Weddings at the Museums

Popular wedding spaces include:

Oakland Museums

• Carnegie Music Hall Foyer
• Grand Staircase Mezzanine
• Hall of Architecture
• Hall of Sculpture

Carnegie Science Center

• PointView Hall
• Buhl Planetarium
• Fourth Floor Overlook

The Andy Warhol Museum

• First-Floor Entrance Lobby

“Where do I even begin??!! I wanted to have our wedding in a funky, unique venue and The Warhol museum was absolutely perfect for us! I currently live in South Florida, so the majority of the wedding was planned with Kristen (and Hollie, but she joined the team towards the end!) via email. She seriously could not have been more fantastic or accommodating!! I ended up not even hiring a wedding planner because Kristen and Hollie just really had the process down to a science! I was able to fly into town a couple times to decide what parts of the venue to rent and which foods to serve, but literally everything else was done online. We ended up having to change the date after putting down the deposit, and they made that SO EASY for us, when it could have been a huge ordeal! We also ended up with a HURRICANE in our hometown on the weekend of our wedding, which cut our guest list DRAMATICALLY and the team at The Warhol were able to rethink the room layout and even help us keep our catering selections to a minimum. We did both the cake and catering through the museum and it was simply fantastic! All of the guests raved about the food and the presentations were just perfect! We ended up not renting any of the museum floors (as we didn’t want to “lose” guests in the place!) and it was STILL well worth the money paid. I really just can’t say enough about what a wonderful experience we had with The Warhol team and how perfect they made our wedding day amidst the chaos!!! Our amazing photographer really captured the spirit of the wedding and the venue – check out his blog and video for more images. ”

-Received 2/5/18

“We couldn’t be happier with our wedding experience. The staff made everything very simple and far exceeded our expectations. Lindsay and Ashley are absolutely amazing and I can’t thank them enough. We had confidence that the wedding would be nice, but couldn’t believe just how beautiful it wound up being. I would recommend the Carnegie Science Center to anyone!”

-Received 9/29/17

“We just had our wedding at the Carnegie with our ceremony in the Hall of Sculpture and the reception in the Music Hall Foyer. Everything was better than we could have imagined. There really is nothing like having your first dance on the Music Hall Foyer floor while your guests are on the balcony. There’s something so special about it. All our guests could not stop commenting on how gorgeous the spaces were and how unique that was. The catering staff was wonderful. Our cake was delicious and we were told it was the best wedding cake people had ever had. I cannot say enough good things about our experience with the Carnegie and highly recommend them to anyone looking for a venue.”

 -Reviewed at theknot.com on 9/4/17 by Meghan O.

“This is a review of the Carnegie Science Center as a wedding venue. Yep, you can have your wedding reception here, and it will be awesome!  I am an academic, and my husband is an attorney, so we wanted to have a full on nerd wedding. We were thrilled to be able to schedule our reception at the Science Center. They offered our wedding party space on the fourth floor with most of the activities taking place in the Works Theater, which was the perfect size for our small party. You can see, though, that they could make adjustments for larger groups. We loved having the party in the Works Theater, which included the smoke machine and giant Tesla coil. A memorable party! For food we ordered the Regional Specialities Buffet, it was a big hit. I especially appreciated that they helped us design a drink menu (esp. beer selection) that my guests would like. Before the reception, they helped me arrange for admission for all my wedding guests, and I now have great pictures of my guests playing with the toys and checking out the giant train set. They also helped arrange parking in their lot, which was easy. Our warmest thanks to the Carnegie Science Center staff!”

-Reviewed at yelp.com on 9/7/17 by Amanda

“We had a lovely evening [at The Andy Warhol Museum]. All of our guests were amazed by the location, the food and the event. Most of them if not all took the opportunity to visit the museum, pictures of the various exhibits have been posted on Face Book. We will be happy to recommend for any future events people may consider. Thank you.”

-Received 9/6/17 – Wedding Rehearsal Dinner

“We got married in the Hall of Sculpture and had our reception in the Music Hall. I could not imagine a more elegant (and extravagant!) place to get married. I could not have asked for a better venue or better people running my wedding. I would recommend them 100%.”

-Reviewed at theknot.com on 8/31/17 by Lori S.

“They wanted a place that was beautiful, elegant and grand. After looking at other places they decide to have their wedding at the Carnegie Museum. The venue was absolutely perfect and the staff was exceptional. The Carnegie provided us with an outstanding event planner.  She helped us to coordinate and schedule as well as providing us with important information regarding the museum and the general plan of how events worked best in the both The Hall of Sculpture and the Banquet Hall. She also was able to helped us implement the ideas that the bride and groom felt were important for their specific celebration.  I would recommend the Carnegie Museum as the best venue for a lovely and memorable wedding.”

-Reviewed at weddingwire.com on 8/26/17 by Sandra

“We had the perfect wedding here. The room was spectacular and the guest could not stop talking about it. It was really awesome that the guests were able to tour the museum while we took photos. I also loved having the everyone watch our first dance from the upper level. The Founder’s Room was great to get ready in. My bridal party loved that. The staff was very responsive and polite. I am very delighted with our choice.”

-Reviewed at theknot.com on 8/31/17 by Stephanie W.

“Your staff was outstanding and we could not have had a better experience thanks to you!  Billy and I had a BLAST at our wedding – it truly was the best day of our lives.  Thank you for all that you did throughout the past year to ensure that we had the perfect start to our happily ever after.  I would recommend the Carnegie Music Hall Foyer to anyone looking for the most extravagant wedding venue.”

-Received 7/17/17 by email from Kristen

“The wedding was absolutely beautiful. Having the wedding at The Andy Warhol Museum was spectacular.  All of my friends and relatives were so impressed. The ceremony was very romantic and emotional. There were many tears of joy and remembrance. We couldn’t be any happier with how everything worked out. Thank you so much for your total support of Dave and Julie during the planning stages of their wedding.  I am very grateful and enjoyed working with you!  Thank you to the Chef and all of the lovely staff/personnel (and the wonderful security man at the front door) who helped make this special day so wonderful.”

-Received 6/27/17

“The Carnegie Music Hall is where we brought all of our loved ones to celebrate our special day, and how special it was. If you want a spectacular, unforgettable wedding, contact them now and save your time looking elsewhere. The venue is absolutely breathtaking, the staff are so communicative, responsible, knowledgeable, and experienced: it was such a pleasure working with them and we got everything accomplished with their help in no time. The bottom line is, if you want an unforgettable day/night/wedding/event for you and your family/friends, look no further, stop reading this and contact the Carnegie Museums. Even from the photos we have already seen (besides the excellent service, value, and venue itself), the venue is beyond stunning. Just go ahead and contact them to save yourself time looking elsewhere, it’s worth it and many times more.”

-Reviewed at theknot.com on 5/9/17 by Matt

What all is included in the rental fee?

Tables/chairs, custodial services, limited technical services, entrance security, and someone from the special events office to oversee the event.

Things that are prohibited: Sparklers indoors/outdoors, bubbles, dropped/tossed flower petals, confetti indoors/outside, open-flame tapered candles, popcorn, balloons, and open flames.

Can anything be hung up?

In most cases, we ask that nothing be hung on the walls and signage be free-standing. But that depends on the venue. Just tell us what you have in mind.

What time does my event have to end? 

In most cases, we ask that events end by 1 a.m. Let us know if this is a problem for you event.

Do you have a preferred catering list?

We partner with our exclusive caterer, Culinaire.

Can I bring in cookies for a wedding?

Yes! We love the Pittsburgh Cookie Table tradition.

Are linens included in fees? 

Yes, they are included in our wedding package (but not in our other events packages).

Can I take pictures in Museum galleries?

You can absolutely take photographs in all event spaces. Museum gallery photography varies, however. Just ask us.

What about storage for my event?

All items that come into the museum must leave the same day.

Do you have any preferred vendors?

You are welcome to contract the florist and/or entertainment of your choice. We are happy to make recommendations, if needed.

How does parking work?

Our museums have different parking operations, so please contact your event manager, who will be happy to share venue-specific information.

Can you suggest additional museum experiences for my guests?

Yes!  We can provide docent-led tours of galleries, live demonstrations, and other museum experiences for an additional fee.

We look forward to working with you to create the perfect catering package for your wedding day.

Carnegie Museums in Oakland: Wedding Catering Packages

Carnegie Science Center: Wedding Catering Packages