Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

We had fond memories strolling the gardens the first time my husband visited Pittsburgh, and we loved the idea of a romantic garden party wedding, so Phipps was a no brainer. We used the Phipps garden space for our wedding ceremony & reception for 130 guests in early September. The outdoor ceremony took place in the gardens in front of the fountain, which was beautiful, and the reception occurred under the tent Phipps has up from April-October. Although the garden space is a beautiful backdrop for a wedding ceremony & reception, the outdoor reception space is essentially a concrete slab with a tent and folding chairs setup that Phipps provides. As a result, we spent extra money and time investing in decor, linens, and florals to brighten and warm the tent space. Our coordinator at Phipps was kind and helpful in the month leading up to the wedding, but I recommend hiring an external coordinator/planner to communicate with Phipps & your other vendors. The catering staff was incredibly helpful and communicative in answering our many questions. The food was one of the highlights of the night; guests raved about their entrees and were fighting over extra meals to take home. The staff beautifully displayed our homemade cookies for the cookie table and coordinated cookie delivery and clean up, which was a huge lift! The bar staff was offering generous pours and tasty cocktails that were much appreciated by guests as well. My only complaint was that the venue markets itself as having an "inclusive" package including food, rentals, & linens at one relatively moderate price, but there are multiple add-ons and upgrades that can easily make the rental more expensive, so be sure to review the contract carefully. Additionally, there are so many weddings and events happening at Phipps that you may have limited times for rehearsals, walk throughs, and vendor set up time. Our vendors were given 2 hours of set up time. (You could purchase additional set up time for $500, but our vendors had to be out at a specific time for another event before ours). As a result, our florists' team was working frantically to complete their designs, and Phipps catering staff were still setting up tables right up until our ceremony. Our guests weren't allowed in the garden ceremony space until 5:00 (which is Phipps' policy), and weren't allowed in the tented reception space until 6:15 after cocktail hour. It was chilly the night of our wedding, and guests wanted to be able to warm up out of the wind, but they weren't allowed inside immediately. Thankfully, this was a small issue for our guests that could be have been a significant issue if we had guests with mobility and/or health issues. I highly recommend Phipps for its beauty, food, and historic location, especially for microweddings inside the conservatory, but I would be sure to clarify with the event staff that your vendor team has sufficient set-up time as well. Overall, Phipps is an incredible wedding venue, and we would do it again in a heartbeat!

hat's when we discovered Phipps Pop-Up Weddings. Having grown up visiting Pittsburgh, it felt special to celebrate our day in the city. As soon as I learned about Phipps Pop-Up Weddings, I knew it was the ideal choice for us. Despite my initial concern about securing a spot (they offer only four slots per event, usually twice a year), Caroline Walker, the Event Sales Assistant Manager, quickly put my worries to rest. She reached out immediately after I expressed interest, provided the date well in advance, and supported us throughout the entire process, much like a wedding planner, at no extra cost. The early notice gave us ample time to organize other details. We could plan our post-wedding dinner at The Porch, arrange transportation with Molly’s Trolley, and book our hotel without stress. Our Phipps wedding was a dream come true. It included a wonderful officiant, stunning bouquets and boutonnieres, a cake to take home, cookies and a champagne toast for the guests, and even a live pianist—something we had always hoped for. We were permitted to invite 20-30 guests, which was perfect for us. The ceremony took place in a picturesque outdoor garden, and our guests enjoyed the rest of the time under a lovely and spacious tent, where the provided photographer captured beautiful moments. We also had the joy of including a maid of honor, best man, and flower girl. Afterward, everyone in attendance received a complimentary ticket to explore Phipps! Our entire event, with all inclusions, cost less than a fraction of the price of a venue alone elsewhere. We experienced the best of both worlds: the elegance and tradition of a wedding without the usual stress and financial burden. I wholeheartedly recommend Phipps Pop-Up Weddings for anyone who desires the beauty and tradition of a wedding with minimal hassle. Everything we dreamed of was included, and the planning was expertly handled. We couldn't have asked for a better start to our happily ever after. Thank you, Phipps and Caroline, for making our day unforgettable!

pecially for out-of-town guests who want to see a cool part of Pittsburgh while they’re in town.

absolutely fantastic. She answered our many, many questions leading up to the day and was incredibly organized and such a calming presence during our rehearsal and on wedding day. We are so grateful for her assistance in making sure all details (seating configuration, microphones, order of entrances, etc.) were captured the way we wanted. Everything was exactly as specified in our contract and our guests were raving about how unique and beautiful of a venue Phipps was. At no fault of the Phipps staff (it is a greenhouse!!!) the Broderie Room can get quite warm in the summer months. We were blessed with a cooler day and Phipps graciously offered extra fans, but for future couples getting married in the Broderie Room during the summer months, just know that it may be quite hot in there. We tried to mitigate the heat by having a rather short 5:30pm ceremony and provided fan programs to all guests. Thanks again for everything, Abbey and the Phipps team! Highly recommend!

appointing.

anding, and was particularly meaningful for us as we've spent a lot of time in Pittsburgh. Our experience with Phipps was wonderful and we'd recommend the venue to anyone considering it.

. Our coordinator Abbey was on top of every request we had, and she made the day-of super smooth. Our POC in catering Dave was also so amazing with helping us choose amazing meals and make sure that all allergies and restrictions were kept in mind. If I could it all over again, I would choose Phipps. They were FANTASTIC!

to Abbey Russell with the Phipps events team for her tireless dedication leading up to and during our event. Her meticulous attention to detail ensured that every aspect of our wedding was perfect and that we could focus entirely on enjoying our guests and special day. We're also grateful to Caroline and Dave for their invaluable assistance, with the venue scheduling several one on one sitdowns throughout the planning process. Despite the rainy weather on our wedding day, the entire Phipps team worked tirelessly to ensure our event went off without a hitch. Our guests raved about the food, especially the seafood tower and charcuterie table, as well the ambiance of the gardens. Phipps Conservatory provided the perfect backdrop for our wedding reception, and we're immensely grateful to the entire team for making our day unforgettable.

s quickly. She was very kind and accommodating and kept everything running like a well-oiled machine. Even as we ran late, we still had the day we wanted, they just did their magic around us and didn't rush us or deliver any less than what we wanted for the day. We brought all our own decor items and the special events hall was decorated perfectly to our instructions and we didn't have to worry about it. The catering is worth the price, the chef can accommodate for reasonable requests, the presentation is beautiful and the plated dinner was hot and delicious. Cake is included in your catering price with your choice of partnered bakeries and they were great to work with too. the catering manager David met with us and answered all our questions and made things easy, so we didn't have to worry at all about the food, we just filled out our chart and knew it would all be handled. I would recommend Phipps as an event venue to anyone.

ke us feel comfortable and prepared for the day!

en bar was a hit, especially with their ability to make custom cocktails that added a unique and personalized touch to the evening. Our guests thoroughly enjoyed the drink options, and it added a fun element to the festivities. The food at Phipps was delicious. They were able to accomodate the dietary needs of all our guests. The menu had a variety of options, and the quality and presentation were top-notch. The venue itself provided a beautiful backdrop for our celebration. The combination of lush greenery and elegant surroundings created a magical atmosphere. The tropical room made for an awesome setting for cocktail hour and provided natural decoration for the night. Our heartfelt thanks to the entire Phipps team for making our reception an unforgettable celebration filled with great food, drinks, and memories.

to a magical ceremony with memories to last a lifetime. She was also extremely kind and would always respond to our questions quickly! We held our ceremony in the special events hall and with having our guests walk down the trail in the tropical room to get to the location, it only added to how truly special this place is. And with a significant number of our guests from out of town, a large number had never been to Phipps before. We can for sure say that everyone that we spoke with absolutely loved the facility and thought it was a fantastic place to have our ceremony and show off a bit of Pittsburgh. I promise you won't be disappointed and we could not recommend them highly enough !

k leading up to the wedding. We had our ceremony at the waterfall behind the tropical forest, cocktail hour in the tropical forest and on the patio, and reception in the Special Events Hall. Caroline Walker was our day-of coordinator and she was absolutely amazing! She setup all of our personal items, and everything looked so beautiful. She was so nice and accommodating of anything we needed. David Swank was the catering manager. We worked with him over a period of about 8 months to schedule our food tasting and nail down the catering menu, linens, and reception setup. He was also very professional and quick to respond. The food was AMAZING, our guests loved it! I'm glad I selected a venue that provides the food & bar as well, because they have a very streamlined process and everything went smoothly.

m some how had faith and we still had a wonderful outdoor wedding. They went and dried all of the chairs for each guest multiple times that day. I truly recommend Phipps so much. The food was amazing and they were so kind and willing to make our day special.

s look incredible. Would highly recommend!

ganized, and everything went smoothly. Plus our photos are incredible!

emely helpful and kind. We are very happy!

t at the beginning of April and was simply wonderful. The experience was priceless and the pictures turned out amazing.

ng ran smoothly. Beautiful venue, good food and helpful staff!

was also fantastic - the food was delicious. Would absolutely recommend. We had multiple guests come up to us and say this was the best wedding they've ever been to.

y Definitely made my day stress free and beautiful.

etting married here" because of how gorgeous everything was. Caroline helped our photographer find the best spots for photos and was with us every step assisting!

r wedding on a Friday so our guests could tour the conservatory before cocktail hour (which was an added bonus). The event staff went above and beyond our expectations! They were very helpful showing our guests how to get around the conservatory and at the end of the night, they helped guide our guests back to their cars.

ng ceremony (18 guests total) in that specific room. Planning a wedding from out of state during a pandemic isn’t easy, but Caroline made it so simple. People can really make or break an experience, but Caroline was fantastic to work with - incredibly friendly, responsive to all my emails, and she made the entire process wonderful! She even brought me a dinner roll to the bridal suite when I felt nauseas with nerves! All the guests were completely amazed with how beautiful Phipps and the Broderie Room was. We had guests travel from California, Oregon, and Ohio and none of them have seen a place like Phipps. We didn’t need any decorations because the floral speaks for itself. I also appreciated that we could use their sound system (Bluetooth speakers that had great sound) to play the music we envisioned for our ceremony. I gave them a phone with our playlists pre-downloaded on Spotify, and they did a fantastic job fading out the music to transition between songs. I would recommend Phipps to anyone. We just did a ceremony package but I’m sure the reception there would be just as lovely!

responded quickly to our emails and made everything easy. They were very accommodating to all of our requests. Even though there was another event following ours, we never felt rushed. All of our guests commented on how beautiful it was.

o go and with Covid we did not know what to expect. Our wedding was held in the outdoor garden (both ceremony and reception) and it exceeded our expectations. The food was good, the environment felt very safe for Covid times and our day of coordinator Caroline kept the whole day running smoothly. We only heard good things from our guests. It was beautiful and one of the best days we've had in years. PROS -Best one stop shop -Your money is going to a good cause -The entire day will be taken care of from decorating, set up, food and alcohol -Beautiful Venue OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER -You need to work with their food and alcohol choices -Three separate contracts (alcohol, food and venue rental)

Catering. They are both super on-top-of-it, experts in making weddings exceptional at Phipps. They were so helpful with special things we wanted to do or allergies to accommodate. I also felt I could trust Phipps completely with regards to health and safety standards around COVID-19, which made me much more relaxed. All of their team members were kind, courteous, and professional. If you're considering Phipps, just do it. Absolutely lovely.

g the entire time. We moved our plans from the indoor Special Events Hall to the Outdoor Garden and despite my initial hesitation, I could not have been happier with the outcome! The gardens were gorgeous, the tent space was very large and accommodating, and all guests were so pleased with the food! We highly recommend Phipps for anyone planning a wedding!

eautiful. Caroline Walker, the event supervisor, was very helpful, efficient, and was always available when we needed her. The catering service was also remarkable. Dave Swank and his team did an incredible job too. We heard innumerous positive comments about the food and in fact, one of our guests is a renowned chef in our region and he was delighted with the food. I strongly recommend this place and this team for a wedding.

ld be in the broderie room. We got married on a nice, summer day in August and never got the chance to visit Phipps because we were from out of state. It was quite warm and sweaty for the ceremony lol, but we enjoyed it regardless. They also had ice water set up for the guests which was a pleasant surprise. And the value/price of it was really good. I highly recommend visiting in the summer to get an idea of what it may be like before you book- just something to think about. Aside from the heat (which was out of anyone's control), it was a perfect day and they made the ceremony easy!

e drastically reducing our guest list, she made every part of our day special and unique. Her attention to detail helped take so much of the planning stress off of us. Her attitude was always positive and we could really tell she loves her job. Any questions we had were answered quickly and she was available to talk when we needed her and make suggestions through the various situations. She connected with our vendors to make everything run smoothly. We got engaged at Phipps and the venue was perfect for our wedding style. We highly recommend the natural beauty of Phipps and the great event staff!

to make sure our day was effortless and stress free, and everything we had dreamed of and more! We are so glad we choose Phipps as our wedding venue!

as fantastic. Katelyn was wonderful and understood our vision from the beginning, while Allanah and her team really did a nice job executing the day of. Phipps was one of the easiest vendors we've dealt with during the whole experience. They really made things easy on us, even as I threw changes at them. I can't say enough nice things about them. They really helped make our wedding personal and beautiful!

e did an absolute remarkable job making our day smooth. Anytime I needed anything through out the night, she was ON IT. We couldn't have asked for anyone better. As soon as I met her, I felt comfortable and at ease. Everyone at Phipps, especially Sahara, was responsive to all our questions and concerns. She was understanding and willing to make us happy on our big day... Phipps has so much history, as my husband's family is proudly a part of (history of the bonsai), and to make the Phipps' Broderie room our gorgeous back drop for our ceremony, we were really humbled honestly. Phipps is absolutely stunning at night. If you're looking for a beautiful venue for a small wedding like mine, consider the Broderie Room or any of the gorgeous rooms at Phipps! I mean, you don't even need to worry about flowers except for a bouquet lol. It's worth the memories, the pictures.... just everything!

and began our wedding planning process just before the shutdowns last March and at the end of January 2021 we decided to move the wedding from Phipps (less than 50 days before our wedding). It is extremely difficult to plan weddings in Covid, both for the bride and groom and for the vendors. Every vendor we are working with, including our new venue, has been flexible and transparent. Phipps was neither. Instead of making decisions and planning for what we know now, adjusting when we need to later, Phipps didn't want to make any decision at all. They acted as if they didn't want to have to do any extra work by planning based on todays restrictions, knowing they could change. They delayed and delayed decisions, including huge details, such as if there were going to allow food at all. They took forever to respond to emails, and when we did have calls, they never had answers. We never wanted Phipps to break a Covid rule, but we did want transparency on what they could and could not do, and the respect of telling us that in a timely process. Instead they constantly acted as if they wanted to protect our guests, but we did not. I can assure you since its our friends and family, we want to protect them more than Phipps does. We made TONS of suggestions to Phipps in order to try to be flexible and have a safe wedding, including paying to tent larger spaces, moving the ceremony outside, seating people all over the venue. They never came up with a single creative or flexible idea themselves. Phipps is a wedding machine. They have multiple weddings a day during normal times, and they have made it clear that their machine does not operate when it needs to be flexible or creative. If you have a wedding planned at Phipps in 2021, where you would like to have a dinner there or its more than 20 people, the best thing you can do for yourself is move it now. Covid is unfortunately not disappearing completely this year and Phipps is not prepared to provide the flexibility or creativity or support that you need to pull off a safe wedding during Covid. Trust me, take your refund and find a new venue because we couldn't have found a more different experience once we picked a new one. It doesn't matter how beautiful Phipps is, during Covid times, you need a venue that is going to answer messages timely, communicate decisions timely and not wait around hoping things will change and they won't have to do any extra work. Other venues have had weddings now. They have figured out how to follow all the rules and be safe. And that is the experience you need for your wedding later in 2021. You will not find it at Phipps.

ue itself cannot be beat for beauty. Being surrounded by the gorgeous flowers and greenery is like having your wedding in a magical forest. It’s truly amazing. We worked with Sara for our planning. Communication prior to the event was very good and she worked with us through all our questions. We did all our forms and communication via phone and email and we found her readily available within a day or two. There were a couple hiccups however… During our rehearsal they didn’t close off the room so there were random people walking through and even a person that tried to come down the steps to where we were standing rehearsing. That was off-putting, especially because it was fall of 2020 with social distancing and adding more people to the room made us very uncomfortable. Secondly, there was a proposal booked for our ceremony room directly after our ceremony so we had to make sure we were out ASAP. Luckily our planner worked with the staff at Phipps to let us go into another room to do some photos. Without our planner though, I would have been very frustrated with the situation. Overall, I am very happy to have our ceremony at Phipps and thrilled with the outcome, but make sure you are very detailed in the questions you ask about a timeline and have someone willing to advocate for you for any issues that arise.

t and caring people. Caroline was always so responsive and helpful and even helped me take care of a wedding day emergency when my dress got smudged on a car tire before my first look. Even amongst a global pandemic she made sure that we would have an amazing day and came up with suggestions and ways to still make our day great. On the catering side of things David Swank was also so responsive and always called us to be sure we were up to date on all current policies and information. Having a wedding during a pandemic should have been a painful and difficult process but Phipps took that burden from us. I couldn't imagine having our wedding in any other location. It was truly incredible. Not to mention that our pictures turned out so amazing and the unique backgrounds and colors truly make our wedding photos incredible. The food was also so wonderful and all of our guests raved about how good everything was. The food, service, location, and overall feeling went above and beyond what I ever could have imagined.

ally effortless. She handled all of our requests with grace, walked us through every step, explained everything thoroughly, and made sure everything went the way we expected. Because of this, I didn’t feel any pressure or tension the day of and was able to just enjoy the time before our ceremony began. I think it’s such a great place to consider if you’re getting married. No decor needed - its a beautiful venue as it is and they handle the rest. I couldn’t have asked for a better evening with my favorite people. Not to mention that they live streamed it for our relatives that are in different states, which made it even more special. Definitely recommend Phipps for any engaged couples.

onsive, they ensured we had everything we needed, and helped coordinate on the day of. The venue was one of the most reasonably priced we found and we saved so much money on decorations. Our photos were absolutely breathtaking as we had full use of the conservatory after the wedding for pictures. I would highly reccommend Phipps for your ceremony. Everyone was kind, professional, and made the day as stress free as possible.

erything with the other vendors involved and all of my bridesmaids and groomsmen. I would highly suggest them for the ceremony. The pictures alone afterward were worth every penny!