Outside the Ballroom: The Estate House at Cypress Grove; Orlando, Florida

This is one of those places that I dream about for my wedding. It's definitely fit for a southern belle, and although I may not be one, this venue sure fits the bill for a southern style wedding.

The Estate Houes at Cypress Grove is the true southern estate I've been dreaming of. From the orange groves and magnolia flanked gates to the oak tree lined boulevard this venue just screams southern elegance. Found on the shores of Lake Jessamine this is the perfect location to have a fairly large and fabulous wedding. They've got their own wedding team there to help you with anything you might need.



You can find an extensive list of preferred vendors along with menus from Arthur's Catering, Creative Cuisine, and Puff 'n Stuff on their website. There's everything from hors d'oeuvres to buffets to plated dinners!


(27 Miracles Wedding Consulting team)

The outdoor ceremony site overlooks the gorgeous Lake Jessamine.

They have lots of pricing info on their website along with rental info. They also have all you need to know about capacity for the different rooms at the venue. You can make an appointment with them to tour the facility. Something that I found to be pretty awesome is that they will provide standard tables and chairs to seat up to 100 guests. They'll also provide a 12' by 16' dance floor!



What you need to know about this venue:
Location: 290 Holden Avenue, Orlando, FL 32839
Price range: $$$
Ceremony site: Yes
Reception site: Yes
Outside caterer's allowed: No
Parking available: Yes
Valet: No
Outdoor space: Yes
Capacity (without a dance floor): 300
Styles: Historic Site, Museum

Outside the Ballroom: This is a series about discovering other amazing venues that exist for weddings and other events, ranging from castles, to traditional antique ballrooms, to bed and breakfasts, to anything that cannot be classified as a modern ballroom or meeting room. We also want to hear from you about the venues you've discovered, so please submit them in the comments or email them to info@pilsterphotography.net with Outside the Ballroom in the subject. For more info you can find it at the Introduction.

Get creative for your wedding & Save $600 on Pilster Photography!

Pilster Photography takes our photography outside the box and this is why we are offering a $600 creativity discount. If you can tell us how you are planning for your wedding to be different we want to be there!

Are you planning to have a giant white rabbit dance at your reception, or leaving on a British moped that has more headlights than you have people in your wedding party. These were just a few of the weddings where our clients took a step outside of the box.



So fill out our contact form or send us an email at info(at)pilsterphotography(dot)net with "Creativity" in the subject and tell us more about your bowling alley venue, carnival theme, or how your pink hair will match your dress.

If you need some inspiration check out our regular Outside the Ballroom series or the occasional Thinking Different series on our blog.

* Terms and Conditions: $600 is off any coverage or package that includes unlimited coverage and 15% off any hourly coverage. You must submit your wedding before September 21st, 2010 and put a retainer down with a signed contract before October 5, 2010. Submissions only need to include key ideas of what will be at your wedding. Pilster Photography reserves the right to decide what is "Outside the box," and if your wedding is a non-traditional wedding. This cannot be combined with any other offers.

Outside the Ballroom: Columbia Centennial Museum

Chad was shocked that I had never heard of Ybor City before. He wouldn't tell me anything about it and henceforth had me venture off into cyberspace to learn about its rich culture and history. For those that don't know much about Ybor City here's what I've found. It was founded over 100 years ago by Vicente Martinez Ybor, a cigar manufacturer from Spain, and it is now considered a national historic landmark district. Immigrants came from countries like Cuba, Italy, Germany, and even China, just to name a few. During it's glory days in 1929 Ybor City produced about 500,000,000 cigars. But then the depression hit and many chose to leave Ybor city leaving most places shut down or out of business. But some places did remain, one of them being the Columbia Restaurant. It's the oldest Spanish restaurant in the US and in 2004 they opened the Columbia Centennial Museum to feature the restaurant's history. One extremely interesting tidbit I found is that the restaurant opened the same day the Wright brothers took flight on December 17, 1903!



Here you'll find everything from statues, to marble clocks, to amazing stained glass panels. Everything is quirky and unique making the museum the perfect backdrop for Jess and Wade's Alice in Wonderland themed wedding.





I love this awesome wall they have! It's got these neat cubby like cubes in it and they're perfect for personalizing the space. Jess and Wade put some teapots with flowers in them to go along with the Alice in Wonderland theme.

If you ever want to just check out the museum go ahead and stop by! Admission is free and they're open 7 days a week. You'll find them next door to the Centennial Restaurant. They've got a bit of info on their website including their contact info.

What you need to know about this venue:
Location: 2117 East 7th Avenue, Tampa FL 33605
Price range: $$$
Ceremony site: No
Reception site: Yes
Outside caterer's allowed: No
Parking available: Yes
Valet: No
Outdoor space: No
Styles: Historic Site, Museum

Outside the Ballroom: This is a series about discovering other amazing venues that exist for weddings and other events, ranging from castles, to traditional antique ballrooms, to bed and breakfasts, to anything that cannot be classified as a modern ballroom or meeting room. We also want to hear from you about the venues you've discovered, so please submit them in the comments or email them to info@pilsterphotography.net with Outside the Ballroom in the subject. For more info you can find it at the Introduction.