Simpsonville, Kentucky · 30 min from Louisville · 10 acres · Up to 150 guests
Gather the people you love on ten private acres. Stay on the property, swim, rehearse, get married, dance, and wake up together the next morning. Not a six-hour venue rental — a resort that's yours from Friday to Sunday.
One estate, three ways to have it
The whole property is reserved for one group at a time. Whether that's a wedding, a family week, or a team that needs to think, the house, the barn, the pool, and all ten acres are yours alone.
The difference
Most venues give you a window: arrive at three, leave by eleven, see your grandmother for eight minutes. Château du Cheval gives you the whole property and the whole weekend. Your closest people arrive Friday, and for three days the estate belongs to you.
Weddings
Ten acres means you never have to choose one room. Get ready in the house, say vows on the lawn, sip cocktails by the pool, dine under a tent, and end the night in the barn.
Outdoor lawn ceremony, barn ceremony for weather or mood, or a smaller spot under the trees for intimate vows.
Poolside is the signature. Guests drift between the water, the lawn edge, and the bar while you take photos at golden hour.
A large, relatively flat lawn built for a professional wedding tent — dinner, dancing, and a real dance floor for up to 150.
Friday night on the property. Long tables, string lights, the people who matter most, no reservation required.
Wedding-party preparation in the house, with natural light, room to breathe, and no hotel-room shuffle.
The morning after, together. Coffee, brunch, pool time, and the debrief every wedding deserves.
By guest count
The intimate wedding. Ceremony under the trees, dinner at one long table on the lawn, everyone sleeping on the estate. Feels like the best house party of your life.
The micro wedding. Lawn ceremony, poolside cocktails, an open-air or small-tent dinner. Closest family and friends stay on-site; the rest are minutes away.
The sweet spot. Full ceremony seating, a proper cocktail hour, a mid-size tent reception, and a barn after-party. Wedding-weekend format shines here.
The estate wedding. Tent reception with dance floor, staffed bar, dedicated ceremony area. Shuttle and restroom-trailer planning recommended.
The full celebration. Large tent, full catering setup, parking management. The estate still feels private because it's all yours.
The grand estate wedding. Our maximum. Tent, restroom trailer, shuttle, and coordinator required. Big enough for everyone, still nobody else's.
The estate
A recently renovated French-country stone manor on ten private acres of rolling Kentucky hills, thirty minutes from Louisville and in the heart of the Bourbon Trail. The name means "the horse house" — the barn and paddock are the anchor. The heated pool is the afternoon. The lawn is the party. The house is where everyone ends up.
A horse barn with paddock that doubles as a ceremony space, rain plan, and late-night gathering spot. Equestrian heritage without the rustic cliché.
Heated pool, hot tub, and a pergola with an outdoor TV. Friday afternoon, Saturday cocktail hour, Sunday's last swim — the pool makes it a weekend instead of a day.
Large, relatively flat, and tent-ready. Ceremony seating, cocktail hour, and a full reception tent all fit with room to wander.
Six bedrooms for twelve of your closest people, a two-story great room with stone fireplace, a dining room that seats everyone, and a game room with golf simulator for the in-between hours.
Stay
Your wedding party and family don't scatter to three different hotels. They sleep here, wake here, and share coffee on the porch with you the morning after.
First-floor primary suite: four-poster king, leopard carpet, and a marble bath with a freestanding soaking tub and walk-in rain shower. Upstairs: a sage king suite under arched windows, a wainscoted king with private bath, a plaid-ceilinged queen room with a porthole window, and a skylit queen. Lower level: a king with exposed stone and wet bar. Every bath is different — marble and brass, green tile, herringbone.
A two-story great room with a black brick fireplace, overlooked by the upstairs library landing. A navy dining room that seats everyone under a beaded chandelier. A keeping room off the kitchen with a wall of horse portraits — plus a game room with golf simulator, putting green, pool table, and ping-pong.
Marble island with farmhouse sink, professional range, herringbone tile, and a Dutch door out to the drive. Where the welcome dinner gets plated and Sunday brunch gets made.
The primary suite's double vanity and natural light make it the getting-ready room; the upstairs suites take the rest of the party.
Heated pool and hot tub steps from the house, open to overnight guests throughout the stay. [Confirm hours during the event]
Pergola with outdoor TV, patio, paddock, and ten acres to walk off the night before.
Multi-generational by design. Grandparents, kids, cousins — everyone has a place to land.
Coffee, brunch, one more swim. The part of the wedding most couples never get to have.
Through the year
Redbuds and dogwoods on the drive, the paddock greening up, and Derby week thirty minutes away. Our most requested dates — book 12–18 months out.
The pool season. Cocktail hour on the terrace, late sunsets over the hills, and a Sunday morning swim before anyone leaves.
Kentucky foliage, bourbon on the pergola, fire-pit nights. Peak wedding season here for good reason.
Intimate weddings in the great room by the stone fireplace, the barn strung with lights, and the best value on the calendar.
Gallery
Pricing & packages
We host a limited number of weddings each year — the estate is a family home and a private rental the rest of the time, and we keep it that way on purpose. [Set the number: e.g. 15–20 per year] Single-day weddings are available, but the Wedding Weekend is what the property was made for.
Friday–Sunday estate experience. The whole property, the whole weekend.
Up to ~50 guests · single day.
51–100 guests · single day.
Up to 150 guests · single day.
Add-ons
Handled by outside vendors: catering, bartending, DJ/band, florals, hair & makeup, full-service planning.
Availability
Booked dates are shaded. Fridays and Saturdays are highlighted. Synced from our booking calendar on — we confirm every date personally before holding it.
Wedding cost estimator
A rough range for estate costs only — vendors (catering, florals, music) are separate. Final pricing comes with an official proposal.
FAQ
Items marked Policy decision required show a recommended policy. Ownership needs to confirm before launch.
150 guests for a tent reception on the lawn. Smaller weddings (30–75) are equally at home here and often use the barn or an open-air dinner instead of a full tent.
Twelve guests across six bedrooms in the manor. The rest of your party stays at nearby hotels and inns in Shelbyville, Simpsonville, and Louisville listed in our Local Guide.
Yes, on-site. [Capacity needed]. For weddings over 100 guests we require parking management and recommend shuttle coordination.
For receptions above roughly 75 guests, yes — the lawn is graded and sized for a professional wedding tent. Under 75, an open-air dinner with the barn as rain plan often works. Policy decision required Recommended: tent mandatory for 100+ guests, booked through an approved tent vendor.
The barn serves as a covered ceremony and gathering space, and a tent with sidewalls covers the reception. We walk through the weather plan with every couple in advance.
Policy decision required Recommended: yes, served by a licensed, insured bartender or caterer only — no self-serve bars. Confirm local licensing requirements.
Policy decision required Recommended: open vendor policy with a preferred list, all vendors insured and approved 30 days out. Catering must be full-service (setup, service, cleanup).
DJs and bands are welcome. Policy decision required Recommended: amplified music ends at 10:00 pm outdoors (check local ordinance), with acoustic or indoor late-night gathering in the barn afterward.
Overnight guests, yes, throughout the stay. During the wedding itself, Policy decision required — recommended: pool open during cocktail hour with a lifeguard or attendant, closed during the reception, and a pool-party add-on available Friday or Sunday.
Children, absolutely — this is a family estate. Pets: Policy decision required — recommended: the couple's dog is welcome in the ceremony with advance notice; guest pets are not permitted.
Yes — that's the point of the Wedding Weekend package. Each is available as an add-on to single-day packages as well.
Policy decision required Recommended: a day-of coordinator is required for all weddings over 50 guests; a full planner is strongly recommended for 100+.
Policy decision required Recommended: no nails, staples, open flame, or confetti; freestanding décor welcome. Setup begins at your access time; vendors handle their own breakdown; a cleanup fee covers estate reset.
Tables, chairs, and linens are available as add-ons or via your rental company. A restroom trailer is required for weddings over 100 guests. [Confirm on-site restroom count]
[INFORMATION NEEDED] — confirm grade of paths, barn access, and restroom accessibility.
Policy decision required Recommended: 25% non-refundable deposit to hold the date, 50% at six months, balance 30 days out. Cancellation: deposit forfeited; further payments refundable only if the date is rebooked.
Policy decision required Recommended: event liability insurance ($1M) required for all weddings; security required for 100+ guests or any event serving alcohol past 9 pm.
Standard stays check in at 4:00 pm and out at 10:00 am. Policy decision required Recommended for the Wedding Weekend: Friday 3:00 pm check-in, Sunday 4:00 pm checkout, with early-access and late-checkout add-ons.
Free download
Sample weekend, layouts for 30–150, package pricing ranges, add-ons, vendor list, and travel info for your guests.
Local guide
Château du Cheval works as a destination venue. Here's how everyone gets here, where the overflow stays, and what to do on the days around the wedding.
Louisville (SDF) — ~35 min · Lexington (LEX) — ~50 min · Cincinnati (CVG) — ~1 hr 30
Louisville — 30 min · Lexington — 45 min · Cincinnati — 1.5 hrs · Nashville — 3 hrs · Indianapolis — 2.5 hrs
[Hotel 1] · [Hotel 2] · [Inn 3] in Shelbyville / Simpsonville, or Louisville's NuLu and downtown hotels 30 min west — for guests not staying on the estate.
NuLu dining district (Louisville, 28 min) · [Local restaurant] · [Brunch spot]
Bourbon Trail: Jeptha Creed Distillery (11 min) · Bulleit Distilling Co. (12 min) · Bardstown (60 min) · [Coffee shop]
Churchill Downs (31 min) · Red Fern Riding Center horseback rides (15 min) · Willow Hope Farm horse sanctuary (8 min) · Guist Creek Lake (20 min) · Louisville Slugger Museum · [Golf course]
Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass (5 min) · Downtown Shelbyville · NuLu boutiques
[Shuttle company 1] · [Rideshare availability note]
Hair & makeup · florists · photographers · DJs · caterers · planners — [preferred vendor list]
Private tour
In person or on video. We'll walk the ceremony sites, the lawn, the barn, the pool, and every bedroom, and talk through how your weekend would actually run. Tours take about an hour.
Because the house is often occupied by guests, tours are scheduled around stays. Give us two or three windows that work and we'll confirm one within a business day.
Request received
Check your email for a confirmation. In the meantime, the Wedding Guide has the sample weekend, layouts, and pricing.
Inquire
Tell us your date and your vision. Within one business day you'll receive our Private Estate Wedding Guide and a personal note from us — then we'll set up a private tour, in person or on video.
What happens next
Inquiry → Wedding Guide → Personal follow-up → Private tour → Custom proposal → Contract & deposit → Wedding planning
Prefer to talk? Call +1 (859) 681-9090 · Text us · Schedule a private tour
Received
Here's what happens next: the Private Estate Wedding Guide is headed to your inbox now. Within one business day a real person will follow up on your date and set up a private tour. Then we build a custom proposal around your weekend.