Planning a Carnegie Museum wedding in Pittsburgh? For the bride seeking a unique wedding space, the Carnegie Museums offer the perfect mix of nature, history, and style. The museums feature outdoor gardens, indoor green rooms, stunning architecture, museum galleries, sculptures, and exquisite artwork – perfect for any style preference.
Before you book anything, check out this guide by Weddings of Pittsburgh that goes over all the details on a Carnegie Museum wedding!
Carnegie Museum Venue Spaces
Your first thought when planning a Carnegie Museum wedding should be: Which one? Yes, there are four Carnegie museums! There are so many event spaces to choose from between these 4 museums. Let’s clear up all the details for you on which each space offers, so you can make an informed choice.
Carnegie Museum of Art
- Grand Staircase Mezzanine: Your guests will be blown away by the breathtaking scenery of this grand staircase and balcony. The light-colored marble flooring combined with skylights throughout the ceiling creates a luxurious atmosphere that is perfect for hosting your wedding ceremony.
For cocktails, approximately 150 can stand comfortably in the space, while for a wedding ceremony, roughly 120 can stand in the space.
- Hall of Architecture: This elegant room, with its magnificent plaster-cast copies of ancient masterpieces, will make you and all those attending feel like royalty. This is an ideal space for hosting a wedding reception!
Approximately 80 guests can dine in this space with a dance floor included. For standing cocktails, 100 can fit comfortably. For a wedding ceremony, 150 can fit the space. Keep in mind that this space has limited availability!
- Hall of Sculpture: This hall, which is distinguished by two tiers of marble columns and a balcony, was inspired by the design of the inner sanctuary at the Parthenon in Greece. The marble used in the construction of this magnificent area is even from the same quarries that provided stones for the Parthenon. The elegant and prestigious white marble backdrop will surely offer a one-of-a kind space for your wedding.
The space can accommodate 30 guests for a cocktail hour. A wedding reception can accommodate 120 people comfortably, while a wedding ceremony may handle 250 guests.
- Scaife Foyer: The Scaife Foyer leads into the Carnegie Museum of Art Sculpture Court with a floor-to-ceiling view of the entire court.
The space can comfortably seat 250 guests for cocktails and is a great space to host your next event or wedding.
Carnegie Museum of Science
- Foster Overlook: Imagine your wedding guests transported to a time when dinosaurs roamed the earth! You and all of your friends will enjoy a birds-eye view of the science museum. The mezzanine level overlooks one of the museum’s most popular exhibits, Dinosaurs in Their Time, which features scientifically accurate immersive environments spanning the Mesozoic Era.
The space can reasonably hold 60 seated guests or 80 guests for a cocktail hour.
- Hall of North American Wildlife: Imagine wedding guests dining among black bears and jaguars. It’s possible with a Carnegie museum wedding! This space features some of North America’s most amazing animals in natural habitat dioramas, giving guests a unique wedding experience that they will never forget.
The space can accommodate 100 seated guests and 150 guests for a standing cocktail hour.
- Hillman Hall and PaleoLab Lobby: Your guests will love having a cocktail hour time amongst the glittering minerals and gems. The space showcases 1,300 different treasures from all over world including many found right here in our Pittsburgh backyard!
The lobby can comfortably fit 100 standing guests for a cocktail hour.
- Carnegie Music Hall Foyer: The music hall foyer boasts high ceilings (50-feet!) and gilded baroque décor, supported by pillars made up from marble coming all the way from five different countries. In addition to this elegant space being spacious and awe inspiring it also comes complete with an ornate metal balcony overlooking everything below!
The musical hall foyer offers seating for up to 300-500 guests in the main floor and balcony for a wedding reception. For a cocktail hour, up to 800 guests can stand in the space.
Carnegie Science Center
PointView Hall and Terrace: The PPG SCIENCE PAVILION™ at Carnegie Science Center is a gorgeous spot for weddings and other events with stunning views of Pittsburgh’s cityscape. The immaculate view from the terrace adds class to this event facility that you won’t find anywhere else!
This space comfortably seats a cocktail reception of 450 guests or 320 guests if it is a seated banquet.
Andy Warhol Museum
- First-Floor Entrance Lobby: You’re looking for a space that is out-of-the ordinary? This one will make your guests think they’ve been transported to Warhol’s famous factory. Adorned with Warhol’s famous paintings, this eccentric venue space can host anything from corporate parties or weddings receptions.
The space can comfortably seat 120 guests and for a cocktail can accommodate 300 standing guests.
Carnegie Museum Costs
You can expect to spend $3,000 – $8,000 for these spaces. You pay for the quality that Carnegie Museums can offer, and thankfully there are so many options available that allow some flexibility in your budget. The prices will vary depending on location timing as well wedding needs. Keep in mind that availability is limited for these spaces.
When you rent any Carnegie museum space for a wedding, that fee includes tables, linens, and chairs as well as limited technical services. Rental charges also cover a coordinator from their special events office that can help oversee your party or meeting. They also offer limited custodial support.
Carnegie Museum Catering
The Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh partner exclusively with their caterer Culinaire. They can work with you to create a unique menu for your wedding reception whether it’s an upscale formal affair or something more casual.
Carnegie Museum Parking
Depending on the event space you choose will affect parking availability but the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh do offer plenty of parking surrounding each location. Please contact your event manager if you have any questions or concerns. He or she will be delighted to give you more detailed information about the venue.
Carnegie Museum Location and Hours
These spaces are available for rental Monday-Friday from the hours of 11:00 a.m to Midnight and on Saturdays between Noon until Midnight, but these times may vary slightly depending upon the Museum you choose for your event space. Usually Carnegie staff want events to be completed by 1 a.m. It’s important that when selecting a Carnegie Museums wedding venue space in order to work around their operating hours in order to avoid having limitations or restrictions in place due to museum closing time.
Carnegie Museum Décor
In most cases, they ask that nothing be hung on the walls and signage stand alone. It all depends on which Carnegie museum event space you choose. Just tell them what you have in mind and they will likely work with you to meet your needs.
Carnegie Museum Event Manager vs. Wedding Planner
The Carnegie Museums offers an on-staff event manager. You may think that an event manager is all you need to meet your wedding planning needs.
As someone who has been in the wedding industry for decades, let me be clear – this isn’t the case! That’s because an event manager is not the same thing as a wedding planner. How so? Let me explain.
An event manager is working for the venue and not you. They have a vested interest in the success of their venue. Do you really want to put all your planning needs in the hands of someone who isn’t putting you first?
That is the difference that Weddings of Pittsburgh can make. My team and I have a vested interest in you personally, and we will be there to advocate for you every step of the way. That means nothing will get missed or forgotten about while planning your Carnegie museum wedding day. This is something important to keep in mind when moving forward with wedding planning at a Carnegie Museum.
Let Weddings of Pittsburgh Make Your Carnegie Museum Wedding a Reality!
Weddings of Pittsburgh is the premier wedding planning company in the greater Pittsburgh area and throughout Western Pennsylvania. My team and I offer full-service planning – that means we handle it all from wedding cake to invitations. We can help you plan all your needs for a Carnegie Museum Wedding.
Our team at Weddings of Pittsburgh has decades of experience working with couples to create their dream weddings. Whether it’s an intimate affair or a lavish celebration that will be talked about for years to come, we know how to make any event unforgettable! Trust us to take care of every detail so you don’t have to worry on your big day.
If you’re ready for some peace-of-mind when it comes time for one of the most important days in your life, contact us today! We would love nothing more than making sure your Carnegie museum wedding turns out perfectly.
NOTE: In light of the pandemic and changing mandates, you can rest assured knowing that Weddings of Pittsburgh is POP (Pandemic Onsite Protocol) Certified and will enforce mandates if guests must wear masks or provide verification of vaccination status.
