What’s old is new again at one of the oldest houses in Prince William County, where George Washington once slept.
On Wednesday, April 27, 2022, friends and business owners gathered to cut a ribbon at Bel Air 1740 Weddings and Events center in Woodbridge. The business, owned by the former first couple of the county, Maria and Corey Stewart, is a welcome addition to the county’s eastern side that suffers from a lack of spaces to hold public events.
Last year, the couple added a 7,000 square foot barn to the property, complete with a caterer’s kitchen, bridal and groom suites, and bathrooms. Outside the barn doors, a circular fireplace serves as the centerpiece of a cozy garden.
The events space that can hold up to 280 people is a dream realized for Maria Stewart, who envisioned a wedding venue at the historic home when the couple purchased it 10 years ago.
“Well, we bought this property in 2012, and I had a catering company back then with a friend of mine that catered weddings. And when I saw the property the first time before we bought it, I could see it could be a wedding venue,” Stewart told Potomac Local News. “And [her husband] said, ‘well, if we get it, we’ll build a barn.'”
The Stewarts paid nearly $1 million for the home on 25 acres, purchasing it from a living trust. The house was once the centerpiece of a 2,600-acre tobacco plantation that once stretched as far as the Quantico Creek in Dumfries.
George Washington, his biographer Mason Locke Weems, who created the story of Washington cutting down the cherry tree, and Thomas Jefferson were guests at Bel Air. Over the years, the land was carved up and sold to build homes.
The new barn is a $2 million investment into the 280-year-old property. In 2020, the Stewarts transferred their ownership of Bel Air to Historic Bel Air, LLC. The couple still lives in the home, which will be separate from the events center.
The grounds are ideal for weddings and corporate events on weekends. A parking lot at a neighboring church provides easy parking and access to the grounds.
Neabsco District Supervisor Victory Angry served as the emcee during the ribbon cutting. Six ladies in white bridal gowns surrounded him, while 12 of the venue’s preferred caterers offered up small bites of shrimp, mushrooms, and other delicacies. Andrea Bailey and Yesli Vega, representing the Potomac and Coles districts on the Board of County Supervisors, respectively, also attended.
Corey Stewart says he won’t bring his conservative politics into the wedding venue, nor will it host political events. “It’s Maria’s business, and I’ve largely kept out of it,” he said. “It’s a place for everyone to come.”
“Well, I told him it’s my turn now,” Maria told Potomac Local News.
The venue has hosted five weddings since last fall. The couple credits the Board of County Supervisors for cutting red tape and requiring fewer occupancy permits for wedding venues. Bel Air 1740 sits at General Washington Drive and is one of a handful of purpose-built wedding venues in the county.
Voters first elected Corey Stewart as Occoquan District Supervisor in 2006 and the county’s At-large Supervisor, representing all county residents the following year. He held a position for 15 years until he retired from politics in December 2019, following campaigns for Virginia Lt. Governor, Governor, and U.S. Senate in 2013, 2017, and 2018, respectively.
And, for the first time since leaving office, Stewart bestowed his endorsement on a political candidate — Yesli Vega, who’s running for congress in Virginia’s new 7th District after winning a seat on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors 2019. He calls her the new face of the Republican Party, which will draw more Hispanics to the GOP.
Over the past year, Corey Stewart has amassed a small collection of business owners and developers who want to expand their commercial operations in the county. Once an attorney in a Georgetown international law practice, he’s now focused on land-use cases and plans to appear before the Board of Supervisors, advocating for his clients in land-use cases that could come before Supervisors later this year.
