by Scott Johnson
Well folks, we are back at it again with our Favorites of 2019 Countdown. In case you have missed any of our other editions, be sure to check them out before settling in with our latest continuation of our Favorite Venues! With ever-unpredictable weather up here in the Pacific Northwest, your choice of wedding venue is really up to the fates if you decide on an outdoor wedding. Thankfully, most venues understand this and will offer a rainy-day backup. This time around we are running the full spectrum again: rooftop celebrations in the city, quiet and serene lakes, quaint meadows and a winter wonderland. Sounds exciting? We think so, too. Let’s check it out!
Urban fanatics will swoon over Fremont Foundry. Located in the heart of, well, Fremont, you’ll find yourself minutes away from the iconic Troll, Gasworks Park, a chocolate factory and more. Not a bustling as downtown Seattle, Fremont feels much more hip and alive. It also proves to be a perfect place for a city wedding. You also do not have to worry about whether your day is indoor or outdoor, as they offer both! Being in Fremont, it should be no surprise that the Foundry is a myriad of unique architectural designs, which was suited perfectly for the marriage of two cultures during the Kingdon-Chander wedding. Dancing out in the streets beforehand was a sight to behold, something you really couldn’t do in downtown Seattle without fear of wacky drivers or angry drunk people.
A few key details about the foundry to perhaps sway you into making a decision include they have standing space for nearly 1,000 people (see the Kingdon-Chander wedding for example), they provide alcohol (for a fee, obviously,) and they have a bridal suite and changing rooms. If none of this has convinced you of the blast of a time you could have here, look no further than the Kingdon-Chander wedding. It definitely is up there with one of our favorites!
Replacing the urban, downtown ceremony with a natural, idyllic setting we made our way up to Snohomish for the Mackie wedding. Green Gates at Flowing Lake is one we have not had a chance to visit a whole lot, but boy do we want to get back there as soon as this pandemic is over. An October outdoor wedding was a bold risk, but the Mackies' gamble paid off for their wedding. Grey skies, orange pumpkins and leaves, white chairs, and the aforementioned Flowing Lake conjured up a Fall wedding that was supremely perfect.
If you still want to get hitched here without the outdoor portion, they have an elegant ballroom and a farm setting. It’s a bit of the best of everything, though we were more than pleased to get the chance to witness the ceremony with the Flowing Lake in the background. While their spaces won’t hold nearly as many people as other venues (they cap at 200), if you are on the lookout for an utterly peaceful and quiet ceremony filled with nature, this is it!
We have officially made our way out of the cities for today, and still find ourselves up in Snohomish. This time around, the Zeigler wedding was spent at Maroni Meadows, run by Jackson and Deni Maroni. From the moment you set on the property, you feel like you have been transported to a whole new world. Peaceful doesn’t even do it justice. There is such serenity up here, especially when you find yourself getting ready in cozy spaces and can hardly hear anything but birds chirping. The 5-acre area comes filled with trees, ponds, greenery, a floating beverage bar, tiki torches and more. It is out-of-this-world great, and that’s not even the half of it.
Featuring a large reception tent, a separate covered building, two ceremony arbors, bocci and volleyball (and more), there is no shortage to fun activities to spend your day relaxing before the ceremony. Keeping it small, they also cap their guests at 200 to keep it as tranquil as possible. The Zeigler’s early fall wedding was absolutely wonderful with the shading trees and strung up lights. It’s one of those spaces where the hours breeze by in the blink of an eye.
We are down to our final wedding for today, and it was a doozy! For those adventurous souls, perhaps those with a love of mountains and the cold, Mountain Springs Lodge may just be the place for you. For the Floms, it was the complete and total definition of a winter wedding. Late February does not inspire the idea of warm temps, especially not up in Leavenworth, but despite the snow, ice and cold, Mountain Springs Lodge really was a winter wonderland. Offering a number of ceremony spaces, the Floms stared winter dead in the eye and said, “we want to get married outside in the snow.” And so they did. You’d think we were lying if we told you there were sleighs criss-crossing in the background, but it was the absolute truth.
If you want a big bash of a wedding, they allow up to 400 people for outdoor ceremonies, but cut it in half once people make their way indoors. Offering up packages that include just about everything that can go into your day, there is little wrong you can do with getting hitched here. And for those who just love the cold, seriously, this was one winter wedding we will surely never forget!
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There you have it for this week’s installment of our Favorite Venues of 2019! Did you see somewhere you might like to get hitched? Want to get married in a blizzard or would you rather keep it indoors and safe? We would love to hear from you below! Be sure to check back soon for the final five venues before we move on to Favorite Vows!