It is a big place, they have multiple events going on at the same time and have fairly strict rules for vendors related to load-in/load-out times, etc. This delayed dinner but the staff smoothly transitioned to the new timeline. The cake was delicious, and so was the food! We had ice cream sundaes and hot chocolate for our cocktail hour and everyone loved it. I was looking for the Vintage/Rustic feel and this venue gave me just that! I cant recommend this venue enough! It was everything we had hoped for and more! Private Events - The Athenaeum The Athenaeum would not refund us any more than $500 even though our total guest count was almost 20 people short of what they charged us for. Below you'll find a complete wedding budget breakdown, based on the average total costs of UK wedding suppliers. Terrible venue. And we did the mashed potato martini bar that was so worth the upgrade! Suitable for wedding ceremonies and receptions, this venue is in the heart of downtown Columbus near various 4-star hotels and two international airports. Kudos to the Columbus Athenaeum team for an outstanding job they did to make Tracee and Elliott Keefer's wedding reception a regal and magical event! The reason why we picked 3 stars for this review was the rehearsal and ceremony itself. Simone Biles's Tiered Wedding Dress Cost $120And It's Still Available The location is great, just a short walk from hotels and bars. She had some really great ideas and we couldnt have been happier with how everything looked. The ballroom itself is beautiful so you really don't need a lot of extra decor, but they still have a lot of options to choose from. Overall - unprofessional a Im sorry you had a bad experience here at the Columbus Athenaeum. She was always quick to answer questions or and adjustments to time we needed. All of our guests raved about the venue, from the reception room and food, as well as the ceremony room and decorations. We love TCA! To help you visualize our historic building, check out this panoramic tour by Mark Roessler. Our reception was in the Olympian Ballroom and it looked amazing. Compared to other vendors, it was incredibly affordable and we did not have to sacrifice the quality. (716) 357-6389. Highly recommend, our wording was unforgettable. We had a phenomenal wedding at an affordable price in a historic and beautiful location! Absolutely everything was perfect, and we had such a fun time! Overall, we loved our experience at the Columbus Athenaeum! I had guests coming up to me during the reception and comment Rehearsal Dinners, Bridal Showers & Parties, Flower Girl Dresses and Ring Bearer Outfits. Eliot Press/MEGA via Newscom. 2. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE was raving about the space. We worked with Jackie at the venue from the first day we walked in and she was amazing to work with. I even requested a childrens meal to be delivered to the groom (because hes obsessed with chicken tenders) and they pulled it off. We've received so many complements on the room, the food, the decor, etc. Monday she called the venue, one of the employees had moved it into a box in a room that was staff only. Athenaeum Hotel receptions. I literally just had to show up and it was fantastic! Then, as we were chatting afterwards, the colleague of hers was very short with guests, and family that we had to go and turned off lights. ke with the facility and got a response back from the financial coordinator, the e-mail was completely inappropriate. A few other things to note - She handled the behind the scenes with grace, instructed us with everything we needed and even helped me pull off a huge surprise right in the middle of the reception - a performance by our alumnis marching band! d in The Large Theatre room- but there are many more rooms to choose from depending on budget and size of your event! Although, my husband and I didn't get much time to eat, we were waited on hand and foot and never wanted for anything! The ballroom was perfect for our size wedding (about 300 guests), had a beautiful balcony, and plenty of space for everyone including dancing, mingling, and games (handstand contest, limbo, engaged bouquet challenge, and 1 min squats)! The captain didn't seem to know that there were drinks pre-selected to have at the head table for toasts right away and came out to ask before we walked in what we wanted to drink. Gina was SO HELPFUL throughout the planning process and was always very responsive to emails and had great ideas and suggestions. y it! ony, cocktail hour, and reception, along with how beautiful and unique the venue was. Graphic shows only the 10 most and least expensive states for weddings, on average, separated by the "Average" bar. We had a large guest list and they were able to accommodate on everything!! On average, most couples in the US spend nearly $30,000 on their wedding ceremony and reception. The inclusion of an events planner at no extra cost simply by booking an event was an immense help. There isn't one thing that I'd change. We initially started with Ann Clark, but as she had to retire due to health rea Our wedding was over Labor Day this year. But the planning process was a struggle with the venue itself. The entire staff was amazing to work with and walked us through every step to ensure our wedding was exactly what we wanted. The food is exquisite! The food at our wedding was phenomenal (even though we did not necessarily think that at the tasting). I had to approach her boss and get a bit blunt with them on where this person was. When it came time to tie the knot on Saturday, Sofia descended the aisle arm-in-arm with Lionel for her evening ceremonya seven-and-a-half minute walk down the venue's regal grand alle . The only complaint I have is with the hours it's really hard to work full time and get things done. I was looking for a unique space that would feel elegant and special and couldn't find any others to compare. I had not considered the Athenaeum as I figured it was well out of my price range- it wa Gina was fantastic with all of our planning and questions. Both rooms were GORGEOUS and done exactly like we had discussed. Our Favorite Los Angeles Wedding Venues | The Athenaeum On top of all that, I walked in for the rehearsal and was told I would have a completely different coordinator than who we had worked with the whole time. The new coordinator was good. my many emails and phone calls, giving me options I hadn't even thought of, making the day so easy, beautiful, and fun. Last, the day of the wedding. Across the country, the average cost of a wedding was $20,300, but the cost can vary by as much as $18,063 depending on the state in which the ceremony and reception take place. An investigation into the collision determined she was going 65 m.p.h. I wanted to write to make sure all of you planning your events know that the CA was AMAZING in every capacity. She took away a lot of my planning stress! The Columbus Athenaeum was the perfect venue for us. Please see our, Get Our Wedding Planner App On Your Mobile Device. Guests still talk about the meatball bar and the mini-pastries! I cannot thank The Columbus Athenaeum enough for all they did to make our day so special and would definitely recommend them! Sofia Richie dons 3 custom Chanel dresses for wedding in south of Absolutely get married here! We used TCAs. The price was competitive with other vendors, everyone loved it and at the end of the night we had a memory book with notes and silly photos from our friends and family which is a really fun keepsake! Do not hesitate to book your wedding/event at TCA! Thank you Thank you Thank you! Everything is made right on site and it is so delicious! I would talk to my coordinator and then come in Nate & I just had our reception at the TCA on November 4th. People still rave about my wedding and the venue was a large part of their fun. An art gallery was added in 1827, and the library began a series of yearly . We absolutely fell in love with the Large Theater. Highly recommended! It was gorgeous and the food was delicious. Jackie was our coordinator and she was absolutely phenomenal. Everything looked beautiful and it was so nice just being able to enjoy the day without having to worry about anything because we knew we were in good hands! Gina an We got married on 10/17/15 at the Columbus Athenaeum. We worked off of their list of preferred vendors and everyone they recommended was exce Jackie was amazing!! The prices were fair, especially for the quality of service and product, and the food was amazing. To be able to go into your wedding day not freaking out and at total ease - now that's a feeling I didn't expect. The rooms are so stately that we used very little additional decorations. but in fairness, they tell you about it all up front. We got so many compliments on how unique the space was. It was so convenient to be able to have our ceremony in Hellenic room and then the reception in the ballroom! We also decided to have their donuts for dessert instead of cake and those were a huge hit with everyone!! I thought it was rude and unprofessional. The service staff were wonderful too! WeddingWire's Wedding Cost Guide provides a comprehensive breakdown of average wedding vendor costs by area, along with details on factors that can affect pricing, so you . I know it happens. Our event coordinator, Gina, and the whole staff were so wonderful throughout the whole planning process and the day of the event. I am very thankful for how amazing job the Athenaeum staff did. The Columbus Athenaeum was the perfect venue for our classic, glamorous, art-deco wedding. It was rushed by the coordinator they assigned to me and the atmosphere was extremely unprofessional once the final payment was made. We received RAVE REVIEWS about the food and pie from our guests (get the brisket!). Rather than being told no we don't do that, can't do that etc. Wedding planner: $1,500-$4,750. Overall, it was very affordable and much cheaper than most of the We cannot thank the Columbus Athenaeum enough for the PERFECT wedding! The only con I would mention is that the chicken was on the dry side, but that is such a small detail in the grand scheme of your big day. It's a bit pricey and they have very strict rules that can be a pain. I can not think of a single thing that went astray or was an issue. Planning a wedding I initially felt very overwhelmed but they made it SO easy! They say you're not buying a product, but you're buying the person who sells you the product (or so my friends in sales have told me;). The food is amazing - our guests keep raving about it! Ask these questions and confirm this upfront before you sign the dotted line to ensure your day goes swimmingly. I had attempted to order shots upon arrival at the wedding for the bridal party upon the bride's request. We had our reception in the Grand Ballroom. This next point only tangentially involves the Athenaeum but most of our guests did not end up parking in the garage that is recommended by the Athenaeum. She really listened to what we wanted and gave us ideas on how to (affordably) achieve what we were wanting. The Athenaeum at the California Institute of Technology She was organized, friendly, flexible, and accommodating, and even helped my parents pull off an outrageous surprise during our reception. She did amazingg on our flowers and centerpieces. My husband and I are so pleased with how everything turned out and will certainly look fondly on our wedding ceremony and reception for many, many years to come. The food at the reception was also wonderful, so good! For an unforgettable day, this vintage palace tells a story of beauty through time as eternal as your love for your partner. 18 Best Places to Buy (and Rent) Affordable Wedding Dresses - The Cut Thanks again Gina!! They do have rules there and are sticklers for time, but we managed to abide by them just fine with no issues. Everything else was PERFECT. Sign up on The Knot to reach more couples and book more weddings! Boston Athenum Events - The Catered Affair The reception was just as perfect; we held it in the large theater. I will say that she was much colder and a little more hesitant to do what we wanted. I would recommend the Athenaeum to anyone looking for a large wedding venue. he Macedonian Room which comfortably fit all 200 of our guests. The Small Theater is gorgeous with the twinkly lights hanging up everywhere- the evening felt magical and our photos are breathtaking. Our day was beautiful and went off without a hitch!! As a bridesmaid, the wedding planner the bride was assigned was very nice and helpful during the ceremony. It was truly everything I could have wanted! Part of the reason for going back each time was the unbeatable price and more importantly, our guests raved about the atmosphere and the customer service. 16,499 were here. ated information, and our reception ran so smoothly thanks to them! I was impressed with the level of attitude. The bride and groom had not requested this. We were married in the Priory and had our reception in the Small Theater. If I did my wedding over, I would choose The Columbus Athenaeum 1000 times! The food was good and the service the day of was good so that is why I am giving it a 3. We had candelabras and floral toppers, candlesticks, and roses for days. You only get 30 minutes to rehearse and the time is given to you (typically 3-3:30pm on Friday for a Saturday ceremony so party members had to take off work) and have strict time constraints and in the contract it states you will be charged $100 for every 15 minutes you go over on both rehearsal and reception times so just be leery and plan ahead. Finding the Athenaeum was a godsend. Gina was absolutely incredible. Being located downtown is another added plus!! I highly recommend this venue! One of our friends who is a very picky eater couldnt wait to tell us she loved everything! Danielle was absolutely AMAZING!! Catering: $6,500-$10,000. Photographer: $3,500-$6,500. We HIGHLY recommend the CA for any event and would use them again in the future. Our total guest count was 350 and everyone had enough space. We had our reception innthe ball room so beautiful and spacious! You will not be disappointed by this venue! We had a lot of people coming from out o Danielle and the rest of the staff at the Athenaeum were fantastic during the planning period! We worked with Sarah and Gina and they were kind, professional, and brilliant! Old world charm and thousands of books on open shelves create a feeling and spirit that is unique to the 200-year-old library. It's also a great location, right downtown and easy to find, with a parking garage nearby. We held our reception in the Olympian Ballroom. We didnt like the rule about the unopened spirits, but they said the Ohio liquor laws do not permit them to let you take it. By clicking 'Request Quote', you agree that your information will be shared with the vendor and used to create an account on TheKnot.com. We couldnt be happier! They are efficient, affordable, flexible, friendly, helpful and on the day of the event were extremely attentive. sons, she hand-picked Gina Cristofani to be our new coordinator. My friend hired a wedding planner, but TCA is so organized that I didnt feel like I even needed one! food was, and how beautiful the Large Theater was for both our ceremony and reception. TCA is upfront from the very beginning about rules and timing (when you're allowed in the room and when you have to be out). If you want as stress free a wedding as possible, go with this venue. We would highly recommend The Columbus Athenaeum to anyone getting married or having an event! Your product is great at the Athenaeum (the vendors, the venue it's all beautiful) but it was Jackie and Gina who we bought into. nue were wonderful as well.