Fifty guests. That's the whole room, and it's the point. 9 Aviles was built to hold exactly the wedding a lot of couples say they want out loud and then talk themselves out of — small, warm, everyone you actually love and nobody you don't. We've played somewhere around forty or fifty weddings in that room since it opened in 2023.
We're the house DJ team here, and that goes further than a spot on a vendor list. When Dave built the venue's in-house DJ system, he modeled it on ours — so what's permanently installed at 9 Aviles is essentially our own rig living in their building, interactive dance lighting and spotlights included. We park around the corner at the Trinity lot and walk in with a laptop, a backup iPad, and a bag of backup cables. That's the entire load-in.
The room is about 2,500 square feet under a vaulted ceiling hung with iron chandeliers, with a balcony that looks straight down onto the floor, a gated patio off the side, and a bridal lounge for getting ready. The building went up in 1911 and spent its early life as City Electric and then St. Johns Motor Company. A 2018 renovation gutted and rebuilt it, and it opened as a wedding venue in 2023. The address is on Aviles Street — the oldest street in the nation, the heart of St. Augustine's Arts District, a short walk from the Plaza and the Castillo.
It's a lively room. Small and reflective, which is flattering to music and unforgiving to a microphone that hasn't been set for it. Ours are dialed in for this space specifically, and that's the whole reason toasts, speeches and vows land clean at the back table instead of washing around the room. COS Celebrations packages at 9 Aviles start at $1,500, and there are 500+ five-star reviews behind that.
At 9 Aviles our booth goes up on the balcony, looking down over the reception. In a room this size that's the difference between a DJ who's part of the furniture and one who's taking up a table's worth of floor. Nobody has a speaker stand in their sightline, and the whole room stays yours.
The catch with working from above is that you lose the read — you can't feel a floor you're standing over. Dave solved it before we ever asked: there's a small camera mounted to look down at the floor, feeding the booth, so we can see exactly what the room is doing without hanging over the railing like a gargoyle. It is the single most thoughtful thing any venue has built for us.
Why 9 Aviles Couples Book COS
Forty-Odd Weddings In
We've played somewhere around forty or fifty weddings at 9 Aviles since it opened. The house system, the balcony sightlines, which corner the bar opens into — none of that is something we work out on your Saturday. You're not paying us to learn the building.
Microphones Set for a Live Room
Small rooms are lively, and lively is great for music and brutal for a mic that hasn't been tuned for the space. Ours have been, in this room, dozens of times. That's why vows, toasts and the uncle who refuses to hold the microphone properly all still land clearly at the back table.
Live Saxophone, Three Feet Away
In a 250-guest ballroom a saxophonist is a figure on a stage. At 9 Aviles they're standing in the room with your guests. It's a completely different thing to be in. Our founder toured 35+ countries with Usher and Alicia Keys before starting COS — that's the musician playing your cocktail hour, and it's an add-on, not a package filler.
Getting Married Somewhere Else First
Plenty of couples here marry down the road — the Oldest House, the gazebo in the plaza — and walk back to 9 Aviles for the reception. We run a separate satellite setup for that: ceremony music and a microphone for the officiant at the first location, with the room already loaded and ready when everyone arrives.
A Real 9 Aviles Wedding
Asya + Tugra
One of the sweetest couples we've had in that room. Tugra is a musician, so he and I clicked immediately, and he kept coming back to the DJ side of it — how the night gets built, why a room turns when it does. He thought the whole thing was fascinating.
They're now a husband-and-wife DJ duo, playing real gigs and events together. Getting to watch that start at a wedding we played, in a room that holds fifty people, is the part of this job nobody warns you about.
"Every single guest commented on the energy. The DJ read the room perfectly — and the saxophone during cocktail hour was the moment everyone's still texting me about."
- Recent COS Celebrations couple
Our 9 Aviles Wedding Services
Packages are built around the room and your timeline, not around a menu. Here's the foundation:
What's Included
Professional DJ + MC
Mics tuned for this room
Wireless microphones
COS Planning App access
Pre-wedding consultation
Ceremony sound in the room
Popular Add-Ons at 9 Aviles
Live saxophone
Offsite ceremony setup
Cocktail hour on the patio
Uplighting
Custom monogram projection
Rehearsal dinner coverage
About 9 Aviles
Venue Information
Location: 9 Aviles Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084 — at the corner of Aviles Street and Artillery Lane
Capacity: Up to 50 guests
Size: Roughly 2,500 square feet, one main event space
Style: Boutique historic venue — vaulted ballroom ceiling, iron chandeliers, balcony overlooking the floor, bridal lounge, custom lit bar, catering kitchen, private gated patio
History: Built in 1911; former home of City Electric and St. Johns Motor Company; renovated in 2018 and opened as a wedding venue in 2023
Owners: Dave and Christy, husband-and-wife, family-run
DJ Setup: Booth on the balcony overlooking the reception floor; in-house sound and dance lighting permanently installed
Vendor Access: Doors typically open to us about two hours before guest arrival; parking around the corner at the Trinity lot
Catering & Bar: Outside caterers permitted; couples can buy their own alcohol from an outside retailer rather than a venue bar package
Aviles Street is the oldest street in the nation and the spine of St. Augustine's Arts District — brick underfoot, galleries and courtyards on both sides, the Plaza de la Constitucion and the Castillo de San Marcos a few minutes' walk north. Most St. Augustine wedding venues borrow their character from the city. 9 Aviles is one of the few that's actually part of it, which is why couples who want the downtown wedding — the one where guests spend the whole weekend on foot — keep landing on this address.
Common Questions About 9 Aviles Weddings
Does COS Celebrations DJ at 9 Aviles?
Yes. COS Celebrations is the house DJ team at 9 Aviles, the intimate wedding venue at 9 Aviles Street in historic St. Augustine, Florida. We've played roughly forty to fifty weddings in that room since it opened in 2023, and the venue's permanently installed DJ system was modeled on our own rig — so nothing about the setup is new to us on your wedding day.
How much does a wedding DJ cost at 9 Aviles?
COS Celebrations packages at 9 Aviles start at $1,500 for a four-hour reception with DJ, MC, and sound. Most 9 Aviles weddings land between $1,500 and $2,200, because a 50-guest room needs less gear than a 250-guest ballroom. Live saxophone and uplighting are the two add-ons couples pick most often here.
How many guests does 9 Aviles hold?
9 Aviles is built for up to 50 guests. The venue is roughly 2,500 square feet in a single event space, so it's sized for an intimate wedding rather than scaled down from a larger ballroom. That guest count shapes everything about how we run the music.
Does 9 Aviles have its own DJ equipment?
Yes, and it's unusually good. There's a full DJ system with interactive dance lighting and spotlights permanently installed in the room — and when Dave built it, he modeled it on the rig we already use. So our load-in here is a laptop, a backup iPad, and a bag of backup cables. There is no equipment in that building that's new to us on your wedding day.
Can you run a ceremony and reception in the same room at 9 Aviles?
Yes, and it's simpler than most couples expect. There usually isn't a dramatic room flip at 9 Aviles — most of the time guests are already seated at their tables for the ceremony, and it takes place right there in the center of the room. Afterward the bar opens off to the side, and if the tables weren't preset the staff lays a couple of them while everyone has a drink. It's a short, calm reset, not a twenty-minute scramble.
Can we get married somewhere else and just have the reception at 9 Aviles?
A lot of couples do. The Oldest House and the gazebo in the plaza are both a short walk away and both come up constantly. We handle it with a separate satellite setup: ceremony music and a microphone for the officiant at the first location, then everyone walks over to a room that's already loaded in and ready. You are not paying twice for a DJ, and you are not asking a friend to hold a Bluetooth speaker during your vows.
Where does the DJ set up at 9 Aviles?
On the balcony overlooking the reception floor. In a 50-guest room that keeps a booth and speaker stands out of everyone's sightline and hands the floor back to your guests. There's a small camera mounted to look down at the dance floor and feed the booth, so we can read the room accurately from up there rather than guessing.
Do you offer live saxophone at 9 Aviles weddings?
Yes, as an add-on. In a 50-guest room a live saxophonist is standing a few feet from your guests rather than up on a distant stage, which is a completely different experience from a big ballroom. COS founder Corey Peterson toured 35+ countries with artists including Usher and Alicia Keys before starting COS Celebrations.
Other St. Augustine Venues We Serve
Weighing 9 Aviles against something bigger? We're experienced at these nearby venues:
9 Aviles books one wedding at a time and their Saturdays go early. Reach out and we'll put together a quote built around where you're getting married, how long you want us, and the moments that matter most.
