Our Venue: Welcome Hall

It didn't take long for us to decide on the reception venue for our wedding.  The choices in Brenham are  somewhat limited, especially if you are looking for a place with built in character.  I've known for a while that I wanted my wedding to be in one of the amazing old dance halls in the outskirts of town (aka the country).  We were able to secure our date at Welcome Hall, located in the community of Industry, Texas, and I couldn't be more thrilled.

Welcome Singing Hall was originally located in Welcome, Texas (named for its hospitality, ya'll) but was later moved to its current location in Industry.  I assume that it was built in 1899 based off of the date over the door (duh).  This can only mean that there have been 114 years of killer dances, thousands of cans and bottles of good ol' Texas beer consumed, and a whole heck of a lot of celebrating.

About 11 miles outside of town (yes, we really do classify 'going into town'), the hall is fronted by a Farm to Market road (yes, thats really what its called) and surrounded by pasture and a few cows.  It is perfectly peaceful and quite magical and I love that we'll have such and intimate and remote setting for our celebration.

Though this hall is only 10 minutes from my childhood home, I don't have any memories of ever visiting.  This meant that the first time I saw it (after booking it almost 2 months before) was this past weekend.  We went early morning and it was a bit cloudy outside so when we walked in, the windows cast the most beautiful glow throughout the room.  I was smitten.

The green (!) shutters line both sides of the walls and we've got our fingers crossed that we'll be able to keep them open all evening at the reception to bring a bit of the outside ambience in.  One of my favorite features are the benches that line the wall.  I love to imagine the shy girls sitting along the wall waiting for the cute boy to take her hand and lead her to the dance floor.  Or the person who danced so hard they simply had to grab a cold beer and take a break before they could get out there and dance some more.  I'm a bit of a romantic...can't you tell?

Of course, what is a dance hall without a huge stage?!  I was a bit ambivalent about having a band vs a DJ early on, but I'm SO excited that we'll have a live band.  I've got high expectations for a lot of dancing....We provide the 'liquid courage' and I have no doubt that our guests will show us their best moves!

I'm also excited for the potential for the outside deck space.  A built in bar (one window for California themed drinks and one for Texas of course) and plenty of space to hang out under the stars but still be close to the action.  Perfect for the non-dancers (though there may not be many in this group!) to hang out and get some fresh air.

While there are quite a few perks to this big empty space, there are certainly some challenges we will need to get over.  First, it is a big. empty. space.  There is a TON of character in the building itself, but we certainly have a challenge in making it feel like the forest fairyland I have in my mind (yep, fairies, ya dig?).  I've got some big ideas and some very crafty family and friends so I feel confident that we will be able to make the transformation happen.  Also, unlike a ballroom or hotel, there is no venue coordinator so coordinating everything is up to us.  We will work with our caterer to determine the layout of food and tables in relation to the dance floor but I already have a to-scale map that I made so i can start moving miniature tables around.  I'm the daughter of an engineer and there is no denying the excitement I get out of that activity.  Finally, the bathrooms.  I feel like I should just warn our guests in advance.  They are...rustic, to say it kindly.  Along with the good kind of charm comes the questionable kind of charm I suppose.  I'm sure we'll add in some nice touches to make it a little more on the side of 'good charming' and hope for the best.  But, this is my official warning.

There were many reasons I wanted a Texas wedding (instead of a So-Cal wedding) and this hall is one of them.  The shell of the building is incredible and even more I can't wait to put my own style on the overall design with the help of the amazing Missy at Moosefeathers!

My mom has a great (or rather terrible) story about having to pull down children's artwork from walls and sweeping and mopping her Church Hall for her own reception just hours before the ceremony.  Do you have any wedding disaster stories to share?