Unique Venues Guide To: Top 10 Venues for an Outdoor Wedding in the U.S.
Wedding planning doesn't have an offseason, but when it comes to outdoor ceremonies you may lean more towards choosing a warmer time of year for the actual event. Wedding venues are opening and booking quickly! Consider holding your wedding at one of the Top 10 Venues for an Outdoor Wedding in the U.S.
Here is a list of the Top 10 Venues for an Outdoor Wedding in the U.S.:
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Seafair Miami, Miami Florida | Request a Quote
Seafair Miami is the ideal venue for hosting weddings on the water. This mega yacht offers luxury catering, bar service, event managers, flexible entertainment, and staffing for whatever you need to make your big day seamless. Within this venue, there are several indoor and outdoor spaces to utilize for the ceremony, reception, cocktail hour, and private rooms for the bridal party. The Aft ballroom, grand reception, Aft reception and coffee bar, lounges, dining rooms, various indoor decks, and outdoor sky decks are all available to utilize. Create a unique backdrop of the beautiful city of Miami for your wedding day!
Once your guests are onshore, they can visit Skyviews Miami Observation Wheel, Bayfront Park, B Bistro + Bakery, Silverspot Cinema, and so many shopping and dining options!
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Springs’s Preserve, Las Vegas, NV | Request a Quote
Springs’s Preserve offers several spaces that are unique to this venue for your special day. The Desert Fountain and Courtyard Plaza are perfect for a ceremony with an elevated landing for the bridal party to stand so everyone can see comfortably in addition to a rustic and desert backdrop. Boomtown 1905 replicates a historic streetscape that is perfect for receptions or cocktail hour for guests to drink and dance back in time. The Complete Botanical Garden surrounds guests in nature as they enjoy a meal or drinks in the open space. Divine Cafe and Balcony is great for cocktail hour with its combined indoor and outdoor space. Other spaces available are the Courtyard Rotunda, Desert Living Center, Origen Rotunda, Agave Room, Garden Terrace and Patio, Cottonwood Room, Primrose Gallery, Springs Amphitheater, Complete Botanical Garden, Desert Fountain, Frame House, Garden Amphitheater, Garden Arbor, and a Gazebo.
Your guests can also visit the Meadows Mall, casinos, bowling alleys, and other shopping and eating attractions.
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Valhalla Tahoe, South Lake Tahoe, CA | Request a Quote
Valhalla Tahoe has a wide variety of options to choose from for your wedding day in Lake Tahoe, California. There are several indoor and outdoor spaces such as in the Grand Hall, Grand Lawn, wraparound Lakeview deck, and public pier with a natural beach. Not only does your rental go towards your big day, but part of the proceeds also helps the preservation of the area and venue! The area is picture-perfect without having to worry about other buildings or the public interrupting photos or your big day since your event will be extremely private. The rustic vibe in the woods, on the piers, and on the beach allows you and your bridal party to capture every moment beautifully.
Surrounding places to visit include several parks and beaches such as Kiva Beach, Tallac Historic Site, Taylor Creek Boardwalk, etc. as well as Alpina Coffee Cafe, SUP Tahoe Stand Up Paddle, Evan’s American Gourmet Cafe, and so many more places to explore!
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The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, PA | Request a Quote
The Franklin Institute does not just offer historical education, it could be the next backdrop of your wedding! There are several spaces to host the ceremony throughout this venue such as under the stars and moon in the Fels Planetarium, on the Rooftop Deck with a view of the city, Jordan Lobby, and many more. Hold the reception in the Benjamin Frankin Memorial with AV and lighting that illuminates the space perfectly. They offer catering options, on-site parking, bridal suite, day-of wedding coordinators, and so many other amenities to utilize. Photoshoots can take place on the rooftop deck, rain garden, or have access to all permanent exhibits all to make your wedding the most unforgettable and unique experience.
Places outside of the museum to enjoy after the ceremony and events include Aviator Park, Peddler Coffee, Moustaki Authentic Gyros, and Assembly Rooftop Lounge.
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New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA | Request a Quote
New Orleans Museum of Art offers more than just an educational experience, but it also could be the venue for your wedding day! The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden is a beautiful outdoor setting to hold your wedding, with the option of tenting for unexpected weather. The Freeport-McMoran, Inc. Great Hall illuminates and is perfect for a luxurious reception, especially with elegant stairs to welcome the bridal party. Other venue options include the Booth-Bricker Courtyard and the Freeman Courtyard. Bar service is available through Cafe NOMA, which is operated by The Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group. NOMA’s amenities include free parking, security, wheelchair access, museum access for guests to enjoy collections, along with many others.
Surrounding the museum, guests can visit the Dreyfous Meadow, Wheel Fun Rentals for lake activities, Cafe Du Monde City Park for some coffee, and other trails and parks.
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South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, SC | Request a Quote
South Carolina Aquarium surrounds you with waves of happiness for your big day. Host your wedding ceremony with the Charleston Harbor in the background, cocktail hour in the Aquarium Gallery, and the reception on Harbor Overlook. There are five catering partners with different menus to choose from to make your ideal meal, including options for your rehearsal dinner. In addition to exchanging vows and dancing the night away, your guests can experience hands-on activities such as animal encounters and shallow touch tanks. To make your wedding even more memorable, you and your significant other can donate $500 or more and your couple’s names will be displayed on a pillar in the Great hall for years to come! South Carolina Aquarium even offers packages for intimate weddings or elopement!
Outside of the venue, visit Gadsdenboro Park, Daffron Restaurant and Bakery, Big Gun Burger Shop and Bar for late-night drinks and food, and Sandlapper Water Tours to tour the city on the water.
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Cheekwood Estates and Gardens, Nashville, TN | Request a Quote
Cheekwood Estates and Gardens has a lot to offer and is a beautiful place to host a wedding. Wills Perennial Garden is a beautiful outdoor space for your ceremony and perfect for elegant pictures in nature. The Reflecting Pool is a unique space with water features that can also be used for a ceremony, to take pictures with the bridal party, elopements, or cocktail hour. The Wisteria Arbor is ideal for intimate wedding ceremonies and receptions, as well as elopements, cocktail hour, rehearsal dinner, etc. with a fountain and cascading staircase that are featured within the space. Loggia is an elegant indoor space that has a great view of the property and can be versatile for any event. Howe Garden is surrounded by stonework, secret garden paths, ponds, and historical features such as iron gates, a thatched cottage, and water streams. Other spaces within Cheekwood Estates and Gardens are the Herb Garden, Shomu-en Belvins Japanese Garden, Burr Terrace Garden, Massey Hall, Historic Mansion and Museum, Frist Learning Center Lawn, and Frist Learning Center Courtyard. All of these indoor and outdoor spaces are a combination of elegance and natural beauty to make your event memorable for you and your guests!
After the event, visit the several antique stores close by, Percy Warner Golf Course and Mountain Bike Trail, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and head downtown for several music-inspired and Southern eateries!
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Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ | Request a Quote
Desert Botanical Garden offers several unique backdrops for your wedding day. The Steele Herb Garden is engulfed in greenery and is flexible for your ceremony, reception, or cocktail hour. The Webster Center and the Dorrance Center have indoor and outdoor spaces with views of the desert landscapes and unique interior designs. The Amphitheater and Binns Wildflower Pavilion offer a non-traditional experience for your ceremony with stone bench seating in the amphitheater or chairs under the pavilion with an open skylight surrounded by desert features. The Desert Botanical Garden also offers trailside weddings for a more intimate and personal ceremony that is also perfect for elopement.
Around the venue, check out the Phoenix Zoo, tour the Tovrea Castle, eat at The Bread and Honey House for breakfast, and eat at several other restaurants overlooking the Salt River!
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President Lincoln’s Cottage, Washington, DC | Request a Quote
President Lincoln’s Cottage is a perfect venue for history lovers on their big day! Amenities and features include free parking, handicap accessibility, wedding suites, on-site museum staff, and the Robert H. Smith Visitor Education Center and exhibits are open for guests to enjoy before the ceremony begins. Within the President’s Cottage, the first and second floors are ideal to host a reception for dinner, tenting is available on the lawn, and the lawn can be versatile for cocktail hour, reception, and bridal party pictures. The Governor’s Mansion is a beautiful historical venue that offers a ceremony in the garden, cocktails on the wrap-around porch, and a reception in the grand drawing-room. Stanley Hall and the Rose Chapel are also both available for ceremonies that feature unique architectural designs. Other offerings your guests can enjoy are a Signature Tour of the whole venue, customized and local wedding favors from the Museum Store, and many more!
Check out places such as historical monuments, eat a meal overlooking the Potomac River, visit Rock Creek Park, tour museums like the Air and Space Museum, and get drinks and food around the city before or after the wedding weekend.
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Golden Knot Yacht Services, Hawaii | Request a Quote
Golden Knot Yacht Services is the perfect offshore venue for your wedding! This venue offers so many spaces such as private rooms for the bridal party, lounges for cocktail hour, comfortable seating throughout the yacht, dining room and tables for the reception, rooftop accessibility, bars, and most importantly a beautiful backdrop of the water for memorable pictures. This full-service yacht offers service throughout the planning process to make your big day seamless. The marine captain and crew will keep guests safe and everything in line for you and your guests to have the best experience possible!
When you are on the shore, visit the Kaka’ako Waterfront Park, Lolani Palace, Honolulu Zoo, lookouts, delicious restaurants, and several beaches whenever you get a spare moment over a wedding weekend!
We hope these non-traditional spaces sparked your interest to host your wedding outdoors. Anywhere from the location, things for your guests to enjoy before and after your event, and the spaces themselves make this list of venues perfect to choose from to make your wedding the most unique and memorable experience possible!
Submit an RFP for one of the outdoor wedding venues listed above by clicking here.
AUTHOR: REBEKAH FINAFROCK | MARKETING ASSISTANT, UNIQUE VENUES
Rebekah Finafrock is a recent Saint Francis University graduate with a degree in Strategic Communications and is the Marketing Assistant at Unique Venues, playing an integral role in the promotion of the company and its clients. For over a year, Rebekah has been managing the social media marketing for Unique Venues and has grown their presence organically among multiple social platforms. She also writes highly optimized blog posts and social content for Unique Venues and for non-traditional venues. In addition to working for Unique Venues, she is a barista at a local coffee shop in Gettysburg, PA until she begins graduate school in the fall of 2021 with aspirations of earning her MBA.