The Wool Factory, Charlottesville, VA

How lucky are we to live in Charlottesville, Virginia surrounded by historic places turned wedding venues?! The next venue on my tour is exactly that – a venue inspired by the industrious history of the property: The Wool Factory

As part of Charlottesville’s most famous mill complex, the Historic Woolen Mills, the Wool Factory occupies a site within the Historic Woolen Mills complex. This parcel of land was once an epicenter of industry and trade, formed by Moore’s Creek and the Rivanna River. Charlottesville’s original downtown was approximately one mile from the site, which was adjacent to Pireus, Charlottesville’s port at the time.

As part of Charlottesville’s most famous mill complex, the Historic Woolen Mills, the Wool Factory occupies a site within the Historic Woolen Mills complex. This parcel of land was once an epicenter of industry and trade, formed by Moore’s Creek and the Rivanna River. Charlottesville’s original downtown was approximately one mile from the site, which was adjacent to Pireus, Charlottesville’s port at the time.

One of the few best features of the venue is that they are “hyper-industrial, but have a touch of nature that comes through the space” – Mitchell (Event Sales Manager). The hyper-industrial feel is super unique compared to a lot of barns and fields and vineyards that are very popular in Charlottesville, but they also have a little bit of a touch of nature being close to the creek and trail. This venue is also one of the bigger ones in the area as the entire main hall can seat up to 300 people or couples can opt for a cocktail-style reception which holds up to 550 people (with ample parking space and bathrooms to accommodate such a large guest list as well!). Another great perk is that they are not just a wedding venue, but a multipurpose venue; they cater to weddings, but they also cater to micro weddings, rehearsal dinners, welcome parties, corporate events, birthday parties etc. With a lot of venues, they either provide just the wine or wine & beer, but with this venue, they provide all alcoholic drinks including cocktails – they’re a one-stop-shop! Not to mention all their beer is made in-house by their brewmaster and brewed fresh at their location. They offer wine, beer, and food tasting which comes free when you book a certain number of guests (events over 100) but if it’s a smaller wedding couple can still do the tasting but with a small charge of $95.

Nothing really beats the location of this venue. Though it’s considerably close to downtown which makes it easy for our guests in the area, you really are surrounded by nature and would never know how close you are to the city. Due to its location, couples often opt to do their first look on a public bridge nearby that runs over the creek, their ceremony on the venue’s lawn, and the reception in the main hall.

To have your wedding at the Wool Factory, they do require a full buy-out of the location which means couples must have a minimum of 150 guests. Food and beverage services are provided in-house and couples are allowed to use their custom-made long walnut table during their reception with a primary seating of benches, but couples are welcome to bring in their own chairs. All the furniture in the main hall can be moved and rearranged around within the hall to fit what the couple is envisioning for their wedding, but because the space does need re-arranging, they do require that couples hire a day-of coordinator to help facilitate the wedding day.