Citizens Ballroom – Historic Wedding Venue in the Heart of Downtown Frederick

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It’s fun when the venue is new to all of us. While it’s common for a wedding venue to be completely fresh to the couple, it’s exciting when it’s my inaugural visit too! This day had all the elements I love capturing in a wedding photography timeline: precious moments between the couple, exploration of their wedding site, and fun DIY elements to personalize the day. The couple’s selection of Citizens Ballroom in Downtown Frederick, Maryland was the perfect backdrop!

A Halloween Weekend Wedding at Citizens Ballroom

The story of this black and white wedding theme begins with Halloween. Actually, as the bride titled it: “Halloweekend.” They intentionally planned their wedding festivities for the weekend of Halloween tying their black and white wedding colors to the holiday.

Describing herself as a “big theme girl,” Nicolle’s chosen wedding theme was inspired by the phrase, “‘Til death do us party.” As she explained it, she hoped for “some moody but fun photos that capture our wedding vibe.”

They even made sure that their engagement photos reflected the theme as well. We photographed their non-traditional engagement photos at a cocktail bar in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Having photographed many other couples at hidden speakeasies and bar lounges in DC–I was so excited for this fun session!

PRO TIP

Keep in mind, when planning your wedding during a holiday, that means everyone else is celebrating the day too. This can result in added congestion like this wedding encountered due to a Halloween festival happening in Downtown Frederick. If you are looking for a more sleepy vibe, plan for dates at your venue that are further away from major holidays.

Citizens Ballroom–Exploring A New Maryland Wedding Venue

I love discovering all that a venue has to offer right alongside the newlyweds as we celebrate their big day. Originally a bank built in 1908, Citizens Ballroom was renovated in 2021 transforming it into a Maryland ballroom wedding venue.

So many of this historic cornerstone building’s original details were retained: bronze doors, 30-foot paneled ceilings and the bank vaults themselves. It is an intimate space that feels very grand positioned in the heart of Downtown Frederick. Nicolle and Brandon chose the location for how it reflects their love of small-town urban living both hailing from Old Town Alexandria.

They utilized the space creating a look that Nicolle describes as “Dark and moody, romantic and elegant. The venue screamed black and white to me, but also for Halloween weekend I wanted a mildly dark vibe in the historic building.” Some of their favorite venue features are the marble, vaulted ceilings, and its overall “chic, classic and timeless elegance.”

Top Features of Citizens Ballroom

16-hour full-day rental window.
The venue has a small getting-ready room, but I only recommend using it for capturing final preparation details only.
Outside caterers are welcome.
Included: wedding rehearsal, tables and chairs.
Space: 6100 sq. feet, 130 guest capacity on the main level with additional guests on the mezzanine (200 person total capacity including vendors).

Adding Personality to the Day in Your Own Way

One of the key phrases used by Citizens Ballroom to describe it is a “blank slate with character.” Nicolle and Brandon added their own character to this setting through some key DIY wedding decorations.

The bride’s passion project paid homage to the bank and the safety deposit boxes it houses in the vault. She crafted a DIY wedding seating chart that gave each guest a skeleton key attached to a hotel-style keychain printed with their name and table number. Nicolle additionally built a selfie mirror decorated with a half arch of flowers that was unfortunately cracked upon arrival.

Using Flower Moxie, Nicolle also crafted the DIY wedding flowers for the arch, selfie mirror, and the reception centerpieces. Another DIY portion of the day was the bride and bridesmaids’ killer skills in doing their own wedding makeup and hair!

I also loved the options that the removable sleeves of the bride’s wedding dress by Essense of Australia offered! Nicolle did the first look through cocktail hour wearing the sleeves and then swapped to spaghetti straps for the reception as an entirely new look!