Indiana Historical Society

Make more than just memories ~ make history.

Holds ceremonies and receptions

5.0

Verified reviews from real couples

Indiana Historical Society is the perfect venue for a downtown wedding. We had our cocktail hour right along the canal and our reception and ceremony inside Eli Lilly Hall. Our guest kept complementing how unique and elegant the venue was. And the best part of the IHS is the staff! :) Haley and Katie were a huge help from the beginning! Haley was amazing at keeping our wedding day running smoothly and answering any questions we had. I can't recommend this place enough!

Audra S.

5.0

BEST. VENUE. EVER. As soon as we walked in we knew this was it. It is so beautiful and it was sooo perfect. Everything about the venue is great, right on the canal for beautiful pictures and beautiful inside. I would suggest a day of coordinator to help with the set up and decor.

Alexandra F.

5.0

Indiana Historical Society is a one-of-a-kind wedding venue in Indianapolis, IN. The stunning architecture and classic elegance of the Indiana History Center, located on the downtown Canal, provide either grand or intimate settings for gorgeous indoor or outdoor ceremonies and receptions. This beautiful museum is dedicated to preserving the stories that make up Indiana's history and culture. The venue is a Smithsonian affiliate and has a variety of exhibits that you're welcome to explore during your celebration. Guests can take a virtual journey through time, or check out the music of Hoosier legend Cole Porter. On your big day, you'll have access to a variety of fantastic spaces or your big day. The Eli Lilly Hall boasts a vaulted four-story ceiling, marble floors imported from Italy, and a grand staircase where you can make your entrance. This space is ideal for a reception with up to 300 loved ones, or 250 with a dance floor. Host your wedding meal in the Stardust Terrace Café, with its awe-inspiring twinkling ceiling. This room opens right onto the Kruse Family Stardust Terrace, with seating for 200 guests, so guests can enjoy fresh air throughout the evening. If you're planning an intimate celebration, check out the Mary O'Brien Gibsaon Boardroom, with its scenic views of Indianapolis and White River State Park. Indiana Historical Society offers all-inclusive wedding packages, ensuring you have everything you need for a seamless wedding day. Yours will include audio equipment, get-ready spaces, setup and cleanup services, rentals, and WiFi. The venue also operates an open-vendor policy, so you're welcome to bring in your preferred caterers. Contact Katie Vaughan, Special Events Coordinator, for more information or to schedule a tour.

27+ years in business

Speaks English

Small team (2-10 members)

Amenities + details

Amenities

Ceremony Area

Dressing Room

Handicap Accessible

Indoor Event Space

Liability Insurance

Reception Area

Wireless Internet

Ceremony Types

Civil Union

Commitment Ceremony

Elopement

Interfaith Ceremony

Non-Religious Ceremony

Religious Ceremony

Second Wedding

Vow Renewal Ceremony

Settings

Ballroom

Historic Venue

Museum

Venue Service Offerings

Bar & Drinks

Bar Rental

Cakes & Desserts

Cupcakes

Other Desserts

Food & Catering

Any questions?

5.0

out of 5.0

8 reviews

Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

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Audra S

Highlighted review.

6/19/2018

Indiana Historical Society is the perfect venue for a downtown wedding. We had our cocktail hour right along the canal and our reception and ceremony inside Eli Lilly Hall. Our g...

uest kept complementing how unique and elegant the venue was. And the best part of the IHS is the staff! :) Haley and Katie were a huge help from the beginning! Haley was amazing at keeping our wedding day running smoothly and answering any questions we had. I can't recommend this place enough!

Alexandra F

6/10/2018

BEST. VENUE. EVER. As soon as we walked in we knew this was it. It is so beautiful and it was sooo perfect. Everything about the venue is great, right on the canal for beautiful pi...

ctures and beautiful inside. I would suggest a day of coordinator to help with the set up and decor.

Any questions?

Jana S

3/19/2017

We loved having our wedding at the Indiana Historical Society! The venue is so beautiful and a perfect location in Downtown Indianapolis. Our guests loved the space and we receiv...

ed many compliments on how nice the venue was. Katie was great to work with throughout the planning process and made sure our day ran smoothly and all our decorations were set up as I expected. We would highly recommend this spot for any wedding venue!!

Danielle W

10/30/2016

We had our reception at this venue, and it was absolutely incredible. Eli Lilly Hall is definitely a showstopper - our staircase entrance was a hit, and the clocks in the rotundas ...

were the subjects of many of our guests' photos! We couldn't be happier with our decision to have our reception at the Historical Society, and would highly recommend it to anyone.

Lindsey B

5/01/2016

Eli Lilly Hall is simply stunning. We had our cocktail hour on the canal, which was also fantastic; we received (and are still receiving) many compliments about the venue, both the...

main hall and the canal space. We used the Porter Room as the bar, which is such a classy space. It is slightly separated from the main hall, but not too far to make it isolated. Relative to the other venues in the area (around the canal), the price is very reasonable. The catering options are limited to a short list of people who have done several weddings at the venue, so the caterer contact ends up taking the lead for most details. After contracting with the IHS, our contact person left and we had a new person, which was a bit of a challenge. Our new contact person wasn’t quite as organized and responsive as the first one, but in the end it didn’t matter that much since our catering coordinator was really our main point of contact. We were able to bring décor and other items to store at the venue in the week leading up to the wedding, which was convenient. The only component of the IHS we would change is we wish the restrooms near Eli Lily Hall would be a little bit nicer. But that is such a minor point it didn’t really matter to us that much.

Heather F

1/04/2015

We utilized the Lilly Hall for the ceremony and dinner/dancing, and the Stardust Café on canal level for cocktail hour. We also utilized the Cole Porter bar during dinner/dancing,...

which is a cool area. We worked with Jessi, who is no longer with the venue, but she was great to work with. Always responsive and made pricing concessions when some rules changed on what we could put where. She was also great on the day of the event. The only negative, but you know it going into it, is that you can't start the ceremony until 6pm, because it is a museum during the day. But that is no different than other museum type facilities. Also note, that the facility is beautiful and interesting how it is, you don't need a lot of décor.

Ashley B

6/27/2014

We had our wedding ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception at the Indiana Historical Society. The venue is beautiful both inside and out. Our ceremony was outside on the terrace rig...

ht next to the canal that runs through downtown Indy. Our reception was in the Eli Lilly Hall which was gorgeous, a very open space. The inside was so pretty that apart from the table décor and up-lighting did not have to do anything to the walls at all or create a dance floor. It has a larger grand staircase running through the center of the hall (which made our reception entrance extra special) and some whimsical pocket watches hanging from the ceiling. We were planning our wedding from out of state and the venue was very responsive to emails and was helpful with all of our paperwork. One comment was that the venue does not provide tables and chairs and they must be rented either through the venue or the caterer that you choose. Just be aware that this is not included in the venue rental price. Also at the time that we booked the venue they only had three caterers that they work with and two of them were quite pricey (to me). However, the caterer we went with (the cheapest) was amazing and I can’t even imagine what the more expensive caterers could do to top it. Overall we were both very impressed with the venue everything went very well.

Emily C

4/04/2012

I loved this venue it was so beautiful, and elegant you hardly need any decorations for it because the room lights it's self up. The event coordinators are helpful as well, and ver...

y pleasant. I did not have a wedding planner so I don't know how well they work with them, but for me they were great especially Katie.

Service area & Contact info

450 W Ohio St, Indianapolis, IN

Open map

(317) 234-7722

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Indiana Historical Society

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