5 Affordable Wedding Venues that Don’t Suck

Thanks largely to Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson (and even sparked by Abraham Lincoln) the most beautiful natural locales in the country are protected as National Parks which means the actual ceremony and reception of your wedding can be extremely cheap if done in places such as Rocky Mountain National Park, Yosemite, Crater Lake, and Mount Rainier.  Be mindful of the extra costs associated with destination weddings, but if you’re clever enough you can minimize those costs as well.

Wedding decorations can be tiring and often come off more cheesy than they do classy.  Why not surround your guests with quality artwork at no extra effort or cost?  Museums offer great options for private events, but consider researching smaller museums and art studios where the rules for “preferred vendors” and using your own alcohol (way cheaper) are looser.  You may have to limit the attendees for the smaller venues but they can fit a surprisingly high number of guests even in smaller studios so tour around and find the perfect fit at the perfect price.

Have a passion for animals and conservation efforts?  Inquire your local zoo for private event options.  Spur Experiences Charity partners Denver Zoo and Oregon Zoo both offer unique and memorable private event options for you.  Pricing won’t be the cheapest option among these venues, but it’s more affordable than hotel catering options with a far more exciting location; not to mention you’re supporting organizations that truly do good for the animals.  Consider an otter-themed wedding as they are among the mere 5% of the animal kingdom that are monogamous, they even sleep holding hands so they don’t drift apart.  Then again…maybe go with a wolf-theme, otters have some pretty screwed up sexual practices.

Similar to the art museum idea is getting married in an antique store.  Sounds crazy to get married in a store?  Think about it, the stores are rarely used for private events and are often closed during ideal wedding hours (such as Saturday nights) which means owners of the venue are happy to rent out at a low price just to get some extra revenue during that time, the place is surrounded with ambiance-creating décor with little to no extra effort from you or the caterers.  And speaking of caterers, you pretty much have your pick of any food and beverage vendors you’d like to bring in so long as they are equipped with everything they need in light of the venue lacking many of the back-of-the-house amenities found in other options.

Antiques not your thing?  No problem!  Perhaps you’re all about the industrial look that has defined modern style in the 21^st century.  Ross and Emily showed us what a cool wedding venue could be made out of a demolished building in the show Friends; while that marriage didn’t work out so well (19 year old spoiler?), the wedding was pretty cool looking.  If you live in a temperate climate that might not require major AC usage at night then you should consider having a modern wedding with attitude, style, and lots of straight lines.  Your grandparents may not be totally supportive but you’ll win them over when you give them a peek at the tiny final bill.