Callanwolde Fine Arts Center Reviews

My husband and I got married at Callanwolde this past May, and it truly couldn’t have been a more perfect venue for our big day. The estate is stunning, and the flexibility to customize each space really allowed us to make it our own. It felt incredibly intimate, especially knowing that no other events were taking place at the same time. The entire Callanwolde team was wonderful to work with. They are kind, accommodating, and they were transparent with pricing from the very first conversation. We loved being able to bring in our own vendors, including alcohol, which helped us stay within budget. The discount for using preferred caterers was also a great bonus. Plus, knowing our deposit supported arts education at Callanwolde made it even more meaningful. We’d choose this venue again in a heartbeat!

Perfect wedding venue to have an outdoor ceremony in the garden and indoor reception. It's a beautiful house and creates a stunning backdrop for photos. The only downside is that receptions need to end by 11 PM. Great team and very responsive

This was a beautiful venue for our wedding, and it fit us perfectly! We had a gorgeous ceremony in the Hydrangea Garden with the hydrangeas all in bloom, followed by cocktail hour in the front on the Terrace, and the reception in the Indoor Courtyard. Everyone talked about how beautiful everything was and our coordinator was super easy to work with. Thank you for a wonderful night!

I toured numerous Atlanta venues for my wedding, but nothing could have compared to Callanwolde. The beautiful architecture and landscape took my breath away. If it weren’t for Google Maps, you would never know you’re in the middle of a city. It is an incredibly peaceful and quiet area of town.

I was heartbroken postponing my wedding in 2020 due to COVID, but the team worked with us to schedule a new date the following year. Everything went off without a hitch and I could not be more thankful to have chosen this spot for my big day. I grew up in Europe, and at certain times throughout the day it felt as if I was back there. I will be returning around the holidays for one of their events!

Callanwolde was a dream for our wedding! We chose to have both the ceremony + reception on-site and there was plenty of room to host a cocktail hour and allow our guests time to explore the different rooms while they set up for the reception. Photos on the grounds are gorgeous and unique. The team was accommodating and able to bring our vision to life. There was an issue with the plumbing in the upstairs rooms where we were getting ready, but the team came up with a solution for us that worked. it was also great being able to choose all of our vendors, which helped save money. Definitely recommend!

Stunning venue that I feel in love with online. As a long distance bride it was challenging to choose a wedding venue, but I feel in love with Callanwolde as soon as I looked at the website and then even more so when I got to see it in person! It was absolute beautiful and unique. It feels elegant and homey all at the same time. The main room is magical with all the draping and lights that are up year round, which helps minimize decoration costs.

Anna was very responsive during the whole process and was accommodating to our vision. We had a babysitter's room in the upstairs portion in one of the dance studios which was fantastic and I am so grateful that Callanwolde was receptive to that! Highly recommend this venue!

The first time we stepped onto the Callanwolde property we instantly knew this would be our venue. Absolutely stunning both indoors and out. Our guests were blown away and continue to tell us how special this venue is. Staff was also so helpful and friendly throughout the whole process. Photography by Ashley White Photography.

Callanwolde was a perfect setting for our spring wedding. The historic home and grounds provided a beautiful backdrop for our photos. We absolutely loved it and received so many compliments on the venue.

I had my wedding at Callanwolde and absolutely loved it! My guests were blown away by the venue! Little to no decorations are needed because of the old charm of this place and Anna was so helpful throughout the entire process! The courtyard is simply the best with the chandelier and drapery!

Callanwolde is a beautiful venue for weddings and the staff there was super nice and accommodating in helping to make everything go smoothly!

My wedding at Callanwolde was perfect! The space was beautiful and well kept. Staff was great to work with and really helped answer questions that we had along the way.

My husband and I got married at Callanwolde a year ago on 10/4/15... It was absolutely perfect!!!! A misting evening but still wonderful. Some of our guests described the venue as they felt they were in Spain or a romantic country with the gardens and the classic mansion. A year later I wanted to go back to where it all began so I contacted Caitlin about doing a surprise picnic in the gardens for my husband. She was so accomadating and excited for us to revisit Callanwolde! Normally the space would be a fee because we are using the facility but Caitlin said because there were no events going on she would love to have us back and enjoy the evening in the gardens... At a comped price!!! How wonderful is she and Callanwolde?! It was a perfect evening for my husband and I as we were nestled in the stunning gardens and reminiscing on our special day! Thank you, Callanwolde for making our day all we dreamed of for the past two years!!!!!

The Callanwolde Fine Arts Center is a beautiful venue for weddings and events, it practically sells itself. However, the venue’s staff take it to the next level. One person who absolutely stands out is Caitin King, she was an absolute pleasure to work with. My success as a wedding coordinator, is often times dictated by the responsiveness of the venue staff. Caitlin made it easy to form a partnership and work through the details to make the wedding with 180 guests a success. It is inevitable that some circumstances may require you to change some details at the last minute, whether it is scheduling the rehearsal, switching up table set up, etc…, however it was sooo easy to accommodate the bride and groom’s changes as Caitlin stepped up to the plate each time with no fuss. She has excellent follow-through and is a problem-solver. She understands the importance of creating the perfect wedding day which includes the overall experience leading up to it! She is about creating a low stress situation and sharing lessons learned or observations from other weddings to help the bride and groom make informed decisions. Don’t let her baby face fool you either, she is a professional who really knows her stuff! I really look forward to working with Caitlin and team in the future.

My wedding isn't until September 2016 but I have just had the best experience working with Caitlin so far! She has been more than accommodating and flexible with my requests, and has been very helpful with answering my many questions. :) This venue was a little pricier than I originally wanted to pay, but it is absolutely gorgeous and you have the freedom to bring in our own vendors and decor to really customize your wedding. Other venues I looked at all had a cookie-cutter approach to every wedding and would not allow you to work with outside vendors. I'm happy to have selected Callanwolde for my special day. I will be sure to update my review after the wedding takes place to comment on how everything went!

UPDATE: I just had my wedding this past weekend, so I wanted to send an update on how things went. Wow - it was spectacular. I had a lot of out of town guests for my wedding and they couldn't stop talking about how beautiful the venue was and how fun that we were getting married in the historic Coca Cola home! Everyone that I have had the pleasure of working with from the venue was pleasant and did a great job setting up and with any last minute requests. I couldn't have had a more seamless wedding day (and as an event planner myself, that says a lot)! A big thanks to Caitlin King and team for doing a great job!

I can't think of a more timeless venue than Callanwolde. Caitlin was so sweet and accommodating for us. This was a dream come true for my daughter!

Not only is Callanwolde absolutely beautiful, but the staff is incredible and so friendly. That is important in searching for a wedding venue. Caitlin is quick to respond, answered all of our questions and made sure the wedding day was perfect. She gave great suggestions for an entrance and seating plan options. On the day of the event, Callanwolde's staff was always available to make sure that items were in the correct place. They were a dream to work with and the grounds are impeccably cared for. I will recommend them to everyone.

I had the most incredible wedding at Callanwolde. All my guests were literally blown away at what an incredible space it was.

We had the ceremony in the Hydrangea Garden with the arbor as the backdrop. It was a gorgeous and intimate space to say "I Do". Cocktail hour was on the beautiful front terrace. The selling point for me was ALWAYS the reception space. The chandeliers, flowing fabric, natural light - it's all simply amazing. We entered down the incredible grand staircase and had our first dance right there in the main hall. We used the room where the buffet is typically set up (we did plated dinner instead) for our photobooth space. There's so much space and you have the freedom to use it.

I think what was so great about this venue is you get the ENTIRE property. You aren't worried about running into another bride at those venues that book multiple weddings a night. You also can allow your guests to explore the garden. It's incredible having a historic mansion in the middle of the city, but that is exactly what Callanwolde is. Caitlin, the coordinator was also so easy to work with.

If you are looking for a one of a kind venue, this is it. I have zero regrets about having our wedding here, as it was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT.

'As I walked my daughter down the main staircase into the great hall, the sunlight from the stain glass windows illuminated us in golden aura.' That's what my husband said after walking our youngest daughter to the wedding altar. It was every bit of the 'fairytale' we wished for. Caitlin couldn't have been nicer. She was a tremendous help every step of the way. I thought she was well versed in what needed to be done and gave great ideas! She even designed our floral arrangements! I just wish I had another wedding to plan so I could do it all over again at Callonwolde! Vote Caitlin for President!

This review is pre-wedding, as our wedding is in a few weeks but so far it's been so easy to work with Callanwolde. When we first saw the venue we knew it was the right place for us and so glad they had an opening for us! Caitlin has been awesome and really does a great job getting back to us with quick answers, we only had 5 months to plan this wedding and without her help it would have been much more of a stressful process. I love how down to earth she is and she's actually pretty funny so she brings some laughter to our meetings and that is much appreciated! Can't wait for our beautiful wedding at this gorgeous venue!

Literally the most perfect and beautiful venue imaginable. There are dozens of great spots for pictures as well. I love how all of the rooms connect to one another! All of the staff was extremely helpful and committed to our every need

Beautiful venue, they meet most of our expectations, there were some last minute hiccups that came up during our rehearsal but were all handled by the morning of the wedding.

thanks to the staff at Callanwolde! :) Our wedding here was amazing.

I cannot say enough about Mike Rice and his team at Callanwolde. First off, the venue is beautiful! There is not a spot on the property that doesn't provide the perfect backdrop for any wedding photo. Secondly, Mike was ultra accommodating and went above and beyond to make sure we were happy. He really caters to the couple, ensuring the perfect wedding experience. This is the perfect venue for the budget conscious bride and allows for the use of your own vendors, which was very important to us.

I couldn't be more pleased with my Callanwolde experience and I recommend this to anyone looking for a wedding venue in the Atlanta area.

I had no idea starting out that I would end up having my wedding reception at Callanwolde. I went there on school trips as a child and was awed by how stunning the house is. I assumed the venue was WAY out of my price range, and while it is expensive, it was the most amazing experience to celebrate our reception there.

The staff is very flexible and attentive--they will accommodate all kinds of requests, and the beautiful part about this venue is that there is free parking onsite, a great kitchen for your caterer, and you can pretty much use all of the grounds as well as the house for photos and mingling (of course pending on what else is happening at the house that day). Callanwolde had everything we wanted in a venue--beauty, value, space, parking, and friendly, helpful staff--we couldn't have asked for more!

Mr. Alfred Alarcon at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center was very professional and knowledgeable about the venue. He was accessible via e-mail and phone, flexible, and available to provide assistance each time we visited the venue to walk through and during rehearsal. The venue is extremely beautiful and elegant!! We are so glad we chose Callanwolde to host our wedding and reception. Our BIG DAY was perfect!!

I highly recommend getting married at Callanwolde. The staff members that I encountered throughout the whole process (notably Mike and Chip) were willing to answer any questions I had about the ceremony/reception logistics but could also give me some nice historical facts about the beautiful home. The house is so amazingly beautiful that I felt like I needed minimal decoration...the house's beauty speaks for itself in so many ways.

I had both my ceremony and reception at the venue, and the transition between the two was seamless. Many of my vendors had already worked at Callanwolde and were happy to hear that was where they would be for my wedding. The home has a number of beautiful spots for pictures, and plenty of parking for your guests (which is important because parking can be SUCH a pain in Atlanta).

If you are waffling between Callanwolde and another venue, just take the time to look at the beautiful staircase. That staircase will make your decision for you.

Mike and the other guys at Callanwolde made everything great. They let us come in and check things out whenever we wanted, gave great wedding planning tips, were extremely professional, and made us feel so welcome and important. Highest rating for these guys!

Callanwolde was the perfect wedding venue for us! We loved the outdoor space, the gardens were BEAUTIFUL! Alfred and the staff were super responsive, professional, and did everything they could to make our wedding the perfect event!

Loved working with them! They were always available to meet and made me feel very special each time we spoke. They were so accommodating and I could not have asked for a better place!

My husband and I can't say enough nice things about Callanwolde. It is a beautiful house with beautiful grounds. They have recently installed chandeliers and drapes that our guests were impressed with. They even changed out the old green curtains for white ones. There was so much room for our 190 guests and not much need to go overboard on decorations. The staff was easy to work with and helpful flipping the room during our cocktail hour. We could arrive to get ready early in the day too which was nice! It was a truly wonderful venue.

It POURED on our wedding day so we were so thankful that we were getting married at Callanwolde! The staff there (Mike in particular) were awesome and easy to work with. The price is steep ($5,000 base price, but we paid in advance for a 10% discount) but worth it to be in town in such a beautiful setting. AND they let you bring your own booze, which is a big plus. Definitely recommend it!

We had our wedding ceremony in December of 2012 at the Samuel Goldman Retreat of the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. Obviously it’s not the most popular area of the campus, but it was perfect for what we wanted – intimate, rustic and not outrageously expensive! It was also in a great location and close to our reception venue. Charlotte and her entire staff were professional, pleasant and easy to work with, and they were also very flexible in allowing us to have a little extra time to decorate/clean-up. (Although it depends on other rentals, of course.) While there isn’t a lot of extra space to get ready, the facilities are excellent, and we were overall very pleased and glad we chose this space!

Callanwolde is a gorgeous venue. Our wedding pictures looked spectacular on the grounds of Callanwolde. I had my ceremony and reception there and it was seamless. It was so nice to not have to transfer between venues and to allow my guests to stay in the same place for the entire night.

The staff at Callanwolde is amazing. Charlotte who does all the coordinating goes above and beyond to help you out. She takes the time to show you the venue and walk you through anything that you need. I lived out of town and would occasionally pop in whenever I had time and she would always accommodate us.

Callanwolde is also nice because you can bring in all your own vendors, this let me choose who and what I wanted without being stuck with a venues choice.

Overall I had an amazing time at Callanwolde and would recommend it to anyone.

The coordinators at this venue will go above and beyond to make sure your dream vision comes to life. Their helpful, positive, can-do attitude made choosing Callanwolde as a venue a decision I was so happy with during the planning process.

Even better, renting Callanwolde gives you access to the entire property - rare in Atlanta to not have to worry about another event occurring at your venue, venue turn over (being out in time for another event to prep) and - a HUGE plus - a parking lot that my guests could leave their cars, cab home, and pick up the next day.

My husband and I were so blessed with beautiful, sunny, 75 degree weather on our big day, and the front lawn at Callanwolde had the perfect cocktail hour with 2 bars, passed hor dourves, and cornhole, bocce ball, and ring toss. We wanted our guests to be having fun every second of the day and the front yard provided the perfect location before, and then during the reception there was TONS of room for our band, dinner stations, seating, photo booth, etc. etc.

My mom still talks about how when our trolley pulled into the estate and she heard the harpist (playing for the cocktail hour), saw the gardens of the estate, and saw our guests playing yard games and enjoying cocktails, she thought "this must be a glimpse of heaven..." and it truly was.

I had my wedding ceremony and reception at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center on July 7, 2012. The staff at Callanwolde is super professional, and accommodating, especially Mike Rice. I can't say enough about the quality of service that my husband and I received from Mike. He is a wealth of information, and provides the highest level of customer service. If you are looking for a venue for an outdoor ceremony, Callanwolde has several gorgeous gardens to choose from. We planned to be outside, but it was too hot. Mike and his staff made the adjustments necessary to have the service inside with one days notice. The house itself is beautiful and historic. I highly recommend Callanwolde. My wedding pictures look like a fairytale wedding with Callanwolde as the backdrop.

I was so happy with Callanwolde. They were flexible with me when I needed to change spaces and also had a great back up plan for rain, which ended up coming in handy. I was able to go in and set up the night before and also use my own caterer. It was a great experience and my wedding turned out beautifully.

I had my wedding at Callanwolde on June 10, 2012. We decided to book with them on Sunday, which provided more flexibility for your event. The rental manager changed before my wedding took place, but both of them took the time to ensure that all my questions were answered and I received the attention that I wanted during the planning of my wedding. The Event Manager was also great. He was flexible with our rehearsal as a few people in the wedding party showed up late!

Callanwolde is beautiful within itself. The guests were blown away seeing everyone come down the stairs......sometime in a fairytale wedding. The venue is so beautiful, you don't have to spend alot of money to decorate. The staff was professional and timely with the set-up and break down for all the activities. Thank you Callanwolde for the ultimate wedding experience!

Callanwolde was a wonderful venue. The facilities rental staff were helpful and responsive and made sure everything was in place for the wedding. Not only is the building beautiful, the gardens and the grounds have a lot of character, too. But more than anything, having a great and friendly staff you can work with who tries to be as flexible as they can makes a huge difference to your wedding experience. Charlotte and Mike were so helpful and kind. Also, unlike many other venues out there, they have no hidden charges and what you see upfront is basically what you get. They allow you to bring your caterer and drinks which saves a great deal of money. Thanks Callanwolde for a beautitful wedding experience.

Alfred and team are great and easy to work with at Callanwolde! Callanwolde might be on the higher end when it comes to venues, but what you do not realize is you save so much money on alcohol (you can bring in your own alcohol) and food which evens the price out. You also can have your rehearsal dinner at the pool house for a very reasonable price - the place is adorable and perfect for the occasion AND your ceremony onsite. Brides, when you are looking at venues, remember it will be much easier for everyone (vendors, family, guests, bridal party) to have the ceremony and reception at the same site if you can. Callanwolde is a perfect location if you are looking to have a classy wedding with a side of southern charm!

My wedding venue was great. The staff was great and helpful. I was worry free through out the whole process. I was more than satisfied with my experience and would recommend this venue.

Beautiful and Romantic..It makes you want to get married all over again!!

My husband and I could not be happier about our decision to get married and have our reception at the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. Having access to the entire house was such a rare opportunity. The team at Callanwolde was so flexible and accommodating. 10/10 recommend!

I held my wedding ceremony and reception at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. The venue was appealing to me due to its beauty inside and out. I'd dreamed of getting married in an outside setting, and this venue had multiple areas for this. I chose the Hydrangea garden for my ceremony due to its' privacy. The grand staircase inside was my backup plan for unfavorable weather, and I would have been just as happy with this setting. The architecture and layout of the venue is so romantic and requires very little extra decor. So many of my guest were in awe of the venue and its grandness. The staff was easy to work with and accountable. Caroline, the venue's event manager, is responsive and professional. When she was not available to meet with me or answer my questions, there was always someone else to attend to me in a very timely manner. Mr. Bernard was at the venue the entire day of my wedding helping my venders set up. Callanwolde Fine Arts Center is worth visiting simply for its history and beauty even if you aren't interested in getting married there!

Callanwolde is by far the best bang for your buck for a wedding. Absolutely beautiful backdrops for photos. So much space for getting ready, guests, etc. Numerous options for ceremony location (indoor and outdoor). Anna was great to work with. They had some issues causing us to have to relocate the ceremony a few hours before the wedding but everyone was very helpful in doing this and the new location was just as beautiful. Can bring your own alcohol, which saved us a lot since half our guest list didn't drink. Perfect wedding day for us!

I was worried about using Callanwolde as my venue after reading reviews that were all over the place. I can honestly say I am so glad I still gave Callanwolde a chance and met with Anna. She was super cool and upfront about answering all my questions and concerns. Callanwolde is a GORGEOUS venue and doesn't require you to spend an exorbitant amount of money on extra decor. They are super flexible with what you can bring (most importantly alcohol). That is a huge expense you dodge. We literally saved over $9K by being allowed to bring in our own alcohol - and we bought wine, full bar, and beer for our guests. Huge plus for Callanwolde! Also, Anna and the other staff I interacted with were incredibly nice and willing to help when/how they could. You have to keep in mind though, they are not only a wedding venue. They teach classes and have other events going on all the time. That never caused an issue for my wedding but you really need to understand that before booking. They may be slower to respond but again, that's because they do so much with the venue. I always got a response from Anna and never felt like things were slipping through the cracks. The reason I gave 4.5 stars for flexibility is because on Fridays (when I got married) you can't bring anything before noon. That isn't the end of the world but it would have been easier on us if we could have dropped a few items off the night before the wedding. Again, not an issue you just have to plan. If I had to do all over again, I would still choose Callanwolde and work with Anna in a heartbeat. My guests still tell me how beautiful Callanwolde was. The indoor Courtyard is breathtakingly beautiful and the gardens (even in November) were still in bloom for our pictures. Bottomline: the venue is GORGEOUS, flexible within reason, has incredibly nice and laid back staff, and reasonably priced for Atlanta wedding venues. Thank you, Anna and team for all you did to make our wedding go smoothly!

The entire staff at Callanwolde was amazing for our wedding! We originally booked around February 2015 for our wedding in June 2016. The management in place when we booked was terrible, but we loved the venue so much we decided to take a chance. When they hired Caitlin everything took a turn for the better in terms of communication, clarity, and helpfulness. She was amazing to work with, especially for a bride like me who didn't have a planner! Any tiny issues that came up along the way, Caitlin was right on top of it to do anything possible to help or solve the problem. The staff there the day of was incredible at making me feel at ease and doing everything exactly as planned. Overall, it was a great venue and we're so thankful we decided to get married there!

A short walk around Callanwolde and we knew we that is where we wanted to get married. They provide an excellent value for the money; chairs, tables and labor to move them are all included. Everyone was in awe with the beautiful ceiling decoration in the Courtyard, as well as the gardens and the property overall. I would absolutely recommend this venue to anyone looking to get married in Atlanta. We had 164 people which fit perfectly.

I fell in love with Callanwolde from the moment I set foot on the property. My husband and I had two main requirements in a venue, 1. it had to be ITP and 2. it had to have a garden. Callanwolde is tucked away in a little forest nook off Briarcliff Road, near the trendy Virginia Highlands neighborhood. It is an absolutely stunning house, with pristine gardens. The rental fee may initially seem a bit high but if you're planning on having a smaller wedding, you can actually save by booking Callanwolde. They let you bring in all your own vendors and you aren't trapped with 100 person minimums like some of the other major wedding venues in Atlanta. We also saved on décor and flowers because the mansion and property don't need anything else to make it look gorgeous. We did initially book with Alfred, their own Operations Manager, who did leave during the process. That being said, Callanwolde didn't skip a beat. When the role was filled, we received an update call and they honored everything that Alfred had promised us. The staff there are spectacular, friendly and good at what they do. While I can understand how the transition may have ruffled a few feathers, I can ensure any bride to be that a wedding at Callanwolde is an excellent choice! My wedding was beautiful, executed perfectly and the best day I could ask for. Please note, they book up wayyyy in advance. I was engaged 2/14/14 and wanted a spring 2015 wedding. I visited in June 2014 and they were booked until August 2015. I settled on a September 2015 date and it was worth the wait.

Callanwolde was an amazing venue to have my wedding at. Charlotte and Mike were extremely helpful throughout the planning and the event itself. Since we were from out of town, they worked with us to let us drop off some decor, the alcohol, and the mixers early, which gave us extra time on Friday for other errands. Not only are they easy to work with, but the grounds were beautiful and I couldn't image having my wedding anywhere else.

I absolutely loved having my wedding at Callanwolde. I couldn't have dreamed of a better venue. We literally booked the entire estate, including the Retreat, which we used for my bridal shower and rehearsal dinner. Everything went smoothly and the staff made us feel at home. Mike, the manager, is awesome and he goes above and beyond to make sure your special day is perfect! If you're going for historic, elegant, and beautifully southern...choose Callanwolde.

Loved this place! Beautiful setting in Atlanta.

We LOVED having our wedding here. We did our ceremony and reception inside. It was gorgeous and a dream come true!

Callanwolde is beautiful! The staff if very friendly and professional. I emailed Charolette the rental manager every other day before my wedding and she repsonded in less than 24hrs. Mike the weekend event manager was also really nice and did anything that I asked. The day of my event went smoothly because I had a weekend staff provided by Callanwolde to move tables and chairs when needed. The day of my wedding before my ceremony started they gave maybe 5-6 tours of the facility. I didnt mind because they allowed me to do the same before I selected the venue.

Wonderful place to get married. We had an incredibly beautiful ceremony in the garden and an indoor reception. The A/C was broken during the reception, but they opened the doors and I hardly noticed (our wedding was in April) and they gave me a discount because of it. I would recommend getting a wedding planner to handle communications - it made our experience a lot easier because Callanwolde can be slow to reply by email or phone. The venue was pricey (slightly above average for Atlanta) but so worth it. You get almost the entire downstairs area, plus two upstairs rooms for the bride and groom, and the venue is just so beautiful I couldn't imagine getting married anywhere else.

I saw this location about 4 years ago and knew I absolutely had to get married at Callanwolde. It is beautiful, historic, spacious, and just amazing! Callanwolde was worth the cost. There are so many rooms to use for the wedding day and we didn't have to do much decorating because it is already so beautiful. There was a Christmas event the day before and they were kind enough to leave up some of the decorations for our wedding. There is plenty of parking for the guests and rooms for the bridal party to get ready in. Unfortunately, the bathrooms upstairs were not working at the time which made steaming and getting ready a little difficult. Try to do as much ironing and steaming before you arrive, the old plugs in the house just couldn't handle it. I know there was a change employees and roles while we were planning so at times it took awhile to hear back and communication was a little off (I don't think that this is the norm though). Doing the venue walkthrough weeks before the wedding was very helpful and they were more than willing to accommodate our needs. They also let you pick your own vendors and bring in your own alcohol. This definitely helped with costs. There are preferred vendors that they suggest, but it is ultimately up to you and your budget. Every room and space at this venue is amazing which made for great pictures. All of our guests kept commenting on how amazing the location was. It was a magical place to get married.

I loved having my wedding at Callanwolde. Anna was so helpful and responsive. You'll definitely need a wedding planner / coordinator since this is not a service they include in the venue reservation fee. I highly recommend this beautiful venue.

I loved having my wedding at Callanwolde! It was gorgeous, provided a little history for our out of town guests, and had a great layout.

Callanwolde has so many fabulous settings for an outdoor ceremony and a perfect indoor space for a wonderful reception. Though expensive, they allow you to bring in your own alcohol and choose any wedding vendors you prefer (no preferred vendor list required), so you can really balance out the costs. We spent less money overall than we would have at a place with lower rental costs by buying our own alcohol and choosing an independent caterer. And we got a prettier backdrop. I cannot wait to see the photos!

the space was absolutely amazing and the crew there was fantastic!

Callanwolde was a fantastic place to get married! The wedding day went smoothly and the venue was stunning. Our guests said it was one of the most beautiful venues they'd ever been to for a wedding. Callanwolde allowed us to have our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception in 3 different spaces which was fun to change it up for the guests. The outdoor courtyard had lights and a beautiful fountain and was accessible from the reception area so guests could step outside for a breath of fresh air or change of scenery.
The only downside was the responsiveness of the event coordinator. On top of several other communication issues (including a change of event coordinator personnel) my husband had to drive to Callanwolde after being unable to get a response by phone or email from the coordinator in order to submit our final payment before our wedding.
The manager, Mike Rice, was a big help before the wedding and was available to meet with us to coordinate decor and seating options. Mike really made us feel comfortable and like he had everything under control.
Communication issues aside, I would still definitely recommend Callanwolde to anyone looking for a beautiful and historic event venue as it truly was majestic.

We were lucky to find an opening only a month before our date! It is a beautiful historic home and gardens with several indoor/outdoor ceremony location options. They only cater to one wedding per day. They were very flexible with all our requests. They said some brides even change the flowers in their flower beds to match their colors (not me).

Callanwolde was STUNNING. It defined our wedding day and made it the fairy tale we didn't even know we could have! It is so elegant and stately that we hardly needed to spend anything on decorations (big savings there). We had a winter wedding but were still able to get a variety of pictures in the garden, on the front veranda, and the greenhouse. The dance room, with it's floor-to-ceiling windows, gave us a stellar place to do our first-look and take pictures washed in sunlight. The ballroom, with its glass chandeliers, soft drapery, twinkling lights, and brick floor was a super-romantic location for the reception. And the main hall, where our ceremony took place, exuded warmth and richness, with its 1920s period furniture (which they were happy to keep or move at our convenience) and beautiful hardwood. I honestly felt I had invited 150 of my closest friends to MY house for a celebration!

Callanwolde was the most expensive place we looked at, but it was absolutely 100% worth it. We saved thousands of dollars on decorations and alcohol (they allow you to bring your own). Having the ceremony and reception all in one place made everything so much easier. The wedding party got ready upstairs in the large, sunny bedrooms, the windows of which overlooked the front driveway so we could keep a lookout for guests arriving. The upstairs bathrooms are original to the 1920s house (but in fine working order), and that was fun!

Because of the busy Christmas season, I had a bit of a hard time getting a hold of the staff at times, but everyone was very very nice and accommodating, and in the end I got everything I needed from them.

Callanwolde is perfect!! I can't imagine our wedding without it!

All our guests raved about the beauty and uniqueness of this venue. We loved being able to bring in our own booze. BUT- the only complaint is it was TOO HOT in the ballroom. So much that guests needed to leave early :(. Very uncomfortable. Granted, we did have our wedding in August, but it was like the AC was not on. Otherwise, the wedding venue was amazing.

Ultimately, we went with Callanwolde Arts Center because they fit almost EVERYTHING in the budget. It also allowed us to set up the children in a daycare room as it was a mansion with several rooms in the house. We did end up going over our venue budget as it took up 25% of the budget instead of the original 18%.

We booked Callanwolde 13 months out from our wedding, and in that time, they changed 3 rental managers, however, it wasn't a headache to deal with at all as they made sure the transitions were simple and easy.

The best thing was Michael Rice, the event manager who spoke with us during our pre wedding meetings, rehearsal and the day of. Because our wedding was outside, we decided to rent chairs for people to sit (instead of on the steps; the chairs inside the venue are not for outdoor use). We were going to set the chairs up ourselves after the wedding rehearsal, but Michael and his team set them up for us, which we thanked God for as we knew it took quite a bit of work.

All in all, it was a GREAT choice and would definitely recommend this venue.

This was a gorgeous venue and we were able to get it at a "recession price" which helped a ton. The main contact was good, not great, at getting back with us promptly. Other than the beauty of this venue, a main attraction was that they allow outside vendors and give you the hall for longer than others (7 hours plus set-up and break down time).

At first their staff was highly responsive to our emails but when it came closer to the event I guess they got busier and we didn't hear back. That was ok because as soon as I got to the venue for our rehearsal the staff just jumped to setting everything up how we needed it. They worked with our vendors on pick up times and made a number of logistical things really easy for us. The venue itself is breathtaking and versatile as always. Since the venue is already so beautiful we didn't need much in the way of decorations which saved us a lot of money.

If you are looking for an intimate yet breathtaking venue - this is it!! Although it was sometimes difficult to get a response from my contact in a timely manner, the staff at Callanwolde was incredibly flexible and eager to make our dream wedding come to life. They provided lots of room for creativity in how we used the space and provided additional on-site staff support on the night of the wedding.

When my fiance and I became engaged June 2014, we limited our venue search to places in the Atlanta area that would allow us to bring in our own caterers/vendors/alcohol. We knew this would be a huge cost savings for us. Callanwolde was the second venue we found, and I IMMEDIATELY fell in love. My fiance, on the other hand, was harder to persuade. We set up a meeting with Chip to come in on a Friday and tour the grounds. We ended up coming on a Friday late afternoon, around the same time a rehearsal was scheduled. In our email conversations, we were not told where to meet, etc. We felt very awkward running around in the middle of a rehearsal trying to find Chip! I excused this initial chaos because it was our fault that we confirmed a weekend appointment (getting time off work is near impossible for us). My fiance left unsettled. I convinced him to give the venue a second chance, and we scheduled a second tour during the week when it was just us and the management. The ENTIRE atmosphere was different, and my fiance got to see how truly beautiful, grand, and vibrant the venue is. We were sold, and my family booked the venue the following week.

Flash forward 3 months before my wedding, I am still in love with Callanwolde and happy I chose this as our wedding venue. I believe the staff was going through some transition, so the Operations Manager who we originally booked with (Alfred) isn't working there anymore. I wish they had contacted us to let us know because we had tried calling and e-mailing him SEVERAL times to send Callanwolde the rest of our deposit, but we never heard back from anyone. Once we finally paid, it took almost four months to receive our receipt... which was scary. I will say, however, that communications are getting better. We have set up our walk through, and I'm hopeful that everything will run smoothly on our big day. So many people have told us how beautiful and jealous they are of our venue! It truly is magnificent.

This venue was so beautiful and has such southern charm. The only downfall was how incredibly hot it became inside the venue on the day of the event... It was only 82 outside.

We had our reception at Callanwolde and the venue was absolutely gorgeous! We loved the historic aspect of the mansion and all of the different rooms. The mansion is just breathtaking and our photographer captured the beauty of this mansion in our wedding day photos.
The few downsides of working with Callanwolde was that we were told we would have the entire mansion for the day of and we didn't have the ready rooms we thought we were going to have and there were dance classes going on while we were trying to get ready and our event planner was starting to set up for the reception. It ended up working out fine but, it was frustrating. When my mother and I initially looked at this venue we were working with Alfred. He was not responsive to email and was not helpful in answering questions. In general it seemed like we were inconveniencing him by asking any questions. Our wedding planner had to completely bypass him and ask the general manager for any questions we had because he did not answer the necessary emails. The venue is beautiful but, If you choose this venue work with Mike Rice and not Alfred Alacron.

We had our wedding reception here and the venue truly is so beautiful. It was everything we were looking for and the pictures turned out perfect!! Great venue!!

I had my wedding during Chrismtas at Callanwolde, paid double than the regular price but was provided that amount in decorations for my wedding. I worked with Mike and Alfred, and although it was really difficult at times to get in touch with them, my wedding was perfect, the venue was a knockout place, and Mike's team was top notch. They helped set up, they helped unload, and they were discreet. Two of the men even stood in for two absent groomsmen during the rehearsal! My pictures will be amazing, thanks to the originality, class, and dignity of the house and grounds. It truly is a magical and fabulous place to get married.

We went through two coordinators at this venue. The second guy was a dream and ensured our day ran smoothly.

Callanwolde is a beautiful place to get married, and your photos will be gorgeous. The mansion is unparalleled in ambiance and the gardens are just stunning. Mike, the site coordinator, absolutely made my husband and I feel like the most important people in the universe on our special day, and without him we probably wouldn't have had the same experience. We had some miscommunications with the sales representative, as she recently took over for the last sales rep, which caused some last-minute, unexpected costs for us, but luckily we were able to split them with the bride for the wedding on the day before ours. I was a little frustrated with the lack of understanding regarding a miscommunication that was caused by the venue's office, it was handled with a pithy, "sorry!" and that was it. I don't even think I would have minded if there was a heartfelt (or even a pretend heartfelt) apology regarding the situation. I know that they will continue to book every weekend evening for weddings, as they should because the venue is without comparison, however all I will say is make sure every detail (e.g. chairs, indoor vs. outdoor seating, etc.) is CLEARLY defined on your contract, as their contract is rather vague. Write in everything you agree upon before you sign it!!!

Beautiful beautiful beautiful venue. Fell in love right away. So far we have done everything with the old management and have taken care of everything so far without any problems. I have read the reviews over and over about the new management and was also warned even though we have signed our contract and paid in full to watch out. As soon as I received these warnings I contacted my wedding planner and She visited her right away to make sure our contract stood as is and there would be no issues. Our wedding is in Aug so hopefully either bad management is gone or have worked everything out. Will send pics and update review then.

We had our rehearsal dinner in the Samuel Goldman Retreat and we had our reception in the main house. It was a gorgeous venue that made for phenomenal pictures both in the afternoon and in the evening. We did our first look on the grand staircase and we also had our bridal party enter the reception by coming down the staircase. The venue is pricey, but well worth it for the flexibility of being able to choose your own caterer and provide your own alcohol. The venue has a lot of events going on all the time, so the communication with the staff was challenging, but they eventually responded to our questions.

Callanwolde is absolutely a lovely venue. I love the fact that you can bring your own vendors and decorate to your own liking. However, my wedding was last week and it was very hot outside. The venue also became very hot, I was literally up there sweating the entire ceremony. Also I booked the venue over a year ago. We asked the then manager about Chivari chairs because their existing white chairs we not up to par & we didn't want to do the chair covers. The manager told us that we could get those chairs at no cost. However, a few months before the wedding they charged us $700 additional for the chairs. I was not too happy!

This is a great venue and beautiful setting. We had a wonderful day for my daughter’s wedding. Because this is a community center the staff is not accommodating to brides. In other words, weddings are not their first priority. If you book this venue, don’t expect that on your wedding day that it will look like it did when you booked it. They change draperies and some rooms have dance floors for community classes. You will be limited on decorating outdoor spaces (florals). Callanwolde advertises beautiful pictures online, but these rooms may not be available for your particular day. If you book this venue, ask a lot of questions. The staff was slow to respond with every communication. We loved the venue, but if you are looking for a one where the staff is happy to have your business and treats you accordingly, this is not it.

UNPREDICTABLE-

The good news and the best thing about Callanwolde is Mike and the event staff. They were absolutely amazing and extremely helpful during the event.

The grounds are also quite beautiful but that also leads me to the bad news... the house really needs a new coat of paint as the paint is beginning to crack and peel. Starting to look a bit rundown. More bad news... Callanwolde decided to start construction around the time of my wedding so the grounds looked like a construction site, yellow tape and all. I can see it in my wedding video and pictures. It was pretty ridiculous :-( Who decides to begin construction during prime wedding season (Late Spring)??? They were very unapologetic about it and did nothing to compensate us for it.

Ballroom was very hot and there's nothing worse than a wedding venue being miserably hot. We had all the doors and curtains closed and it was still uncomfortably hot in the ballroom.

The covering over the driveway was also noticeably damaged but could have been a quick fix if they cared enough to do so. Overall on my wedding day the venue looked a bit rundown with a construction site to go along with it.

I wouldn't recommend this for the simple fact that you just never know what you're going to get.

Callanwolde is an absolutely beautiful venue inside and out and was exactly what we were looking for. But unfortunately, our experience with Callanwolde, on our wedding day, was a huge disappointment and would have been a disaster without the leadership of our wedding coordinators and catering company.

Here are the issues that we faced:

Issue 1 - Lack of help from Callanwolde that we were promised

When we signed with Callanwolde we were told that we would have two event managers on site. We were also told that the two event managers would be responsible for setting up the chairs for the ceremony and also setting up the tables/chairs for the reception. The day of our wedding we were only given one event manager not two.

When our wedding coordinator walked into Callanwolde, the chairs for the ceremony were set up wrong. The chairs blocked off our holding room and the area where the DJ table was supposed to be set up. In our final walkthrough with Anna, we had established where the holding room and DJ table would be to ensure the chairs would be set up in a way that our bridal party could walk down the aisle and DJ would have room to set up music but this was not the case.

To solve the issue, our wedding coordinator stopped what she was doing and helped the event manager re-do the chairs because there was not the 2nd event manager on site.

We had no issue with event coordinator that was on site, he was helpful and cooperative, our issue was that he was the only event manager on site and was also not given proper information by Callanwolde. His only copy of the layout was incorrect and did not have the things labeled on it that we had discussed in our final walkthrough. Our wedding coordinator showed him the correct copy of the layout and had to help him figure out how to get everything set up for cocktail hour.

Issue 2: The air conditioning was not working properly in the rooms upstairs as well as the holding room and ceremony area downstairs. Our bridal party and guests were profusely sweating. Our wedding coordinators put out fans in the brides room/grooms room then had to move them down to the holding room for the later part of the ceremony. Again, our wedding coordinators were doing the job that the event managers at Callanwolde should have been doing. The only part of the Callanwolde that had proper air-conditioning and was comfortable for our guests was the indoor courtyard (reception area).

Issue 3: Our grooms room was switched without notice
At our final walkthrough meeting we were shown the grooms room. The day of our wedding, we were told the grooms room is locked and can not be used because there were expensive paintings in there. The groom and his groomsmen were put in a different room that was a complete embarrassment. The tables for them to sit on had crayon marks all over it. If you were going to put in furniture in that room and give it our bridal party it should have at least been covered with linens if the tables are not presentable. The bride's room was also not very impressive either. Below is a picture of the groomsmen and if you look closely at the table there are crayon marks all over it. This was very embarrassing for us, that this is the room we were given for our groomsmen to sit before our ceremony. We have been to many weddings in the Atlanta area where we have seen very nice rooms for the groomsmen and bridesmaids and knew this was unacceptable.

We expressed our concerns with the management at Callanwolde. Instead of taking ownership, they pointed fingers at us about things we did wrong. The executive director was extremely unprofessional, didn't apologize for the issues they caused on our wedding day, and complained that someone threw up outside and had to be cleaned by their staff. The child that threw up outside had gotten sick at the wedding.

All in all, beautiful venue, horrible management.

Past Manager, Michael was awesome. His quality of service, professionalism, responsiveness and flexibility was unmatched. He always went above and beyond in everything. We decided to go with this place because of his service. Few months back whole new set of managers have come in. They are awful. If I had met them before, I would have dropped this amazing place as a venue choice just based on current managements service style. I would recommend this place for the venue but watch out for bad management.

My son held his wedding here over the summer. Air conditioning wasn’t working upstairs and grooms room was moved and it was messy and unkept. Upon our arrival the seating wasn’t set up yet for the ceremony causing staff to scramble and get organized. We were promised two wedding event managers but there was only one on staff the day of the wedding. The tables were set up incorrectly in the reception hall ...not in accordance with the plan we had drawn up. The air conditioning was not working where the ceremony was being held as well Thank goodness for our wedding coordinator who was able to help get some of these matters resolved. Very disappointed in this venue.

We heard nothing but positive reviews about Callanwolde prior to booking our wedding. Callanwolde is BEAUTIFUL and appeared to be a well ran venue when we toured in February 2015. Fast forward to months of unprofessional nightmare. Our original contacts were great until they disappeared. Same with the second round of contacts. Emails went unresponded for months. Appointments were cancelled. Finally, just before our wedding we got a new contact to answer a couple emails. However, she’s part time and extremely over worked and does not have the time to dedicate to this being a high end wedding venue. Communications with Callanwolde were extremely unprofessional. We were actually insulted (along with our vendors) during my final walk thru with a comment along the lines of, “are you guys going to discuss linens? Because that’s boring and I have better things to do.” Our wedding was on a Saturday, and the Thursday before we received an email saying all our contract and vendor agreements had been rewritten and must be signed prior to Saturday. Our rehearsal was Friday at 3:00. All went well and we proceeded to our rehearsal dinner with our guests. During the evening, we get a phone call that we will not be allowed to use the “getting ready “ rooms upstairs for THAT WE PAID THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR because there was a conflict with a 4 year old dance class. We argued and secured our rooms to get ready but had DOZENS of people in the upstairs gallery while trying to get ready for our wedding and take pictures. They did not disappear until about 3:00 and our guests started arriving at 4:00. During my first look pictures on the grand staircase, children were running around in the way. Callanwolde broke so many aspects of our contract. The stress they provided me on my wedding day was unnecessary.

The staff has been completely deceiving in their policies between originally touring the property and actually booking the venue. There is little to no professionalism and it is very hard to get any response to any questions that I have. The venue itself is gorgeous, but the staff is an utter disappointment.

While the garden and mansion are absolutely gorgeous and we were able to take beautiful pictures on our wedding day, the entire frustrating ordeal of dealing with the staff made me regret booking it.

We were an out-of-state couple with a tiny guest count and were looking for a venue that had a lot of experience with doing weddings.

The biggest issue we had was that we were not aware that they DOUBLE-BOOKED the Gardens for our date. We signed the contract for the "Retreat and Gardens", knowing that another wedding was going to happen in the Mansion. Months after signing the contract, Caitlin told us the other ceremony would be happening in the Gardens too!! This was a terrible situation to be put into and led to headaches trying to schedule our own wedding day but also ensure that the other extremely large party would not disrupt us. Two weeks before the actual date, we were highly pressured by Caitlin to push back our ceremony time so we wouldn't disrupt the other party!

In the end, the other wedding party interrupted us while we were setting up, took our decorations and we could hear them making noise during our reception. While it is not their fault for the way the other wedding party acted, Callanwolde could have prevented this by not double-booking their location. The contract was very vague overall and when we inquired about details, (email)communication was strained.

Avoid this place like the plague. All of the previous reviews that were praising the staff (Alfred, Michael, and others ) are no longer valid because all of them were fired by the new management. We were scheduled to have the wedding here and signed our contract and paid in full 10 months before our wedding. Approximately 30 days before the wedding the new management (Peggy) decided to change the ending time of our wedding. We got an email stating that our wedding must end at 11PM SHARP, even though we paid to stay there until 1am as stated by the original contract that we signed. Peggy sent me a copy of my contract with the original ending time crossed out, and she wrote in the 11PM ending time and signed her initials. All of these changes were made without asking me. We already made arrangements with all of the venders to stay until 1am. When we emailed Peggy demanding that she honor the original contract, Peggy would not answer our calls or emails. She got our attention only when we CCed our lawyer to one of the emails stating that we are going to take legal action against them. Don't listen to any promises made by Caitlyn, the event scheduler, because Peggy will overwrite all of her decisions. Caitlyn has no authority at Callanwolde and only gives you false promises. We ended up moving our wedding to a new venue and it was hell, because we had a big wedding. Don't do your wedding here because they will screw something up for you and cause you to have a lot of anxiety!!! We found several other couples that were experiencing similar problems at Callandwolde because of the new management. One of the couples is currently suing them, because the bride is a lawyer. I never write reviews, but I wanted to warn people about this fraudulent place. They don't treat couples with respect and caused my wife a lot of unnecessary stress less than 30 days to the most beautiful day of our new life together.  Even though this venue is beautiful, DON'T DO YOUR WEDDING HERE!