The Historic Venue

So your knight, prince, rogue, rake, mage, warrior, noble, dandy, gent proposed. Now that you have that truly once-in-a-lifetime moment in your mind it's time to tackle your first hurdle:

A truly "you" venue.

Conventional brides have a variety of choices for their themes whether it be beach, chic, bling, New Years, Christmas... However, the historic loving bride has fewer options. Don't despair- you can still have a breathtaking venue within your budget and your tastes; it just takes a bit more leg work.

While planning our wedding I was determined to find some sweeping castle, manor, or otherwise lovely building to hold it in since we are not very religious. My mother had her heart set on our reception gracing the same halls her second one did so I capitulated on it. After all, she is paying and I am her only daughter. Never mind that Crystal Gardens of Howell Michigan is just posh without the price tag. :)

I searched high and low, in every city I could come up with and only had a handful to choose from. I didn't want to wait two years for Kirk In The Hills to have an opening. (A breathtaking and tear inspiring venue which is so popular, many times you can not get a date or time within 24 months)

Every church I contacted was going to make us do inane things to go there or charge us too much. Indianwood Golf course, despite looking exactly like a castle, would not be within our budget. The MeadowBrook Manor is broken into several rooms and a tad expensive with photography of most things in or around the grounds restricted. The drive time from there to Crystal Gardens was not worth it- nearly two hours without accounting for Friday rush hour.

So I looked for historic, decommissioned churches. One was much smaller than they led you to believe, another was not as lovely as the photos of it, another was just as far as MeadowBrook. I decided to bite the bullet and look over the All Saints Chapel in Howell, a tiny chapel built in the late 1800s and smack in downtown.

It was lovely and cosy with old wood floors, pews, and old feel. It took three more visits and months to finally decide it was for us.

I suggest for everyone looking to go historic to Renaissance not to fret: merely make what you are doing work. Often times it will turn out better than you expected.

For Victorian, I suggest a manor house or garden space in places like Zoological societies, atriums, or parks. You could even have it in a ball room, making the space do double duty. Have the chairs for the tables lined up for your ceremony, run a silk aisle runner between them and have a lovely arch or large candelbra decked with flowers. Use topiaries as aisle decor or ornate (plastic or not) vases filled with bunches of color coordinated flowers like hydrangea, lilacs, mums, lillies, daisies, carnations (which are versatile, cheap and beautiful), and ferns. Greenery among flowers shouldn't be shied from because you want an old garden or manor house feel.
Then, after the ceremony move everyone into another room for a tea/coffe/cocktail half hour or hour. The staff can then move the chairs, place your table in front of the backdrop, place the decor used all around the room, then set up tables.
Think Whitney Garden party or elegant fete.

For Renaissance, it's a bit harder. The Faires are often not very special and have little to no formal building or tent for weddings. (See end for exemption) They are dirty, open during the rain, filled with tourists, and have shows going on during your event. My faire circuit has no formal tent for weddings or building, it gets very crowded and parking is a nightmare, and last year there was so much mud I nearly lost a pair of expensive boots just walking about.
Unless your group is small and a bit casual, I would stay away from that avenue.
Try old churches, historic homes, castle-like buildings or gardens. A nature park is also especially good because it allows you to have a more theatrical entrance.

For every venue keep in mind your budget, estimated guest list, colors you like, expectations, and general theme. Ask a lot of questions and take as many pictures of the venue, empty or set up, as possible. Every time I try to plan something the venue always seems smaller and filled with more red than I remember.

Any place you pick can be customized into the theme you are looking for and all that matters is your love of it. A truly modern building can house a Renaissance or Victorian wedding- it's the people involved that matter. I will cover attire in the next blog post, along with pictures, where to order clothing, and options.

-- Note: Each Renaissance faire/festival is different. In Michigan, many are smaller than MRF, my home faire and MRF has no building or "wedding" tent. However, it has a lovely gazebo and a new area you can use to host your event.
I know that Bristol and Texas are large, extensive faires. Weddings there are lovely and they have some facilities to host. Please check your faire or the faire you like and ask questions. I highly suggest visiting during the approximate time your wedding will be to get a feel for the crowd, vendors, actors, what is available, activities, and weather/dust ratio.