Asked AI: "What are the Top 15 Wedding Venues in New Bern, NC?"

As a local New Bern Wedding Photographer, I was eager to see how AI would answer this question. I've been lucky enough to have experience taking photos in most all of the venues in & around New Bern, and it's comforting to know that AI doesn't quuuuuite know everything (yet). 

AI's response: As an AI language model, I don't have personal experiences that would help me rank wedding venues in New Bern or how unique they are. However, listed below are the top 15 wedding venues in New Bern, North Carolina. 

1. Tryon Palace
2. The Jarvis at 220
3. New Bern Riverfront Convention Center
4. The Chelsea
5. The Crystal Coast Lady
6. The Bank of the Arts
7. The Isaac Taylor Garden
8. Carolina Colours Pavilion
9. The DoubleTree by Hilton New Bern
10. The Bernaroo Music and Arts Festival Grounds
11. Stanly Hall Ballroom
12. New Bern Golf and Country Club
13. Temple B'nai Sholem
14. The Cardinal at North Hills
15. Courtyard by Marriott New Bern

Ok. So...to start...

Some of the Venues that AI Totally MISSED: 

• Copper Ridge on the Neuse
• Amelia Grove Wedding Venue
• The Maola at Riverside
• The North Carolina History Center
• Neuse Breeze (Dipping a toe into Havelock, NC)
• The Flame Catering & Banquet Center
• The Carolina Wedding Barn

What AI was VERY Wrong About:

• #5 The Crystal Coast Lady - The One in New Bern is not a venue. 
  • Option #1: The Crystal Lady aka Michaele Rose Watson aka Glass Artist Extraordinaire & lovely human all-around. You can find her studio & art for sale in her shop at 217 Middle Street in Downtown New Bern.
  • Option #2: The Boat Tour Cruise Company out of Beaufort, NC. This Page mentions The Crystal Coast Lady as a boat venue, but it is not in or out of New Bern. 
• The Bernaroo Music and Arts Festival Grounds is not a wedding venue, and may have never actually happened at all. My google searching led me to several dead ends & outdated sites. It seems this was an event that may or may not have taken place in July of 2015. It's goal, per The Facebook Page, seems like it would have been a fun event! I texted the number listed on the Page, and have not received a reply. I had a lot of fun in this rabbit hole, haha.
• The Cardinal at North Hills is, I learned, a senior living facility in Raleigh, NC. Not sure how this even made the list. 
• Temple B'nai Sholem is a Jewish Temple in Downtown New Bern. They do not host weddings & events, & they emailed to confirm. Sidenote: their website is very educational & interesting to read!

Where AI Needed Some Guidance:

• New Bern Golf & Country Club - I placed this venue in this list because you need to be a member, or have a member sponsor you, to book a wedding at this venue, as it is a private club. You can't just book this space for your wedding as a destination location.
• The Hotels listed are both prominent Hotels in Downtown New Bern that offer the convenience of hosting a wedding & accommodations in the same space. I've never photographed a wedding in either hotel, though out-of-town wedding guests often stay at these hotels when visiting!
• DoubleTree by Hilton can host weddings their ballroom, though it is not common. The person at the front desk said in her 3 years of working there, she has witnessed one wedding. Though, I have recently connected with their Events Manager, and they are under new management who has been making some changes, so perhaps we will be seeing weddings here in the future?
• The Courtyard by Marriott - When I called to inquire about this hotel hosting a wedding, the front desk person's response was, "no ma'am we're far too small for that," a response that I found refreshingly honest.

The 8 Venues AI Successfully Identified:

1. Tryon Palace
2. The Jarvis at 220
3. New Bern Riverfront Convention Center
4. The Chelsea
5. The Bank of the Arts
6. The Gardens at Isaac Taylor
7. Carolina Colours Pavilion
8. Stanly Hall Ballroom

Apart from the Non-Venue Venues that were produced for this list, AI was correct for, we can say, 60% of the list, which isn't bad for a computer pulling information from all ends of the internet. All in all, it feels good to know that were a robot to want to book a wedding in New Bern, NC, they just might need to consult some humans during their search. Happy Venue-Hunting!

New Bern is the perfect Destination Wedding Location. Our Town offers many unique venues in which you can host your gathering, with ample accommodations located right downtown alongside great restaurants, bars, & live music to keep your guests entertained for the whole weekend. 

​Hope to chat with you soon! -Emily Saunders Photography