Kennesaw is best known around the state as the home of Kennesaw State University, and plenty of its couples, not just students and alumni, choose a wedding day about 42 miles away in downtown Rome instead of a campus-adjacent hotel.
A college town has energy, but its event spaces tend to be built for graduation weekend and campus conferences, not a wedding day. River Arts Venue is a genuinely historic downtown building instead, about 42 miles from Kennesaw, with a full kitchen and enough room for the ceremony, reception, and after-party in spaces that were never a ballroom-for-hire in the first place.
Kennesaw's identity is tied closely to Kennesaw State University, one of the largest universities in Georgia, which means a lot of the area's event space is built around campus life: conference centers and hotel ballrooms near the interstate, spaces meant for graduation weekend more than a wedding day. About 42 miles away, downtown Rome offers something with an entirely different history.
River Arts Venue is a historic building in Rome's River Arts District, arched beams and polished concrete floors instead of a conference-center carpet, with a full kitchen and an upstairs Loft for the wedding party. For a younger Kennesaw couple working with a real budget, it is also simply a different price point than a big-metro hotel ballroom, without giving up an indoor, full-service space.
Because the venue books by the space and the hour rather than a fixed package, a Kennesaw couple can scale the day to the guest list and budget they actually have, from the Meeting Room for a small ceremony up to a full whole-building buyout for a bigger celebration.
A River Arts wedding is rarely just the wedding day. The engagement party, the bridal shower, and the Monday morning vendor meeting can all happen at the same downtown Rome address.
The full Northwest Georgia wedding guide: spaces, pricing, and everything Kennesaw couples ask about.
Engagement parties, bridal and baby showers, and the rest of the celebrations that lead up to the wedding.
Book the Meeting Room for a rehearsal-dinner planning session or your next off-site, no extra drive to Atlanta.
A River Arts wedding is not confined to a single room. Each space below is bookable on its own, or combine them for the full day.
The flagship space for the ceremony and reception: an open floor, arched beams, and a full kitchen, with the Loft included, up to 200 guests.
An upstairs lounge of couches and soft seating where the wedding party can gather beforehand or slip away to during the reception, up to 30 guests.
Right-sized for a small ceremony or an easy rehearsal dinner, seating 50 or 75 reception-style.
Take over every space for a weekend buyout: Big Room, Loft, Office Suite, and studios, scaling to 300 guests.
There is no single fixed wedding package, since every wedding books a different mix of hours and spaces, but the starting points are public. The Big Room, with the Loft included, starts from $200+ an hour with a 3-hour minimum, and a weekend whole-building buyout for the largest celebrations starts from $2,500+ a day. For a smaller Kennesaw gathering, like a rehearsal dinner or an intimate ceremony, the Meeting Room runs $125+ an hour Friday through Sunday with a 3-hour minimum, or a Monday through Thursday block from $200+ up to $300+ depending on the time of day.
Your total depends on the hours and spaces you book, so request a quote for your date and see how much further your budget goes toward the caterer, the photographer, and the honeymoon.
See what past couples and guests have to say about their day at River Arts Venue.
Read our Google reviewsAbout 42 miles from downtown Rome.
Not for most of our Kennesaw couples. It is a real drive, but a historic downtown building is hard to find close to a campus town, so the trip is usually worth it.
It can be. The venue books by the space and the hour instead of one fixed package, so a smaller Kennesaw wedding can start in the Meeting Room and scale up only as far as the guest list needs.
Yes. Bring your own caterer, DJ, florist, and decor. The full kitchen in the Big Room is built for an outside caterer to use real equipment.
The Meeting Room seats up to 50. The Big Room with the Loft holds up to 200, and a whole-building buyout scales to 300 guests.
Whatever the size, from an intimate ceremony to a several-hundred-guest celebration, check live availability and request your date. A deposit secures it, and we'll help with the details from there.
Check dates & book