Ellendale Lodge isn't run by a corporation. It's run by the same family that opened the gate seventy-five years ago, and we still greet every guest ourselves.
Long before "event venue" was a category, Ellendale was a family property on ten private acres north of Memphis. Three generations later, it still is. No franchise playbook, no rotating staff, no corporate office deciding what your day should look like - just a family that's spent seventy-five years making this land feel like home for the people who celebrate here.
It started as a piece of land a family refused to sell off - a lake, a stretch of pasture, a bell tower nobody was in a hurry to tear down. Over seventy-five years, that land became Ellendale Lodge: built up slowly, generation by generation, by people who've lived here, gone to church down the road, and raised their kids in this part of Memphis. This isn't a property some investment group picked off a map.
Today the same family still owns and runs it, and that shows up in the small things — knowing your name before your event starts, being upfront instead of scripted, treating a Tuesday family reunion with the same care as a Saturday wedding. When a franchise venue changes hands, the place changes with it. Ellendale hasn't, because it was never for sale.
Room to spread out, wander, and make the day feel like it's yours alone.
A quiet, photograph-ready backdrop that's been part of Ellendale since the beginning.
Our signature landmark and its rustic companion, ready-made backdrops for ceremonies, live music, photos, and everything in between.
Indoor and outdoor space built for everything from a rehearsal dinner to a full reception.
Everyone around here just calls her Cookie. She grew up on this land, and these days she runs Ellendale alongside her son [name TBD] — the same way her family has for three generations. Ask her about the lake or the bell tower and she'll talk your ear off; ask her what she loves most about the job and she'll tell you it's watching a family walk through the gate as guests and leave feeling like neighbors. [Placeholder — swap in a real quote or detail once you talk to her.]
Susan "Cookie" Hatchett
Third-Generation Owner at Ellendale Lodge
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