Skip to main content
Weddings

About

The Historic Thomas Center is a wedding venue in Gainesville, Florida. The Historic Thomas Center is a cultural center that houses special event spaces and art galleries that showcase many local and regional artists. This beloved local gem, when not hosting events, cultivates community by holding different gallery events, concerts and festivals. This historic center offers beautiful backdrops with different locations on site to host your guests.

Facilities and Capacity
The Historic Thomas Center has hosted milestone events in the lives of local residents for decades and knows how best to maximize its spaces for your big day. A picturesque veranda is the perfect place to welcome guests and offer cocktails, as it overlooks the beautiful gardens with a fountain and flowers. From there, guests can be escorted to the ceremony in the West Gardens or Turtle Court that features a Romeo and Juliet-style balcony. The Turtle Court is a picture-perfect spot for an intimate cocktail hour, too. The Spanish Court with full skylight allows guests to dine and dance under the light of the moon and stars. The Historic Thomas Center can accommodate 175 of your closest friends and family.

Services Offered
The Historic Thomas Center is an art gallery and wedding venue with many unique features. The services that it offers includes:

  • Event rentals
  • Rehearsal dinner
  • Engagement party
  • Elopements
  • Bridal shower
  • Chairs
  • Tables
illustration popular

Venues you may like

See other venues that are popular with couples right now

Frequently asked questions

Do you have a site fee for wedding receptions at your venue?

Yes

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during peak season?

$1,534

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during off-peak season?

$1,531

Do you have a site fee for wedding ceremonies at your venue?

Yes

What is the starting site fee for wedding ceremonies during peak season?

$500

What is the starting site fee for wedding ceremonies during off-peak season?

$500

Which of the following are included in starting site fee?

Parking

Which of the following are included in the starting price for bar service?

Open Bar

Describe your venue:

Art Gallery
Banquet Hall
Historic Building

What kind of settings are available?

Indoor
Covered Outdoor
Uncovered Outdoor

Which of the following wedding events does your venue service?

Ceremony
Reception
Bridal Shower
Engagement Party
Elopements
Rehearsal Dinner

What event services do you offer?

Event Rentals

What event items are available?

Chairs
Tables

What transportation and access is available?

Parking
Wheelchair Access

What months are included in your peak season?

March
April
May
October
November

What months are included in your off-peak season?

January
February
June
July
August
September

Reviews of The Historic Thomas Center

We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
4.9 out of 5 rating
4.9 out of 5 rating
137 Reviews
98% recommend it
  • Quality of service
    4.9 out of 5 rating
  • Average response time
    4.9 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    4.9 out of 5 rating
  • Value
    4.9 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    4.8 out of 5 rating
Peter
Peter D. Sent on 03/30/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Gorgeous venue, best value!

For our 3/26/22 wedding, we booked the Historic Thomas Center. We had a great experience throughout the entire touring/booking process. Kathy and Jessica provided excellent service and had timely responses to all of my questions.

This venue allows you to book out different rooms/areas based upon what you need, and for what length of time. However, the venue as a whole only books one event per day, so the entire grounds are basically exclusive. We rented out the Turtle Court, Veranda, Period Room, Long Gallery, and Spanish Court for different areas, and all of the spots were clean, well maintained, and gorgeous for our guests! The pricing for this venue was also extremely competitive with others that we looked into and found that it was worth every penny.

We took bridal and family pictures out in the garden. Please be advised that while the signs clearly state dogs are not allowed, there were multiple dogs in the park, and dog feces on the ground. Be careful where you step!
M
Morgan E. Sent on 08/31/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Very helpful and responsive

Long story short, I had to cancel my wedding, but I did work with this venue for almost a year preparing for the event. I worked with Kathy and her coworker, both of whom were amazing!! I worked mostly with Kathy who was reassuring, extremely responsive, took time to explain things, and really put my mind at ease. She was wonderful. Plus, you can’t beat the price here!
Nicole
Nicole P. Sent on 05/24/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect Venue with Vintage Charm

The Thomas Center holds a very special place in my heart. In my opinion, it is the perfect venue space. Located in the heart of Gainesville near downtown, it has beautiful historical charm, several photo shoot locations and to me is the most perfect venue space! My husband and I used to have picnics under the large, magical oak tree and under that same tree is where we said our vows to each other. Honestly, for us there weren’t any cons to this place. Some people may not be happy if you want to use sparkles and they do have a limit on how many people fit inside the venue space. However, those restrictions were not an issue for us at all.
To us the pros included:
-Ceremony and reception in the same location
-Beautiful venue space inside and out
-Accessible parking
-Helpful and organized staff
-Great network of vendors to work with
-Reasonably priced for everything that it included
The staff at the Thomas Center went above and beyond to make our wedding day feel extra special! Kathy Nguyen and Jessica Loveless were phenomenal to work with, especially planning a wedding with several COVID restrictions in place. They answered all of my questions in a timely fashion and helped us plan a safe, intimate and beautiful wedding during a pandemic. The day of my wedding everyone greeted me so warmly and I will never forget everything they did to make us feel welcome and comforted. From the bottom of our hearts, want to thank the entire Thomas Center staff for all of the work they did to make our wedding day a dream come true!

Professional Network & Endorsements

4 Endorsements
Kara Winslow Makeup Artist Kara Winslow Makeup Artist Wedding Hair & Makeup

The Historic Thomas Center is one of my favorite locations in Gainesville to do a wedding. It is gorgeous and the history hits close to home with me. My grandfather actually used to stay there when it was a hotel back in the day. So every time I walk through the halls I think of him. Even if you don't have personal history with the building you can't help but love the architecture and amazing grounds. Not only that but the staff is always very friendly and helpful. I just adore getting to work on weddings at this location.

MasterPiece Weddings MasterPiece Weddings Wedding Planners

The Historic Thomas Center is one of the most beautiful places here in Gainesville! We love working there and can't say enough about working with Erica as well! She makes it totally easy on our couples and completely wonderful from a planner's perspective! Her staff are always professional and on time and we can count on them to go above and beyond for each and every couple!

The Plant Shoppe Florist The Plant Shoppe Florist Wedding Florists

A fabulous venue with many options. The staff is always friendly and helpful. Always a pleasure when we get to showcase our work there.

Map

Other vendors in Jacksonville for your wedding

Wedding Venues