It can be easy to forget that your nuptials don’t have to be limited to a place of worship or a small room in the courthouse. Start looking around, and you’ll likely find an offbeat venue to fit your personality. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
The National Aviary
Escape the gray of the city and wed among colorful birds and exotic plants. Guests can wander through the exhibits, but for an even more memorable experience, penguins, parrots, owls or other Aviary residents can make a special wedding appearance.
The Oaks Theater
Dreaming of starring in Our Wedding Day: The Movie? Here, film-buff couples can enjoy their names on the marquee, a slideshow of photos (or a favorite film) on the big screen and general celebrity treatment by an accommodating staff. (One couple had a red-carpet-themed wedding, complete with spotlight.) Another great bonus: popcorn!
The Andy Warhol Museum
For art-lovers, The Warhol offers several options and spaces ranging from the Silver Clouds gallery for intimate ceremonies to the more spacious front lobby for larger affairs. There is also the museum’s theater which, special-events manager Ryan Boyle notes, “[sets] the stage for the wedding couple to have its ‘15 minutes of fame.’” Guests can explore galleries on their own or take a guided tour, before channeling Andy themselves by making a Warhol-esque silk screen in the education studio.
Green Spaces … and Parking Spaces
For last year’s PARK(ing) Day — when local artists turn parking spaces into mini parks — event planner Quelcy Kogel set up a spot for couples to marry or renew their vows outside of Bayardstown Social Club in the Strip District. Kogel is a big fan of non-traditional wedding venues, and suggests tying the knot outdoors at an urban farm, community garden, campsite or — more traditionally — your own backyard. “Then you’re investing in your home and landscaping,” she points out. In other words, a wedding can really happen almost anywhere. “I would LOVE to see a wedding happen in a drained pool,” Kogel adds.
