Like a storybook “secret garden” come to life, a new venue, The Solarium, has entered the metro area wedding scene.

Courtesy of local luxury hotel The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis, The Solarium outdoor garden terrace boasts lush live foliage and beautiful florals bathed in sunshine through its glass façade by day and glowing mood lighting by night.

“The Solarium is a passion project we dreamed about for more than 10 years,” says Amanda Joiner, the hotel’s general manager.

The Solarium showcases the beauty of the outdoors while offering the cozy comforts of the indoors. “When a bride is looking at an outdoor wedding venue, there is worry about rain, but this space removes that fear barrier,” explains Joiner, noting the structure’s roof remains in place year-round, while its removable glass-panel walls can be taken down in the spring and summer and installed in the fall and winter. “So it’s ideal for those who want the element of outside, but also want air conditioning and heat.

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A flexible event site that can be divided into three distinct sections with the use of two additional glass panels, The Solarium can serve as a space for all wedding events, from the engagement party to the bridal shower to the ceremony, reception or rehearsal dinner.

Couples can even match the venue to their wedding style, whether it’s a chic, modern affair or an elegant, charming gathering, with a choice of clear acrylic infinity chairs or chocolate-brown cross-back garden chairs, and an 18-person mobile fire table. Additionally, a selection of three sizes of round cocktail tables and multiple mobile teak wood bars allow the space to accommodate 190 seated diners and 225 guests for drinks.

One recent wedding showed how the new setting can play host to a seamless event, Joiner explains: Overnight guests at the hotel enjoyed access to The Cigar Club, while attendees arriving on the wedding day were ushered from the covered valet area at the entrance through a stairway directly to The Solarium for the ceremony. A reception followed in front of the hotel in Carondelet Circle, which Joiner notes The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis can assist in renting from the city for $800. During the reception, The Solarium was transitioned from the enchanting garden ceremony setup to an elegant, seated dinner for the big day’s finale, Joiner says.

A storybook ending, indeed!