photo by Bashful Captures
Weddings
The Ultimate New York City Wedding Venue Guide
Start spreading the news... New York is one of the most dynamic cities in the world to exchange your vows. With more than eight million people spread out across over 250 neighborhoods, New York City is the epitome of a wedding venue...
photo by Bashful Captures
Start spreading the news... New York is one of the most dynamic cities in the world to exchange your vows. With more than eight million people spread out across over 250 neighborhoods, New York City is the epitome of a wedding venue melting pot. Whether it’s sprawling industrial lofts spacious enough to fit three hundred of your closest friends, intimate mom-and-pop restaurants with cozy backyards, or New York’s most iconic public buildings available for rent, inside the Big Apple you can truly find a venue to fit whatever your wedding needs might be.
Read on to let this New York venue guide help navigate you towards the wedding of your dreams.
Reporter: Dylan Essertier
Read on to let this New York venue guide help navigate you towards the wedding of your dreams.
Reporter: Dylan Essertier
Ever dreamed of getting married above one of the world’s most famous landmarks? 620 Loft & Garden can turn that daydream into a reality. Located directly above St. Patrick’s Cathedral on New York’s famous Fifth Avenue (calling all Breakfast at Tiffany’s fans!), this unique outdoor space boasts manicured gardens, a sparkling reflective pool, and even a whimsical fountain. Inside, lofted ceilings and wall-to-wall windows pay homage to the incredible city views below. The best part? The space can be completely customized to your wedding day vision.
A romantic, ivy-covered courtyard in the middle of Long Island City? It does exist! Once a 19th century steel factory this historical building has transformed into a raw space with 40 feet vaulted ceilings able to accommodate up to 200 people. Meanwhile, on The Foundry’s exterior you’ll find a courtyard which from April through October is overrun with lush green ivy, as well as a greenhouse that can be rented out for the flora-inspired bride.
This 8,000 square foot winery sits on a quiet residential block in the heart of buzzing Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Treat your wedding guests to one of Brooklyn Winery’s house-made wines, including their North Fork red blend or Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as locally-sourced dishes including mouthwatering charcuterie plates and market-fresh brussel sprouts (did we mention they are garnished with candied oranges and maple butter?). Throw in the interiors, which are replete with reclaimed wood and peppered with vintage adornments, and you’ve got a rustic chic vibe in one of New York’s most happening neighborhoods.
A wedding at the world’s largest rooftop soil farm means the chance to dance beside eight feet tall sunflowers and enjoy a dinner prepared with produce plucked straight from the surrounding gardens. Located over 1.5 acres in the heart of Brooklyn Navy Yard means you’ll not only have a bounty of vegetables, you'll have some of the most epic views out to the East River on offer.
To get married at the Gramercy Park Hotel is to get married inside a New York City treasure trove. Known for its regal and bold interiors, A-list guests which have included everyone from rockers and fashion icons, as well as its rotating gallery of iconic artwork (think pieces by Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst), an event on the 18th floor Gramercy Terrace promises to be nothing short of a storybook wedding.
This 15,000 square foot industrial penthouse overlooks TriBeCa, one of New York’s poshest and most prestigious neighborhoods. Throw in the Hudson River views, 65-foot long skylight, and dramatic staircase that descends into the large open loft-style space and you’ll have no shortage of extravagance if you choose to say ‘I do’ inside this Manhattan architectural marvel.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden has it all: Brooklyn charm, magnificent blossoms and an elegant atrium worthy of the most sophisticated ceremony. Whether you choose to get married beneath the sky or beneath the lovely living roof of native grasses and wildflowers inside the Lillian and Amy Goldman Atrium, nuptials here are infused with an elegant dose of nature’s most beautiful bells and whistles.
The Rainbow Room’s legacy dates back to 1934, making it the OG of New York chic. With a premiere location in the time-honored landmark Rockefeller Center, a kitchen continuously helmed by the world’s most sought-after chefs (wedding hors d’oeurves include salmon tartare cones with caviar and petite Maryland crab cakes) and hospitality standards as high as the 65th floor this venue sits on, to get married inside this New York City staple promises to be equal parts sophisticated and legendary.
Need to get out of the city without getting out of the city? World Yacht, off of Pier 81, is your answer. The expansive, stylish yacht overlooking Midtown and Lower Manhattan welcomes large weddings – invite 275 for a seated dinner or 350 for a buffet style dinner. The team here has over 35 years of event experience meaning your wedding will go off without a hitch. Inside tip: plan cocktail hour to coincide with the sunset to truly experience "golden hour."
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There’s a chicness to the Metropolitan Building that feels both effortless and organic. Dating back to 1909, the space, which was once an electrical parts factory, found new life when Eleanor Ambos (the owner of a successful antique furniture rental business) bought the building and started renting it out to her artisan friends. If you’re a lover of antiques, distressed wooden floors and ornate crystal chandeliers that come together to feel straight out of a fashion editorial, this is the wedding venue for you.
Once serving as a former metal factory, this refurbished warehouse in DUMBO boasts a magnificent skylight as well as the structure’s original brick walls. With space to accommodate 248 seated guests and 350 standing guests, it’s also one of the roomiest wedding venues in New York, making it a perfect spot for you and your significant other to host your big fat Brooklyn wedding.
No special effects were used when filming Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big’s wedding in Sex & The City. In other words, the New York Public Library really is that beautiful. Inside, the Beaux-Arts building's six event spaces cater to both intimate and lavish gatherings, from Astor Hall, capable of hosting 750 guests, to the no less luxe but slightly more intimate Trustees Room, which is suitable for a guest count of 125.
You can choose from one of two spaces at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge. At Meadow Rue, the space opens up to a private patio, allowing you to bring up to 350 guests from inside to outside within minutes. Meanwhile in Blue Wood Astor, floor-to-ceiling windows open up to the East River waterfront, also offering extraordinary Manhattan views. No matter which space you go with, 1 Hotel promises to fill your guests bellys with a seasonally-crafted catering menu sourced of only the freshest local ingredients.
Everything about 501 Union is handsome, from the 15-foot Carrara marble top bars to the vintage cars that can be parked in and around the venue for you (inside tip: request the 1920s beauty that looks like it was driven straight out of the set of The Great Gatsby). Throw in a killer location, 501 Union is in the heart of Brooklyn’s most charming neighborhoods, including Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, Gowanus and Park Slope, and you’ll truly feel as if your wedding day is taking place in another era.
With 6,000 square feet of indoor-outdoor space, including interiors featuring elegant exposed brick walls and an open-beamed ceilings, The Green Building is perfect for those couples who have dreamed of getting married inside a venue that feels akin to an artist’s loft. For a particularly sentimental touch, opt to project engagement photos or a short film directly onto the exposed brick wall above The Green Building’s dance floor.
Located in charming Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, Frankies 457 Spuntino, offers the best of Italian-American cuisine in a rustic-chic ambiance. Especially charming during the summer months, Frankie’s courtyard opens up to allow a reception of up to 80 guest inside its beautiful landscaped grounds. Thinking of a winter soiree? Don’t fret, Frankie’s can also accommodate a cozy ceremony for 40 during New York’s more frigid months.
Tucked inside a discreet brownstone in Chelsea is one of New York’s most fascinating social clubs, the Norwood Club. This unique creative haven, which is is sprawled out over five floors, includes a private dining room, a backyard with a lush garden perfect for al fresco ceremonies, as well as a collection of museum-worthy artwork guaranteed to impress even your most high-brow wedding guests.
Inside a landmark red-bricked building that dates back to the 1800s is arguably one of New York’s most beautiful sanctuaries, The High Line Hotel. Replete with over 8,000 square feet of turn-of-the-century gothic architecture, a garden fit to rival even the most romantic Parisian courtyard and elegant muted interiors, there’s no shortage of magic to be uncovered during a ceremony at this stately hotel.
From its 400-year-old history to its spectacular wood-carved interiors and stained glass lunette windows, the Brooklyn Historical Society is the perfect venue for those looking to add a dose of literature and history (Brooklyn Historical Society was built back in 1881) to their wedding day. This unique venue features two main event spaces, including the recently renovated Great Hall auditorium, as well as the strikingly regal Othmer Library guaranteed to evoke epic Beauty and the Beast library flashbacks.
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Since its re-opening as a luxury hotel in 2012 (it used to be a textile factory in the 1900s), the Wythe Hotel has been a premiere haven for helping hipster wedding dreams come true. Blame it on the exposed brick walls, steel columns, and impressive arches, or perhaps the Wythe’s location inside one of Brooklyn’s trendiest boroughs, but whatever it is, the bottom line is it embodies all the nonchalant laid-back cool a modern couple could dream of.
Get married in a sea of sketchbooks inside Williamsburg’s intimate Brooklyn Art Library. With over 35,000 colorful handmade sketchbooks filling the library’s white shelves, including works by artists from over 130 countries around the world to Brooklyn Art’s mission to bring a diverse network of creatives together, there truly isn’t a more imaginative space in New York to celebrate your next chapter (see what we did there?).
As one of the coolest new hotels on the New York block, The Beekman offers modern appeal and timeless elegance. Inside the nine-story atrium, designer Martin Brudnizki has created a space that gives off dramatic Victorian vibes (we can literally picture Sherlock Holmes sitting at the bar enjoying one of The Beekman’s sumptuous cocktails). Choose from any of The Beekman’s event spaces, all of which come with the opportunity to have acclaimed chef and restaurateur Tom Colicchio conceptualize your wedding menu.
Located in the heart of Manhattan is Studio 450, a unique loft space featuring a rooftop terrace boasting dramatic 360 degree views of New York City. What makes this venue so unique is that it’s a blank canvas, fully customizable based on your wedding vision and guest count (the space can hold anywhere from 40 to 250 people).
This sleek downtown stay, which is at the crossroads of some of New York’s most interesting neighborhoods (including Chinatown, Little Italy, and the Lower East Side), is an ideal spot for the kind of bride or groom who wants their big day to be glam, with a little bit of downtown grit. For something truly unique, opt to exchange your vows in 50 Bowery’s 5,000 square foot outdoor garden, which overlooks the iconic Manhattan bridge.
For an intimate and stylish wedding venue, The Skylark is your spot. Set thirty stories above New York City's Garment District, this cocktail lounge delivers panoramic views of the Hudson River, The Empire State Building and Midtown Manhattan, as well as swanky, Don Draper-approved furnishings that will make you and your groom feel like you said ‘I do’ inside an episode of Mad Men.
If you’re hoping to skip the pomp and circumstance in favor of a casual backyard bbq reception instead, Brooklyn’s Bat Haus is a stellar choice. Suitable for any party under 80 guests, the rental comes with wooden tables and folding chairs, as well as an amplifier speaker to make sure there’s no shortage of al fresco dancing happening inside Bat Haus’ charming backyard.
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