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Weddings

National Aviary Reviews

National Aviary View more information

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 rating
35 Reviews
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    4.7 out of 5 rating
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94% Recommended by couples

Awards

35
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2019 Winner
  • D
    David A. Sent on 01/23/2024
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    Amazing experience

    The Aviary team, Yvette, Jordyn and Victoria were wonderful to work with. We had all the time we needed to enjoy our daughters special evening. The entire team at the aviary from start to finish worked in a professional manner. We could not have asked for a more perfect event.

    National Aviary's reply:

    Hello David,

    Thank you so much for your kind review! Congratulations again to Michelle and Kurt, their wedding was beautiful.

    All the best,
    National Aviary Events Team
  • Diana Wahl
    Diana W. Sent on 06/23/2023
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    Unique place to host a wedding!

    The Aviary is a fabulous place to host a wedding! Their event space is just beautiful with the patio, garden area and accordion doors. With half of the guest list being from out of town, the habitats being open during cocktail hour and up close encounter were such a treat for guests! They really turn the place over after they close to the public to make it an elegant event. There are endless options for how to set up your event and have the option of an outdoor or indoor ceremony. The event staff is great to work with ! They were communicative, responsive and helpful in so many ways: when we had outside vendor issues or even deciding last minute to move the ceremony inside due to rain. Their main caterer Atrias was a hit! We’ve been hearing raving reviews about the food since. This was a very affordable venue in the city. Atrias has many food packages and their bar package was very reasonable. I looked at many venues in the city and this was by far the most affordable and very unique ! With all venues there are limits as to what their staff can/can’t do so just read the contract and plan on getting outside help to set up or have a family member assist.
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  • K
    Katherine B. Sent on 08/05/2022
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    Incredible venue, fantastic team

    My wife and I got married here in the summer of 2022. We used the Rose Garden for our ceremony, the Aviary itself for the cocktail hour and the new Garden Room for our reception. The planning team was extremely accommodating, giving us regular updates and checking in for any of our needs. On the day of the wedding, everything was in place at the right time, and our bridal parties were led to where they needed to be when without any hiccups. It was truly a spectacular day, and I'd absolutely recommend the space to anyone getting married soon!
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    Stephanie P. Sent on 08/08/2021
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    Wedding ceremony and reception

    The National Aviary is a wonderful venue. We loved everything about it.
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    Alexandra S. Sent on 10/11/2021
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    Amazing, Unique Wedding Venue!

    We loved having our reception at The National Aviary! They were wonderful to work with. This is a very special place to us, and we loved knowing our money was going to support such a great place. All of our guests loved the uniqueness of the venue and enjoyed the beautiful place and beautiful birds. Our penguin guest just topped off an amazing day. Thank you!!!
  • Bionca
    Bionca Sent on 08/27/2019
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    Amazing coordinators and staff

    I was just in awe at how amazing and perfect everything was. Atrias food was just too amazing. We had alot of complements on the food and venue. The guests were loving the aviary experience. So glad everyone was happy. Yvette was just a star to work with she went above and beyond helping clean up and coordinating everything. Ashley was also amazing at getting us information and emailing back and forth answering questions. I loved our wedding. Great weather, great food, great staff.
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    Keith J. Sent on 09/23/2019
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    Fantastic in every way!

    Absolutely amazing event! Event staff were fantastic and the service was second to none.
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    Mary A. Sent on 09/03/2019
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    Unique wedding venue and we got to celebrate with a penguin :)

    We loved our wedding reception at the National Aviary. When we got engaged, we knew we wanted to have our reception at the Aviary. All the staff was great to work with, and all the guests raved about how fun and unique of a venue it was. We were glad that the exhibits were open and gave guests something fun to do. Being able to interact with DJ the penguin was one of the highlights of our wedding. The outdoor garden was beautiful, we hardly had to provide any decorations because the space was so beautiful on its own. All the staff was great to work with, especially Ashley and Yvette, the event coordinators. They were always very responsive and worked with us diligently up until the day of the wedding to make sure everything ran smoothly.
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    Sadie Sent on 06/09/2019
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    A Unique and Amazing Experience

    This is the ABSOLUTE perfect wedding venue for anyone who wants to give their guests an amazing experience! To begin, it is such a gorgeous space, and it is located next to a park which is another amazing spot for photos. The events planning staff is amazing. Ashley and Laura were so helpful, quick to respond, and go above and beyond to make sure you are comfortable. There was supposed to be an event happening in the park the day of my wedding, and they reached out to the organization to make sure their music and events did not disrupt the wedding. (the event ended up cancelled). The food is also made on site and is one of the best meals I have had! For everything this space provides, it is a steal cost wise
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    Janelle Sent on 12/28/2018
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    Great venue!

    Our wedding at the National Aviary was great! The staff were very accommodating and ready to pitch in and help with anything we needed. I'm glad we chose the Aviary!
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    Laken Sent on 10/31/2018
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    Beautiful & unique wedding!

    We chose to have our wedding at the national aviary because of our love for animals. It was very affordable and they even brought out birds for our guests to see (the kids loved it!). The food was outstanding and the guests raved on and on about how amazing it was! It was the best night of our lives and I couldn't reccomend this venue enough to my fellow animal lovers out there. It was a night to remember! Big thanks to the aviary crew for helping to make it perfect for us!
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    Emily Sent on 06/17/2018
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    We loved having our wedding at the Aviary - all of their wedding coordinators were easy to work with and everyone was very helpful on the day of our wedding. Our guests loved all of the birds, especially the penguin and the owl that came around to the tables at dinner! It was great having indoor and outdoor space, and we received a lot of compliments about the dinner food (Atria's) as well.
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    Morgan Sent on 05/20/2018
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    Could not recommend The Aviary enough! We had a small reception (35 people) in Penguin Point, with access to the whole facility for our guests to walk around. It was incredibly affordable (on a Sunday, with a small group) and offered such a fun, unique experience for our guests, who all raved about it. The Aviary was responsive, organized, and even though we were nervous about not being able to pick our caterer (they have a mandatory contract with Atria's) the food was wonderful.
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    Rachel Sent on 10/25/2017
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    Selecting the National Aviary, for our wedding location, was the best decision. We were on the hunt for something that was a little different and allowed us to embrace our love of the outdoors. The venue is super fun and beautiful. We chose to use the rose garden for the ceremony and their tent for the reception. Unfortunately, the weather had different plans so we had to move the ceremony inside. That was a-ok, because their theater is still beautiful and captured that outdoor feeling. Karin is fabulous to work worth and made the whole process very easy. Atria's is their exclusive caterer. The food was absolutely fabulous. We also chose to do the two bird experiences. They brought a penguin out during cocktail hour and then a falcon during dinner. The trainers were very knowledgeable and our guests LOVED that they got to interact with the animals, as well as tour the facilities. I would highly recommend the Aviary!
  • Ashley
    Ashley Sent on 08/29/2017
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    I knew I wanted to get married at The National Aviary the moment I stepped into that facility. I scoured everywhere to find reviews or pictures of events at the Aviary but couldn’t find too much. I met with Lauren and we started the planning process! Eventually, Lauren had quit and Karin took over as the coordinator. Most brides would freak out over this change but Karin was nothing short of wonderful. She emailed me back in a timely fashion, she replied to every mini freak-out I would have and was very very polite. My wedding was held outside in the Historic Rose Garden. Cocktail hour was inside the atrium and the reception was outside in the tent next to the Rose Garden. We had three bird encounters during the wedding (falcon before the ceremony, owl at cocktail hour and penguin at the tail end of cocktail). We even were able to get a painting done by the penguin to hang on our wall to remind us of our special day! I cannot recommend having a wedding at The National Aviary enough.
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    Katelyn Sent on 06/21/2017
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    My husband and I highly recommend the national aviary for your upcoming wedding! The staff at the national aviary made our planning easy and our big day perfect. The caterer is Atrias and all of our guests said it was the best food they have ever had at a wedding and that the open bar had great choices. Karin the event coordinator at the aviary is organized and on top of any of your needs, she really made the process a piece of cake. The rose garden tent was beautiful and the cocktail hour inside the atrium was a great way for our guests to see all the exhibits. It really was the best day ever, a big thanks to the national aviary and atrias!
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    Maria Sent on 05/06/2018
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    We had a super small wedding and they have the perfect area! We also chose to have bird encounters and our wedding photos all over the aviary were gorgeous!
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    Robert Sent on 12/16/2016
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    The staff at the National Aviary were so helpful in pulling our wedding together. The space was unique and romantic. The kids loved playing under the penguin exhibit, the older folks enjoyed strolling through the topical exhibits. The night calls of the birds took us all to someplace topical for the evening. The food prepared by Atria's was outstanding and the wedding guests raved about how tasty everything was. The only advice I might offer is that we brought our own playlist and we were advised to bring a sound system which worked out great. This space might not be the best for all couples but for those that want a unique, romantic, fun, and non-traditional setting the National Aviary is outstanding!
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    Jessica Sent on 10/08/2016
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    The National Aviary is an absolutely fantastic venue for a wedding! I have wanted to get married there since 2010 when I found out they do weddings as an intern. They are super accommodating and the events coordinator Karen is quick to respond to any questions or issues. I think I changed the reception diagram on her about 10 times but she was super flexible and great to work with! We had our ceremony in the rose garden, our cocktail hour in the atrium, and the reception in the rose garden tent and everything was beautiful! Atria's is their exclusive caterer and the food was amazing! Everyone we talked to raved about it and I think it was some of the best food I've had at a wedding! We had a penguin encounter during cocktail hour - the penguin painted a picture for us - and one of the trainers had an owl she walked around with during dinner. All of our guests had the opportunity to walk through the exhibits as well! Not only is the Aviary great, there's a park right next to it which is perfect for pictures so you don't have to go anywhere! We loved it, our guests loved it, and I highly recommend booking the Aviary for your wedding!!
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    Beth Sent on 05/20/2015
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    We planned our wedding within 4 months, so we were amazed that the Aviary was available for one of our preferred dates. I am so glad that we did - we loved our Aviary wedding, and our guests did too! Our event was in mid-April, so we had the tent as an option, but we elected to have everything (ceremony and reception) inside because the weather in Pittsburgh in April is so unpredictable. We had the ceremony in the Flight Zone Theater. I was a bit worried about how the fake "Tree" and "boulder" in there would look, but our florist did an amazing job decorating and the whole space looked magical.

    Atria's catering was top-notch -- many of our guests raved about it and expressed amazement that "mass produced" food could be so good. I wish I'd had the chance to eat more of it - I was too nervous, but what I had was delicious! (I knew it would be after the tasting we had with Pete and Josef at Atria's in Mount Lebanon when we were planning the menu.)

    The event planner, Lauren, responded to my e-mails with questions within 24 hours (except on her days off - everyone deserves those!) She met with us to discuss what we wanted before we booked the space, and then we mostly communicated via e-mail until the day before the wedding. She helped us with our rehearsal and was extremely helpful on the day of our wedding. We had a somewhat non-traditional reception - board games instead of dancing, and she helped arrange things so that I could use the Learning Center classroom to hide out in before the wedding (I got ready at the hotel) and then we used it as an extra space to play games in during the reception.

    My husband and I could not be happier with our choice to have our wedding at the National Aviary. It's a unique venue, and I highly recommend it.
  • User2053378 Sent on 02/27/2015
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    We were looking for fun venue to host our winter wedding and considered several different Pittsburgh venues including Phipps, the Children's museum and the Carnegie science center. However, we were on a tight budget (~$10,000) and the costs of these venues were more than we could afford. Then we found the Aviary, which in our opinion, is a hidden treasure! Not only is it much more affordable than similar venues, but the atmosphere offers a great mix of magic, romance and fun. It's a completely different place after hours when all the screaming and excited kids have gone home and the lights are dimmed. We booked the entire place, which allowed guests who needed a break from the music an opportunity to escape and check out the exhibits. We also chose to add on 3 bird visits where they bring out an owl, a penguin and a parrot. It was a great photo op and was enjoyed by kids and adult alike.

    The required caterer, Atria's, worked with our budget to provide an awesome menu with hors d'oeuvres and an open bar. We also rented linens and dinnerware through them. With the aviary providing the tables and the chairs and us not adding any decorations other than centerpieces (the aviary already looked festive with their holiday decorations), we were able to enjoy the night without stressing over having to do any setup or take-down. Overall a wonderful experience!
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    Sarah Sent on 10/16/2013
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    My Aviary wedding was absolutely beautiful! I couldn't have been more pleased! We had the ceremony in the rose garden, outside, and the reception under the big tent. Atrias is their proprietary caterer and they did a wonderful job! The food was reasonably priced and tasted amazing! Great selection, too. I highly recommend the Aviary!!!
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    Diana Sent on 01/12/2012
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    We had our cocktail hour outside in the rose garden tent and our reception inside. Dinner and dancing was under the atrium, and guests had access to the Wetlands, Grasslands, and Penguins exhibits. We also paid a little more to have the bird encounters which I highly recommend. We chose the penguin for cocktail hour, a parrot during dinner, and an owl later in the evening. Everything exceeded my expectations. The lighting was beautiful, and even guests who weren't into dancing had something to do. Jessie was wonderful to work with to plan the event and she made sure it ran smoothly. The other aviary staff who walked around with the birds were also fabulous. Additional things that were great about this venue were the free parking, security guard included with the cost of rental, being able to rent our own linens and tableware, and being able to bring our own alcohol.
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    Claire Sent on 11/14/2021
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    Incredible

    The National Aviary is a great facility with a beautiful venue. The catering is incredible and the level of service we received was top notch. I would highly recommend if you are looking for a non-traditional wedding venue The National Aviary is an incredible choice.
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