Wedding venue in Philadelphia area for kosher affair

Lana726

Hi Everyone,

I am currently looking for a wedding venue that can hold 175-200 guests for a ceremony and reception and will accomidate kosher catering (preferably allow us to bring in anyone we want to do this) in the Philadelphia area.  We toured the Phoenixville Foundry in Phoenixville and Peche at Sherman Mills (in East Falls) this weekend.  We loved both of these venues because of their modern restored factory feel but are finding the cost of their prefered kosher caterer options to be a little bit on the high side.  Does anyone have any suggestions for similar venues which have more lieniency with their catering options or work with NJ/NYC area kosher caterers?  Or other venues that aren't your hotel ballroom style locations?  We are hoping to find a venue that is within about a 45 minute drive of center city Philadelphia

Thanks!

tenofcups4me

I think most of the mansions on the other side of the city either do kosher catering or allow you to bring someone in to do it. The first time I got married, in 2002, it was at Pen Ryn Mansion and I was very happy there. You can also check out Glen Foerd, Knowlton Mansion, and I think there might be a few others. They should all be within that 45-minute range from center city. (And you could also post on the Philly board -- I don't know what that board is like now, but they used to be very helpful.)  

LBRM_NJ

My cousin had a kosher wedding at the Franklin Institute.  It was beautiful!  They got married in the planetarium and the reception was in one of the halls (can't remember which one, sorry).

tenofcups4me

Ceremony in the planetarium must have been really cool!

I thought of a few other places that say they allow kosher catering:
- Please Touch Museum is in Fairmont Park in a historic building. I recently went to a bar mitzvah there and they have a beautiful space for receptions.

- Moshulu is a historic ship (permanently anchored) in center city. I went to a wedding there and they did a nice job.

- Camden is right across the river and while the city itself is mostly a dump, they have a beautiful aquarium (that feels safe because of where it is and the layout). I went to a wedding there, where they held the ceremony in a private room in front of a large fish tank, had cocktails in an area where people could wander and see some of the exhibits, and then the rest of the reception in a ballroom. It was very nice.

I doublechecked and all these places either have or allow kosher catering. I actually think that's pretty much the norm, at least in center city and the suburbs on the northeast side. I don't know the costs though.

reebsreebs

The Seattle Vaad website has a list of kosher caterers and those caters have a list of venues they work in. Perhaps Philly has something similar.

Musicheals71

If you need a Kosher caterer recommendation, I used Foodarama, which is based in Bensalem, PA, just outside of Philly.  They came to my parents' synagogue in Marlton, NJ, and did a fabulous job!

alinaandjared

No help here but Mazel Tov Alana, so glad to see you here!

shirz903

I am getting married at the Please Touch Museum and bringing in my caterer from NYC- the per person upcharge and general upcharges for doing this is insane and extremely costly, so just a warning. It is the same at the constitution center.  I also looked at the Spring Mill Country Club and they have a kosher caterer and if I had not been having a winter wedding, I would have picked there. It is stunning and reasonably priced. 

caraellen23

tencups - I just got married at Pen Ryn!

I agree with PP's suggestions.  IThere are some nice spaces outside the city where you bring in your own caterer.  Look at Aldie Mansion in Doylestown, Elkins Estate in Elkins Park and Abington Art Center in Abington. Some of them have preferred caterers, like Knowlton and Pen Ryn, so I am not sure about bringing in someone else.

tenofcups4me

I can't believe I didn't know that till now! I just checked out your pics and got all sorts of warm fuzzies :-) Can't wait to see the professional pics too!

My marriage did not last, but I still have really great memories of my wedding there. They hadn't been open all that long at the time of my wedding -- maybe a year or two at the time, so no one I knew had been to an event there yet. At the time, they were great to work with and the food was wonderful -- I hope that's still the case! To give you some perspective, I was literally the first person to ever put menus on the table there. The on-site coordinator called me later and asked me how I had done them so she could do them for the boss's daughter's wedding! (And yes, I had gotten the idea from TK.)

caraellen23

Haha, that's great!  I am pretty sure Mary (who is still there) has seen it all by now.  Most people I talk to have been to an event there.  It was wonderful! I love the mansion and the grounds.  They are a bit of a wedding factory though....don't really communicate with you until its your turn, kind of thing.  But they were awesome the day of, the food was fabulous!! :-)

chavanola

I just went to a wedding at the DoubleTree on Broad St and Locust/Sansom in Center City.  Not sure if that's the type of venue you're looking for, but my friend used a kosher caterer from NY and she had around 200 people I think.  They charged her the same price they charge NY weddings so there was no extra fee for travel.