Choosing your wedding venue is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make leading up to your wedding (aside from getting engaged, obviously). Your venue can set the tone for your celebration. It impacts your possibilities for photos, too. As a wedding photographer, I’ve documented weddings at some really incredible venues. Check out this roundup of my favorite Louisville wedding venues. You’re bound to find one that’s perfect for your celebration!
10 Louisville Wedding Venues You’ll Love
You’ll notice that these Louisville wedding venues range from historic to modern. That’s because you deserve a wedding day that feels like you. Find a venue that fits your tastes, not arbitrary expectations of what a wedding “should” be.
1. Hazelnut Farm
Details
Hazelnut Farm is an indoor/outdoor Louisville wedding venue. Located twenty minutes outside of the city, this venue has rolling green hills and luxurious landscaping. The pond at the edge of the property and water features create a peaceful atmosphere for when you want to step away and bask in a quiet moment with your new spouse. Couples love golden hour photos by the pond!
Favorite Features
My favorite features at Hazelnut Farm are the ceremony space, natural light, and elegant staircase. The staircase is popular for first looks and indoor family portraits. All of these elements in the space are cohesive and make for a stunning wedding day and photo gallery.
Logistics
A wedding at Hazelnut Farm costs between $7,500 and $13,500 depending on the day of the week you choose to get married. Weekday weddings get the best rates.
This Louisville wedding venue includes a lot of items in rentals. It significantly reduces the number of vendors you have to coordinate with. With your rental, you get:
- Two private dressing rooms
- Tables and chairs for up to 350 guests with setup
- Use of the catering kitchen
- An audio guestbook
2. Brown Hotel
Details
The Brown Hotel is a great wedding venue for people who love classic architecture with unexpected details in the decor. It’s not your typical ballroom wedding venue. Chandeliers hang from elaborately decorated ceilings. Tall arching windows line the rooms. It’s a great place to celebrate your wedding in style.
Favorite Features
My favorite features of the Brown Hotel are the staircase, balcony architecture, and colorful wallpaper. These elements give your wedding photos artsy, historic charm.
Logistics
Since the Brown Hotel is a ballroom venue, it has capacity for up to 350 guests. The rental cost for a Brown Hotel wedding starts around $21,500. In addition to ample space for your celebration, the hotel offers catering services.
You can see more photos at this Louisville wedding venue in this blog post featuring Matt and Jared’s engagement photos.
3. Whitehall Estate Garden
Details
Whitehall is one of those wedding venues that is so beautiful that you barely have to provide any decor. The gardens are incredible. You really have endless possibilities for photos, especially if you choose to get married in the spring or early summer.
The historic mansion is a feast for the eyes. It’s also fully air conditioned. That’s a big bonus in the Kentucky summer!
Favorite Features
This Louisville wedding venue is a favorite because of the beautiful mansion and lush gardens. The furniture, wallpaper, and decor are impeccably curated. The outdoor gardens are an elegant setting for the ceremony or cocktail hour.
Logistics
Whitehall has capacity for large weddings of up to 250 guests. The rental fee depends on the day of the week you hold your wedding as well as the spaces you want to use. Starting prices range between $2,300 and $4,800.
Want to see more from this springtime wedding at Whitehall? Check out this blog post!
4. CQ Princess
Details
If you’re looking at unconventional Louisville wedding venues, check out CQ Princess. This private yacht serves as a venue on the Ohio River. It’s got the intimate, swept-away feeling you’d imagine in a movie!
Part of the fun of this venue is that you get the comfort of the interior with the experience of being on a boat when you want to go on deck. You get the most incredible views of the city at golden hour. Your guests won’t forget the experience any time soon!
Favorite Features
CQ Princess has a beautiful interior with opportunities to go big on florals. This wedding featured an incredible floral staircase custom designed by Black Rooster Farm. Before boarding the yacht, guests can enjoy a welcome glass of champagne outside of Captain’s Quarters!
Logistics
This venue is best suited for weddings with fewer than 100 guests. If you prefer a seated dinner to a cocktail style reception, keep your guest list to 50 or fewer. Wedding rental fees for the CQ Princess start at $2500 on weekends. There is an upper and lower deck, which is perfect for a separate ceremony and dance floor area.
5. Pendennis Club
Details
The Pendennis Club is a historic private club in Downtown Louisville. The club’s current home was built in the 1920s with all the best materials. It’s anything but the stuffy experience you might imagine! The combination of craftsmanship and colorful decor make the space feel celebratory and inviting.
Favorite Features
My favorite thing about the Pendennis Club is the way they colorful uplighting can enhance the historic space. I love pops of vibrant colors in wedding photos, so I really enjoy photographing Witt and V’s sangeet celebration here.
Logistics
This Louisville wedding venue has a gorgeous ballroom with space for up to 500 guests. The Pendennis Club offers catering services as well. Their food has great reviews!
6. Mansion 1886
Details
Mansion 1886 is a New Albany wedding venue just across the bridge that knows how to blend the best of the old and new. The brick exterior has a charming patina to it. Inside the getting ready suites feature vintage wallpaper and decor create a cool contrast to the modern minimalist ceremony and reception space.
Favorite Features
I absolutely love the vaulted ceilings at Mansion 1886, a key architectural feature of the venue. The colorful wallpaper adds so much personality to portraits, too.
Logistics
Technically, this wedding venue is in New Albany, Indiana. It’s literally just across the river, though! The indoor venue has capacity for up to 300 guests. Rental fees start at $3,950.
Keep an eye out for this wedding in Kentucky Bride Magazine in October 2024!
7. Clerestory at Greyline
Details
Clerestory is very much a “blank slate” venue. They took a very minimalist approach to the 6,000 square feet of space. The good thing is that you can take your aesthetic in whichever direction feels right for you.
There are a few things to keep in mind with such a minimalist venue. For example, Clerestory at Greyline doesn’t have a getting ready space. It’s best suited for marriers who want to get ready at home or in a hotel.
Favorite Features
This has become one of my favorite Lexington wedding venues. It’s got so much to love. The interior is so versatile. You can make it into anything you want with all that natural light and wide open space. There are some cool murals nearby too!
Logistics
As you can imagine, this venue has a high guest capacity. Up to 350 guests can enjoy a seated reception. Rental rates range between $1,200 and $6,500 depending on the day of the week you choose to get married.
8. Germantown Gables
Details
Germantown Gables is a Louisville wedding venue that blends industrial design with garden details. The venue includes a courtyard where you can hold a ceremony as well as an indoor reception space. Like Clerestory, this space is relatively industrial and highly versatile.
Favorite Features
Germantown Gables has really unique details. The door and floral installation behind the head table are some of my favorite features. Faux greenery fills the space to artfully disguise some of the industrial features, which is a unique feature not many venues take the effort to do.
Logistics
The courtyard at this venue has capacity for up to 300 guests, and the indoor space has capacity for up to 450 guests. Germantown Gables’ rental fees range between $4,000 and $7,500.
9. Waterfront Botanical Gardens
Details
The Waterfront Botanical Gardens is at the top of the list of Louisville wedding venues that give you a dreamy garden experience. As botanical gardens go, this one is relatively young. It was founded in 1993. Because of this, it feels much more modern than other garden wedding venues in the area. Guests can enjoy the gardens during cocktail hour.
Favorite Features
Honestly, I love so much about the Waterfront Botanical Gardens that it’s hard to narrow it down to a short list. Here are a few of my favorite features:
- The architecture and nature compliment each other beautifully.
- The fountain and waterfall add dimension to photos and make you feel like you’re in a secret garden.
- There are so many plants and flowers that you hardly need decor.
Logistics
The education center can hold up to 250 guests for an indoor reception. Wedding rentals start at $5,000 for a Saturday during peak season and $3,500 during off season (November and January-March). Peak season is the best time to see the gardens in full bloom.
10. Peterson Dumesnil House
Details
The Peterson Dumesnil House rounds out this list of Louisville wedding venues. The mansion was built in 1869, but it looks decidedly different from your classic nineteenth-century Kentucky mansion. You can see the Italian villa inspiration in the architectural details. The big porch is perfect for cocktails and dancing at your reception.
Favorite Features
The inside of the Peterson Dumesnil House is lovely, but the exterior is my favorite part. The front of the house works so well for first looks. The gardens are a great spot for ceremonies, too.
Logistics
Renting the Peterson Dumesnil House is inexpensive compared to comparable Louisville venues. Rental fees range between $600 and $2,500. Since this venue is primarily an outdoor space, it can accommodate up to 500 guests.
Your Louisville Wedding
Was this roundup of Louisville area wedding venues helpful? As a Louisville wedding photographer, I work hard to make my clients feel supported in the journey to their wedding day. I’d love to document your celebration with intentional imagery that is colorful and vibrant. Inquire with me here!
Did you love this blog post? You may also like…
A garden wedding at Whitehall Mansion
Winter editorial engagement session at the Brown Hotel
Louisville’s best venues for intimate and small celebrations
Johanna Hribal is a wedding photographer based in Louisville, Kentucky. She enjoys traveling to other states and countries for weddings and elopements whenever possible! People love her colorful and vibrant edits and the way she captures their love in a natural and non-intrusive way. Click here to visit her website to learn more about current wedding collections. Follow me on Instagram to see more engagement sessions, weddings I’ve been photographing!
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