The Indianapolis Propylaeum

ere top-notch. The Propylaeum will forever hold a special place in our hearts, and we appreciated the smoothness with which our wedding proceeded. In the paragraphs below, I’ll throw around words like unique and historic, but I don’t use those words lightly. At the Propylaeum, Ella Fitzgerald can play across the same rooms—her smooth sound echoing off the classically decorated walls, floor, and ceiling—where soiree-attendees in the 30s and 40s might have downed cocktails and listened to those same songs stream from a Victrola phonograph. Venues like the Propylaeum are rare gems. Long Version: Think of this review as the answer to three important questions: (1) What’s the venue like? (2) What planning went into the wedding? and (3) How did the wedding day proceed? First, what’s the Propylaeum like, as a venue? I could use any number of typical descriptors here: beautiful, historic, charming. These are all appropriate. But the details tell a better story. For example, the Propylaeum’s décor connects visitors with the women’s suffrage efforts of the early 20th century, with artifacts and documents from activists’ efforts. The art spread throughout the building is superb and further formulates the historic atmosphere. A T.C. Steele painting welcomes you as you enter the main lobby. Beyond the look and feel, the Propylaeum comfortably accommodated the fluid movement of our wedding’s 140 guests. Wedding-related events can take place across the entire grounds, the wraparound front porch, the household, and the carriage house—we used all of these. The multilevel carriage house is perfect as a dance area, with a large, open area and a kitchen. For our reception, the household and carriage house worked in tandem: one for the dinner and toasts, and the other for dancing. Second, during the planning phase, the Propylaeum staff provided creative and receptive assistance. Samantha and I visited the venue several times in the build-up weeks and LaurieAnne Perez, the Propylaeum’s Event Coordinator, took significant time to answer all of our stressed-out questions and met with our photographer and DJ. On the day before the event, multiple staff members were on hand for wedding setup. Although Samantha and I like to pat ourselves on our collective backs for surviving our wedding without hiring a planner—we put in a lot of legwork!—the Propylaeum staff helped with this achievement from the planning phase up to the moment Sam and I exchanged vows. Third, on our wedding day (and weekend, for that matter), the Propylaeum became our comfortable headquarters. Indeed, the fact that the Propylaeum offers six rooms as a bed & breakfast minimized back-and-forth travel for those involved with the wedding. Several multipurpose rooms across the three stories helped us store decorations, food, and gifts. These several rooms also served as wedding prep rooms where the wedding party could relax, change, or eat during the lead-up hours. Of course, many wedding venues offer storage and prep rooms, but these are different; as I mentioned above, you’re sitting in a monument of Indianapolis history. The different floors and rooms, and the stairways and hallways that connect them, are gorgeous and unique.

pier.

the bar and it was fixed right away. The waitstaff was phenomenal, however, the manager Karen was quite rude to me. She was asking small-talk questions about the wedding the next day and then telling me how SHE would have done it differently for whatever reason. She was also extremely off-putting to my guests, insisting that they have a particular dessert over the others because it was her family's recipe regardless of what they ordered. Despite that, I would definitely host another event at The Propylaeum.