The Barn at Montague Retreat Center Reviews

My husband & I got married at the Montague Retreat Center last October (2023) and it was truly the best day of our lives. Not only is the venue itself absolutely beautiful, but the staff that works there are so extremely helpful & professional. Leading up to the wedding, I called Jason constantly and was able to discuss everything from the rehearsal to the big day. I never once felt like I was a bother & continually felt supported throughout the whole experience. I could not recommend this place (or the amazing staff) enough. We are so very grateful for them!

We had our wedding at the MRC in June 2022. It is a stunning venue with professional staff who are passionate about what they do! Jackie and Kellsey were wonderful coordinators to work with. Their communication and planning before the event made us feel like everything was taken care of, and they ran the wedding flawlessly so that we didn't have to worry about any details day-of. Dale takes great care of the facility and the grounds; his passion is evident. Wheelhouse catering provided the best wedding meal we've ever had. We stayed on site with our wedding party in the gorgeous new cabins, which was such a fun and unique experience. Overall we could not recommend MRC more!!

I cannot explain how great of a choice MRC was for our wedding. The venue is gorgeous, the amenities were wonderful, but the real selling point were the people. Jackie was a dream to work with and when something went pretty majorly wrong she immediately did everything she could to make it write and fixed the issue beyond our satisfaction. Also, if you're like me and don't like venues saying "you have to use OUR caterer" don't worry. Wheelhouse is the best caterer I have ever interacted with. Kind, professional, and easily at the top of the game. I generally don't give perfect reviews, but our wedding was perfect and MRC was a strong reason why.

We had a fusion Indian/Haitian wedding at MRC and we honestly could not imagine getting married anywhere else! Although our initial plans were to have an outdoor ceremony in the beautiful ceremony circle - mother nature had other plans (rain!) and with excellent guidance and flexibility from Kellsey and Jackie we moved to our Plan B. Which turned out to be what we expected and so much more! The barn is beautiful and was an equally incredible location to get married in.

Jackie and Kellsey constantly went above and beyond for all of our celebrations (and we had many!) and were genuinely kind and calming to be around all weekend. The other bonus was the venue's collaboration with Wheelhouse catering. They took our very specific ask of creating a fusion Indian and Haitian menu and delivered more than anything we could ever expect!

When we started planning our July wedding, we knew that we wanted a beautiful, eco-conscious, outdoor venue in the rolling Massachusetts hills where we could host guests for the whole weekend and people could camp and sit by a fire at night. We weren’t sure we’d find someplace that checked all those boxes; then we found the Montague Retreat Center.

It was everything we were looking for and more. We loved that we had the whole weekend to see our guests and that they got to know the place, too. The Center already has a tent set up for the reception, and the venue was so well set up with its own furniture and catering-ready kitchen, that other vendors kept telling us how delighted they were to be going back there.

We had around 100 guests, about 25 of which camped at the Center. The camp site is in a pine forest on the property, and our camping guests were all very happy with their stay and with the facilities.

A lot happens in a wedding weekend, but the staff is prepared for anything and everything. The caretaker, John, was particularly notable in how quickly and quietly he took care of the facilities while we were there. We’d turn around and he’d have taken care of the trash or put another few logs on the fire. It was easy and wonderful. It was wonderful to have things like lights already set up, and a room of wedding decorations others have left to reuse or leave instead of stress about bringing everything and cleaning it all up. We were glad they compost everything and the facility even runs on geo-thermal heating/cooling.

We took the Retreat Center’s recommendations for almost all of our vendors, and they were all wonderful (especially Wheelhouse Catering for our reception and Jackie M coordinating all of our vendors and the day of the wedding). We got flowers from Red Fire Farm, and sent our guests to check out the Montague Book Mill (and took photos there ourselves!).

We are so glad we found the Montague Retreat Center and through them got to know the Pioneer Valley better!

We got married at the Montague Retreat Center two weeks ago. We could not have imagined a better venue for the wedding weekend that we'd envisioned, nor a more helpful, kind, and accommodating group than Bill, Beth, and John. We would *highly* recommend this venue to others.

It's hard to know where to start. To begin with, it's just such a beautiful venue surrounded by beautiful scenery and even some hiking paths that leave from the back gate. And the barn is just magical--especially lit up at night.

We loved the feel of the venue, which we took to be "warm," "laid back," and "communal." That's what we were going for with our wedding, so it was a perfect fit. It was great to be able to show up early in the week to start setting things up and to not feel pressured to leave early on Sunday morning. We loved the decorations closet, which is yours to raid to re-use anything that others have left behind that you like. We rented the rooms that are part of the venue, which made the whole space feel more like "home" for the week than just a venue. They've done an incredible job of turning this space into a wedding venue, and there all kinds of little nooks, crannies, and quirks that make it come alive.

Bill, Beth, and John are also just really easy to work with. They were super responsive, friendly, and kind throughout, and go out of their way to accommodate any one-off requests. The venue comes with nearly everything already--tent, chairs, audio equipment, etc.--and their team does almost all of the setup and cleanup work, too. You rest easy knowing that there's a team taking care of so much.

I've included just a few pictures, since we haven't gotten ours back from our photographers yet. Seriously, you want to get married here.

What a fantastic place the retreat center is. It is simply great and all our guests thoroughly enjoyed every event we held there for our wedding celebration (4 events over 4 days). The premise has a beautiful barn ideal for dancing, a spacious tent which can be used as dinning room (we had 125 people sitting comfortably). The barn also has a lovely ceremony circle where you can celebrate your wedding ceremony. The owners, Bill and Beth, are extremely organized and they are very helpful in terms of planning and executing all the events related to the weeding. The really make a very stressful event very smooth and easy. Our experience was fantastic and we advise anyone who is thinking of using this venue for their wedding to go and see it and fall in love with it. After talking to Bill and Beth you will know what we mean. Gwen and Luis.

Yes, the sweeping mountain views are magnificent. Yes, the two-street historic post and beam barn is out of a magazine. Yes, the tented bluestone patio (designed by a Tibetan stonemason who carved hearts and flowers into the floor) is the picture-perfect place to hold a wedding dinner. But what takes the Montague Retreat Center over the top is the TIME available to brides and grooms (we had the venue from Tuesday to Sunday -- incredible!!!), and the total free reign we had to do whatever we wanted, through whichever vendors we chose (we were able to let our creativity run wild, and craft a wedding week in which every last detail was unique and deeply personal). The delightfully quirky owners, Bill and Beth, believe that weddings are all about relationships, which is why they only do one wedding a weekend -- our families and friends had five days instead of five hours to get to know one another, creating new friendships and multiplying the love ten-fold. And for those of you worried about weather -- the on-and-off rain during our wedding and the double rainbow we got as a reward only enhanced the magic! Our guests were WOW'ed, and even now I am getting emotional as I struggle to put into words just how special our MRC wedding was. Don't bother lol owning elsewhere -- any other venue is second best!

This place became our second home during the week leading up to our wedding, and we never wanted to leave!
Beth and Bill could not have been more helpful, flexible or encouraging during our entire process.
We booked this site because it was a blank slate that we could decorate as we saw fit, but also once we saw the fall foliage on the property, we KNEW this was the place.
The ability to use our own vendors was important as well, and the approved list had plenty of options to look into/book.
Setup/breakdown could not have been less stressful, which was excellent!
The ceremony setup was beautiful and we cannot wait to hang the photos up in our house.
Beth and Bill were so flexible and communicative that we felt like we were working with long time family friends. Our day had rain in the forecast and we would have been freaking out if it weren't for the calm and professional handling by the MRC team. We knew that whatever happened, they would do whatever they could to ensure that the big day went well and that we were happy.
We hope that everyone who books this venue has the same perfect day that we had, we can't wait to head back for our first anniversary!

Amazing venue, seriously amazing!! From the very first time we emailed them through the end of our ceremony this weekend, Bill and Beth were professional, responsive, efficient and incredibly thorough. They also made expectations for themselves and for our wedding party very clear, which was awesome. I cannot say enough good things about them. The venue itself is gorgeous, we didn't really have to do a thing to the Great Hall; the beauty of the building was enough. Also, super, super kid friendly. We had about 15 children under the age of 7 at our wedding, and the kids could run all around the Great Hall without a problem; obviously parents were watching them all the time, but b/c we didn't need fancy decorations, there were none for the kids to break. I would strongly recommend this venue to anyone looking for a chill country wedding.

Oh, you want to have a beautiful venue that feels like you're in another world? YOU FOUND IT! To start, the owners are such genuine and kind people. You know that they are looking at you and your fiance as two people making a precious commitment rather than just another check to deposit. The amount of time given to set up for your wedding is unheard of in the wedding industry. You can start setting up for your wedding on Tuesday! Time is the greatest gift, and the Montague Retreat Center offers it in abundance. They also provide tools and supplies to decorate as you choose! When a last minute rainstorm ruined our chances of an outdoor wedding, I didn't even feel a bit sad. The barn itself is stunning with it's giant windows and original beams, it was the perfect setting for our ceremony and I couldn't imagine it any other way. Do yourself a favor and at least go for a visit. If you're like me and my husband, you'll write them a deposit check the very same day.

We were married at the Montague Retreat Center in August 2015. It is run by lovely, kind, folks in the midst of some of the most beautiful scenery in Western Massachusetts. We picked this location due to the above reasons- and because there was a beautiful space to get married rain or shine, plus we loved the history of the place, plus we loved that we could coordinate or bring our own food/drinks/music/decorations, etc. Everything was as described on their website.

Even though we are generally calm people, our wedding day was hectic as we had so much to do. However, being surrounded by such helpful owners and the tranquil meadows helped make the day a purely wonderful memory. Bill and Beth were there to answer every question, and to offer suggestions about how to make the day run a little smoother. For us, we were lucky and the weather cooperated so we were able to use the meadow, the patio (for dining), and the barn (for dancing). Guests told us they really liked the flow of the evening and having so many distinct places to wander.

This is a great place for people who are interested in taking the reins of their wedding day. Folks who want to organize friends and family to help with decorations and set-up. Folks who can be flexible knowing that it might rain and you'll have to move inside (to a wonderful "barn" with gorgeous woodwork). We were able to select our caterer, our alcohol, our music, our decorations, etc and it made the day fit within our budget and reflect our values. We are so grateful for the Montague Retreat Center, and Bill and Beth, and weather dot com.

I am not sure there are words to describe how fortunate and blessed my husband and I feel to have found and worked with the Montague Retreat Center. First- it's BEAUTIFUL. The entire space- from the stone patio to the barn to the ceremony circle, each have their own unique charm and are absolutely breathtaking. To be able to be married with the hills of Western MA as the backdrop and then celebrate in a renovated barn is absolutely incredible. For couples looking to support local businesses and venues with a long and unique history- the Montague Retreat Center is definitely the place for you. Bill and Beth were incredible to work with, answered all of our questions and really helped us to envision our wedding day. As a Saturday wedding, we had ample time to set up in the venue and were really able to make the space our own. Bill and Beth were invested in making sure that we had the perfect day. While it is definitely more DIY- there was so much infrastructure in place to support our DIY wedding that we felt fairly calm and stress-free for the planning process with the Retreat Center. We are so thankful for the exceptional service we received, the beautiful venue and the ability to celebrate our special day at such an amazing venue. I would HIGHLY recommend the Montague Retreat Center to a future couple, there's really no space quite like it!

The Montague Retreat Center does not disappoint as a wedding venue. Since it has only recently become available as such, many local people have not yet been there. They are taken aback by the grounds, the historic barn, the spacing, the fields, flowers and views. It is a unique venue in Western Massachusetts and we are so lucky that we stumbled upon it. Bill and Beth were attentive to our needs, were very flexible, and did their up most best to insure our day was perfect. The event was executed without a hitch and we are so grateful. The venue is not a “one size fits all” place where every aspect of the event is dictated. We really were able to personalize our wedding with unique details that we would not have been able to do in another setting. We were so happy to work with Beth and Bill and look forward to seeing more events booked at the Retreat Center!

My daughter and son in law used the Montague Retreat Center for their wedding venue.. What a beautiful setting for an outdoor wedding. The barn is rustic but updated and the stone patio under the tent was gorgeous! iIt was a perfect spot for a rustic wedding.

The Montague Retreat was absolutely wonderful for our wedding. The inside and outside spaces are impressive even before decorating. We added flowers and a few decorations, but this place stands on its own! We worked with Hillside Catering and they took care of many of the tiny details for the day. Bill and Beth were tremendously accommodating and very quick to respond to phone calls or emails. We were so lucky to have our wedding here and found such an amazing place right here in the Valley.

Our experience with the Montague Retreat Center as the venue for our wedding last summer was nothing short of amazing. The site itself is breathtaking. Perched on the hillside overlooking the valley and the hills beyond, we were surrounded by wildflowers and a lush pallet of greenery that required little in the way of "decoration".
One of the most rewarding aspects about the Montague Retreat Center was the versatility of the space, and the variation of activities it enabled. At a wedding you bring together a large variety of people with different needs and interests. There was an amazing dance floor for the kooky aunts and wild friends to boogie down while the older crowd looked on and the kids slept on meditation cushions in the corner. At the same time other groups of people, old friends and new acquaintances, watched the moon rise out on the beautiful patio in the quiet summer night. We got an overwhelmingly positive response from all our friends and family about the wedding, and a lot of it had to do with being comfortable and at-ease with the flow of activities and the nature of the space. That quality would have been hard to achieve at any other venue.
In addition to the beautiful setting and facilities, the staff were a joy to work with. My husband and I had a particular vision of how we wanted the day to flow, and the staff did an amazing job working with us leading up to the day to get things in place. They were incredibly receptive to our ideas. It felt like a productive collaboration, and a true community event.
I would, without any hesitation, highly recommend the Montague Retreat Center for a beautiful rural wedding in Western Massachusetts.

We were so happy we chose this venue! It's a beautiful spot, you get the whole property to yourself all day unlike many venues, and the couple who run it are very laid back and calming (this is not the venue for high strung couples). We had our ceremony in the barn since it was cold and rainy, but they had also set up chairs on the hill in case of better weather. Dinner was on the gorgeous new stone patio with white tent, overlooking the woods. One of the owners was on hand all day. They are new to the business and it shows: there are many construction projects going on, the kitchen doesn't contain a single knife, they don't offer anything wedding related through the business directly - be ready to bring in your own caterer, dishes, linens, decorations, games, etc. But this also means that the couple are not stuck in the ruts of how weddings "should" be and really give you free reign to make the day everything you want. They have a nice stereo system in the barn where we were easily able to switch between iphone and live musicians. It seems a little pricey considering many of their features aren't actually available yet (like a bridal suite, or the option of in-house catering/linens/etc - though their plans are very cool, and in a few years they will have great amenities for the wedding party to sleep over, etc) but competitive for similar barn venues in the area. If you are looking for a laid back DIY event in a beautiful natural location, this place is a great option.

We had a hybrid Indian-Western wedding where we hosted a sangeet on Friday night for ~120 people (everyone who subsequently attended the wedding on Saturday). This venue allowed us to use the space for multiple nights for the same cost, which was ideal for our two-night celebration. It did require, however, that we flip the space pretty quickly from the set-up for the sangeet to the set-up for the wedding and the venue helped to do this really well. It was also really convenient to be able to sleep at the venue across this multi-day event.

Everyone who worked with us was laid-back and accommodating. The wedding turned out beautifully.

The Montague Retreat Center is a superb location for a rustic, outdoorsy, New England wedding. The setting provides a blank canvas upon which to execute your vision. The hill offers a beautiful backdrop for an outdoor ceremony, while the barn offers rustic charm as well. The venue is easily able to accommodate larger weddings. Given that ours was a smaller affair, and the weather was still a bit chilly, we held the reception in the great hall, rather than on the tented patio, which turned out lovely. The owners, Bill and Beth, are fantastic people, great with communication, and very flexible about use of the spaces.

How can I even begin to put into words how phenomenal my experience was? Starting with a killer location and venue, the Montague Retreat Center is the venue of any rustic, vintage, or country wedding's dreams. The property is absolutely breathtaking, and coupled with the newly renovated facilities as well as fabulous managers, I would recommend this place to any and everyone.

Do be advised that there is a lot of planning that goes into this space that is the responsibility of the bride/groom or planner. What this venue offers is a gorgeous blank canvas with the opportunity to turn it into whatever you would like. I was the Retreat Center's 7th wedding and I kept hearing from the staff how every single wedding was incredible different. You will have to organize people to park, set etc.

That being said, the owners, Bill and Beth Jacobson were an absolute dream to work with. They have such wonderful vision for the property and were extremely invested with my wedding and making sure all of my needs, desires, and frivolous wishes were met with a smile. I am sure if I asked, they would have given me the shirts off their own backs. They let me cut wildflowers from the property, let me begin setting up almost 6 days in advance, and continued to check in with me about whatever else I wanted.

Do not think twice about getting married here, and just do it!

We were very happy with our over all expereance at the Montague retreat center. They worked with us beautify to help creat a wedding to remember!
Thank you

We used the Montague Retreat Center for our ceremony and reception venue and it's a really beautiful as others have written. The barn, stone patio and ceremony space are stunning. We got married on 10/10/15 and although it was 60 degrees during the day, it unfortunately the temperatures dipped into the 40s once the sun went down. Bill, the owner, had us chip in with the other wedding for the next day at an amount of $122 for space heaters for the stone patio where dinner was served. Unfortunately he made the decision to not utilize the 4 walls we were also paying for, because that would block the scenic view. As a result, we, as well as our guests, were freezing cold, and the space heaters were totally useless because any of the warm air we were getting was totally lost. Guests were going to their cars for their coats, some did not even bother staying after dinner and I think the cold air had a lot to do with it. So because we wasted $122 and were freezing for dinner, I can't give this venue a 5 star rating, but it was a perfect wedding other than that!

Pros:
- You can't beat the gorgeous scenery and beautiful, rustic barn!
- Bill (owner) was very responsive to emails.
- You can have your ceremony and reception in one place - a HUGE draw for us!
- There's plenty of parking on-site.

Cons:
- Bill is tangental and often did not listen to me. I had to be firm in my preferences for layout/seating/tables. Bill continued suggesting other ideas even after I had already clearly stated what I wanted. My MOH had to step in to ensure/confirm what I wanted.
- Bill was inconsistent with some things he said. At our initial meeting (before we signed the contract), he said he'd hang anything above 10' that would require a ladder. During the pre-wedding meeting two days before, when I described the lights I wanted hung, he said that was "too elaborate" and asked if there was anyone in our family who could hang them instead.
**IMPORTANT: On the wedding day, Bill came into the bridal suite without asking! My MOH and I were getting ready, and he started looking under the couches for boots someone had left behind from the wedding the day before. This was very uncomfortable/awkward!
- Due to our Sunday date, we were unable to decorate the day before. Everything had be taken care of on our wedding day morning.
- There is a eyesore mint green house on the property, with peeling paint.

Other things to note:
- This is a DIY venue. You'll need to locate/coordinate your own vendors, and plan your own decorations.

- This is only the second season they've offered weddings, so there are still some growing pains. I'd love to see Beth be the one who checks-in with the bride on the wedding day - and Bill check-in with the groom.

- It'd be nice if they had a "suggested floor/table plan" for weddings of certain sizes, so they do not have to reinvent the wheel with each wedding - they just have something couples can refer to as a "jumping off" point.

My husband and rented the MRC beginning Tuesday 7/3 as many of our friends and family were traveling for our wedding. We have so many fond memories of our time, however; it came with a few surprises that I will share here in case you are considering the space.

The Good: From the time we booked the venue, Beth and Bill were very flexible and allowed us to visit multiple times over the winter. They provided lots of information that greatly helped us plan our day. The place is remarkably beautiful. It felt like we were on another planet all week. The space is serene and minimalist which highlights the natural beauty of the surrounding hills. Beth, Bill, John and Kate kept the place clean and were super professional on the wedding day. They were reasonably flexible about anything we needed during the week.

The Less Than Good: MRC became our "hub" as people got into town. During the week, we were really surprised with how poorly we were treated. During our time, multiple tours were given of the property/private accommodations with no notice (alarming our napping guests). Additionally, there is a summer camp that uses the woods surrounding MRC and if it rains, they take over the stone patio and basement area. This was problematic because we planned a rehearsal lunch on the patio. The camp counselors told us they had no alternative location and Beth and Bill were largely unhelpful in the situation. We were able to work around the kids, but it was not my ideal day.

All in all, MRC provided us with a beautiful week. At this point, I could not recommend staying there all week unless you only want to use the sleeping quarters as a makeshift hotel. I hope they can figure this out for future weddings. On the other hand, I can 100% recommend MRC for your wedding day. It is a beautiful blank slate and the MRC crew knows what they are doing when it comes to the day-of.