George Peabody Library Reviews

The set up of the tour for this venue was quick and straight to the point. We got the feel for our big day and I couldn’t be more excited to book this venue!!

If you are looking for the wow factor, this is the place! I've been wanting to get married here since forever and all my wedding dreams came true last weekend. It was just beautiful and so magical. There's no other way to describe it. Everyone will be blown away by your venue choice and just be in awe of the place. Sam, one of the day time special event coordinators at the Peabody, is just fantastic to work with throughout the process. On the night of, I was happy with their people as well. I would recommend getting a planner/coordinator and hire other vendors that know the venue because there are certain rules to be followed. However, when you have an experienced planner... following the rules isn't too difficult. The hanging lights are worth the extra expense!

Our daughter and son-in-law selected the George Peabody Library for their wedding reception. The Peabody is known as one of the most beautiful libraries on earth. Its architecture perfectly complements transformation into a stunningly, picture perfect wedding reception setting, especially, in our case, with soft lighting strung across the atrium that beautifully accentuated the five tiers of black and brass railings and frosted glass ceiling.
Judy Moskowitz and Sam Bessen guided us through the application process. We fully appreciated the unique need to preserve the Peabody’s character and contents, which is the reason it is one of the most, if not the most, sought after venue for receptions. No other venue even comes close to its richness in Baltimore history and sheer opulence. It is an experience in and of itself.
Our guests were in awe upon entrance into the Peabody Library, and that, along with every other detail, set the mood for an unimaginably, unforgettable, perfect evening!

We absolutely loved having our wedding at the library. The space is so beautiful and unique. Sam & Judy, the Peabody event staff, were so easy to work with and answered every one of our questions. I would definitely recommend taking all of their advice (including the caterers advice) on how to set up the room, local vendors, and day of coordination details. They are experts! We really wanted the dance floor in the middle of the room, but were glad we went with the suggested end of room approach as space was limited. I also agree with the ideal band size being 5 (although ours was 10 and it all worked out!) definitely look past the “rules” of this place — who cares if you can’t have candles when you have beautiful dimmed lighting already built in.

We worked with Sam. He was amazing, professional, and always responsive. We had a great experience at the Peabody and would highly suggest it for anyone looking to get married in Baltimore.

The George Peabody Library is such a beautiful and unique place for a wedding that it requires very little, if any, additional decorations. The event coordinating team was very professional, accommodating and easy to work. A big THANK YOU to them for making our wedding dream come true!

There are no words to describe the majesty of the Peabody Library. It is truly such a stunning venue. I could not imagine celebrating our love anywhere else. There were times throughout the night that I just had to stop and drink in the library. I would look around and feel such immense happiness that we chose to celebrate in a place full of such wonder and amazement. The staff were beyond helpful. From planning a walk-through to organzing the drop off and load up of several items, including an 8-foot book, they were always available. I never had to stress because of lack of communication. I never felt my day was just one of many for them. They truly made us feel like our day was as special to them as it was to us. I cannot tell you how important that is. You will love the Peabody. It is truly breathtaking. You will love the staff even more as they endeavor to show you they care as much as you do.

I could not have picked a more perfect venue for our wedding. Peabody certainly has rules and strictly enforces them; however, I found the rules easy to apply and work with. The staff was organized and friendly. While they kept the event running smoothly and effortlessly, I hardly noticed they were there until I need them. Getting to watch the guests' faces as they entered the stacks room was reason enough to book the venue! It is truly a breathtaking and magical place.

One visit to the George Peabody Library and it speaks for itself. The venue was so gorgeous we needed little else to decorate for the wedding. The Peabody staff were wonderful to work with and quick to respond to questions. While leading up the wedding, they were well organized and helpful with planning related issues. They were fantastic the week and especially the day of the wedding. While there are some rules and regulations to the venue, it didn't hinder our ability to celebrate the way we wanted to. We used the exhibit hall for cocktail hour and the library for the ceremony and reception. We loved the change of space between the ceremony and reception. Many of our guests commented that they enjoyed reading more about the venue during the cocktail hour through the exhibit. The accommodations of the bridal suite to get ready was a wonderful extra addition for us to use and relax on the day.

We were incredibly lucky to be able to have our wedding at the George Peabody Library. Having grown up in Baltimore, I have visited the library many times and was well aware of its reputation as one of the grandest venues for events. When a Saturday night in June opened up at the last minute, we grabbed it. We were not disappointed. The space more than lives up to the reputation and is even more spectacular than it appears in pictures. One of the best aspects of having our wedding at the Library, however, was working with the Johns Hopkins Special events staff. They were ALWAYS available, had great recommendations, and were incredibly easy to work with. When a slight issue came up during the final planning stages, they swooped in and took care of things immediately. I cannot recommend this venue enough!

My husband and I were married at the George Peabody Library on 6/17/18. We held both our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception in the space. We had a small wedding with <100 close family and friends and the venue felt just right for us. Judy Moskowitz and her attentive staff are the absolute best--very accommodating, professional, and responsive. We were blown away by their level of service and we are so glad we were able to hold our wedding at the Peabody. We actually did not even look at any other venues!! The venue is absolutely gorgeous and (as one of our guests told us) the space literally takes your breath away. The venue is very good value because 1) the tables and chairs come with the venue (and you do not have to rent these separately); 2) the space is already beautiful and requires minimal to no additional decoration; and 3) special lighting is not necessary (we did not use any overhead or floor lights and our photos were excellent). We love telling people that we got married in a library surrounded by books and there is something so fun about rocking out to an incredible live band in a usually quiet and introspective place. Furthermore, we met each other while working at Johns Hopkins so it was special to be able to get married at a Hopkins property. The Mt. Vernon neighborhood is dear to our hearts and of course we loved having our professional photos taken in the immediate area surrounding the Peabody. There is not a single thing we would change about that special day and the George Peabody venue and staff were a huge part of making this day the very best day of our lives.

We loved this venue! We felt like we got exactly what we wanted for our wedding and the staff was amazing. Tons of our guests commented on how beautiful the venue was. We couldn't have asked for a better place!

Our guests loved this venue, we received so many compliments on the space. The Peabody staff was communicative and very helpful.

We had our wedding at the Peabody Library in mid-September 2017. This was felt like a wedding out of our dreams. This is an amazing venue and you have to see it to truly feel how magical it is. The cocktail hour room is the perfect size and beautifully lit. It is a great transition to the magic you will feel walking into the reception hall which is the actual library. The venue has a preferred vendor list of caterers and this made things very easy for us. We chose Occasions and they made everything leading up to our wedding day a breeze. An added bonus to this venue is the private tour of the private selection of books.

We cannot say enough amazing things about the Peabody! Firstly, the venue itself is something out of a fairy tale. Everyone at our wedding was positively raving about the beauty of the space and haven't stopped complimenting the venue since our wedding. We're so pleased to have chosen the space - it made our day absolutely perfect!

The Peabody accommodated our request to have the Oriole Bird attend cocktail hour and he was positively the hit of the event! It was great to bring a part of Baltimore sports into the historic space!

The George Peabody Library is an absolutely stunning venue. Even when we were there the night before for the rehearsal, and nothing was set up, the space was magical. We were so happy with the process, each person we worked with, and all of their vendor suggestions. They answered all of our questions and worked together with our coordinator to make the whole event as smooth as possible. Yes, it's a bit expensive, but the Library is worth every penny. I could not be more thrilled with how our wedding went. And now we get to remember its beauty in all of our pictures!

Such a pleasure to work with them.

The Peabody was our dream wedding location. Everything was wonderful, from the room itself to the helpful and friendly staff. We added some lighting to the room for the event and it really made it feel extra magical. The Peabody is more expensive than some other venues in the area, but it was well worth it for us in the end. Our guests and vendors all told us that it was the coolest wedding venue they'd ever been to. As a side note, we added the tour of the rare books room at the library for our wedding party on the rehearsal day and it was amazing. Paul gave a really interesting tour that everyone really loved. We would 100% recommend the Peabody to any bride and groom who are bibliophiles and want an awe-inspiring event.

Working with the George Peabody Library Events staff for our wedding was a dream! Everyone in the Events Office; particular Judy Moskowitz, was highly responsive and very informative. The staff went the extra mile to make our Big Day run smoothly, such as sending me photos of library catalog measurements for my escort cards and taking the time to discuss a detailed floor plan with us during our final walk-through. The space is magnificent, but the staff will make you feel like royalty.

What can even be said about the Peabody? The venue is breathtaking without even a decoration. Add flowers and lighting and you are in something out of a fantasy. If you are a bibliophile like my husband and I, there is nowhere better. This is the venue of your dreams.

But the Peabody is wonderful not only for its beauty, but for its staff. For a bride planning without a wedding planner, they were so accommodating to my family and I, even setting up an extra meeting for coordination just to alleviate some of our concerns. I cannot imagine a better venue than the Peabody Library.

Laura and Judy at the Peabody were amazing to work with - always prompt with responses and answered questions thoroughly. We couldn't have been happier with how our wedding went! They worked so well with all the other vendors - we didn't have to worry about a thing! They even helped me use Peabody postcards as our save the dates! This is not just a breathtaking venue!!

I ADORE this venue! We had our wedding at the Peabody in July 2016 and the library was transformed into the most magical place. From the ceremony where light streamed into the main library through the skylight, to the intimate cocktail hour in the Exhibition Room (where our guests were excited to view the exhibit), to the unbelievable reception catered by Occasions. The staff at Peabody were incredibly prepared, responsive, and easy to work with. All of our needs were met above and beyond our expectations. One of our wedding guests loved the Peabody so much that she's decided to have her wedding there in March! Highly recommend this venue.

My husband and I never really had any doubt we would be married here. We knew we wanted a library, we knew we wanted to get married somewhere that was already dressed up enough and had an elegance of its own. When we saw the George Peabody Library's website we had to get married here. From the day I emailed Judy at the Private Events office, to the night of the wedding after we walked down the steps as husband and wife, we were thrilled with the experience. Professional, courteous, knowledgeable, patient, kind and caring, the Private Events staff was marvelous. It made it so easy that there were only a few caterers to choose from, and even better that there was a preferred vendors list for us to choose from to naturally narrow decisions down. My husband and I have no connection to Baltimore, and so when guests asked why we chose that to be the location of our wedding, we would say "wait until you walk in the room". Several guests came up to me that evening and the day after the wedding and said "we get it". The evening couldn't have been more magical, thank you!

What can I say? The most beautiful venue in Baltimore. The books, the atrium ceiling, the lovely architecture -- all made this the most striking location for my daughter's reception.

The Peabody was an absolutely breathtaking and beautiful venue to get married in. The staff of the Peabody did an excellent job and were very responsive as soon as we signed the contract through our wedding day. I would highly recommend this venue to any bride looking for a venue that will blow the guests away and make your wedding day super special.

We were thrilled to have our wedding at the Peabody! The staff was very helpful along the way, the venue was beautiful, and we had a wonderful time. Highly recommended.