About this vendor
Location: A South Jersey Hidden Gem
Design your dream wedding with freedom, space, + flexibility! The Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts + Sciences (LBIF) is a historic venue in Loveladies, NJ, located just minutes from the Barnegat Lighthouse State Park. If you are exploring coastal museums or cultural spaces for your big day, LBIF welcomes couples for wedding ceremonies, receptions, bridal showers, rehearsal dinners, wedding welcomes, engagement parties, + milestone celebrations.
Nestled on 22 acres on the north side of Long Beach Island with gorgeous views between the bay and ocean, LBIF’s unique mid-century modern architecture + natural backdrops create a relaxed, tranquil setting filled with ocean breezes + beautiful skies.
The Venue:
The main building, designed by architect George Daub in 1948, features a large open art gallery with a 20ft vaulted ceiling + abundant natural lighting. It can seat up to 150 guests for formal dinners/buffets + features a stage for music + space for dancing. Contemporary art exhibits adorn the gallery walls, adding an artistic experience for your guests. No two weddings are alike, as you can transform this space into your dream reception venue with personalized decor.
Additionally, LBIF offers varied outdoor spaces:
*Upper + Lower Decks: Perfect for a cocktail hour overlooking Barnegat Bay’s salt marsh vista, with magnificent, photogenic sunsets.
*Tent Spaces: Ample space to rent outdoor tents, large or small.
*Beach Access: Within a 5-minute walk, a gorgeous beach wedding ceremony is possible with shore across the street.
*Convenience: Plenty of free, on-site parking is available for your guests.
LBIF's in-house wedding planner is available by appointment to help consult or plan your wedding (extra fees may apply). We offer a highly recommended list of preferred vendors while also allowing outside vendors for a truly personalized touch.
History:
LBIF was founded in 1948 by artist Boris Blai, a student of sculptor Auguste Rodin, best known for "The Thinker." Blai was the Founder and Dean of the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia. LBIF proudly continues Blai's vision today. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, booking your celebration here helps support our mission of bringing education + culture to the community year-round.
What You'll Love About LBIF
*Natural Beauty: On a coastal nature preserve, our property is abundant with wildlife, salt air, + gorgeous vistas for photography.
*Customizable: A flexible backdrop for any wedding style, from bohemian beach weddings to modern, gallery-style receptions.
*Exclusivity: We book only one wedding per weekend, ensuring your love story receives the exclusive attention it deserves.
*Dedicated Support: Our incredible staff will work with you to ensure you feel supported throughout the entire planning process.
Read our reviews to see how LBIF has provided couples with magical experiences, timeless memories, + the most unforgettable weddings.
Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Liability Insurance
On-Site Accommodations
Wireless Internet
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Settings
- Beach
- Historic Venue
- Industrial & Warehouse
- Museum
Venue Service Offerings
- Rentals & Equipment
- Service Staff
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help
you make those big decisions with ease.
5
out of 5.010 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 5
Jay and the entire team at LBIF went above and beyond for months to make our wedding the perfect day it ended up being. Professional, responsive, with an incredible amount of exper...
tise and an attitude geared towards problem solving and the realization of a couple’s vision, this is the team you need to help bring to life your day. The only variable they couldn’t control was the weather and even that turned out spectacular so maybe they can! Beyond highly recommended
Jay and team are the best of the best.
We’re very pleased to write this review for the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences and for Jaime (Jay) Caravella, their Special Events Coordinator and Certified We...
dding Planner. We recently got married and had the best of all worlds: a ceremony on the gorgeous Loveladies ocean beach, a sunset cocktail hour on the Foundation deck overlooking the bay, and a reception in the art-filled Foundation gallery. From the moment we met Jay, we became hopeful about the planning process. She made what might have been an overwhelming and daunting experience fun, gave us great suggestions, responded to our questions and concerns right away, and shared in our excitement each step along the way. She was spot-on with her recommendations for the vendors. We were thrilled with the photographer, hair stylists, makeup artists, caterer, florist, and DJ. The Foundation’s staff was always polite and helpful. We cannot overemphasize what a pleasure it was to work with Jay because she knows how to coordinate and run a spectacular wedding. As an added bonus, she was also instrumental in arranging childcare for our 2-year-old nephew, enabling all of us to relax and thoroughly enjoy the festivities.
You and your family may be considering booking one of those all-in-one cookie-cutter venues. However, you won’t get the charm and beauty of Long Beach Island which is omnipresent at a Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences wedding, and you won’t get Jay!
Our vision for our wedding was always to capture the charm and essence of Long Beach Island. We were looking for an open space where we could bring our vision to life, and LBIF not...
only delivered that but exceeded all of our expectations.
Jaime, the Wedding and Special events coordinator, was spectacular from the very start. She was responsive, flexible, transparent, and made us feel like we were working with a friend rather than a venue contact. Planning a wedding from out of state can be stressful, but Jay made everything feel easy. She helped with everything—from vendor suggestions in the planning stages to being there throughout our entire reception.
Not only did we fall in love with the LBIF, which provided the perfect atmosphere for our big day, but the staff’s dedication to our wedding was beyond anything we could have asked for. They were incredibly receptive to all of our needs, big or small, and treated us with such care that it felt like we were family.
Jay truly made the entire planning process seamless and enjoyable. There’s no better feeling than watching your dream wedding come together with all the support you could need. If you’re looking for a venue where the possibilities are endless, look no further. Beauty really is in the details, and you can absolutely find it at LBIF.
From the moment we stepped into this charming venue, we knew we had found the perfect place to celebrate our special day.
The atmosphere at the Long Beach Island Arts Foundation wa...
s nothing short of magical. The combination of rustic charm and coastal elegance created a unique and enchanting vibe that perfectly complemented the special day and us as a couple. One of the highlights of our experience was working with the incredible team at Long Beach Island Arts Foundation, particularly our day-of coordinator, Jaime (Jay) Caravella. Jay went above and beyond to ensure that every detail of our wedding was executed flawlessly. From coordinating vendors to managing the timeline, Jay's expertise and attention to detail were truly invaluable. Her fun nature and reassuring presence allowed us to relax and fully enjoy our special day, knowing that everything was taken care of.
The venue itself offered the best of both worlds – a spacious and versatile indoor area for the ceremony and reception, as well as outdoor spaces that allowed us to take advantage of the beautiful surroundings. The flexibility of the venue allowed us to personalize our celebration to make it uniquely "us", which made it feel even more special. If you're looking for a venue with a perfect blend of charm, versatility, and coastal beauty, this is the place for you. Our heartfelt thanks to the entire team, especially Jaime (Jay) Caravella, for helping us create the wedding of our dreams.
LBIF is an absolutely incredible venue and the perfect place to host your wedding. We had our ceremony and reception here and could not be happier with how everything turned out. T...
he venue staff were very kind and responsive to our questions and everything went smoothly. We highly recommend checking them out!
Such an incredible and unique indoor/outdoor event space!! Working with Jay and the LBIF team to plan our Wedding Welcome Party was such a great experience. We hosted 200 people th...
e night before our wedding and got so many compliments on the space. Jay is such a wonderful person and made us feel so good and confident that she would help us accomplish anything we needed for the night. We ended up purchasing a few pieces of art from the exhibit that night as reminders of such an important weekend in our lives - SO COOL. Cannot recommend the LBIF venue or working with Jay enough!!!
LBIF was incredibly collaborative and accommodating. They worked hard so that we didn't need to stress. The venue itself is beautiful in and out, leaving plenty of spaces to party...
and mingle. Every guest commented on how great the venue was; it really decorates itself with whatever exhibit is there during your event. We couldn't be happier and highly recommend LBIF for any occasion.
LBIF was everything I could have hoped for. It really is a magical venue if you can vision it! Lydia was very prompt with communication and answered all my questions promptly and t...
horoughly. We rented a tent in the parking lot and used the tables and chairs provided by the LBIF to have seating outside for our cocktail style reception. The uniqueness of this venue is perfect for the unconventional couple who isnt a fan of ballrooms. I am so unbelievably happy with how everything at LBIF turned out!
Fabulous. Incredible. Accommodating. Kind. Wonderful. Stunning. The list of adjectives can go on. Lydia Owens, the event coordinator, is absolutely wonderful. After working with he...
r for 9 months, I feel like we're close friends. From the moment I saw the LBIF, I knew that this was our place. The view from the deck over the marshlands is breathtaking, so much so that we wanted to have our entire wedding reception here. So we did! No one else has ever done it before, but Lydia and the rest of the team at the LBIF were accommodating, and gave us a deal as well. We also had our wedding on a Monday, just 5 hours after summer camp ended for the day, and as soon as it did, Lydia and the assistant James were cleaning ever corner of the space, trimming the trees, power washing the deck and making sure it was perfect for us. Lydia was incredibly helpful throughout the entire wedding planning process. I probably sent her 5 emails a week, as least. She recommended other vendors, comforted me on the weather or the issue with bugs (which there wasn't any) and met with me multiple times to go over tiny details. She went above and beyond, inviting us as VIPs to the Summer Cocktail party and even after the wedding to "An Evening with Wolves" at the LBIF. We love that we could have our wedding reception at a location that is so stunningly beautiful, but also so cool and accommodating to their brides. We borrowed chairs and stools, tables and coolers, lights and Chinese Lanterns from the LBIF. Lydia even organized for staff members to be the bar tenders for my wedding! I cannot express how perfect and unique my wedding at the LBIF was, and how I'm so lucky to have met Lydia and the wonderful staff there.
Contact
120 Long Beach Boulevard, Loveladies, NJ | Jersey Shore
Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences