Photograph by Jodi Schlosser
The Jewel Box. Missouri Botanical Garden. Windows On (and Off) Washington. St. Louis has some great venues, to be sure, but they can turn a tad predictable. “Between 2006 and 2009, we attended close to 20 weddings,” says writer John Dedeke, who married Deanna Davis last October. “A lot of them were at the same venues, and after a while, they began to blend together.”
Determined not to let their own big day be forgotten, the Dedekes focused strictly on the unique and unknown. Read on to learn about their site of choice, plus five other out-of-the-ordinary wedding locales.
1. John Dedeke discovered The Thaxton while working an event there in 2007. When designer Mark Pitliangas renovated the building in 2003, he took its original Art Deco architecture to the max, adding murals and pinup prints and making the lower level a born-again speak-easy.
Apart from the blinged-out interiors, what makes The Thaxton incomparable is its flexible, multilevel layout, which makes offbeat ceremonies and receptions possible. “People are welcome to explore,” says co-owner Peter Venezia. “They enjoy that they’re not kept in a box all night.”
1009 Olive, 314-323-3146, thethaxton.com. Capacity: 120 sit-down, 200 cocktails; fee: $1,500.
2. Maggie and Tom Hase originally planned to marry in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Then Tom got sick, forcing him to stay nearby for treatment. But there’s a happy ending: Today Tom is well, and the couple’s “Plan B” wedding at Cedar Lake Farm was an A-plus. Located west of St. Louis in Wright City, the 95-acre property combines rural charm (cedar trees, a pond, a barn) with all the amenities a modern shindig requires.
Vows typically are exchanged beside the rustic rock waterfall, with cocktails sipped in the hayloft and dinner served on the patio or in the cozy dining hall. St. Louis’ Growlers Pub provides down-home fare. “This place is truly one of the most special I’ve seen,” says Cherie Irwin, whose company, CI Photobooth, provided a booth for the Hases’ wedding.
11008 Schreckengast, Wright City, 314-569-3005 x106, cedarlakefarm.net. Capacity: 350 sit-down, 700 cocktails; fee: $1,500 to $3,000
3. “It’s one of those places that’s so obvious, no one thinks of it,” says wedding planner Stephanie Burke of Kiener Plaza. She facilitated the September 6 wedding of Aaron and Jenn Ringer there last year. “All you have to do is contact the city to get a permit,” says Burke.
A few caveats: Permits limit weddings to four hours and require security for groups of 1,000 or more. Security may be desirable for any group: “The Ringer wedding was the same weekend as the Tour of Missouri,” says Burke. “Security kept people from walking through, but we couldn’t stop them from coming up to the perimeter.”
500 Pine, 314-289-5300, stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/parks_div/kienerplaza.htm. Capacity: 3,000; fee: $300
4. And then there’s the Gateway Arch. “Everyone goes there to have their pictures taken, but no one realizes you can get married there, too,” says photographer Michelle Ross.
Amanda and Mike Loy knew they wanted something quick for their nuptials last September, and that’s what they got. City permits are free, but cap attendance at 40 people, run-time at 20 minutes, and decorations and equipment at zilch. “They want you to kind of get in and get out,” recalls the bride.
St. Louis Riverfront, 314-655-1613, gatewayarch.com. Capacity: 40; fee: free
5. Unfortunately, the new Citygarden isn’t open for private events. But where there’s a will, there’s a loophole. Jim Fiala’s superchic eatery The Terrace View, which overlooks Citygarden, does allow private events.
“We’re not open to weddings, technically,” says events coordinator Tom Sullivan. “But if you wanted to have a small private event here, and that event happened to be a reception, that’s fine.” Events must be held in the winter, with Mondays and Tuesdays the most available. Next October, Daniel Gracy will be the first to marry on the cafe’s side terrace.
808 Chestnut, 314-436-8855, citygardenstl.org. Capacity: 80 sit-down, 120 cocktails; fee: $3,000
6. Finally, the Magic Chef Mansion is another relatively off-the-radar wedding destination. Owner Shelley Donaho has meticulously renovated it in turn-of-the-century splendor.
Brent Johnson and Carrie Bradfield married on the terrace, as friends and family looked on from the lawn. Afterward, the party moved indoors, where guests socialized throughout the home’s first floor.
3400 Russell, 314-865-3400, magicchefman
sion.com. Capacity: 50 sit-down, 100 cocktails, 80 seasonal carriage house; fee: $250 per hour weekends, $200 per hour weekdays
