Wedding DJ at First & Main in Knightdale, NC

The Space

A fire tore through downtown Knightdale on February 7, 1940, and the 1940s mercantile building that rose in its place now houses First and Main, fully restored as an event venue in Old Towne Knightdale. The building still carries its original 12-foot tin ceilings and heart pine floors, worn to a soft color that a couple would recognize immediately from a walkthrough, and a curated collection of vintage furniture and decor comes with the rental at no extra cost.

Knightdale itself dates to an incorporation in 1927, named for Henry Haywood Knight, who donated the land that brought the railroad through town, and the venue sits inside that same historic district, walking distance from Knightdale Station Park, Oak City Brewery and Prime Barbeque. The 5,000 square foot Main Hall is the single event space, laid out for ceremony, cocktail hour and reception all in one room.

Capacity & Layout

The Main Hall seats 200 for a reception or dinner alone, or 125 when the same room hosts both ceremony and reception, and tops out at 240 including staff for a standing event. That range covers a wide swing in guest count without a couple needing to book a second room, since the space is reconfigured rather than swapped out between the ceremony and the party that follows.

Rental includes 12 farm tables, 240 metal chairs, whiskey barrel cocktail tables and a built-in bar and buffet counter, along with dance floor rugs and an on-site event manager for the 8 hours of included event time. A converted vintage RV on the property serves as a groom’s waiting area or a couple’s retreat, an unusual but genuinely useful detail for a downtown venue without separate dressing rooms.

Amenities

There is no on-site kitchen, so caterers bring their own setup into a small dedicated prep and staging area, and the open vendor policy lets a couple choose any caterer, florist or photographer that fits their style rather than picking from a required list. A wireless speaker system is built in, and a 65-inch flat screen TV is available for an additional fee.

Parking runs to 65 on-street spaces within a two to three minute walk plus an overflow lot with 80 more, and the building is fully wheelchair accessible, including the entrance and restrooms. A one-hour rehearsal slot is available one to three days before the wedding, and the venue permits open flame candles in containers along with command strips, while asking that nothing be nailed or screwed into the walls; confetti, glitter and rice are not allowed, and a $500 damage deposit is held until the event wraps.

Location & Getting There

First and Main sits about nine miles from downtown Raleigh, near the crossroads of I-540 and US 264, inside Old Towne Knightdale’s small stretch of shops, breweries and green space along First Avenue, close enough for Raleigh guests without feeling like an extension of the city, and close to Knightdale Station Park, Oak City Brewery and Prime Barbeque for a rehearsal dinner or an after-party.

With original tin ceilings 12 feet up and hard heart pine floors throughout, the Main Hall carries sound with some natural liveliness, so a DJ working the room benefits from a bit of built-in reverb off the ceiling and floor rather than the flat, absorbed sound of a heavily carpeted banquet room.