The Allan House | My Top Pick for a Downtown Austin Wedding Venue

couple smiles while holding drinks at wedding reception

Picture a beautiful fall wedding day at one of the best Austin, Texas wedding venues. Tess and Charlie chose this spot for their October wedding for its charm and prime location in Downtown Austin. See why Austin wedding photographers like myself love having the chance to photograph The Allan House!

How The Allan House Could Be Your Perfect Fit

bride and groom kiss with wedding party surrounding them in front of the allan house

Built in 1883, The Allan House wedding venue is a historic Victorian mansion surrounded by blooms and old oak trees in the heart of Downtown Austin. You can see incredible views of the area’s high-rise buildings from the very top of the mansion as well as capture intimate moments together on the white-washed balcony of the second floor. For this wedding, we did most of the portraits at the church, but ordinarily, portraits on the lawn with the mansion in the background are the prettiest!

The venue stands out against the hustle and bustle of the city in an interesting way contrasting the old vibes with the new. I love it for the courtyard and veranda with its twinkle lights and its practical ability to host large receptions.

guests mingling during the reception at the allan house

The following are highlights of what The Allan House has to offer:

photo of the cake and florals through the window

Exclusive use of both indoor and outdoor spaces: parlors, verandas and courtyard
Private getting-ready suites
Outdoor tree lighting and twinkle lights
Catering prep kitchen
Outdoor sound stage and lighting
Tables and chairs for up to 150 guests, bistro furniture for up to 40 guests, 6 high-top cocktail tables
2 white bar facades
Setup and breakdown of their furniture
On-site manager
The winter tent is included for all events during the months of December, January and February (a clear tent that covers the entire courtyard space + a heating system, chandeliers and white draping)

The Allan House offers indoor and outdoor event spaces for both the ceremony and reception with options for tenting the expansive outdoor courtyard. It provides a great alternative to the typical hill country venues seen all over Texas that are more nature-based. The inside is more capable of smaller weddings while the outdoors are better fit for larger events between the veranda, lawn and courtyard:

Indoor Ceremony: 65 guests
Outdoor Ceremony: 45-200 guests
Indoor Reception: 60 guests
Outdoor Reception: 50-200 guests
Cocktail Style Reception up to 250 standing room guests

couple perform first dance during reception at allan house under twinkling lights

Charlie and Tess’ Wedding Day at The Allen House

bride and groom looking at each other during wedding portraits

couple embrace with the green grass behind them for wedding portraits

Charlie and Tess started the wedding day timeline by getting ready at their respective homes (see photos in the gallery below!). We then easily transitioned over to The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd for their ceremony. This is actually one of my favorite churches to photograph ceremonies and wedding portraits in Austin.

bride taps groom on shoulder during first look

couple look at each together while posing underneath arch

The grounds offer a variety of outdoor spaces with beautiful arches for first looks, wedding party photos and family portraits. There is even a courtyard filled with flowers making for a nice space to capture wedding photography before or after the ceremony. After doing the first look, ceremony, and family photos at the church, we headed out to The Allan House for the reception.

groom dancing during reception at the allan house

I especially love The Allan House for nighttime reception photography because it is fun to see the surrounding city lights. The couple had the local Austin band Blind Date perform all night and they were incredible! Hands down, Blind Date is the best band I’ve seen perform at weddings and they are definitely worth looking into if you are going that route for your reception! The guests had an amazing time and because of that, we were able to get some pretty epic dancing photos!