A Venue Fit for a Queen

Straight Out Of A Fairytale: Castles as Wedding Venues

The story always starts and ends the same, “Once Upon a Time… And They All Lived Happily Ever After.” The concept of the fairytale love story is not new by any stretch of the imagination. Disney has been peddling the vision of ‘a princess high in her castle ready to be swept off her feet and onto Prince Charming’s white horse’ to young women for decades.

Perhaps as a result of this vision, some women choose to go all-out on an opulent fairytale wedding. As of last year, the cost of the average 150-guest wedding was $30,000. To our friends in the Miami area, be prepared to spend closer to $40,000! Of that cost, nearly half is dedicated to venue and catering. Start saving now, and prepare to have some serious wedding envy when we show you some of our favorite castle venues- all a perfect fit for the queen that you are.

“Let Them Eat Cake!” At The Palace of Versailles

A destination wedding to France is going to incur all kinds of additional unexpected costs- travel, lodging, the works! The upside is that it will generally cut down the size of your guest list, which sometimes makes it possible to afford a more swanky venue. The Palace of Versailles, once home to King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, is one of the finest examples of unadulterated extravagance in the world. For a pretty penny, you can rent one of the palace’s many venues to host your nuptials or your reception. Some of the most expensive weddings in history have taken place here, from Kim Kardashian and Kanye West to Vanisha Mittal (daughter of India’s 2nd wealthiest person) and Amit Bhatia.

The Good-Old-Fashioned American Dream At The Biltmore Estate

For something a little closer to home, try the Vanderbilt family Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. At almost 180,000 square feet, it’s an insult to call the Biltmore anything less than a castle, and since it’s completion in 1895 it has held the title of largest privately owned home in America. With all that space, it’s obvious that there are wedding venue options aplenty (from the front lawn, to the stables, to the expansive gardens,) and all offer spectacular views of the grounds and the surrounding landscape.

French Flair in The Big Apple at Oheka Castle

If Versailles is on the wrong continent, and North Carolina is a bit too Southern for your taste, Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York may be the perfect compromise. With an abundance of indoor and outdoor venue sites that can fit just about any size guest list, Oheka seems to have something for everyone. Since it opened in 1915, it’s picturesque grounds have been the site of many films, music videos, and television productions. Hire a quality photographer to make sure you have quality shots of this fairytale venue.

So what do you think? Is the glass-slipper just an uncomfortable and impractical (imagine if it broke? glass through the foot- OUCH!) ideal? Or is it symbolic of how every woman should feel on her wedding day? Regardless of where you say “I Do,” the love the two of you share should always take center stage. And they all lived happily ever after…