The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a historic wedding venue located in the heart of center city Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the nation’s first art museum and school of fine arts. With a convenient location, gorgeous architecture, and top-notch event services, this museum venue is a fabulous location for an elegant event experience.
Facilities and Capacity
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts offers a totally unique wedding experience, where you and your guests can celebrate within the art galleries.
The Historic Landmark Building is an architectural gem, complete with a grand staircase, columns, and a ceiling full of skylights from 1876. It's perfect for full weddings up to 150 or wedding ceremonies up to 275+.
The Hamilton Building is a turn of the century car showroom turned modern gallery space, ideal for groups up to 275+, that features modern galleries with a bright, airy, and fun feel.
PAFA is a show-stopping venue for luxury weddings with chic city style.
Services Offered
When having your wedding at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, you will receive only the most professional and attentive service from start to finish. The museum’s in-house catering services can provide exquisite meals for you and your guests. The catering team offers amazing hors d’oeuvres, dinner, dessert, and bar options that will add those amazing touches to your wedding experience.
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My husband and I wanted a small wedding from the start, and despite Covid-19 we did not want to wait any longer. We were told that PAFA was providing "mini/micro wedding" and we knew it was perfect for us. We cannot say enough good things about PAFA! Kate worked with us from the very beginning to the very end ensuring every detail was perfect. She was absolutely wonderful! It was a very stress free experience, even during covid because of her. Thank you Kate :) Safety was a top priority, but so was making sure our special day was everything we wanted it to be! We are so grateful to PAFA and all of our amazing vendors who helped make this "mini wedding" possible. It was clear from the beginning they truly care about the couples and that meant a lot to us. I highly recommend this beautiful venue for your wedding! Thank you team PAFA!
Sent on 11/10/2020
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts's reply:
Thank you so much, Leah! I'm SO happy we got to work together. As a fellow event professional, your endorsement is extra special to us! xoxo Kate
Megan
· Married on 08/14/2020
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Wonderful Experience at a Beautiful Venue!
PAFA is a breathtakingly beautiful, elegant building! My husband and I celebrated our wedding at PAFA's historical building in August 2020. When we first looked into PAFA, we knew we wanted a smaller wedding and to us, one of the benefits of PAFA (besides its absolutely gorgeous architecture and art) was the variety of spaces that could be used depending on guest count. Kate Young walked us through various options and offered helpful recommendations regarding vendors and just general wedding-planning resources and advice. We ended up having a super small wedding (10 guests) and had a perfect ceremony spot that felt just right for our small group. Plus, we had the museum to ourselves, letting our guests be able to wander the museum and soak in the beauty, which was a truly unique experience.
Obviously, PAFA is beautiful–with stunning design, art, and colors that will add to your day and photos–but the PAFA team is really what made PAFA such a perfect venue choice. We worked primarily with Kate Young, from the beginning of the process to the end. Through all of the stress and last-minute decisions and changes required when planning a wedding during Covid, Kate was professional, caring, organized, and quick to respond. She made an effort to understand our vision and provided helpful insight from her experience. Every email, call, or zoom with her made us feel calmer, knowing she had things handled. On the wedding day, she continued to exude calmness and positivity, helping out wherever she was needed to keep things running smoothly, from coordinating with the other vendors to setting up our guests' favors to playing DJ. We highly recommend this venue!
Sent on 11/22/2020
Cathy Zurbach
· Married on 02/29/2020
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Elegant Wedding Venue
PAFA is a beautiful and elegant venue for a wedding and the staff is top notch! We loved the Hamilton Building with its contemporary elegance and lots of special space for our guests to enjoy. Everyone loved the huge cocktail area with a view of City Hall and Broad Street ( the bride and groom rushed out during the reception when it started to snow to get their picture taken with City Hall in the background with snow flakes ) and then being able to eat a spectacular meal provided by 12th Street Catering in an art gallery with a 12 piece band playing was something our guests raved about. The space is expansive, interesting, and has the elegance befitting a wedding. From our perspective , the amazing staff was just as important to us as the wonderful venue space. PAFA's expert staff Marissa Peduto and Kate Young had everything under control from the beginning to the end of the process, they were an amazing team that took all the worry out of the process. Also, a special shout out to the security guards who were polite , helpful, and a pleasure to work with and to Harry Pierson who expertly led the 12th Street Catering team . Kate, Marissa, and Harry worked together seamlessly. The evening was perfect with this team making it all happen!!
Sent on 03/04/2020
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts's reply:
Cathy, thank you so much for your glowing review! I'm so happy we got to work with you and your family!
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts frequently asked questions
What items and services are included in the starting site fee at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts?
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts includes the following items and services for wedding events in its starting site fee:
Chairs
Clean Up
Event Planning
Set Up
Tables
At Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, what items and services related to wedding catering are included in the cost?
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts includes the following items and services in its wedding catering costs:
Cake Cutting
Dessert
Server(s)
At Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, what does the bar service starting price include?
The bar service starting price at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts includes:
Bartender(s)
Champagne Toast
Open Bar
Premium Liquor
Signature Drink
Specialty Beer
Specialty Wine
What are the most important characteristics of Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in terms of venue type, style and location?
The space offered by Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for wedding events is known for:
Art Gallery
Historic Building
Museum
What kind of indoor/outdoor options are available at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for wedding events?
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts offers the following indoor/outdoor options for weddings:
Indoor
What kind of wedding events does Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts offer?
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts offers the following types of wedding events:
Ceremony
Reception
Engagement Party
Rehearsal Dinner
What services does Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts offer for wedding events?
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts offers the following services for wedding events:
Catering Services
Clean Up
Event Planner
Event Rentals
Set Up
Wifi
What furniture and decorations does Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts have available for wedding events?
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts offers the following furniture and decor items for weddings:
Chairs
Dance Floor
Tables
What percentage of users recommend Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and which are the most valued aspects of their wedding services?
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is recommended by 100% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 4.9 out of 5 with the following breakdown: 5.0 in quality of service, 5.0 in professionalism, 4.9 in average response time, 4.9 in value and 4.6 in flexibility.
