Carolyn Burke STL Blog

Definition of Small Wedding A “small” wedding is based on cutting out a number of guests or money spent. Remember, the less people the less money you spend. Consider Your Budget With small wedding planning, the first thing you need to do is sitting down and making up your guest list. Decide what number is small for your budget, remember the guests you invite; you may need to plan for food, dessert and drinks. Also, each guest will require a chair to sit in that may or may not be rental fee. Intimate Venue Ideas for Small Weddings Small weddings actually give you so many more choices, because you can include smaller and more budget friendly places. Local Park Gazebo Here are some ideas for a small intimate wedding and some of my favorites: Churches with Halls Look into a church that has a separate hall for wedding receptions. Many of the older churches in the City of St Louis have large Fellowship Halls that they can rent to you. The fee usually includes tables and cha...

The St Louis County Parks and Recreation department has a wedding website. Their parks are great locations for wedding ceremonies and you cannot beat the price! Some locations come with electricity and restrooms, while others are simple for short, sweet and simple ceremonies. I have performed ceremonies as a Wedding Officiant  and I love the versatility that they can provide. Couples need to have nerves of steel as there is usually not a PLAN B or contingency plan in case of bad weather.  Nonetheless, they remain very popular. Below are my favorite photographs that show off the space.  You must contact the County Parks to book the location. Call me if you want my personal opinion on any of these locations as I am an Event Location Specialist. Bee Tree Mansion Garden Bee Tree Park Overlook Bissell Rose Garden Faust Park Jefferson Barracks Laborers House Patio Jefferson Barracks Museum Patio Queeny Park Courtyard Garden St Louis Cou...

Questions to Ask When Evaluating a Location for Your Wedding The following list of questions and tips will help you navigate through your location search. Print them out and use them as a guide while you’re talking with a site contact or reviewing a site information packet. Make sure to get everything in writing in your final contract! Don’t forget to have a notebook or your planning binder handy so that you can record answers to all these questions. What dates are available in the month I’m considering? How many people can this location accommodate? What is the rental fee and what is included in that price? Is there a discount for booking an off-season date or Sunday through Friday? How much is the deposit, when is it due, and is it refundable? What’s the payment plan for the entire bill? Can I hold my ceremony here, too?  Is there an additional charge? Is the ceremony site close to the reception site? Is there a outfit changing area? How much time is allocated ...

Carolyn Burke STL Recommends These Popular Venues For St Louis Wedding Ceremony Ms. Burke has performed a marriage ceremony at all of these locations.  Sweet and simple ceremonies that are meaningful. LEARN MORE Bee Tree Park Ceremony St Louis City Hall Ceremony City Museum St Louis Ceremony Foundry Arts Centre St Charles Ceremony Fox Run Golf Club Ceremony Graham Chapel St Louis Ceremony Hawken House Webster Groves Ceremony The Jewel Box in Forest Park Ceremony Lafayette Park St Louis Ceremony Lalumondiere Mill and Rivergardens Laumeier Sculpture Park Ceremony Longview Farm House in Town and County Magic House Ceremony in Kirkwood Missouri Botanical Garden St Louis NEO on Locust Ceremony New Town Chapel in St Charles 9th Street Abbey Ceremony Oakland House Ceremony Old Peace Chapel in Defiance Old Stone Chapel Ceremony in St Charles Tower Grove Park Ceremony Provincial Chapel at UMS...

Looking for the right venue to have a special event can be overwhelming. Details about the site's amenities such as capacity, fees, the size of the parking lot, accessibility and other specifics you may not have even thought of. Who has the time to call and check on availability; whether or not the location is even what you are looking for? Carolyn Burke can give great advice for a variety of wedding ceremony or reception locations. Mostly small and intimate, but large and extravagant too.  Looking for ways to save on wedding expenses is an increasingly common scenario for young couples, faced with hefty student loans, credit card debt, a tough job market, and ever-increasing living expenses. Many couples are choosing lower-cost locations and planning smaller weddings close to home for family and their closest friends.  To plan an event, your first impression is the first step along with the costs involved. The style or theme of the event as well as restric...

Hawken House Hearth Room 1155 S. Rock Hill Road Webster Groves MO 63119 (314) 968-1776 This 19th century historic home has a simple elegance for an intimate occasion for up to 100 guests. The space includes the hearth room (1,575 sq.ft.) with a large fireplace as it's feature.  Wedding ceremonies can be held in front of the grand porch in the front yard or the courtyard/herb garden adjacent to the hearth room.  The front entrance is handicap accessible and includes a piano. The Grand Front Porch  This location allows outside catering and has a small prep kitchen with round tables and stack chairs, two portable dry bars, and a few specialty tables.  Ample parking as part of the Southwest Park. Courtyard That Allows for Tenting

Highlands Golf and Tennis Club in Forest Park St Louis (314) 531-7773 . This completely renovated clubhouse has the World’s Fair Pavilion Room that accommodates up to 120 guests and includes the popular Chiavari chairs. Many of their services are complimentary with no hidden fees. Need Someone to Perform The Ceremony? Check Out Carolyn Burke - Wedding Officiant

City Hall Rotunda 1200 Market Street and Tucker Downtown St. Louis Need Someone to Perform the Ceremony? Check out the  Carolyn Burke STL Short, Sweet and Simple Saint Louis City Hall This french-styled  building  was inspired by the Hotel de Ville or City Hall of Paris. The square rotunda is very unique and its central interior feature is a white marble rotunda, about 100 feet square, with a colored glass skylight above and a marble grand staircase.       St Louis City Hall is available for wedding ceremonies AFTER HOURS (after 6pm on weekdays or weekends) for a fee. Contact the Special Events Department at 314-589-6640. Officiant Only : $200 Officiant Plus Rehearsal : $380 City Hall : Call 314-589-6640 for Facility Use Fee St Louis City Hall for a Wedding Ceremony The space must be scheduled so that normal business hours are not  interrupted    Not a problem for a Saturday or Sunday event.  Th...