I held a masquerade ball at Old St. Andrews in May of 2019.
We considered about 14 other venues from as far north as St. Simon's Island and as far south as St. Augustine. We needed a building that had a vintage aesthetic to it. What we found is that, if we wanted to spend less than $8,000 for the venue and have some flexibility to bring in our preferred caterer and limited additional decor, this is by far the prettiest and least expensive building. (WELL BENEATH the $8k average for every other venue in town- no hidden fees that hike up the rate!)
Jade and her team took over event management a few months after I secured the location. I'm so glad they did, too. It was a big improvement from the previous management team.
This was the first time I'd planned a personal event this large and I emailed Jade with lists and lists of questions. (So. Many. Questions.) She was always extremely gracious and helpful each and every time.
The building itself is stunning, and photos *do not* do it justice. All of our guests raved about how beautiful it is inside and out. We had opera singers perform and the acoustics carried their voices all over the building with no microphones needed. Old world charm that looks like a beautiful historic church but easily made to look like a large home or parlor and not a church if that's what you want.
The only downside to this venue is that the restrooms are outdated. As with most restrooms that are older, they can look like they're not very clean. But Jade made sure that they were cleaned especially thoroughly to put my mind at ease. Honestly not one single guest said a word about them because everything else was just perfect.
The location of Old St. Andrews is great- central for guests and lots of parking nearby. Even our guests from other states found it with no problem and found very nice vacation homes nearby.
We also used the Merrill House next door for our guest of honor to have some photos taken while the guests arrived at the church building. This home looks like the original owners walked out the front door in 1885 and not a single thing inside has been moved since. It was really cool to see even their shoes, gloves, and bedside table with books still sitting out. Photos in this house turned out to be stunning! I would only recommend asking them to crank the AC up the night before because it was definitely warm in there for ladies in ball gowns and gentlemen in long jackets.
We rented some items from a company that Jade recommended and they were great. We also hired a bar tender, Britnie, as recommended by Jade. Britnie was so patient and kind with all of our guests. She arrived early and pitched in to help us when we got behind with set up. I would rent this building and work with Jade, David, and Britnie again in a heartbeat.
