When Wedding Planner Felicia Dale asked if I wanted to participate in a Delphi Opera House wedding styled shoot, I could not say “yes” fast enough!
I mean, Felicia is an incredible wedding coordinator and planner; the Delphi Opera House is a timeless, elegant wedding venue; and Felicia recruited some very talented wedding vendors to participate in this shoot. Essentially, I knew every facet of this styled shoot would be beautiful and well executed—just like all weddings planned by Felicia and her team. And, now, I’m thrilled to share photos from this Delphi Opera House wedding styled shoot on the blog!
Looking for an elegant wedding venue just outside of Lafayette, Indiana?
Before we get to the images, I can’t help sharing a bit about this gorgeous venue located in Delphi, Indiana.
While you can read more about the building’s history on the Opera House’s website, Assion-Ruffing City Hall was built in 1864. While the first and second floors of the building were dedicated to retail stores, offices, and apartments, the third floor was built to be a large meeting room available to the community. In fact, the very first gathering on the third floor was a dance in 1865 to celebrate the return of Civil War soldiers.
Wanting to bring entertainment to the Delphi community, in 1881, John Lanthrope and John Ruffing partnered to remodel the third floor of City Hall into an opera house. With a reputation for liking the finer things and being a musician himself, Lanthrope created a theater with fantastic wall and ceiling paper, tiered flooring, and countless other elegant elements. When the theater was complete, it could seat 500 people.
From 1882 until 1910, the Delphi Opera House housed two to three productions per week, where theater troupes, minstrel companies, lecturers, poets, musicians, and big names—such as Marie Litta and James Whitcomb Riley—regularly took stage.
With the rise of motion picture theaters, however, the Delphi Opera House’s popularity began to rapidly decline in the 1910s. Then, in 1914, the Delphi Opera House officially closed its doors after new fire codes resulted in the third floor being condemned and deemed “unsafe” by the fire marshall.
The third floor of the building sat untouched for 82 years until the Delphi Preservation Society purchased the building. Wanting to restore the building and make it operable again, The Delphi Preservation Society worked to have the building listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which resulted in grants that allowed the building’s facade to be restored and the roof to be replaced.
Then, through grants from the North Central Health Services and The Tippecanoe Arts Federation, the restoration of the interior of the Opera House began. During the analysis of the original design, more than 30 samples of wall and ceiling papers were found. The Delphi Preservation Society worked to reproduce as many key wallpapers as possible. Then, they worked to recreate and/or redo the faux bois paneling, window frames, and trim.
However, rather than filling the Opera House with folding theater seats as it had been before, The Delphi Preservation Society left the floor open, which now allows for events to take place in this historic space.
Today, the Delphi Opera House is operated by Delphi Opera House, Inc.’s board of directors, and the building is used for both events—such as weddings—and to continue to bring entertainment to the Delphi community.
Today, the Delphi Opera House has wonderful bride and groom suites, multiple ceremony location options, and a truly elegant reception space. As I had the pleasure of photographing this Delphi Opera House wedding styled shoot, I kept thinking, “I can’t believe this beautiful venue is in such a small town just outside of Lafayette, Indiana.”
And, I have to say, from a wedding photographer’s perspective, the Delphi Opera House is a truly gorgeous venue. I mean, between the natural light from the large windows and the fact that the Opera House is within walking distance of several ideal photo locations in downtown Delphi, I cannot recommend this venue enough.
For this styled shoot, I was fortunate to work with an incredible group of wedding vendors from the Lafayette, Indiana area.
While the Delphi Opera House is certainly a beautiful wedding venue, Felicia planned this shoot with some of the most experienced, high-end, kind-hearted wedding vendors from Delphi, Lafayette, and the surrounding area.
Between the decor, florals, gowns, accessories, and every other perfect detail, I so enjoyed working with all of these vendors and cannot recommend them enough. Please scroll to see photos of their amazing work, visit their websites at the links below, and—if or when you are engaged—be sure to keep these talented individuals and teams in mind as you choose your wedding vendors!
Creative Team
Planner: The Wedding Planning Studio
Venue: Delphi Opera House
Decor Design & Rentals: Wilson Events by Design
Bakery: Cakes by Lex
Stationery: PSR Designs
Florist: Flowers & Friends Flora
Makeup Artist: Phoenix in Flight Beauty Services
Hair Stylist: Artemis Color Lounge & Lifestyle Studio
Bridal Boutiques: Empire Consignment & Trudie’s Bridal & Formalwear
Tuxedo Rental: Trudie’s Bridal & Formalwear
Food: Fika Coffee Wine Nibbles
Photographer: Victoria Rayburn Photography
