Venues - Ceremony Part 1

"Overwhelming" is definitely the word I'd use for picking your Memphis wedding venue. There are so many factors that contribute to picking the perfect venue: size, catering, religion, transportation to reception, cost, picture possibilities, etc. I'm also a huge advocate of picking your place like your photographer. Not every venue is perfect for ever couple.

 Today, you have the lucky aspect of being able to pre-qualify locations with the internet. (Kind of like you can photographers) I'm just going to list the pro and cons to some of my favorite ceremony sites in the Memphis area.(Keep in mind, this is ONLY one the ceremony aspect of the day, there will be a few more posts on pre-wedding and reception)

 

Hmmm...where to start? Let's do Heartwood Hall in Rossville, TN (Memphis area).

 

Everyone wants a gorgeous wedding day. When it's a gorgeous day, it's amazing here. The con: it COULD rain. It rained 3 times this day, but cleared up just before the ceremony. 

 Nice aspect is the chairs can be decreased so it doesn't look empty.

 Pro: Since it's not a church, you're allowed to pretty much go anywhere. FYI, if we are shooting from cool angles, we are TOTALLY inconspicuous!

 Pro: Just look at the picture, haha.

In all, Heartwood Hall is a great place. The only main concern of ceremony is whether it rains or not. It's the south though, and we all know you're at the mercy of mother nature. It's a dice I'd be willing to take. 

Next: St. Peter's Catholic Church, Memphis TN

 Pro: It's GORGEOUS in there!!!! Seriously! Con: It's big, REALLY BIG. You have to have A LOT of guests in order to make it look full.

Pro: It's downtown Memphis, so you're pretty close to a lot of downtown venues for the reception

 Con: Since it's a Catholic Church, the photographer and videographer (check out MIABP, one of favs!) have to stay in the back or in the balcony. So no close ups (within reason) of the ceremony.

St Peter's is definitely a cool ceremony location. Even with the lack of being able to get close for pictures, it's really pretty. Every bride wants to be a princess.

Next: 

Second Presbyterian Church, Memphis TN. 

 Pro: Gorgeous on the outside and located in the center of the city.

 Here's another example of being HUGE!!! It's not just wide but it's VERY long. And one key drawback to the photos is the photographer has to stay in one spot the entire ceremony. We aren't allowed to move around, this is per the church contract we have to sign.

Gotta make sure you have a nice telephoto lens to reach the end of this one, haha.

There is a part 2 of all this, so stay tuned.

And, as always, you can see more at www.RobLyonsPhotography.com