Recently, we had the pleasure of collaborating with some fabulous Richmond Wedding Professionals on a photo shoot for Tiffanys Bridal.  In fact, you may have read about it earlier this week on Bob’s Blog or Emily’s Blog.

The day was a bit colder and rainier than we would have liked, but the models (and pros!) were troopers! See below for a few of our favorites from what was a memorable day at the Mansion.

Special thanks to:

Bob Schnell Photography
LK Events & Design
Emily Hudspeth Hair and Make up
Tiffanys Bridal

Paula and Martin Ramirez are the proprietors of Historic Mankin Mansion, a wedding resort and bed and breakfast just minutes from Downtown Richmond. They enjoy new restaurant finds, Virginia wines and discovering fun events and activities throughout the area for their guests.

Well the secret is out! Style Weekly has officially announced the winners of its Best of Contest for 2011 and we are thrilled to announce that we  one of the ones honored for “Best Hidden Gem.”

Years ago, when we first purchased the property, we never would have imagined how quickly we were welcomed into the Richmond community.  We’ve made so many great friends- from the wedding and hospitality industries as well as those travelers who have called the Mansion “home” for a get away.

This great news was simply icing on the cake- we are humbled and grateful for the community’s support, as always.

See you soon,
Paula & Martin Ramirez

Paula and Martin Ramirez are the proprietors of Historic Mankin Mansion, a wedding resort and bed and breakfast just minutes from Downtown Richmond. They enjoy new restaurant finds, Virginia wines and discovering fun events and activities throughout the area for their guests.

We are a proud sponsor of Richmond Weddings Magazine’s Best Wedding Story Contest. If you haven’t done so already, today is your LAST day to enter!

From RichmondWeddings.com–

We have all left weddings with some stories to tell- We want to hear YOUR Best Wedding Story!

It can be the funniest, wackiest or most romantic wedding you have attended (it does not need to be your wedding).

Tell us your story. In 200 words or less, tell us about the wedding- the wonderful and the unusual. Tell us what made it fun, special, unique, classic.

Winner receives a prize package from ours sponsors work over $2,100!

We here at the Mansion were happy to supply  an Overnight Stay to the winner. The contest ends TODAY so don’t delay!

Click here for more information!

See you soon,
Paula & Martin Ramirez

Paula and Martin Ramirez are the proprietors of Historic Mankin Mansion, a wedding resort and bed and breakfast just minutes from Downtown Richmond. They enjoy new restaurant finds, Virginia wines and discovering fun events and activities throughout the area for their guests.

This Friday, we’re joining other wedding bloggers in a blogger day of silence to raise awareness for the relief efforts in Japan. Please visit For Japan with Love, which will give you a direct link to donate to Shelterbox, who have been on hand in Japan since last Saturday providing much needed supplies to those in need.

Every little bit counts and we’re happy to do our part to raise awareness. We do hope you’ll consider joining us in these efforts.

~Paula & Martin Ramirez

As the wedding season comes to a close, it’s time for us to buckle down and gear up for the 2011 brides. It was time for a fresh look, so we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to update our folder, which is distributed to all prospective Historic Mankin Mansion brides.

We are grateful that many of the great Richmond wedding photographers have shared some great shots with us over the last several years. As we finalize our new folder, however, we knew we needed a particularly special shot.

As you may remember, we launched our contest “Hit us with your Best Shot” recently and asked brides, grooms and wedding photographers to join in on the phone. We were hoping for that perfect shot- that showcases the magic of the Mansion at its very best.

After careful consideration of over 40 images, we had selected the below photography by Dale and Roshan Quarterman of Quarterman Photography, to serve as the main shot on the front cover of our new folder.  Congratulations!

Thanks to all of those who participated in our contest- we are grateful for your participation!

We love the holidays here at the Mansion and it’s at this time of year that we are especially grateful and want to give back. With that being said, we’re pleased to announce a partnership that will allow us not only to help a great cause, but also assist others in doing the same.

This year, Historic Mankin Mansion, is teaming up with the national Toys for Tots program by serving as a toy donation drop off location.   Bring your new, unwrapped toy to the Mansion and help us spread a little holiday cheer!

Toys for Tots, a 63-year national charitable program run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, provides happiness and hope to disadvantaged children during each holiday season.  The toys, books and other gifts collected and distributed by the Marines offer these children recognition, confidence and a positive memory for a lifetime.  It is such experiences that help children become responsible citizens and caring members of their community.  Last year the Marine Corps fulfilled the holiday hopes and dreams of 7.4 million less fortunate children.  Since 1947 over 195 million children have been assisted. For more information, visit www.toysfortots.org.

We will be available for drop off Monday through Friday from 9-5pm during the days of November 29-December 10. Thank you in advance for your kind donation!

We’d also like to take a moment to thank those veterans who stayed with us as part of the B&Bs for Vets program on November 10. We had initially offered one room and then opened it up to three suites after we received hundreds of phone calls. We had two couples from the Air Force and one from the Army- from Maryland, Williamsburg and Richmond. Each enjoyed their respective stay as laughs abound and friendships were made.

See You Soon,
Paula & Martin Ramirez

Paula and Martin Ramirez are the proprietors of Historic Mankin Mansion, a wedding resort and bed and breakfast just minutes from Downtown Richmond. They enjoy new restaurant finds, Virginia wines and discovering fun events and activities throughout the area for their guests.

As Wedding Season winds down, we find ourselves gearing up for our other favorite time of year- Engagement Season! With that, we’re working behind the scenes to update our marketing material to reflect the amazing season we’ve just had.

We are almost ready to unveil our newly designed folder that deserves a memorable shot. We have been so appreciative and grateful for the wedding professionals who have taken the time to share their images with us. We love showcasing them on our web site, Facebook page, Blog and during our Wedding Slide shows at the Bridal Shows.

For this coveted spot, however, we’d love to see who can “Hit us with their Best Shot” as it will be the single image prominently featured on the front of the folder, which is distributed to all brides interested in booking the Mansion.

What are we looking for you may ask? We’d love an image that focuses on the property itself- during the day or evening.  We love shots of our Mansion, tent, pergola and grounds, especially. We already have some swoon-worthy shots of brides and grooms so we’d prefer that this image not include people.

This contest is open to anyone, and if you are submitting on behalf of your wedding photographer, then you must have their written consent to do so.  Photographs must be free of watermarks and can take place during any of our wedding seasons. We will happily credit the photographer on the folder.

Ready to hit us with your best shot? Please email a low resolution (up to 4MB) version of the image to weddings@historicamankinmansion.com by 5pm on Sunday, November 21.  The winner will be informed shortly thereafter and will receive a complimentary stay here at Historic Mankin Mansion.

Questions? Please contact us at weddings@historicmankinmansion.com.Thanks in advance to all those who take the time to submit- we can’t wait to get started!

Good luck!
Paula & Martin Ramirez

Planning one’s wedding can be fun- but it can also be daunting. We here at Historic Mankin Mansion do our very best to give brides, grooms and their family all the information they need in order to make an informed decision.

So when we heard that Wedding Wire was offering the opportunity to share our information through mobile devices, we were thrilled. After all, brides and grooms are constantly on the go- it made perfect sense.

The image above is our QR Code, our very own unique bar code to learn more about weddings at Historic Mankin Mansion. One simply has to upload a QR Code Reader app to their phone (the  QR Scanner for iPhone or Barcode Scanner for Android) and then wave their phone in front of this code. You’ll receive instant access to information on the go.

See you soon,
Paula & Martin Ramirez

When the West Virginia B&B Association began the “Bed and Breakfasts for Vets” program in 2009, we were happy to join over 400 other Bed and Breakfasts in this great cause.

As Kathleen Panek, owner of the Gillum House in Shinnston, WV, and the leader of the initiative noted:

“We just wanted to say thank you to the courageous men and women from our armed forces. These are some trying times for anyone serving or who has served and a good night’s rest is our way to say, thank you.”

The initiative has received press coverage and we were delighted when the Mansion was asked to be featured.

Each participating B&B will provide at least one complimentary room on the eve of Veteran’s Day for active and retired military.

For more information- http://www.newser.com/article/d9ih7oqg1/wva-womans-idea-gets-400-bbs-to-offer-military-families-free-stay-for-veterans-day.html

See you soon,
Martin & Paula Ramirez

Source: www.bnbsforvets.org

What a busy summer it’s been here at Historic Mankin Mansion! We’ve enjoyed our summer weddings and guests, and have appreciated the opportunity to meet more brides and wedding professionals at the bridal shows. As the season progressed however, we realized that we needed to bring in someone from the outside to assist with our marketing initiatives. With that, we are pleased to announce that Meghan Ely with OFD Consulting is now a part of the Historic Mankin Mansion family as Director of Marketing!

We have enjoyed working with Meghan in several capacities over the years. Meghan has been in the Richmond wedding industry for the last seven years, spending the majority of the time with the five star, five diamond Jefferson Hotel. In early 2009, she formed niche pr/marketing firm OFD Consulting, which services the wedding industry. Since then, she’s also become Managing Director of the Richmond Bridal Association, of which we are proud members. Meghan brings her marketing/pr know how, as well as her wedding industry insight, to the table and we couldn’t be more pleased.  Meghan will have various responsibilities with the Mansion, including hosting our upcoming luncheon with the Greater Richmond Tourism Association.

So what’s next for Historic Mankin Mansion? Join us August 8 at the Richmond Bridal Showcase, where we will be meeting even more brides for the 2010-2011 season. We’ve also been working with some amazing, and generous photographers, to update our wedding portfolio. All the latest can be found on our Facebook fan page, so if you haven’t become a fan yet, be sure to do so today!

See you soon,
Paula & Martin Ramirez