About this vendor
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia is known as The Birthplace of American Medicine and is a historic wedding venue located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The institution began in the 18th century, while the New Beaux-Arts style building was built in 1908, and offers a unique and elegant space for you to celebrate your wedding day. Bring your guests into a venue full of magnificent architecture, art, and medical history for an unforgettable event experience!
Upon entering The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, your guests will be greeted by Aesculapius, the Greek God of medicine. The venue also features beautiful marble accents, a grand staircase, and luxurious get-ready rooms. With a historic atmosphere and beautiful architecture, this venue is a wonderful location for your wedding ceremony and reception. It can also host wedding showers, engagement parties, and other special events.
The largest ballroom, Mitchell Hall can comfortably hold up to 250 guests, making it suitable for small, intimate gatherings and large, grand affairs. The adjacent Ashurst Room is great for indoor ceremonies, and can also be used during the reception for larger events.
The outdoor herb garden is another choice location for ceremonies, and cocktail hour. Guests can enjoy the fresh air while tucked away in their own cozy corner of downtown Philadelphia.
As well as offering beautiful event spaces, The College of Physicians of Philadelphia can also provide a range of convenient services to ensure a stress-free experience. In-house event planners will coordinate each and every detail to ensure the success of your wedding day. The event staff also covers setup and cleanup to keep you feeling relaxed and calm. What's more, The College of Physicians of Philadelphia has a great selection of event rental items to enhance your celebration even further.
Catering by Design is the exclusive caterer to The College of Physicians. The culinary team can provide a personalized menu inspired by your favorite dishes from around the world. Couples can expect thoughtful, sophisticated and carefully crafted cuisine.
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
Guest Capacity
- 300+
Settings
- Ballroom
- Historic Venue
- Museum
- Park
Venue Service Offerings
- Bar & Drinks
- Food & Catering
- 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 5.035 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 5
I could not have asked for a more beautiful (and tasty!) wedding venue. The College was beyond stunning. The linens and table settings were gorgeous and unique. Our wedding guests have told us that this was the best food they ever had at a wedding. Catering By Design offers a unique and creative culinary experience. Our coordinator, Ginger Metzger, went above and beyond in ensuring we had the perfect day. Throughout the months long planning process, she was highly responsive to emails and detail oriented. We particularly appreciated the help navigating several guests’ food allergies.
Thank you to Ginger and the team at the College!
This review is about a year late and a few pages short but the in house team was the best in the business. I cannot imagine my wife or I have ever received service at this level - in any industry - at any time prior.
Venue has a bit of everything, but is charming and attractive all the way through.
I understand Michael Mitloff has since moved to a new operation, but I have to give him special recognition for the incredible job he did for our wedding. He is the Michael Jordan of this sh*t.
My husband and I absolutely loved our experience with the College of Physicians! We held our wedding here in June for ~100 people, and everything from the location, the food, and the service was wonderful.
The location/venue: We loved that we were able to use the whole venue for our event and that the evening flowed so naturally in the space. The gardens were beautiful for our ceremony, the cocktail hour room was spacious, the reception room upstairs was gorgeous, and it was pretty epic that we could dedicate an entire room upstairs for desserts.
Food/drink: Catering by Design did a fantastic job of catering the wedding! We got compliments on the bar, cocktails, and the food. The passed apps (especially the 12-hour pork belly) were a hit, and people loved the mini ice cream cones during dessert! The entrees were also delicious, and the venue was so accommodating of our guests' many dietary restrictions and of our requests for specific items!
Service: The service is absolutely what set The College apart. Michael Mitloff, the Venue Sales Director, was beyond incredible, and we were blown away by his professionalism, humor, responsiveness, attention to detail, and flexibility. Michael went so far out of his way to ensure everything was perfect -- he helped me coordinate a surprise for my husband, he worked with our many vendors directly to ensure everything was seamless, he answered the insane number of questions I had, and he was such an incredible guide and partner throughout the entire experience from booking the venue to closing out after the wedding. Everything felt so smooth, seamless, and easy because of Michael and his staff. Thank you!!
(professional photos by Cheryl Betances Photography)
The team at College of Physicians are amazing. Michael will make it easy to plan the your event. As a creative partner I find them professional and a pleasure to work with. The view is spectacular, the event team is great and the food by Catering By Design is wonderful.
My wife and I had our wedding here this May, and we couldn't have been happier with it. We worked with Liz (our contact with Catering by Design as well) and she was absolutely wonderful. Easy to work with, responsive, amazing attention to all the details and she kept the evening of the wedding running so smoothly & on time. She coordinated with all of our vendors for that day which made things so easy for us.
We had the ceremony in the garden outside. The setup was great and the flowers/ivy in the garden looked beautiful.
Guests were allowed to walk around the museum exhibits during the cocktail hour. This was a huge hit, and everyone was telling us how much they enjoyed it.
The reception was upstairs in Mitchell Hall, which was decorated so nicely and there was plenty of room for our tables and a large dance floor. Honestly when I first saw the room months ago on a tour I thought it looked a little plain and was skeptical, but their decorations really brought the room to life and it looked amazing.
We really had no complaints and 100% would recommend this venue & caterer!
We just had our wedding here and the whole experience was outstanding! The staff was absolutely amazing, Jennifer and Kristen with Catering By Design were angels and we could not have done it without them. My guests loved the food and they keep talking about how cool it was to see the museum during cocktail hour. It was everything we had hoped for.
My wife and I are SO thrilled with how our wedding at the College of Physicians turned out. Kristen, our event specialist, was amazing throughout the planning and on the day of the wedding. We live in New England and had to do the majority of planning by phone and email. Kristen was so accommodating and helpful every step of the way. There were things in planning that I totally forgot to ask about or bring up, and Kristen was always on top of everything. On the day of, everything ran so smoothly and we had so many compliments on the venue, the service, the food - literally everything. We are so happy we were able to have our wedding at CPP. Even though we don't live close by we are really looking forward to visiting the museum soon and reminiscing on our awesome wedding day.
Kristen Medici and the College of Physicians did a 100% fabulous job for our July wedding. I would highly, highly recommend them, this is a very professional venue and I can't think of even one logistical detail that was not handled perfectly. Kristen did an amazing job of keeping everything coordinated and running smoothly on the day-of so that we could enjoy the celebration and focus on our friends and family. The words I would use to describe her are 'knowledgeable, professional, and on top of it!' The food was the best I can remember having at a wedding, just super well prepared and high quality. The venue is gorgeous and looks especially great in photos! The one small thing I wished we had been told is that when the ceremony happened (mid-July), the sun was directly in our eyes and it was really hot the way the courtyard was laid out. I don't think there's anything they could change, but just letting us know would have been helpful (or could be that they did way back when and we forgot!).
Kristen and all the staff were wonderful throughout. The food from Catering by Design was exquisite. The cake was to die for. We fully recommend without any reservations!
The College of Physicians made our wedding a 100% positive experience and did so flawlessly. Liz was on top of the planning months in advance, always helping us stay on track with flowers, catering, and day-of-details.
As two women getting married, it was extremely important that we find a venue was prepared to make us feel safe, comfortable, and as full of love as we deserved to feel on our wedding day. We can say with confidence that the College of Physicians made that happen. Liz displayed clear experience working with same-sex couples and provided multiple"non-traditional" options for our ceremony processional. My wife and I also found that, throughout the night, not only did our family and friends come up and congratulate us, many of the College of Physicians staff came to congratulate us as well, and told how much it meant to them to see us married. These were small, incredible moments that we did not expect but experienced with joy.
We cannot do anything but recommend the College of Physicians. Yes, the venue was organized and helpful. Yes, the ceremony and reception were beautiful. But most importantly, every person involved at every step in the process was supportive, interested, and excited for us to get married. We had the best experience we could have dreamed of.
The venue is beautiful and unique. The people looks like classic early American. The historic building has amazing oil paintings and a giant marble staircase, making decorating simple and not even necessary. The venue also provided guests with an original experience. The Mutter Museum, a medical oddity museum within the college, was an added feature guests could visit during cocktail hour. There were many great photo opportunities for the wedding party and guests. The food was excellent and it was easy to get drinks. The coordinator was communicative and available throughout the whole process. For a wedding in a major city, this was a very affordable option compared to most places.
Hidden gem in Philadelphia! Great place, to host a Philadelphia wedding. Very affordable too! Kristen, the coordinator could not be anymore helpful! Great food, and great staff. I can’t say enough good things about his venue. Our wedding was absolutely perfect!
My husband and I hosted a wedding reception at the College of Physicians on July 7, 2018 for our daughter and it was fabulous (to quote our guests). Liz and her associate Kristin were amazing to work with. They responded to emails in a timely fashion and were always willing to help. They made our vision a reality. We asked for an international twist to the main course and the chef came through with an amazing menu that was absolutely delicious. In fact all of the food was spectacular. Our guests are well travelled and have eaten in the finest restaurants around the world and yet commented on how delicious the beef tenderloin was! The appetizers were equally enjoyed. The service staff was exemplary and always on their toes. The venue itself is stately and formal but also inviting with the warm paneling and beautiful ceilings. The medicinal garden in the courtyard was lovely in July and provided a nice contrast to the more formal Mitchell Hall . As Pennsylvania physicians it was a particularly fitting historic landmark at which to host our event. This was our third wedding reception in Philadelphia ( we don't live there) and we found CBD the easiest and most responsive to work with. They executed a nearly flawless evening for us! Kudos to the entire staff that evening! Many heartfelt thanks!
We held our wedding on March 17, 2018 at the College of Physicians where Catering by Design is the exclusive caterer. We worked with Kristen Medici for the majority of our planning process and it was a WONDERFUL experience both in preparing for the big day and the day of our wedding. Kristen met with us repeatedly leading up to our wedding to ensure all details were taken care of. The food was amazing- we had so many compliments about the cocktail hour snacks, the cake, and the entrees (especially the steak). Kristen made sure to take into account all of our preferences and all of the details of our big day were executed perfectly. The whole team was incredibly professional and made our day incredibly special. I would recommend Catering by Design and the College of Physicians venue to anyone. Our day could have not been more perfect.
I highly recommend the College of Physicians for your wedding. Our was held there in May of 2018. The venue itself is stunning and unique. There were so many good places for photos, and between the architecture, the decor and the museum open during cocktail hour, there was something for every guest to appreciate. It was nice (and cost-saving) that not very much decorating was needed. The exclusive caterer, Catering by Design, was wonderful. Liz helped us every step of the way - she was extremely accommodating to make sure we were taken care of and our needs were met throughout the entire planning process and was with us the day-of. She was very calm and honest in her opinions and suggestions - trust them! They've been working at the venue for years, they know what they're doing! The food was absolutely fantastic, and the service during the wedding was excellent (as many of our guests even noted). AND to top it off, with the choices we made, it ended up being one of the most affordable options we had considered - a wonderful value for a truly surreal Wedding.
The venue was absolutely perfect -- everything we could have imagined. The staff on the night-of was so attentive to not only the myself, the groom and "priority guests" but to everyone who attended. All of my guest raved about the food, the venue, and the staff, which really made things that much more wonderful for us. I would highly recommend this venue for anyone's wedding -- it was perfect.
Perfect venue! ideal if you're looking for an outside and inside space. Museum adds a fun element for cocktail hour. Great space, staff, and ambiance
If you want a fairy tale wedding, this place will make your dream a reality. Whether you want a classic, traditional ceremony/reception or an enchanting Victorian wedding with vegan catering on a budget, look no further.
I'm nearly three weeks out from my wedding at the College of Physicians through Catering By Design, and I still can't believe how amazing it was. The staff that helped us prepare for the big day were amazing, as were the staff on hand the day-of. Liz was our go-to contact person at the College after Diana got us set up. Liz was amazing--I am a nervous and meticulous planner that obsesses over minute details. Liz was there to answer every question and concern I had promptly, while also giving her advice and suggestions along the way. This was especially important for my wife and I as we planned the entire wedding while living in a completely different part of the country. In the end, this meant that during the wedding itself, my wife and I were care-free as everything went perfectly as planned. Catering By Design at the College is a well oiled machine--everything was taken care of and we enjoyed the day immensely.
The venue at the College was everything we had hoped for. Luckily the weather was perfect so we had our ceremony outdoors. Yet we would not have been worried if it was too hot or if it was raining, as one of the reasons why we chose the College in the first place was because their indoor ceremony space is just as beautiful as their outdoor garden. The ballroom for the reception was grand and made for the perfect setting for our party.
As for the food? Amazing. The cocktail hour food was delicious (CBD delivered our food to the bridal suite while our guests enjoyed downstairs). For dinner, we went with three stations: Mashed potato bar, tuscan grille, and a Taco Bar. We were not surprised by how great the food was, as we had gone to a tasting 8 months before the actual wedding date. The cake was super yummy too.
Overall, having our wedding at the College with CBD was a great experience, and we are so happy we trusted the staff at the College and at Catering by Design with producing one of the most important event of our lives. They exceeded our already high expectations!
Wonderful experience! Highly recommend! This historic venue includes the whole building and a private garden! This was perfect because rain or shine, especially for our May wedding, we knew we would have a beautiful space for the ceremony. We worked with Diana Airoldi from Catering by Design throughout the planning process and she was there on the big day to ensure everything went smoothly. Diana was wonderful to with - always pleasant, professional, and organized. It's important to note that we don't live in Philly and planned most of the wedding remotely (via email and over the phone) and it worked out great! During the wedding, my bridal attendant Tracy was fabulous! I dubbed Tracy and Diana the "Ninjas" because any time I needed them during the event for anything at all, there they were, ready to help and anticipating my every need. Our guests raved about the delicious food, craft old-timey cocktails, and quality service. 5 stars! Catering by Design knows how to throw a fabulous party!!
Perfect venue for our daughter's wedding! Diana, Dan and colleagues from Catering by Design, were wonderful to work with and assisted in making the evening an elegant and unforgettable celebration.
I got married at the College of Physicians in April 2017 and wish I could do it all over everything!!! Everything was amazing and better than expected from the food to the service to the décor. We used Catering by Design and Garnish and they made the entire day a huge success. The planning process had a few hiccups (personnel change and an unannounced garden construction project) but everything came perfectly together at the end and everyone at the College of Physicians and Catering by Design went above and beyond to make sure our day was a success. Also, Diana was really great to work with and extremely helpful in planning every little detail of the wedding. I highly recommend this venue - my only regret is not adding extra time to the reception!
Diana, Dan, Liz and their entire team were incredible to work with. We had a non-traditional wedding and they helped make all of our visions come to life. They were laid back but helped us to reign in our ideas and helped us to keep our focus where we wanted it to be- us, our family and friends under one roof celebrating this happy occasion!
They also let us have our dog in our ceremony which was so precious and meaningful to us (especially my husband who has had him for 8 years!). Another HUGE compliment to their entire staff was how they took care of our 90+ year old Great Aunt. She said she was taken care of like a queen and we couldn’t be more grateful for that! Can't say enough good about this group of individuals, they made our dream wedding come to life!
Completely First Class and Seamless!
We absolutely loved everything about our wedding at The College of Physicians. We planned our wedding on a relatively tight timeline, and the coordinators, Diana and Liz, could not have been more helpful or responsive. They helped us through everything from selecting the best menu for us to coordinating bringing in all of our centerpieces and photobooth (which we made and brought in ourselves).
The day of, they took care of everything, and all of the staff could not have been more helpful or accommodating. From making sure my husband and I were fed all night to taking care of our guests various dietary restrictions, they truly thought of every last detail.
I cannot recommend this venue highly enough! Not only were they incredibly easy to work with, but it is one of the most beautiful settings in Philadelphia that you could ask for. I wish we could repeat that most magical night!
As soon as I saw the College of Physicians, I immediately knew that this was where I wanted to get married. The venue exudes elegance and classical beauty, but with an added sense of uniqueness. The old library card stacks, the grand fireplace made of dark wood, the portraits hanging throughout the banquet hall, all made it feel like I was getting married in an ancient library, which is precisely what I wanted for our wedding. The whole place breathes history and magnificence, and it truly made our wedding feel like a royal wedding. The venue comes with an exclusive catering company, and although some might want more flexibility with the choice, we couldn’t have been happier with the staff at Catering by Design. The staff is wonderful to work with, the food and drinks were simply amazing (I will seriously miss the demitasse of soup and salad we had for dinner there), and the staff was attentive to our guests’ needs throughout the evening. The museum proper can also be left opened for the guests to explore during cocktail hour, and it was a huge hit with our guests. If you’re looking for a place that has unique charm mixed with classical beauty, this venue is perfect for you.
The venue was absolutely beautiful, and the staff was excellent. The College of Physicians works only with one catering company, Catering by Design, and the person we worked with to plan the wedding and coordinate with the venue was Dan Love. He was accessible whenever we had questions, and helped coordinate the day of the wedding to make it as stress-free as possible. The venue itself is absolutely beautiful with many possibilities since there are different spaces in which different parts of the wedding and reception can be held. Furthermore, you can even have the Mutter Museum be open during cocktail hour (as long as there is no food or drink in the museum), which our guests enjoyed (though some lost their appetites!). I would highly recommend this venue.
We recently celebrated our wedding ceremony and reception at the College of Physicians. We fell in love with the space almost instantly. Most people think first of the unique feature of housing the Mutter Museum, but even more so we loved the stately architecture and historical feel of the rooms with the marble, dark wood, card catalog shelves, portraits and more.
Events at the venue are managed by their exclusive caterers, Catering by Design, which we have reviewed separately for catering services. The CBD staff, in our case Dan and Lauren, managed contracting, provided tours of the venue and coordinated the day of details for the event. We had great experiences working with CBD - we felt they were very professional and responsive and worked with us on my more than one occasion to schedule tours, etc. They basically acted in the place of a day-of wedding coordinator and did excellent work.
We enjoyed working with CBD and felt it was perfect for our event. However, others may wish that the College offered more flexibility because you can't elect to work with a different caterer if you'd prefer. In addition, event timing is based on the museum hours, meaning the ceremony will start at 6pm so guests arrive after the museum closed to the public. This was fine for us but allows for less flexibility than other venues we saw.
Overall we loved having our wedding in this space and highly recommend it to others.
Our wedding at the College of Physicians was absolutely amazing. I can't say it any plainer than that. My now-husband and I had never cared much about wedding planning; all we wanted was an interesting venue with great food and drinks. Dan Love and his team at the College took those very simple facts and put together the perfect wedding for us (though we may be biased!). Every detail was taken care of with an eye to our (and our guests') comfort and happiness. The catering was wonderful as well; many of our guests told us they'd never enjoyed "wedding food" so much!
We have had so many people tell us how much they enjoyed our wedding, and especially how much they enjoyed seeing the College. The architecture, the size, and, of course, the Mutter Museum made our wedding so different, and so perfectly us, and we could not be happier with how everything turned out.
The staff of the College, starting with Dan and including every single person on the team, were phenomenal. They were so friendly, so helpful, and so flexible that the entire process, from our first meeting to leaving after the reception, was a joy. I cannot praise them highly enough.
The College of Physicians is PERFECTION! It may be a bit of sticker shock at first but take these factors into consideration.
1) You get a liaison in Dan Love throughout the entire process. He is absolutely amazing and will work with you to make sure you have a perfect day. I've never heard of anyone else having a wedding coordinator at the venue quite like this; it was almost like we had a wedding planner.
2) You can use any space within the entire building! You aren't nickle and dimed on which space you can or cannot use.
3) The Mutter Museum can be opened to your guests!! So awesome.
I cannot express how happy we are that we chose CoP as our wedding spot. The newly redesigned herb garden is gorgeous - that was where we had our ceremony. If you are undecided, you definitely should have your wedding here.
Deciding on the College of Physicians as our wedding venue was one of the easiest decisions we made throughout wedding planning because no other venue even began to compare to it. On the event website it says, "The Cure for the Common Event" and truer words could not be spoken. This is not a wedding factory with three weddings going on but its also not a place where you will be working with an inexperienced vendor who has never put on an event. You are working with true professionals who will give you and your guests an unforgettable event.
We wanted what most couples are looking for today-- a venue that can house all of the events of the wedding day (ceremony, cocktail hour, reception) and the College absolutely has this. You have so many different options and one thing I really valued was having the option for a few different dedicated ceremony spaces. I am not a big fan of things having to be flipped from a ceremony room into the area for dinner and here we had plenty of options to chose from.
Walking into the Ashurst Room, I knew that was where I wanted to marry my husband. It reminded me of a library and the natural light is amazing for photographers. Dreaming of an outdoor ceremony? Perfect--the medicinal garden is incredible but if it rains, you'll still be in a gorgeous space.
I'd also like to add other bonuses- there is no need to add ridiculous uplighting to this venue in the summer season. Candlelight and the natural light pouring through the massive windows provides a beautiful look. We also felt comfortable just walking around the College for beautiful pictures instead of driving around the city.
The service you will receive as a College of Physicians bride is fantastic and I cannot recommend it more as a venue. Working with Elizabeth and Dan was a fantastic experience. Not to mention, throughout wedding planning you have the conversation piece of being able to say you are getting married in a place that houses a Museum of Medical History complete with skulls, a giant colon and a soap lady. What could be better than that?
The College of Physicians was a spectacular venue for our ceremony and reception. I loved that it provided a variety of spaces for different parts of the evening (including the bright library, which we used for the ceremony, and beautiful herb garden, which we used for cocktail hour). The space is formal but also offbeat, and doesn't need a lot of decoration to feel "finished," which I loved. Dan Love, the Catering By Design director, was ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL, not only about the food (which was great!), but also with coordinating the entire event. He was warm, organized, responsive, and creative. I'm completely thrilled with our experience at the College.
We had a fabulous experience with the CPP team. The venue is a wonderful mix of elegance and quirkiness (the presence of the Mutter Museum virtually guaruntees this) which was just right for our wedding. We were able to make use of the beautifully restored garden for cocktails, and the upstairs rooms made for a lovely space for ceremony and reception.
Liz and her team were wonderful to work with. They were responsive to emails from my first inquiry, and made themselves available for walk-throughs multiple times during my planning process. They helped us to facilitate drop-offs the week of the wedding, and generally made me feel taken care of throughout.
I highly recommend this venue.
The College of Physicians was such a picturesque space to have a wedding in that everyone's photos look amazing. The space is very accommodating to parties of almost any size (we had 140 guests). We had the ceremony in the Ashurst room, cocktails downstairs, and the dinner in Mitchell Hall. It was all in one place but it felt like a very dramatic change from one part of the evening to the next. We had the Mutter Museum open during cocktail hour to freak out our guests! A very special place.
I had my wedding at The College of Physicians and I am so happy with my choice! The atmosphere of the venue is so regal and beautiful - it required NO extra decorations, which was wonderful and cost saving. All of my guests were raving about this venue!
I was also so happy with their exclusive caterer - Catering by Design. As soon as I explained the vision of my wedding they completely understood and created the most amazing event.
I stumbled across the College and I'm ever thankful I did. This place made my wedding look royal! The staff was extremely helpful and my guests can't stop talking about how much they loved this venue. I love old buildings and beautiful architecture and this place had it all! Their exclusive catering co was awesome to work with... they took my ideas and ran with it and made a perfect evening!
Contact
19 South 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
The College of Physicians