There simply are not enough stars to express how incredible our experience was with the Southern Vermont Arts Center and curATE café for our daughter Willa and Jackson’s wedding.

From the very beginning, Colleen Palmer and the entire team made us feel like we were in the very best hands. Planning a wedding can be overwhelming, but Colleen’s professionalism, responsiveness, and genuine kindness gave us complete confidence every step of the way.

The venue itself is absolutely breathtaking. Yester House, the galleries, and the beautifully maintained grounds created the perfect backdrop for the entire weekend. We were also fortunate to enjoy the spectacular new modern addition, which is nothing short of stunning. The contemporary architecture blends seamlessly with the historic beauty of the campus, creating elegant, light-filled spaces that feel both sophisticated and welcoming. It provides the perfect complement to the timeless charm of the estate and elevates an already extraordinary venue to an entirely new level.

Every detail throughout the property was immaculate, and it was clear how much pride the staff takes in creating a first-class experience. The Southern Vermont Arts Center is not only one of the most beautiful wedding venues in New England, but it is also run by an extraordinary team of people who genuinely care about making each event unforgettable.

The staff throughout the weekend was exceptional. They were warm, attentive, organized, and professional while remaining friendly and approachable. They worked tirelessly behind the scenes, making everything appear effortless so that our family could simply enjoy every moment. We never had to worry about what came next because every detail was handled seamlessly.

The team at curATE café deserves equal praise. The food was absolutely outstanding; every course was beautifully presented and delicious. We heard compliment after compliment from our guests, many telling us it was some of the best food they had ever enjoyed at a wedding. The service was impeccable, with every meal delivered efficiently and every guest made to feel genuinely cared for.

What made the weekend truly special wasn’t just the stunning venue or the exceptional cuisine - it was the people. Every member of the Southern Vermont Arts Center and curATE café team contributed to an atmosphere that was warm, welcoming, elegant, and completely stress-free. They allowed us to be fully present with our family and friends instead of worrying about logistics, and that is an incredible gift.

Our daughter’s wedding exceeded every dream we had for it, and the Southern Vermont Arts Center and curATE café played an enormous role in making that happen. We are deeply grateful to Colleen Palmer and every member of the team for creating memories our family will cherish forever.

If you are looking for a wedding venue that combines breathtaking beauty, outstanding food, flawless organization, innovative yet timeless architecture, and genuinely caring people, we cannot recommend the Southern Vermont Arts Center and curATE café highly enough. Choosing them was one of the very best decisions we made for the wedding.

We somewhat accidentally stumbled upon SVAC as a venue, but we are thankful we did as we are so pleased with how everything turned out. We had our October reception at SVAC (ceremony in a church), but took advantage of the connected properties of the Barrows House and Dorset Inn. Working with Colleen Palmer and all of the Church St Hospitality Group was a joy. Colleen worked with us closely to craft exactly the wedding we wanted- the food, the bar, the decor. It was also very helpful that Colleen knew so many of our other vendors- everything went off without a hitch. The chef, JJ, was very receptive to any requests we had, such as tweaking a sauce, or a special order appetizer. He even personally delivered the meals to the bride and groom during the reception, which was a nice touch. Our guests have not stopped raving about how SVAC was such a great venue. Everyone enjoyed strolling the galleries during the cocktail hour, and taking photos outside in the beautiful setting which nicely displays the gorgeous fall foliage. We strongly recommend that you also make use of the Barrows House. A good portion of our guests stayed there and we had a welcome dinner there on Friday night. Colleen also organized the welcome dinner and thus was really able to capture our vision for how we wanted our guests to enjoy their time in Vermont- harvest buffet of local food, fire pits and s'mores for the kids. All around, we highly recommend SVAC for a wedding venue.

The Southern Vermont Arts Center is a beautiful location for a Welcome Party (or Rehearsal Party or Wedding/Reception). We had our daughter's Welcome Party there and it was GREAT. The staff at the SVAC are extremely helpful in assisting with vendors and then working with the vendors. We chose all area vendors (Bistro Henry for the food, Celebration Rentals for the tables/chairs, Nancy Bishop Florist for the flowers). They all know each other and worked together to make the event specular. Since it was a destination for us, having them work their magic together helped so so much. The SVAC is a small arts center with outside art sculpture and trails around their property and out to the sculpture. We had 21 children at all weeding events and the inside/outside venue of the SVAC was perfect for children/parents/grandparents. The $1800 fee is for the site, with $300 being a damage fee to be refunded if no damage; the other vendors charged their own separate amounts which were all good/fair prices for excellent services. We had a great time and believe our guests did too. We all would highly recommend the SVAC for all types of events. They are a pleasure to work with, especially considering the distance and stress of wedding planning.

What a beautiful evening! The room settings were so beautiful against the backdrop of the art on the walls - it looked like an exclusive party with the doors open to the back lawn facing a beautiful mountain setting.