Ceremony help

SaraRose1124

I'm just beginning the planning process and I'm trying to find ceremony locations.  I will not be getting married in a church because I am not having a religious ceremony and I don't want to get married outside.  I also don't care for the Jewel Box or Piper Palm House.  I like the 9th Street Abbey but I want to know what my other options are.  I have 150 guests and a somewhat small budget but I'm really just trying to see what kind of choices I have.  Can anyone help?

aeperez80

We were in a simliar situation.  We chose Moulin Events because they have a separate ceremony room.  If you have a smaller budget then this is definitely a place worth looking at.  What makes this place unique is that they separate the beverage price from the food so you're not paying the full bar fee for guests under 21.  Unlike most venues there's not a food & beverage minimum.  I highly recommend letting the event coordinator put together an estimate.  This will not only allow you to get a better feel for what you're paying for but it will also give the event coordinator a chance to offer suggestions on how to keep the cost within budget.    

cgeithman

For an indoor ceremony, you might check The Conservatory in St. Charles, although i don't know how large it is. Some other ideas would be a theater, Magic house, City Museum, old buildings downtown maybe?I feel like I've seen pictures from a ceremony at like an old post office or something? I wish I could remember because it was really cool. Some hotels will also offer you two rooms (one for ceremony and one for reception) or maybe a terrace or something. I'm doing a wedding this fall at the Hyatt downtown and the ceremony is outside on a tarrace with the Arch in the background. the reception is just next door in a banquet room.

I know you said you don't want outside but someplace like Stone Hill Winery--they have a covered patio where they do ceremonies. It feels like outside and you get all of the beautiful countryside, but you are completely protected from the elements.

kdbisop

Hi,

Look into the Randall Art gallery.  I've heard alot of good things on other boards about it.   www.randallgallery.com

jlk0219

Before you look into The Conservatory, I can tell you that it only holds 100 people and it's way expensive for the ceremony site alone- and you get a very limited amount of time for your money.  And if you don't like the Jewel Box or Piper Palm House, then you're probably not going to like The Conservatory (it's a greenhouse).  I think your best bet would be to scout out reception venues and then see if they can accommodate your ceremony there too. 

@Cgeithman- I believe you're thinking of The Old Post Office, which is beautiful but on the expensive side.  If you're going for a more modern feel I would definitely check out places like City Museum, The Foundry in St. Charles, Randall Gallery, Mad Art Gallery, Soulard Preservation Hall, Moulin Events, and Lumen (although it might be too big for the number of guests you're having).  If you want to go a more traditional route I would check into area hotels and have your ceremony in an adjoining room to your reception room.

SaraRose1124

Thanks for the help everyone!

liz.baker587

I was in the same situation as you, we ae getting married at the Umls Provincial House Chapel. It is fairly inexpensive and holds quite a bit of people. Here is a link to their webpage.

http://www.umsl.edu/~umslconf/wed.html

kdbisop

I got married at the UMSL chapel this past October and it was beautiful. The coordinator is really nice and resposive. I also liked that it didn't require a lot of decoration because its already beautiful.