Yay, you’re engaged! Congratulations! Now it’s time to get to work on the planning! Chances are if you’re reading this post, you’re new to wedding planning and have no idea where to begin. Well before you hit the ground running on the little details, I highly recommend deciding on when and where your vows and celebration will take place, as the venue location(s) you choose will most definitely tie in every detail that’s to come!
The hunt for the perfect venue can be easy for some, and incredibly challenging for others. To make the process as easy as possible, it’s best if you and your fiancé sit down and iron out a few details before booking venue tours. How many people will be invited? Actually draft up your guest list, as you might be surprised at your head count once everything is on paper! Are you hoping to getting married AND dance the night away all at one location? Do you have a seasonal preference? Pro tip: book real early if you’re hoping for a fall wedding here in WNY! Then of course, what’s most accessible to you and your family/wedding guests as far as location, especially if anyone is traveling from out of town? Once you’ve done a little up front leg work, now the fun part of looking at venues can begin!
After nearly a decade photographing weddings here in WNY and throughout NYS, I’ve had the honor of photographing in a wide array of venues. From ballrooms to barns to old industrial spaces to lakefront vineyards, and everything in between. Nearly all of my favorite venues have three things in common:
1) The venues are easily accessible with the capability of having almost everything on site – sometimes even from your morning prep all the way up through the late night dancing, though at the very minimum, capacity to hold both your ceremony and reception on site.
2) Some are able to hold only 80 people, others can hold upwards of 300. Some are more traditional and others have a more modern flair. Regardless of their unique differences, they are all brimming with charm, character, and a rich history.
3) They are beautiful to photograph in AND work at. In other words, the lighting is amazing, there are great nooks on site to do your formal photos (this is GREAT for keeping things simple and stress free on the day of), AND the staff treats its vendors well (which means I can only hope they’d be treating you even better).
With allllll of that said, let’s get to it! Here’s my personal top 15 WNY wedding venues (in no particular order of preference, of course). Though I do also need to note, there are A LOT of great country clubs, hotels, and restaurants/banquet halls that offer all-in-one ceremony & receptions here in WNY as well. However, for the purposes of this post’s theme, I have not included them.
Historic & Charming WNY Wedding Venues That Can Host Your Ceremony and Reception All At One Location
All Photos taken by Dawn M Gibson Photography with excerpts written by Dawn and details provided by venue contacts.
