Wedding Wednesday: The Venue

It's official! Wedding planning is in full swing. We officially have a date and a venue!! I know some people think I am crazy for getting some stuff done so soon but there are a billion anxious brides around here and if you don't jump on the train you can really miss out on all the venues. The venues I have been looking at are almost all full for next summer.. a year in advance! Craziness! 

After weeks of going back and fourth on location, indoor vs. outdoor, prices and all of the other fun stuff that comes with picking a venue, we have finally found one! Let me introduce St Thomas Preservation Hall in downtown Wilmington. 

St Thomas was formerly a Catholic church that has been restored. It is now used for many weddings, receptions and other large gatherings. I just love the brick walls and huge stain glass windows! I knew I wanted my wedding to be in the summer when I am out of school. I decided to avoid doing an outdoor ceremony so that I don't have to worry about the heat or rain. It seems to rain almost every night around here in the summer! This venue was perfect because it is all indoors. We will have both the ceremony and reception here. After the ceremony guest can go downstairs for a cocktail hour while we take pictures and the room is flipped for the reception. Here are some pictures from when I went to visit and from other weddings. 

St Thomas is in downtown Wilmington so it is close to tons of restaurants and hotels for out of town guest. It also has a space for the bride and bridal party to get ready in before the wedding. A plus for me was the fact they provide all of the tables and chairs. That is one less thing we have to worry about! The main problem was how far in advance you have to book it! (It's the same case for most venues in the area) They only had 2 Saturdays left for next summer! We have officially booked the venue and reserved one of those dates: 

August 8, 2015 

It seems like it is starting to all come together! On another note- I am guest posting over at Momentary Memories in the Holt Household. Be sure to check it out here. (: