Intimate · Historic · Entirely Yours · Chester, West Virginia
Outdoor weddings at Hillcrest
A genuinely beautiful setting, total privacy, the people you actually love — and no hotel ballroom in sight.
The setting
A working estate with a real story
We host intimate outdoor weddings on a historic estate that dates to the 1890s.
The original farmhouse was once the heart of C.A. Smith's Hillcrest Farms — the world-renowned Hereford cattle operation that helped build Chester, WV. The land, the views, and the buildings all carry that history. You'll feel it the moment you turn up the drive.
The venue
The Skyview field
One space, and it's the one worth having.
The upper hilltop field where the Skyview cabin sits — open sky, panoramic countryside views, and the kind of backdrop that makes photographers very happy. It's at its best for late-afternoon ceremonies, with the light coming across the ridge and the whole valley below you.
A 20×30 timber frame pavilion sits in the field beside the cabin — a permanent covered structure for your ceremony or reception, so you're not renting one and not at the mercy of the forecast.
The accommodation advantage
Sleep where you celebrate
This is what sets Hillcrest apart from a typical venue rental. When the Skyview cabin joins the Farmhouse Pub Unit, wedding parties can put up to 11 guests onsite in private accommodations — all on the same property. The rest of your party is minutes away at local hotels or the Mountaineer Casino.
Having your wedding party sleep where they celebrate changes everything. No one drives. No one rushes. The morning after belongs to all of you — breakfast on the farmhouse porch, lingering in the pub room, walking the estate in the early light.
That's the version of a wedding weekend people actually remember.
What we provide
You bring your vendors, we provide the space
A simple model that keeps costs transparent and lets you choose the people you trust.
You bring: catering, flowers, officiant, photographer, music, décor, and any additional rentals. We're happy to share a list of vendors we've worked with in the Northern Panhandle.
How it works
Your date is yours alone
No other guests, no shared spaces, no strangers on the property. Wedding dates are held up to 18 months in advance. If no wedding is booked within 3 months of a date, those nights open for standard short-term rental — which protects your date without leaving the calendar empty. Inquire early; summer and fall dates go first.
Standard Wedding Weekend
Full exclusive buyout of the estate for your event. Includes all available accommodation units, the Skyview field ceremony space, and use of all outdoor areas from Friday afternoon through Sunday checkout.
Ceremony-Only / Micro-Wedding
For couples wanting just the ceremony and a small gathering, without a full weekend rental. Available on select weekdays and shoulder-season weekends. Contact us to discuss availability.
Before you book
Practical details
Guest limit is firm at 50
Fifty is the right number for this property — it keeps the experience intimate and the logistics manageable on a single-lane road. We won't overbook this space.
Power for your vendors
There's a 50-amp hookup down by the Hillcrest Manor farmhouse — enough to run a food truck, a catering trailer, or a guest RV without generators. Most rural venues can't offer that at all. Note the hookup is at the Hillcrest Manor farmhouse rather than up in the Skyview field, so talk to your caterer early about whether they'll serve from down below or run power up the hill.
Weather contingency
The timber frame pavilion in the Skyview field gives you a permanent covered space for the ceremony or reception, and the covered porch and pub room offer additional shelter for cocktail hours and small gatherings. No scrambling for a tent rental if the forecast turns.
Noise and neighbors
We're a working rural estate adjacent to a wildlife management area. Outdoor music ends at a reasonable hour; celebration in the pub room can continue later. Your coordinator receives full event guidelines at booking.
Alcohol
Hillcrest operates BYOB. Your caterer or bar service brings and manages all alcohol; the pub bar is available as a service area. We recommend Squids Brewery in Weirton for local craft beer — excellent quality, just minutes away.
The history
The ground you're marrying on
The farmhouse at 199 Hillcrest Manor Drive has stood since the 1890s. It was the original home of C.A. Smith, founder of Hillcrest Farms — a Hereford operation so respected it shipped breeding stock internationally and helped put Chester, WV on the map. The estate sits at the edge of what is now the 2,212-acre Hillcrest Wildlife Management Area, land C.A. Smith once owned.
The views, the old mahogany bar, the stonework, the mature trees — none of it was manufactured for a venue. It was lived in, worked on, and cared for across generations. That authenticity is the one thing no new-build venue can buy.
Ready to talk dates?
Let's check your date
We keep a limited wedding calendar so every event gets the attention it deserves. Reach out directly to check availability and talk through your vision.