Historic Wedding Venues in New York

Melissa

4.6 out of 5 rating

4.6

What we loved: + Beautiful interiors. We wanted a red and gold themed Chinese wedding, and the Ballroom was able to deliver plenty of the gold! The ornate columns made us feel like royals. As one of our guests pointed out, the Western style of the venue's interior blended well with our Chinese decorations, and we loved how the end result seemed to capture our personal identities. Also, the Ladies Tea Room is stunning, though unfortunately we weren't able to find a use for the space in our wedding. + Great cause. PGB is run by the non-profit Breaking Ground. Weddings are not cheap, so we loved knowing that our money was going to a good cause + Convenient location. Easily accessible by multiple subway lines and a short walk from Penn Station, this venue was easy for our guests to get to. We also loved that it was near Madison Square Park, which ended up being the perfect place to do our first look and take pre-ceremony photos with our wedding party. The day before our wedding, we had our wedding rehearsal at PGB and then walked to the Eataly rooftop for a very romantic rehearsal dinner. + Easy to work with. We had no problem scheduling multiple walk-throughs of the space with all our vendors (including the night before our wedding, even though there was a high school prom about to happen!). My husband and I both work late hours, but Serena especially was always available to meet with us on weekday evenings, and she was incredibly sweet and helpful every time. Karen and Serena were both very present the day of our wedding and into the evening to ensure everything went smoothly -- every time we needed either of them, they were there for us Heads up / advice to other brides: - A very raw production. What didn't register for us until we got deeper into wedding planning was that Prince George Ballroom really is just a space, and that's it. It has a small kitchen, but no tableware/cookware, limited staff, and no special lighting and sound equipment. Ultimately what we saved on venue fees we spent multiples on in audio/visual set up. We had to put all the nuts and bolts together ourselves, which made for more coordination work on our end than had we gone with a restaurant or hotel venue. On the plus side, this meant we were able to customize a lot more to our specific needs (and ultimately got more elaborate lighting options). And thankfully, the staff at Breaking Ground is great to work with. - Because there is so much color and detail in the space already, you may feel there are more limited color options for flowers / dresses / tables / other decor. It was hard for us to envision whether things would clash with the room -- we really didn't know until we saw it all come together day of. - Limited catering options. Breaking Ground requires you to select a caterer from their list of 6 or so exclusive vendors. While they ultimately made an exception for us because we requested ethnic catering, they still required us to use Breaking Ground's bartenders (so our caterer's waitstaff couldn't pour alcohol). - No natural lighting. There are only two small windows but the way they are situated, you get very little to no natural lighting in this space. That was fine for us for the purposes of dinner and dancing, but it would've been nice to have a more sunlit ceremony. Overall we're thrilled with how our wedding turned out and so grateful to Serena and Karen for all their help!!

Anisa

5.0 out of 5 rating

5.0

My husband and I hosted an anniversary party at the Housing Works Bookstore, and the team truly made our vision come to life! Each team member we interacted with was a pleasure to work with, both during the planning process and on the night-of. Many of our guests commented on how unique and special the venue was, and we completely agreed. We'd highly recommend hosting a celebration at the Housing Works Bookstore!

My husband & I just celebrated our wedding reception at Capitale on June 3, 2023. Once stepping foot inside the venue upon our arrival, there is not one single thing that was not absolute perfection. The decor was exactly as I envisioned. The lighting was to die for (Thank you, Mike Alvarez, for creating the most stunning custom light setting for us!!) The food, service, attention to detail... everything went above and beyond our expectations, and believe me.. we had HIGH expectations! Our guests have not stopped raving about how jaw dropping the venue space is. How amazing and delicious and fresh the food was. How the staff were pleasurable and so attentive. David Segovia managed our timeline down to the minute. He was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Never did anything feel awkward, rushed or delayed. Never did we feel like he was pulling us in one direction or another. He is the reason why our cake cutting ceremony ended up being the most amazing moment that we have in our videos! Adam Hartofilis has a true passion for what he does and it SHOWS. From the moment meeting him, he was reassuring, excited, professional and truly an amazing person to trust your wedding date to. I cannot imagine our day evolving into reality without his influence. And last but not least.. Claudia Case.. what an absolute boss. She personally handled extensive communications with me whenever I had a question. More than once, I've hung up the phone to see that we chatted for over an hour about wedding details. Her advice, knowledge and experience in the industry will set your day up for success the moment you choose Capitale as your wedding venue. I cannot thank the Capitale family enough for making our dreams come true!! There is no other venue in the world that can compare!!

Michael

5.0 out of 5 rating

5.0

Beautiful venue! Cynthia, our main contact at 45 Downing, was so easy to communicate with and responded immediately whenever we reached out. Angelos, the manager of the event is an absolute gem. He couldn’t have been more kind and thorough. He even sent photos as he was setting up to get our preference. We felt so blessed to have our ceremony at 45 Downing and are so grateful for their exceptional service and kindness.

Stacey

5.0 out of 5 rating

5.0

From the start, our experience with Guastavino's was top notch. We got married on December 10, 2022 at an off-site ceremony spot and had our reception here. Quick response, set up a site visit, and fell in love with this spectacular venue. Not only is the venue itself breathtaking when you walk in the doors, the staff is so professional, attentive, friendly, and pay very close attention to detail. Onto one of the more important aspects of any wedding: the food. We were very thankful to have done a tasting at Guastavino's to narrow down their delicious selections. It was a very tough decision because everything was amazing but all of our guests were pleased with our choices. The cocktail hour was spectacular. What a start to the event! We did 4 of their standard stations and last minute added on their seafood tower. Our guests were amazed by the quality, taste, and display of the food. The seafood tower was a show stopper and elevated the event! For dinner we opted for the Filet and Salmon and both were a hit. You have several options to choose from for first course, main course, and dessert. Instead of doing a full dessert hour, we wanted guests to remain on the dance floor so Guastavino's was kind enough to change to a passed dessert style of seven options which was amazing! And included one of my favorites - Magnolia banana pudding. The cake was also included in our pricing and the baker they work with creates absolutely delicious and beautiful cakes! We opted for a cake with flavors and designs that were included in their standard package. It was a 4-tier tall round cake covered in white fondant with a white satin bow to match the bow on my wedding dress. We chose the dark chocolate cake with strawberry cream filling. SO delicious! Guastavino's also handled this aspect of the tasting and coordination with the baker so we did not have to do anything for it which was great. One of the things we appreciated most was the honestly and realness of the team. When we first visited Guastavino's we were feeling discouraged from a prior visit with another venue that did not go as expected and were turned off with how snooty the person was. We initially met with Joseph Gabis and he was wonderful! Coming from Long Island, we were used to having several dinner options offered for guests but in NYC the standard is only 2 options at most venues. Joseph offered to add a 3rd option for an upcharge but advised that there would be plenty of food throughout the event that we could save that money and use it towards something else for the day. He eased my mother's worries about lack of food and there was more than enough for everyone to enjoy the day of! Huge shout out to Joseph Gabis, Joseph De Jesus, Victoria Bongo, and the rest of their incredible team for taking such great care of us during our most special day. Everyone was always happy to answer our questions, fulfill our requests, and make accommodations for us where needed. You will truly be in excellent hands when working with Guastavino's. All of our guests can't stop raving about everything! We are already hoping to use this venue again one day for future events. You will not be disappointed and are getting your money worth!

Kelly

5.0 out of 5 rating

5.0

My husband and I had our wedding at The Altman Building this past year, and we are still on cloud nine. Perry, Jacqueline, and the Altman team made the planning process so seamless and were a pleasure to work with. We used their preferred caterer, Thomas Preti, and they did not disappoint! Our guests are still raving about the food. Their staff exceeded all expectations and went out of their way to make sure that everything was taken care of. The venue itself is beautiful and their lighting and AV system made such a difference for not only our photos, but also the entertainment and dance floor. We would 100% recommend them to anyone looking to have a quintessential NYC wedding in Manhattan.

Our wedding at the New York Academy of Medicine was wonderful, JP from Sterling Affair worked with us to plan the day exactly as we hoped. Our guests loved the food, the venue was beautiful and JP thought of all the little things I didn't realize we'd need (a room for me to get ready, someone assigned to help us with cards people gave us and prepare a plate of food for us as we were running around greeting our guests). Thank you so much for helping make our reception spectacular!

I can not wait to go back to CH and work with STARR EVENTS! They were a pleasure, made planning easy, I was thrilled as was my client!

We had the wedding of our dreams and it was completely due to 42West44, which we affectionately call “the Bar.” The first time we toured the venue, we knew it was meant to be. You walk into the marble lobby with soaring ceilings and are transported to a time of glitz and glamor. Most importantly, everyone is so friendly and welcoming that you’re instantly transported back to a feeling of home. We took many of our photos in this space and they turned out *literally* sparkling. Our original event specialist Steve no longer works at the Bar, but he was so involved in our initial planning that he was hired just to staff our event! He served as our day-of coordinator which was a huge help as we didn’t have a wedding planner. Additionally, Felicia the executive chef served as so much more: planner, organizer, therapist…she also helped us pick out a delicious menu and cocktails. The multiple times we visited, all the staff were also on hand to show us around and answer any questions – every single person we met was incredibly warm and welcoming. We cannot emphasize enough just how incredible, kind and caring everyone is here. Up to the library where we had our dream ceremony – picture soaring blue ceilings, stacks of colorful bookshelves, and white windows that frame the room. You need minimal decoration because the space is unbelievably beautiful. The pictures we took here are breathtaking. Lastly, the cocktail hour and reception room were perfect – one flowed into the other so if someone needed a break from our live band, they could find a quieter space. Speaking of our band, the Bar let us have our 8-piece band up on the “dais” leaving plenty of room for our 20x16 dance floor. If you’re an RBG fan, her portrait hangs in the reception space! A huge pro was that we had the entire building for our whole day. Many venues we toured in the NJ-NY-NYC area limited your access to certain rooms for certain hours. We could also choose which space we used for each event, so we could craft the day of our dreams. They also provide all tables, chairs, linens, cutlery – everything is included. Words I never thought I’d use for my wedding venue, but can with 42West44: accommodating, patient, warm, hand-holding, dynamic, genuine, hardworking. Another very cool thing is that they film many shows and movies in the space! We have spotted a few instances of the venue now and it’s so exciting. We DIY-ed some things, but the beauty of the space meant you really don’t need to do much in terms of decorations. Since our date was a few weeks before Christmas, they had many decorations and even ordered extra for us. Above and beyond is an understatement! There are multiple hotels across the street and in the area. We used the Sofitel and got a pandemic discount – it worked out so well to be able to walk across the street to our venue! Then we had an after party in the area (MJ Smith – they were very helpful!). Run to have your wedding at the Bar!

Wilma

5.0 out of 5 rating

5.0

I am from Louisiana and had to plan a wedding in New York and had 3 weeks to do it. Sam and staff were excellent with helping plan my son's wedding. Food and service was top notch. I really don't do reviews but service was so great I had to do a review. Thank you Sassy for giving my son and his wife a fabulous wedding.