PA Academy of the Fine Arts

Our wedding reception was at The Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building of PAFA. The space is the entire second floor which is very large and open. The cocktail area overlooks The Convention Center and artwork is throughout the entire gallery. Once the cocktail hour is over the pocket doors open and another gallery appears where dinner and dancing occurs. This room is also filled with beautiful art. The exclusive caterer is Duffy. They are fabulous. We could not have asked for a better wedding venue. When we first saw The Hamilton.. we knew we did not have to look any further. You will love it!!!

I had my wedding at the Academy of Fine Arts in November 2010 and it was absolutely amazing. The space is magnificent, modern...but not stuffy. It is so unique. Judy at PAFA was extremely helpful and accommodating throughout the entire planning process. The staff was amazing. Everything was perfect and my guests are still raving about the fun that was had. The exclusive caterer, Jimmy Duffy, created the most delicious menu and personally the best wedding food I had ever tasted. Helene, from Duffy, treated us so well throughout the entire night. I cannot recommend this place enough and will have the best memories for the rest of my life. It is an absolutely beautiful place and everyone that works there, even the security guards, are extremely nice and helpful.

The moment that I walked into the Historic Landmark Building of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, I knew it was the place I would be married. It was the one and only venue we visited. It is absolutely perfect for a couple wanting to have a wedding of 100-130 people in a non-traditional venue. When I arrived the evening of the wedding, I was blown away by how absolutely beautiful everything was. It so far exceeded my expectations that it literally brought tears to my eyes. Judi Garst was an absolute pleasure to work with and was instrumental in making my wedding the best night of my life.

It was a dream come true having our reception at the Academy. We could not have planned a more elegant and enjoyable evening. Almost a year later, our guests are still talking about it. It was an incredible value for the cost, and it was a unique and special venue for the best day of our lives.

Gorgeous venue! We were surprised that PAFA was available for weddings. Who wouldn’t want to get married in a beautiful museum? The ceremony location, on the landing of a grand staircase, was both traditional and out of the box. Aside from the setting, we were impressed with the professionalism of the staff. Although it’s not a typical wedding venue, if you pick PAFA you don’t need to do much yourself. Only drawbacks are that Duffy’s is the only caterer you are allowed to use (that was absolutely fine with us), the venue is pricey compared to others and the maximum guest count if you want dancing is about 130.