We’ve all been to a traditional white wedding. It’s held in a church, the flower arrangements are extravagant and the DJ plays the same AM gold to which the parents of the bride and groom fell in love. The groom works in finance. The bride is an associate at the most prestigious law firm in the city. The guests talk about their condos over white wine spritzers. Everyone agrees that the Wall Street Journal is the most reputable paper in America.
If this sounds like an exercise in tedium to you, then you may want to look into some less traditional options. There are a myriad of venues for weddings that forego ostentation for the sake of what’s truly important—the love of the couple getting married. Here are three ideas for anyone hoping to embrace a more laid-back atmosphere for their wedding. On top of being more unique than a typical wedding, many of them can also be far more affordable.
University Campuses
If you and your fiancé or fiancée met during college, chances are the campus of your alma mater holds a special place in your hearts. It’s not only where each of you became educated and (somewhat) mature adults, but it is the the place that represents the beginning of your union. Furthermore, many college campuses have beautiful landscapes and facilities that can easily be converted into an ideal wedding venue. They are also relatively affordable, too. Renting out the Scott Arboretum Outdoor Amphitheatre at Swarthmore, for example, only costs $1,000.
National or State Parks
America’s park system is one of the finest in the world. On top of containing some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes on Earth, many of these parks contain magnificent stone buildings that were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s. They offer a rustic departure from the glitz and glam of many weddings and allow for a more relaxed environment. Furthermore, many of them are inexpensive. Renting out a space at California’s La Purisima Mission State Historic Park, for example, is only $250.
For your wedding invitations or “save the date” cards, print postcards that look like the classic greetings from national parks. Instead of saying “Wish you were here,” they can say “Hope you’ll be here.”
There are also several indoor historical sites, such as New Hampshire’s Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion, which was the 40-room home of the colony’s first governor, Benning Wentworth. This posh, eighteenth century mansion is only $1,350 to rent for 5 hours. This is significantly less than what you would pay in a place like Brooklyn’s Green House, which New York Magazine had the audacity to call a good value. The starting price for a Saturday night wedding: $5,900.
Museums
Though renting out a portion of a museum may be a bit on the pricy side, many museums are spacious enough to accommodate large parties and you can have a DJ who doesn’t have to worry about noise constraints. The Mill City Museum in Minneapolis, for example, offers a massive industrial indoor space and a courtyard that can hold up to 500 guests. While the inside looks like a cross between an enormous hipster bar and a…well, museum, the weathered courtyard is more reminiscent of a scene out of Gravity’s Rainbow.
On top of providing a unique space for the ceremony and reception, these venues also offer a local touch to your wedding that can exemplify you and your partner’s personalities, as well as your shared connection to the community.
