Historic Mankin Mansion, a Georgian Revival property, dates back to the early 1900’s, when it was built by the entrepreneurial brick maker and founder Edward Thurston Mankin. He not only designed the entire Italianate estate, but was a pioneer for his contribution to architecture in some of Virginia’s finest homes and beyond. Co-owners and wedding professionals, Martin and Paula Ramirez, saved the dilapidated Mansion in 2004 with the sole intention of hosting magical weddings. Open since 2006 with a combined 50 years of wedding experience, Martin and Paula hosted their first weddings seamlessly and have been doing so ever since!
The Mansion is beautifully designed to ensure every wedding flows seamlessly from one moment into the next. The functions of each space perfectly enhance the history and uniqueness of The Mansion while being decorated with both history and modern elements. This venue is truly a unique find in the world of Richmond wedding venues. Read more for the spaces that we offer and descriptions of each!
Italian Garden Ceremony
Fully equipped with white lawn chairs for guests and an iron arbor that is perfectly sturdy for full floral installations, the garden ceremony takes our breath away every single ceremony. The best part of the ceremony is that our couples and wedding party are up on a magnificent brick stage! This elevation is ideal for photographers and guests to see the lovely couple and the brick is a great neutral for any color scheme. Another design perk is that all the surrounding areas are filled with luscious greenery for perfect backdrops no matter where the photographer is. Even in the spring or fall, the evergreens behind the arbor provide that luscious greenery we all love and adore! Behind and to the left of the arbor is a glorious 100 year old Sycamore tree that has firmly made its home here at The Mansion. It provides a wonderful natural element to the ceremony. Truly, the outdoor ceremony is one like no other!
European Gallery Ceremony
Sia really would love to swing from these chandeliers! The Gallery is the ultimate mix of rustic, modern, elegant and romantic wedding styles. The exposed brick with graceful draping and crystal chandeliers enhance the styles and the gold Chiavari chairs with white chair pads compliment them as a neutral finish. Accompanying the grandiose fireplace are Mankin bricks that bear the Mankin seal. This was a fun way that Mr. Mankin decorated the fireplace! Completely climate controlled, this also pairs as a wonderful rain plan. We all know Virginia and how the weather can be, so The Gallery is always set up and ready to go in case of rain. The Mansion team is all about backup plans, so whether this is Plan A or Plan B, we always have our couples and their guests covered! If the ceremony is offsite, consider using the Gallery as an indoor bar location ~ the options for this room are endless!
Paisley and Jade / White Glove Rentals
Grand Pavilion Tent ~ Reception
Ladies and gentleman ~ The Grand Pavilion Tent! With gold Chiavari chairs, a wide variety of tables, customizable uplighting for dinner and dancing, Crystal Chandeliers and completely temperature controlled, the tent is truly a gorgeous reception space! The tent’s layout is entirely customizable with the planning team to feature a sweetheart or head table and entire guest seating or cocktail style seating. We also offer black or white chair pads for the gold Chiavari chairs and a whole range of linen colors for the tables (pricing varies). The reception can be beautifully decorated by florals or candles as centerpieces, backdrops with neon signs and even hanging flowers!
The Rockefeller Room
The Rockefeller Room is located within the main Mansion house and is open for couples and guests throughout the entire event! Filled with history, the Rockefeller Room used to be Mr. Mankin’s home and featured his own grand piano and a living area. Highlighting a green velvet couch and black velvet chairs, not to mention the grand piano, this is the room to sneak off to for just a few more couples portraits with your photographer! Trust us, that green couch is photogenic!
The Game Room
Every groom deserves a man cave to hang out in before their wedding day and we have a set up that keeps the guys entertained for hours! Included in The Game Room is a sound bar, TV’s, shuffleboard, foosball, basketball, darts and, of course, no man cave is complete without a pool table. It also has great scenery for detail shots! Do not worry, this room is tempting to stay in, but leave it to the planning team to get them out of there when it’s time 😉
The Summer Parlor
Last, but certainly not least, is the Summer Parlor. There are so many amazing aspects of the Summer Parlor that we recently wrote another blog completely dedicated to our unique bridal suite. Check it out by clicking here. For the time being, please enjoy some photos!
This is just the beginning! Historic Mankin Mansion has so many nooks and crannies to take pictures in. Keep a look out for our upcoming blog post about our favorite outside locations for photos around The Mansion. If you are recently engaged and would like to tour the venue, please click here, we would LOVE to show you the spaces in person!