Artesano Gallery Events & Catering

Artesano was the location of our wedding reception (not ceremony), and we are so happy we picked this venue. Artesano was actually the only venue we considered due to its unique space, modern/industrial vibe and prior reviews of the excellent food and service. We worked closely with Ivan and Talia throughout the planning process. Both of them were wonderful to work with - incredibly helpful with any questions, very responsive, and gave advice/opinions based on their experience when asked. Happily, we can add to the reviews of excellent food and service. Nearly every single guest we spoke to add or after the wedding absolutely raved about the appetizers served at Artesano. During our tasting with Ivan and Talia, Ivan suggested getting rid of the stationary food stations that are included in the package, and replacing them with more passed appetizers. We loved this idea, and are so glad we took his advice. We had a large wedding, and not having the displays opened the space up and allowed for the formality of more passed appetizers. All of our guests raved about how the apps were perfectly bite sized, and every time they turned around, another server was there with a plate full of food. Chef Kelly did a wonderful job of serving the entire cocktail hour and reception. We worked with Ivan and Talia a lot on the flexibility of the setup of the space, which was great. We had several different options for how the space could be arranged, and with 240+ people, we were amazed how spacious the upstairs dining area was with all of our tables. We really wanted a rectangular head table setup, as opposed to a circular sweetheart table, and they were able to accommodate that request as well. Our guests also raved about how unique the space was - photos in front of the greenery wall was a favorite, and the overall vibe of Artesano's space was so different from most wedding venues. The layout of the dance floor was great, and we had no issue with people coming from across the room to be on the dance floor. Truly the only minor issue we had was during our reception - we unfortunately ran out of one type of alcohol, and the event manager had a hard time determining how to resolve this. We gave our OK for them to go out and get more alcohol and we would cover the cost, but it took him approaching us another 3-4 times to come to a solution. As the bride and groom in the middle of the reception, that was a bit stressful to have to try and figure out a solution. Ultimately, Talia stepped in and handled for us, which was great. A minor criticism in the overall scope of our experience with Artesano. Overall, we absolutely loved Artesano for it's uniqueness, flexibility, planning help with Talia and Ivan, and excellent guest service and food. Thank you Ivan, Talia and the entire Artesano staff for making our wedding reception so wonderful!

I’m so sad to share my experience as a wedding vendor at this venue. Sad, because aside from a TRULY horrible service, the venue was absolutely stunning. You could tell the owner really loves art and architecture and put so much effort into creating such a unique and incredibly decorated space. From the second we walked onto the property, we were in love. And had actually spoken with the planner of our couple’s wedding and literally said, “Wow, I hope this wedding is incredible so we can come back and work here in the future.” THAT’s how much we loved it. I know certain venues have specific rules, so I try to communicate as friendly as possible to get up to date. They had yelled at us like children for putting our bags (pre-ceremony, maybe an hour before guests even arrived) aside in a small nook for easy access while photographing decor. The space they wanted us to use was a small cubby underneath a staircase balcony that was literally BLOCKED by the venue’s decor they were still placing. Imagine 20-25 candle vases full of water stacked directly in front of these cubby doors, so to use these cubbies we’d have to slide onto our stomachs to access our bags. As a vendor, this just isn’t practical. A ceremony can call for sudden lens changes, card swap outs, or even fresh batteries (in case any malfunction). During the reception, I understood the need to put stuff aside. But the ceremony was at an entirely separate location, so I’d have to run out, crawl onto my stomach, fish my bag, attempt to quickly change anything and run back. And no, they didn’t want anything “laid out for guests to see” so I wasn’t even able to keep lenses on a side wall nook. The horrible night started when post ceremony, during the cocktail hour, an open flame candelabra at chest level with approximately 20 lit tea lights was placed at the main entrance where guests were still entering and socializing. A woman had caught her hair on fire, and rather than immediately come to help, they were more concerned with the water that was spilled by another guest trying to help this woman. In this situation, you’d expect a venue to be EXTREMELY apologetic (law suit, anyone) and do their best to accommodate guests at this point. Nope. Thankfully, the woman ended up being okay. The venue continued to make sly remarks about weaves and how irresponsible the guest was being. They blamed the guests rather than themselves. Fast forward to the reception, which happened an hour past schedule. This venue refused to “allow” us to start any sort of event during the reception without their permission. They complained when the couple themselves started toasts and speeches, set up to the side and ONLY involving the DJ (not the venue staff in any way) because they were not don’t clearing tables. Never in my 150+ weddings experience has a venue not “allow” me to continue with a plan to save time because of table clearing. That happens on the side, while things are happening. Actually, it’s usually ENCOURAGED in order to get back on schedule. Because I wasn’t hired for the end of the night, the couple wanted to do a cake cutting before I left. Again, this had nothing to do with the venue. The maitre d proceeded to walk up to us (with the couple right there) and blatantly call us rude, uncooperative, and the most unprofessional staff he’s worked with. I have NEVER been so insulted and infuriated, alongside a couple and entire vendor staff, by a venue.

We had our wedding here on 11/24/18 on a very rainy day/night. Everything went off with perfection. The staff at Artesano made my wedding visions come to life and I honestly could not be happier. We had 240 guests and the flow of the venue fit everyone great! Working with Ivan and Talia was a very streamlined process and they kept everything in order and were quick to answer any questions and adhere to any changes and in my case I made quite a few. They both are incredibly professional and truly understand the importance of the big day. Ivan made changes to our table numbers, arranged an incredible layout that tied the entire look I was going for together. Talia is beyond organized and guided us from our initial tour, to the last moments of our wedding night and made sure we ate dinner (THANKS TALIA!). These two make quite the duo. Our guests continue to rave about how wonderful the food was and my husband and I agree. We were worried that the passed appetizers wouldn't be enough but we couldn't be more wrong. The servers were constantly circulating around with appetizers and cock-tailing our signature drinks and wine. We really liked the aspect of being able to customize our own alcohol and bring it in and certainly appreciate the recommendation from Ivan on where to purchase this. We saved at least $1000 by doing so. It was also nice to be able to bring home what was left over. The management the day of the wedding made us feel so taken care of with all the gestures and help they provided to us. Antonio even offered to help sew my wedding dress straps to tighten them for me. The bartenders kept things moving quick with our very heavy drinking crowd. We used the ceremony room as a second cocktail hour room / turned over into a dessert room and our guests really appreciated that extra space since there was a lot of us. A lot of people told us they had never been to a wedding with a separate dessert room and said it was a nice change from the loud dance floor. This venue truly is a GEM and exhibits and extra classiness you don't find at other venues. From the valet, to umbrella bags, to synchronized plating -- they really know how to WOW your guests. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for creating the most incredible evening of our lives. With gratitude, The Hanahan's

We were so excited to have our wedding at Artesano as we wanted something fun and unique and it delieverd! We dealt with Ivan and Talia throughout our wedding planning. They were very nice to deal with and always got back to us promptly with our questions. Ivan was very knowledgeable and knew what would work best at the Venue. One reason we choose Artesano outside of the uniqueness, is the timeline offered a short dinner service leaving plenty of time for dancing at the end.of the night.. The food was amazing. Chef Kelly and her team did a great job! We received so many compliments by our guests on the food! With all of the good things their were some things that made the night not run so smoothly. At the reception you mostly deal with a manager and assistant manger (whom we had never met and were never told about until that night) They were not overly attentive to us as the bride and groom. It took them 45minutes to get our guests seated after cocktail hour which delayed dinner and cut our dancing time by almost an hour. We were very very upset about this because that is what we stressed at every meeting. Although the guests didn’t seem to notice it put a bit of a damper on our night. They never announced dessert and kept running out of coffee. Cake and other dessert trays that were suppose to be put out at the end of the night were not,until we reminded them, leaving half the guests without the planned goodies to take home which we provided. At artesano you have to bring your own liquor and we were told the bartenders would not open anything unless needed ( you can return leftover unused bottles using their preferred vendor). The bartenders were very rude, even to me when I asked for our signature drink. He told me “it’s being passed and if I can’t find it to come back and he would then make it..” The bartenders unsealed about 35 bottle of liquor that were not used at all, but because they were unsealed we could not return them costing us quite a few dollars. They need some new bartenders!!! Through all of this we still had a great night and I would still chose artesano because of the food and the venues unquieness. I just wish I had met the manager prior to the wedding because the 45min/hr ruined our wish for a long dance party. After the wedding we emailed them to say thank you and with compliments and complaints and to let them know about the unsealed liquor bottles....we still have not received a response !

We attended a wedding at this venue. Perhaps it was wonderful for the couple, but the guests did not have a similar experience. The wedding for us was primarily waiting in line. Waiting in line for appetizers. Waiting in line for drinks. Waiting in line for desserts and coffee. And then the servers were taking everything off the tables and rushing us out. It was too dark to appreciate any art work. I would pass. Other venues are larger, more comfortable, and have better customer service.

Artesano made our wedding dreams come true! Manayunk is one of our favorite neighborhoods, and we were so thrilled to find such a gorgeous and unique (and spacious!!) venue for our large wedding. The planning process was great, Ivan has the most wonderful team putting events together and everyone we worked with was organized, responsive, and enthusiastic every step of the way. Day-of, our guests could not stop gushing about how beautiful the space was and how happy they were to have discovered this jewel during their trip to Philly for our wedding. The unique artwork made "decor" basically unnecessary on our side, as everything is included (like beautiful candleabras and a magnetic board for place cards!) which made planning from afar much easier. The food was spectacular, and the BYOB made it even more personal as we handpicked everything served to our guests. It was the best wedding ever, mostly thanks to the Artesano team! I highly recommend to any bride-to-be!

This venue is just stunning! If you are looking for a more unique venue instead of your classic ballroom I highly suggest viewing this venue! They have beautiful iron artwork throughout the whole venue, a gorgeous chandelier, separate ceremony space, cocktail room and dinner and dancing spaces. They also have a gorgeous living wall which was so fun to take pictures in front of! The food there is phenomenal!!! There are 2 reasons that I cannot give this venue 5 stars: 1. The coordinator/contact person there Megan is the worst. She never has any idea what is going on and always has an attitude. She would never follow up on anything and getting information out of her was just like pulling teeth. When we first signed the contract to have the wedding there we were working with a man named Geo who was so good at his job, got back to you within minutes and was always one step ahead, he just made you feel confident that everything was going to be perfect. Sadly he got a new, better job about 3 months before our wedding and then I was stuck with Megan. Again, just be prepared, working with her is very difficult. The head guy you will also talk with there is named Ivan and he is very nice. It is sad that such an amazing venue hired Megan because I feel they would really be so much better off with someone else. 2. On the night of the wedding Megan & Ivan were both there, running things behind the scenes until just after dinner. I am not quite sure when they "passed the baton" off to the person who was suppose to be running things for the rest of the night but they totally dropped the baton. The cake cutting was never announced, and then we did the cake cutting and 10 minutes later she comes up to me and tells me it's time to do the cake cutting...It was just very disorganized. So to sum it all up AMAZING VENUE, AMAZING FOOD, we all had a great night and didn't let the little things get us down. I just warn everyone to be prepared that working with Megan will be frustrating and difficult and maybe talk to Ivan about who is running things at the end of your wedding night so that things might run more smoothly.

Overall, our experience with Artesano was absolutely wonderful. Our guests loved the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception, all of which were amplified by the incredible look the space offers. We wanted the opposite of the traditional ballroom event and this was exactly that. It was an amazing experience from beginning to end. Artesano is a unique venue, so we want to give you a full picture of what we experienced and what you might expect. PLANNING: Megan and the Artesano staff were exceptional during all of our planning. Megan was a terrific planner from the moment we met her through the wedding night. She was extremely responsive, paid close attention to every detail, and made sure that our needs were met. All of our meetings and online communications leading up to the wedding day made us confident that everything would be as perfect as possible. APPEARANCE/DECOR: We cannot express how incredible this space is. The art that covers the walls, the unique furniture, the extra little touches (Artesano actually added some beautiful flowers and other details for us without charge) made every moment fun and interesting. Plus, every single picture looks stunning. FOOD: The food...oh the food! We are obviously biased, but this was the best wedding food we have ever had. The passed appetizers, food stations, the salad, entrees, and desserts, were just unbelievably good. Trays of our signature cocktails awaited guests as the left the ceremony room. The bartenders served everyone quickly. Everything about the food and drink was spot on. STAFF: Overall, the staff was terrific. They made sure the pre-ceremony ran smoothly, added nice ceremony touches (like the dramatic closing and opening of the room’s doors for the bride), and were attentive to guests’ needs. Megan again shined in this area. DIFFICULTIES: Working with Artesano did not come without difficulties, and there were also some issues we faced during our wedding day. Artesano cares deeply about the venue and its appearance--that means that you will work collaboratively to design the space and the event. It is a conversation, not an opportunity for the Bride & Groom to simply dictate what they want. We ultimately found this dynamic to be mostly a good thing, since the appearance was fantastic and Artesano knows their venue well, but you should know about that dynamic coming in. On the day of, we faced a few complications. o There was a miscommunication, which led to some of our set-up team having to take on additional work. o Some of our guests found at least one staff member to be rude during a number of interactions—Artesano has some big personalities, which rubbed some of our guests the wrong way. o The venue will only open 15 minutes before the ceremony starts unless you pay an additional cost. This tight timing was frustrating for some guests. o Our night ended up running an hour behind schedule. This was due partly to the ceremony and speeches going longer than expected, but the delays were not communicated and both cut into dancing time and left guests without entrees for longer than expected (this partially had to do with our event size—215 guests—which was on the larger side of what they can accommodate). Again, overall, our experience was really wonderful. We do strongly recommend Artesano--it is an exceptional venue with a great staff and a top-notch chef that will offer you an incredible wedding experience. Just know that it comes with some quirks.

We just had our wedding at Artesano and it was absolutely amazing! The venue is so unique and absolutely gorgeous. It's a hidden gem just outside the city that I am so thankful we found. I cannot say enough wonderful things about Artesano, Geo, Ivan, and the entire staff. The venue had recently undergone some renovations and it came out more gorgeous than we could have imagined. The food was delicious, staff was pleasant and helpful, and attention to detail is impeccable. If there were any hiccups, we were never made aware and the night went so smoothly. A concern we had was about parking, however, it is included-there is a lot directly across the street. We have gotten so many compliments on the wedding and we cannot be more thankful to Artesano for helping us do so. We could not have asked for a better night. I wish we could do it again!

To be candid, when we first booked Artesano, we were working with a staff member who was not as responsive or helpful as we would like. Since she is no longer with the venue and the majority of our issues stemmed from her - they aren't even worth going into! The home stretch was handled entirely by Geo (event planner) and Ivan (owner) and they were absolutely amazing - handled everything and went the extra mile to confirm details with vendors and even supplying last minute items we forgot. They followed through on every request we had. In most cases, it would be jarring to hear the week before your wedding that a new event planner will be taking the reigns. But with Geo, we had no doubts that the event would still go smoothly. And we were right! Geo immediately was responsive, helpful, and took the initiative to handle everything so that we could relax and enjoy the day. Ivan worked with us so closely to coordinate every detail. The greatest compliment we got from guests was that our wedding felt so like us. Artesano was more than a backdrop, but a beautiful space to let our personalities shine. Everything was great! The food, the look, the event flow, and of course - the staff! I can't believe how seamless and easy they made it all look! From two former event planners, we had high expectations. Artesano exceeded them all. We couldn't have asked for a better way to start our marriage! Oh, spring for the extra hour. The day flies and it's worth it! Enjoy!