Goochland County gets $15,000 grant to promote wedding tourism

Goochland County is using public tourism money to sell itself as a wedding destination, with a $15,000 grant from the Virginia Tourism Corporation aimed at driving more ceremonies, more guests and more visitor spending into the county.

The money went to Goochland County Economic Development for its Get Hitched in Goochland campaign, part of the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s Destination Marketing Organization Grant Program. VTC says the program is meant to cover marketing expenses that show a positive and significant economic impact on tourism and are designed to drive visitation to Virginia, which makes the county’s wedding push a straight economic bet rather than a branding exercise.

Goochland County Tourism says the county offers wedding sites ranging from historical plantations and barns to Victorian-style mansions. The campaign highlights The Estate at River Run, South View Farm, Dover Hall, Rassawek Vineyards, Bandit's Ridge, Clover Forrest Plantation, Running Mare, Grayhaven Winery and Historic Tuckahoe, giving the county a slate of venues it can package for couples who want a destination wedding without leaving central Virginia.

The location itself is part of the pitch. Goochland’s tourism page says being off Interstate 64 makes the county an accessible spot for wedding guests, a detail that matters because out-of-town ceremonies usually bring a second wave of spending on hotels, meals, fuel and other services. The county’s wager is that a stronger wedding brand can convert one-day events into weekend spending across the local economy.

Dover Hall gives the campaign a high-end anchor. Goochland County Tourism says the venue won a 2025 Excellence Award from Condé Nast Johansens for best wedding venue in North America, a distinction that can help the county compete for couples looking for a premium setting. If the campaign gains traction, the main beneficiaries are likely to be the named venues, along with nearby hospitality and service businesses that profit when wedding parties stay longer and spend more.

Goochland County has been building that tourism strategy in layers. In January 2026, the county also received a separate $10,000 DRIVE Tourism+ grant, signaling that wedding marketing is part of a broader effort to turn tourism into a measurable economic-development tool. County records identify Chance Robinson, the assistant director of economic development, as the county’s contact for tourism business information.