Your wedding venue is one of the most important parts of your big day. That's why we're making finding The One that much easier, with this series of the "Top Spots" in each location and for each type of venue. From our favorite Mexico destination weddings to the best ballroom bashes, we've rounded up the perfect places to get married—and everything else you need to know about planning a wedding there.
For most couples, the phrase “ballroom wedding” conjures up images of Chiavari chairs, ballroom wedding dresses, glossy dance floors, and sparkling crystal chandeliers. While some venues certainly do check all those boxes, there are more varied ballroom wedding options out there than you might think. Whether you’re looking for an opulent space at a historic hotel, or a more modern wedding ballroom that you might find at an art museum, we’ve got you covered from coast to coast (and beyond). Deciding where to tie the knot is one of the biggest—and earliest—wedding planning decisions you’ll make, and the sheer volume of wedding venue options out there can be overwhelming. Which is why we’ve rounded up some of the top ballroom wedding venues—one of the most popular reception spaces for couples saying “I do,” thanks to their elegance, versatility, and convenience. So keep your eyes open for that dream ballroom wedding venue as we share what to consider when visiting and evaluating each one.
As far as indoor weddings go, a ballroom rental is one of the most turnkey venue options out there because it can accommodate most guest counts, is already attractive but can still be adapted to your wedding theme, has built-in infrastructure, and often comes with catering and even accommodations for your guests. No wonder they’re so popular! Add to that the variety of styles, ranging from gilded to modern to understated, and you can trust us when we say there’s a ballroom wedding venue for every couple and wedding theme.
One way to reduce the all-too-common wedding-planning stress is to consider ballroom wedding venues with package options, such as a hotel or resort. These venues typically offer catering, accommodations for you and your guests, furniture rentals, the services of an in-house coordinator or planner, and may have a list of other pre-selected vendors for you to choose from when hiring a florist, musician, etc. If you’re planning a destination wedding, a ballroom rental package especially simplifies the coordinating process since you may be less familiar with local vendors in the area.
In addition, a ballroom wedding venue already has all the bells and whistles needed to make your big day a success. There’s no need to source a port-a-potty provider, look for a catering company to secure a mobile kitchen, or panic about HVAC issues. Plus, if you’re having both your ceremony at the same venue as your ballroom wedding reception, transportation is one less headache. If you’ve selected a hotel wedding package, you can work with the venue to negotiate accommodations for guests or your wedding party. This means no walking any further than the elevator after a night of dancing in their ballroom wedding dresses and heels!
Even on the stormiest of days, guests will enjoy a spacious, amenity-rich space that shields them from the elements. Ask your friends who got married outdoors and they’ll recount anxiously checking the weather forecast—as well as putting down a nonrefundable deposit on rain plan equipment even if you don’t use it. But with a ballroom wedding, nothing can rain on your parade.
In addition, couples with a lengthy guest list may select a ballroom wedding because many can accommodate hundreds of people. And, if setting the ambiance of the big day with music is important to you (spoiler alert: it should be), a ballroom rental offers excellent acoustics for live bands to croon love songs all night. Lastly, many hotel ballroom wedding venues have unlimited hotel wedding decor potential. Not to mention, your ballroom wedding dress will look right at home.
While historically ballroom wedding venues have been opulent spaces with high ceilings, decorative ceilings, and gilded walls—and, let’s be honest, we still love those—if that’s not your style, you may be relieved to find that many ballroom rentals are more modern, or even blank slates where you can execute your own vision. This means your ballroom wedding can be just as unique as you want it to be. So while many hotel wedding venues offer a semi-blank canvas that’s ideal for customizing your big day, some couples may be drawn to the grandeur of a traditional, extravagant ballroom rental.
Your theme contributes to your venue decision, too. Couples throwing a vintage gala might opt for an estate ballroom rental. Others will transform hotel wedding space into a completely unique environment.
While searching for your ballroom wedding venue, think not only of the style but what sort of property type suits you best. Do you want an event space explicitly used for weddings? Or, would you prefer something rarer, like a ballroom rental at a museum or private estate? Perhaps the alleviated stress of hotel ballroom wedding packages makes the most sense for you and your partner. Some couples prefer a hotel wedding for its ease. Others want a ballroom wedding venue that is used exclusively for events, so there aren’t any other guests wandering around the property, and you and your event are the venue’s only focus. It might surprise you where you encounter whimsical ballrooms—don’t write off museums or libraries as potential venues.
It’s no surprise that many of the most popular ballroom rentals are at some of the most iconic locations around the world. From historic hotels to landmark museums to sky-high event spaces with sweeping views, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite ballroom wedding venues for every type of celebration.
Starting in New York, there are few locations more iconic than The Plaza Hotel. Their fabled space features ornate detailing and unprecedented elegance that makes it one of the most epic hotel ballroom rentals in the country. But NYC is home to many famous ballrooms, including The Pierre’s graceful ballroom wedding reception space where guests can dance under the glow of crystal chandeliers. Nestled in the heart of midtown is The St. Regis, a hotel wedding venue that’s just as gilded as it is glamorous. And New Yorkers shouldn’t skip a visit to Lotte New York Palace, a historic hotel ballroom wedding space that balances sophistication and romance.
In seaport city Boston, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston proves that a hotel wedding isn’t a requirement for a ballroom affair, and may particularly appeal to couples who are big fans of art. Downtown, the Fairmont Copley Plaza, with its sky-painted ceiling, can host the swoon-worthy hotel ballroom wedding of your dreams. In nearby Newport, RI, the historic Rosecliff mansion, once a summer playground for the Gilded Age’s wealthiest, now provides couples the opportunity to host their wedding in an exquisite ballroom rental.
Also on the East Coast, about an hour from DC, is the Salamander Resort & Spa, which offers couples the ability to completely customize their ballroom wedding reception. Couples seeking ballroom wedding venues in DC itself should visit the Hay-Adams, a sophisticated hotel weddings space with sweeping views of The White House.
Down the coast, Charleston’s Hotel Bennett is known for encapsulating the charm the city is renowned for and has a luxurious ballroom that exudes elegance. In Georgia, Sea Island Resort offers the South’s hallmark hospitality and the ability to host a ballroom wedding reception in a lavish-yet-intimate setting.
We can’t discuss East Coast ballroom wedding venues without calling out some of the top waterfront hotel wedding venues in Florida. Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa has the best of both worlds: an ornate ballroom and the opportunity to marry in their lush oceanfront location.
The Breakers Palm Beach is home to one of the most palatial ballrooms on the East Coast. Couples who host their hotel wedding ceremony (and reception) at this luxury resort will find every detail closely attended to.
That’s not to say there aren’t also plenty of dreamy ballroom wedding venue options in the Midwest. City-dwellers of Chicago can embrace history by hosting their ballroom wedding at the Field Museum, which presents a large, highly customizable space just steps away from Lake Michigan. The Peninsula Chicago, known for its grand ambiance, offers couples looking for the convenience of luxury hotel wedding venues the spot they’re seeking.
The West Coast is also a hotspot for wedding ballroom venues with pizzazz and classic Californian style. Outside of San Francisco, Rosewood Sand Hill features a ballroom ideal for modern, elegant affairs. Down the coast in Santa Barbara, the legendary Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club at Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara provides couples a gorgeous hotel ballroom rental with unbeatable ocean views.
In swanky LA, Mr. C Beverly Hills is a modern space in the sky with sweeping views of the city. This sleek, modern space is an ideal blank canvas for couples looking to customize their ballroom wedding venue.
If you’re planning an international affair, either as a destination wedding or the halfway point between multi-continental families, Europe’s illustrious ballrooms set the mood. London alone is full of storied ballrooms fit royalty, and Claridge’s is no exception. Its Art Deco-style ballroom is ideal for vintage and modern weddings alike. And in the city of love itself, the Ritz Paris takes the cake for some of the most resplendent ballrooms in one of the most iconic settings—and the convenience that comes with hotel weddings. But this barely scratches the surface—from France’s countless châteaux, to Italy’s majestic palazzos, browsing European ballroom wedding venues is a rabbit hole we love to go down.
Dreaming up extravagant hotel wedding decor and fantasizing about your ballroom wedding dress is heaven, but thinking about the cost of it isn’t. Starting with an understanding of the average cost of a wedding in the US will help keep things in perspective, which in 2020 was $20,300. Of course, factors such as location, season, and guest count influence that number. Expect to put about 45% of your wedding budget towards your venue.
Wedding ballroom costs vary significantly, so keep that in mind when you’re choosing between two hotel wedding reception venues—particularly if one is in a prime downtown location and the other is more remote. In addition, hotel ballroom prices may differ from estate, museum, or country club ballroom rental costs. And while the hotel ballroom rental cost might sound like a lot at first, most are offered as part of a larger hotel wedding package, which could end up saving you money in the long run. Most hotel ballroom prices will include things like staffing, furniture rentals, and other key components that you’d have to source on your own at an independent location. If you have a hotel wedding ceremony, the fee for the space and any set-up is generally covered as part of any hotel wedding packages that are offered. So at the end of the day, you may find that your hotel wedding reception cost includes a lot more than just the reception.
If you are planning a destination wedding, a ballroom rental package significantly simplifies the wedding planning process, and looking for hotel wedding reception venues that can also host your ceremony makes them even more convenient. Instead of spending time researching and trying to determine the best local vendors in the area, like caterers, florists, and wedding cake bakeries who also fit into your budget, a hotel wedding package cost may cover all of the above. And many international venues have such regal spaces that you can’t discount how valuable the hotel wedding decor is as compared to creating an elegant space from nothing.
Location and reputation make a difference for cost too. Expect hotel wedding packages in larger cities to cost more than in rural locales. And, the hotel ballroom rental cost at an iconic venue will be higher than the hotel wedding package you might get offered at a brand new space. In addition to budgeting for your hotel ballroom rental cost, don’t forget to budget for miscellaneous fees such as tips, wedding insurance, and taxes. And be sure to save ample funds for an epic ballroom wedding dress!
Infusing theme, personality, and sparkle into your wedding ballroom is the best part of wedding planning. We always recommend the help of a professional wedding planner or designer to create a cohesive, transformative space. Some hotel wedding venues have in-house coordinators who have an acute understanding of how to bring a hotel wedding reception to life in that space. But know that their services may be limited to anything pertaining to the venue, and they’ll likely not help with wedding invitations or sourcing any other outside vendors.
When touring venues, make note of how much decor you think you’d need. Do you want a turnkey space that just needs some fresh flowers or a blank slate where you can create something totally unique? If you choose the latter, you might save on the hotel ballroom rental price upfront, but make up for it with decor.
If you choose a turnkey option for your ballroom wedding reception, you can still add character to your space with the tablescape design and the blooms your wedding florist creates. Couples who choose a more minimal ballroom wedding venue can get creative on a totally different level. Working with designers to craft large hanging installations, floral chuppahs, or decorative lighting is essential.
No matter what you choose, your wedding flowers will do a lot of the heavy lifting to imbue your unique personality and color palette into any space. If your wedding planner has florist recommendations, it’s wise to take them into consideration so you don’t make any mistakes!
Once you’ve found a few possibilities that could be your finding your dream wedding venue, congratulations! Our wedding venue directory allows you to see each of your potential wedding ballroom locations all dressed up for other couples’ events, so that you know what is possible in the space—and therefore what questions to ask. Now it’s time to reach out to your shortlist of ballroom wedding venues to tour the space, ask your questions, and begin to get an idea of what your total hotel wedding reception cost will be. You can get in touch with each venue directly from our site to start narrowing that list down to The One.
