Many sites offer a perfect wedding

Sunday, January 23, 2005
By KARI HAWKINS
For The Times, karihawk@knology.net
 

The sunset view of Huntsville at Burritt Museum was like icing on the cake for Linda and Zack Whitt when they invited guests to their mountaintop wedding last August.

Although their wedding occurred a few hours before sunset, they and their guests were able to enjoy the view during a reception that lasted well into the night.

"I had been at Burritt Museum for another wedding and I just loved the location," Linda Whitt says. "We wanted to get married somewhere outside. Burritt's gazebo and the beautiful grounds were very nice for the wedding, and the guests really enjoyed being able to walk around and see the view."

The Whitt's intimate wedding included about 150 guests. Two cellists from the Huntsville Symphony Youth Orchestra played at the wedding. Candles were used to light the tables under the reception tent.

"The natural surroundings were just perfect," Whitt says. "We had a lot of kids at our wedding and there was a lot of room for them to run around. We didn't have to worry about them breaking anything."

Although Whitt was particular about her wedding location and dress, she was more relaxed about the arrangements.

"Once I had the location and my dress, I left a lot of other details up to All-Needz Rental. They took care of the tent and everything else for me," she says. "So I was able to enjoy getting married."

Local rental companies can help wedding couples with the details of arranging a wedding ceremony. Tables and chairs, sound systems, linens, candelabra, catering and other items can be rented to turn any location into a glamorous wedding site. Most sites have facilities to accommodate the bride's dressing needs, but these should be verified. Couples must also consider who they want to officiate when getting married outside of a church.

Some local sites cater to couples with special rental packages, while others make weddings their only business. Local hotels offer unique indoor or garden-type locations and a staff to cater to a couple's needs.

Some unique places where couples can marry:

Annabella at Cedar Glen - Nestled on the outskirts of Huntsville, this plantation-style home was built about three years ago specifically as a wedding site.

The 5,300-square-foot house offers all the amenities of indoor facilities with the options of taking the wedding or reception outdoors.

"We have four locations outside where couples can get married," says Lynn Kirksey, owner of Annabella. "The outdoor wedding is most popular because it is so romantic. But we can move things indoors quickly if weather threatens."

Outdoor sites include the bridge, back deck, gazebo and a stage in the grassy area. Inside, couples get married in the garden room. The facility can accommodate up to 300 guests outside and 200 guests indoors.

"Couples rent the entire site when they book their wedding," Kirksey says. "A lot of times they will have the ceremony outdoors and then have the reception both indoors and outdoors."

Annabella is on four acres at 5264 Rustic Trail in northeast Madison County, off Winchester Road. Couples can visit Tuesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Rent is $1,500 for Friday night, for $1,000 for Saturday and $2,000 for Saturday evening. There is a $100 an hour fee for weddings during the week. Fees include chairs and tables, setup and cleanup, and a sound system, as well as Kirksey's services.

"I work with the wedding couple to make sure their day is wonderful," Kirksey says. "I direct and coordinate their wedding for them. And I get them through all the formalities of the reception. They don't have to worry about when to cut the cake or when to throw the flowers because I will let them know."

Arenda's Flower Garden - Flowers or art make great backdrops for a wedding at Arenda's Flower Garden, which combines the natural beauty of a three-acre garden with a gallery filled with local artwork.

"Our garden is very beautiful during spring and summer months. We've added a gazebo, which has been fabulous for outdoor weddings, and we've added more garden statues and created more areas for pictures," says Donna Nichols, the garden manager. "Couples can also get married in our chapel that we've decorated with white candles and topiaries. Receptions can either be outdoors or in the reception hall, which is also home to the Imhotep Art Gallery."

The chapel seats 60 guests and the reception hall accommodates up to 200 with room for dancing. Outdoor weddings from April through October can accommodate 300 or more.

The chapel rents for $175. The reception hall rents for $75 an hour, and the garden can be rented for $200.

Arenda's provides a sound system, and a piano and organ onsite. The facility contracts with Catering by Narvel, and can provide a minister and photographer on request.

For more information, call 890-0023.

Burritt on the Mountain - A Living Musuem - Burritt offers couples the best view of Huntsville's skyline and a historic backdrop for indoor or outdoor weddings.

"A lot of couples get married in the gazebo, which overlooks the mountain," says Stephanie Timberlake, Burritt's rental coordinator. "But they can also get married in the 1884 wood frame chapel. It is ideal for small, quaint weddings."

Receptions can be held on the grounds or in the museum's Trillium Room.

Burritt accommodates weddings and receptions for up to 300 guests. The chapel seats 100, and the Trillium Room seats 80, or 120 at a stand-up reception. Larger parties can be accommodated on the grounds. Rental fees are $975 for a seven-hour weekend period. Prices vary for weekdays.

A catering kitchen is available. Photographs can be taken anywhere on the grounds, including the history park if it is open at the time of the wedding.

For more information, call 536-2882.

Chapel for Wonderful Weddings - The 1909 church in downtown Madison, located at 4097 Sullivan St., was renovated by sisters Betty Batts and the Rev. Versey Jones to give couples a place to marry in a religious ceremony rather than at the courthouse.

The chapel, completely decorated for weddings, can seat 85. Outdoor weddings accommodate larger groups.

Packages begin at $200 and range to $950, depending on whether the couple wants fresh flowers, catered food, photography, live music and limousine service.

For more information, call 772-3772 or 774-1776.

Earlyworks Museum/Huntsville Roundhouse Depot - Both sites are managed by Earlyworks and are excellent for receptions. The Roundhouse is also a good railroad setting for a wedding.

"It does have a rustic and historic feel to it," says Nita Farquhar, sales manager for Earlyworks. "The palladium windows really are beautiful." Weddings have been discouraged at Earlyworks' Grand Hall because crowd control in the museum can be difficult.

The 7,000-square-foot Roundhouse holds 1,000 standing guests, and 400 for a sit-down event. The Earlyworks 3,500-square-foot Grand Hall holds about 200 seated guests seated, or about 500 standing.

The Roundhouse and Grand Hall rent for $1,000 with a $200 cleaning deposit. Staff will set up tables and chairs. For more information, call 564-8100.

Huntsville Botanical Garden - The indoor Arbor is so well known as a garden wedding spot that it is nearly booked for the entire season, says Alicia Foche, the garden's facility rental coordinator. But the 112-acre Botanical Garden offers plenty of other outdoor and indoor sites.

"The Arbor is definitely our No. 1 choice for weddings," says Foche. "The way it is painted, its moss-covered arbor, the fountain and the ferns and white terrace give it the feel of an indoor garden. The wedding party only has to add fresh flowers to complete the look."

The Arbor accommodates 160 seated dinner guests, 300 for a reception and 200 theater-style. An outdoor reception courtyard is adjacent. Both rent for $1,500 on the weekend and $1,000 during the week.

Foche says there are lots of other areas for special weddings.

"The Teledyne Terrace is perfect for an outdoor wedding, and we rent it with Murray Hall so that there is an inside option in case of problems with the weather," Foche says. "Teledyne Terrace overlooks the lake and the fountain. You can also see Constitution Walk that surrounds the lake. Murray Hall's view includes an overlook of the Rose Garden."

Teledyne Terrace accommodates about 300 and rents with Murray Hall for $950.

For small, intimate ceremonies, Foche suggests the garden's Aquatic Garden and Summer House, located near the back of the garden. The Aquatic Garden rents for $2,000 and the Summer House for $1,000. They also can be combined with the Arbor, with the Aquatic Garden combination renting for $3,500 and the Summer House combination for $2,500.

Ideal for casual weddings, The Grisham Pavilion is located near the parking lotand rents for $150 for less than 50 people and $400 for up to 200.

All wedding guests are are welcome to walk the entire garden, regardless of ceremony site.

"It really makes for a beautiful wedding experience," Foche says.

For more information, call 830-4447 or visit the Web site at www.hsvbg.org.

Huntsville Museum of Art - North Alabama's leading visual arts center in Big Spring International Park has seven galleries offering a variety of art to view and special gathering places for wedding events.

"The building itself is beautiful," says Allison Gregg, the museum's communications director. "The entryway is very impressive and the Grand Staircase is a wonderful place to create that 'princess moment' for the bride."

The building has a formal feel to it, Gregg says, but a couple can create their own atmosphere depending on the decorations they choose.

The museum's top-floor Great Hall features celestery windows that rim the high ceilings. It can hold up to 300 reception guests, 200 at a sit-down dinner or 200 in theater-style seating for the wedding. It rents for $1,000 and its baby grand piano rents for $350. $1,250 rents the Great Hall, kitchen and smaller Board Room and Parlor.

Another ceremony area is the Beck Meeting Room on the gallery level, overlooking the park. It can hold up to 110 reception guests, 64 at a sit-down dinner and 100 in theater-style seating. It rents for $650.

Smaller areas for weddings include the Richard-Roper Orientation Room, renting for $450; the North Patio, renting for $400; the Board Room, renting for $150; and the Parlor, renting for $150. There is a $150 rental for the kitchen. For more information, call 535-4350, ext. 219, or visit the Web site at www.hsvmuseum.org.

Oak Place at East Huntsville Baptist Church - At 808 Maysville Road, Oak Place is an antebellum home that once belonged to the late George Steel, a pre-eminent architect of many of Huntsville's 1800s federal-style buildings and homes, including the historic bank building on the courthouse square.

Built in 1836 on 320 acres of land, Oak Place is on the National Register of Historic Places, and has hosted weddings since 1980. Oak Place is next to East Huntsville Baptist Church, and the church, home and grounds are available for weddings.

Rental is $250 for the church or the home, or $400 for both. The Steel home can only accommodate small weddings. Wedding parties of 50 or more must use the church's sanctuary. Weddings can also be arranged on the home's front porch and on the grounds.

"This is a lovely and unique antebellum home," says church representative Lee Kilbourn. "Wedding couples really like the historic home as a backdrop for their ceremony and pictures."

Kitchen facilities are on-site, and the church staff will do all set-up. For more information, call 539-1861.

Wedding Chapel on the Mountain - The chapel is equipped and staffed to handle weddings any day of the week for 30 to 90 guests.

On the east side of Monte Sano off U.S. Highway 431, the Wedding Chapel has been hosting weddings for about 10 years. About 200 couples marry there each year.

"We have a beautiful location that is very romantic," says owner Michele Levick. "But what brides really like is that we take care of their entire wedding for them. All they have to do is bring their guests and we take care of everything for them. They come to us because they want a beautiful wedding, but they don't want the stress of planning it themselves."

The Wedding Chapel has expanded its deck, upgraded its sound system and remodeled its facilities. Couples marry in the chapel, with a reception following.

The new Mountain Magic wedding package can accommodate up to 90 guests and includes a ceremony for up to four bridesmaids and four groomsmen, wedding invitations, guest register, fresh flowers, use of ring bearer pillow and flower girl basket, silk flower petals, a candlelight ceremony, a Unity candle ceremony, decorative keepsake candle and bride's garter belt, live and CD music, ringing of the steeple bells, photography, honeymoon basket, bouquet, wedding bubbles, a DJ, limousine and a complete reception. The fee is $3,999.

"This package has been a real big success," Levick says. "What we've done is taken our Diamond Spectacular package and added the fresh flowers, a DJ, limousine service and an extra hors d'oeuvre plate."

Package weddings begin at $465 for up to 30 guests. The price increases for more guests or special services.

A basic "I Do" ceremony for up to 10 guests is $150 for Monday through Thursday weddings and $200 for Friday, Saturday or holiday weddings.

"We can accommodate short notice as well as long-planned weddings," Levick says. "We have a real dependable staff and reliable service providers who can respond on short notice."

For more information, call 539-3436 or check the Web site at www.mountainchapel.com.

Weeden House - Built in 1819, the historic antebellum home is ideal for small weddings. Birthplace of 19th-century poet and artist Maria Howard Weeden, the home features many of her works and 1800s furnishings, including two pianos from the period.

"It is an old-fashioned house and many of the features of the home make it a stunning place for a wedding," says director Barbara Lauster. "We use candles to give weddings a dreamy look, and the curved staircase is wonderful for pictures."

Couples can marry inside the home or at outdoor locations including the garden and covered back porch. A tent can be put up on the grounds.

"We can seat 40 guests in the house or we can have up to 60 guests standing," Lauster says. "We can accommodate up to 100 guests for a reception."

Located at 300 Gates Ave., the Weeden House is downtown and within walking distance of the courthouse square.

"Many out-of-town guests have never been in an antebellum home before," Lauster says. "They love the sense of history of the place."

The Weeden House rents for $125 an hour with a $100 clean-up fee. To make reservations, call 536-7718.