If you value period architecture and love classic wedding photography, you should consider having your wedding at a historic venue. But don’t just choose a building because it’s old, you’ll need to look at the top historic venues for weddings in your area.

My Top 5 Tips for Finding the Best Historic Venues for Weddings

1. The architecture needs to be photo-worthy.

Recently, I photographed an editorial shoot at the University Club Winter Park. This boutique venue, nestled adjacent to the hills of the Winter Park Golf Course, has wonderful arches throughout its exterior that immediately catch your eye. The building was established in 1934 and was built by James Gamble Rogers, world-renowned for his collegiate Gothic designs for Ivy League campuses such as Yale University and Columbia University. The University Club is officially on the Historic Register of Winter Park Buildings and offers a beautiful gazebo landscape under moss-laden oaks and tropical foliage that is a stunning backdrop for an outdoor ceremony.

2. Look for historic venues for weddings with neutral colors.

The historic venue should not have any kind of bold colors painted outside or inside so it won’t compete with any of the colors that you use in your florals, table decor, or any other wedding details. I love that there the University Club is painted in the softest hues of neutral gold and cream which can blend with any color palette.

3. The venue should have classic furnishings inside.

It’s perfectly fine for an older building to be renovated and updated, but the inside should match the classic and historic aesthetic of the outside. If it has modern furniture and light fixtures, it won’t be consistent.

4. Does it have well-groomed landscapes?

As an Orlando wedding photographer, I love historic venues that have wide-open spaces that are perfectly manicured and where the mature trees are groomed to allow for plenty of natural light for doing outside wedding portraits.

5. Bonus if there are additional photo spots nearby.

The Winter Park Golf Course across from the University Club provides additional gorgeous settings for more couple portraits that are merely steps away. Usually, historic buildings tend to be centrally located and close together in a city.