Immigrant John Pitcairn came to the U.S. with nothing, but amassed a fortune in an impressive rags-to-riches story. He commissioned Cairnwood Estate, a spectacular Beaux Arts home, for his wife Gertrude and their children. Sadly, Gertrude died only three years after the home was complete, in the late 1800s. Lesson learned: don't ignore signs of a ruptured appendix! Pitcairn's family followed the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg, founder of the New Church. The spectacular Bryn Athyn Cathedral, with an active congregation, is located on Cairnwood's grounds. The property -- I believe the whole thing, including Cairnwood -- is now owned by the Academy of the New Church. We took guided tours of the estate and gothic cathedral. Beautiful, fascinating and well worth a visit. The docents impart a wealth of information. Frederick Olmstead -- whose name you may recognize from NY's Central Park -- designed the grounds with preservationist Charles Eliot. The estate is a popular venue for wedding receptions, but unless you're a parishioner of New Church it's off limits for ceremonies. "How come?" I asked the woman who guided us through the cathedral. She hesitated. "The church is socially conservative and doesn't recognize gay marriage." So there's that. Learn more at BrynAthynHistoricDistrict.org, and sign up for tours on line. Concerts, dances and other special events are scheduled throughout the year. read more

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We toured Cairnwood Estate as a potential wedding venue a few weeks ago. We set up a private tour with Krissy via email and she was very flexible and friendly! Krissy was so personable and a great help with answering any and all of our questions. The estate is absolutely breathtaking and a great option for a wedding. This was our first tour so we are still deciding on where we will end up having our wedding, but this was a great start! read more

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Cairnwood is part of the larger Bryn Athyn Historic District. The Glencairn Museum and Bryn Athyn Cathedral are also located in close proximity. You can walk to all three. There are tours available at each place. We attend the Landmark in Lights event. The buildings were lit with spotlights. It was beautiful! The Cairnwood Estate has a self guided tour for $5. The house is huge with beautiful details. Many of the artifacts are from the time period but not the Pitcairn family that lives here. There were staff located throughout to answer questions and five information. It gave a glimpse back in time to see how the other half lived! The event was a little disappointing. There was wine and beer prices at $6. Beer was from a local brewery and was good. The wines were a cheaper variety and not so good. There was only 1 food truck serving basic cheesesteaks and stuff. The event started at 8 so we were hoping to have ice cream or dessert but there were none. Leaving was a little dangerous as the pathways weren't lit and it was very dark. It's a nice place to explore especially during the day. The grounds are gorgeous and it has a good sunset view. read more

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My husband and I got married here five years ago. When we were shopping for wedding venues, we researched a bunch of places - Cairnwood Estate being one of them. The first time we saw the place, we fell in love, and immediately set our hearts on getting married here. This large, historic mansion resembles a majestic, elegant French Chateau, with a beautiful garden decorated with various plants and flowers. Five years later, we came here for a wine tasting and this place is still as beautiful as ever. Cairnwood Estate holds tours and events throughout the year, including an annual wine tasting, holiday tea, etc. If you're looking for a unique place for your wedding, make a trip to Cairnwood Estate, you won't be disappointed. read more

Lauren @ Feastivities events was an absolute Rockstar. She made our reception at Cairnwood Estates a dream come true. From all the planning to the final execution, she was with us every step of the way and made what otherwise could have been a stressful planning process an absolute breeze. I highly recommend Feastivites Events as a Premier Catering Service in the Greater Philadelphia Area-- SPECIFICALLY because of Lauren's expertise and professionalism. My wife and I appreciated her genuine desire to not only be the best Coordinator you could ask for, but also for her continued investment in us as a couple even after the wedding! We love hearing from her in the occasional "checking up" emails (even 6 months after the wedding). Lauren made us feel like Family, and we can't thank her enough. If I could rate her at 6 stars, I would. THANK YOU LAUREN! -- A & S read more

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This is a review of the historical house .I did not attend an event here.I was here on a Saturday morning and a guided tour was mandatory and I think it was around $10 a head.The tour guide was exceptionally well informed and very good.Although I admit the tour was a little long- about an hour and a half .This was the only one of the three historical sites here that I had never been in.It's not as beautiful as Glencairn but it's interesting.I was surprised by how large the rooms were and how open the floor plan was.You also tour the garage which has a number of coaches and an impressive custom car.By the way the gardens in all three buildings are beautiful right now. read more

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This was a sleeper surprise. We were heading to Longwood Gardens from NYC and looked to break up the trip by staying overnight near the Gardens so that we could get in a full day at the Gardens, which was well worth it. While researching where to go along the way, I saw Valley Forge. From the Valley Forge Area Visitors site was a link to Bryn Athyn. We made arrangement for a 2 PM tour of Cairnwood. There were two choices, the house tour at 11 or the grounds tour at 2. Due to the distance we were travelling, I chose the grounds tours although the house tour would have been my preference. We arrived at the Estate, just up the hill from the Cathedral, which I also recommend visiting. We were the only 3 people on the tour in a Mid-May Thursday afternoon. The docent could not have been more accomodating. I told her of MY preference. She said said she could alter the tour and asked my companions who deferred to my choice. It was a great tour. Highlights included the Carriage House, a real turn of the century experience, going from late 1800's sleds to 1920s Packard. We had otherwise limited tours of beautiful grounds. The docent gave us much information on both the house and the background of Joseph Pitcairn and his family. Around 3:20, almost at the end of the scheduled tour, the docent told us that we were running behind. She then asked if we wanted to continue. We had no place to be until 6:30. We ended the tour around 4:30. We learned about the house, the Pitcairn family, and about New Church. I cannot say if others would get the same experience but it was a very interesting day especially not knowing any of the history of New Church and the important relatively anonymous Pitcairn family. We never made it to Valley Forge. The Cathedral is separately reviewed. The Glencairn Museum next door, build by Joseph Pitcairn's son, is closed while undergoing a major renovation until at least Winter 2023. We will probably return en route to Winterthur, to revisit the Cathedral and view Glencairn The townsfolk were the nicest, happiest people. They love being there read more

My wife and I were married here, September 2015. First off, Shannon is amazing, and absolutely the best to work with. Her attention to all the intricate details, that a wedding most certainly will bring, was spectacular. The Cairnwood Estate is majestic, symbolic, and historic which embodies what we wanted in our marriage. The place is beautiful, and also served as the backdrop for our photography. See attached. Everyone, and I mean everyone, still talks about how much fun they had at this wonderful place. The elevator located inside even allowed my disabled father-in-law to be able to visit the 2nd floor and experience the entire home. Best decision we ever made while engaged, and celebrate the memorable occasion much more than our anniversary. read more

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Imagine if you were so rich that after you died or no longer wanted to live in your giant castle mansion, people paid huge amounts of money for the privilege of hosting their wedding in your anything but humble abode. Welcome to Cairnwood Estate. I was in a wedding here this weekend and it was just incredible. Gorgeous venue, amazing backdrop for pictures, great huge staircase to make a grand entrance from, lots of rooms upstairs for the maids, couple, and groomsmen to get ready, a fountain, old portraits, enough different rooms to have a chocolate fountain room, a raw bar room, a cheese room (YES, A CHEESE ROOM), a pasta station room, and a photo booth (and that was just the cocktail hour...yep, this wedding was awesome). This venue comfortably seated our 20 person wedding party at an elevated head table, and a few hundred of the bride and grooms closest friends below us. After dinner, there was a room dedicated to desserts, a dance floor, multiple bars, and a cigar bar outside. Amazing amazing wedding. Some downsides: **Since it's an old mansion, it has a few sparsely placed bathrooms (not a bunch of stalls in one place). **Even though the place can fit a LOT of people, it can't really fit them all in one room, so if your grandma wants to just sit and watch everything happen in one room, she can't, really. And if you're busy in the cheese room, you might miss the couple cutting the cake or some lucky lady (OK IT WAS ME) catching the bouquet! If you can swing it, I would highly highly recommend this venue. read more

Even a massive heat wave couldn't keep this wedding reception down. The mansion was a terrific venue. We had our tables outside, but because of the heat most of us staying inside. The main hall was very spacious and the flow of food and drinks through the room was excellent. There was a enough space in an adjoining room for a modest dance floor and picture opportunities in the gardens outside. The patio was a prime cigar smoking spot! I may not be a wedding planning expert, but I wholly recommend this place! read more

As a wedding photographer (Amber Dawn Photography) I've had the opportunity to experience first-hand many venues in the greater Philadelphia area. Cairnwood Estate is one of my absolute favorites, so much so that I chose it for my own wedding. The breathtaking mansion and its grounds are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. I love photographing weddings here and the staff is always so professional and kind. I'd recommend over and over again! read more

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WOW! What a fantastic venue for your formal but intimate gathering! I just attended a wedding here and I must say that it was, hands down, the most fantastic time I have ever had. Part of it was the really good friends getting married, but a major part was the mansion. There was not one room large enough to hold everyone at the wedding, despite it's relatively small size, BUT (yes, capital BUT) this made for a really surprising night, in which every single room was a different party! In one room we had family, one room had the parents of the friends, the bar had everyone, the dance floor-- all the women (of course)... But the BEST part-- and I do mean the best-- were the patios, terraces and the estate, which were wide open to us. And despite the fact that it was a March wedding, it was 75 degrees all night and there was a SUPERMOON which made every picture absolutely stunningly perfect! (nota bene: there is no guarantee that you, too will have a moon that's as close to the earth as we did-- in fact, ours was the closest it had been in 18 years. there is also no telling how much influence that enormously full moon, so devastatingly close, had on a lunatic like me). If i ever get married, and that is a BIG if, I would like to celebrate it here. read more

The spectacular and fascinating centerpiece of a little-known piece of Philadelphia history. Went here (for the first time) for a Chaddsford Wine tasting event, and we were blown away by the fact that such an impressive place existed just outside the city and we had never known of it before. A beautiful example of Beaux Arts architecture built in the late 1800s as the mansion for John Pitcairn, a wealthy Philadelphia socialite who was the major force behind Philadelphia's Swedenborgen (or New Church) movement. Cairnwood itself, the New Church cathedral, and Bryn Athyn college (in fact, the very town of Bryn Athyn itself!) are all knitted together and share this New Church-related genesis, and continue to serve that same religious community today. This is apparently a very popular place to hold weddings, and once you see it the reasons will be obvious. read more

Disclaimer: I had my wedding here, so I may be a little biased. But for good reason. Before we booked the venue, I had spoken with Shannon who was super sweet and helpful. She scheduled us for a tour and answered any and all of our questions on the spot. (It helped that she was also a Cairnwood bride - she anticipated everything I was thinking.) After the tour, she let us sit and flip through photo albums of past events and weddings and not once did she rush us out. She did not put any pressure on us to book with them. After we booked the venue, Melissa became my main point of contact and can I just say... She understands the importance of relationships and customer service. Melissa was always receptive and quick to answer my phone calls and emails. Not once did I feel like I was being a pain in the butt. We finally met the day before the wedding when I was dropping off decor and alcohol. At the last minute, my husband and I decided to change the location of the outdoor ceremony, and it was not a problem at all. The day of the wedding, Carlos was our maitre'd - although I'm not sure if he worked for the Cairnwood or my caterer. Regardless, he persistently checked in on me and my husband, making sure we were never in need of anything. Having our wedding at the Cairnwood was perfect. The staff was hospitable and friendly, and the mansion itself takes your breath away. Could not have asked for a better wedding venue! read more

Was here for my friends wedding-absolutely beautiful venue. The building is in tip top shape and well cared for. As part of the groomsmen, we had our own suite to get ready in as did the bridesmaids. The food was fantastic and the staff was very helpful. Highly recommend. Thank you for a wonderful evening! read more

What a gorgeous place! I attended one of the most beautiful weddings I'd ever seen at Cairnwood. Unfortunately, it was raining that day, but it didn't stop the wedding from being any less spectacular. We had cocktails before the wedding, and you were free to go outside or inside. Most of the porch was covered, so the rain didn't stop us. The space and the grounds are really impressive. The ceremony was held in the grand hall in front of a huge staircase due to the rain (it was originally scheduled to be outside). There are large windows which let a lot of light in and very high ceilings. As Maggie M. had mentioned, none of the rooms are really big enough for everyone to be in them all at once with the exception of the grand hall if you squeeze in. There were two or three different rooms where people ate their meals. After that part of the party, people moved about the mansion freely and mingled. I also liked the fact that there were so many different parties going on at once. The dance floor was in a smaller room with a fireplace with a large old portrait of an older gentleman above it (I'm assuming the former owner of the house) which was creepy and cool at the same time. One party-goer joked that it was if he was saying, "Hey what are all you people doing in my house?" The bar was set up in the room next to the dance floor in what appeared to be a library. The staff was wonderful as well. Food and drinks were delicious. Parking isn't a problem because it's outside of the city, and there is a lot there. If you are looking for a place to have a classy and fun wedding in the Philadelphia area, look no further because this is it! read more

I considered using Cairnwood Estate as the venue for my wedding, but once I saw that you had to pay for everything: including napkins, linens, even CHAIRS, I decided against it. They are beautiful grounds. My friend had her wedding reception here, so we were happy to see how the wedding would be set up. There was plenty of parking for guests which was nice. Since it was cold out, they had employees coming down the grand steps asking to take our coats. That process took a very long time, as there were only two employees, and they were taking one person at a time, and they had to go up multiple flights of steps and come back down. The estate was nicely decorated for Christmas and had multiple rooms. I thought that it would be one large ballroom, but the reception ended up being about 4-5 small rooms where everyone was broken up, and you could mingle between all the rooms. The bartender who made the bride's signature drink for me watered down the drink HEAVILY with ice. The bride and groom had their first dance near the staircase with everyone circled around them, which seemed nice and intimate, but not what I would have wanted. It was so crowded, so it was hard to get a good glimpse of the couple. The food was a buffet, so if you wanted different types of food, you had to move from room to room to get it, which I also wasn't a huge fan of. On top of it, the room we went to had steak and I thought it was very dry. We ended up picking up Wendy's on the way home and left the reception early. We were happy for our friends getting married, and the venue seemed beautiful, we just weren't a huge fan of how the venue executed the night. read more

This venue is incredible! After getting married here a little over a year ago, I was thrilled to plan a work charity event at Cairnwood! We used one of Cairnwood's preferred caterers Feastivities Events and they were amazing! Lauren did such a great job attending to our needs and setting everything into place. We had some last minute hiccups that Lauren handled gracefully. It was a stress free experience at a beautiful venue. I couldn't have asked for a better team! read more

Oh My! Cairnwood, as a venue, is exquisite; but ever since they expelled Duffy Catering from their list of caterers, the service has been sorrily lacking...not at all worthy of the venue. I could have done a better presentation for yesterday's Mother's Day Tea by running to my local grocery store. My supermarket fare would have far surpassed the large tasteless cookies, dry-as-a-bone scones and generic wrapped chocolates that we were served at $55 per person. Bring back Duffy Catering and we'll be back. Their service is impeccable. They are the only caterer I know capable of presenting an authentically gracious high tea befitting the grandeur of Cairnwood. read more

Had my wedding here and honestly, It was amazing (minus the catering company). The grounds are absolutely stunning and the staff is so easy to work with. I was hesitant at first because coming from a "traditional" family, I felt like it was more of a dinner party than a reception but after speaking to Shannon and seeing it more than once, I felt at ease. Everyone there is so sweet and very attentive to any questions you may have. Definitely recommend! read more

What a breathtaking venue. Its the perfect place for a dream fairy tale wedding. I was here for a wedding and it was amazing. The outdoor terrace was so beautiful at night. It did rain for a bit, so we just moved indoors. The venue was large, so there was not a problem to contain all the guests. read more

This place was the site for a family wedding back in Aug 07. Although it rained off and on during the day it was great place. The view alone was worth it. Very classy place, great staff , great food...and most of you know most weddings have crappy food..lol. We had a great time and the pics came out great... If you live in Philly check this place out....... read more

Ever since we first found out about the Cairnwood we knew we wanted to get married there. The building and the grounds are breathtaking! We also love the history of the Cairnwood. So when we got engaged, one of the first things we did was book our ceremony and reception at the Cairnwood. Shannon was so amazingly sweet and helpful while we were booking, and she had answers to all of our questions throughout the planning process. Everything about the Cairnwood is so amazing. Each room has its own unique feel and we couldn't have loved it more. If the weather is cooperative we'd recommend having dinner outside without the tent, like we did. Rent some market lights for over the back patio and you and your guests will be amazed at how beautiful the mansion looks. We cannot recommend the Cairnwood enough! If you want a fairy tale wedding at a venue that takes your breath away, the Cairnwood is the way to go! read more