Converted General Store in San Francisco
Did I ever tell you the story about my bridal shower? It goes like this: I never wanted a bridal shower, but agreed to a small, casual event at my mom’s house for the sake of the aunties. We hosted a potluck, and I’m pretty sure everyone wore jeans. When the other half of my family found out about said shower, they immediately went to work setting up a nicer, more “appropriate,” surprise shower event at a fancy restaurant that floats on water. I was never supposed to know about it, but by nature of the same aunties, caught wind of it anyway. And that is how I, who never wanted a shower to begin with, ended up with two events, on the same weekend, with the same goddamn guest list.
While this story highlights that my family is ridiculous, it also brings up some of the primary problems with picking locations for smaller wedding-related events, which are:
- If you’re living in a major metropolitan area, limited square footage means at-home events are often a no-go, and more traditional outlets (like restaurants and hotels) are either $$$$ or unavailable.
- Even if you do have a home available to you, hosting parties at your house can be a pain in the ass. (So. Much. Cleaning.)
- If you’ve got divorced families, neutral territory might be a necessity.
Or at least, those were problems before Peerspace.
Think of Peerspace like an Airbnb for venues. I’m talking the hidden gem, can’t-find-it-with-Google venues you’ve probably already spent hours searching for. But unlike Airbnb? The hosts on Peerspace actually want you to use their space for an event. And while many of you already know Peerspace for their amazing wedding venues, what you might not know is that they also have a ton of smaller, affordable spaces for things like wedding showers, rehearsal dinners, and all those other wedding-related events that also… happen.
APW has worked with Peerspace twice now, once in a huge studio location, and once in a tiny space. And both times I’ve been impressed by how smooth the process was (especially when we only had a few days’ notice to pull something together).
Allison Andres for A Practical Wedding | Venue Courtesy of Peerspace
Here’s how it works:
- You can use the interactive Peerspace map to search within a specific neighborhood, or broaden your horizons to a whole region.
- Narrow your search down by venue type, number of guests, and price per hour (particularly helpful if you’re looking to host something smaller).
- When you click on each listing, Peerspace will tell you the maximum number of attendees the venue can hold, and if there’s a minimum number of hours you need to book. (Bonus: Lots of the smaller, more affordable venues only have one- or two-hour minimums.) Peerspace also encourages customer reviews and lots of photos so you know exactly what to expect in each space.
- Enter your dates and begin the booking process. You can also always message the host first to ask any questions.
- Peerspace makes it easy to pay online once your booking has been approved (particularly useful if you’re paying by credit or debit card, or if someone else is footing the venue bill).
Peerspace currently has spaces available in New York, San Francisco (and the surrounding Bay Area), Los Angeles, Seattle, Austin, Chicago, London, Paris, and Berlin, and they are adding new cities every time we talk to them. So if you’re looking for alternative bridal shower locations, engagement party venues, or a nontraditional space to host your rehearsal dinner, here are just a few of the kinds of spaces you can rent with Peerspace:
Mid-Century Gathering Space in Chicago
Industrial Brewery and Tasting Room in San Francisco
Napa Winery Private Tasting Room
Amazing Downtown Loft in Seattle
Vibrant Multi-Purpose Space in Seattle
S0 if you’ve been planning your wedding and suddenly realized there are a bunch of other events coming down the pipeline, then head to Peerspace and find the perfect place to host them. Or better yet, just forward this post to your aunties. They’ll know what to do.
Click here to browse Peerspace and find the perfect wedding venue, shower location, or rehearsal spot.
