National Aviary

The venue was great! I’m happy that we picked this venue because it was one of few that rolled so many perks into one for a reasonable price in the downtown Pittsburgh area. Plus, I appreciate how customizable the packages are and the details that the events team covers. Jordyn was our event day coordinator but we also worked with Yvette, who was very helpful. Also, EVERYONE, even our pickiest guests, loved the food provided by Atria’s. Their head chef is incredibly thoughtful, detail-oriented, and proud of the kind of service and staff they have. We are also very thank to Natalie, the events coordinator, from Atria’s because she was always incredibly responsive and had helpful recommendations to streamline things and to alleviate potential issues.

Absolutely amazing venue and team! We picked the Aviary because it was a beautiful space that offered a unique experience for guests (touring the exhibits, bird encounters) and they did not disappoint. Also, the Atria's team is fabulous!

I cannot write enough to express how much I ENJOYED having my wedding at the Aviary! Everything was amazing! Yvette, Jordyn, and Jena were tremendous to work with throughout the planning process and made everything so easy. They were so accommodating with showing the venue to us various times with our families. If you are looking at them for your wedding.. just do it!! Honestly so worth it.

Space - 5/5. They use software for table placement and seating placement so you can visualize where everything will be. We had 110 people and had plenty of extra space. Food - 5/5. The aviary partners with Atria's. The taste and price were better than anywhere else we looked. Top notch service. Individuality 5/5. The aviary brought out a penguin (not Crosby but still) and a falcon for the guests to see from just a few feet away and and everyone was able to stroll through the exits after hours without other visitors being there. Thank you Aviary events team! ~Mathias

Everything was amazing! We live out of town and the staff communicated very well with us and worked with our schedule. The options to add a ceremony was perfect in the garden area. It even rained about an hour before our ceremony and staff members were out there wiping off all the chairs. The day of our event the staff helped us with whatever we needed, opening up the glass doors to the outside terrace was fabulous, and our guests loved visiting the birds during cocktail hour. It was a wedding, an experience, and a good time.

I don't know what to say other than wow. This venue was amazing and exceeded expectations with their staff that were there to help. Everyone in attendance kept saying how great the venue was.

We just had our wedding this past Friday at the Aviary and it was absolutely perfect. We worked with Jordyn & Jena and Yvette helped us along the way. They were professional, kind, helpful and great during the wedding and leading up to it! They were quick to respond and accommodating. All of our guests also raved about the food catered through Atrias- it was delicious! Natalie- the catering manager was great and all of the servers and bartenders were so nice and helpful. We had a bit of rain in the forecast (although it didn’t end up raining!!) and so we decided last minute to do an indoor ceremony- they opened up the windows and it was still a stunning backdrop for our ceremony. Highly recommend and we are so so happy with our decision to have our wedding here.

The Aviary made everything so easy! Their All Seated program was easy to use and they were always available if we had questions. Plus, our guests loved being able to explore the Aviary during cocktail hour!

Pricing was very reasonable for a modern wedding, all the beauty of the garden room, great staff, the amazing food and drink from Atria’s, and the exhibits. Everything was clean and the process was made very easy for a person working full time whilst wedding planning. Atrias and the aviary also gave us a gift even though we paid them to have our wedding there. It was truly above and beyond

The events team was so great to work with. We had our ceremony at the National Aviary out in the rose garden and it was absolutely perfect. The rose garden was gorgeous and the perfect size for a small intimate ceremony. The bird encounters we did after the ceremony were so cool! We surprised my mom with the penguin encounter and the owl was a huge hit as well. It was such a neat feature that made our day that much more unique and special.

We had our wedding this Saturday at The National Aviary and it was absolutely perfect. We had to move our wedding up by a year due to family health issues, and working with their events team, Yvette, Jena, and Jordyn, made this an absolute success. They were so great to work with and incredibly organized and so very nice. The venue is absolutely stunning. The catering staff was amazing. The food was incredible. There is not a single thing that we would have done different. It is by far the nicest venue I have ever been in for a wedding.

Everything turned out beautifully at the Aviary! My only wish is that the amount of hours the venue is available could be longer because it felt like everything went by so fast (I think thats how most weddings feel though lol). And that the Bridal suite was available sooner so my bridal party and I could've gotten ready there instead. At the same time it all turned out better than I could've hoped.

I highly recommend an Aviary wedding. The venue is beautiful, especially if you are lucky enough to have a Rose Garden ceremony. The events staff are so attentive and helpful. Jordyn ensured the whole night went smoothly. The food was delicious and all the servers were so friendly. So happy with our wedding there!

We had our wedding at the Aviary, it was great and the staff helped everything go smoothly. The garden room, garden and bird exhibit made a very nice atmosphere. Would highly recommend for anyone looking for wedding venues!

I had always wanted to get married here and even though weather didn’t permit us to have our ceremony in the garden it was still beautiful with the open air garden room.

I am above and beyond satisfied with my experience of having a wedding at the National Aviary! I might be biased but it was the best wedding ever! Jena, Jordyn and Yvette were incredible the entire time. Everything was so organized and these ladies were always available to talk and answer any questions. The facility is gorgeous and I got so many compliments from my guests! We had a Penguin encounter which was a huge hit! It also was so unique to our wedding. Thank you all so much for making my dream wedding come to life!

Overall the experience at the Aviary was wonderful. The food was amazing (chefs kiss) I would 100% recommend this to anyone. From the moment we arrived for the wedding until the night ended, it was spectacular! Now the only reason I would give the aviary a 4 and not a 5 was because Yvette Fox was flat out difficult to work with. 100% do not recommend working with her. Everyone else at the national aviary that we encountered was great. She was difficult and any small detail we asked about, she got upset. Luckily, because everything else went smoothly, our night was perfect.

The National Aviary is an absolutely GORGEOUS space for your wedding. The Garden Room is absolutely stunning and it is a modern space that really allows you to customize. During your cocktail hour, the Aviary can bring out birds to meet your guests. Sunshine the penguin was the true star of our wedding! The Aviary is obviously an Aviary FIRST and a wedding venue SECOND, so keep that in mind when booking this space. It's worth it, but note, you won't be able to set up early and you have limitations within the space. I will say that the staff was awesome, it was a lot of moving parts, and they did their best to make everything run smoothly. The forecast on the day of my wedding was low for rain, but about 2 hours beforehand, it looked grim. The Aviary did the herculean task of moving the ceremony indoors with limited time. They set up in the lobby, which I'm told was the first wedding to do so and it was absolutely gorgeous. Brides I highly recommend you use this as the rain plan moving forward. The most magical space and my guests had so much fun in penguin point.

The Aviary was an AMAZING venue for our wedding. The garden room was so gorgeous - our ceremony ended up inside due to weather, and it ended up looking amazing with the big glass windows overlooking the garden and the park. And the birds! Our guests loved getting to see a penguin up close, and we were able to get photos throughout the venue - truly unforgettable. The food was great, the staff were amazing, and every little detail was absolutely wonderful. If you're reading this looking for venues, congratulations, you're done - the Aviary is spectacular!

My wife and I got married here in the summer of 2022. We used the Rose Garden for our ceremony, the Aviary itself for the cocktail hour and the new Garden Room for our reception. The planning team was extremely accommodating, giving us regular updates and checking in for any of our needs. On the day of the wedding, everything was in place at the right time, and our bridal parties were led to where they needed to be when without any hiccups. It was truly a spectacular day, and I'd absolutely recommend the space to anyone getting married soon!

Amazing venue! Fit our friends & family perfectly! The ceremony / reception went VERY WELL! Food was excellent as well as service & staff. Thank you again to everyone who made our day so special!

"BEST WEDDING EVER!" That was the quote of the night from our guests. Jena, Yvette, and Jordyn were incredibly easy to work with. I've never been great with planning, so it was so helpful to me that they would just ask me questions to get everything set up since I really didn't have a whole lot of ideas of what I wanted. They were amazing from start to finish. There was a festival in the park behind the Aviary the day of our wedding and due to the noise it seemed like it would be better to have the ceremony indoors. With the beauty of the Rose Garden though, I just knew I wanted to get married there and they made it happen. We aren't big into decorations and that made the Aviary a great choice for us. With the beauty of the Rose Garden combined with all the stunning birds on exhibit, decorations weren't even needed. Our guests loved getting to check out all the exhibits and getting to take pictures with a penguin and an owl were huge hits. The entire staff was amazing all night and kept making sure we had everything we needed, including a purse that was left behind by one of our guests. They deserve more than five stars. They helped give us the wedding of our dreams. So many thanks to the Aviary Events Staff!

I would give 100 stars if I could. THEY ARE AMAZING. Jordyn, Yvette and Jena are super helpful and with you every step of the way. I planned our Pittsburgh wedding from Hawaii and they helped work with me around time changes and multiple viewings, planning changes. They were so patient with every question we had and gave great recommendations and ideas. The day of the wedding, they helped make sure everything wedding smoothly with the wedding, timeline and guests. The venue itself is spectacular and our guests LOVED walking through and viewing the birds. Everything was beautiful, our wedding was perfect and a big thanks goes to the Aviary and their staff. A dream night at a dream venue! THANK YOU!

Everyone at the Aviary was super pleasant to work with! They answered questions and responded to concerns very quickly and I could tell they were really putting thought into making our day perfect. They coordinated the rehearsal and helped us work through all the details, which eased our minds for the next day. On the day of our wedding, they made sure everything was perfect and we didn't have to worry about anything. The space was beautiful and we wouldn't change anything about that night, all thanks to the Aviary and their wonderful staff!

What is not to love about the National Aviary? Their new garden room is an absolute dream and it turned out to be the most perfect venue we could have ever imagined. Everyone was SO extremely helpful, prompt and knowledgeable about how to run a wedding. I did not have a single worry the entire day. They made sure everything was perfect and ran smoothly without a single bump in the road. I cannot emphasize enough how beautiful this new space is!!

Having our wedding ceremony and reception at The National Aviary was absolutely amazing. The staff were so helpful and kind and we planned our wedding over the span of two years. The Garden Room was a dream to host our guests and have our ceremony/reception. Having 2 animal encounters during our cocktail hour was a HUGE hit with our guests and the food catering by Atria’s was phenomenal. We continue to get rave reviews from our guests about their experience and my husband and I recommend this venue a million times over; you will not be disappointed!!!

National Aviary is absolutely an extraordinary venue for wedding/reception. We had our reception there in October. It was very classy. Guest had an amazing time there. Food catered through Atria’s exclusive catering was outstanding. We were thrilled to work with events coordinators. All of the staff was extremely helpful. I can’t thank everyone enough for making our big day extremely special.

We did not have our wedding here, but we did tour the facility. It was incredibly hard to get in touch with this venue and the coordinator was pretty rude. The entire time we were there I felt rushed out the door.

We loved having our wedding at the National Aviary! It is one of our favorite places, and we loved that our money could go to support such amazing animals. The new Garden Room is gorgeous! All of our guests thought our venue was so unique and special. Our penguin guest just made it that much better. The staff were all wonderful to work with, and we couldn't have asked for a better day. Thank you!!!

The National Aviary was an absolutely incredible venue! Their new Garden Room is an exceptional reception space and the Rose Garden is beautiful for an outdoor ceremony. Yvette was so helpful in planning everything, and Jena was there for us at our rehearsal and day of. They work great as a team. Such a unique wedding place and a great Pittsburgh venue!

The Aviary’s new garden room is BEAUTIFUL, and is essentially a blank canvas which was great. Ashley Duncan, who unfortunately is no longer there, answered all of my questions (and I had a lot of them) so quickly! She was wonderful to work with, and so organized, I was so sad to see her go a few months before our wedding day. When Ashely left we got passed off to Sam Moore and Yvette. We first met them over zoom when we had a COVID guideline zoom meeting to go over COVID restrictions and answer all of our questions. However, Yvette was harder to get a hold of than Ashley was, she was a little slower getting back to my emails, and I sometimes had to send them multiple times to get an response. She seemed unorganized and it got frustrating. I didn’t have too much interaction with Sam Moore as he also left the Aviary shortly after that zoom call meeting we had with him, which kind of made me question why everyone was leaving and it was a little frustrating to keep getting passed off to new people. He gave me Kate’s information when he left - I sent her two emails to which she never replied. We then got passed to the new events manager, Jena, who replaced Ashley. We met her at our last meeting 6 days before our wedding. Yvette informed me that she would be the new point of contact, but did not give me her contact information – I got that at our first meeting with Jena from Jena. I do wish there hadn’t been so much turn over, and I really wish Ashley hadn’t left because she was just so great. There seemed to be a lack of communication between the staff who left and the staff who stayed/replaced them, but also between the old staff (Yvette) and new staff (Jena). The Aviary does have a good relationship with Atria’s (their exclusive caterer) which is nice, and they worked well together to make sure everything ran smoothly the day of. I would recommend the Aviary because it’s an absolutely beautiful space, as long as their new staff stays – otherwise, it was kind of a headache to get passed around and not know the people you’re working with, especially with the lack of communication (i.e. having to do my seating chart THREE times on their program because Yvette did not give me proper instructions the first time and then also took it upon herself to go in and change things incorrectly). I’m hopeful now that Jena is there future brides that book this beautiful space (I could not have been happier with the venue space!) will not be passed around and will be given direct and correct information. Even with the frustration of working with some of the people at the Aviary, I would not have chosen anywhere else to have our wedding because the garden and garden room were so, so perfect, Atria’s was amazing, our guests being able to see the birds during cocktail hour was so nice, and the penguin encounter was AWSEOME - my recommendation though would be to work with Jena SOLELY.

Amazing venue. We loved everything about it.

Gorgeous and fun venue! Our ceremony was in the rose garden and reception was in the new garden room. We were able to add on bird encounters for the guests and they were a hit!!! The only hiccup we had was dealing with the changes in event planners and some miscommunication with them.

We absolutely loved having the Aviary as our wedding venue. Ashley (one of the wedding coordinators) deserves a 10/5 stars because she really went above and beyond for us throughout the entire process. We were the first wedding in the new event room they build this year and it is so beautiful. It was perfect for a COVID-safe wedding because the side of the room facing the rose garden can be completely opened up to allow fresh air in and guests can easily flow in and out of the room onto the patio and into the rose garden. They also altered our buffet service so that Atria’s staff served the food rather than guests serving themselves for no additional cost. The reason we are giving 4/5 stars is for a few minor things. First, there are 2 large beautiful fireplaces in the room but neither was working the night of our wedding which was disappointing. 2nd, you are required to use Atria’s catering if you get married at the Aviary but they won’t tray your cookies or arrange them whatsoever (not even for an additional fee). We had to tray cookies ourselves the night before the wedding and find someone to set them up for us which was super stressful. Atria’s was wonderful but I think if you force couples to use a caterer they should tray cookies since it’s such an integral part of Pittsburgh weddings. Overall though we were very pleased with the Aviary and the venue is definitely all we wanted it to be!

We are so happy we chose the Aviary for our ceremony and reception venue. From the beginning, everyone we talked to was responsive and helpful with each one of our questions. Yvette, Ashley, and Laura were on top of everything! The food is catered by Atria's, but there's nothing wrong with that because all night long, guests were commenting on how delicious the food was. Everyone involved did a great job helping us out with every detail, including the coordinators, the chef, and other workers. We had a cute penguin visitor to our wedding during cocktail hour, and the guests loved that. Guests keep telling us how much they loved the unique venue that is the Aviary. We were supposed to have our ceremony in the Rose Garden, but it rained, and Yvette was prepared to move everything inside to the theater. It turned out beautifully! :) We still had the reception outside under a heated covered tent. It was a beautiful and fun wedding. We would HIGHLY recommend the Aviary if you are looking for a unique venue to hold your wedding, and you will not be disappointed! :)

The staff of the National Aviary were absolutely amazing! When a problem came up with part of my dress missing, the event coordinator didn’t miss a beat and flipped cocktail and ceremony times! My guest didn’t even know there was a problem because it was so seamless. The rose garden and tent were both gorgeous for my wedding, and if I had to plan it all again I’d do it the same way.

It was AMAZING! They helped take most of the stress off of me and helped me through the whole wedding! So kind and sweet and beyond helpful. They are also so very accommodating and Everyone had the best time!! I would recommend this place to everyone getting married! They took on the challenge of having a big family of half of the people being dairy and gluten free and thanks to them my family could actually eat and enjoy themselves for once!

I cannot say enough about Yvette and Ashley. they were on it. They were always there for a question email or phone call. The reception was stunning. People had rave reviews for the location, the three birds we 'rented' for the reception were great, the owl was beautiful and the penguin was so much fun. the kids at our wedding had a ball, and the venue has such beautiful foliage and birds there was no need to decorate, anything (that was our personal preference). Our guests commented on how unique a venue it was, and it was wonderful that the parking lot was free and that our guests had free reign of the entire Aviary throughout our wedding. Thank you so much for a beautiful experience, my wife and I shall always remember it fondly!

I was skeptical at first because National Aviary was not my first choice venue. HOWEVER, our wedding turned out to be absolutely perfect here. Granted we were lucky the weather cooperated and the garden ceremony was STUNNING. oh AND we get some cool birds' appearances too? Perfect. The rose garden tent might seem a little smaller at first when you first tour it but trust me, after everything is set up its a lot larger than what it looks like when its empty. The wedding coordinators (Ashley and Yvette) are very helpful and will not hesitate to help with whatever they can. All and all, a great team. Our guests had a wonderful time.

Wonderful venue for our August wedding! Everything was perfect. I feel very lucky to have found a venue that made everything so easy at such a reasonable price. My guests loved visiting the exhibits. Couldn’t be happier.

The National Aviary event coordinators and staff were welcoming, friendly and efficient. When the weather turned bad just before our daughter’s wedding ceremony, they quickly worked with our event day coordinator to move both the ceremony and the reception indoors and everything went beautifully. And their exclusive food and beverage vendor, Atria’s, was awesome, with the chef and his staff serving delicious buffet food to our 135 guests. We added a visit from Pumpkin the Owl to the reception, and our guests thoroughly enjoyed access to the Aviary’s wide variety of birds, plants and exhibits. All in all a perfect night.

The Aviary was the perfect place for our wedding! We wanted an outdoor ceremony and the rose garden was the perfect place for this! In our opinion, it was also reasonably priced, especially since our wedding was on a Friday. It was so beautiful and having the park next door was wonderful for our first look pictures. I loved the idea of having a tented area for our dinner and dancing. The strings of lights made it so pretty! The guests loved the "bird guests" that made an appearance throughout the evening and everyone had a blast walking throughout the Aviary. I was not worried one bit during my wedding day. Ashley and Yvette had everything organized and prepared and were in constant communication with me during the whole planning process. I couldn't have asked for a better team at the Aviary for our special day. Thank you again!

I feel so fortunate to have had my wedding at the Aviary. The event staff and in-house catering through Atria's made the planning process smooth, and the venue itself accommodates either indoor or outdoor ceremonies and receptions. Guests from around the world got a unique experience, and my husband and I got to support an organization with a mission that aligns with our values. Thank you to Laura, Ashley, Yvette, and the entire staff for your professionalism, flexibility, and coolness under pressure (aka last-minute weather changes!). This is a special place!

The Aviary was very helpful with everything. They gave us such an amazing experience, and everything went so smoothly. Ashley and her team were just truly AMAZING. The food and everything was delicious and being able to have Pumpkin for pictures was perfect!

I had my daughter's bridal shower at the Aviary. It was a great experience. The venue was perfect and the staff were very wonderful. Also the food was great and the staff from the catering company was also great. Everyone had a great time and love the penguin experience. I would recommend this site to anyone for any type of event. Loved it.

This is the ABSOLUTE perfect wedding venue for anyone who wants to give their guests an amazing experience! To begin, it is such a gorgeous space, and it is located next to a park which is another amazing spot for photos. The events planning staff is amazing. Ashley and Laura were so helpful, quick to respond, and go above and beyond to make sure you are comfortable. There was supposed to be an event happening in the park the day of my wedding, and they reached out to the organization to make sure their music and events did not disrupt the wedding. (the event ended up cancelled). The food is also made on site and is one of the best meals I have had! For everything this space provides, it is a steal cost wise!

It was a perfect venue for us! Ashley, Yvette and Laura were so helpful and available whenever we had questions. All our guests at the reception just raved about how much fun it was with the exhibits and the birds, how good the food was from Atria's, and how nice the staff was. So glad we chose this venue, it was a wonderful celebration none of us will ever forget!

Couldn't have been more perfect! The space is beautiful and all of the guests raved over the unique venue. Pictures inside the rainforest came out great. Ashley was spectacular: took care of everything for us, reached out to vendors, answered our questions quickly, and was always available for an email or phone call. Atria's was equally as wonderful and the food was fantastic. Cannot recommend this venue enough for folks seeking something beautiful, unique, and well-run.

The National Aviary was an absolute DREAM to work with. There was literally no stress added to our plate when working with them. They took care of the set up and I didn't have to worry at all. The caterer is Atria's and that is AMAZING. People are raving about the food still! Thank you all so much for your hard work!

So easy to work with and very responsive. Atrias is the caterer and my photographer said it was the best food she has had at a wedding.

This is the perfect wedding venue for bird lovers! We had our ceremony out in the Rose Garden and the reception under the tent. The Rose Garden is absolutely beautiful in September and filled our wedding pictures with many vibrant colors and great textures. It was very convenient to have everything in one venue and was especially great for out of town and elderly guests. Also, the bridesmaids and I dressed and finished getting ready in the Igloo and the guys and some of our parents dressed in the restrooms inside the main building. The tent had more than enough space for 100+ people but it also didn't feel like it was too big for that amount as well. Because of all the flowers and greenery we didn't have to worry about buying as many decorations as I would have for other venues. Our guests loved the 3 birds from our bird encounters (sun conure-before the ceremony, penguin-during cocktail hour, eastern screech owl-during dinner). They also enjoyed walking throughout The National Aviary and seeing so many other unique birds. There were quite a few kids at our wedding and their parents mentioned how much fun their kids had and how they were able to stay entertained the entire night. Atrias handled our catering and bar services and they have worked so much with the venue that we didn't have to do much coordinating between the two. We had a little weather scare the week leading up to the wedding and they did give us alternate options for an indoor ceremony and reception if it did rain. Luckily it was a very sunny day so everything remained outdoors but we felt so much better knowing there was a back up plan. The staff was very helpful and eased a lot of our nerves throughout the entire process. If you're interested in doing first look pictures I highly recommend taking photos in the park behind the Rose Garden/parking lot. There's a bridge and pond back there that make for great photos as well! I really can't recommend The National Aviary enough!

The National Aviary was everything we wanted for our big day, and more - highly recommended! The top-notch events team was wonderful to work with throughout the entire planning process to ensure our event was smooth-sailing. They were extremely attentive and quick to respond to any questions we had along the way. We chose the tented rose garden area for an informal Friday night reception, and with the space being so beautiful in itself, we kept the decor to a minimum.