Beautiful historic property in North Bennington Vermont. Perfect location for an outdoor/indoor wedding - used the veranda for the cocktails following the ceremony and the carriage barn for the reception. Total support from staff in working through details and scheduling delivery of rentals, coordinating set up, bar, take down, etc. Would love to do another event here.

I hate to rate my wedding venue this poorly. Park McCullough is a beautiful place steeped in history. Yet in looking back at our experience, it was rather bumpy. I'm glad that my husband and I got married there, but my recommendation would be with reservations.

Let me first explain that when I was in the midst of planning the wedding, Park McCullough's wedding and event planner left. They have since hired a replacement (I can't comment on her), but I was without a true wedding assistant while trying to plan the wedding. It was for this reason that I ended up hiring an outside wedding planner. One of Park McCullouogh's staff helped me throughout the planning process, but this was obviously not his forte and I clearly got the impression that he resented having to assist brides. Still, he did meet with me several times prior to the wedding.

Part of the problem was that I was verbally told some things, and when I tried to have them incorporated into the contract that we signed, they balked. Um, I'm not stupid. I pushed, trying to hold them to their word (at this point, so much time had elapsed that all other venues were booked, so I was stuck), and they pushed back. Finally we agreed on the contract. If you have your event here, definitely get everything in writing. I don't think that there was intentional dishonesty -- just miscommunication -- but that can still ruin a wedding!

Park McCullough was a good value, as it was one of the only locations in the area that included tables and chairs. It also has a beautiful garden for the ceremony. The carriage barn was recently renovated and looks great -- new catering kitchen, new bathrooms, freshly painted, etc. The house itself looked lovely, though the paint was peeling off the side of the house. It had been promised that it would be painted prior to the wedding, but that did not happen. They require you to purchase alcohol through them, but it's reasonably priced and they are flexible with offerings and can order anything.

The biggest complaint was that it was beastly hot the day of the wedding -- so hot that Park McCullough called me in advance and suggested that we provide water during the ceremony -- and then did not turn on the AC in the carriage barn until the guests went inside. It was horrifically hot at that point, and guests were complaining to staff, to no avail. We'd asked them to turn the AC on hours earlier as we were setting up, and there were numerous excuses. Come on, if they were that concerned about the price, they should have asked me for more money. I would have gladly paid a little extra to prevent my guests from suffering.

Perhaps the most ironic thing is that Park McCullough has weddings to raise money and is a non-profit. They should realize that every wedding is filled with potential donors. I would have become a volunteer and made donations if not for some of the problems that we encountered.

Despite these glitches, it is truly a beautiful and private setting that is very unique. If you are highly organized and willing to stand your ground, then I would recommend it. Hopefully their new event planner is good and will make some needed touches. I certainly don't regret getting married there.