Your big day. The perfect dress, the one you’ve had saved in your Pinterest tab for months now and worked so hard to find. The matching suits and buttonholes for the best men, everyone will look dapper. The flower girl and ring bearer match your theme too, and lo and behold you’ve actually managed to get the bridesmaids to agree on a dress, well if agreeing means grinning and bearing it then they’re definitely agreeing. The food has been catered for and the honeymoon has been booked, the final and most important detail to confirm is the location.
Finding a great location for your wedding can be tricky, with so many locations to choose from, each professing to be the very best venue for your special day. How can you choose a location that will be sure to meet your requirements?
The Historic Thomas Center in Gainesville FL is a show stopping wedding venue, the creme de la creme as they call it. This article has been put together to help you see just how perfect a wedding venue the Historic Thomas Center is and will share with you all of the details you need to know about it. And of course, you wouldn’t want to put all of your eggs in one basket so I will also list a few other locations that are worth having a peek at too.
Table of Contents
The Story Behind The Historic Thomas Center
So what is the Historic Thomas Center and what makes it so…historic? The building work started on the center in 1910 and was made in a Mediterranean Revival style. The building was originally the home to William Rueben Thomas and his family but in 1928 work started to expand the home and convert it into a hotel and later a local art and cultural center.
The Historic Thomas Center is also known as the cultural heart of Gainesville thanks to the numerous contemporary art exhibitions and historical exhibits that are held there on a regular basis adding to the cultural wealth of the city of Gainesville. The exhibits are open from Monday to Friday and also hold banquet and meeting spaces that are available during the center’s open hours.
The center is located on 6th avenue, just a few blocks from North Main Street and North East Boulevard, making it an easy venue to find and travel to.
Why It’s The Best Wedding Venue
The Historic Thomas Center is a great wedding venue thanks to its beautiful West gardens, eye catching West Veranda, elegant Turtle Court, historic stone water fountain, romantic balconies and courtyards that you can choose as the backdrop to the most important date of the year. And if you don’t fancy being outside, you can spend the day in the enchanting Spanish Court Atrium which has a spectacular glass ceiling that reflects the most precious rays of jeweled light that will enhance the brightness of your day and help you to get the most natural lit photos.
Hotels Nearby
If you are planning to enjoy your special day on the grounds of the Historic Thomas Center it is important to know which hotels are nearby for your guests that are traveling in for the wedding. That way they can come down to the site early and get ready in the comfort of the hotel and be able to enjoy the entire evening without thinking about having to rush back home at the end of the night.
- HIlton University of Florida Conference Center Gainesville
Located a mere 3.4 miles from the Thomas Center this 4 star hotel and conference center would be the perfect location for your guests to wind down after the wedding party.
- Hampton Inn & Suites Gainesville
Want your guests there early for your big day? There will be no reason for them not to be as this hotel is 0.4 miles from the Thomas Center and best of all includes breakfast to keep them full all the way to the “I do’s”.
- AC Hotel Gainesville
This hotel has a great reserve now pay at stay policy and is located just 1 mile from the Thomas Center.
Restaurants Nearby
The days leading up to your wedding will be stressful and finding time to cook during that time will be somewhat impossible. That is why you need to be able to rely on good restaurants near the venue.
- Dragonfly Sushi and Sake – the perfect restaurant if you would like a mix of American and Japanese cuisine.
- Harry’s Seafood Bar – if you love the taste of the ocean, you’ll love the mix of fresh fish available here.
- Emiliano’s Cafe – if you like a bit of a Latin twist with your meals then you will love the menu down at Emiliano’s Cafe.
Other Venues
Do you like keeping your options open? Then here’s a list of other wedding venues that you should also take a look at:
- C Bar Ranch
- Baughman Center
- Western Gateway Grand Hotel
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