Unique, one-of-a-kind venues are places that make us excited to be a part of a wedding, and The Armory in South Bend falls perfectly into that category. Brick walls, refinished wood floors, industrial ceilings - woohoo! And that's exactly what South Bend sweethearts Brit and Jeremy wanted for their wedding reception.
The Armory was the former Newman Recreation Center, located at Eddy Street and Northside Boulevard across from the South Bend Farmer’s Market. Thankfully developer Brad Emberton saw more in this building and spearheaded the renovation project along with Kurt Janowsky from Navarre Hospitality Group.
If you're from the South Bend area, you've probably heard of Iron Hand Winery (and sampled a bottle or two of their fabulous wine) but may not have realized The Armory is connected to it. This phenomenal facility can accommodate up to 400 guests which makes it one of the larger venues in the area.
Brit and Jeremy are an eclectic couple who love playing games with their family and friends. Board games, card games, you name it, they are down; and when it comes to team trivia…these two are staples on the South Bend trivia scene every Tuesday night! Rather than have a huge-over the top wedding with 300 guests, the couple chose to have their ceremony on-site at The Armory with just about 90 guests and wanted to create an intimate environment. Enter Krissy Campbell and her awesome design team who knocked it out of the park in making the large Armory space cozy and inviting for the guests to view the ceremony from their farm-style tables. There was not a bad seat in the house!
Hanging crystal chandeliers, lots of greenery and the golden sunlight streaming into the skylights and windows in the bar area on this gorgeous November afternoon helped accentuate the warm vibe. We went one further for the ceremony space itself with our Highlight uplighting package in candlelight color behind the white drapery to add to the vibe in a soft way that photographer Jenna Powers loved. Later, after the ceremony was complete, the Armory staff moved a sweetheart table in front of the drapery which then created a warm-glowing backdrop for Brit and Jeremy during dinner and toasts.
To keep with the family theme, the Maid of Honor was Brit’s mom and Best Man was Jeremy’s brother. Brit’s Uncle Tom officiated the ceremony and got ordained just for the big day. Tom was very nervous about his “job”, but we put him at ease in helping to explain the process and the wireless over the ear mic to him. With newfound confidence he did an awesome job and really added a lot of emotion and meaningfulness to this special ceremony. The newlyweds walked away to the theme from the 90’s hit sitcom, “Mad About You”, which was a unique and absolutely perfect choice for their personalities!
An extended cocktail hour followed the ceremony with passed appetizers and ended with a spirited Grand Entrance with DJ Sticky Boots as the emcee and Brit and Jeremy making a dramatic entrance from the Romeo and Juliet balcony overlooking the ballroom. Spectacular! Navarre provided a delicious plated-dinner of both Salmon and pork Porchetta to fill guests up, and then it was time for dancing!
Having a fun, energetic entertainment option was important to Brit and Jere which is why they chose the Sticky Boots Platinum Entertainment Package. One thing that not all couples realize is the Platinum Entertainment Package can be as clubby and high-energy or as chill as you want - the vibe is all yours to choose, and Sticky Boots will make it happen! Obviously a fun couple like these two chose energy, and the dance floor was jumping the rest of the night with this small but mighty crowd.
This was also our last wedding celebration of 2019, so it was such a delight to go out with this incredible group of clients, vendors and now, friends!
Cheers to 2020!
WEDDING WIRE REVIEW:
Jeremy Horvath · married on 11/16/2019
5.0 Stars
Blake was the absolute BEST
My wife and I were referred to The Music Place by our wedding planner and we are so glad we were. From the first phone call we had with Blake we definitely came away thinking he just got our "vibe" for music for our wedding. We knew how important choosing the right DJ was for our wedding (our ceremony and reception were in the same place), Blake understood the importance of his role in making the day special. He was able to take a little bit of our tastes in music and compile a "dope playlist" (direct quote from one of our wedding guests). We got multiple compliments from guests about how awesome the music was - he played a little bit for everyone, and several people wanted to know if they could get a copy of the playlist for their own. If you're looking for a professional DJ to take your special day to the next level, you cannot go wrong with The Music Place
Ceremony song selections:
Bridal Processional: Canon In D (Piano) - Pachelbel
Bride’s Entrance: A Thousand Years (Piano) – Christina Perri
Recessional: Final Frontier (Mad About You Theme) – Andrew Gold
Reception song selections:
Grand Entrance: Let Me Blow Ya Mind (Instrumental) – Eve f. Gwen Stefani; Everlong – Foo Fighters
Cake Cutting: Cake By the Ocean - DNCE
First Dance: Lover – Taylor Swift
Father-Daughter Dance: I Turn To You – Christina Aguilera
Mother-Son Dance: In My Life – The Beatles
Anniversary Dance: Can’t Help Falling In Love - Elvis
Vendors:
The Armory
Navarre Catering
Krissy Campbell Celebrations
Jenna Powers Photography
C’est La Vie Cakes