Love Your Choice of Indiana Venues

When it comes to spots to tie the knot, you have a wide variety of choices in Indiana wedding venues. When you have all four seasons, there is literally a time of year for almost every type of wedding! Let’s look at the various types of locations you might want to look at for your perfect day, as well as the pros and cons of each to help you make the best decision for you and your fiancé.

Your First Wedding Choice

Other than the engagement rings, the venue you choose for your wedding is the first thing on your getting married to-do list. So many of your other choices, such as number of guests, time of year, colors, décor, photography and even the dresses and tuxes are often influenced by the venue.

Some locations might lack climate control. Who wants to freeze to death even if it is a beautiful Christmas wedding? Sweating through a bridal gown isn’t a great look either. What about size? If you fall in love with a small, intimate space after you’ve sent out 500 save-the-dates, you may have a problem on your hands. Choosing a large venue can also seem strange if you only have 75 close friends and family attending.

These are just some of the many considerations you might decide differently once you choose the venue. But what if you have a certain type of photography in mind, a dress you are set on, or a fall color scheme? Go with it! Just make sure your wedding venue list has sites that will complement those “must haves” you can’t do without.

Options in Indiana Wedding Venues

There are several wedding venue options in Indiana, but most fall into these main groups:

Barn Wedding Venues

Indiana is an agricultural state, so there are an abundance of barns, many of which have either been turned into wedding venues or were built specifically to host events. These are big open spaces with rustic décor, often with attached outdoor spaces. Even though the experts have been predicting the end of the barn wedding for sometime, they don’t show any sign of ending soon.

Pros:

• These locations tend to be wide open and offer a blank slate.
• While the interiors often aren’t set up for more than dancing, the outdoor areas sometimes offer the ability to have a ceremony space. For a more traditional wedding, some have the ceremony at a church or other venue, then bring the reception to the barn.
• Big guest lists are usually easy to handle.

Cons:

• Many barns lack heating and/or cooling, so you’ll need to pick a time of year that will offer the best chance of comfortable weather, which can narrow your choices of dates.
• The weather can also cause a problem if the ceremony is slated for outside. Sometimes you can bring the wedding inside, but if you have a very large guest list, there may not be room.
• Lots of people do barn weddings.

Outdoor Wedding Venues

Do you long for greenery, trees, sunshine and wide-open spaces? There are many outdoor venues available to fit your needs. Public and private parks and estates can offer plenty of great photography moments in a variety of settings, from sophisticated to rustic. Indiana vineyards or country clubs could be an option, and friends or family might even have a property that would work, free for the asking.

Pros:

• Parks have rental fees like any other venue, but outdoor spaces can often be the less expensive option.
• Some outdoor venues, like golf courses, can offer an indoor area for dinner and / or dancing.
• Without walls to deal with, you can make an outdoor space fit almost any size guest list.

Cons:

• This is Indiana. If you don’t like the weather, just give it a minute. Unfortunately, if that weather decides to move from sun to rain before you get the ring on your finger, it may be a soggy reception.
• Rain, heat, cold, wind, and bugs can all play a part in an outdoor reception, too. Renting a tent for shelter can help, but takes away the affordability factor.
• Speaking of renting, you will probably be renting everything you need outside: tables, chairs, décor and more. Setting it all up and tearing it all down will also need to be figured out. What seemed like a cheap alternative can end up getting out of control depending on how much you need to provide to make the wedding day work.

Warehouses, Stadiums and Government Buildings

These big spaces are a lot like barns in many respects, usually located in an urban area. The offer the large area of a barn without all of the corn. University buildings, converted warehouse space redesigned for events, mansions and museums can often be rented for your wedding day. Even Lucas Oil Stadium and the Indiana State House can be had for the right price, as long you can work with the restrictions.

Pros:

• These spaces are often special places that aren’t often used for weddings, so it can be a unique setting.
• You get all of the advantages of a large venue, like a barn, without the climate control problems and flaky weather.
• If you have a big guest list, you can make it work in many of these spaces.

Cons:

• Special often comes at a price, and available décor and furnishings will run the gamut of non-existent to serviceable to pricey ala carte options.
• Some public spaces like government buildings and stadiums might have too many restrictions to make the budget or the logistics of your wedding day work.
• Big spaces require a lot of décor and florals to decorate. Lots of anything costs money.

Churches

This was the only place to get married at one time, unless you went down to the local courthouse. If you are looking for the perfect place for your wedding ceremony, there is nothing more traditional than a church. Many are beautiful spaces as well.

Pros:

• Using a church as your ceremony venue is a no-brainer, and if you’re a member of the church your family and friends will feel right at home. Your officiant will be right at hand, too!
• Many churches were built with grand architecture and beautiful materials, making them a breeze to decorate. Add some florals, and you’re set.
• Churches can often be an affordable option for members, offered at special prices to families in the congregation.

Cons:

• The ceremony is easy, but you will probably need to rent another venue for the reception, so your guests will need to travel to multiple locations.
• Non-traditional weddings aren’t usually an option.
• Large weddings might outstrip your church’s seating capacity, making it necessary to have separate guest lists for ceremony and reception.

The Parish House on Union

We’ve designed The Parish House on Union to take advantage of the best of several Indiana wedding venue options. You have use of our Parsonage and Secret Room to get ready for the ceremony, and plenty of architecture inside and out for fabulous pictures. Your day-of coordinator is working with you throughout the pre-ceremony to hours to help the wedding party with anything you might need and help keep the day on track, all included.

Your ceremony takes place in a traditional 150-year-old former church Sanctuary with soaring 35-foot gothic arches, light wood floors and white Chiavari chairs. A complete sound system, ceremony livestreaming, aisle flowers, decorations and more are all available and included at no additional charge. A recording of the ceremony is even available for download.

After the ceremony, you and your guests will dine in our grand banquet hall, with long farm tables, a large crystal chandelier and hanging greenery. Floral arrangements, vintage candelabras and more decorate the tables at no additional charge. Our service staff will serve you and your guests tableside with our scratch-made dinners. A separate sound system is ready to go for speeches and more.

While you enjoy dinner and drinks from the bar located in the banquet hall, our staff will rearrange the Sanctuary for the reception, complete with round tables and tablecloths, and plenty of room for dancing in the center of the floor. The Sanctuary features a great sound system and dance lights, or plenty of room for your favorite DJ to put on a show. A second bar (alcohol service is priced at an additional charge) is available to supply refreshments throughout the night. And, as the sun goes down, a giant 30-foot slide show covers one wall of the Sanctuary with shots from the day and ceremony. You can even include your own pictures!

We wanted The Parish House on Union to offer all of the beauty and elegance of an estate or other historic venue, the traditional grandeur of a classic church, and the fun and ease of a fully-staffed event. Come take a tour and see for yourself how your wedding could come to life at our House.