In 2019, the average engagement length was 15 months, according to The Knot. The same study found the average cost of a wedding was $28,000, while wedding parties had an average of five bridesmaids and five groomsmen. Whether your engagement, budget or wedding party fall in line with the average or wildly differ isn’t important. Your wedding will be unique and one of the most important days of your life. Everything from the dress and decorations to the food and music will come together to create unforgettable memories.
Many brides and grooms get lost in the little details, worrying about everything coming together perfectly and whether or not guests will enjoy themselves. However, it is usually just a few things that keep people talking after the big day is over — the food, the drinks, the music and the overall atmosphere. So many of those details come down to the venue you choose.
If you are tying the knot in Louisiana, you’re in luck. There are myriad memorable and beautiful places to get married in Baton Rouge.
Choosing a Rehearsal Dinner Venue
While picking the right venue for your wedding is essential, you can’t forget about the evening before saying “I do.” The rehearsal dinner gives you and your wedding party a chance to run through the entire ceremony, ensuring there are as few bumps in the road as possible on the actual day.
The rehearsal will likely be held at your wedding venue, but the following dinner may be hosted elsewhere. The entire wedding party and both families will all be together in one place, maybe for the first time. This event gives the people who care the most about you and your spouse-to-be a chance to mingle and get to know one another better.
The rehearsal dinner also plays a significant role in setting the tone for your wedding. When searching for a rehearsal dinner venue, you can ask yourself:
- What kind of food do I want to share with a more intimate group of family and friends?
- How small or large do I want the space to be?
- How much of my budget do I want to allot to this part of my wedding?
Common venues for this pre-wedding event include restaurants and banquet halls. Generally, the dinner is held somewhere near the wedding venue for the sake of convenience. The best rehearsal dinner venues in Baton Rouge range from small, intimate spaces to sprawling facilities for larger parties.
Anywhere that holds private events can host your rehearsal dinner. Remember, just like a wedding venue, it is important to book your rehearsal dinner space well in advance. You do not want to be scrambling at the last minute to put together an event as important as the rehearsal dinner.
The Best Places for Rehearsal Dinners in Baton Rouge
Here are five popular rehearsal dinner spaces in Baton Rouge.
The Gregory
The Gregory is an upscale restaurant located at the Watermark Hotel in downtown Baton Rouge. The restaurant serves classic Southern dishes with a gourmet twist. After rehearsing the ceremony, calm your pre-wedding jitters and bring your wedding party together for a delicious meal at The Gregory. Nibble on tasty small plates, like the pork and oysters, and indulge in delicious big plates, like the roasted duck.
The restaurant’s atmosphere is both elegant and intimate. It serves as an ideal setting for friends and family — new and old — to mingle and celebrate the upcoming wedding. The staff members at The Gregory are charming and attentive. They are trained to handle private events, ensuring everything runs smoothly during your rehearsal dinner. A dinner at The Gregory is an excellent way to set the tone for a timeless, gorgeous wedding day.
Ruffino’s Italian Restaurant
Located at the southern edge of the city, Ruffino’s Italian Restaurant offers steak, seafood and classic Italian dishes in a cozy, welcoming atmosphere. Ruffino’s has ample space for group reservations and four private dining rooms that can accommodate 15 to 120 people for a more intimate rehearsal dinner meal.
Beausoleil
Beausoleil is an intimate, relaxed bistro in Mid City South offering fresh seafood and other coastal dishes focused on capturing the flavors of Louisiana. Beausoleil sources ingredients from local sources, ensuring the Baton Rouge culture remains at the heart of all their cuisine.
Recently remodeled, this upscale Baton Rouge staple now offers a bright, airy atmosphere with a spacious patio for outdoor dining.
French Market Bistro
Wine lovers will adore the French Market Bistro. This restaurant has been in Baton Rouge since 1996. Since then, it has earned quite the reputation for its wine selection. Wine and dine your rehearsal dinner guests in style. Choose from hundreds of different wines, and enjoy steak, seafood, pasta and more.
Cecelia Creole Bistro
The Cecelia Creole Bistro in Downtown Baton Rouge offers old-school Louisiana dishes like crab cakes, fried oysters, shrimp and grits, gumbo and fried green tomatoes in a modern, chic space.
For your rehearsal dinner, consider private dining in The Loft, an intimate event space located above the main dining space. This 5,700-square-foot space features exposed brick, wooden beams, a private bar and glossy wood floors, as well as a balcony that overlooks the Mississippi River for outstanding sunset views.
Wedding Venues in Baton Rouge
The majority, 80 percent, of weddings take place in a religious institution such as a church, synagogue or mosque. You may be a couple who holds to this tradition, or you and your spouse-to-be might prefer to have your wedding and reception in one place. Either way, your reception venue gives you a chance to create just the right tone for your big day.
How do you choose the right venue? Of course, there are many considerations, but here are four of the biggest deciding factors.
Location
First, is there somewhere of special significance to you and your partner? Maybe it’s a particular neighborhood in Baton Rouge, or even a particular place. Second, is the location convenient? Can everyone you want to be there make it? Is there enough parking? These details are less romantic and more prosaic, but still important to think about. Third, do you want to say “I do” inside or outdoors?
Atmosphere
Here is the most fun element to consider when reviewing your venue options. You and your fiancé have the chance to think about your personal tastes and style and how this translates into an event space. Maybe you want to get married and celebrate somewhere with a classic and elegant style. Perhaps you are less traditional and want to tie the knot somewhere with a fresh, funky ambiance.
It is also important to ask if the food and entertainment are part and parcel with the venue. Do you need to select from the space’s list of vendors, or can you add your unique tastes by selecting your own? How much of a personal touch or decoration can you add to the venue?
The People
You may have found a visually stunning place, but don’t look before you leap. Talk to the staff who run the event space. Are they willing to help you through the process? Are they friendly and professional? The staff at your reception venue should make your big day as easy as possible. They should not be a point of stress or concern.
Price
Your wedding may be the most important day of your life, but you likely still have a budget to consider. The average amount spent on a wedding reception venue increased from $14,006 in 2014 to $14,788 in 2015, according to The Knot. Thankfully, there are plenty of affordable wedding venues in Baton Rouge that still serve as a beautiful backdrop for exchanging vows and/or dancing the night away.
Baton Rouge’s Best Wedding Reception Venues
Here are five beautiful wedding reception venues in Baton Rouge:
The Watermark Hotel
If you are looking for classic Baton Rouge wedding venues, the Watermark Hotel is undeniably the first space to consider. The romantic hotel has a long history and more than a touch of glamour. Couples who exchange vows and/or hold their reception here can choose from four different event spaces. Whichever space you pick for your special day, the hotel’s professional event planners will help you every step of the way.
The hotel can incorporate Cajun details into your wedding reception or book bridal luncheons and showers. You can request a sit-down dinner or a buffet. Many couples say the flowers and lighting at the hotel make the venue stand out from others they considered.
Not only does the Watermark Hotel serve as a magical place to celebrate saying “I do,” this venue also has a wide array of luxurious suites and rooms. The newlyweds and any guests can spend the night in the hotel after a long night of toasts and dancing. A wedding at the Watermark Hotel is an event you and your guests will treasure for a lifetime.
The River Terrace at Shaw Center for the Arts
The Shaw Center for the Arts overlooks the Mississippi River in the heart of Baton Rouge. The building encompasses both modern and classic architecture. Inside, the museum pays homage to the full breadth of arts, theater, music and more. The Shaw Center for Arts hosts weddings on its river terrace, a glass-walled room that has a sprawling balcony. The river-view balcony also offers a view of the museum’s sculpture garden. Couples looking for something a little different in their venue will fall in love with the Shaw Center for the Arts.
The Gatehouse
If you ascribe to a rustic and chic aesthetic, The Gatehouse is your ideal wedding venue. Exchange vows outside beneath a gorgeous gazebo and dance inside below a sparkling chandelier. The outdoor fountain and gardens make an excellent backdrop for your photos, while the indoor space is perfect for an evening of dining, dancing and making memories.
The Lyceum
The Lyceum’s grand ballroom is situated in the building that formerly housed the City National Bank in the 1920s. The newly renovated venue offers modern elegance paired with historic charm and architectural features from the building’s past, including Corinthian columns and distinctive art deco decor.
This opulent wedding venue offers 15,000 square feet of space, accommodating large, exquisite wedding receptions.
La Maison de Bella
La Maison de Bella began as a bed and breakfast but eventually became a dedicated event facility. The event space, which partners with Lauryn’s Fine Catering, is everything you could hope for as the setting of an elegant, charming Southern wedding. La Maison de Bella offers a full complement of wedding ceremony and reception amenities, including wedding gifts for the happy couple. This venue is fit for a true Southerner.
Lake House Reception Center
The Lake House is a large old-world mansion positioned on eight acres of Louisiana wooded grounds featuring a beautiful lake. The mansion exudes Southern charm, with grand southern porches and rotundas outdoors and crystal chandeliers and real wood fireplaces inside.
Choose from multiple ceremony locations to find the perfect spot to begin your happily ever after.
Oak Lodge
Immerse your wedding in an authentic French Quarter experience in the heart of Baton Rouge with Oak Lodge. Oak Lodge offers three elegant venues spaces, each overflowing with New Orleans charm. Party spaces can be used separately, with separate entryways, or combined for larger celebrations. Oak Lodge’s venues offer the ambiance of historical French Louisiana, brimming with elegance with lush outdoor spaces and careful attention to detail.
Parc 73
Parc 73 offers rustic elegance for your wedding, with five acres of lush greenery and majestic oak trees. The reception center is a refurbished barn, perfect for the bride who wants a combination of modern elegance and old-world Southern charm blended seamlessly to create the ideal event.
The grounds at Parc 73 are versatile enough to host a wide range of weddings, so you’re sure to find the perfect spot.
Wedding Venues for Micro Weddings
Micro weddings, which typically include fewer than 50 guests, are the perfect compromise between a large, traditional wedding and an elopement. These weddings, which are steadily gaining popularity, allow you to explore small venues and enjoy sit-down meals with your guests around the table.
While many of the venues above offer space for large, extravagant weddings, some also have more intimate options to accommodate smaller guest lists.
Louisiana Wedding Trends
Every couple wants their wedding to be unique. After you have found the perfect venue, you can plan ways to make your special day unforgettable for you and your guests. If you are getting married in Baton Rouge, tapping into Louisiana trends and culture is one of the best ways to make your wedding stand out.
The flowers, centerpieces, decorations and sign-in table are all opportunities to show off your style. But your food choice is one of the best ways to give your wedding a classic Louisiana twist, not to mention the quickest way to your guests’ hearts:
- Offer a Cajun dish
- Go whole hog and have your entire menu feature Cajun cuisine
- Serve classic, hearty Southern dishes
You can also add a little Southern flavor in the form of a signature cocktail. Mint juleps or whisky sours, anyone?
Planning a wedding, while utterly thrilling, can be one of the most stressful events you will ever put together. You have parents and in-laws to please, friends and family to entertain, and of course so many decisions to make. With the wedding industry booming, there is no shortage of choices. It can be easy to get lost in the sea of roses, lilies, silks, satins, cocktail menus, and DJs.
But not every decision has to be a battle. Some choices are simple. Maybe the perfect dress simply jumps out at you, or maybe just the right band is available for your special day. If all the stars align, you find just the event spaces you have always imagined without an exhausting scavenger hunt across the city. It might seem almost too good to be true if your rehearsal dinner venue is near your wedding venue and both spaces have just the right atmosphere.
Book Your Rehearsal Dinner and Wedding at The Gregory and Watermark Hotel
For Baton Rouge brides and grooms, The Gregory and the Watermark Hotel are a dream come true. The Gregory’s charming, intimate ambiance makes it a standout option for the pre-wedding dinner. The restaurant also happens to be located at the Watermark. Forget about trying to hail cabs, find parking, navigate public transit or give directions to your out-of-town friends and family.
Practice your ceremony in the elegant, timeless space at the Watermark Hotel. Then, simply walk to a delicious dinner and beautiful space at The Gregory. Weddings should be about making a lifetime commitment and sharing that special moment with the people you care about most, not about logistics and stress. Let the staff at The Gregory and the Watermark Hotel show you how they can help make your special day as effortless and magical as you had always hoped.
Cheers to all of the happy couples!
