Click on any of the venue names to scroll down
Knowlton Mansion | Grand Belle at the Bellevue | Crystal Tea Room | The Notary Hotel | Ritz Carlton | The Curtis | Moulin | Please Touch Museum | Union League | Ballroom at the Ben | Horticulture Center | Cescaphe Ballroom
Center City Wedding Venues
If you want to get married downtown and stay downtown, seven of these twelve are Center City wedding venues. Your guests check into one hotel, walk to the ceremony, and never touch a shuttle.
- The Grand Belle at the Bellevue, Broad Street
- Crystal Tea Room, the Wanamaker Building
- Ritz Carlton, Avenue of the Arts
- The Curtis, Washington Square
- Union League, Broad and Sansom
- Ballroom at the Ben, Chestnut Street
What you give up downtown is outdoor space and easy parking. What you get back is that every photo spot I love is a short walk instead of a drive: City Hall, Dilworth Park, Broad Street at golden hour, the alleys around Washington Square. On a tight timeline that is worth more than people expect, because nobody is sitting in a van watching the light go.
The other six sit outside Center City and trade the walkability for room to breathe. Knowlton Mansion has a barn and horses in Northeast Philly, Moulin is in East Falls, Cescaphe Ballroom is in Northern Liberties, and the Please Touch Museum and the Horticulture Center are both in Fairmount Park.
Knowlton Mansion – Conroy Catering
The Knowlton Mansion is a hidden gem in Philly! Where else can you find a barn, horses, and have ample room for large bridal parties and old rustic charm inside? An added bonus, Conroy Catering, does an incredible job, and I do love the staff. I’ve known the bridal attendant there for years, and overall it’s just a pleasure to be there.
View a full Knowlton Mansion Wedding here
Contact Knowlton Mansion for more info 215-722-8082 | www.conroycatering.com | 931 Rhawn St Philadelphia,PA
Pros
- Rare rustic charm in the city
- Easy parking
- Amazing grounds
- Great food
- The outdoor ceremony location is excellent
- They have freaking horses!
- Bonfires at night!
- Unique vintage feeling bridal suites
Cons
- It can be loud during ceremonies if there is a police siren or fire engine, but that is not a common occurrence.
The Grand Belle at The Bellevue Hotel
Big news here: Cescaphe took over the ballroom in 2024 and renamed it The Grand Belle after a top-to-bottom renovation. All the catering is in-house Cescaphe now. The Bellevue still covers your whole weekend in one building. Rehearsal dinner at their incredible Restaurant 19, then modern, comfortable rooms upstairs. They can accommodate large weddings too.
View a full Bellevue Hotel wedding here
Contact Cescaphe for more info 215-238-5750 | The Grand Belle Website | 200 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19102
Pros
- Modern rooms
- Excellent service
- Great food
- Options to host smaller weddings in the restaurant 19 or one of their other spaces besides the main ballroom area.
- Everything is there onsite for you to wake up, prep, have your ceremony and reception all in one location
- The sunset photos at Restaurant 19 are otherworldly!
Cons
- You will need transportation to shoot if you want to go around Philly. However, the best spot is right out front to shoot your classic City Hall Broad Street photo.
Crystal Tea Room – Finley Catering
One of the most classic spots in Philly, and everything is right there for you. Besides being one of the best Philadelphia wedding venues, it is also one of the biggest. They can easily work with the largest of guest lists. The bridal suite is surprisingly amazing and elegant. Finley Catering does a fantastic job hence why they have two venues on my list. Miguel, the main attendant, runs the place smoothly no matter the situation.
View a full Crystal Tea Room Wedding here
Read our complete Crystal Tea Room wedding guide
Contact Finley Catering for more info 215-627-5100 | Crystal Tea Room Website | 100 E Penn Square #9B, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Pros
- Enormous space for large weddings well over 350 if needed
- Excellent food and service
- Located right next to City Hall for photos
- Large cocktail area
- Beautiful bridal suite
- The staff is very experienced
- Natural light in the bridal suite is excellent for Katuba signings or portraits
- Very hard to find. There are no signs for it on the street, so out-of-town guests will need specific directions.
- The ballroom does not have natural light or windows except for the bridal suite.
The Notary Hotel – Autograph Collection
The old City Hall Annex, built in 1926, sitting directly across the street from City Hall itself. I have worked in this building five times now, three weddings and two industry events, and the reason it earns a spot on this list is how little driving anybody does. You sleep upstairs, you get ready upstairs, you eat and dance downstairs, and when you want the best portraits of the night you walk across one crosswalk. Most Philadelphia weddings lose forty-five minutes somewhere to a shuttle or a parking garage. At The Notary that time stays in your day.
View a full Notary Hotel Wedding here
Read our complete Notary Hotel wedding guide
Contact The Notary Hotel for more info 215-496-3200 | The Notary Hotel Website | 21 N Juniper St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Pros
- Getting ready, ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, and your guest block are all in one building. Nobody drives home at midnight, they take an elevator.
- City Hall is directly across the street, so a full set of city portraits costs you twenty minutes instead of an hour
- A covered colonnade wraps the side of the building. It works in hard midday sun and in pouring rain, so the rain plan is thirty steps from the lobby.
- Enormous arched half moon windows at the end of the cocktail pathway, the best family formal backdrop in the building
- The ballroom is lit from the ceiling, so a 4pm December reception photographs exactly like a June one. Winter dates stop being a compromise.
- Suites upstairs have real window light and enough floor space for a full wedding party
- City Hall is lit at night, sometimes in color, and it is ten minutes out the door after dinner
- No outdoor ceremony space. On site ceremonies happen indoors on an upper floor, or you marry off site and use the hotel as home base.
- The ballroom has no windows. If daylight in the reception room matters to you, this is not that room.
- It is a working hotel with roughly 499 rooms, so the lobby is shared with guests checking in and out on your wedding day.
Ritz Carlton Philadelphia
One of the most stately hotels in the city! Pro athletes and musicians get caught in the elevator there all the time. And it sits so close to City Hall that it is practically hugging William Penn.
View a full Ritz Carlton Philadelphia Wedding here
Contact Ritz Carlton for more info 215-523-8255 | Ritz Carlton Philadelphia Website | 10 Ave Of The Arts, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Pros
- The white marble walkway down to the ballroom is a showstopper!
- Service is top-notch as you would expect from a Ritz Carlton
- Hotel rooms are incredible
- Great location in the city
- The hotel bar is next level!
Cons
- There is no natural light in the venue as it is underneath the Ritz Carlton
- Heavy traffic area
The Curtis Atrium by Constellation Culinary
The newly renovated Curtis is a stunner! I have worked here many times over the years and it never gets old. It sits right at the corner of Washington Square, so you never have to travel for gorgeous Philly photographs.
View a full Curtis Atrium Wedding here
Contact The Curtis for more info 215-978-8103 | Curtis Atrium Philadelphia Website | 601 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Pros
- Ample grand space with tall ceilings
- Excellent caterer
- Located right next to Washington Square and many shooting areas within walking distance
- Amazing marble floors
- Modern bridal suite
The Philadelphia venue guide
Cescaphe, Knowlton Mansion, the Ballroom at the Ben, Crystal Tea Room, the W, Four Seasons, The Logan, and Loews. One page each, no filler.
Seventeen things I would plan around in these eight rooms, and exactly what I do about each one.
After the guide, a few more notes on planning a wedding in this area. Unsubscribe any time.
Cons
- Bad acoustics as there is a large echo due to the high ceilings
Moulin Sherman Mills – Brulee Catering
Moulin at Sherman Mills, I feel, is another hidden gem among the best Philadelphia wedding venues. It is an industrial chic space inside a 19th-century textile mill. Windows wrap the whole room, so you will love the natural light. The cocktail space is modern and beautiful too.
View a full Moulin Sherman Mills Wedding here
Contact Moulin for more info 215-923-6000 | Moulin Sherman Mills Philadelphia Website | 3502 Scotts Ln, Philadelphia, PA 19129
Pros
- Ample space
- Industrial feel unlike most places in Philly
- Amazing food
- Staff is excellent
- Seats 500 guests!
Cons
- You have to dress up the space as its a warehouse. However, there is so much you can do; the sky’s the limit.
- There are not many places to photograph on the grounds outside, but the natural light in the venue is perfect!
Please Touch Museum – Memorial Hall – Brulee Catering
Another gem. Who else has a freaking Merry Go Round right inside their venue? Couples actually take portraits up on the carousel. Set in historic Memorial Hall in West Fairmount Park, the museum pairs a full Philadelphia skyline backdrop outside with a grand reception hall under soaring ceilings inside. One fact that hardly ever gets mentioned: in the spring the grounds are wrapped with incredible blooming cherry blossom trees.
Contact The Please Touch Museum for more info 215-578-5180 | Please Touch Museum weddings Website | 4231 Avenue of the Republic, Philadelphia, PA 19131
Pros
- Great food
- A vast amount of areas for photography on the grounds
- Unique places to photograph inside
- Beautiful outdoor venue space
- Easy parking for guests
- Excellent staff
- seats up to 1000
- 60 foot ceilings
Cons
- Busy traveling there for Friday weddings through Fairmount Park
The Union League of Philadelphia
The Union League is probably the oldest and most historic venue in all of Philly! They have been one of the best Philadelphia wedding venues for at least a hundred years. The whole building is rich dark wood, the ballroom is enormous, and your guests will get all the old world feels!
View a full Union League Wedding here
Contact The Union League for more info 215-562-6500 | Union League of Philadelphia Website | 140 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Pros
- Staff is incredible
- A great place in the city to photograph on Broadstreet
- Beautiful staircase outside for photos
- The bridal suite is quite large
- The ballroom is enormous
- You will love the chandeliers
Cons
- Located in a busy area in the city especially around rush hour
The Ballroom at the Ben – Finley Catering
Read the full Ballroom at the Ben wedding guide →
Well, if it is good enough for Bradley Cooper to dance in during the Movie Silver Linings Playbook, then it’s good enough for you ;) The room is pure turn-of-the-century elegance. I have worked here more times than anywhere since 2005. Events always run smoothly with Ott, the venue manager, at the helm. Finley Catering always does an amazing job at all of their venues.
View a Ballroom at the Ben wedding here
Contact Finley Catering for more info 215-627-5100 | Finley Catering Ballroom at the Ben Wedding Website | 834 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Pros
- Parking is easy
- Food is always great
- Newly renovated ballroom
- Two full-sized bars for your guests!
- Great outdoor balcony to shoot at night
- Top-notch staff
Cons
- You have to travel for portraits, but they have great areas to shoot at night there
Horticulture Center – Fairmount Park – Constellation Culinary
How about having your wedding in the middle of a giant nature park in Philadelphia? The Fairmount Park Horticulture Center is that special place! It is a modern exhibition hall and greenhouse for weddings and other events. I photographed a wedding here right after a February snowstorm, and we still had more unique spots for photographs than we had time to use.
View a Fairmount Park Horticulture Center Wedding
Contact the Fairmount Park Horticulture Center for more info 267-886-1472 | Horticulture Center Website | 100 N Horticultural Dr, Philadelphia, PA 19131
Pros
- Incredible grounds and unique indoor spaces for photographs
- Open greenhouse to photograph at or warm up on cold winter days
- Great staff
- Indoor ceremony area is great no matter what the weather
- One of the best caterers for food in the city!
- There are additional amazing places in Fairmount Park to shoot
Cons
- busy travel area in Philadelphia, especially for Friday weddings
Cescaphe Ballroom
The classic staple of Cescaphe Event Group! The ballroom used to be an old vintage movie theatre. I have been there so many times and it is always a great experience. The staff is pleasant and accommodating to the guests. The cocktail hour is out of control with the abundance of food. The outdoor cocktail area is the best part, and the fresh grilled shrimp and chicken out there are top-notch.
View a full Cescaphe Ballroom Wedding here
Read our complete Cescaphe wedding guide
Contact Cescaphe for more info 215-238-5750 | Cescaphe Ballroom Website | 923 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19123
Pros
- Cocktail hour has an enormous amount of food for your guests!
- Great staff
- The beautiful bridal suite that overlooks the ballroom
- The bar in the room is incredible
- There are cool places to shoot within a two-block radius of the venue
Cons
- A busy area in Northern Liberties when driving in during rush hour, but the valet is excellent here; therefore, parking is easy.
Those are my 12 best Philadelphia wedding venues. Getting married at the Shore instead? I have that list too: the best Jersey Shore wedding venues.
Still narrowing down your Philadelphia venue? Tell me the date and which of these you are touring, and I will come back with what coverage would look like and what it costs.