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My fiance and I, being downtown residents, would like to get married downtown next March. Does anyone have any suggestions for a cool or unique place for the ceremony or reception in the downtown area? We will have about 100 guests, and are looking for indoor places given the March timeframe. Thanks
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion
Cool Downtown Wedding sites?
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shroud
Polaris
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The Franklin Park Conservatory immediately springs to mind. It's not at all cheap, but still a really nice place for the ceremony. I don't know if they do receptions there or not.
Other options downtown would obviously include the various older churches, but I don't know what limitations those place based on required membership and such.
For more unique options, you could always look into getting married on the Santa Maria, in Bicentennial Park, maybe even on the Statehouse lawn? It really depends on what kind of location/ceremony you're looking for.
Posted 5 years ago # -
thatsmydog
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Franklin Park C was one of the coolest places I have ever been for weddings. I have been to 2 there and it was beautiful. The reception was equally great, I believe Cameron Mitchell has the exclusive catering business.
I have also been to North Park, that building is available for weddings. That is very nice as well.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Brewmaster
Portland, OR
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Franklin Park Conservatory is crazy expensive. We checked there and immediately ruled it out, but I'm not sure what your budget is. It's a nice space.
I'd check out North Bank Park. They've got that glass gazebo that you can use.
The last reception we went to at the Columbus Athletic Club had some terrible food.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Rocknrolloutlaws
German Village
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I had a friend who had looked into getting married at the Columbus Museum of Art. I guess they were looking into doing it outside in the small patio/sculpture garden. But I'm sure if they arrange for weddings there, the also have other, indoor arrangements. She ended up on eloping though. Heh.
It's something to consider, it's probably as expensive as the Conservatory, but I have no idea on the cost.
Posted 5 years ago # -
dru
IV
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my first advice w/ the downtown wedding is to be very cautious when selecting vendors.
my wife and I went with the downtown theme two years ago, trying to marry downtown and use predominantly Short North and downtown vendors. you quickly learn on who you can count on and why some businesses succeed when others fail.
we wanted an urban, loft setting and initially went with Pierre's in the Smith Brothers Building. Great space, but Pierre's went under and took a lot of peoples' money away (advice #2 - always place deposits on credit, as the bank will protect you against bankruptcies. people who paid Pierre in cash and checks were out thousands). that venue is now called the "Venue at Smith Bros." No idea who controls it, but it is a great space with amazing views of the city. After this fiasco, we were about to go with a place on the top floor of the Hartman Building. Thankfully we heeded a bad vibe, because Grand Productions was in arrears and lost their lease on the space before our wedding 5-months later. We went with a space on the 2nd floor of the Hartman, and were one of the last weddings to get in there before it went condo (thankfully the property manager Bentley had a realistic expectation on how long he retained control of the space).
Some other spaces we looked at were:
- the aforementioned FPC
- The Columbus Athenaeum
- Confluence Park Restaurant
- The Vault (on Gay Street)
Good luck.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Anne
King Lincoln
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Graystone Winery is a pretty place. The little eiffel tower across the street and Schiller Park would be neat photo sites.
Perhaps the Swiss Chalet further down on Front St., or the Germania house would be cool.
I doubt you would be able to get a day for Franklin Park Conservatory. Those dates get booked up in February.
Topiary Garden would be fun.
Mirror Lake? Not quite downtown, but still pretty. And there is the ampitheater there for the ceremony.
ETA: I have always thought North Bank Park would be a beautiful place for a wedding. It is a little expensive though...but just imagine lots of paper lanterns hanging in there, all the fountains going....really nice.
Posted 5 years ago # -
turbo ninja
Crumb Bus, Oh.
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The Westin does a nice job with big events and the ballroom is old-school beautiful. I think it's more elegant than the Athanaeum and the space is better than the Vault for dancing. With the Vault, the locker itself is pretty much limited to bar/food space and the upstairs part is wasted space because no one on the floor can see what's going on up there.
I think there's some space in City Center you could get cheap....
Posted 5 years ago # -
shroud
Polaris
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- The Columbus Athenaeum
I was trying to think of the name of this place in my post and couldn't remember. We went to a tasting event for our caterers at the Athenaeum for our wedding, and I remember thinking it was a really cool older building. I could see it being a fun spot for a wedding, or at least a reception.
If you do end up looking at places further outside of downtown, my wife & I got married and had our reception at the Park of Roses in Clintonville. It's actually really cheap - though the spaces all fill up very fast, so you'd have to luck into getting a good date for this year.
Posted 5 years ago # -
AnnB
Dublin, OH
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I'm actually getting married in September at Taylor Mansion -- on E. Broad Street across from Franklin Park. It's a lesser known venue and very cool...it's a historical mansion complete with a garden and outdoor pavilion. You can find it on the Web at http://www.the-upper-crust.com.
Other than that, I visited The Venue and liked it -- although I was unimpressed with the coordinator and decided to go elsewhere. A friend of mine actually booked that site for June 2008 and just backed out because she found out (from her caterer) that it wouldn't hold the number of guests the coordinator assured her, and also that there is construction planned for the time around her wedding. She thought it was worth breaking the contract.
Other cool places in or close to downtown: The Columbus Renaissance (I just visited there and loved their ballrooms and pool terrace), Ohio State Bar Association (in Grandview and not well known, but it has a beautiful courtyard and nice ballroom)...
Posted 5 years ago # -
mellotron
Arena District
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Nice to rediscover this thread, as we now find ourselves browsing downtowns many venues for next summer.
Right now, the Athenaeum seems to have the advantage. The Ballroom and Large Theater are stark contrasts but both offer unique experiences.
We really enjoyed chatting with the coordinator, Ann. Compared to other expriences noted earlier in this thread, she's fun, straightforward, and not a salesperson. Would have no reservations working with her.
Nearly tragic story about the building, though. Was the former home of the Masonics, who upon losing most of their membership, was nearly demolished by a developer of surface parking lots. Now, it's on the Historical registry and is safe from further "developments" :wink:
Neat building. Worth checking out this bit of Columbus history.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Brewmaster
Portland, OR
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mellotron wrote Nearly tragic story about the building, though. Was the former home of the Masonics, who upon losing most of their membership, was nearly demolished by a developer of surface parking lots.
Isn't "surface parking lot developer" and oxymoron?
:lol:
Posted 4 years ago # -
Coremodels
Really close to Explorer's Club.
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Frank Fetch Park in German Village is a beautiful setting for the ceremony, know a few people who have been married there.
Posted 4 years ago #
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