Wedding Blog

’Cause we finally found a place to hold the ceremony!!

Finding a ceremony site has befuddled us for months now. Neither of us attends a church that would be an automatic choice. And while I was technically open to finding some random church for the ceremony, as a non-Christian the idea made me a bit uncomfortable, as if I’d be sending mixed signals in some way….

If you’re forgoing a church for your wedding ceremony and on a budget besides, where does one go? We considered several places owned by the National Park Service. Including this location in Lafayette Park, which has a rather striking backdrop:

But March weather can be questionable. And, though the Park Service apparently does allow chairs in its event permits, it does not allow tents. (I never actually got around to contacting them; this is all hearsay from a friend who got married on the National Mall during cherry blossom season.) Anyway, tent rentals are so expensive that they would take away from the budget aspect of the park locations. Overall, we basically spent months (note summer clothes in the photo!) paralyzed by thoughts of “Gee, I like the parks but fear the cold March rain.”

This month I finally started scouring the Internet for indoor sites. And, after stumbling aimlessly from link to link for hours, came across The Athenaeum:

Located in painfully charming Old Town Alexandria (VA), The Athenaeum was built in 1851 and originally housed the Bank of the Old Dominion. It served as Commissary Headquarters for the Union Army during the Civil War (no word on what Old Dominion customers like Robert E. Lee thought of that!) and then returned to banking. After the bank failed in 1905, the building spent 20 years as a talcum-powder-grinding facility for a local Apothecary, and then nearly 40 years as a Methodist Church preaching to what was then Alexandria’s red-light district. It was bought by the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association in the 1960s and now hosts art exhibits, children’s ballet classes, and special events in the local arts.

Inside is just a beautifully blank room with lots of light:

(Image from the NVFAA website.)

The iron railing at the back of the room is a staircase that leads up from the basement, so that’s probably how I’ll make the big bridal entrance. (Praying that I don’t trip on my unaccustomed high heels and break my leg on the way up!) There’s also a nice, brick-walled garden out back for photos.

Renters must be NVFAA members, but it’s easy enough to join. Rental fees are $150/hour.

Are you holding your wedding ceremony somewhere other than a church? Any unusual spots that people might not have considered?