Special Places For Special Occasions

Newlyweds leaving the party at Glendalough Manor - Photo courtesy of Glendalough Manor. Photo by Tara Adcock and Cathy Strong

In the garden of an 1859 mansion, a bride and groom wearing cutoff blue jeans dance among their similarly-clad guests to the music of a jazz trio. Several miles away, a family gathers in an elegant banquet room for a long-awaited reunion. At a home built in the early 1900's and restored nearly 100 years later, ladies in red hats and purple dresses chatter and laugh as they sip hot tea and nibble on dainty sweets.

Special occasions require special settings, and Fayette and Coweta counties offer such a variety of venues that everyone is sure to find something to suit their needs.

"Simply Southern elegance at its best," is the tag line for the Hollingsworth House, a 4,200 square foot 1906 mansion just off the Courthouse Square in Fayetteville. It's a beautifully restored home, furnished with period style antiques, that accommodates up to 250 guests -- more if the front porch and back yard areas are used. Manager Susan Burch says weddings are the most common event at the house, but holiday parties, retirement celebrations and anniversary receptions are also held there. "We've had every type of event I can think of," she reports.

With its many options for ceremony locations - in the front or double parlor, on the front porch, even under tents in the back yard - the Hollingsworth House can cater to all types of weddings. Special features include the separate bride's and groom's rooms where the wedding party can ready themselves for their big day.

The Hollingsworth House can satisfy all tastes. "We offer plenty of flexibility," Ms. Burch adds. "You can use the caterer of your choice, utilize the baby grand piano or opt to bring in a DJ, band, harp and violin music - whatever will make your event special and personal."

The Fayetteville Downtown Development Authority owns the Hollingsworth House; the City of Fayetteville owns the Historic Train Depot, which can accommodate up to 110 people and can also be rented for events. Revenues from the rentals go toward maintaining the facilities and to the city's Main Street projects.

While the grand houses of the Old South appeal to many, other people find the Irish charm of Glendalough Manor more to their liking. Weddings, corporate meetings and receptions of all kinds are held at the 15,000 square foot facility on 12 acres in Tyrone.

"We're a full service special events facility," says Jennifer Scheid, Senior Events Coordinator at Glendalough Manor, "and we specialize in customized, highly flexible packages."

With two elegant ballrooms, two conference rooms, a high tech business center, outdoor garden and reception site, Glendalough Manor can accommodate any event -- indoor or outdoor.

"Our events coordinators take care of every detail, including catering, flowers, photography, transportation, even hotel accommodations," adds Ms. Scheid. "With our event website, everything's right at your fingertips."

A recently restored turn-of-the-century home, Southern Oaks in Fayetteville, is a charming and elegant, yet comfortable location for weddings, receptions and special occasions of all kinds. The new gazebo and large, secluded yard make it a perfect location for outdoor ceremonies.

In addition to weddings and receptions, owner Michele Cox specializes in conducting tea parties for all ages. Her Victorian tea parties are popular for those desiring to dress as "Southern Belles" for birthdays, mother/daughter teas, scout outings and bridesmaid luncheons. She's made beautiful dresses and skirts for party guests to wear with hoops underneath.

"There are costumes available for children and adults," Ms. Cox says. "Some groups even don the flowery hats we have displayed on a wall of the Southern Oaks tearoom."

Ms. Cox also conducts teas for the public called "Special-Teas," -- a series of themed teas held from fall through spring. Guests enjoy a program of educational entertainment as they're immersed in themes that have included Gone with the Wind and Somewhere in Time, Teatime on the Titanic and a Garden Par-tea.

"The Titanic-themed tea party has become popular for teenagers' birthday parties," Ms. Cox says. "Red Hat club members also enjoy lunch and "taking tea" at Southern Oaks. I decorate the tables in the appropriate red and purple décor for them."

In addition to teas at Southern Oaks, Ms. Cox also conducts Victorian Adventures day camp for girls for several weeks each summer. Two themes are offered--Victorian and Colonial--with one week reserved for teenagers only. These camps have become a mainstay for girls in the area.

"I have a few girls who've come to camp every year since I started it in 1997," Ms. Cox says. "Some of these young ladies are now 16 years old and still love coming to camp each year!" There are even some out-of-state girls who attend the camp each summer; they learned about it on the Victorian Adventures website.

Not to leave the menfolk out of all the fun at Southern Oaks, Ms. Cox also offers school field trips for students where boys and girls experience what it was like to be a lady and gentleman of the Victorian or Colonial era.

"I get very excited when I see young men learning proper etiquette during a tea," she says. "One time, a dad chaperone was helping his son pour the tea properly; he sounded like a coach barking out instructions on a ballfield!" Ms. Cox adds: "Many students say that this is the most fun field trip they've ever been on."

The Canongate golf clubs offer another great location for special events, in fact nine locations. There are private dining and meeting rooms for 30 to 60 people, intimate members only lounges and private function rooms that hold from 50 to 350 guests.

Whether you're planning a wedding, golf tournament, business meeting or any other special occasion, the professional sales and event team will be on hand to assist you every step of the way.

"With our variety of clubhouses, golf courses and event rooms, we can accommodate all types of outings, events and meetings," says Dawn Churi, Marketing Director of Canongate Clubs.

Both the White Oak and Flat Creek clubs have undergone renovations that have made them particularly desirable as event settings.

"Our $2.5 million dollar renovation at the Flat Creek Club includes a completely redesigned clubhouse which accommodates a 350 person banquet facility, private member dining room and a spectacular bar area," Churi explains.

"And at White Oak, our $500,000 renovation includes a completely upgraded pro shop, restaurant with spectacular bar and a private dining room."

Owner Mike Meyer of Something Special in Newnan enjoys 50th anniversary parties the most of all the events he hosts at the 1859 house. "It's great to see these couples who have been together so long with their kids and grandkids."

Meyer said Something Special is busy every weekend with wedding rehearsal dinners on Friday nights, weddings on Saturdays and anniversaries on Sundays. Many events are held outdoors in the gardens Meyer, a certified master gardener, maintains himself, along with a fish pond and a fountain.

Event planners can decorate according to their own desires at Poplar Grove - the "Popular" place for events. The facility is in Sharpsburg, seven miles west of Peachtree City and seven miles south of Newnan, and accommodates all kinds of special events - weddings, anniversaries, receptions, business meetings, even barbecues and high school reunions.

"We have a full kitchen with 3 refrigerators," says manager Nancy Reets, who runs Poplar Grove for her husband, Ronald, and his brother, Joel. "We can accommodate up to 300 guests -- all for a reasonable price."

Poplar Grove has all the beautiful details to make dreams come true. There's an enchanting main ballroom filled with chandeliers, dramatic balcony and a private, fenced garden with ponds and bridges.

"People can decorate the way they want and use the colors they like," adds Ms. Reets. "One bride made the room look like a garden."

More traditional spots for gatherings can be found at the Aberdeen Woods Conference Center and the Wyndham Peachtree Hotel & Conference Center in Peachtree City. Aberdeen Woods lives up to its name, with its buildings scattered over 38 forested acres.

The Wyndham Peachtree is nestled in the center of an unspoiled forest. Windowed banquet rooms offer panoramic views of beautifully landscaped courtyards, providing the perfect ambience for weddings, birthday parties, reunions and much more.

From a "redneck wedding" to an AKC-sanctioned dog show, the Coweta County Fairgrounds & Conference Center is a good place to consider when planning any type of special event.

The 65 acres in the southern part of the county contains a conference center with a catering kitchen, an agricultural center with 4,000 square feet of interior space and 6,000 square feet of exterior space, the Walker Horne Open Air Theater and a seven-acre midway area - all available for rental by the public year-round. Last spring, the Winfred C. Adamson Horse Arena opened; it's also available for various types of events -- not just horse shows.

Weddings are very common events at the Fairgrounds & Conference Center, and the uniqueness of the setting seems to inspire some couples to get creative with their big day.

Fairgrounds assistant manager Jackie Butler can't help but laugh when she recalls the "redneck wedding" held in the open air theater in August. The theater was decorated with hay bales, daisies and sunflowers, and the groom and groomsmen were decked out in jeans, brocade vests, black boots and black cowboy hats.

The groom's cake caught everyone's attention, Ms. Butler reports. "It looked just like an armadillo, but was red velvet cake inside."

Sometimes even the most elegant event gets a little more relaxed when it's held outdoors. Ms. Butler recalls a "southern living" wedding with 500 guests that, while traditional in most respects, was catered by those mainstays of good southern living, the Varsity and Chick-fil-A.

Weddings, while numerous, aren't the biggest events held at the Fairgrounds & Conference Center. Each spring, the school system treats its employees and their families, several thousand people in all, to a big picnic. The fairgrounds went to the dogs earlier this year when more than 2,500 canines competed in an AKC dog show.

Ms. Butler says many churches and civic organizations enjoy the fairgrounds. One church even rents rides and sets up a real midway on the midway then has a dinner in the evenings. The McIntosh Masonic Lodge holds its annual chili cook-off for charity at the fairgrounds. Ms. Butler says it's a boisterous event. "Those guys take their chili seriously."

With its Southern antebellum clubhouse and dramatic spiral staircase, The Palmer Course at Whitewater Creek will give your event a breathtaking backdrop. The spacious Magnolia Ballroom can accommodate large groups and your guests will enjoy delicious dishes prepared by acclaimed chefs. Best of all, The Palmer Course at Whitewater Creek offers options for every taste and budget.