How to choose the right wedding venue in the Philadelphia area
There is no quick and easy right answer here. Almost every aspect of a wedding is optional but the wedding venue is a must. The options though are endless. You have a lot of options and it really depends on what you’re looking for in a venue. You have Rustic, Modern, Natural and Traditional like an elegant ballroom. My goal here is to spark an idea and give you little direction with some amazing venues that we’ve photographed in the Pennsylvania and Delaware area. Enjoy!
Penn Oaks Golf Club
Info About The Venue: Penn Oaks Golf Club, based in West Chester, Pennsylvania, is an elegant country club wedding venue in the greater Philadelphia region. From start to finish, the facility is ready to make your day a truly magical experience. The combination of picturesque lawns, lush greens and sophisticated architecture will be sure to make your dreams come true.
Facilities and Capacity The luxury wedding venue can host up to 300 guests for indoor and outdoor celebrations, complete with scenic views. Their grand ballroom has a large terrace, while their Wine Room is ideal for more intimate gatherings. A glass-enclosed patio is available for medium- sized celebrations. For couples who would like an outdoor ceremony, there is a gazebo overlooking the course.
Services Offered At Penn Oaks Golf Club, no request is out of the question. They can accommodate a range of needs and wishes with top-notch attention to detail. To ensure that your day is perfect, they off all-inclusive packages.
Source: Weddingwire.com
Why We Love It: Some Golf Clubs or Country Clubs have breath taking grounds but you can’t go near them for photos. Not the case with Penn Oaks Their amazing staff will give you a guided journey to some fantastic locations on their property for truly beautiful images. They have such a gorgeous landscape that offers so much opportunity for photos. When you think they can’t get better they’re always trying to improve. Just recently they added a beautiful rock water feature complete with small waterfall. Their ceremony location options are top notch, too. If it rains they have a warmly lit tented area that is incredibly beautiful for ceremony photos as you can see in the image in the slideshow above. The ballroom decor is warm and inviting with a large fireplace and great lighting. When the weather is nice they open the tent up and cocktail hour is on their patio area over looking the well kept grounds. Also, their staff is AMAZING. Very attentive to the couples we have photographed there and go above and beyond to help make your wedding day feel perfect. Click Here to see a wedding from Penn Oaks.
How Do You Contact Them:
Penn Oaks Golf Club
150 Penn Oaks Dr
West Chester PA 19382
610-399-0501
The Old Mill
Info About The Venue: The Old Mill is a rustic wedding venue located in Media, Pennsylvania. Nestled in the serene woods of the Borough of Rose Valley, the venue is ideally situated on the grounds of Ridley Creek adjoining a 12-acre wildlife and bird sanctuary. The natural flow from the enchanting outside grounds to the distinctly unique interior allows you and your guests to enjoy the beauty of the courtyard, pavilion and ballroom throughout your entire event.
Facilities and Capacity The Old Mill offers many indoor and outdoor venue options for your once-in- a-lifetime celebration. Their outdoor ceremony options include Marrying Meadow, Garden Courtyard, Bamboo Garden and River View. Each location features a private, intimate setting with lush greenery, wild roses and gentle streams that provide quaint ambience and abundance of beautiful backdrops while you exchange your wedding vows. Host cocktails in their Timber Pavilion that is available year-round and ideal in any weather condition. For your reception, you can enjoy dinner and dancing in either their unique Ballroom, which fits 250 guests, or outside in the Garden Courtyard. The Old Mill offers many services to give you a stress-free and enjoyable wedding experience. You will be provided with tables and chairs for your event. The venue’s expert event planners will work closely with you to bring your vision to life and handle every detail from start to finish.
Source: Weddingwire.com
Why We Love It: Super unique, especially for that area. It’s like a castle in the woods. A lot of great textures from the old stone walls to the wooded trails leading to the water front area. It’s picture perfect both during the day and at night. The outdoor ceremony location is like a fairy tale and if it rains the backup options are just as great. They have a wooden pavilion area that backs up to the woods. They also have the interior area in front of a large stone fireplace. I wouldn’t even call them back up options, they’re equally great ceremony spots. They have an outdoor stone courtyard area that’s great for guests to lounge and enjoy the day but also provides some great photo opportunities! Then there’s the food… good lord the food. So delicious! Conner Catering has amazing meal options for everyone. I would possibly trade my children for the braised short ribs and/or pumpkin ravioli. Just putting that out there Conner Catering if you’re reading this!
How Do You Contact Them:
The Old Mill
9 Old Mill Ln
Rose Valley PA 19063
Downingtown Country Club
Info About The Venue: Downingtown Country Club is a beautiful wedding venue based in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. A classic country club and banquet hall, this venue features stunning components such as a lovely waterfall, a stunning pergola, and a lush golf course. The staff at this estate work closely with their clients to ensure that they enjoy the wedding of their dreams.
Facilities and Capacity Downingtown Country Club can accommodate up to 300 wedding guests, with four event spaces to choose from. Clients can host a beautiful outdoor wedding with a covered patio, which features stunning lawns and gardens with fresh flowers and landscaping. Meanwhile, the venue’s extravagant ballroom is adorned with lovely windows, graceful décor, and a spacious dance floor. The clubhouse’s manor is charming, with windows and a brick exterior that makes for a lovely backdrop for photos. At this country club, couples can expect vast rolling green hills with large, leafy trees throughout, lending shade and beauty to the property.
Services Offered Downingtown Country Club offers unparalleled customer service alongside a very well-kept and charming home. The staff love getting to know their couples’ styles and tastes in order to help coordinate a breathtaking wedding on the property. When the special day arrives, the staff can provide setup and cleanup services to ensure that couples focus on enjoying their love- filled celebration. An array of essential rental items can be supplied by the venue, including chairs, tables, furniture, audio equipment, and a dance floor. Other items that can be acquired by couples include the following:
Cuisine: This venue serves artfully-designed dinner classics from their catering menu. The culinary team housed by this country club loves being able to offer customizable menu options to make their clients happy.
Source: Weddingwire.com
Why We Love It: Downingtown Country Club has beautiful grounds that you’re allowed to use! They have so many picture perfect locations throughout the grounds. If you don’t feel like hopping on a golf cart for photos that’s no problem because all around the main building you have gorgeous gardens, rock wall/water fall features, ponds and greenery that makes picture creation fun and easy. Their ballroom is spacious and the lighting and decor provide a warm ambiance. Their outdoor ceremony location over looks the grounds and provides for a picture perfect ceremony. The backup location indoors makes for romantic ceremony photos, too!
How Do You Contact Them:
Downingtown Country Club
93 Country Club Rd
Downingtown PA 19335
610-873-0800
Anthony Wayne House
Info About The Venue: Anthony Wayne House is a historic wedding venue located in Paoli, Pennsylvania. This beautifully renovated carriage house and picturesque lawn surrounded by lush woodlands creates a beautiful backdrop for your wedding. As your guests take their seats to celebrate your wedding ceremony, they will be surrounded by an ever-blooming garden with patches of sun and shade. This venue creates an elegance that is embraced by nature’s beauty.
Facilities and Capacity: Anthony Wayne House offers an indoor or outdoor setting with a scenic view. Couples may choose from the covered or uncovered outdoor option. The venue features an elegant clear top tent as well as the beautiful grounds and historic carriage house. They are able to host wedding ceremonies, receptions, and engagement parties for up to 250 guests. After the wedding ceremony, your guests can head over to the air conditioned and heated tent to dine and dance the night away under the moonlight.
Anthony Wayne House creates the romantic ambience of a gorgeous outdoor ballroom, which is fitting for the celebration of your love. When booking your wedding at this venue, you are choosing to also support a very worthwhile cause of protecting vulnerable land and species, preserving architecture, or promoting the arts.
Source: Weddingwire.com
Why We Love It: This is a fun venue to photograph! The sun sets perfectly behind the venue providing gorgeous ceremony photos. The grounds all around the main building are lush with color. In the fall it’s like a painting. There are giant trees, small trails and picket fences to name a few things that make it super easy and fun to photograph. The outdoor space at Anthony Wayne House is a lot of fun for guests. It’s great when couples utilize yard games for their guests to hang out and play. There’s a fire pit complete with market lights that make this the perfect outdoor venue. The tented area has a glass ceiling section that provides beautiful lighting and feel to indoor ceremonies. The food by Jeffrey Miller Catering is really great and they’re staff at just as great, too!
How Do You Contact Them:
Anthony Wayne House
2049 Waynesborough Rd
Paoli PA 19301
Deerfield Golf Club
Info About The Venue: At Deerfield, we value relationships. Whether you are planning a wedding, bridal shower, baby shower, corporate event or another special occasion, we have a team of event professionals ready to work with you, and you’ll enjoy one point of contact throughout your planning process. Always remarkably caring and attentive, our event specialists and staff are dedicated to making your event an unforgettable occasion, leaving you at ease because we have every detail covered. You can look forward to your guests arriving at a stunning venue. Our beautiful clubhouse and elegant event spaces have room for groups ranging in size from 100 up to 260 guests . Facilities and Capacity The elegantly spacious ballroom at Deerfield Golf & Country Club can accommodate up to 260 guests and is complete with over 5,000 sq. ft. of private outdoor space, including a picture perfect ceremony location. Beginning in 2022, you and your guests will enjoy exclusive access to our entire facility that evening, where we’ll host you in our Courtyard Room, with tons outdoor space surrounding. In 2022 the venue will also be complete with both Bride and Groom’s suites on site. At Deerfield Golf & Country Club, couples will work alongside their event manager and Deerfields dedicated catering staff to design a menu that will give you and your guests the absolute best culinary experience. Chef-inspired menus range in options from casual to upscale, depending entirely on the couple’s tastes and needs.
Source: TheKnot.com
Why We Love It: The ballroom at Deerfield Golf Club is amazing. It’s spacious and surrounded with windows over looking the beautiful grounds. Outback they have an outdoor area where guests can lounge and enjoy the views by the fountain. The sun sets right behind the building giving the guests a show and providing great photo opportunities. The staff is really great and attentive to all the couples.
How Do You Contact Them:
Deerfield Golf Club
507 Thompson Station Rd
Newark DE 19711
302-368-6640
Hotel DuPont
Info About The Venue:
HOTEL DU PONT is a historic wedding venue located in downtown Wilmington, Delaware that serves couples all over Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Founded in 1913, this sophisticated hotel evokes the grace and elegance of the Gilded Age. Couples can choose from multiple indoor ballrooms for both their ceremony and reception. The experienced staff at the HOTEL DU PONT will ensure your special day is everything you dreamed it to be.
Facilities and Capacity Couples can host up to 300 guests at this vintage-style venue. For those seeking a romantic affair, the du Barry Room is ideal. This popular, Federal-style space features white pillars, parquet <oors, elegant sconces, and a grand crystal chandelier imported from the former Yugoslavia. Couples hosting a lavish gathering will Cnd the Gold Ballroom to be a wonderful option. This exquisite, French Neoclassic room boasts gilded rosettes, glittering chandeliers, and bas-reliefs of famous women, such as Helen of Troy and Cleopatra.
Services Offered: This unique hotel employs world-class wedding designers and chefs to help you create a completely customized celebration. Their experienced wedding team will work with you one-on-one to ensure your individual vision comes to life. Tables, chairs, and linens are included in the rental fee, along with china, flatware, and glassware. Setup and cleanup are also included, allowing you to sit back, relax, and enjoy your party. Couples can select their own outside vendors for a one-of-a-kind affair.
Source: Weddingwire.com
Why We Love It: Pure elegance. The ballroom at Hotel DuPont is straight out of a movie. I’ve photographed weddings here and we didn’t even need to go outside for photos. The decor provides so many photo opportunities. If you did want to outside there are still some nice spots with beautiful stone work. When the doors open up and the guests come in, the ballroom has this jaw-dropping appeal to it. The staff are extremely professional and friendly. The food is great as well. The ceremony spot is elegant and has a warm romantic feel to help tell your story. At night we love going outside for a few quick night shot right in the heart of Wilmington. It’s a great venue all year round.
How Do You Contact Them:
Hotel DuPont
42 West 11th St
Wilmington, DE 19801
Bally Spring Inn
Info About The Venue: The Bally Spring Inn is an historic rustic estate located a short drive from Philadelphia in beautiful Berks County, Pennsylvania. Nestled along the banks of the upper Perkiomen Creek, The Bally Spring Inn offers over 60 acres of rolling farmland featuring the original 18th century farmhouse, renovated 19th century barn, and various outbuildings from the original farm. There are 19 unique guest suites available in the main inn, farmhouse, and Carriage House that can be booked up to a week before your event, including a spacious honeymoon suite and large family suites to accommodate the needs of you and your guests. Our in-house chef will provide you a gourmet meal for your reception, homemade pizza for your after-party, and breakfast for you and your guests the following morning. In addition to our wonderful staff and beautiful property, we provide entertainment through our rec room equipped with billiards, ping pong, and shuffle board, a large bonfire pit, and plenty of areas outside to explore and enjoy the scenery. We at The Bally Spring Inn have a mission to make your big day a complete success! Some of the professional event services that we offer include: – House chef to prepare your gourmet meal. Customize your menu as needed! – Full bar with a variety of packages – Cake services through our preferred vendors – Event planning to help you plan your big day – Bridal suite and family suites – A game room is complete with pool table, ping pong, and shuffleboard – Bonfire pit by the creek for after the wedding, enjoy homemade snacks prepared by our chef – Full access to our 60 acre property – Handicap accessible We look forward to welcoming you for a visit to Bally Spring Inn!
Source: The Knot
Why We Love It: Bally Spring Inn is probably the furthest from us in the list but I would drive it daily if I could. This rustic venue has beautiful grounds with a small creek running through it. The reception is held inside of a renovated barn with stone and woodwork throughout. The staff are super friendly. Your guests can wonder around outside, on the deck or lounge inside enjoying their drinks. After the party I’ve had wedding parties sit by the campfire and the staff brought them homemade pizza for one hell of an after-party treat. There are ample amount of photo opportunities on the grounds both during the day and night. At night the barn and carriage house are lit up beautiful or just turn around and get a starry sky night photo!
How Do You Contact Them:
Bally Spring Inn
90 Airport Rd
Barto, PA 19504
610-845-3500
Terrain at Styer's
Info About The Venue:
Our restored antique greenhouse, lodge, and terrace are available for weddings and events small and large.
Offering a unique combination of locations and services, terrain pairs a horticultural setting with farm-to-table cuisine, seasonally decorated spaces, and in-house floral and design services. Our restored barn provides a gorgeous backdrop for any wedding celebration, while our talented culinary team considers each client’s personal style to shape a one-of-a-kind menu.
An outdoor space with an Indian wedding temple is the centerpiece for many ceremonies, but an indoor space is also available in case of rain. Our historic Mushroom House serves as the bridal suite. Paired with our blooming nursery and attentive services, our rustic wedding venue in Delaware County creates a gorgeous backdrop for your celebration.
Our space can accommodate up to 110 guests for a seated dinner, with room for dancing.
Source: Partyspace.com
Why We Love It: This is the venue that, every single time I come home afterwards I want redecorate my house. This is an absolutely stunning venue. It’s on the smaller size with a max of 110 guest but the textures and the lighting make you feel so comfortable and at home. So warm an inviting you just don’t want to leave.. or in my case redecorate my place to match it. The outdoor ceremony spot at Terrain is beautiful and perfectly aligned with the sun to provide beautiful photos . The indoor option is like a small greenhouse that is just as beautiful. They base their designs and styling on their horticulture background merging house and garden and it shows. Their in house design team is just phenomenal. Also lets talk about the food. It’s farm to table and every bit of delicious. We actually go to Terrain as a family just to eat at their cafe or walk the grounds.
How Do You Contact Them:
Terrain at Styer’s
914 Baltimore Pike
Glen Mills, PA 19342
The Desmond
Info About The Venue: We are a family owned and operated hotel and wedding venue, hosting weddings for over 30 years! We like to treat our guests just like our family and we think that is what sets us apart from other wedding venues and explains our popularity. There are so many special memories that you will make over your entire wedding weekend, and we would be honored to be a part of them. Let us help plan your wedding weekend from the rehearsal dinner to the post-wedding breakfast and everything in-between.
Source: The Desmond
Why We Love It: The Desmond is an amazing wedding venue for a few good reasons. One, how cool is it to take an elevator up to your room after your wedding day?! The interior is a lot of fun to work with for photos. They have a beautiful area on the second floor that’s up there with the chandeliers and it’s fun to use for couple portraits. If it rains we’ve gone outside under the overhang and you can still get outdoor photos an stay dry. The ballroom is nice and spacious so we can move around easily and get fun reception shots. The use some of the ballroom for a ceremony and it looks so cool! You can see a sample in the photos above. They have a team working on your wedding day and seem super attentive to the couples and their guests.
How Do You Contact Them:
The Desmond
1 Liberty Blvd
Malvern, PA 19355
610-296-9800
