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Penn Museum
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"We could not be happier with the Penn Museum and choosing to have our wedding there. With the whole..."
"Ever since the first time I visited the Penn Museum, I knew I wanted to get married here (it was at..."
Why couples loved this venue
- Quality catering
- Guests comfort
- Amenities
About this venue
Penn Museum at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is a city museum wedding venue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a historic building with one-of-a-kind artifacts, the classic venue is as special as your love story. You and your guests can explore the world in just one night.
Facilities and Capacity
From marble medallions to glass mosaics, the 300,000-square-foot museum will provide a priceless experience for up to 600 guests. The space is also home to unique artifacts from more than 400 archaeological and anthropological expeditions. The Chinese Rotunda, the largest event space, sits under a majestic 90-foot dome adorned with ancient Chinese art. The Pepper Hall has high arched ceilings and marble floors, creating an ideal indoor ceremony or cocktail reception setting. The room has wooden doors that open out to the Warden Garden. The Egypt Lower Gallery and The Egypt Upper Gallery provide warm, breathtaking backdrops for receptions. Elegant outdoor settings include the Warden Garden, Stoner Courtyard, Mosaic Hall and Courtyard, and Rooftop Terrace.
Services Offered
The Museum can make your dream day come true through their range of services. They offer:
- Setup
- Cleanup
- Event rentals
Cuisine
Between years of culinary experience and a love for local ingredients, the culinary team is devoted to carefully crafting the best menus possible. Their serving styles include buffet, family style, French services, hors d'oeuvres, and plated. Tastings, desserts, servers, and bartenders can all be provided. Couples are welcome to choose between an in-house cake or an outside cake. Examples of cuisine styles include:
- American
- Caribbean
- French
- German
- Japanese
- Latin American
- Mexican
- Southern
- Gluten-free
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Nut-free
Other Facilities
Enjoy the on-site bridal suite to get ready for the big day. Guests may also use on-site parking, valet parking, shuttle services, and wheelchair access.
Other Services
Penn Museum at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology can host your bridal shower, engagement party, ceremony, cocktail reception, and reception. They also offer:
- Champagne toast
- Signature drink
- Chairs and tables
- Barware
- Flatware
- Linens
- China
History
The historic building is located on the University of Pennsylvania's campus. It was designed in the 1890s and has been hosting weddings for 20 years.
Location
Based in the heart of downtown Philadelphia, the Museum is conveniently located 13 minutes from Philadelphia International Airport. Nearby attractions include the Philadelphia Zoo, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Fairmont Park, and Philadelphia's Magic Gardens.
What You'll Love About Penn Museum
The Penn Museum wedding coordinators are responsive throughout the planning process and will help however they can. They will accommodate all requests to ensure the dream wedding day becomes a reality. To see what the venue looks like in real time, check out the video, along with some absolutely stunning photographs.
Experience
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136 years in business
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We speak English
Weddings at this venue
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FAQ
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Reviews of Penn Museum
Dream Venue for our Dream Wedding
Our ceremony was so beautiful under the big tree in the Warden Garden. The Sphinx Gallery provided a great space for our cocktail hour, allowing folks to spread out, mingle, and check out the galleries on that floor. And then when we moved to the Rotunda for our reception, that was the real showstopper. Our guests were amazed by the room. The dinner service was incredible. All of our guests loved the coordinating plating, the food was delicious, the portions were generous, and they were able to accommodate multiple dietary restrictions across our 100 guests. We ended the night in the big new Egypt gallery next to the Rotunda. There was so much room for dancing and for guests to enjoy more drinks and the dessert bar.
Prapey, Liz, Madeline, and the entire staff were amazing to work with and did a phenomenal job with the event. They worked so well with our vendors, us as a couple, and the whole staff were so nice and welcoming to all of our guests.
Two months after our wedding, we're still getting compliments on everything when we catch up with friends and family. It truly is a special place to have your special day, and we could not recommend the Penn Museum enough.
Dream Venue made possible by the Penn Museum!
I do wish they let you into the "getting ready" rooms earlier (I believe the earliest was 3pm) - they just use classrooms for this, which worked out great. But I would have loved the extra time. The day goes by so quickly, it is amazing how little time there is. I also wished we would have added another hour on the back end (additional fee). If I would have a redo, I would have moved all the couples pictures to another day to just focus on the guests and be able to spend as much time with them as possible. So, for future brides, something to take into consideration!
Also to note, there is only one caterer that the museum works with. It makes it easy because you do not have to shop around for options, but if you were hoping to shop around (such as for price, budget accordingly), you will not be able to do this with the museum. We had some challenges with communicating with the caterer (some technical), but the service they ended up providing was outstanding. The service blew our guests away. 100% was a five star, fine dining experience kind of service. Food was delicious and they provided plenty of options for us to choose from.
The museum put on an excellent event for us and it does really take a huge team of people to pull off a wedding. I would recommend the Penn Museum if you are considering it!
Flexible and unique!
Perfect All in One Venue
Incredible venue!
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Professional Network & Endorsements
Most sophisticated site around. Easily communicated with, very organized with planning and would recommend to all!
it has a joy to work at the Penn Museum. The services offered and the environment make for a lovely venue for a wedding. I recommend them for any celebration.
Fabulous wedding receptions! Multiple breath-taking event spaces! First class!
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Penn Museum frequently asked questions
- Bridal Suite
- Clean Up
- Set Up
- Cake Cutting
- Dessert
- Server(s)
- Wedding Cake
- Bartender(s)
- House Beer
- House Wine
- Open Bar
- Signature Drink
- Specialty Beer
- Specialty Wine
- Museum
- Indoor
- Uncovered Outdoor
- Ceremony
- Reception
- Bridal Shower
- Engagement Party
- Elopements
- Rehearsal Dinner
- Bar Services
- Catering Services
- Clean Up
- Event Rentals
- Get Ready Rooms
- Outside Vendors
- Wifi
- Chairs
- Tables