Griffin Museum of Photography Reviews

Reviews

• Pam Sent on 04/29/2015
  5 out of 5 rating

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  Perfect location and atmosphere for a small, intimate wedding and reception. The staff was so accommodating and helpful! The gallery is just beautiful! Wonderful wedding venue!

  Perfect location and atmosphere for a small, intimate wedding and reception. The staff was so accommodating and helpful! The gallery is just beautiful! Wonderful wedding venue!
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  User1682737 Sent on 06/27/2014
  5 out of 5 rating

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  The Griffin Museum was the perfect space for our wedding day and comfortably accommodated our 60 guests . We had our ceremony on the grounds followed by the reception in the main gallery. The grounds are well maintained and our guests appreciated the rustic vibe. We did not have to worry much about decor for the reception because the photography exhibitions sufficed in addition to our centerpieces!
  
  The staff was very accommodating to our preferences, and worked with us, and our caterer throughout the entire process. We live out of state and they made the planning process easy by promptly responding to our emails. We are pleased that we selected the Griffin Museum and highly recommend it.

  The Griffin Museum was the perfect space for our wedding day and comfortably accommodated our 60 guests . We had our ceremony on the grounds followed by the reception in the main gallery. The grounds are well maintained and our guests appreciated the rustic vibe. We did not have to worry much about decor for the reception because the photography exhibitions sufficed in addition to our centerpieces!
  
  The staff was very accommodating to our preferences, and worked with us, and our caterer throughout the entire process. We live out of state and they made the planning process easy by promptly responding to our emails. We are pleased that we selected the Griffin Museum and highly recommend it.
• Yelena Sent on 07/03/2013
  5 out of 5 rating

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  I found this gem of a venue by pure accident, after endless internet searches and reading reviews after reviews, and could not be happier that I did! It was so difficult to find a space that does not have a 125 people minimum, as we only wanted to have about 65 people attend our wedding. The Griffin was everything we were looking for and more--beautiful grounds for a small outdoor ceremony, a scenic pond, a cozy interior with wonderful wooden-beamed ceiling, great space for cocktail hour and reception, not to mention eminently affordable. Do yourself a favor and visit their website (or better yet, the museum itself) and you'll see what I mean. Their staff was very friendly and professional. The photography exhibits in the main reception space provide an instant decor boost and conversation fodder. We checked in advance to make sure it wouldn't be anything that would clash with a wedding, and were relieved that it was just a local high school photography exhibit. We received countless compliments on our venue choice from the guests, and could not be happier that we went with the Griffin!

  I found this gem of a venue by pure accident, after endless internet searches and reading reviews after reviews, and could not be happier that I did! It was so difficult to find a space that does not have a 125 people minimum, as we only wanted to have about 65 people attend our wedding. The Griffin was everything we were looking for and more--beautiful grounds for a small outdoor ceremony, a scenic pond, a cozy interior with wonderful wooden-beamed ceiling, great space for cocktail hour and reception, not to mention eminently affordable. Do yourself a favor and visit their website (or better yet, the museum itself) and you'll see what I mean. Their staff was very friendly and professional. The photography exhibits in the main reception space provide an instant decor boost and conversation fodder. We checked in advance to make sure it wouldn't be anything that would clash with a wedding, and were relieved that it was just a local high school photography exhibit. We received countless compliments on our venue choice from the guests, and could not be happier that we went with the Griffin!
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• Claudia Sent on 10/04/2012
  5 out of 5 rating

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  We had a gorgeous event at the Griffin! And our guests loved the photography exhibit the night of the wedding.
  
  We were married in the main gallery and had our cocktail hour throughout the museum. We chose to have dinner in a tent beside the main gallery, so that our event designer could work on the lighting and floral elements all day long. The Griffin can only be rented outside of their normal operating hours: no gallery access prior to 4 pm. Francis, the event coordinator for the Griffin, graciously allowed for the tent set up the day before the wedding and the strike the following day. There was no rush for our designers to accomplish all the decor. The weather had been hot, humid, rainy and windy all day, so the A/C in the gallery was a God send! What was unexpectedly beautiful, was the fieldstone exterior of the Griffin visible in the tent: it added so much to the feel of the event.
  
  The staff at the Griffin are delightful to work with. Every phone call and email was answered in a prompt and efficient manner. If ever I throw another party the size of my wedding, I'll use the Griffin again, no questions asked. It is a great value!
  
  

  We had a gorgeous event at the Griffin! And our guests loved the photography exhibit the night of the wedding.
  
  We were married in the main gallery and had our cocktail hour throughout the museum. We chose to have dinner in a tent beside the main gallery, so that our event designer could work on the lighting and floral elements all day long. The Griffin can only be rented outside of their normal operating hours: no gallery access prior to 4 pm. Francis, the event coordinator for the Griffin, graciously allowed for the tent set up the day before the wedding and the strike the following day. There was no rush for our designers to accomplish all the decor. The weather had been hot, humid, rainy and windy all day, so the A/C in the gallery was a God send! What was unexpectedly beautiful, was the fieldstone exterior of the Griffin visible in the tent: it added so much to the feel of the event.
  
  The staff at the Griffin are delightful to work with. Every phone call and email was answered in a prompt and efficient manner. If ever I throw another party the size of my wedding, I'll use the Griffin again, no questions asked. It is a great value!
  
  
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  User996407 Sent on 10/30/2012
  5 out of 5 rating

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  We were just so pleased with the Griffin Museum of Photography. The museum was so beautiful both inside and outside, so the photos of our wedding turned out so pretty. We held the ceremony inside and it ended up looking like a church. Everyone we dealt with was so professional and helpful too.

  We were just so pleased with the Griffin Museum of Photography. The museum was so beautiful both inside and outside, so the photos of our wedding turned out so pretty. We held the ceremony inside and it ended up looking like a church. Everyone we dealt with was so professional and helpful too.
• Jessica Sent on 08/18/2008
  4.8 out of 5 rating

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  This was a gem to have found this museum. The grounds were beautiful for our outdoor ceremony and the inside was the perfect size for our smaller wedding. We had a bar/cocktail area in 1 room and a dancing and dining area in another. It was an ideal setup for the style of wedding we had. They were very flexible and responsive to emails I sent. We also changed our wedding date by 3 weeks at the last minute and they were easy to work with. Meredith also helped coordinate some of the pickup from vendors in the days following our wedding so we could enjoy our honeymoon immediately.

  This was a gem to have found this museum. The grounds were beautiful for our outdoor ceremony and the inside was the perfect size for our smaller wedding. We had a bar/cocktail area in 1 room and a dancing and dining area in another. It was an ideal setup for the style of wedding we had. They were very flexible and responsive to emails I sent. We also changed our wedding date by 3 weeks at the last minute and they were easy to work with. Meredith also helped coordinate some of the pickup from vendors in the days following our wedding so we could enjoy our honeymoon immediately.
• Lisa Sent on 12/27/2010
  4.5 out of 5 rating

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    3.5 out of 5 rating
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  I love the museum and I enjoyed working with their coordinator to set everything up. There were a few things I wasn’t thrilled with the day of the wedding, however.
  (1) There was someone else from the museum working the night of the wedding, not the coordinator I’d been dealing with. He didn’t introduce himself to any of us nor did he have anything to identify himself as a museum employee. I had to ask one of the catering staff who he was, because I assumed he was with them.
  (2) There was some trash on the grounds of the museum as we were setting up to do our pre-ceremony photos. We shouldn’t have had to stop and clean up in order to have a clear space for our ceremony and photos.
  (3) Lastly, it was absurdly hot in the gallery where we had dinner and dancing. They host receptions there all the time – they are a museum gallery! – so there should have been better climate control in the room.
  
  I still love the look of the venue and our guests didn’t seem to have the same complaints (other than the temperature of the gallery!). It was still a beautiful event.

  I love the museum and I enjoyed working with their coordinator to set everything up. There were a few things I wasn’t thrilled with the day of the wedding, however.
  (1) There was someone else from the museum working the night of the wedding, not the coordinator I’d been dealing with. He didn’t introduce himself to any of us nor did he have anything to identify himself as a museum employee. I had to ask one of the catering staff who he was, because I assumed he was with them.
  (2) There was some trash on the grounds of the museum as we were setting up to do our pre-ceremony photos. We shouldn’t have had to stop and clean up in order to have a clear space for our ceremony and photos.
  (3) Lastly, it was absurdly hot in the gallery where we had dinner and dancing. They host receptions there all the time – they are a museum gallery! – so there should have been better climate control in the room.
  
  I still love the look of the venue and our guests didn’t seem to have the same complaints (other than the temperature of the gallery!). It was still a beautiful event.
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  User2242148 Sent on 07/25/2015
  4.2 out of 5 rating

  4.2
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  We had a "rustic" wedding at the Griffin Museum and it was absolutely perfect. We had our ceremony outside, the reception in the gallery, bar in the gift shop area, and children's craft room in a small room off the gift shop. Because we wanted guests to mingle and move around, we had dinner tables for only half the guests, and set up unassigned cocktail sized tables with chairs for everyone else. We had 88 guests fit very comfortably, and could easily have had 100 guests with this arrangement. The museum advises that up to 85 guests can be seated comfortably for a sit down reception, and up to 100 for a cocktail style reception.
  
  Older reviews seem to indicate that there was an event planner at the Griffin in the past. They do not have one now. The event coordinator booked the space for us and showed us a book of photos from other weddings so that we could get ideas. Our caterer, furniture rental and beverage service were able to call the museum directly to arrange for delivery. Aside from these things, we measured the rooms ourselves and figured out the furniture, checked the electric panel for the AMP output (200 AMPS), so in many ways, there was a DIY component. If we had gone with one of their preferred caterers, they would have known about optimal room layouts, but we wanted to use our own caterer. It worked out great, but just wanted to let you know that you will have to figure out some things yourself if you don't use a preferred caterer.
  
  Other logistal things to know: The value is terrific. Their rental price and application is on their website. They are flexible so you can use any caterer and beverage service you want. They are open as a museum until 4:00, so set up time is restricted to 4:00-6:00 and events can't start until 6:00. Two hours way sufficient time to set up. The rental fee is for use of the space until 11:00 PM, and you can rent extra hours if you wanted to go over this.
  
  Highly recommend the space, and expect some DIY.
  

  We had a "rustic" wedding at the Griffin Museum and it was absolutely perfect. We had our ceremony outside, the reception in the gallery, bar in the gift shop area, and children's craft room in a small room off the gift shop. Because we wanted guests to mingle and move around, we had dinner tables for only half the guests, and set up unassigned cocktail sized tables with chairs for everyone else. We had 88 guests fit very comfortably, and could easily have had 100 guests with this arrangement. The museum advises that up to 85 guests can be seated comfortably for a sit down reception, and up to 100 for a cocktail style reception.
  
  Older reviews seem to indicate that there was an event planner at the Griffin in the past. They do not have one now. The event coordinator booked the space for us and showed us a book of photos from other weddings so that we could get ideas. Our caterer, furniture rental and beverage service were able to call the museum directly to arrange for delivery. Aside from these things, we measured the rooms ourselves and figured out the furniture, checked the electric panel for the AMP output (200 AMPS), so in many ways, there was a DIY component. If we had gone with one of their preferred caterers, they would have known about optimal room layouts, but we wanted to use our own caterer. It worked out great, but just wanted to let you know that you will have to figure out some things yourself if you don't use a preferred caterer.
  
  Other logistal things to know: The value is terrific. Their rental price and application is on their website. They are flexible so you can use any caterer and beverage service you want. They are open as a museum until 4:00, so set up time is restricted to 4:00-6:00 and events can't start until 6:00. Two hours way sufficient time to set up. The rental fee is for use of the space until 11:00 PM, and you can rent extra hours if you wanted to go over this.
  
  Highly recommend the space, and expect some DIY.
  
• Kerry Sent on 06/11/2009
  4.2 out of 5 rating

  4.2
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  I found The Griffin Museum of Photography online when looking for a unique, small-ish wedding site and it turned out to be the only venue we looked at, because we loved it so much. We booked it the day we saw it, thought the price was a steal, and loved everything about the actual wedding. We had our ceremony & cocktail reception in the main gallery, with the bar in the lobby area. We had about 75 guests and it was really the perfect size for us. We'd highly recommend it to other artistically minded couples who want a unique, lovely, elegant but not foo-foo location. (The grounds, pond, and water wheel were fantastic for photographs, as well!)

  I found The Griffin Museum of Photography online when looking for a unique, small-ish wedding site and it turned out to be the only venue we looked at, because we loved it so much. We booked it the day we saw it, thought the price was a steal, and loved everything about the actual wedding. We had our ceremony & cocktail reception in the main gallery, with the bar in the lobby area. We had about 75 guests and it was really the perfect size for us. We'd highly recommend it to other artistically minded couples who want a unique, lovely, elegant but not foo-foo location. (The grounds, pond, and water wheel were fantastic for photographs, as well!)
• Jen Sent on 04/30/2010
  2.7 out of 5 rating

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  The Griffin Museum is a small, intimate space for small weddings... VERY small weddings...
  
  We thought having 50 people would fit just right in the small venue, but we were terribly wrong! Supposedly it seats 100 people, but that isn't necessarily true. We had about 55-60 people, and there was no space for a dance floor! Even the tables (6 rounds) were squished together!
  
  We had our ceremony outside, which wasn't a good idea as right in the middle of it, the commuter rail passed by. This wasn't necessarily the museum's fault, but it's good to know when the trains are running so this doesn't happen to you!
  
  Finally, the museum supplies walls to put up if you don't like one of the pieces. Unfortunately, we ended up using all the walls as we disliked all of the pieces. What the museum doesn't tell you is there is art on the movable walls as well. Not only did these walls take up room, we didn't like the art on them either!
  
  

  The Griffin Museum is a small, intimate space for small weddings... VERY small weddings...
  
  We thought having 50 people would fit just right in the small venue, but we were terribly wrong! Supposedly it seats 100 people, but that isn't necessarily true. We had about 55-60 people, and there was no space for a dance floor! Even the tables (6 rounds) were squished together!
  
  We had our ceremony outside, which wasn't a good idea as right in the middle of it, the commuter rail passed by. This wasn't necessarily the museum's fault, but it's good to know when the trains are running so this doesn't happen to you!
  
  Finally, the museum supplies walls to put up if you don't like one of the pieces. Unfortunately, we ended up using all the walls as we disliked all of the pieces. What the museum doesn't tell you is there is art on the movable walls as well. Not only did these walls take up room, we didn't like the art on them either!
  
  
• Gini Sent on 11/17/2009
  1.6 out of 5 rating

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    0.5 out of 5 rating
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  The Griffin Museum is a darling space great for a small wedding (I would say 75 our under). We had 50 people and it was perfect for our guests in terms of the size. The cost was reasonable as well $980 for the evening. There are TWO downsides that are worth mentioning:
  
  1. While the person working with us prior to the wedding was very responsive and sweet, the on-site person who worked our event was extremely rude. We had agreed with the staff ahead of time that the wedding would end at 11pm and clean up would follow. However the on-site person turned on all the lights about 10:30 and told the DJ to play the last song. Boo hiss. So we all cleared out. Meanwhile, he told one of the guests that the commuter rail was still running when in fact it was not. She was stranded at the wedding venue (as all the other guests with cars had left). In his favor, the on-site person did drive her to the nearest subway station which made up for the fact he gave her incorrect information. I had confirmed two days prior to the event that our arrangement was to end the wedding at 11pm, but he was incredulous about the matter.
  
  2. Depending on how you look at it, issue#2 was more problematic for us. The museum is a photo gallery. Before we signed a contract we asked what photos would be on display. We were told it would be calligraphy and given the name of the artist. Indeed the photography of the calligraphy was there, but only in the gift shop. In the actual wedding venue itself, there were pictures of Auschwitz (as in concentration camps). Thankfully there were no pictures of actual people, but instead of (and I am not kidding) the luggage of Holocaust victims, the chimneys of Auschwitz, and the beds. It was so awful particularly as we had a Jewish wedding here. It was so unfortunate and we definitely felt like we were misled.
  
  I think that our wedding was a success in spite of the venue, not because of it.

  The Griffin Museum is a darling space great for a small wedding (I would say 75 our under). We had 50 people and it was perfect for our guests in terms of the size. The cost was reasonable as well $980 for the evening. There are TWO downsides that are worth mentioning:
  
  1. While the person working with us prior to the wedding was very responsive and sweet, the on-site person who worked our event was extremely rude. We had agreed with the staff ahead of time that the wedding would end at 11pm and clean up would follow. However the on-site person turned on all the lights about 10:30 and told the DJ to play the last song. Boo hiss. So we all cleared out. Meanwhile, he told one of the guests that the commuter rail was still running when in fact it was not. She was stranded at the wedding venue (as all the other guests with cars had left). In his favor, the on-site person did drive her to the nearest subway station which made up for the fact he gave her incorrect information. I had confirmed two days prior to the event that our arrangement was to end the wedding at 11pm, but he was incredulous about the matter.
  
  2. Depending on how you look at it, issue#2 was more problematic for us. The museum is a photo gallery. Before we signed a contract we asked what photos would be on display. We were told it would be calligraphy and given the name of the artist. Indeed the photography of the calligraphy was there, but only in the gift shop. In the actual wedding venue itself, there were pictures of Auschwitz (as in concentration camps). Thankfully there were no pictures of actual people, but instead of (and I am not kidding) the luggage of Holocaust victims, the chimneys of Auschwitz, and the beds. It was so awful particularly as we had a Jewish wedding here. It was so unfortunate and we definitely felt like we were misled.
  
  I think that our wedding was a success in spite of the venue, not because of it.