This Orange Beach wedding venue also books stand-up comedians — and it keeps selling out

Alabama Life & CultureHow one Orange Beach entrepreneur turned a gorgeous wedding venue into a comedy clubThis Orange Beach wedding venue is also home to a comedy club.CourtesyA funny thing happened on the way to Jade Zahreddine’s development of a pristine, opulent and downright stunning wedding venue, Festiva, in Orange Beach. Something really funny.A comedy club.“We go from matrimony mode to comedy mode,” Jade said. “It took some game planning there to pull that off, but I think we have it down pretty well now. It was really successful. It was more successful than I thought it would be.”The wedding venue had been operating since January of 2025 but Jade began looking at other ways to utilize the space in addition to the weddings.“In the middle of December, I realized I have this liquor license and those aren’t cheap down here,” Jade said. “What else could I be doing with my liquor license in a venue? There’s no comedy down here.”He had a soft opening in December for Comedy on Canal and went with monthly shows all through the first half of the year. “That was just a showcase of local Alabama talent,” Jade said. “It was sold out on the soft open. We had our first real grown-up show Jan. 17 with Jessica Misitano from Austin, she sold out. Then our February show sold out. Then our March show sold out. Our April show sold out.”Another funny thing happened for the Memorial Day show. Or shows.“I went to two showings instead of one show so we didn’t sell out,” Jade said. “It was Casio Kid. But we had a good crowd in both of them.”Locals have filled the 110-seat venue in its Comedy on Canal configuration and Jade is looking for ways to get more tourists through the front door. “What we found is that we’re still getting good crowds, but we’re not selling out in the summer,” Jade said.“People are out and about. They want to be on the beach. We’re having a tough time reaching out to tourists who don’t live down here, because they don’t see our advertising until they’re already on site because we mainly do Facebook and that sort of stuff. By that point, their plans are largely set before they get here.”He’s looking for more sellouts when August rolls around including Kevin Farley.“He comes from a very talented family, he and his brother Chris Farley are both comedy legends,” Jade said. “He’s a big name that’s attracting people and he’s selling really well.”Snowbirds flocked into Festiva for Comedy on Canal during its first year and Jade will be looking to attract those visitors again this winter. “What we learned was that a lot of these snowbirds down here in the winter, they’re looking to get out of their condos and get doing something at night,” Jade said. “We’re going to be looking at two or three shows a month in January and February and probably December.”How about the wedding venue?Festiva’s niche in the matrimony market involves beach weddings with the party coming back to find Festiva dressed to the nines to celebrate the happy couple’s union in an opulently and tastefully decorated setting.“I spent about three months renovating it and we started in January of 2025,” Jade said. “You have your fantasy wedding out there on the beach, and you come here and have a rager of a reception because we have a full DJ dance floor, sound system, bar. We do a buffet. You can do the whole thing for less than $10,000 for 100 people.”Festiva has a closetful of colors and decorations to meet customer expectations on the décor of the hall.“It’s not the Ritz, but it’s very pretty in here,” Jade said. “It’s a nice reception hall, it’s solid and it’s working.”Miss Manners: Must I purchase whole new set of dining chairs to accommodate 1 large dinner guest? Costco adds new menu item at food court: ‘Best I’ve ever had’Chicken or catfish on sale? These three recipes will make cheaper taste just right.