World Cafe Live at the Queen proved the perfect venue for this starry-eyed couple.

by Matthew Butler

Laura Bishop Arentz was looking for something different when she set out to choose her wedding’s location—something outside the box, something creative.

Arentz picked World Café Live at the Queen in Wilmington because she had seen photos of others getting married there and it seemed like a place that was unique—not the typical reception hall or country club.

As it turned out, the refurbished Queen Theater provided extra inspiration as Laura and fiancé Luke Arentz planned their Oct. 9, 2015, wedding. They chose the theater’s Olympia Room—featuring its large, arching window—for the ceremony. The reception was held at Downstairs Live, complete with its long bar and large stage.

“It was a really cool, different atmosphere with the big stage,” says Laura. “I had fun planning and we came up with a concert theme.”

That theme included printing concert-style programs with pictures of the happy couple as the stars. They also gave tickets to their guests for the event and sent out similarly styled save-the-date magnets.

Once she found out the location was affordable, Arentz was sure her big day would be a success.

“I had it in the back of my head that that’s what I wanted, but I didn’t really think it was in my budget,” Arentz says. “I was really excited about it. From the beginning I knew it was the one place I really wanted to have it.”