Selecting your wedding location is one of the first things on your wedding to-do list. You can't book many of your vendors until you have finalized both your wedding date and place. The venue you choose—for both your ceremony and reception—will help dictate your wedding's style, theme and colors. In addition to being available on the date you want, you may want to choose a location that has a special meaning to you and your fiance. Your wedding location can be someplace close to your heart or a location that you and your groom can return to on future anniversaries. We discovered 14 amazing landmark hotels and resorts from around the world that can offer a couple the fantasy wedding they've always imagined. —Anne Chertoff
The Brown Hotel, Louisville, KY
Built in 1923 by J. Graham Brown, The Brown Hotel was created (legend goes) because Mr. Brown was turned away from another hotel in the city after returning from work in the lumberyard and was told he wasn't dressed appropriately. At that moment he decided to build his own hotel.
Designed in the English Renaissance style, The Brown Hotel—listed on the National Register of Historic Places—features ornate hand-painted plaster relief ceilings, intricately carved railings, decorative crown moldings, and other classic architectural details. Prominent and celebrity guests over the decades have included: The Duke of Windsor, President Harry S. Truman, Elizabeth Taylor and Muhammad Ali.
Weddings are held in the hotel's Crystal Ballroom where Louisville's most glamorous events have taken place since 1923. Couples who select The Brown Hotel for their wedding will receive a complimentary room on the hotel's club floor and a special reduced room rate for their guests for the weekend of their wedding.
Visit brownhotel.com to learn more about their wedding packages.
Castle on the Hudson, Tarrytown, NY
If you want to feel like a princess on your wedding day than a castle is the perfect setting for you. The historic medieval Castle on the Hudson is only 25 miles north of New York City and overlooks the Hudson River.
Built in two stages between 1897 and 1910 by General Carroll, the son of a Civil War General, Castle on the Hudson was originally named Carrollcliffe and was designed by New York Architect Henry Killburn in a style reminiscent of Norman fortification in Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Much of the original interior woodwork and furnishings are still intact.
Today, Castle on the Hudson is a luxury hotel which includes a vast array of amenities including banquet facilities. The Great Hall has a 40-foot vaulted ceiling, stained-glass windows with heraldic motifs and a musician's balcony. Wedding portraits can take place in the Castle's Marble Hall or in one of the property's landscaped gardens.
Visit castleonthehudson.com to learn more about having your wedding there.
The Hermitage Hotel, Nashville, TN
Nashville's first "million dollar hotel" opened its doors in September 1910. Designed by architect James Carpenter in the Beaux-arts style, The Hermitage—named for President Andrew Jackson's Hermitage estate—is one of the South's most historic hotels. The hotel was a meeting place for the suffrage movement and six U.S. President's have visited the hotel. Celebrity guests include Tina Turner, Bono, Clint Eastwood and George Lucas.
In 2002 the hotel closed and re-opened on Valentine's Day 2003 after $20 million in renovations. In June 2003 The Hermitage was featured in The Robb Report as one of the seven hotels featured in its "Best of the Best" issue along with Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris and Hotel Bel-Air in California.
There are two elegant rooms for brides and grooms to choose from for their wedding. The historic Grand Ballroom has an ornately painted ceiling and majestic Russian paneling, which is similar to the wood paneling on the ballroom of the RMS Titanic. The ballroom can seat up to 300 people. The second option is the Veranda. Overlooking Sixth Avenue in Nashville, the Veranda has high arched ceilings, faux-painted sky ceiling, French doors and is ideal for small weddings, with guest lists under 100.
Visit thehermitagehotel.com to learn more about their wedding packages.
Penha Longa Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort, Sintra, Portugal
Penha Longa was founded in 1355 by Friar Vasco Martins in Sintra, 30 minutes from Lisbon. The Penha Longa Palace was built in 1400 following the building of the historic church at Penha Longa in 1390. The palace was used by the Portuguese royal family during the 15th and 16th centuries to escape the heat of the city. In 1992 Penha Longa opened as a luxury hotel and is currently managed by The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.
The Resort is located within a 545-acre National Park and includes a luxury hotel, a nineteenth century palace, two golf courses, the Six Senses Spa and a new restaurant by Sergi Arola. Weddings can take place in several event facilities on the property and for those of the Roman Catholic faith, permission is sometimes granted to hold a ceremony in the old church.
To learn more about weddings at Penha Longa visit ritzcarlton.com.
Hotel Jerome, Aspen, CO
Built in 1889 to emulate the great European hotels of the day, Hotel Jerome (a Rock Resorts property) was built in the heart of downtown Aspen during the height of Colorado's silver boom. Listed with the National Register of Historic Places and Leading Hotels of the World, Hotel Jerome is designed in the mine-camp Victorian style and is surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. In 2002 the hotel underwent a $6 million renovation.
Weddings are held in the Grand Ballroom, which offers Aspen's only above-ground ballroom to benefit from natural light through its large windows. The room sits 300 for a banquet-style affair. For couples looking for a destination wedding filled with a wide variety of activities for their guests, Hotel Jerome offers everything from golf and skiing to river rafting and paragliding as well as a full-service spa.
Learn more about having your wedding at Hotel Jerome at rockresorts.com.
Williamsburg Inn, Williamsburg, VA
In 1937 the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, under the supervision of John D. Rockefeller and his wife Abby, built the Williamsburg Inn in the Regency style of early 19th-century England. The Williamsburg Inn is a modern hotel—renovated in 2001—and is a member of the National Historic Trust for Historic Preservation Historic Hotels of America and Leading Small Hotels of the World. The Williamsburg Inn has seen many famous guests over the years including First Lady Laura Bush, President and Mrs. George H.W. Bush and most recently, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 2007.
Couples choosing to get married at Colonial Williamsburg can select from a variety of historic settings for their ceremony, reception, rehearsal dinner and other pre- and post-wedding events, including: ballrooms, colonial gardens, terraces, historic dining taverns and private rooms at one of the Colonial Williamsburg hotel properties.
Visit colonialwilliamsburgresort.com to learn more about their wedding packages.
The Davenport Hotel, Spokane, WA
The world famous Davenport Hotel opened in 1914 and was the first hotels with air conditioning, housekeeping carts, accordion ballroom doors and the popular dish, Crab Louis. After going through a $38 million restoration in 2002, The Davenport Hotel reopened to its original splendor. Celebrity guests over the years include: Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, Mary Pickford and Clark Gable and Jerry Seinfeld and Cher.
Brides and grooms can choose from several grand ballrooms for their wedding; each one designed in a different style. The Isabella Ballroom, named after Spain's Queen Isabella, has mirrors placed at each end of the room to give the illusion of infinite spce. The Marie Antoinette Ballroom is in the French Neo-Classical design with the original chandeliers hanging from a painted ceiling suggesting the color of dawn or dusk. The Elizabethan Room is decorated in the English Tudor-style and was the first ballroom in the world to use folding panel doors to divide one large room into several smaller rooms. The original panels are still in use today. The Hall of Doges, Spokane's oldest ballroom built in 1904, was inspired by the design of the Palace of the Doges in Venice. The Grand Pennington Ballroom recalls the look of Imperial Russia and was built during the hotel's 2002 renovation.
To learn more about having your wedding at the Davenport Hotel, visit thedavenporthotel.com.
St. Paul Hotel, St. Paul, MN
Built in 1910, the St. Paul Hotel was designed by the New York architecture firm Reed and Stem, the designers of New York's Grand Central Terminal. The building was created in the Italian Renaissance Revival design, featuring rounded arches with sculpted roses, wrought-iron balconies and Waterford Chandeliers. In 2009 the hotel was given the Conde Nast's Gold List award for the fifth time since 2001. The hotel has a policy that forbids the staff to share the names of famous guests during their lifetime; however nine U.S. Presidents have stayed at the St. Paul Hotel as well as royalty, athletes, movie stars and international leaders.
The St. Paul Hotel offers three venue spaces for weddings—the Promenade Ballroom, Hill Room and M St Café. There are several wedding planning packages for couples to choose from, allowing them to create a customized wedding package tailored to specifically to their wedding.
Visit saintpaulhotel.com to learn more about their wedding packages.
Omni Parker House, Boston, MA
The Omni Parker House is America's longest continuously operated hotel, opening its doors in 1855. Harvey Parker built a five story Italianate-style stone and brick hotel faced in white marble making it one of Boston's oldest and most elegant hotels. While movie stars (Joan Crawford and Judy Garland), athletes (Babe Ruth and Ted Williams) and U.S. Presidents (Ulysses S. Grant, Franklin D. Roosevelt and William J. Clinton) have played, dined and stayed at the hotel over the past century, the most famous bachelor party held at the Parker House was in the 1950s when John F. Kennedy celebrated his upcoming wedding to Jacqueline Bouvier in the Press Room.
There are two ballrooms brides and grooms can choose from at the Omni Parker House. The Rooftop Ballroom occupies the entire 15th floor of the hotel and seats up to 250 guests. The room offers spectacular panoramic views of Boston. The new Alcott Ballroom, named after writer and Bostonian Louisa May Alcott, is furnished with crystal chandeliers, regal floor length draperies and accommodates 130 guests. A third venue for weddings is the historic Press Room, which is located on the Mezzanine level and features mahogany paneled walls, a marble fireplace and hand carved chandeliers. The room seats up to 110 guests with a dance floor.
Visit the Omni Parker House Web site for more information on their wedding packages.
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Los Angeles, CA
One of Hollywood's oldest hotels (opened in 1927), the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel was home to the first Academy Awards held in the Blossom Ballroom in 1929. In March 2009, the Ballroom went under a $4 million renovation, restoring the room's original charm while integrating modern-day utilities. Brides and grooms can celebrate their big day in an open courtyard setting reminiscent of the Spanish Colonial period. In addition to the interior renovations an intimate outdoor garden space, accessible through the ballroom, is now available for wedding parties to enjoy during receptions or for taking bridal portraits.
Visit hollywoodroosevelt.com to learn more about having your wedding in the Blossom Ballroom.
St. Louis Union Station Marriot, St. Louis, MO
Originally built as the largest train station in the United States, Union Station opened in 1894, ten years before the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair and was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1970. The station was designed by Theodore Link and featured a Grand Hall with gold leaf, Romanesque arches, 65-foot barrel-vaulted ceiling and a Tiffany stained glass window.
Today the Grand Hall is a part of the St. Louis Union Station Marriott hotel as the Grand Hall Lounge. Weddings can take place in either the Grand Hall or in the hotel's modern Grand Ballroom. One of the most famous photographs in America took place at Union Station when President Harry S. Truman held up the Chicago Tribune, which mistakenly stated, "Dewey Defeats Truman".
Learn more about weddings at the St. Louis Union Station Marriott at
marriott.com.
Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue, Philadelphia, PA
Built in 1904 by Waldorf-Astoria owner, George Boldt, the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue was originally named the Bellevue-Stafford. During the 1930s and '40s both the Democrat and Republican National Conventions took place at the Bellevue and over the decades many notable names in Hollywood and politics made a visit (Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Dr. Martin Luther King and General MacArthur).
The hotel offers several locations for wedding ceremonies and receptions, including the two-tiered Grand Ballroom with lighting fixtures designed by Thomas Edison and enough space to seat 600 guests for a formal banquet. The Rose Garden Ballroom, which seats 175 guests, offers a tranquil ambiance with plantation shutters and vintage chandeliers.
Visit parkphiladelphia.hyatt.com to learn more about their wedding packages.
Ashford Castle, Ireland
Almost 800 years ago Ashford Castle was built in Ireland by the Anglo-Norman De Burgo Family. Over the following centuries the castle passed into the hands of different families until it was transformed into a first class hotel in 1939.
The Castle can accommodate two style of weddings, an intimate dinner for 40 guests or a larger affair for 160 guests. In 2001 James Bond star, Pierce Brosnan, said "I do" to Keely Shaye Smith in a ceremony at nearby Ballintubbery Abbey and then held their reception at Ashford Castle.
Wedding parties can take over the entire castle and plan a bespoke wedding tailored to their visions. A bespoke wedding features a variety of amenities, including complimentary flower centerpieces for the tables, place cards, a professional makeup artist for the bride and access to all of the hotel's table linens, china and crystal.
Visit ashford.ie to learn more about their bespoke wedding packages.
The Georgian Terrace, Atlanta, GA
Designed by New York architect William Stoddard in the Beaux Arts style as a Southern interpretation of a Parisian Hotel, the Georgian Terrace Hotel opened in 1911. The hotel is on the corner of Peachtree Street and Ponce de Leon Avenue, sharing the intersection with the famed Fox Theatre built in 1927—one of the largest movie theatres built at the time. The hotel has hosted many celebrated events over the years including the 1939 premiere gala of Gone With the Wind, a 1975 concert by Bruce Springsteen and dance lessons by the legendary Arthur Murray were once held in the Grand Ballroom.
The Georgian Terrace Hotel was originally built with two ballrooms, the Grand Ballroom and the Piedmont Ballroom. During the hotel's recent renovation the Mitchell ballroom was added to accommodate smaller gatherings including wedding ceremonies.
Visit thegeorgianterrace.com to learn more about their wedding packages.
