Venue Spotlight: The Rhapsody Event Space
A VEnue That’s TRansparent
In 2024, I had the pleasure of photographing at the Rhapsody for two of my weddings. Overall, I highly enjoyed this space for wedding celebrations and I could see why my couples were flocking to its doors! While researching the space a little more for the purposes of this post, I was impressed at the up-front details about pricing and amenities on their website. If you are looking for a '“one-stop-shop,” they provide in-house options for florals, centerpieces, DJ, photo booth, AND coordination. As a wedding photographer, this is just another great thing for my couples to enjoy to make the planning process easier. I’ll be mainly focusing on my perspective and experience at this particular venue for this article, but I encourage you to see out more details about how they can help make your wedding day shine. Access more information about The Rhapsody on their website here!
Note-worthy Features
Day-of Coordination
When I first arrived at the venue, I was greeted in the main reception building by the day-of-coordinator. They were pleasant and helpful in providing me a quick run down of the space as well as showing me where I can stash my gear whenever guests begin to arrive. I want to say the person’s name was Megan, but don’t quote me on that! Regardless, they were present throughout the entire day and heavily involved in all stages of the preparations. I love that the venue provides more than just an “on-site manager” for your wedding day and that person is actually committed to your celebration. It’s worth mentioning that this is not always the standard at venues, and you should clarify with your venue in detail what “day-of coordination” means to them. True day-of coordination should include at least one, maybe two meetings prior to discuss logistics and floor plans, provide or be familiar with a physical timeline of all of your events and vendors, and hopefully be facilitating decorations or at the very least confirming placement if they are not doing it themselves.
TIP: If you do not have a day-of coordinator or planner for your day, designate someone as the point of contact for your vendors (that isn’t you) who they can refer to for any setup questions. Trust me, the day will fly and you will not have time to be leaving your makeup chair to check on preparations. This person could be someone in the wedding party (for simpler issues), a detail-oriented relative (preferably not a parent who may be in photo opts early on), or a trusted friend.
The BRidal Suite / Groom Suite
Another great asset at The Rhapsody is the bridal house and groom cottage are within steps of each other. This is incredibly handy if you are only having one photographer for your day (however, I always recommend two photographers if you are not doing a first look, have a large wedding party, or have a jam-packed day – your timeline will thank you). Being able to maneuver quickly between the two suites was such an asset for saving time. And you already know this if you’ve spent any time looking at venues lately, but more than likely your partner’s suite is probably small, dark, not photogenic, or nonexistent. Well you don’t have to worry about that at The Rhapsody!
If your venue does not have double getting ready suites, there are some solutions that may work for you! Check out my article on how to troubleshoot not having dedicated getting ready spaces for different ways you can get around this issue.*
*Article in draft! Reach out directly if you need help ASAP!
Multiple Ceremony Locations
The Rhapsody has several options for ceremony locations: a garden pergola, a covered waterfall courtyard, or the indoor ballroom. You can literally get married in any season here and not have to worry about rain insurance! Woot, bonus! So long as your heart can be flexible on where you say “I do,” you will not have a shortage of beautiful backdrops for your alter.
Fun fact: it rained at this wedding! Could you tell? Probably not! We were originally scheduled to be on the lawn, but it was decided for the comfort of the guests that it would be better to do it by the waterfall. And it was BEAUTIFUL. We still were able to do family photos and other photo-ops down at the original alter spot later in the day, making it a win-win!
The In-House DJ
Who's ready to party?! One of my couples chose to hired Bryan, the owner of the venue and DJ extraordinaire, for their day. Bryan did a phenomenal job and the in-house lighting and sound system was definitely up there on my list of best DJ experiences. He was friendly, personable, and energetic. He led the shoe game, “snow ball” dance floor game, and the anniversary dance in an entertaining way that got all of the guests involved and out of their chairs.
If music and good audio for speeches is important to you, make sure you pick the DJ that’s right for you! It’s so so sad to see a beautiful day end on a low note because of an inexperienced DJ. I cannot stress the importance enough to VET YOUR VENDORS. If their website looks like it took them 10 minutes to build on GoDaddy, chances are they are cutting corners or providing low quality services to their couples. Are they lacking up front information about their services, pricing, and procedures? Chances are they don’t have a system and are just side hustling for extra cash. Stay vigilant though, because good vendors also do not always cost an arm and a leg.
This venue is truly an exciting option for couples who want to check off strong portions of their vendor list quickly and efficiently. Planning a wedding is already stressful enough: keeping tabs on multiple services, staying on top of payment deadlines and details, and communicating with dozens of vendors can really take the fun out of planning! I HIGHLY recommend considering a planner to help streamline the process, whether your venue provides a lot of your support vendors, or whether you’re keeping track of them yourself. This is your day to kick back, soak in the love from your family and friends, and just enjoy being married! I hope this article was a helpful insight on the wedding experience at The Rhapsody. It’s one of my favorite venues to photograph at! If you’re tying the knot here, you will be in great hands.
