Today’s vendor feature is an absolutely beautiful venue in central Ohio, the Athletic Club of Columbus! I’ve had the pleasure of shooting a wedding there and am photographing Erin & John‘s wedding there as well in 2019. I am incredibly excited to shoot another wedding there this year, not only because of their beautiful space but also because of the amazing people that are on their team.

Because of my amazing experience there, I wanted to share this amazing venue with you all and everything they have to offer! This post will give you insight into their venue! If it looks like the venue of your dreams, DEFINITELY reach out to them to set up a time to see it for yourself – trust me, it’s worth it! Not only will you get an absolutely amazing venue, but an incredible team to go alongside it! Without a doubt, it’s absolutely your best option for a historic venue in downtown Columbus.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Lisa Sullivan, the Wedding Events Manager at the Athletic Club of Columbus, to learn about the venue and what it has to offer! Enjoy learning about this absolutely gorgeous wedding venue!

THE SPACES

There are two main spaces the venue offers: the ballroom pictured above, and the lounge room pictured below. If your guest count is over 100, there is one main way to lay everything out: Your ceremony is in the lounge room (the gorgeous room with the fireplace! So dreamy!) with the reception in the carpeted half of the room (the ballroom pictured above). Once your ceremony is over, they flip the lounge room to make half of it our dance floor, with it opening up to the reception room. If you have a smaller wedding, there are more options as far as having your ceremony in a different areas of the venue! If ceremony is on site, it is recommended to keep it under 200 guests. If your ceremony is off site, they can host receptions up to 300 guests. A space with this capacity is very difficult to find, especially downtown! Their high capacity is such an amazing benefit to this venue!

WHAT’S INCLUDED

With your rental at the Athletic Club of Columbus, it includes the two spaces we chatted about and use of the parlors. The parlors are six smaller conference rooms which make for the perfect getting ready room or holding room for bridal party. Tables, chairs, and linens are included as well. Their setup staff is also there the day-of to help with set up and tear down, to help bring your wedding day to life while you enjoy your day! Their team is absolutely excellent in helping you set up miscellaneous things to help everything go smoothly. They will work with your florist and planner to ensure everything is ready to go! Many couples at this venue opt for a wedding planner as well to help with coordinating everything that goes on in a wedding day. They take care of all of your tear down at the end of the night and will hold your things until someone can stop by to pick them up the next morning.

HISTORY OF THE VENUE

The building was originally designed and built over 100 years ago to be an athletic club. The ballroom was always meant to be an event space. Most of the ballroom is original with very few updates being done to it over the years. All of its rich history is still in the venue. The venue has been hosting approximately 50 weddings per year for decades.

WHAT MAKES THIS VENUE DIFFERENT?

There’s nothing else that looks like this venue, let alone in such a convenient downtown location. If you want to get married in a historic building in downtown Columbus, this is your best choice. It’s absolutely beautiful and has so much history within the space itself. It’s very ideal for brides who are looking for a venue with a lot of character already within the walls. A bride’s vision of having a historic venue is already half way done for them at the Athletic Club because of the absolute beauty of the venue itself.

WHAT IS ONE THING A COUPLE CAN DO TO MAKE THE WEDDING PROCESS EASIER?

From my interview with Lisa Sullivan, Wedding Events Manager at the Athletic Club of Columbus, she gives this advice with years of wedding experience behind it:

“Trust the vendors that you hire. If you pick a solid team, you don’t have to stress about the little things because your team is going to do it for you. Our venue does so much that you’re not even going to realize everything they’re doing behind the scenes… Trust that your team is going to do it right.”

IS THIS YOUR DREAM VENUE?

Find contact information for booking this venue by clicking here! If you are looking for a venue with a lot of history and charm in the city, this venue is your absolute best option. The Athletic Club of Columbus is located conveniently downtown and has so much history and character within their walls. Not only will you be booking a venue with so much of your vision laid out for you, you’ll be gaining a team that is going to show up and serve you well on your big day.