Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum Reviews
Reviews
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Ellen Sent on 10/07/2025
Fantastic Venue!
AMAZING!!! From the very first visit, we knew Soldiers & Sailors was the perfect venue for us. Amber and her incredible team were truly the cherry on top of this gorgeous space. Communication was seamless, planning felt effortless, and every single person we met at Soldiers & Sailors was an absolute joy to work with.
Amber (and her team) have such a gift for what they do — she truly thinks of every detail and goes above and beyond to make your day perfect. One thing that really stood out to us, and something you won’t find at every venue, is the remarkable attention to detail and all the behind-the-scenes magic that happens without you even realizing it.
We truly can’t say enough wonderful things! Thank you, thank you to the entire Soldiers & Sailors team — our day was an absolute dream, and that’s in huge part thanks to you! -
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Michelle Sent on 08/07/2025
Exquisite!
Our daughter’s wedding this past weekend at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum was nothing short of magical. The venue itself is absolutely spectacular — a breathtaking blend of history, beauty, and elegance that provided the perfect backdrop for such a special day.
Amber went above and beyond in every possible way, ensuring that every single detail was handled flawlessly. Her professionalism, warmth, and dedication made the entire planning process seamless, and on the day of the wedding, she orchestrated everything to perfection. The service she provided was truly extraordinary.
Our guests were amazed by the unique experience of enjoying cocktails, drinks, and hors d’oeuvres while exploring the fascinating museum exhibits. It was an unforgettable touch that elevated the celebration and made it unlike any other wedding they had attended.
Every vendor recommended by Soldiers & Sailors was exceptional — from catering to décor to music, everything was executed to perfection. The collaboration between the venue and their trusted vendors created a stress-free, joyful experience from start to finish.
If you are looking for a wedding venue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, you will not find a more beautiful, meaningful, or memorable location than Soldiers & Sailors. We will forever be grateful for the incredible memories made here and the outstanding service that made them possible. -
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Hannah Sent on 07/25/2025
Absolutely timeless and flawless
Before I dive in to all the details, let me start by saying IF YOU WANT THE WEDDING OF YOUR DREAMS – LOOK NO FURTHER THAN SOLDIERS AND SAILORS.
I have tried to write this review so many times in a quick hit summary that is easy for future brides to read, but it is simply impossible to explain our amazing experience in just a few sentences. Obviously, weddings are a big deal – so I think it is important all future couples have a true insight to other experiences before making a decision.
A little background, when I got engaged to my now husband, I had only been to Pittsburgh once in my life. At the time, we lived states away and I essentially knew nothing about the city in general, let alone the wedding scene. Back in 2023, I made the (big) mistake of contracting a different venue for our reception. Fast forward 20 months, and I received word less than 2 months before our big day that our venue would be undergoing construction. Immediately, I reached out to Soldiers and Sailors, and by the grace of God, they had one date available left, and it was our date… Amber (THE BEST wedding coordinator who can be dubbed a miracle worker) responded to my note moments after I reached out, and we ended up on a Zoom the next day. Not only was Amber extremely empathetic to our situation, but she also showed up to our call with a plan for how she would be able to execute the wedding of our dreams on such short notice.
What had originally been an extremely overwhelming, gut-wrenching experience, quickly turned into something I was excited about. Amber seamlessly restored my trust in the wedding planning process and essentially took the reigns as she navigated the transition of all my vendors to Soldiers and Sailors. My husband and I were blown away by how she traversed this tricky situation with such grace and professionalism.
I could go on and on about how incredible Amber and the team at Soldiers and Sailors were – but I will leave you with this. Amber was supposed to be out of town the weekend of my wedding; she and her partner changed their vacation plans to make sure she could be there for our big day…. If that doesn’t show you how deeply the team at S&S cares, I do not know what will.
Now, I am sure some of you reading this review probably think that my view is skewed because Amber/S&S literally saved our wedding… but as someone who has a background in events/operations, I can confidently say that I am able to separate the two. Yes – Amber/S&S have a special place in my heart for what they did in our time of chaos.. but Soldiers and Sailors is truly a BEAUTIFUL venue that provides great flexibility and can make any vision come to life.
Our guests absolutely raved about our cocktail hour in the lobby. It was beautiful, timeless, grand, and our guests really enjoyed having the opportunity to take in the exhibits while they waited for our wedding party to arrive. We had a 3-piece band playing, and a bar on each end. The space was fluid, the bartenders were efficient, the acoustics were perfect, and the transition upstairs to the ballroom was seamless.
The board room – which we used as our staging room/an area for my Husband and I to have a moment during cocktail hour, was incredible. It was spacious enough for our large wedding party
(23 people!), and just a unique space. The pictures we have from there are awesome...
Now, the best for last. The Ballroom is truly unbelievable!! We brought in string lights, a band, flipped the bars so they were facing inside the space, and positioned the tables to make such a large space feel warm and comfortable for a smaller wedding (128 people). The pictures of the space don’t do nearly enough justice, as it truly transforms when you bring in the tables, bars, lighting, etc.. Our guests had the best time, and we would not have changed a thing.
Honestly – we are so thankful that we ended up at Soldiers and Sailors and would strongly encourage everyone to work with them.
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William Sent on 04/27/2023
The most amazing locale I could've asked for!
Thanks to the museum for hosting my Navy retirement ceremony on April 7, 2023. To say that Angela Tomlin and her staff helped make the event a success is an understatement! The entire museum’s hospitality was incredible. Any/everything we asked of them was handled almost instantly, and Angela and her team were a TREASURE to work with! Everyone in attendance were astounded by the 3rd floor ballroom, and I’m still beyond humbled for the privilege. -
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Logan Sent on 10/15/2022LOVE this venue! Highly recommend!
We had both our ceremony and reception at Soldiers and Sailors, and it was absolutely stunning all around! The ceremony on the front patio was everything I'd hoped it would be, and the ballroom upstairs was just beautiful! The coordinator we worked with (Angela) was EXTREMELY helpful and very communicative, and answered all of my questions very quickly along the way. I knew our day was in good hands with her! This is the perfect venue because both the patio and ballroom can be dressed up or kept simple, and you can't go wrong either way. It was the perfect size for us, and I wouldn't change a thing! HIGHLY recommend this venue for anyone looking for a classy, elegant venue! -
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![Tim]()
Tim S. Sent on 08/28/2022Amazing Experience!
We recently had our wedding at Soldiers & Sailors and it was absolutely perfect! Katie & Amber were fantastic to work with throughout the entire process and really made everything as easy as it could be. We couldn't have been happier with how everything turned out, and would absolutely recommend it to others looking around the Oakland area! -
Joseph Sent on 07/26/2022
A Great Night for a Wedding Party
Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum made our wedding party a success! Katie West and team were smart, attentive and sensitive to the many ways we opted to customize our reception within the ballroom. Vendors know and trust them. -
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![Ben]()
Ben D. Sent on 04/10/2022Refined but warm reception space with friendly, professional staff
We worked with Angela at Soldiers & Sailors, and could not have asked for a more organized, communicative coordinator in putting on our reception. We had a live band with a vocalist and five jazz musicians, plus a different musical arrangement for the cocktail hour, plus special requests for the bar package and cookie table. It was far from a run-of-the-mill wedding, but with Angela's help, it all went off without a hitch.
The plans and payments as the wedding date approached were all straightforward, and setup the week of went super smoothly. All the vendors knew where they needed to be and when. Then finally, as the cocktail hour and reception began, the atmosphere was refined but warm, the lighting and sound just right, and our guests had a wonderful time, thanks in part to Angela and her associates.
Best of all, with hotel blocks down the street and our ceremony at Heinz Chapel, Soldiers & Sailors was perfectly located for a fully walkable wedding in the heart of Oakland. We'd recommend Soldiers & Sailors to anyone interested in the same. -
![Bethany]()
Bethany Sent on 11/10/2021Beautiful venue, wonderful staff, great value!
We cannot recommend Soldiers and Sailors enough for anyone planning a wedding! Not only is it a beautiful venue, but their event coordinators are so wonderful to work with. My husband and I personally worked with Katie and she was a dream. I appreciated her level of communication as we navigated changing Covid-19 restrictions. She was so professional and friendly. We used the first floor foyer for our cocktail hour and the third floor ballroom for our reception and everything flowed very nicely. We loved it, our guests loved it, and I know you will too! -
Allison Sent on 08/26/2021
A true joy to work with Soldiers & Sailors!
Soldiers & Sailors was the perfect centerpiece to plan our wedding around! We were postponed due to COVID, so it had been a rollercoaster of planning and flexibility, but could not have done it without the amazing staff at S&S. I especially would like to give thanks and praise to Katie, our event coordinator from day one and so grateful to have been able to work with her throughout this process. She was so kind, friendly, and her attention to detail, follow-up, industry knowledge, and guidance at every turn was invaluable and truly made the experience a joy.
During the wedding week, the whole staff at S&S was so helpful – from Katie, to the maintenance staff, to Cindy at the front desk, the level of customer service was so impressive and a breath of fresh air during a difficult year. Every detail was perfectly thought out – from load-in, access to storage, access to the Founders Room for getting ready, the balcony space, all the preferred vendors, bar staff – everything went off without a hitch. They provide a very helpful list of preferred vendors and have experience working with many other vendors within the Pittsburgh community and also provided us many iterations of floor plans and setup options.
All of our guests were in awe of the beauty, grandeur, and history of S&S as an event space and museum. It made for a beautiful backdrop for photos, videography, and central location in Oakland made it very convenient for hotels and transportation. -
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Heather Sent on 10/21/2020
Everything we hoped for!
I had read glowing reviews about the venue itself and the staff. Katie West was our coordinator, and she sure lived up to the reputation I had read about in online reviews! Katie spent an hour and a half with us on our first visit to Soldiers & Sailors, and she always responded to my questions in a timely manner, whether 6 months or 6 days away from our big day. We did not need a separate wedding coordinator. Katie worked so fluidly with the other vendors and help make our day all that we hoped it would be! Not only is the venue beautiful and timeless, it is in a great location with lots of sights, restaurants, and accommodations within walking distance. We had a fantastic experience and would choose it all over again! -
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![Aubrey]()
Aubrey Sent on 10/19/2020Excellent Venue, Incredibly Helpful
Soldier’s and Sailors was a wonderful venue for our wedding. The ballroom is lovely and spacious and the staff were so very helpful, friendly, and responsive. Excellent choice, no regrets! -
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Paige Sent on 10/13/2020Top Notch - Highly Recommend
First, this venue is breathtaking. Guests have the opportunity to tour the museum between the ceremony and reception, which is amazing!! The reception area is large, elegant, and top notch. The balcony allows for unique photos as well as different ways to setup introductions/first dances. The staff is great - very responsive, attention to detail, and patient. I knew Amber and team had everything under control which allowed me to relax on our wedding night! Highly recommend!! -
![Joseph]()
Joseph Sent on 10/12/2020Perfect Pittsburgh Reception Venue
Soldiers & Sailors was a terrific venue for our reception, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a wedding venue in Pittsburgh. The ballroom is beautiful and quite capacious! We had about two hundred guests spread over twenty tables and no one was overly crowded. I loved the big dance floor, but I also liked that people could walk along the balcony above the ballroom to get away from some of the noise and also take some great pictures! I'll also say that the staff at S&S were extremely helpful, responsive, and patient! We looked at several comparable venues, and S&S struck me and my wife as very affordable given the value! Our main contact, Amber, let us know that they are able to maintain reasonable prices since they generally don't pay for advertising! Having the reception at Soldiers & Sailors was made even more convenient by the fact that a new hotel called The Oaklander recently opened up just across the street from it, so guests could just walk across the street when they were ready to turn in. -
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Jason Sent on 10/03/2019Soldiers & Sailors: The Premier Wedding Destination
My wife Erin and I were married at Soldiers & Sailors in August 2019. As she is a Pitt grad, and I a history buff, it seemed like the ideal location for us both. Little did we know how right we were. We soon came to realize there was no place more perfect than Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum. The stunning beauty of the venue alone could be it's own major selling point, particularly at such a reasonable rental price. But what really puts S&S over the top are the people behind the operation: the event staff, along with their cache of premier vendors, ensure your entire experience will be completely stress-free and uniquely memorable, specifically because of just how much they pay attention to and care for each and every detail. The all-star team of rental consultants and onsite coordinators, most notably Katie West, along with Amber Gehring-McBride and Angela Tomlin, are the absolute best in the business. We cannot recommend Soldiers & Sailors enough. Thank you!! -
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![Elyse]()
Elyse Sent on 09/09/2019Katie west!
Our wedding at Soldiers & Sailors was absolutely amazing, mostly because of two words: KATIE WEST. Katie and the ladies at Soldiers and Sailors, Amber and Angela, are incredible to work with. The venue search was the toughest part of wedding planning for me. I was starting to feel discouraged until I met Katie and Amber. Every other wedding venue I met with spent about 10 minutes or less with me and my groom, and I could never visualize the special day. Katie and Amber's tour of Soldiers & Sailors was at least an hour. These ladies have thought of EVERYTHING and know how to make an event perfect. Before I left my tour, I already had pictures from at least 5 other brides' weddings with similar color schemes to help with decor ideas and a stack of vendor recommendations. If you're getting married in Pittsburgh, I cannot imagine a more perfect wedding venue. Turning onto Fifth ave from Bigelow Blvd. and seeing this grand building is just so incredible. We got married on the front stairs outside and it was PERFECT. The ballroom to host the reception is such an amazing space. The venue allows you to start dropping off decor/supplies on the Tuesday before your wedding, which is UNHEARD OF, and they allow you to pick up your items on the Monday after your wedding. Katie coordinated with all of my vendors so I didn't have to worry about anything the day of. She had amazing ideas to make our wedding unique and special. Your guests also have access to the museum which is so special and different than a traditional venue. Katie and Angela were there at the rehearsal and on the day of our wedding to keep everything on schedule and get us down the aisle. I can't speak highly enough of the Soldiers & Sailors team and HIGHLY recommend this venue for Pittsburgh brides. -
Dana Sent on 07/11/2019
The absolute best!
The absolute best and most beautiful venue! My husband and I had our wedding reception at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, and to say the least we were blown away by how perfect everything was. From the staff, to the service, to the outstanding features of this facility, anyone looking for a venue must look here. My husband and I didn’t even bother to look anywhere else once we were told to about having our reception here. It was our first and only option as a venue. We had the privilege of working with Angela Tomlin, who was phenomenal. She was so easy to work with, flexible, answered promptly any questions we had, and helped set everything up on our special day that left us speechless. We can’t speak more highly of S&S. We highly highly recommend it to anyone having a wedding (and ceremony) in Pittsburgh! -
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Madison Sent on 06/25/2019AMAZING - and comes with an out-of-this-world wedding planner
I cannot begin to explain how AMAZING Amber was at my wedding. I chose this venue because it is beautiful, large, classic.... do i need to go on?? its a great venue and compared to prices of other pittsburgh venues it is affordable!! Now i didn't know I was getting Amber with this venue! she was the planner/coordinator and she did more than i would have ever thought i was getting. She coud really be on her own being a wedding planner working for herself. She brought so much value to this venue, it was truly incredible. I was someone that did not book a wedding planner. Between my mom and I, we are VERY type-A, organized, bossy, know-what-we-want, to pay for a wedding planner would have slowed me down. But Amber was amazing because you do truly need a coordinator and helping with set up/the day of, and really to just bounce ideas off of when it comes to the venue and with someone that has worked weddings before. I know what i wanted but not with EVERY SINGLE DETIAL. She answered ALL of my emails with such detail and excitement that I didn't feel annoyed to sometime send her 5 emails in a row as things kept coming up. I could go into such detail here but trying to not type a novel. During the week of and actually decorating, she was so hepful. First off she was 8 months pregnant and you would never know because she didn't act like it. She allowed me to text her and she went above and beyond completing taking control to make sure every detail was PERFECT. She really cared and she wanted my wedding to be as great as i did it seemed. Really can't thank her enough and i am SO happy with my decision to have my wedding reception here. -
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![Naomi]()
Naomi Sent on 09/13/2018Our reception at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall was a dream. They are the best value for the price – we had the museum reserved all day, the groomsmen were able to get ready in their private suite, and the tables and chairs were included, which is a huge cost savings. Not only that, the venue is absolutely stunning – our reception there took everyone’s breath away!
Amber and Katie did absolutely everything in their power to make sure we had a perfect day! Not only did they provide a killer list of preferred vendors (we became so close with our caterer because of their recommendation!), both Amber and Katie took time out of their busy schedules to speak to me on the phone, provide recommendations about our wedding day timeline, discuss logistics, etc. I was planning from another city so often only had time on the weekends to come to Pittsburgh, and they always made sure they had someone available to talk to me when necessary. The reception was absolutely gorgeous – their staff, their bartenders, and their event coordinators took care of us the entire evening. Amber even stayed late (Katie was the only one coordinating the day of) to see us and say hi during the reception! We are so grateful that we became friends with them and truly loved our experience working with this team. -
![Kaila]()
Kaila Sent on 01/02/2018I recently got married at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall on 12/16/17 and am SO happy with my venue choice. The venue is absolutely gorgeous, the ceilings are incredible in the ballroom and in the auditorium. We held our ceremony in the auditorium, and reception in the ballroom. During my initial visit before booking Amber answered all my questions and gave me a very thorough walk through of the venue. Amber is awesome! She answered all my emails in a timely manner, was super professional, and made recommendations that were helpful throughout my planning process. The whole event coordinator team was excellent. I was pleased with how everything came together the day of and their coordination with all of our other vendors. All of our guests loved the venue and how it was unlike any other venue they've been to. The venue offers a nice military discount and seasonal discounts as well. The location is right by PITT campus and not too far from downtown. There are plenty of hotels nearby for out of town guests. I can't get over how beautiful this venue is and how amazing the team was to us. Our wedding day was truly the best day ever! PS check out their Pinterest wedding board for ideas and inspiration. You will not be disappointed with this venue choice. -
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Katie Sent on 09/08/2017I cannot say enough about this venue and the staff there. Aly and Angela were very responsive, knowledgeable, and energetic. They were so easy to work with and they do this ALL THE TIME, so they have seen it all and know what's best if asked for recommendations. The venue is GORGEOUS and excellent value for the price. They have a list of preferred vendors, but multiple of each, so you can work with a range of price points and tastes to find one that fits. This has to be one of the premier venues in the city and I'm so glad I chose S&S. We also had our ceremony out in front of the building, which was beautiful and highly convenient for guests. When we toured venues in September 2016 for a spring-summer-fall 2017 wedding, almost all venues we saw had plenty of availability except for S&S, which was almost booked solid on Saturdays. We got in only because of a cancellation. That speaks to its popularity and reputation!
Things S&S doesn't brag about but should:
They let us come in starting the TUESDAY before my Saturday wedding to drop things off, and we had through Monday to clean up. I can't say enough about how much stress and hassle that saved us and our parents. No last-minute rushing or late-night cleanup for us! We got to walk in Saturday with everything already done and walk out at the end to go to our afterparty without a second thought!
The bathrooms are huge! Ten stalls in the ladies' room meant no one spent my wedding waiting in line to use the bathroom.
The balcony! It's open during the cocktail hour and reception, and is a place to take a breather and have a quieter conversation or watch the action from above.
Parking: easy-peasy with a huge university-run lot underneath the facility. -
![Kristin]()
Kristin Sent on 05/13/2015We held our wedding reception at Soldiers & Sailors on April 25, 2015. Soldiers & Sailors is such a beautiful venue and we knew from the start we wanted to have our wedding reception there, but knowing they have a great group of people to work with made it even better. We worked with Amber Gehring at Soldiers to plan our reception. She discussed every detail with us and went through all the options of caterers, vendors, etc. we could choose from. She was so helpful and very responsive to all of our questions and needs throughout the whole wedding planning process. We were also able to drop off any items (cookies, guest book, etc) we had for the reception a few days prior to our date which was very helpful. We also utilized their projector for a picture slideshow during the father-daughter and mother-son dance and it worked out beautifully. Jerry was there to help us test our slideshow and laptop a few days prior to the wedding to ensure all was working properly. We also received an engraved brick outside Soldiers & Sailors for our wedding which is such a neat personal touch. Our wedding day was so beautiful and special and we cannot thank everyone to Soldiers & Sailors enough for making our day so perfect! Soldiers & Sailor is a great venue to have a wedding reception and I would recommend this venue to anyone looking for a unique space for their special day! -
![Nicole]()
Nicole Sent on 04/28/2013Soldiers & Sailors is by far one of the most beautiful landmarks in Pittsburgh. To be able to have our wedding there was a dream come true. Details: You pay for the rental of the space, you pay them for the bar, and then you have to choose from their list of caterers (there are 4 to choose from) This ended up being okay, because their caterers offer a nice range of budgets to choose from. We went with The Chef and I Catering who were AWESOME (they were the "value" caterer; but you wouldn't have known it by how great they were). You also have to use their preferred vendors for linens, lighting, chairs etc. (the caterer can also provide linens for a much more affordable price) We had to rebook our date and we did find that some things that we had agreed to on our first date "changed" once we rebooked. Bummer, but somewhat expected in the wedding business. My biggest complaint about the venue was the slowness in responses. We understood that they aren't exclusively a wedding venue (museum, concert venue, much more); and due to this, they probably don't work normal business days/hours... however it would take multiple days at a time to get simple answers for things. The caterer ended up being much more helpful in answering a lot of our questions. Some of the issues with changes and responsiveness left a bad taste in our mouth, however when push came to shove... this venue is beyond words in terms of beauty. We wanted a place that was reminiscent of the 20s and 30s; a backdrop that needed simple/elegant decor; a place that felt like you were stepping back in time. This is THE place. It was STUNNING. As one guest put it "I feel like I'm on the Titanic" (a good thing!) The days before the wedding, the SS team stepped up and we turned it out. They also were flexible on a few points and were extremely kind. The day of the wedding was perfection, which is what matters in the end!
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