Its All About Location

Location is a very major factor in wedding planning. Where are we having the ceremony? Who will host the reception? Do we want the wedding outside or indoors? Do we want the ceremony and reception to be held at the same venue? There are so many questions surrounding the setting of a wedding. Even though it seems like common knowledge, a lot of couples disregard how significant the role of a wedding’s theme is on the venue choice.

Our wedding was very untraditional. To start off it was a same sex wedding so that kind of ruled out a church ceremony.  The wedding was in Baltimore in the middle of March so the weather was way too unpredictable to have an outdoor wedding. Oh yeah, did I mention that we were paying for everything ourselves? Yup! So our budget was extremely tight. With all of these fun facts in mind, picking a location for our special day was extremely difficult.

Venues that held same sex marriages in Baltimore were limited. Since March is considered off peak season, there were many discounts for our intended nuptial date. The greatest issue for us wasn’t the ceremony but rather the food for the reception. Some places are just event halls. They often have a suggested list of caterers that can either be too expensive or not necessarily you preferred style of cuisine. Some may have a fee to use an outside caterer. With food being so important to my fiancé I made that my main focus in picking our wedding venue.

Throughout our 2 years of dating we enjoyed many Sunday brunches at this very artsy, eclectic restaurant in Inner Harbor called Teavolve Café. One Sunday afternoon between indulging in their signature red velvet pancakes and toasting with their home made sangria; we got the crazy idea to have our gala there. Luckily for us the Event Coordinator for Teavolve, Nicole Nichelson,  made the planning process such a very smooth experience. Our ceremony and reception came to life at one of our favorite restaurants and I couldn’t have been happier with our decision. It didn't hurt that the restaurant is black owned also.

The Newlyweds & Teavolve Cafe's Owner

 

The Newlyweds & Teavolve Cafe's Event Coordinator

 

 

We came in within budget since there was no extra fees for catering. Since we rented out the entire restaurant, we only had to fulfill a purchase minimum for drinks and beverage that was more than reasonable.  Their décor was so artistic and beautiful already that we really didn’t need too many decorations. Our main décor expense was for the ceremony and that really wasn’t too much. Since the restaurant was located in the heart of Baltimore’s famous Inner Harbor; the scenery surrounding the venue was amazing for photography. I couldn’t believe how amazing everything turned out. I guess it’s true; It Is All About Location!

Photo Shoot in Teavolve's surrounding neighborhood.

 

 Photography by Kelli Williams Photography (kelliwilliams07@gmail.com)
Venue Location: Teavolve Café, 1401 Aliceanna St, Baltimore, MD 21201