Wedding DJ at The Rafters at Historic St. Marks in Huntersville, NC

The Space

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church was built in 1886, the result of a congregation formally established in October 1884 after a Long Creek farmer named Columbus McCoy grew unhappy with the Presbyterian teachings at a nearby church and, with encouragement from Reverend Joseph Blount Cheshire Jr., helped start a new parish. The Rafters now operates on that same 14-acre campus, still an active Episcopal parish alongside the event venue.

The Rafters reception hall itself runs 7,000 square feet with exposed beams and windows that open views onto the wooded campus outside, so the room stays connected to the century-old trees around it rather than closing guests off from the setting. An Outdoor Chapel with wooden benches and a musician’s platform sits nearby between the trees, and the Parish House, also on the historic register, once served as the church’s parsonage.

Capacity & Layout

The Rafters seats up to 200 guests or holds 250 standing, a range that fits a mid-size wedding with room for a dance floor and band or DJ setup without the 7,000-square-foot hall feeling empty at a smaller headcount. Because the church chapel and the Outdoor Chapel both offer ceremony options, a couple can hold the vows in a different building from the reception, giving the day two distinct settings rather than one room repurposed twice.

The Parish House gives the bridal party seven rooms including bathrooms and a large front porch to get ready in, while Founders Hall offers a separate lounge suite with a TV, bar table, and games for the other half of the wedding party. Having both spaces on the same campus as the ceremony and reception means nobody is driving between locations to get dressed on the wedding morning.

Amenities

A full commercial kitchen attaches directly to the reception hall, and catering can run in-house through Flyin’ Lion Ministries, a culinary school that trains adults with exceptional needs, with proceeds from The Rafters supporting that program directly. Outside caterers are permitted as well, so a couple who already has a caterer in mind is not locked out of the option to book with intention.

The alcohol policy allows beer, wine, champagne, seltzers, and up to two types of liquor through a licensed, insured bartender, with no shots or straight pours, a house rule worth knowing before a couple builds their bar menu. Free paved parking is available on site, and the property is wheelchair accessible, which keeps the logistics simple for a guest list that includes older family members.

Location & Getting There

The Rafters sits about 15 minutes from uptown Charlotte on 14 acres of century-old trees in Huntersville, close enough for a genuine city guest list to make the drive without it feeling like a destination wedding, but far enough that the wooded campus feels like its own world once guests arrive. That balance of proximity and setting is part of why the venue reads the way it does in photos.

Between the two ceremony options, the reception hall’s exposed beams and hard timber surfaces carry sound with more presence than the Outdoor Chapel’s open-air setting between the trees, so a DJ typically runs a fuller system indoors for the reception and a lighter, more contained setup outdoors for a ceremony held among the towering trees.