In September of 2008, we traveled across Virginia and North Carolina to find the perfect location for our wedding. The elegant Wells Theatre stood out as our favorite, and we chose it to be the place where we take our wedding vows and host our reception.

A Brief History of the Wells Theatre
The Wells Theatre is significant both as representative of early 20th-century popular culture and as an outstanding example of Beaux Arts theatre architecture in Virginia. When plans were first announced for a new Wells Theatre in Norfolk, the community responded with great enthusiasm and anticipation. The theatre opened on August 23, 1913, as part of the Southern vaudeville chain operated by Jacob and Otto Wells.

The lobby and auditorium are richly decorated with Beaux Arts ornamentation. Terra-cotta statues, ceiling murals, gilt plaster, marbelized walls, stained glass, ornate light fixtures, and heavy drapery all fuse into a romantic image of Renaissance luxury.

Mostly catering to road shows and vaudeville acts, the Wells enjoyed popular success during the teens and twenties. The decline in the popularity of vaudeville coupled with the rise of the movie industry in Hollywood led to the folding of many road show theatres. The Wells chain was not immune to these pressures. In the late 1920s, the Wells Theatre was converted to a movie theatre. From 1961 to 1979 the theatre was used as an X-rated movie house and restaurant, although several rows of the original chairs remain at the rear of the second balcony. In the early 1980's, the Wells was extensively rehabilitated to restore the building to its original use as a stage theatre.