The Center

ast forward to the planning- the one thing about the Center is you will pay separate for almost all wedding items. When you book the venue, you still need to book all staff, food, drinks, decor, etc. The Center is a blank slate which can be a pro or a con depending on the couple. We were able to use the venue to our advantage and created a whole “Cincinnati theme” including a Cincinnati Skyline on the back wall, and lots of Cincy themed food and decorations. The Center’s staff is very professional and easy to work with. Special shout out to Katie Sulek and Rachel who helped with our wedding. They were very accommodating and helpful - even when our caterer backed out 2 months until I Do. Book this amazing venue, just make sure you prepare a budget before signing the contract as filling the venues for the amazing venue can be costly.

arly planning, communications, preparations, to the night of, they were attentive and extremely helpful. They were easy to contact and answered all questions or concerns promptly. They communicated with all of the other vendors involved with the wedding and made sure that everything was coordinated and organized. Even last minute concerns or changes were taken care of with a smile. We were extremely grateful that they were so organized, polite and patient. I would highly recommend the space for a wedding or other large event. You won't be disappointed.

gs a certain way, the peace of not having to worry about anything on my big day was priceless. I highly recommend having any event here especially because they also have a lot of decor already onsite that you can use which is a huge savings on little last minute things.

ondence. They helped us keep on track with our planning and gave us lists for all of our other vendors that we ended up using for our wedding. I felt completely relaxed knowing that we had the Center staff behind us in helping making sure everything went smoothly. They take so much pride in their work and the results are absolutely amazing. Thank you guys so much for the wedding of our dreams!

The space is so beautiful and it is easy to dress it up to your specific vision! We will send anyone we know to The Center for not only their ceremony/reception needs but any major event!!!!

gs that they provide. We loved the fact that they had so many great decor items that we were able to use without added cost and they were all really nice options that we would have selected ourselves. Everything looked beautiful and our guests loved the location. Paula, Katie, and their team could not have been better to work with from every detail leading up to the event and during the event. We were shocked the next day to realized that we didn’t have a single hiccup, and if we did, we had no idea about it. We planned our wedding without a hired planner, but with how involved and detailed The Center staff was, it all went off without a hitch. We highly recommend The Center for a fabulous downtown wedding!

is an excellent listener, good for someone like me who just needs to talk things out. They also worked with all of my vendors to get them in the door and sorted without my having to worry about a thing. At the end of the night, my wedding day was everything I had dreamed of and more. The only thing I would say is definitely read the contract and understand it to it's fullest extent. Contracts are important for venues to protect themselves and The Center takes theirs very seriously, especially with the Caterers they choose to work with. Also, this may not be the venue for you if you are looking for a hands-off wedding (or definitely hire a coordinator to do the planning for you). If you're on a tight budget, don't get fooled by this venue's low price- remember to factor food and beverage. These are not negative things about The Center, just something I wished I was more aware of at the beginning of my wedding planning process! Again, I have nothing but praise for the space, how my wedding turned out, and the staff here!

we had everything we needed and helped us get what we wanted.

ve us lots of space for the 155 guests we ended-up having and even enough space for a photo-booth. The Center provided us with a back-drop for our ceremony, Katie gave us pictures and ideas of how to decorate the space prior to the big day, and was versatile in letting us arrange everything the way we liked with layout plans and all. The day before the wedding we dropped-off all out decor and told Cheyenne to go crazy and make it like Pinterest. She decorated for us and we didn't have to worry about anything the day-of, which is really such a relief. Afterwards we had family gather our stuff we wanted and she took care of the rest. It was very well priced, and since we paid for 95% of this wedding entirely on our own at 26 years old... that was really top priority. The bar provided was clutch for our rowdy group and that's not something other venues we toured provided as nicely. We truly had no complaints about the venue and received only positive comments on how beautiful the whole venue was and how nice it was to have everything in one location. While the clean slate and large space seems intimating to decorate, it was very easy and inexpensive for us to find ways to make it our own and feel fancy... really we have to credit Cheyenne on making it photo-worthy. As a future client, keep in mind that the venue does not own the entire building so if family/friends are staying at the Westin, you will want to inform the staff that all the building doors need to remain unlocked, or otherwise tell your friends that they will need to walk around and not use the bridge. Also, if you are planning on taking pics in the gorgeous armory, there are non-affiliated building staff walking around... but that can happen anywhere. I highly recommend working with this venue and from the multiple options we toured in the Cincinnati city-center area I felt we got every bit of our moneys worth. Thanks to The Center, especially Katie and Cheyenne, for making our day perfect and completely stress-free.

at helping me every step of the way! The day could not have been more perfect!

iety of vendors. Those things were good--but that wasn't enough to override the unpleasantness and incompetence of the staff and the process of working with them. Repeatedly we had moments like this: for months, over several meetings, we discussed with them (with our caterer and coordinator present--they heard this too!) using the fancy bar we thought came standard with the rental. Three days-- three! days!-- before our wedding, they mentioned to us that the bar was *actually* a several hundred dollar upcharge, and if we didn't want to pay we could have basic tables-- for which we would have had to rent linens, etc. Since they'd been present as we discussed, table by table, our linen rental (to ensure we were all on the same page) never once did they mention needing to either (a) pay for the bar we'd discussed, or (b) rent linens for their basic crappy tables. The point was not the money, or even the bar itself-- it's the process of working with The Center, whose staff seemed determined to make us regret our decision at every turn. That we had a wonderful wedding was largely in spite of working with The Center. It's unfortunate, because otherwise the space was great, well located, and very versatile.

She constantly had eye contact with me...if i needed anything I felt as though i just had to look for her and she was on her way over. I was truly impressed! Also when the wedding was over, she told us, just take the gifts and we take care of the rest! Literally she did! We went back to pick everything up and it was all packaged up so nicely. I can't speak highly enough of her and the entire evening....the venue, food, staff, organization of the events, it was perfection and I did not have to worry or take care of anything. I would highly recommend this venue!

her communication was on point throughout our planning process. Lizzie was our day-of coordinator, and she was PERFECTION. Not only did everything look exactly as we had envisioned it, but Lizzie put me at total ease during a stressful day. They say you need to be prepared for *something* to go wrong during your wedding day, but we really didn't have any issues, and I think that's in large part to how attentive and prepared The Center staff is.

wn Cincinnati. The venue is perfect for having a ceremony and reception, with the front lobby perfect for a cocktail hour. The new bar is gorgeous, too! The team at the center has been great to work with - Katie, our event coordinator, has been helpful, responsive, and incredibly organized. I am a planner and control freak by nature, and she put me completely at ease with the amount of detail included each step of the way. Elena has been incredibly accommodating and helpful. After a few minor hiccups, the team went completely above and beyond to ensure we were satisfied with everything, and we definitely are. It has been the best customer service we have received from all of our wedding vendors. All around, it has been a phenomenal experience. I would highly recommend (and have to friends already) this venue and team!

the coordinators were more than flexible with us throughout the entire process. Paula was so sweet and helpful when we were making our decision to book with them. Katie was beyond helpful and very responsive to any questions or concerns I had throughout the year of planning. I can't explain how wonderful it was that the team was so incredibly flexible with us. It made planning so much easier and stress-free. More importantly, everything turned out exactly how we wanted. Our guests raved over the beautiful venue. We also loved that we were able to drop our decor off prior to the day of the wedding, and they assisted in putting everything in its place. I could sincerely go on and on about how pleased we are with working with this wonderful team. Our night ran so smoothly and we are forever grateful and blessed we chose this venue for our reception.

e for any Cincinnati Bride!

d took down my decor for me, and made the wedding day-of so easy. Between the nice floors, clean walls, dome, and bistro lighting, many guests complimented the venue. Extra rooms allowed us to personalize our day (ex. turned the coat room into a Quiet Room for nursing moms, overstimulated kiddos and adults), and the restrooms were very updated, spacious, and clean. The atrium/lobby just outside the front doors was perfect for beautifully-lit photographs. Lizzie, our day-of coordinator, was particularly a stand-out person. I can't say enough positive things about her, and when I think back to our wedding day, I will literally always remember her calm, kind, and focused nature. Paula was so easy to book with and helpful with questions, and Katie took care of many of our details for us. What a team, what a space.

ass allowed for it to be customized exactly how we envisioned. The staff was professional, timely in their communication, and so helpful working with our vendors to help pull off the big surprise. They were all in, even though we were pretty non-traditional with how we wanted our wedding night to go. Many of our guests had not heard of The Center before, but after spending the evening there, our guests loved the venue with the views!

essed!

dding. Our guests loved the lit up dome that was over the bar and thought the space was absolutely beautiful. The ladies that work there are all extremely nice and helpful. Since I brought in most of the decor, they all came to help set everything up as well as tore everything down after the reception. Our day of coordinator was extremely helpful in making sure everything went as planned and checked in with me throughout the night. My husband and I were very happy with our special day!

owntown location. What we loved most was the beautiful Dome Room and choices of lighting, as well as the Grand Ballroom's windows which overlooked Fountain Square. The entire venue has a very modern, yet elegant feel, which was the exact setting we sought out to have to represent our Wedding Day. The Center was the first venue that we visited, and afterwards we wondered if it was even worth visiting another venue. In hindsight, we can look back knowing that there was no other venue that we needed to visit.

canvas so you can make it into really whatever you want and all of the staff were absolutely wonderful to work with. We wanted to specifically mention Kayla and Shannon. Kayla was our go-to person throughout the entire planning process and was always available to answer questions or reassure me that everything was on track. I can't speak highly enough of her! Shannon was our day-of coordinator and did an awesome job! She made sure everything and everyone was in the right place at the right time and helped to ensure that the day went on without a hitch. So many of our guests told us how awesome the space was and we heard multiple times that it was the best venue people had been to for a wedding. It was such a perfect day and we can't thank The Center enough!

rary, beautiful canvas that can be made completely your own. Not only is the space beautiful, but the employees are top-notch! For a little over a year, I worked with Kayla on planning the perfect wedding reception. She was extremely organized, had great advice and I trusted her completely. Shannon was my "day of" coordinator--and she was also amazing! Any time I had a question about anything, I could easily email or call. Because of The Center, my "dream" wedding became a reality! I would recommend them to anyone!

Working with the girls at The Center made all of my planning so easy! Kayla was always available to answer any questions I had and offered tons of suggestions. Cheyenne was our 'day of' coordinator and she was AMAZING! She made sure that every thing ran smooth and if we needed anything she was right there to help us out. I don't think we could have asked for a better team :) Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping to make our special day so perfect!

would recommend this venue to anyone and everyone would asked!

oment forward we were nothing but pleased by how wonderful it was to work with the staff and how organized they were. Kayla and Shannon made the entire process stress free (which was amazing for an easily stressed bride) and kept up on every little detail and communication with each of our vendors. They made me feel rest assured that every detail would be executed and it was nothing short of that on the day of. Even when I made last minute changes, they were quick on their email responses and were always pleasant about it. Having Shannon as our day-of-coordinator was key! She was there from the time of our rehearsal until the end of the wedding, always with smile on her face and willing to pitch in and help with any decorating or questions that needed answered. Our moms offered to pick up decorations the Monday following the wedding and Shannon made sure everything was kept safe and sound and had it packed away and organized for a quick and easy pick up for them - they are still raving about how easy it was! The location of The Center could not have suited us better. The beautiful downtown location was great for our out-of-town guests and local friends who just wanted to enjoy a night on the town! We were even pleasantly surprised by a fireworks show seen from the Fountain Square window as we were announced into our reception - how awesome is that?! And the skywalk access kept guests warm as they walked back to their hotel rooms which was a great feature! This space allowed us to make it our own and enjoy the great city of Cincinnati that we love so much. I couldn't imagine a better staff to work with and we are so very grateful to them for helping make our wedding an amazing one that we wish we could relive over and over again. Thank you again & with much love, Michael & Amanda Noll 11.26.16

lace and the signs made it easy to get to (*hint* I also mentioned on my reception card that The Center was located inside of The Mercantile Center on the corner of X and X street. Many out-of-town guests said this was helpful!) Second, the staff was amazing. I can't thank them enough - Kayla, Ana, Shannon, and Alex - for making my day truly special. They worked with me for nearly 18 months on perfecting every detail (I'm very indecisive and frequently asked for things to be changed over and over again)! The venue was pricier and it's true that you do have to spend more money out of pocket customizing the space with rentals, but it was worth the cost to me. I do wish they would offer basic linens (at no cost) for their tables - white, ivory, or black, as these are a high cost to rent or buy - only because I believe this would make them more competitive to other halls. That's a minor detail and all-in-all I was thrilled with the service (leading up to the wedding and the night of) and set up of the hall. My wedding was beautiful and I highly recommend The Center!

per convenient for out of town guests. I also loved that the space is different and more unique than a "hotel" reception. The dome room, the hardwood floors, the marble stairs, etc. made for the perfect mix of contemporary elegance I was looking for. I will say that the space is a bit of a blank slate, which I loved, but I read other reviews complaining about needing a lot of decorations to make it feel warm. We did have a backdrop and special lighting, so we didn’t have any issues with that at all. But, it is definitely an added expense to consider when looking at your options. I will also say that at first it seemed more affordable than it ended up being, but I blame that on myself. We upgraded alcohol to top shelf and added extra time for the bar to be open. I also didn’t initially think about expenses related to linens, plates, silverware, glasses, etc. when we booked. So just be cognizant of hidden expenses when comparing to other places that charge a flat fee per person. Even with that said, I would re-book The Center in a heartbeat. The service I received was excellent, and the ladies I worked with (mainly Kayla, Alana, and Paula) were always very prompt to respond back to my questions (and I had A LOT of questions). My husband and I had a Hindu Ceremony in the Dome Room and they were really helpful with coordinating all of the moving pieces. Overall, five stars for location, service, and atmosphere.

ng downtown are nice. The staff was good to work with and my guests commented on how beautiful the space was and even most who have lived in Cincinnati their entire lives didn't know this space existed.

beat, as you have a huge window that overlooks Fountain Square. The cocktail area is spacious, and although we had about 250 guests, we still had a huge dance floor. Kayla and Shannon were nothing short of amazing, and I am so happy that we held our reception at The Center. THANK YOU!!!!

ues downtown that allow for freedom to actually design and execute your wedding the way YOU want it. It seemed like all of the hotels had something I just didn’t like (ugly carpet, weird paintings, etc.). The Center is a blank canvas, and a beautiful one at that! The ladies there are fantastic to work with and incredibly helpful. I am so happy we chose this venue.

in there I knew this was the PLACE. Also, there is a skywalk from the Westin/Hilton which makes it convenient for out of town guests and the wedding party.

have our wedding reception here but it ended up being a bust. The price was very affordable however there is nothing that comes with what you pay for. Trust me, you end up spending a lot of money renting everything to make this bare bones room look nice. It got very expensive really quickly and the night of the reception I still felt like there were things that I should have done to make the room feel warm. Thirdly, the location I thought was fun and easy to get to. The month of the wedding there was construction in the hallway leading into the building. I had complaints from my guests that there was no type of signage that told the guests to go around and enter from an alternate way. Most of my guests were walking around aimlessly downtown for about an hour. They said that they saw people through the windows but they had no idea how to get up to that location, some people ended up giving up and not even coming to my wedding, so that was money lost right there. Plus, they were frustrated with me for choosing such an obscure hall to get to. Fourth, THE SECURITY WAS HORRIBLE! My wedding party and I were standing outside of the doors because cocktail hour was going on and we did not want to enter until the guests had gone into the main dining area. The security guards were standing at the door and when the guests came up the escalators they had to ask me where to go. They security guards saw that people were starting to walk down the skywalk, yet they did not stop them and direct them into the building. I thought this was very rude and this really upset me. Fifth, at the end of the evening my mom who is terminally ill and cannot walk far distances and my grandmother who is 92 wanted to take the freight elevator down to the car (the way that they had come in because they wouldn't have to walk up stairs). A security guard told them that they were not able to take that and they had to walk down the steps and make their way to the entrance to get picked up by their ride. I did not hear about this until two weeks after the wedding. I was livid. Like I said, the staff and the actual room was nice. There are hidden costs that you don't expect going into it because you have to rent EVERYTHING. The security that the Center uses is crap. The entrance into the actual venue is tricky, especially for people who are already hesitant about going downtown. Looking back, I probably would have preferred to have my reception elsewhere.

ere amazed by the downtown location and the inside of the venue itself. The parking situation makes it a bit hard for guests and it is somewhat hard to find if you are not given proper directions. The staff was very accommodating to our very traditional Indian wedding - they were communicative with prompt responses, supportive with any changes or ideas, and very accommodating. They made the day run smooth and were on top of everything! They had all of my layouts of chairs and tables and made the transition between the ceremony and reception go smoothly. I will mention that this venue was a great a choice for us because it allowed outside catering, which was needed when you're having a traditional Indian wedding with personalized catering. I know it has changed since our wedding but they have put together a great list of preferred catering. The Center does have their own alcohol package and it is very strict and very pricey for what they include. The venue itself is pricey to rent but you are paying for downtown Cincinnati location. We enjoyed our wedding day and wouldn't change to another location.

ns, but they are always friendly and informative. They will always offer suggestions when I'm unsure. And they even help keep me on track when things that I would probably let slip. I absolutely cannot wait for my upcoming wedding!

create the perfect wedding. Yet, The Center constantly told me things wouldn't work or if I added one thing they would charge me ridiculous amounts. This was especially true with their bar options. The week leading up to the wedding, I felt like I was in the dark. I asked several times for a copy of the layout with the changes but never got it. Also, whenever I called that week (if they answered), they seemed busy and like they were in a rush to get off the phone. They had 3 events that weekend and because I was the third one I felt like I was on the back burner. The day of the wedding was very frustrating. I had paid for additional hours to set up (anything past 4 hours of set up and take down you are charged extra) and they were giving tours of the facility!! We couldn't find the linens, didn't have a key to the closet, and the bathrooms ran out of paper. It took us forever to solve the problems because the woman in charge (who was not friendly) was too busy with her tours! I was in shock and was not expecting to have to deal with these things the day of the wedding. If you are looking for a downtown wedding, I would recommend a different venue.

arge bar in the first room with the lighted dome. We had our main room for dinner and dancing and we had a smaller side room with a small bar and our photo booth. Everyone could move around easily and it never seemed crowded. Since the Center starts out as a blank slate, we were able to personalize all the decorations to be exactly what we wanted. The venue was perfect and the staff was great to work with. Highly recommend!

ut also setting up chairs, tables, etc. I didn't have to worry about anything on the big day. The Center is a great place to have your wedding!

there and how amazing the space was. There were lots of options on setup and we were able to make it what we had envisioned. The staff was great (as stated in other reviews there were frequent changes made in the staff, but they were always knowledgeable). They were super helpful in making our vision come true and they made it really easy for our vendors to setup & operate. The space overall is very unique and you won't find anywhere around the tri-state like it. We are very glad we chose them and you really can't go wrong with this space. Thank you so much for all your help Laura & Alyssa, Jean & Chad (10/18/2014)

sionalism that surpassed my expectations.

ot to mention a prime location in the center of downtown Cincinnati overlooking fountain square! Their alcohol is incredibly reasonable for top shelf choices, and we loved that we could choose our own vendors and not select from a list. We were able to hang chandeliers and lighting options that transformed the space into our dream wedding. You WONT be disappointed if you choose The Center for your big day - we weren't! For the price and what you get, it's Cincinnati's hidden gem!

e staff was able to work with all our vendors and ensure they had the access and help needed. They worked with us on layout, lighting and special requests. I really appreciated their willingness to let us select different wines and liquors that met our needs. Their up- charges didn't break our budget and we never ran out of beverages. I would highly recommend this venue . We even had our wedding during the Taste Of Cincinnati, but were able to enjoy feeling like we had downtown to ourselves.

ecial to us. We did not want a cookie-cutter wedding that felt like it was selected off a predetermined menu and The Center allowed us to pull this off with ease. From the moment we stepped into the space on our initial visit we adored the modern feel, the large open spaces, and the awesome view of the city, the location, the beautiful hard wood floors and the blank canvas that the space offered. We absolutely loved that The Center allowed us to select all our own wedding reception vendors; from the caterer, to the florist, lighting, to linens everything was customized to us and truly made our day so memorable. We received so many compliments throughout the evening on how amazing and beautiful the venue was and how everyone absolutely loved the space. We worked with Laura in the months prior to our wedding reception and on the day of the wedding and she was amazing! She responded quickly to any questions or requests we had, she made the process of ordering alcohol as painless as possible even though we had some very unique and specific request. She was truly a joy to work with. We would HIGHLY recommend The Center to anyone looking for a wedding reception venue!

She truly went above and beyond! I highly recommend this venue!

s there, making it difficult to have a consistent communication flow, although someone is always there to answer questions. The biggest complaint I had was that they changed their alcohol-buying policy during our planning process and expected us to go along with it (it was not a change for the better). I thought this seemed very shady and that they were taking advantage of us. It all ended up fine, but only after several emails requesting to speak to a manager. Be careful of policy changes!!! Overall, great facility, the wedding was executed very well, the space looked great and the day-of coordinator was very good!

t. I knew The Center originally as the Contemporary Art Center. I spent many happy days there when I was in elementary school, so it was an easy (thank goodness!) transition for us from outside to in. The space is very plain, but in an elegant and timeless way. It very easily lent itself to our aesthetic. We were very pleased with the outcome, and pleasantly surprised to learn that the dimensions of the room nearly exactly fit the dimensions of the tent from the original location. So, very little change was necessary for us. Pros:* You can bring your own vendors to the Center * The space is large and clean, very easy to fit to your design * The sales staff is very friendly and accomodatingCons: *Event insurance is a requirement (We understand that many places require this but, for us, the extra expense was unexpected.) * Difficult to locate. This, however, can be attributed to a few things: some of our guests weren't familiar with downtown and, with the time constraint, we didn't have much time to update our website with explicit directions. * You must purchase your alcohol from the Center. You may want to discuss rules about this with your caterer before booking. Overall, though, we had a wonderful experience!