. To see it is to love it.
FACILITIES Our expansive property offers a host of spectacular backdrops and outdoor spaces for ceremonies, all of which you can choose from before, and even on, your special day.
A very popular ceremony location is our covered bridge perched over Phillips Creek, framed by woods that change with the seasons. Our open lawn is ideal for larger groups and boasts a beautifully-designed pergola with lush floral gardens and mountain views.
Smaller, more intimate ceremonies have taken place with our llama and alpaca stable as a stunning backdrop, where you’ll see our herd of llamas and alpacas grazing in the pasture.
Receptions are held in our spacious open-air pavilion, which is attached to the main house and overlooks Phillips Creek. The pavilion includes custom-designed and matching farm tables and dining chairs, lounge furniture, a grand stone fireplace, a brand-new audio/video sound system with designated wi-fi, plus refrigerator storage for your alcohol beverages, a commercial icemaker, and food & beverage stations. Dining typically takes place under the stars in our adjacent pavilion courtyard. If need be, however, romantic clear or white-top tents can be set up attached to the pavilion for additional covered space.
SERVICES Hawkesdene offers venue rental for weddings, reunions and other social or corporate retreat events. Our on-site planning team and day-of coordinator will be here to ensure your event runs smoothly and according to your wishes. Our in-house culinary team is a talented bunch who provide delectable farm-to-table cuisine. We encourage you to bring your own alcohol beverages which will be refrigerated and/or stored for convenient reach at no charge.
Event services include, but are not limited to, the following: • Event planning • Day-of coordination • Lounge furniture, custom matching farm tables and dining chairs, ceremony chairs plus cross-back reception chairs • Linens and a large collection of décor options to choose from • Bridal suite with adjacent bridal salon • Game room “man cave” with ping-pong and pool tables, a 70-inch satellite TV, a bar and game tables • Massive fire pit to warm up everyone’s spirits • No curfews – the property is yours to enjoy 24/7 • Event set up, breakdown and clean up • Privacy & complete exclusivity • Flexible schedule for your utmost convenience
*Ask about our welcome suppers and rehearsal dinner services.
ACCOMMODATIONS & MORE The Hawkesdene estate main house and numerous cottages provide super-luxurious bedding, high-quality furniture, flat-screen HD television, washer & dryer, full kitchen, a variety of modern amenities, and daily housekeeping.
On-site activities include dual corn-hole sets, horseshoe courts, a cement-court basketball with netted hoop, llama and alpaca feeding, tire swings, hiking and so much more!
If you are even debating booking your wedding at Hawkesdene, DO IT! We booked Hawkesdene almost two years ago for June 2020. Of course, COVID-19 came along and we ended up postponing until August. Rob (the owner) and Jami (the coordinator) were always pleasant to work with, even during the pandemic madness. They had extremely fair postponing policies and truly did everything they could to ensure we still had our special weekend. Every site visit we did (3 before the actual weekend), they had food waiting for us on arrival and were so friendly. The actual venue is beautiful and can fit a myriad of 'themes,' like ours which was a garden wedding. They have a beautiful overlook of the mountains as well that is simply breathtaking. Every guest cannot stop telling us how much fun their weekend was, and also - THE FOOD. Phil (the chef) is an actual magician, I have no idea what he does but every single thing was delicious. They source a lot of their food locally so I think that helps, but seriously - I'm still dreaming about the blackberry cobbler and the garlic herb butter with artisan bread. A lot of our family members were a bit tepid about the concept of a wedding weekend and the location, but all doubts flew out the window as soon as they came onto the property. Seriously - I don't regret booking Hawkesdene for a single second, and honestly, I hope one of my friends chooses to get married there so we can go back!! 11/10!!
Sent on 09/02/2020
Steve T.
· Getting married on 06/10/2022
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Miller Mountain Time Wedding
Our daughter had always wished for her “Dream Wedding”. After she became engaged she started the process of looking for a venue. She wanted a fall wedding set in the mountains hoping to capture the beautiful fall colors. After weeks of researching venues along the east coast, she was talking with a friend that had their wedding at Hawkesdene. The couple and wedding party loved it so much that they were planning a five year reunion there. We decided to check it out and after making arrangements with Rob, we flew and drove from Florida and Connecticut to take the tour. The venue was everything she wanted, it was purely magical. The main building was so picturesque, the bride and groom suite was absolutely stunning with all its amenities and the, what they call “cabins”, were in reality beautiful houses that could host several couples or families. Right there and then she knew that Hawkesdene was the place for her and we booked it on the spot.
Over the following sixteen months of planning, Rob and Jamie were such a pleasure to work with. Anything we asked they accommodated and never said that they couldn’t do something. From the meal selection, venue decorations, recommendations of vendors such as the DJ’s, photographers, videographers, etc. everything requested was granted. Their advice on any questions or concerns we may have had was not only welcomed but spot on perfect.
As the day approached, we arrived at the venue along with tropical storm Zeta. Why not, it’s 2020. It was Wednesday and a Friday night wedding was planned. On Thursday morning the power went out at 5:00 am. One of over 2 million customers affected by Zeta. The idea of getting power back on in such a remote town at an even more remote venue was not even realistic but in talking to Rob Thursday morning, he said “They know what we do here and how important it is. We will be okay.” Sure enough, by noon the venue had full power when other areas weren’t scheduled to get it back for another five days. As guests started to arrive at 4:00 that afternoon, they had no idea there was even a concern that morning.
That night the rehearsal dinner was absolutely wonderful. The wedding was held along the tree-lined main driveway on Friday evening and a Halloween party was held Saturday until the wee hours of the night. The food for all dinners was outstanding let alone the breakfasts and lunches that were arranged. The guests could not stop raving about everything from start to finish including the food, rooms, scenery, trails for hiking, etc. Everyone that saw us said it was one of if not the best weddings they had ever been to and many commented on wanting to come back. But what made it the most special for us was when our daughter said that she never imagined that her dream wedding could have been better than she ever actually dreamed of. That is something you can’t put a price on.
We want to extend our sincere thanks the Rob, Phil, Jamie and the entire Hawkesdene staff for making a truly special day more magical than we could have ever dreamed and would highly recommend Hawkesdene to anyone. If we could give it ten stars, we would. Thank you again for a truly magical time.
Steve & Tracy Bordonaro
Sent on 11/04/2020
Casie S.
· Getting married on 05/10/2021
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Dream Venue
My fiancé and I wanted to find a venue that would allow our dogs to be a part of our big day. When we started to look around we went from venue to venue and every venue was the same! They would tell us we had the location for 8 hours total and our dogs could only stay outside. could not wrap my head around spending thousands of dollars and a place you get for a day! We finally found the Hawkestene and we stopped looking. This venue is not like any other venue I ever seen before. First, it is a 3 day weekend event that can house over 70 friends and family and second our dogs could be with us the entire time. I was sold after we took a trip to the NC mountains and actually saw the gorgeous venue. WE fell in love with this place right away. IT WAS PERFECT. We finally got married in OCT 2020 and from the minute we showed up on property till the second before we left the staff was amazing. I do not think we could have made it through the planning or the day with out Jami. She is an actual miracle worker! The entire staff was incredible. They made us feel like family, everyone was so welcoming and accommodating to everything we asked. The food was absolutely amazing! Everything tasted like a home cooked meal. My family and friends are still talking about it and I cannot tell you how many people told me this was truly the best wedding they have ever attended. It is a vacation, family/friends reunion and wedding spot all wrapped into one! To any bride or groom out there that is looking for a unique and stunning location Hawkesdene is it.
The Hawkesdene is a great venue for all occasions especially weddings! We love working with the staff at the Hawkesdene, the property is stunning and the food is amazing. One of our favorite places to photograph weddings!
Not only is this location AMAZINGLY beautiful and unique, but the entire three days we were there, I was extremely impressed by the staff. They were efficient, kind, helpful, accommodating, friendly and just a pleasure to work with in every way. They all seemed to truly care about doing the best job possible while having a great attitude. This is not always the case at other venues. That’s why I would like to personally thank each and every person at The Hawkesdene House mountain retreat, for making it a wonderful experience for everyone involved. You stand out above the rest and I believe that needs recognition.
I also need to mention the FABULOUS CHEF!!! I’m still thinking about that amazing berry pie and the most incredible coffee I have ever tasted! I have eaten a lot of wedding food in my long career and rarely remember the food. I will remember this food… all of it! AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!! Thank you for serving us lunch early on Saturday, so that we could eat before we had to start shooting. It was very much appreciated!!
Hawkesdene House with its babbling brook and mountainous skyline is definitely one of the more beautiful properties to get married at in Western NC. It's also nice that they offer several different ceremony sites, and I adore their modern art collection in the main house.
