500 Pearl Reviews
Reviews
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
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Featured
![Maura]()
Maura Sent on 03/19/2024Forbes Theater at 500 Pearl
This venue is gorgeous but what really drew us to it initially was that it was a "one stop shop" meaning that we could get ready, have both the ceremony & reception, and then stay overnight without ever having to leave the building. We received so many compliments on the food and the bar service. Dinner was timely and the bartenders kept the bar moving all night. The venue set all my decor up so beautifully - they completely captured my vision! They also packed everything up so we could keep the party going when the reception ended and it was super easy on us to pick it all up the next morning. Many guests took advantage of a hotel in the building and all had great things to say about Aloft hotel as well! I would absolutely recommend 500 Pearl for a wedding venue! -
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![Maria]()
Maria Sent on 10/04/2023Great venue
Our original venue canceled due to flooding and we had to find a new venue, four months out! We were lucky to find 500 Pearl had our date available. It’s absolutely beautiful and came with a coordinator! They were thorough and everything they were supposed to do, was done. We were thrilled with this venue. Thank you, Brianna! -
Erin Sent on 08/19/2023
Beautiful Location, Great Food, and Amazing Staff
We couldn’t have picked a more perfect venue for our wedding reception. Our Venue Coordinator, Bri, made sure our entire planning process and day-of preparations went flawlessly. The on-site staff during the event were personable and professional. The food was fantastic. We used Forbes Theatre which had a lot of unique spaces for photo booths, kids activities, outdoor space, and plenty of space to dance. The original architecture in the room is gorgeous for a wedding backdrop. -
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Bridget Sent on 06/21/2023
June Wedding at 500 Pearl
Experience with 500 Pearl was nothing short of amazing!!! The service was amazing, the food incredible and MJ made the whole process easy and enjoyable. Would highly recommend 500 Pearl to a future bride for a wedding venue! -
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Shauna Sent on 06/19/2023
A dream come true!
The moment I walked into 500 Pearl I knew it was the venue for us! It checked all of our boxes: in house catering, hotel attached, downtown Buffalo location and we LOVED the 1920s art deco style. Our coordinator Bri was absolutely wonderful to work with, she was able to answer every question we had and provided great insight and advice and was very reassuring during the whole process. We couldn't be more thrilled with how our wedding turned out, we had multiple people tell us it was the best they've attended! -
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![Lindsay]()
Lindsay Sent on 12/31/2022Above and Beyond
My wife and I (husband) were early adopters to the team at 500 Pearl. So early, in fact, that we committed to their venue before it had finished being built in 2018. You see, we had already all but committed in our minds to booking a different wedding venue in the city when an article about the restoration and hotel development at 500 Pearl caught our eye. In a moment of serendipitous timing between venue consultations combined with our newly piqued interest we decided to schedule a somewhat spontaneous walk-through of the facility. Donned with hardhats and safety vests we took a tour through
the complex during the demolition phase of the original building and infancy of the new hotel construction. We walked in without expecting much beyond grand visions of renderings and blueprints that were surely to change, but walked out knowing that we had found our perfect wedding venue.
After touring every major wedding venue in WNY, the biggest difference that stood out to us at 500 Pearl were the people. We immediately clicked and grew to become professional colleagues, then personal friends with a few members of the original staff. They showed us the most courtesy and
sincerity throughout our meetings than anybody else had. They were creative, imaginative, and open to any ideas or questions we could come up with regarding our big day. Yet they were never sales people. In fact, they would be open and even brutally honest with any hard hitting questions we may have about their construction, development, or fact that they had yet to host an actual event.
However, as everybody knows, no wedding can go on without issue. We were not naïve enough to think there would not be growing pains with a new (at the time) venue, but 2020 surprised us all. What followed would be a string of changes involving dates, personnel, menus, packages, and rates.
Throughout all of the volatility we were always met with comfort, care, and understanding. The venue would honor and work with every previous agreement and help satisfy us with any necessary changes throughout the entire process. No better example of this occurred just 2 weeks prior to a wedding that’s been contracted for 4 years at this point. At this critical juncture in the home stretch of our big day, which should be the “calm before the storm”, everything was turned on its head as our wedding coordinator announced she would be moving on from the company. But this is when our trust and faith in 500 Pearl really paid off.
With about 10 days until our wedding, and a 4-year-old contract that has more cross outs and whiteout than a 6th grade research paper on feudalism, the director of sales stepped in to save the day. AnnMarie Taft took the time to learn and understand every minute detail of our uniquely amended contract to instantly fill us with confidence. She even took things a step further by adding personalized details to our wedding to really show how much she cares for clients. Through all the turmoil thrust upon her at the last minute with us and other clients, she made herself available to us at all times. That strong professional service trickled down throughout all of the venue staff as well. From servers to bartenders to front desk staff, everybody showed the epitome of service, class, care, and personal attention from start to finish.
To reiterate my point that it’s the people of the 500 Pearl venue that won us over is an understatement. When something inevitably goes wrong with any wedding this staff has proved to us time and time again that they would be willing to step up and make any situation right by us. To plan, prepare, and execute a wedding has proven itself to be an anxiety inducing hell we’d never want to go through again, but if we had to, we know we’d never change a thing. The 500 Pearl venue and Aloft hotel will remain our recommendation to all friends and family moving forward. -
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Jenna Sent on 12/31/2022
Our guests called it “Wedding of the Century”
We booked this venue 2 years out due to the pandemic. While there was a lot of staff turnover during this time we ended up working with AnnMarie by the time our date came. Ann Marie and her team were unbelievable. They worked so seamlessly with our wedding planner and us. We had many odd requests and received little to no pushback on execution. We got married in the Forbes Theatre at 500 Pearl. We did the ceremony in the balcony and the reception beneath. I would recommend this venue and working with Ann Marie over and over again. There was no one single error on the venue side. -
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Kaitlyn Sent on 12/14/2022
Fantastic Day!
Working with 500 Pearl was a breeze! Everyone was so easy to get a hold of whenever we had a question, the overall planning experience was so organized and easy. The day of things were beyond smooth and our wedding coordinator, Brianna, made sure that everything was exactly the way we had talked about and then some! Her attention to detail was perfect! -
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![Ali]()
Ali Sent on 11/25/2022Highly recommend 500 Pearl!
I highly recommend having your wedding at 500 Pearl in Buffalo NY. We chose this venue for the convenience of everything being in one place - hotel, ceremony, reception, after party and it did not disappoint. The space itself is beautiful and was able to accommodate all of our needs. We worked with Brianna Chadwell who was a DREAM. She truly helped bring our vision to life, made recommendations, and went above and beyond the day of to make sure everything ran smoothly. -
![Fallon]()
Fallon Sent on 10/26/2022The ultimate wedding venue!!
From the moment my husband and I stepped foot into 500 Pearl and the Forbes Theater, we knew it was the perfect location to have our wedding. We had a 2 year engagement and booked them right away. There was a change in coordinators which caused some hiccups throughout the planning process, but their new team knows what they’re doing and will help you plan a great wedding. The coordinator who was assigned the me, Bri, was truly amazing. She worked with us so much and put everything she had into our wedding. She helped make our wedding into everything we wanted and I am so grateful that we had her!!! The Forbes is beautiful. We had our ceremony in the balcony, our cocktail hour in the WXYZ bar and our reception on the main floor of the Forbes.
We also hosted a welcome party at Spare Lanes in the hotel which was so much fun.
This was a destination for most & almost all of our guests stayed in the Aloft Hotel which is attached to the venue and that is where we booked our getting ready rooms! The rooms were absolutely gorgeous and the staff did everything they could to make sure I was super happy about everything in regards to my stay. I highly recommend 500 Pearl for your wedding! -
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![Emily]()
Emily Sent on 10/09/2022Fantastic All Around
From the moment we saw the Forbes Theater at 500 Pearl, we knew we had to have our reception there. It is such a gorgeous space and even though it’s a big room, it feels intimate. We had our entire day there, starting with getting ready in the bi-level suite, our first look on Patrick’s rooftop, photos in the venue and around the theater district, ceremony in the Fuhrmann Room, reception in Forbes and Sunday brunch in the 1914 Room. Honestly everything was perfect. The getting ready suite is amazing if you have a big bridal party - it’s two floors and we had the girls upstairs and the guys downstairs. We loved doing our first look on the rooftop with views of the city behind us. Fuhrmann is a simple room for the ceremony but we were able to dress it up with a few simple additions. Forbes is stunning, looks great with almost every color scheme, has a stage for the band/DJ and a patio if the weather is nice. And the brunch in 1914 was simple but just what we needed. The venue is also connected to the Aloft (Marriott) hotel, and since many of our guests were from out of town, it was really important to us that people didn’t have to drive all over town. You really can’t beat the convenience of having everything in one place and I know our guests appreciated being able to relax. Now onto the staff. I can’t say enough good things about Christine, our coordinator. From day one, she didn’t miss a beat. She had every detail documented and most importantly was such a “yes” person. Anything we wanted (within reason), she did her best to give to us. She was kind and compassionate, responsive, and you can tell she really takes her job to heart. On the day of, she was present and running around getting us whatever we needed. The rest of the staff was also great, the servers, bartenders, and everyone else involved. We got a lot of compliments about the service and the food and felt like we were personally taken care of. All around, we had an excellent experience and would recommend 500 Pearl and Christine any day! -
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Amanda Sent on 07/26/2022
Grand Aeries ballroom
Shout out to Christine and her team at 500 Pearl, they were AMAZING!! My husband and I both live out of the area and Christine was so easy to work with and accommodating during the planning process.
Her and her team were readily available the days leading up to our event and on the day of our event.
We had our cocktail hour at Patrick’s Rooftop which was so beautiful and our reception in the Grand Aeries ballroom.
Everything turned out better than we could’ve imagined! Don’t hesitate to book here, especially if you’re working with Christine, you’re in great hands!!! Thank you for everything!! -
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![Peter]()
Peter Sent on 06/27/2022Prendergast/Pichler Wedding 6/4/22
In 2021 at the height of COVID, this venue, 500Pearl, held over 100 events. This was one of the key deciding points for us to select 500 Pearl. If they could manage under last year’s duress, then they can do our wedding this year. They did not disappoint. Our wedding manager Christine Casucci was super professional, organized, experienced, accommodating and a very nice person. As Father of the Bride I was very aware of the overall quality of the food and service. I was very pleased along with our 150 guests. The food was particularly good including the late night snack meal. Service personnel were plentiful and the bartenders performed at a high level. For the cost, I feel that we got a very high value product and I congratulate Christina and the entire 500 Pearl staff. PJP -
![Samantha]()
Samantha Sent on 05/25/2022500 Pearl was perfect.
We had the absolute best experience working with Bri to plan our wedding at 500 pearl. The grand aeries was perfect and she did an amazing job setting up and helping my make the day perfect. The service for the reception was exceptional as well as the food. Would recommend 100x over! -
![Lindsey]()
Lindsey Sent on 05/25/2022Great venue!
Bri at 500 Pearl was great to work with! From answering my million questions, to be extremely flexible, to helping us have the best reception ever. Everything went great, and I cannot recommend them enough!! Thank you for making our wedding so special!!!!!! -
![Kate]()
Kate Sent on 02/18/2022The team is a well oiled machine!
From beginning to end Christine and her teams execution of any event that we work with them on is perfect!
The team communicates well and welcomes all vendors with open arms . Being a wedding event coordinator in western New York we have had our fair share of locations wondering if we will step on their toes… 500 Pearl was so not only excepting of working with us but made it a pleasure to come back over and over again as my experience with not only Christine the wedding planner but everyone from the front desk, to the banquet staff, to the concierge have a nothing but helpful, pleasant and an absolute pleasure to work with.
I continue to urge couples to look for not only a vision of their wedding but a team that is going to execute the day you always dreamt of so perfectly, and 500 does just that!
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![Caroline]()
Caroline Sent on 09/03/2021Best Venue in Buffalo!
We had the most incredible wedding, and we have 500 Pearl to thank for it! We started working with Kristy in 2019, and originally scheduled for August of 2020. 500 Pearl was unbelievably accommodating throughout the pandemic and the postponement process, and we were lucky enough to have the exact wedding we had dreamed of one year later. The food was fantastic, the staff were phenomenal, they incorporated all of our details flawlessly, and we'd pick 500 Pearl again in a heartbeat! Thank you Kristy!!! -
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Starr Sent on 06/15/2021
500 Pearl, Kristy’s team are the best!
My husband and I got married at 500 Pearl in 4/2/21 and it was absolutely everything I could have dreamed of! With COVID we knew we wanted to have a micro wedding but we weren’t sure where. My husband and I toured a couple of venues the same day we toured 500 Pearl. While all of these venues were beautiful… nothing compared to how we felt about 500 Pearl. Immediately we felt connected to Kristy and she answered all of our questions, took us on an extensive tour of the facility and walked us through what our day could look like. On top of Kristy being just amazing, she noticed that I had pictures of my dogs (pug and pug mix) on my iPad case and informed me that THEYRE DOG FRIENDLY! Part of the reason we couldn’t pick a venue was because we wanted our dogs to be with us and this meant that our wedding was 100% going to be at 500 Pearl. After the shock and excitement wore off (that our dogs could join us) Kristy walked us through the various micro wedding packages and all the options we had. Once we picked out the package we wanted, asked about 200 questions, Kristy sent us the contract and the deposit link. My husband and I went home that night and we were so excited! We only had about two months before the date we picked out so planning was quick and communication was key. Kristy answered every question I had, via phone, text, and email so quickly and efficiently. We were never worried that our wedding would be less than perfect! As we got closer to our date we finalized our menu, which they custom made for us because we wanted a full vegetarian menu and we added a couple extra items, we finalized the timeline (with major help from Kristy!) and honestly had a pretty stress free couple of weeks leading up to our date! Two days before the wedding we dropped off our decorations, then the day of the wedding we dropped off the flowers and cake. I never had to worry about setting up, Kristy and her team set everything up for us. The first time our guests saw the two rooms we use decorated, was the first time I was the rooms decorated and I literally couldn’t have pictured everything to be any more perfect! Our wedding day time line went, family photos, ceremony, more family photos, cocktail hour, cake cutting, first dance, mother/daughter dance, grandfather/granddaughter dance, grandmother/grandson dance, I gave a thank you speech+ champagne, dinner, dessert, rooftop pictures, we had sparklers on ground level outside and then some people left and the rest of us went bowling (which is also inside of the building!). I could probably write 5000 more sentences about all of the extra things the team at 500 Pearl did for us and still miss things. The bartender kept my husbands and my champagne glasses full, my wine glass full with my favorite wine, my husband beer glass full and made sure my grandmothers Pepsi glass was full. The banquet manager was so kind when I messed up and didn’t order the correct amount of table runners and makeshift the perfect solution. She also packaged my husband and I extra food at the end of dinner and had it sent to our room and she had a plate sent up to our photographers room, where her husband was waiting haha. The ladies who coordinated the bowling for me we endlessly nice and made everything run smoothly at the end of the night. Lastly, I could talk about how instrumental Kristy was to our perfect day forever. She was so kind, so thoughtful, anticipated our needs and wants before we could even figure out what they were. She coordinated the entire day from start to finish flawlessly. When I gave her the wrong iPad password and she couldn’t get ahold of me while I was getting dressed, she found my officiant (who’s my best friend) and they were able to figure it out together. Kristy brought us snacks and champagne while we were getting ready. She played with the dogs. She was truly spectacular and I couldn’t have imagined how important to our flawless wedding she would be. If you’re looking for a stunning venues, with amazing vendors and staff, who really care about you, your family and friends (and dogs!) and your wedding, 500 Pearl is the place to visit. -
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![Andrea]()
Andrea Sent on 09/07/2020Best Venue EVER!
We knew from the moment we walked into the Forbes Theater at 500 Pearl that we NEEDED to host our wedding there. Kristy has been a saint from Day 1 and has answered every question we had (event the ridiculous ones). Needless to say, when we started to panic about what could happen to our wedding next year if COVID was still an issue, we met with Kristy and she put us at ease. My fiance and I were worried that COVID would ruin our wedding planning experience, but Kristy and the team at 500 Pearl refused to let that happen! She laid out all of our options should things not be able to run as planned and helped to walk us through each scenario. No matter what happens next year, we know that under no circumstance will be be out any of our hard earned money. 500 Pearl is beautiful and the staff there is beyond professional and understanding. I wish all of my friends would move to Buffalo so everyone can have their wedding at 500 Pearl! -
![Sarah]()
Sarah Sent on 09/04/2020Fantastic - we can't wait!
We are so excited to get married at the beautiful Forbes Theater next year, and are absolutely devastated for everyone who was looking forward to using the venue in 2020 and wasn't able to. We knew immediately that we were going to get the most bang for our buck at 500 Pearl, each package even included a specialty cocktail. Kristy and the team have been awesome, really responsive and have answered all of our questions promptly. We would highly recommend! -
![Erin]()
Erin Sent on 07/14/2020Above and Beyond
We had planned our wedding at 500 Pearl for May 23rd. Of course this wedding was not possible due to COVID-19, but 500 Pearl went above and beyond supporting us during this time. Not only were we so impressed by the helpful and knowledgable staff, the renovated space we booked was also gorgeous! Through all of our planning the team at 500 Pearl was flexible and went out of their way to make our experience pleasant even through a pandemic. I highly recommend the venue spaces at 500 Pearl. -
![Heather]()
Heather Sent on 07/13/2020Haven’t had event yet but would already recommend!
500 Pearl is absolutely gorgeous. It has amazing views of the city of Buffalo whether you are booking a room through Aloft or visiting the rooftop bar (the sunset is incredible up there). They have awesome drinks and food, and very friendly staff. My fiancé and I booked our wedding reception there after falling in love with the historical newly renovated Forbes Theater. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 we have had to postpone our reception to next year. Although I expected the process of postponement to be quite brutal, working with Kristy (sales and event planner) the process has been nothing but smooth sailing. She has been incredibly helpful and great to work with throughout this whole planning process. She’s quick to respond, insightful and very supportive. You can tell she wants to do everything she can to ensure the event is special and runs smoothly. I truly recommend visiting 500Pearl for a night out, and/or hosting an event. It’s really something special, and has been a great addition to the city of Buffalo.
Once we have our reception there I will write a review based on how it was in more detail but for now I figured people deserved to know how great 500Pearl has been throughout this whole process. -
![Sara]()
Sara Sent on 10/27/2019Cannot wait for our wedding!
Kristy has been so much help! She allowed us to view the venue multiple times before we officially made the decision to book! She answered all questions our family and wedding party had. Kristy knows how to make us feel special and now just another wedding. She is very personable and I know I can count on her the day of to make everything run smoooooth! Very excited to hold our wedding there! -
Amelia Sent on 10/26/2019
Everything we could ever dream of!
I cannot say enough about 500 Pearl. We were actually their first wedding but you would never know it. The service was flawless, the food was amazing and the entire night was perfect. We held our ceremony and reception at the venue and our guests also stayed at the hotel on-sight. In addition to all of this our photographer took some incredible photos in the building. The historic architecture and well done interior design made for some unique and beautiful photo opportunities. We were even able to end the whole event with a beautiful catered breakfast the next morning for our guests that stayed the night at the hotel.
The venue also had unique personal touches, like the ability for me to write a note to each of our guests staying the night at the hotel and pre place the welcome bags in the room. Since most of my family is out of town and traveled several hundred miles to come to the wedding it was nice to be able to add this personal touch.
Our friends and family shared that it was one of the best weddings they have ever been to and hands down the best food ever! Our team was incredible, professional and accommodating. Kristy was our main contact and I can't thank her enough for her constant help and support. I would highly recommend this venue to any potential couple.
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![Megan]()
Megan Sent on 10/23/2019The Best Night Ever
Choosing 500 Pearl for our wedding reception was the best decision we made! When we first heard about and toured the venue they were still deep in construction, and although we were nervous of the possibility of the building and renovation not being completed, everyone we worked with from the start was open, honest, communicated in a timely manner, and worked with us to meet our budget while delivered our reception wants. Forbes Theater was our reception room and we are still getting comments about how beautiful and unique it was, along with the rest of the building. (Our wedding was 9/21/19 and, yes, everything was open on time and stunning!)
A brief shout out to Laura who was pivotal in our wedding planning process! She is a saint! She made the whole experience and day of smooth and was easy to communicate with and helpful with literally everything! Overall, all staff we were worked with were great & accommodating. The décor I brought they set up exactly as I pictured and even added their own touches to it, which I loved.
The food was delicious. I was impressed at our tasting with the variety and volume of food we got to try. Service day of was on-time and the food was just as good as the tasting. It was also super convenient for us and our guests to have Aloft in the building and a huge parking ramp attached. Basically, 500 Pearl has it all! -
![Charlie]()
Charlie Sent on 10/01/2019As the first wedding at 500 Pearl, we give them 10/10!
My wife and I looked at about fifteen different venues in the area before finding 500 Pearl. Each of them we toured really didn’t fit the style of wedding we wanted to have, but we figured we would have to settle. When we heard about 500 Pearl, we weren’t really sure what to expect but we toured the property in hardhats as everything was not even near completion back in January. Sarah and Kate were absolutely phenomenal early on and painted the picture of how amazing this space would be once opened. When we left the tour, we knew this was where we wanted to have our wedding. We were a little worried things wouldn’t be done in time for our wedding as it was the first event planned, but the team consistently followed up reassuring us that things would be perfect and they did not let us down. Laura, Kali, Sarah, Kate and the entire team truly made the experience unforgettable and we want to thank you all again. This space is like no other in the area. The amenities they offer, the level of customer service, and the food impressed all of our guests. This venue will be booked solid in the future. I would truly recommend touring and booking right away. Thank you all again! Lauren & Charlie Mancuso
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![Chassity]()
Chassity Sent on 09/23/2019Unforgettable Evening
500 Pearl exceeded all of our wedding expectations and made our night a night we will never forget. The food was incredible. All of the staff was kind, friendly and willing to help. The venue was romantic and beautiful. Don't know how we would have done it all without the help of Laura. She was patient and kept us on track to make sure our night went as smooth as possible. Thank you to the team at 500 Pearl! -
Melanie Sent on 08/22/2021
100/10 Amazing Venue
From start to finish the staff at 500 Pearl was nothing short of amazing. They made sure that every detail was perfect for our day. From the front desk staff at the hotel to the wait staff at the reception, everyone was so kind and accommodating. They really went above and beyond to make our day perfect. I highly recommend working with them as you won’t find better people to achieve your vision. -
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![Lisa]()
Lisa Sent on 09/14/20202021 Wedding
After touring several venues in the Buffalo area, my fiancé and I toured the Forbes Theatre and knew this was it! The venue space itself is breathtaking. It's an old theatre that has been recently restored. The gold hand-painted ceiling is really one of a kind. There's even a marquee that will be lit up with our names and date which is a really nice touch.
With the convenience of the Aloft hotel next door it seriously has everything you could hope for from a venue and so much more. Kristy has been our main person of contact and has been very attentive and accommodating, answering all of our questions. With COVID still an issue for the foreseeable future, Kristy has reassured us that 500 Pearl will work with us to make sure we are happy.
We had our food tasting a week ago and everyone agreed this was by far some of the best food and presentation they've had at a wedding!
Here's to looking forward to 2021 and the wedding we've been planning for. If you haven't toured 500 Pearl and their venue spaces yet please consider. It won't disappoint you. -
![Alayna]()
Alayna Sent on 07/13/2020Great outcome given the circumstances
Kristy is absolutely amazing! Our reception was in the Forbes Theater which ended up being beautiful. Everything inside the room was set up perfectly by Kristy and her team. Kristy was very thoughtful and understanding about everything throughout the entire planning process - including when COVID derailed things and regulations were changing every week. She is an amazing wedding planner. The only thing that was weird... (and this 100% won’t be an issue for brides going forward as things start to open back up and also I’m acknowledging this is more of a comment re 500 pearl vs. our catering staff) was that we weren’t allowed to dance, which I understood, and there was staff present to remind guests about mask wearing, which I understood, but when my guests and I left the Theater that night - there was a live DJ at the XYZ bar right outside and the place was PACKED shoulder to shoulder with people who were all dancing (I’m talking like sweaty high school dance grinding on each other) and most people were not wearing a mask - how is that okay compared to my wedding where we all know each other?! It was physically hard to get through the crowd there were that many people who were all on top of each other. -
![Martha]()
Martha Sent on 10/11/2022A great space for out of town families
I really loved this venue for it's variety and beautiful spaces. I will say, from the moment we signed our contract in October 2021 to our wedding in October 2022, we went through 3 different wedding coordinators. Overall, the food was amazing and our day was marvelous.
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