Weddingbee Blog

Forgive me. I’m backtracking here. As I never really “formally” shared our wedding ceremony location, or our reason behind choosing it.

The day we got engaged I already knew where we were going to have our ceremony. I wasn’t one of those brides who had her wedding planned before the engagement. In fact, I was quite the opposite - I pretty much never thought about it, OTHER than a ceremony location.

I’m not a religious person, I did not attend church as a child, and although I attended a private, Catholic university for college, religion was honestly something that never came up. It was for that very reason, I knew I did not want to get married in a church (but trust me, I LOVE church weddings). So, what was the obvious choice? This gorgeous, greenhouse of a structure:

Image courtesy of Lisa Hessel Photography

That art-deco beauty in the photo above is The Jewel Box in Forest Park. It is truly a historical landmark in St. Louis - built in 1936, and was restored to its glory in the early 1990s. And, while it may be an extremely popular location for weddings in town, there is no denying that it’s gorgeous. The amount of natural light that pours in is unbelievable (and a photographer’s dream).

One of my very own bridesmaids (KD) wed here just this past March. And, while it was chilly and rainy on her wedding day, you were none the wiser while sitting inside for the ceremony (that’s me in the purple cardigan along the left side of the aisle).

Image courtesy of SjMacky Photography

And, the area around the Jewel Box is the perfect backdrop for some spectacular photos - not to mention it is located inside Forest Park (which happens to be over 50% larger than Central Park - which a lot of people don’t know).

Image courtesy of Kelly Manno Photography

How did you end up picking your ceremony location? Was it an easy or tough decision?