Creative Venue Ideas... HELP!

[Independent Gal]

We''re afraid our wedding planning is becoming too ''cookie-cutter'' to suit our wacky selves. At the moment, the parents seem to be pushing for a Golf Club. Which, while beautiful, is really not us. We''re trying to come up with some original ideas for how / where to host it. I loved Deco''s barn wedding, and I have some friends who married at a summer camp (FUN!).

Anyone have ideas for other creative types of venues?

Help!

 

[Trelala]

Anywhere is fair game, right?
Where do you want to get married? I''ve heard of people getting married on the ski slopes, at national parks (Yosemite), theme parks...I''m sure someone has gotten married underwater!
Nothing''s too wacky.

 

[Independent Gal]

Oh wow. Underwater would be FANTASTIC! I''m big into sea life. So, like, we could BE sea life. Might be a bit impractical for dancing though. heehee!

 

[VRBeauty]

I''ve been to a wedding reception in an antique auto museum

. The food part was catered. Also a couple that were held lake-side or bay-side; it''s always nice to have a watery backdrop! I attended a work-related special event held after hours at a SoCal Aquarium... it was a real treat to be able to check out some of the exhibits without huge crowds (when I wasn''t networking, of course!).

 

[Skippy123]

How about a botanicall garden? B&B? Natural History Museum? Amusment Park.

 

[Love in Bloom]

Date: 7/12/2007 3:24:32 PM
Author: Independent Gal
Oh wow. Underwater would be FANTASTIC! I''m big into sea life. So, like, we could BE sea life. Might be a bit impractical for dancing though. heehee!

LOL, neat but perhaps impractical. I would totally love to get married at the Aquarium though, or a zoo although the smell of the zoo may not completely complement the occasion. You must really have to be an animal lover to get married at a zoo.

I also entertained the idea of getting married in this really pretty meadow by my mom''s house. Just pitch some special occasion tents and have hot air balloon rides.

 

[jcrow]

i really thought hard about having our reception at an art museum. it was so modern and sleek and completely beautiful! but it was out of our $ range. it was fitting b/c of my huge art background and our love of art. so, if i were you, i''d make of list of your favorites - place to be, things to do, etc. and see if any of those apply to a wedding.

oh, and your town''s visitor''s center should have info on all the places that would be able to host a reception. and lots are out of the ordinary.

 

[Erin]

my dream location would be an old movie house
reel to reel video of old family movies, 8mm, even videos growing up - or if a desitination wedding - video of that

the kind of theatre where there aren''t bolted seats but tables and chairs
anyone ever been to the Brew and View on Belmont in Chicago? like that

 

[Independent Gal]

Great ideas ladies! Keep them coming!

JCrow - that''s funny because the local art museum was our first choice too... but same issue: it''s really expensive. Part of me thinks ''Oh, just DO it!'' but part of me thinks that''s irresponsible given our desperate need for a bigger home.

The Natural History museum is also a great thought. I gave them a call. We''ll see what happens...

I wish my home town had more interesting spaces.

 

[april diamonds]

loft spaces are great cause you can add your own personal touch to it since it''s like a blank space. although usually $$$.

if you like sea life maybe a beach or an aquarium wedding!

 

[april diamonds]

oops! someone suggested aquarium already! i still think it''s a good idea

 

[neatfreak]

Art galleries can be great places to hold them. Depending on the place, the space is usually really cool, but not always expensive.

I actually think city hall is often an awesome place to get married. Many are GORGEOUS and will allow you to rent out space in the building somewhere. I think Cynthia Rowley even conviced her local city hall to hang a banner outside that said "Cynthia and whoeevershemarried 4ever". It was very kitschy and cute.

 

[Independent Gal]

We''re going to have "Wedding Part 1 - The Documents" at a City Hall, since we''ll do that part in the country where my mom lives, where you HAVE to get married at a city hall before having a religious ceremony. Then we''ll do "Wedding: The Sequel" (aka the religious ceremony) in my home town.

Part 1 should be fun because the fact that everyone has to get married "legally" first means every Saturday there''s always a tonne of brides spilling out all over the place at the city hall, taking photos, etc. And come to think of it, probably checking each others'' dresses out... gee. no PRESSURE!

And the City Hall there is historically important and very, very beautiful.

Now the problem is what to do for "The Sequel"

I wish there was an aquarium there. I''d do that in a minute.

 

[Love in Bloom]

Date: 7/12/2007 3:34:18 PM
Author: jcrow
i really thought hard about having our reception at an art museum. it was so modern and sleek and completely beautiful! but it was out of our $ range.

Museums can be expensive, but the one I picked turned out to be quite reasonable. It never hurts to ask how much a venue is, and you can always negotiate too

 

[decodelighted]

Thanks for the shout out!!

I''ve been to one wedding in some kind of dock house thingamajig on the East River in Brooklyn. That was cool & rustic & scenic

I''ve heard of warehouses being used ... loft-like, lots of parking etc... (not quite so scenic)

Lighthouse? Ice Rink? Teahouse? Marina? Vineyard? Orchard?(little shoutout for my own wedding again

) Golf Course? Bowling Alley?(saw an adorable engagement shoot done in one) Local Pub? Cafe Patio? Library? Observatory?? (that could be way cool!)

 

[Pandora II]

My venue is currently a school!

Just one word of warning...

I looked at lots of fun venues for the Ball I do every year. I really wanted the Natural History Museum - the venue hire was steep but not out of the question, but I would have to bring in lighting. A fairly basic but good set-up was £25,000 GBP for one night

and you had to use that supplier. So watch out for all the hidden extras - and make sure you find out about what insurance certification vendors will have to have (wrecks any attempt to do things diy)

 

[zoebartlett]

My sister got married at a summer camp that she and her husband work at every year and it was a lot of fun. A former roommate and her fiance are getting married in the fall at the Seacoast Science Center in the town we used to live. It''s a place that is famous for their field trip groups throughout the week, although it''s a very quiet place on the weekends. It''s right on the bay so it''s a really nice spot.

I''ve also heard of orchards, old houses that have become small museums, etc.

 

[Independent Gal]

Heyyyyy... LIBRARY! There''s an idea. There''s a gorgeous one in my hometown and I''ve spent many a long hour there. PLUS, I know they allow functions. I''ll look into it.

The "Old House" idea is also stellar. Especially if it had a yard. Maybe i''ll check the local tourist office on that one, as someone suggested.

Thanks for all the ideas. Frankly, I love just about all of them.

And thanks for the heads up about the Museum issues, Pandora. Good to know! A friend of mine was just hired by the Natural History museum in my town so I''ll ask her about it.

Any more ideas?

 

[jcrow]

did someone say zoo yet?
what part of the country/world are you in?

yeh, what reminded me of the visitor center is that i found out that there''s this really really cool hi-tech awesome technology center that they just opened in my town. i thought it was just for research, but i found out through the center that the tech center can host up to 300 people for a reception. i would have never guessed that. it would make FAB pics.

 

[Munchkin]

I don''t know where you live, but I have two suggestions in Mass. The Boston Museum of Science does weddings. It is an awesome museum! Wolfgang Puck catering handles the food.

There is a place in the Berkshires that gives you the property for the weekend. They handle all the cooking, decorating and stuff. It is basically set up like a camp. All your guests get to stay in cabins on the property and there are activities like kayaking, swimming, hiking, volleyball, etc. The place helps you plan all the meals and activities for the weekend with the wedding being the culmination.

If I weren''t Catholic, I would definitely get married on a beach or a gorgeous old mansion. (It is very rare that the Catholic church will authorize a Catholic wedding outside a church.)

 

[akw94]

What about a bed and breakfast or a local garden/park (sorry if these were mentioned)?

 

[VRBeauty]

I love the library idea!

When I was a teenager I accompanied my mother to a co-workers'' wedding in a tavern. It was like the bride''s fifth or sixth marriage and only the groom''s second, so I''m guessing the tavern was his choice! The bride wore green, as I recall...

There was also the wedding in a park, where the reception included a volleyball game.

Will outdoor venues be an option when you get married?

 

[bec]

We have just started the planning process and have come up with the idea to hold it at a Bed and Breakfast. It looks like there are lots of places that can host weddings from 20-200 people. (some of the places even have barns )