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Buckhead Wedding Venue
The Tess, Autograph Collection weddings
A Buckhead hotel on East Paces Ferry Road with 13 event rooms and 18,669 square feet of event space. The Cresthaven Ballroom seats up to 240 and opens to a 1,823 square foot open air terrace. The Tesserae restaurant has a rooftop patio for up to 100, which suits a welcome party or an after party.
Ceremony And Reception Spaces
| Space | Guests | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cresthaven Ballroom | Up to 240 banquet, 400 reception | 4,128 square feet in the floor plan |
| Cresthaven Terrace | Up to 50 reception | 1,823 square feet open air |
| Tesserae Rooftop Patio | Up to 100 reception | 996 square feet |
| Dirty Rascal Room | Up to 90 banquet, 250 reception | 3,498 square feet, with its own patio |
How It Photographs
A ballroom with its own terrace and a rooftop patio, so there is open air at two levels for portraits.
Venue Details
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Lodging | Rooms on site |
| Phone | +1 470-600-3510 |
| Website | The venue site |
| Address | 415 East Paces Ferry Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30305 |
Facts from marriott.com, read November 2026.
What The Hotel Publishes
- Event space, 18,669 square feet in total
- Wedding services
- Tesserae Restaurant holds up to 200 for a reception, with a rooftop patio and a semi covered patio, and the Dirty Rascal has its own patio.
How I Would Photograph A Wedding Here
In a hotel ballroom I arrive before the guests and photograph the room while it is still perfect, the tables, the flowers and the glow of the chandeliers. Once the doors open it never looks that clean again. During the reception I bounce my light off the ceiling, so faces stay soft and the room keeps its warm color instead of a flat flash look.
This hotel publishes an outdoor space, so I would plan around the sun. A ceremony outside at midday means hard light and squinting guests, so I ask couples to look up the sunset time first and work back from it. Even when the ceremony is inside, the open air is where I would take the two of you for twenty quiet minutes before dinner.
Height and a view are what make a city wedding look like a city wedding. I would find the spot where the buildings line up behind you, then come back to it at blue hour, about twenty minutes after sunset, when the city lights come on and the sky is still deep blue.
A smaller room is a gift for photographs. Everyone is close, the toasts are personal, and I can cross the whole room in seconds without missing a reaction.
Ask for a getting ready suite with a big window and some open floor. A clean, bright room makes the dress, the details and those first quiet minutes look like a magazine story, and it saves time on the day.
Questions To Ask The Tess, Autograph Collection
- What is the food and beverage minimum for our date, and what does the package include?
- If it rains, which indoor room holds the ceremony, and when do we have to decide?
- Can we bring in an outside caterer for a cultural menu, and is there a fee?
- Is there a suite for getting ready, and does it have a big window?
- Where in the hotel can we take portraits, and are any public areas off limits on our date?
- What time can the vendors load in, and when does the music have to stop?
- How many rooms can we hold in a block for out of town guests, and until when?
Send me the answers and your date, and I will plan the photographs and the film around them. Check your date.
Plan The Day
A Wedding Day At The Tess, Autograph Collection
The Tess, Autograph Collection lists outdoor space, so the ceremony time is the one decision that changes every photograph. I like a ceremony that ends a little more than an hour before sunset. The light is softer, guests are not squinting into the sun, and we walk straight from the recessional into portraits while the sky warms up. The Tess, Autograph Collection does not publish a rain plan, so ask for it in writing and walk the backup room on your tour.
The times below are worked out from the sunset in Atlanta on the 15th of each month, with daylight saving included. Move everything earlier in winter and later in June.
| Month | Ceremony | Portraits Begin | Sunset | Blue Hour Ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | 6:45 PM | 7:30 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM |
| October | 5:20 PM | 6:05 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:35 PM |
Getting ready photos usually start about two hours before the ceremony, so book hair and makeup to finish thirty minutes before I arrive.
Compare
How The Tess, Autograph Collection Compares
At up to 240 guests, The Tess, Autograph Collection is one of the smaller venues in this guide, which suits a guest list that wants to feel close. Like most venues here, it does not put a full price online. 2 of the 13 venues in this guide do. Close by in Buckhead you can also look at The St. Regis Atlanta, The Whitley, a Luxury Collection Hotel, JW Marriott Atlanta Buckhead. Other hotel venues in this guide are Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Loews Atlanta Hotel, The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta.
Questions About The Tess, Autograph Collection
How many guests fit at The Tess, Autograph Collection?
The Tess, Autograph Collection publishes up to 240 guests. Ask the venue which space fits your plan.
Will you photograph our wedding at The Tess, Autograph Collection?
Yes. I photograph and film weddings all over Atlanta. Check your date and tell me about your plans.
Found Your Venue
Tell me where in Atlanta you are getting married and I will tell you how I would photograph it.