Beautiful Winter Wedding at the Seelbach Hotel

The Seelbach Hotel is a stunning celebration of 1920s opulence. It was the perfect setting for Sam and Christian’s glamorous winter wedding. They balanced impeccable vintage details with a cozy, inviting ambiance to create an unforgettable wedding experience.

In this blog post:

  • The Seelbach Hote

  • A Louisville Wedding Venue with a Rich History

  • A Beautiful Winter Wedding with Vintage Touches

  • Sam and Christian’s Sweet Celebration

A bride and groom kiss during a wedding reception at the Seelbach Hotel.

The Seelbach Hotel

If you want your wedding to scream “Gatsby,” the Seelbach Hotel might be your dream venue. The lobby alone is worth a visit if you find yourself in that part of Louisville. Marble and murals line the walls and ceilings. Art Deco chandeliers light the space with a dreamy warmth. The giant blue staircase with gold rails invites you to keep exploring the building. It’s easy to imagine a beautiful winter wedding set here.

Vintage gloves and shoes lay next to a wedding invitation for a Seelbach Hotel wedding.
A bride looks out a window while her mother fastens her wedding dress.
A bride and groom stand back to back holding hands before their first look.
A bride and groom hold hands in a Louisville hotel courtyard.

When you’re designing your Seelbach Hotel wedding, you’ll want to choose the space that’s perfect for the experience you want to create. They vary quite a bit in terms of aesthetics. These are the spaces available for weddings at the Seelbach Hotel.

  • Rathskeller Room: This room is an architectural wonder. From floor to ceiling, the room is covered in terracotta-colored tiles manufactured by Rookwood Ceramics in Cincinnati. The Rathskeller Room is warm, opulent, and totally unlike your typical hotel ballroom.

  • Medallion Ballroom: This ballroom, along with the others, can be separated into smaller salons for an easy flow of events.

  • Grand Ballroom: The Grand Ballroom is huge and wide open with neutral walls and ceilings and arched windows. It’s a pretty typical ballroom in the sense that you can transform it in so many ways with the right event design.

  • Mezzanine Ballroom: This ballroom looks smaller than the Grand Ballroom, but still has a capacity for 300 guests.

A bride and groom pose for a Louisville wedding photographer.
A bride and groom kiss in a snowy courtyard at a winter wedding in Louisville.
An elderly woman smiles and waves out a window.
Bridesmaids in red and green dresses help a bride arrange her train for portraits outside a Louisville wedding venue.

Here are some helpful quick facts about this Louisville wedding venue.

  • Venue type: Indoor

  • Package inclusions:

    • Bar and catering

    • Service staff

    • Options to add on rehearsal and/or accommodations

  • Capacity: 100 to 650 guests (depending on the room you rent)

  • Starting cost: $6,000

A groom hugs a bridesmaid outside a church.
Groomsmen laugh and pat a groom on the shoulders.
A groom hugs his father-in-law inside a Louisville church.
A bride and groom hold hands at the altar inside a Louisville church.

A Louisville Wedding Venue with a Rich History

The Seelbach Hotel is nothing short of iconic, and that’s thanks to its history as much as its architecture. At the turn of the twentieth century, German brothers Louis and Otto Seelbach wanted to bring a French sensibility to American hospitality. Since the hotel’s opening in 1905, it has hosted famous artists, writers, and politicians, including eight U.S. presidents. F. Scott Fitzgerald even used the ballroom as inspiration for a setting in The Great Gatsby. Like any good historic hotel, there are even some ghost stories associated with the Seelbach.

A bride and groom kiss in front of a stained glass window.
A bride and groom walk their recessional at a church wedding in Louisville.
A bride shows her wedding ring to a relative.
A bride leads a groom and bridesmaids down a sunny hallway.

If you’re looking to show your guests the best of Louisville, the Seelbach is an ideal venue. It’s right in the middle of all the restaurants and clubs on 4th Street. Your guests will have easy access to the city’s most beautiful neighborhoods.

A bride in a long veil poses for a Louisville wedding photographer in an empty church.
A bride in a lace veil poses for an editorial wedding photo on the steps of the Seelbach Hotel.
A bride holds her veil across her face and smiles at a Louisville wedding photographer.
Wedding guests sit on the stairs in the Seelbach Hotel watching a bride pose.

A Beautiful Winter Wedding with Vintage Touches

I love winter weddings because they have a cozy energy that translates beautifully into photos. Sam and Christian’s gallery is a great example. They held their ceremony at a local church then brought everyone to the Rathskeller Room at the Seelbach Hotel for their reception.

A bride and groom pose with family members in the lobby of the Seelbach Hotel.
Reception tables fill the Rathskeller Room in the Seelbach Hotel.
Cupcakes sit on a desert table at a Louisville wedding.
A bride and groom enter a wedding reception at the Seelbach Hotel.

Once we got to the Seelbach Hotel, we took time to do some fun flash photography on the staircase. I loved this chance to get creative and incorporate a fashion element into the intimate party unfolding. 

A bride laughs as she speaks into a microphone at a Seelbach Hotel wedding.
Pink and red flowers decorate a reception table at a Louisville wedding venue.
A bride and groom sit on chairs listening to a speech.
A bride and groom cut a tiered wedding cake in the Rathskeller Room at the Seelbach Hotel.

Sam and Christian’s Sweet Celebration

From the start of the day to the end, Sam and Christian filled their wedding with intention. They had coffee together while they got ready at home. Sam shared a poem written for Christian. At the reception, they put pages from beloved books on each table.

A groom holding a slice of cake kisses a bride.
A bride hugs her father in a candid wedding photo.
A groom dances with his mother.
A bride dances with friends.

I’m so glad that I got to document Sam and Christian’s sweet celebration at the Seelbach Hotel. It was a tender, beautiful experience, and the photos really convey that. 

A bride dances with friends on a crowded dance floor.
A groom points at a friend across the dance floor.
A groom dances with friends.
A bride and groom share a private last dance at a Seelbach Hotel wedding.

Would you like me to photograph your wedding? I’m Kendra, a Louisville wedding photographer. I’ll preserve your wedding with nostalgic photos you’ll treasure for years to come. Inquire with me here!




Thank you to the vendors who helped make this winter wedding incredible.

Planning: Big Day Events

Photography: Kendra Farris Photography

Venue: Seelbach Hotel

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