Pittsburgh Opera in the Strip

ginny814

Has anyone looked into or had a wedding reception here?  I think the space is relatively new, but they rent out this huge warehouse-like space.  It seems pretty awesome and can be really funky and urban if you dec it out properly.  I'm hoping to visit the site sometime soon but wanted to get feedback ahead of time for anyone who may have already seen it.  

Here is a link which contains some thumbnails you can click on for a better view of the space.  http://www.pittsburghopera.org/pages/our-new-home

cathrynlehman

I wish I would have known about this place when I was choosing a site, because I think it would be awesome.  I know someone who went to a wedding there recently and said it was very industrial/modern/cool. I would go for it if I were you.

ros3392

My company had an event there last year and it was really nice..  I wanna say there was about 100 people or so there. I am not sure if we used their entire space, but I know we also used their auditorium and stage. It was really nice.

gmc22

Looks great! I don't know anything about it but seems like you could do a lot with the space and I'm loving the industrial look!

ros3392

After taking a quick look at the website it looks as though you have to pay extra for use of their table and chairs.. this might be quite pricey. Do you have any other venues you are considering?

ginny814

I spoke with the facilities manager and he said he has tables and chairs that he can let us rent through him although I'm not sure what they look like.  However, my sister's good friend owns a rental company where you can rent basically anything you need for an event; she could give us a good discount  

Are we considering another venue?  Yes, Soldiers and Sailors is our front-runner as of right now.

caityth

Did you end up booking the Pittsburgh Opera?  We checked it out a month ago and LOVED it! We have been trying to get ahold of them to put a deposit down and do one last visit, but they are REALLY hard to get in touch with

ginny814

I made an appointment to look at the space this Friday!  If we like it, our final choices will between this space and Soldiers and Sailors!    I will let you know!!

ginny814

caityth, looks like we might be competing for the same space, for the same date!  We are thinking of having our wedding on april 21, 2012, too... LOL!  Nothing is set is stone though so we are flexible in our date, we can always move it up if it's booked. 

laineandmatthew

Hey! I'm looking into the opera for my venue, can you guys share the real pros and cons that you have found so far?

laineandmatthew

hey guys! i am looking into the opera too for my wedding next year (totally different date though). What have you found so far?? what are the pros and cons, and do you have any advice? thanks!!

ginny814

I visited the space a few months back and here's what I found (sorry I didn't post this earlier!):

Pros:
- I love the modern/industrial look (exposed brick and pipes)
- the reception area is pretty cool.. lots of artwork on the wall, and again, it's all very modern
- you're pretty much free to decorate it as you please
- it's reasonable to rent for the evening and there will always be a staff member present

Cons:
- you do not have access the night before to decorate, and everything must be out of the space the night of the wedding as well (I know at other venues, you can keep some stuff there over night and clean it up the next day). If you want extra time, you probably have to pay extra
- they only provide a few tables.. everything else (chairs, extra tables, linens, etc...) must be brought in by you
- parking SUCKS:  they have a very small lot that only holds like 20 cars.. so your guests would have to find parking on the street (which is difficult in the strip).
- guests enter from some side door in the garage (not the main entrance), so that can be kind of unattractive in a way, and confusing
- If you have a large guest list, the space might be a little small.. so the dancefloor area can be tight..  otherwise, if you needed more room, they would bring tables into the cocktail area
- there are huge red curtains hanging against the wall, so you either have to work with it or find a way to hide it

All in all, we probably would have chosen it if:
a. it had better parking
b. it was a bit bigger (we wanted something really open)
c. they provided more (linens, tables, chairs)

If you choose the space, you'll definitely have to put in a lot of work.  But it's an awesome space and I recommend looking into it!  They do book fast because of other weddings and plays (and operas of course) so I would look ASAP.  Let me know if you have any other questions!

caityth

We booked the Pittsburgh Opera as our venue.  I totally agree with PP on all the pros and cons.  To add another con, they have been really hard to get ahold of

rpbmwedding

We booked the Opera house and this is by far the WORST experience I have had as far as contact issues go. Our initial request for a booking contract was at the end of August. After multiple phone calls and email with no one responding, we did finally get our contract on September 28th.  Our deposit check is chashed but we have yet to recive a countersigned contract. My wedding planner has sent a few requests for this and today I finally called again asking for a return call or for the countersigned contract to be sent. I followed up with an email requesting the contract by EOB tomorrow, December 2. I have not received an emiail or a phone call to even acknowlege that I exist since September 28th.  If I do not receive my countersigned contract tomorrow as requested, or at least a call or email update on when to expect this I will be requesting that they refund our deposit so that we can seek a venue that values our business. 

The union project in Highland Park may not be the industrial/urban venue that we had wanted, but at leasat the people are kind , value your buisness and the money goes back into the facility for programs, community, etc.

arf3420

Wow!  I'm so surprised to hear you've been having trouble with them!  We booked them for our wedding in June, and they've always responded to my emails within a day or two.   Although, now that you mention it, I never did receive a contract signed by them.... But I also didn't ask for it.  Guess that might not be a bad thing to have.  Maybe I'll look into that... Lol.   I do absolutely love the venue though!  And for the parking con... The strip closes at 4, so finding street parking should be very easy to find.  Our reception is starting right around 4-4:30, so I'm hoping spots will be open by then!  Also, there is a parking lot that is less than a block away that charges $5, so guests could always pay to park there if they don't like the street parking option.   It's definitely the nicest venue I found at such a low price, and being able to use your own caterer and supply your own alcohol make it worth having to do a little extra work.  Hopefully that will still be my opinion AFTER the wedding :-)