Story by Taylor Burnette | Photography by Rachael Layne

In the 1940s, the cabin at what is now Weymouth Hill Event Venue was the original Ironton Country Club.

Elizabeth Slagel, owner and operator of what is today a venue with a seamless mix of rustic and old-world European charm, said there are many locals who talk about how they met their spouse there, or got engaged there, and a few who talk about the cabin’s past as a club, and the rumors of slot machines buried on the nearby hillside.

Slagel and her husband admired the property for a number of years, Slagel said, and when it went up on the market, they knew they had to buy it. However, they were unsure of what they wanted to do with it.

The cabin had become a residence in the years after it was a social gathering hub, so they stripped out the drywall revealing the original logs and fireplaces. From there, they began to invest into the property, and the idea of running the place as an event venue was born. They opened officially in November of 2020.

“This was just to protect a charming property and add value to the county,” Slagel said. “There aren’t a lot of places to get married, obviously the barn venues have gotten really popular. A lot of people find us or are kind of on the flip side of that, or they’re like ‘Okay we’ve already seen that done that we wanted something different.’”

So what Slagel and her husband, Robert, created became a project of passion, and a venue that provides a unique tailored wedding or event experience.

“It is fun to see all the ideas that people come up with and different things that they want to do,” Slagel said.

They named the property for Robert’s mother, whose maiden name was Weymouth.

“She definitely loved social graces,” Slagel said. “She loved to entertain. She would have loved this.”

The property features three buildings, the cabin, the English cottage and a cabana. The cabin can host up to 150 guests during non-pandemic times, Slagel said, and has many charming features like the original mantle on the fireplace from the 1940s and now a stunning porch facing the manicured front lawn and entrance.

The English cottage offers a different type of feeling, with classical blue and white furniture, homey cottage accents, like the exposed wooden beams, and a magnificent European fireplace.

Slagel said she was first inspired by Castle Leslie in Ireland, and brought in romantic and storybook elements to bring the place together.

The space, reserved for the bridal party during weddings, allows for a comfortable, charming place to get dressed and ready for the big day. Weymouth offers tea services and even a light meal, Slagel said. They took the advice of many brides and newly-weds that Slagel personally talked to. For a little extra relaxation, the venue even has a clawfoot bathtub.

The cabana, though smaller than the other two buildings, packs in all the extra services a wedding party might need. Alongside an additional space for caterers and an on-site bathroom sits the room for the groom and groom’s party. Though a more masculine space, it never loses the old-world European charm as it utilizes rich, dark-toned woods.

Outside overlooking the old trees and beautiful surrounding landscape is an additional ceremony space, developed from the natural hillside into what is now a flat ceremony space. The one-of-a-kind arbor can be surrounded by the wedding party’s choice of flowers, Slagel said, alongside other additional touches.

“The wedding should be your wedding,” Slagel said. “They can bring a taco truck if they want … They can bring in a grandmother’s buttercream frosted cake.”

In addition to weddings, Slagel said the venue also offers an array of pricing for different occasions, like reunions, parties, baby showers, smaller proms and more.

With COVID-19, Slagel said many couples haven’t gotten the opportunity to have as large of weddings as they would like to, but as the pandemic restrictions lift, Slagel wants to continue improving the venue and help people have wonderful events.

“Let’s make it a premier event venue, that’s probably my end game,” Slagel said. “It’s to be the place that everybody wants to get married.”