We had the pleasure of DJing a wedding at the New Children's Museum a few weeks ago and can report having a wonderful experience. The museum is a fun and unique place for a wedding, and the layout works well for the entire event. We highly recommend it if you are looking for a venue for your upcoming wedding!

We had a very short timeline for flipping the space from museum to reception area, but NCM and their vendors had the process SO dialed-in and efficient. They made it happen!

Besides stating the obvious, the NCM provides a backdrop to the best wedding venue ever- you just have to use a little imagination! It's like a blank canvas giving couples a chance to showcase what they can create and brainstorm together! We started out not knowing what we wanted; however, once we stepped into the museum, we just knew this was it! To tell you the truth, out of all the venue inquiries that were sent out, the NCM was the one and only site that we visited!

Minus all the running kids and the artistic platforms, you have free reign as to what that should look like. You can even keep any of the installations in the main room out, but if it's not your cup of tea- they can easily be rolled and stored away. Also note that this is a museum- installations and art will change throughout the year! We booked and singed our contract a little over a year from our wedding date. From the time of signature, two rooms changed on the main floor but this did not affect the look of our wedding.

Laura assisted us in our wedding planning as the on-site coordinator for the NCM, but you will definitely need a wedding coordinator for all your hired vendors and any other facilitation. There is a preferred vendor list for rentals, beverage, and catering- but everything else can be selected yourself. We were able to use a couple vendors outside the list as some did not have things available or weren’t specified- floral, chalk artist, dj, photo+video, lounge, photobooth, games, and desserts+cake. Keep in mind that you need to be transparent with what you want so there is no hidden surprises- read contracts, ask questions, get proposals. We were able to get things that we wanted, but we all know there’s a price tag for everything!

We pretty much utilized a majority of the space, as well as some areas that most don’t think about. We had some DIY, such as marquee lighting, name cards, escort card wall, and all the signage! Our coordinator probably had about 10 containers full of decor.

We had about 130 guests in attendance and used the half main as out space. You can select other options such as the full main and/or include the second floor or bottom level for an additional cost. It is a little costly but just know that the money you paid will help promote the arts for young children! If you pay in full, there is a discounted rate too! Looking into other venues, the cost was as expected- even less than other venues we had in mind. The museum itself housed our cocktail hour and reception, and the covered park across the way held our ceremony (which needs a permit from the city).

With everything said and done, we were more than happy with The New Children's Museum!