Some dates are more popular than others. Clients are encouraged to book as soon as possible to secure your desired date.

After you complete a site visit, you may place one hold on a space(s) and a date. A date may be held for 10 business days with no fee incurred. By 5 PM CST on the last day of your 10 business day hold, we require the signed contract, guidelines, and full site rental fee payment to confirm your booking. If you have not submitted these items, your hold will be released.

To secure booking your event, we require your full site rental fee by the end of your 10 business day hold. Cheekwood does not offer any type of payment plan.

We invoice for our partnered vendors: Curated Events, PMC Valet, and Chattanooga Tent.

Curated Events is your source for all rental items (tables, chairs, glassware, etc.). Once your rental order is started, there is a 50% nonrefundable deposit to hold your items. Changes should be finalized 14 days prior to delivery. The remaining balance will be due with your final invoice after your event.

Chattanooga Tent is your source for all tenting and flooring needs. There is a 50% nonrefundable deposit for any tents placed on hold. All tent quotes are valid for 10-business days, after which pricing and availability are subject to change. The remaining balance will be due by 3 PM on the Monday before your event, when the decision to install the tent is made. Once the decision is made, no further changes are permitted.

Event rental fees are non-refundable. However, you may reschedule your event date within one year of your original date, pending availability, without a fee.

On your wedding day, you have access to the grounds for photography starting at 9 AM, when we open to the public, and ending at 5 PM, when we close to the public. Time is subject to change depending on the time of the year. This includes access to all gardens, depending on availability and public programming. Photography in the Historic Mansion is not permitted.

Once Cheekwood closes to the public, we ask that you and all guests make your way to your rented venue. Due to safety concerns, guests are not permitted to walk the grounds during your event.

Cheekwood is open to the public from 9 AM – 5 PM during wedding season. Cheekwood operating hours vary during the Winter months. To give our daytime and event guests the best experience, ceremonies are allowed to start at 5:30 PM at the earliest; cocktail hour and receptions are allowed to start at 6 PM at the earliest.

Unfortunately, Cheekwood cannot accommodate daytime weddings outside of our elopement package.

Guests are not permitted to drive through the property and park in designated event parking lots until the property closes to the public at 5 PM. Time is subject to change depending on the time of the year.

Cheekwood offers ceremony, reception, and full wedding bookings. Availability will vary for each event space and type. However, the Wills Perennial Garden and Reflecting Pool require reception pairing. Ceremony only bookings are not available on Saturdays, with the exception of Howe Garden, but can be booked other days of the week, pending availability.

Cheekwood has designated spaces that can be used as holding areas for wedding parties depending on availability and venue. Please inquire about these spaces as they are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Full get ready spaces should be secured at an off-site location, as our holding spaces are meant for touch ups and storing personal items.

At this time, neither Cheekwood nor our exclusive or preferred vendors can accommodate flipping a space from ceremony to reception. Please note that this includes the Wisteria Arbor; this space is a ceremony or reception space.

Cheekwood will provide a list of approved caterers for you to choose from. This allows us to assure the quality of the event’s food service and keeps delivery traffic for unfamiliar vehicles to a minimum.

Cheekwood is the required supplier of all alcoholic beverages on site. Outside and donated alcohol are strictly prohibited on the grounds at any time, in accordance with Tennessee State Law. This includes but is not limited to getting ready and/or holding space alcohol, etc. This addition can be provided by Cheekwood and will be added to your invoice. For any alcohol-related questions, please contact your Cheekwood representative.

Cheekwood provides an Event Venue Supervisor to act as your onsite Cheekwood contact during the event. They are responsible for venue specific needs, act as a supervisor to all bartenders, parking, and security personnel, and ensure all property guidelines are followed. They are not responsible for planner duties such as ceremony cuing, decorating, etc.

Cheekwood provides all bar staff, including a barback/runner. Cost of labor for bar staff and any additional staff is charged separately by the hour.

All other staffing (service/wait staff, bussers, and culinary staff) are provided through your contracted caterer.

For wedding receptions with 50 or less guests, a licensed planner is required with services beginning at least 3 months prior to the wedding date. For wedding receptions with over 50 guests, a licensed full service planner is required to manage all aspects of planning and execution. For ceremony-only bookings, at minimum, a day-of coordinator is required to ensure smooth execution on the event day. All planners must be pre-approved by Cheekwood prior to booking.

Curated Events is our exclusive rentals partner for all rental needs. Please contact your Cheekwood Representative with all tenting, and flooring needs which comes from Chattanooga Tent. Bright Event Productions provides lighting needs, and Quest Events will provide all draping needs. PMC Valet can be coordinated through your Cheekwood representative. Vendors subject to change.

We can offer a golf cart shuttle service to assist guests to and from your site rental venue for an additional fee. Golf carts are to be driven by Cheekwood staff only; guests and vendors are not permitted to drive golf carts. If you do not book this service, we cannot guarantee assistance, except for guests with ADA needs.

Cheekwood requires a tent to be placed on hold for all outside site/venue rentals for an additional fee. The Historic Mansion & Swan Lawn has a tent and floor requirement for any event.

Hold fees are 50% of the full tent cost, and are non-refundable, should you choose not to install the tent. Cheekwood cannot guarantee an alternate indoor inclement weather plan. Should an alternate venue be used, additional fees may apply.

Cheekwood does not allow flames of any kind on our property, this includes but is not limited to candles, sparklers, and fireworks. We also do not allow birdseed, confetti, glitter, balloons, etc. This is not an exhaustive list. Cheekwood is a nonsmoking facility. Please reach out to your Cheekwood Representative for any additional questions.