There’s no single right way to get married. Designing the wedding that’s perfect for you starts with finding your venue. This guide to Philadelphia wedding venues includes all the quick logistics you need to know, including guest capacity and average costs. Check it out, and find the venue that’s perfect for your celebration.
Note: All of this information is compiled from publicly available information and is subject to change without notice. Pricing is all estimates based on publicly available data.
All the Details on 21 Amazing Philadelphia Wedding Venues
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Gardens and Arboretums
- Historic Estates
- Museums and Galleries
- Hotels
- Restaurants and Other Venues
Gardens and Arboretums
Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens is one of the newest Philadelphia wedding venues. Even though the original gardens are over 100 years old, the venue used to be limited to engagement sessions.
What’s to Love: The grounds are massive – over 1,000 acres of gardens and greenhouses. Every path holds new surprises, not to mention endless possibilities for photos. It’s gorgeous in every season. If you love florals, you’ll be happy to hear that Longwood Gardens has an in-house floral design team.
Capacity: 400 guests
Price: Available upon inquiry with Longwood Gardens
Check out this beautiful Longwood Gardens engagement session on film photography!
Bartram’s Garden
Bartram’s Garden is more approachable with a wilder edge than Longwood Gardens. This garden in Gray’s Ferry hosts community programs and birdwatching groups in its meadows and gardens.
What’s to Love: There’s indoor space available, so bad weather won’t ruin your day. Even though this Philadelphia wedding venue is in the city, it feels like you’re in your own world. There are photo spots that include an old swing and the skyline.
Capacity: 300 guests
Price: Starts at $4,000
Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve
Bowman’s Hill is a really unique venue in New Hope. The preserve is home to hundreds of species of native wildflowers. Over three miles of paths wind through the woods. The bluebells in spring are a highlight!
What’s to Love: There are indoor and outdoor spaces available for weddings. You’re also minutes from the center of New Hope with its bed and breakfasts and restaurants. It’s a rustic, relaxing place to host a wedding.
Capacity: 300 guests
Price: Starts at $3,000
Fairmount Park Horticulture Center
In the 1870s, the city of Philadelphia built an exhibition center and gardens. Later it was transformed into the Fairmount Park Horticulture Center. The grounds include a formal reflecting pool, gardens, and an impressive greenhouse.
What’s to Love: There aren’t a lot of Philadelphia wedding venues that have space for a ceremony in the greenhouse. The Horticulture Center has space for a stunning ceremony and reception under twinkling lights in the greenhouse surrounded by lush tropical plants.
Capacity: 300 guests
Price: Starts at $29,000
Awbury Arboretum
Awbury Arboretum is a cool park in Germantown. It has a little bit of everything, including stunning gardens and interactive art installations.
What’s to Love: Awbury Arboretum is one of the more flexible Philadelphia wedding venues because it actually has four venues on the 56-acre property.
- The Cope House is a historic mansion available year round.
- The Portico includes the Cope House and gardens.
- The Farm at Awbury offers a more rustic experience that includes a working farm and greenhouses.
- Adventure Woods is a playground that’s used for birthday parties and family gatherings. Why not make it a fun feature at your reception?
Capacity: 200 guests
Price: Starting at $20,000 during peak season
Terrain
Terrain is a garden store and restaurant owned by the same parent company as Anthropologie. The aesthetic is as carefully curated as you’d expect with warm wood, plants, and strings of lights.
What’s to Love: You can walk around the garden store to take photos! The food is also delicious.
Capacity: 150 guests
Price: around $8,000
Curtis Hall at Curtis Arboretum
Curtis Hall is a historic venue on a nineteenth-century estate. The famed Olmsted family designed the arboretum. The hall itself is open and airy with tall windows.
What’s to Love: As an arboretum, Curtis has over fifty types of trees on 45 acres of rolling hills and streams. It’s especially beautiful in spring and fall.
Capacity: starting at $4,000
Price: 200 guests
Historic Estates
Cairnwood Estate
This is one of the most elegant Philadelphia wedding venues on this list. The castle-like mansion has a whimsical yellow exterior. The interior includes room after room of gorgeous wallpaper and stunning architectural details.
What’s to Love: Cairnwood Estate is located outside of Philadelphia in Bryn Athyn. It’s quiet and green. Getting married here feels like having a whole world to yourself.
Capacity: 250 guests
Price: average $26,000
See more from this chic wedding at Cairnwood Estate in this blog post!
Glen Foerd on the Delaware
Glen Foerd is one of the few estate wedding venues actually located inside Philadelphia. You get to experience a beautifully-preserved historic home and gardens right on the river.
What’s to Love: The art gallery is a cool place for first looks and portraits. You can hold your ceremony beside the river and hold your reception outdoors in the permanent pavilion.
Capacity: 300 guests
Price: Average $25,000
Duportail House
This eighteenth-century farmhouse doesn’t feel rustic. It’s got historic charm and elegance. There’s also outdoor space available on the patio.
What’s to Love: Thanks to all of the indoor and outdoor spaces, you can get married comfortably at Duportail House year round.
Capacity: 160 guests
Price: Starts at $2,700
Aldie Mansion
Aldie Mansion isn’t your typical 1920s-era estate. The Tudor architecture is surrounded by courtyards and stunning gardens. The tall windows let in beautiful patches of light along the impressive staircase.
What’s to Love: Many Philadelphia wedding venues have colonial-inspired or neoclassical architecture. Aldie Mansion is unique in terms of its Tudor style. The courtyard is one of my favorite spots on the property.
Capacity: 220 guests
Price: Starts at $6,400
Museums and Galleries
Please Touch Museum
This one is for the young at heart. The Please Touch Museum is a children’s museum with multiple floors of interactive exhibits. Weddings take place in Memorial Hall, designed in the Beaux Arts style with inviting yellow and cream walls.
What’s to Love: You can take photos in some of the exhibits, including the carousel!
Capacity: 550 guests seated or 360 guests seated with a dance floor
Price: Starts at $3,000
Learn more about this Philadelphia wedding venue in this blog post!
American Swedish Historical Museum
This venue is dedicated to the material culture and art of Sweden. It’s located at the edge of FDR Park in South Philly.
What’s to Love: The American Swedish Historical Museum has beautiful, dramatic settings indoors and outdoors. Imagine a first look in the Grand Hall followed by a ceremony in the East Courtyard.
Capacity: 250 guests
Price: Starts at $2,000
The Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is one of the most iconic Philadelphia wedding venues because so many people have great memories there. Ceremonies can take place in the planetarium, rooftop deck, or Memorial Hall. You can dance the night away beside Ben Franklin’s statue.
What’s to Love: During cocktail hour, your guests can explore interactive exhibits. And how fun would it be to take some photos with the giant heart?
Capacity: 250 guests
Price: Average $33,000
Hotels
Loews Hotel
The Loews Hotel is in Center City, and it has six different spaces available to help you tailor your wedding experience.
What’s to Love: If you’re having a big wedding, the Loews Hotel can accommodate a large number of guests. You can hold a whole day’s events in one spot. It’s also one of the few Philadelphia hotels that allow an open flame during a wedding ceremony.
Capacity: 300 guests
Price: Starting at $18,500
Check out a vibrant Hindu wedding at the Loews Hotel!
Switch House
The Switch House Hotel has everything in one spot. It was designed to be a hotel and wedding venue, and they offer a complete experience.
What’s to Love: I love the ballroom at the Switch House Hotel. It’s got the most incredible view of the sunset. Golden hour is absolutely beautiful.
Capacity: 300 guests
Price: Starts at $18,000
You can learn more about getting married at the Switch House Hotel here.
Philadelphia Museum of Art
As Philadelphia wedding venues go, you can’t get much more grand than the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The architecture and art make for an unforgettable guest experience and stunning photos.
What’s to Love: You can go big on event design here. If you love giant florals and romantic lighting, this is a great venue to consider.
Capacity: 1,200 guests
Price: Starts at $42,000
Restaurants and Other Venues
Maas Building
The Maas Building is a nineteenth-century brewery that’s been converted to a Philadelphia wedding venue. You get the sense of historic charm in the exposed brick, tall industrial windows, and wide doors.
What’s to Love: The courtyard feels like a private retreat from the city. I love the way the doors open up for a cohesive indoor/outdoor reception experience.
Capacity: 150 guests
Price: Starts at $3,500
See more from this beautiful Maas Building wedding in this blog post!
Reading Terminal Market
Reading Terminal Market is one of the more unconventional Philadelphia wedding venues. This indoor market includes aisle upon aisle of food stands and vendors. The building itself has a lot of character, too.
What’s to Love: Your guests get access to multiple food vendors at cocktail hour and your reception. It’s like a highlight reel of Philly cuisine.
Capacity: 300+ guests
Price: Starts at $11,500
Check out a Reading Terminal Market wedding reception here!
BLDG39
BLDG39 is an industrial wedding venue with open space and weathered, whitewashed brick.
What’s to Love: BLDG39 is a blank canvas. You can bring just about any vision to life here.
Capacity: 130 guests
Price: Starts at $4,500
BOK Building
The BOK Building is a vocational school turned into a Philadelphia wedding venue. It also houses artists’ studios, boutiques, and community organizations. Check it out at their semiannual Open Studios night.
What’s to Love: The BOK Building has a rooftop with a great view of the skyline. It’s also home to a beloved Italian restaurant, Irwin’s.
Capacity: 300 guests
Price: $11,200
Documenting Your Beautiful Philadelphia Wedding
All of these Philadelphia wedding venues have something special to offer. The most important thing is that you choose the one that feels true to you and your relationship. Your wedding is about lots of things, but especially being unapologetically yourself with the people you love.
Are you looking for a Philadelphia wedding photographer who can preserve the energy of your wedding celebration? I specialize in film wedding photography inspired by retro images. I’ll document your wedding with forever in mind. Inquire with me!
