Wedding FAQ

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Can I Schedule a Tour?

We’d love to show you around and discuss the details of your event. You can contact Jill Jones, Event Administrator by filling out our Contact Us form or by emailing her directly at jjones@aladdinshrine.org. Tours are scheduled by appointment during business hours from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm, Monday through Friday, or by appointment in the late afternoon, early evening, or on the weekends. Tour availability times depend on already scheduled events that may be occurring at our venue. NOTE: Please make an appointment for your tour. While we do appreciate that you’re in the area and want to pop in to take a look, the frequency of events occurring daily in our building means that we cannot accommodate walk-ins.


How Do I Book My Wedding and/or Reception?

A non-refundable deposit of 50% of the room rental fee is required to hold a date for any day and time of the week. Deposit is due upon receipt of the signed Rental Agreement (Contract). Once the deposit, along with the signed contract, is received by the Aladdin Event Center, you are confirmed for the agreed date. The deposit is applied toward the final cost of the event.


What is the Service Fee?

There is a service fee of 25% of the venue rental fee applied to the final event balance. This fee covers all associated labor, such as security personnel, use of our catering kitchen facilities, trash removal, and after-event cleaning crew.


What Are the Payment Terms?

After the deposit is made to secure your date, the remaining balance will be due 2 weeks prior to your event. Host bar beverages are invoiced after the event.


Can I Bring In My Own Food/Use the Kitchen?

All food must be provided by one of the following:

  • one of our recommended caterers
  • a licensed caterer of your choosing that isn’t on our list
  • an established and fully licensed restaurant
  • an established and fully licensed grocery store

If using a caterer not on our list, you must provide us with the catering license of that caterer at least two weeks in advance of your event.

If using an established restaurant or grocery store, their good standing status must be verifiable by Franklin County Public Health.

If you are bringing in buffet food yourself from an established restaurant or grocery store, or if a restaurant is dropping off your food and then leaving, you will NOT have access to the catering kitchen other than for the temporary storage of food in the refrigerator. NO ONE is permitted to cook, reheat, or prep in the kitchen without Food Handler Certification, Person-in-Charge Certification, or Kitchen Manager Certification. The certificate of each person working in the kitchen must be provided to us before the kitchen can be opened.

We DO NOT allow food to be brought in that has been prepared in a home kitchen. Unfortunately, that means no home-cooked potlucks, no home-baked cookies, etc. We do understand that homemade food is a great way to offset costs (not to mention that it is really delicious!), but due to liability concerns, our insurance policy won’t let us allow it.


Can I Bring My Own Alcohol?

No (but see the “however” paragraph below). The Aladdin Event Center holds a liquor license, so all alcohol, canned or bottled sodas, and bottled water must be purchased through Aladdin. All alcohol must be served by Aladdin bartenders.

If your event will not be serving alcohol and you do not wish to have bar service, canned sodas and bottled water can be purchased through us and placed in self-serve coolers for your event.

HOWEVER, you or your caterer may provide non-alcoholic beverages that are served in drink dispensers, including coffee, lemonade, iced tea, iced water, etc. Your caterer may also provide water glasses filled with water at each place setting for a plated dinner. No caterer may provide alcoholic beverages of any sort, whether in a dispenser or not.

Please note: Your guests must be able to show valid ID as proof of age 21 in order to be served alcoholic beverages.


What Are the Minimums?

The Aladdin Shrine Event Center does not require any food or beverage minimums for your event.


What is Included With My Wedding?

All wedding rentals include: tables & chairs and their setup and teardown, LED lighting in the Grand Ballroom (in your choice of color), a built-in dance floor, chandelier and ceiling draping in the Grand Ballroom, Gazebo, Bistro Lighting on the Patio (May through October), free WiFi, and free parking. Ceremony & Reception packages include 5.5 hours of event time, and Reception Only packages include 4 hours of event time.


Is the Venue Handicapped Accessible?

Yes! We are completely ADA certified, and everything is easily located on one level.


Host bar or Cash bar? What’s the difference?

With a Host bar, you agree to pay for your guests’ beverages up to a dollar amount that you set in advance (your “cap”). Our bartenders keep track of all beverages served. You are charged for those beverages after the day of the event. You will only be charged for the beverages that are ordered and an 18% gratuity.

A Cash bar is just like any normal bar experience, where your guests will pay for their own drinks as they order them, and they are responsible for all bartender gratuities.


Are There Hotels & Restaurants Close By?

There are plenty of hotels, restaurants, and entertainment nearby.


Is There An Additional Cost for Banquet Chairs?

No. We include the banquet chairs at no additional charge, and we set them up for you.


When Would My Ceremony Rehearsal Take Place?

You are guaranteed a one-hour rehearsal. Your Event Administrator will request from you a desired day and time approximately 30 days prior to your wedding. 


Is There a Rain Plan for My Ceremony?

Yes, our Gallery will seat 200+ in the event of rain or inclement weather.


Is There A Room Where I Can Get Ready?

Yes! The Bridal Suite is a great space where you and your bridal party can get ready for your big day! It’s also private, so you can store personal items during your event. Makeup artists and hairstylists love the LED lighting, as well as the large mirror, sinks and counter space. The private bathroom comes in handy too! We also have a separate Groom’s Room stocked with comfortable seating, full-length mirror, and a TV.


Can We Come In Early to Decorate?

You are allowed access into the building 2 hours prior to your event. We will have all of your tables & chairs set so the room will be ready for you or your vendors to decorate. Need more time than that? Talk to the Event Administrator!


Do You Allow Candles?

No, we do not. With the sole exception of a unity candle to be used during your indoor or outdoor ceremony, only battery-operated candles are allowed.


Do you Allow Animals?

With the exception of service dogs, we do not allow animals. However, we do understand the trend of hiring an experienced pet handler to bring your dog(s) to the venue for your wedding ceremony or photo sessions. And we do love dogs!

To include your dog(s), we must be notified at least 30 days in advance of your intent to have your dog(s) present. A waiver will be provided and must be signed in advance of your event, a $50 non-refundable surcharge per dog will be added to your bill, and we require that the dog(s) be leashed and with you or the hired handler at all times. We also require that you or your hired handler properly clean up after your dog(s).

Please note that we reserve the right to deny permission to bring your dog(s), or to ask you to remove your dog from the premises once on-site, if we feel it is necessary.


What are your decorating guidelines?

  • Sparklers may be used outside only, but you are responsible for ensuring that expended sparklers are cleaned up and placed in a trash receptacle after they have cooled.
  • Cold sparks fireworks specifically labelled for indoor use may be used. These are the only type accepted for use in our facility. If you are planning to use these, you are required to let us know in advance.
  • Bubbles may only be used outdoors.
  • We DO NOT allow confetti, rice, fake flower petals, hay or glitter inside or outside.
  • We DO allow real flower petals, but only outside.

Do we have to clean up after the event?

As written in our Rental Agreement, you are responsible for returning the space to us in the same condition that it was given to you. We will invoice for any damages and any cleaning above normal. What does that mean? It means you are responsible for doing the following:

  • Make sure that all trash is placed in a trash receptacle, both indoors and outdoors. This includes anything on the floor that cannot be picked up by a vacuum! You are not responsible for vacuuming; our cleaning staff does that.
  • Make sure you have removed everything you brought in with you. If you need to store anything with us for pickup a few days later, please inform the security guard and he will show you where to store it.
    Anything left in the building after your event without arranging for short-term storage with the guard or Event Administrator becomes the property of Aladdin Shrine Event Center.
    Any items not picked up on the pre-arranged day without communication of a delay becomes the property of Aladdin Shrine Event Center.
    This does not include lost and found items.
  • FOOD CLEAN-UP. All food and serving items brought in by you or your caterer must leave with you. Anything left behind becomes the property of Aladdin Shrine Event Center. No food is to be left in the sinks, refrigerator, freezer, or ovens, or on the prep table. The prep table must be wiped off. We will mop the floors and sanitize the surfaces, including the prep table.