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:
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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!
Sent on 05/24/2021
Marlin N.
· Married on 02/20/2021
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Gorgeous Wedding Venue at an affordable price
Leslie Ladendorf and Jessica Loveless with the City of Gainesville and Thomas Center were so helpful and enthusiastic. They worked closely with us so we could have the dream wedding we wanted despite all the COVID restrictions imposed by the county. Leslie and Jessica went above and beyond to ensure that the event was perfect, safe, and every detailed was covered. Our wedding theme was lights and stars. Leslie and Jessica were even able to convince the city of Gainesville to allow us to keep the gorgeous Christmas lights that were in the magnolia trees around the fountain. Those lights which were blue and gold (our wedding colors), added an unforgettable feeling and made the ambiance feel like a true fairy tale. Leslie was on premises the day of the wedding making sure everything was going well. We are very appreciative of all the time and effort put forth by both Leslie and Jessica. The event would not have been the success it was without their help and support.
Sent on 03/02/2021
Matshia L.
· Married on 08/01/2020
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Gainesville’s Hidden Gem!!!
This venue is BEAUTIFUL and the staff is incredible. I had my wedding here and I could not have asked for a better location. The venue provides rentals à la carte which makes it perfect for any budget. I’m so happy I went with the Thomas Center. Venues can be so crazy expensive but The Thomas Center gave me the beauty and elegance that i wanted for my wedding without the crazy price tag. Highly HIGHLY recommend.
Sent on 08/03/2020
The Historic Thomas Center's reply:
Thank you for your kind words Matshia! Our team had the pleasure working with you and your family to create the perfect day that we hope you will cherish for a life time. Congrats on your new journey together!
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.
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!
