Image from Smithsonian Magazine
Today, the DZR, Peapod, my dad, and I went and checked out The Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts. The DCCA is an art museum with seven galleries and rotating exhibits.
The space is open and “industrial-chic”– leaving a lot of room for a custom design to be set up for each kind of event. The pictures of weddings hosted at The DCCA really lured me into seeing it for myself, ASAP. I even made the DZR drive by the building a few days ago, just to get a peek at the area.
I didn’t take any pictures of the museum– mostly because I was busy scooching around in a wheelchair, looking at The Elliptical Frontiers, the Cause and Effect, and the Unguarded Naratives exhibits. The space itself is great both as an art museum and as a wedding venue. The galleries could make for some awesome photographs, that is, if the exhibits that are up when we get married are just as stunning as the ones we saw today.
The only way to analyze our thoughts on this place is to do a Pro/Con list:
PROS
- The museum is located in an area of Wilmington Delaware where hotels and other niceties are nearby
- If we were married in the late Fall/Winter, the parking lot and area would be cleared of snow
- The space is a “blank canvas” and can be made into whatever we want with our decorations and set up
- They have a long list of caterers we can work with
- Our ceremony location would be an auditorium where we could use their AV equipment
- BOYB-ing is the only way we can get delicious beverages inside
- The DCCA is a non-profit, so by using their services, we would be supporting a place that brings art to the public–they don’t even charge admission to visit! (Also, would the expense of our event be considered a “donation” and would we get a tax break for hosting it there?)
CONS
- By using a space that does not exclusively deal with these kinds of events, we would have to secure many other services (caterers, waitstaff, linens, decorations, etc). While a catering company would take care of most of that, there are things we’d have to pay extra or make arrangements for (like, who would set up the additional decorations for the ceremony the day of? Would the DZR and I literally be hanging Christmas lights an hour before we get married?)
- It’s located in Delaware, so a self-uniting ceremony is not an option
- The space is not one big open space. It has nooks and crannies, which we both like, however, as our guest list grows, we see the benefits of having a large area to work with. For example, we want everyone to be able to see the “head table” from their dinner seats, (if we have one.)
- There’s not a lot of greenery. We will have to either bring it in or sacrifice it. The more I think about it, the more I appreciate the presence of nature in our wedding and reception
- Having access to the galleries during the party is nice, but what about the artwork? It’s a nice conversation piece for everyone, but what if someone spills or wrecks something? I almost wheeled over part of an installation today, and we were the only group in there. What if someone is put off by something there? (Which, honestly, whatever, but imagining a relative being offended by a piece of art– and having that ruin people’s time sounds like a headache. Ugh.) Plus, we would need to take out insurance for our event…
I liked the DCCA and so did the DZR, but for now, we don’t think it’s our number one spot. We just can’t imagine getting married there right now. We’re very fortunate that we’re able to be flexible about our date and we are going to look at a few more places before narrowing down our options.
Visiting a potential location with the DZR was really nice. Seeing The Stone Barn with my mom was also great, however, looking at the face of your beyonce’ while you try to imagine yourself saying your vows or cutting your cake really puts things in perspective. I want to enjoy every minute of our wedding ceremony and reception. I don’t want to worry about whether or not the outside caterers will remember to bring extra cake plates or if my friends will get drunk and make their own “art” in a gallery (by “art,” I mean “puke”). If someone makes “art” outside, in nature, it’s not a big deal. If someone makes “art” on an installation, I’ll be mad. Like, real mad.
