The Athenaeum Reviews

So pretty. Cannot wait to go back.

Dior is the private events coordinator and she is such a wonderful person to work with. This venue is a great value, the architecture and grounds are unique and will definitely wow your guests. Our guests loved the food and the menu options are plentiful.

I could not think of a better place to have my wedding reception. Everything was an absolute fairy tale from the timeless looks of the columns to the tented patios with chandeliers. I looked at 310 venues for our wedding and this by far trumped them all. Dior was so helpful and I loved working with her throughout the entire process. While the venue is not cheap, it is worth every penny and more. The bride's room is so large--two rooms and a 4 stall bathroom. It is the perfect place for you and all of your bridesmaids to get ready in. I had 5 bridesmaids, mom, grandma, photographers, hair and makeup personnel and it did not feel crowded at all. The wait staff was so attentive to all of our guests and they even had one attendant designated to follow the wedding party around outside while we took pictures during our cocktail hour. They truly go above and beyond to make your event truly special and your own.

Beautiful venue.... This venue made my dream wedding come true. My coordinator Victoria is so awesome!! They are so helpful, and they make sure I have my dream wedding!!! I will definitely use this venue again!!! Thank you Athenaeum.

I think this venue is the best kept secret in LA. I loved having my wedding here and felt lucky that I had it there before a huge storm that apparently knocked out some big trees there. I couldn't have been happier with my wedding!

The Athenaeum is a BEAUTIFUL place to have your wedding celebration. We had our reception there. You get what you pay for- it is on the pricier side, but it is SO worth it! The food and service were outstanding. I wish I could do my wedding all over again because it was so much fun, and the Ath certainly played a part in how glamorous the fun was! Dior is wonderful to work with- though sometimes it can be a little difficult to get ahold of her. I never had any crises involving this venue or Dior. I highly recommend having your wedding here. It's a gorgeous venue, got some old Hollywood charm. Great for photos! As it is a private faculty/alumni restaurant, you must be a member or know someone who is, in order to have your event here. My husband graduated from CalTech so we became members in order to have our reception at The Ath.

We paid a lot, but it was utterly worth it. Once we decided on menu and table arrangements, and got our florist to figure out centerpieces, we were done. The coordinator there did the rest -- and all we did was pay the bill! They took beautiful care of everything, and people are still talking about our 'gorgeous reception' 10 months later! We did practically nothing on flowers, simplest possible, because the Athenaeum needs no help -- it's gorgeous as it is!

I adored every bit of this venue... i only gave a lower score for flexibility because we had to finish by 10pm due to the neighborhood... otherwise, I'm still hearing family and friends rave about the food and beautiful venue!!! I love Dior as well, she is the on site coordinator, she was amazing. Truly a magical wedding experience!

The venue was beautiful and the food was wonderful. It does seem like they go through wedding managers rather quickly as mine changed just a couple months before the wedding. Furthermore, the previous manager did not tell me he was leaving, although my wedding coordinator was quick to make sure that nothing fell between the cracks, and the new wedding manager was very attentive.


One difficulty though was with alcohol, so be sure that your wedding party has their IDs with them, or that you clear it with the venue before!

One of the most beautiful venues to have a magical December wedding.
The biggist obstacles are price, availability, cost and either being a Member or having a sponsor.
We are members, so that wasn't a problem, but it is expensive.
It was a beautiful event and the food and service was 5 star!

Beautiful venue - classy and sophisticated, but a different experience from the typical hotel ballroom. Our guests, especially out of town guests, kept asking how we found this beautiful space! Dior is wonderful to work with - very professional, knowledgeable, friendly and calm under pressure (and also extremely busy and hard to get a hold of). We looked at many venues before picking the Athenaeum and I couldn't be happier with how the wedding turned out!

We had our wedding at the Athenaeum and it was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful!!! Our guests were very impressed with how beautiful the venue was and how delicious the food was! We had our ceremony on the steps off the west patio, the cocktail reception in the main lounge, and dinner and dance reception in the west patio (the court yard). When it got close to sunset time and at night, this place is magical! It is definitely expensive... but I would still have picked it if I had to choose again. It is worth it.

The only minor complaint I have is that the event coordinator I worked with (Victoria) is extremely busy and hard to get hold of. A few times we had miscommunications of what was included in our package and what was not. Another time she made a few mistakes on the price quote and event hours on the final contract. Despite that, Victoria is very warm and friendly, and in the end, everything worked out beautifully, so that was all that mattered.

Overall, I highly recommend this gorgeous gorgeous venue!

they are awsome. they are amazing. i love them. everything is great.