The Columbus Athenaeum

Perfect Venue for the Perfect Event

Its almost a month after our wedding and we are still hearing about how wonderful our wedding reception was... The Columbus Athenauem was the perfect venue for our perfect wedding reception. We rented the Oak Room at TCA. The room has gorgeous woodwork and was more than... Read More enough space for our 205 guests. The day of our wedding the room looked gorgeous with the linens, centerpieces, and all of it... Working with TCA has been wonderful. I was planning our wedding from afar, so the fact that it was kind of a "one-stop" shop was really a blessing. Ann at the Athenaeum was awesome to work with. She was able to provide us with ample information to make an informed decision about our wedding reception and really guided us through planning, to make the perfect event. The food tasting was phenomenal... so much food... and it was so good and we felt confident that the food on our wedding day would be perfect for our guests. The days leading up to the event, I was in good order, thanks to Ann. Details were worked out. Food was ordered.... everything done in a timely manner, so I could focus on other things. The day of the event was perfect. The room looked impeccable. The food was delicious and a fun time was had by all. A 6-year old cousin raved that the water served from the bartender was the best he'd ever had. I've had really big, burly guys tell me how much they enjoyed their salad at dinner. I've had people tell me it was the best food they've ever had at a wedding.... and people cannot stop talking about the fun they had and how much they enjoyed the venue. If I had to do it all over again... I'd do it the same way. I wouldn't change a thing. Thank you all for your hard work and for hosting our perfect event!

The perfect fit

The Columbus Athenaeum was the perfect fit for us. We couldn't have been happier with it. Our reception was in the large theater. The room itself was so beautiful and really had the wow factor we were looking for. The food was incredible. Our guests said that it was the best... Read More wedding food they had ever had. Most of them are still talking about it. Gina was incredible. She worked so well with us and really helped us achieve exactly what we wanted. One of the things I loved most of all was that almost everything was included. They took care of our centerpieces, and additional decorations, food, drinks, linens, and tables and chairs. We didn't have to go through a bunch of different places and it was all quality stuff. They didn't try to nickle and dime us as we found with many places. They were open and honest with us from the beginning about prices. It really was perfect! Thanks to the Athenaeum I can look back at my wedding day and have no regrets.

Loved this venue!

We worked with Trisha and then Danielle at the Athenaeum and had great experiences with both. They each were very responsive via email and helped us as we planned a wedding from out of town. On the wedding day, Danielle and other employees seemed dedicated to making our event a... Read More success. Everyone enjoyed the food and loved the space. We got married in the Priory - lovely spot for a wedding - and had the reception in the Oak Room. All we heard from the guests were compliments on the venue and the service. We would recommend the Athenaeum to others in Columbus for sure!

We had both our ceremony and reception at The Columbus Athenaeum. The venue was absolutely perfect! We had a lot of guests coming from out of town, so having both events in the same place was ideal for our situation. We had our ceremony in the Macedonian Room which... Read More comfortably fit all 200 of our guests. We had our reception in the Olympian Ballroom which was the best choice we made throughout the wedding planning process. Not only is the room absolutely gorgeous, but it was also extremely spacious! We received many compliments from our guests about the beautiful set up. I am also extremely happy with the coordinating staff at the Athenaeum (big shout out to Gina!). There was not one thing that I had to worry about the entire night. The Columbus Athenaeum was the perfect venue for my husband and I. We recommend TCA to any bride who is looking for an elegant, spacious, and easy to plan venue.

Gorgeous Venue for a great price. Lots to offer to make any style wedding come to life!

I had a wonderful experience having my wedding at The Athenaeum! The ladies were excellent in helping with each stage of planning and the day of couldn't have gone any better. I got so many compliments from my guests on the flow from the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception,... Read More along with how beautiful and unique the venue was. I was also told by several guests that it was the best food they've ever had at a wedding. I'm so glad I had my wedding there!

I couldn't ask for a better reception. Everything turned out perfectly!! Gina was absolutely amazing to work with and making sure that every detail was taken care of. Our reception was in the Olympian Ballroom and it looked amazing. Gina and the staff were fabulous to us and... Read More our guests and made sure that the entire night ran smoothly. We've received so many complements on the room, the food, the decor, etc. There isn't one thing that I'd change. Overall an amazing experience and day. Thank you Gina and The Columbus Athenaeum!!!

Danielle and the rest of the staff at the Athenaeum were fantastic during the planning period! From the moment we toured we knew it was the venue for us. She was patient with us through all of our changes. It's a great place if you want an all-inclusive venue! I would definitely... Read More suggest The Columbus Athenaeum to other brides or people looking for an event space. Our food was delicious and everyone complimented it all night, the space was beautifully set up, and the staff were quick to help the bridal party with anything they needed. I'm giving the Athenaeum 4/5 stars because there were some problems with our event, but they were minor. 1. The staff lost our cake knife & server, and we had to use theirs. They found it by the end of the night & returned it. 2. The alcohol ordering process involves the client choosing quantities of each alcohol, but the mixers are the Athenaeum's responsibility. They ran out of several juices and fruits during the event, and that was irritating since we didn't choose how many to order. 3. I also asked the staff to speak with my parents if we ran out of any alcohol because they were paying for the bar, and I didn't want to know if we were running out. However, the staff came straight to me once we ran out of wine. I went with the flow and pointed out my parents, I just wished I didn't have to worry about money during the event. The only other note I would say is the Athenaeum is very strict about timelines and rules. If you aren't willing to have a venue like that, then maybe look elsewhere. Even though a few minor problems happened during our event everything else was perfect!

Danielle and the rest of the staff at the Athenaeum were fantastic during the planning period! From the moment we toured we knew it was the venue for us. She was patient with us through all of our changes. It's a great place if you want an all-inclusive venue! I would definitely... Read More suggest The Columbus Athenaeum to other brides or people looking for an event space. Our food was delicious and everyone complimented it all night, the space was beautifully set up, and the staff were quick to help the bridal party with anything they needed. I'm giving the Athenaeum 4/5 stars because there were some problems with our event, but they were minor. 1. The staff lost our cake knife & server, and we had to use theirs. They found it by the end of the night & returned it. 2. The alcohol ordering process involves the client choosing quantities of each alcohol, but the mixers are the Athenaeum's responsibility. They ran out of several juices and fruits during the event, and that was irritating since we didn't choose how many to order. 3. I also asked the staff to speak with my parents if we ran out of any alcohol because they were paying for the bar, and I didn't want to know if we were running out. However, the staff came straight to me once we ran out of wine. I went with the flow and pointed out my parents, I just wished I didn't have to worry about money during the event. The only other note I would say is the Athenaeum is very strict about timelines and rules. If you aren't willing to have a venue like that, then maybe look elsewhere. Even though a few minor problems happened during our event everything else was perfect!

TCA is the best venue around!

We had both our Ceremony and Reception at TCA and I was absolutely impressed with how everything went! Our ceremony was in the Priory and reception in the Oak Room. We initially started with Ann Clark, but as she had to retire due to health reasons, she hand-picked Gina... Read More Cristofani to be our new coordinator. Gina was fantastic! She met with us within days of the switch, put us at ease with her expertise and knowledge of weddings and our specific wedding plans, and was always quick to respond to any questions my husband and I or my parents had. We were able to bring all our decor items down for setup the week of, which was very helpful! My husband and I were even given the chance to get a sneak peek at our rehearsal of the Oak Room. The day before and the day of, she was on site, came to find me when I arrived at TCA, helped throughout the evening with getting us ready for the ceremony, getting our things downstairs, getting our guests down to the cocktail hour, and even came to find me before she left for the evening to see if there was anything else we needed from her or the rest of the staff. Everything was beautiful, and I wouldn't change a thing! They do have rules there and are sticklers for time, but we managed to abide by them just fine with no issues. The rest of the staff were equally as friendly and helpful - our captains at dinner were fantastic (1 saw me carrying my plate back from our stations and ran over to carry for me so I didn't spill anything on my dress!), they were constantly around making sure everyone had what they needed, and just very pleasant people to work with. Our decor went perfectly with the Oak Room, and we heard they are still talking about it! We had so many compliments from the staff - from the head chef to those helping us load carts into the service elevators to take to our cars at the end of the night. And the food was equally as fabulous! My husband and I knew we'd miss the cocktail hour due to pictures, but once we arrived we had our appetizer options (the meatball bar – which is a must!!, Spanakopita, Anti-Pasta platter options, and Bacon-wrapped Water Chestnuts) were waiting for us at our spots (which TCA told us they do for the Bride and Groom). All the station options we had picked we had personally tried at the tasting date and they did not disappoint! The head chef was there carving the Prime Rib, we had a pasta and mashed potato station, side items, the Chicken Beurre Blanc – all of it was delicious! Just like when we had sampled it all back in February. Also a plus is that the leftover wine and beer we were able to take home with us to use again in the future (since they are bought through the venue by the case). I know I will highly recommend TCA to any bride, and I know if we ever need a space (large or small) for a company function or other event, we'll definitely consider TCA. It wasn't the cheapest, nor the most expensive, but with what we got, it was definitely money well spent!! Thank you so much to Gina and the TCA staff! You were absolutely wonderful to work with, and thanks for making our wedding a dream come true!

Our wedding was over Labor Day this year. We had our reception within the Large Theatre. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE was raving about the space. They loved how unique it was as did we! We did not want a standard ballroom, so this was a perfect fit for us. We worked with Gina... Read More from beginning to end and she was such a great help. She was very knowledgeable about the space and the options the Athenaeum were able to offer. The food at the reception was also wonderful, so good! Overall, it was a great experience. I wouldn't change a thing!

September 2015 Wedding

If I did my wedding over, I would choose The Columbus Athenaeum 1000 times! We had a great experience from beginning to end-- I don't have a single complaint. We held our reception in the Olympian Ballroom. We worked with Danielle and she made everything from picking the menu to... Read More the decorations completely stress-free. She was a pleasure to work with! It was so nice to have TCA handle the food, decor and alcohol so I didn't have to find any outside vendors. The ballroom itself is beautiful so you really don't need a lot of extra decor, but they still have a lot of options to choose from. The food turned out great and several of our guests complimented about how good everything tasted. Overall, we were very happy and would definitely recommend TCA!

Gina, We want to extend our heartfelt thanks for all the work you did to make Amy and Josh’s wedding day truly their “best day ever”. The facility was perfect for our group and it looked magnificent. From the lobby to the Priory and especially the Oak Room. We had a... Read More vision with the food, linens, flowers, decoration, etc. but it could not have materialized without your hard work and guiding hand. Everyone commented about the entire experience and we know they really enjoyed themselves as did we. Please share with Chef Len that the food did not disappoint. We had so many people tell us it was the best food they ever had at a wedding and I would have to agree. I wasn’t able to sample everything but it wasn’t from a lack of trying!!! I can still taste the prime rib - yummmm. The staff did their job seamlessly and we hardly knew they were there as they went about their work but responded quickly with any request. They were very helpful in getting us carts etc. and helping us get to the loading dock and in record time. When I looked at my watch with the last load it said 11:28. Even I couldn’t believe it. I can not think of a single thing that went astray or was an issue. That is quite a feat. Again, thank you so much for the effort you made and how easy you were to work with.

I'm so excited to be using The Athenaeum for our wedding!! They made the booking process so easy, and I really like that they take care of everything in terms of food, linens, alcohol, and we even get someone to help us throughout the planning process. Every time I email my... Read More event manager, Gina she gets back to me super quick. She's been really helpful with recommending vendors, day of timeline, and pretty much anything else wedding related! I'll be sure to leave another review once our event is over, but so far I have nothing but great things to say about the Athenaeum!

Our wedding took place in the Large Theatre. Our colors were black and white with gold accents, so the beautiful gilded stage was a great backdrop for our reception. We loved working with Danielle Levulis, and everyone at TCA. They made everything very easy and were always... Read More professional. They have a lot of helpful paperwork outlining all of the options for food, set-up etc. The room was beautiful, and I loved that the food was in one area (not seen in the main area where we ate) and that there was a separate area for cocktail hour. Ive received rave reviews on the food and I agree! It was great, we went with the shortribs and apricot porkloin! Our appetizers were a big hit too- bacon wrapped water chestnuts, meatball bar and brie bites! It is annoying to have to clear everything out the night of the wedding, but I put an aunt/uncle in charge and they went to the Renaissance, picked up my car, and filled it with everything from presents to cardbox and the floral arrangements. That made things really easy. We were married close by at St Johns The baptist church, room block at the renaissance and rehearsal dinner at due amici- our guests loved that everything was close! TCA was an awesome pick and Im so glad we had a huge party there!

I couldn't have chosen a better Venue! My guest are still raving about the amazing food and beauty of The Columbus Athenaeum. I was looking for the Vintage/Rustic feel and this venue gave me just that! Danielle was absolutely AMAZING!! I had a hard time making decisions and she... Read More was never at a loss for words in helping me to chose things! I also liked that she explained why she liked and didn't like things! She knows the venue so well and will let you know what works and doesn't work. We got married in the Priory room. I switched out the chair covers to Ivory and it really brightened the room and made it feel very "churchy"... We chose to have the wedding here as everyone was from out of town and the convenience made it easier on all. We had our reception in the Grand Ballroom. It was simply amazing. From the photo booth, to the linens. My guest are still raving! And my photos are FLAWLESS!! 6 weeks later and I'm still getting compliments on how wonderful the meatball bar and bacon water chestnuts are! If you are looking for the unique venue with a wonderful, helpful staff- Look no further, ladies! And request Danielle, although, all the staff were amazing!

Megan & Stephen Wedding

This place was awesome!! They were very helpful and worked with us to meet our needs.

Great Venue, Great Staff

Food selection and service was excellent. The inclusion of an events planner at no extra cost simply by booking an event was an immense help. Plus the location was very convenient in relation to the hotel. Would definitely recommend.

Our reception was unbelievable!

We had our reception in the Large Theater- and I have never seen anything so unique and beautiful for a wedding! TCA saved us at the last minute when our original reception venue closed unexpectedly, and were so accommodating. Gina was awesome in helping us with the transition,... Read More and our reception was more beautiful than I ever expected. The staff was organized and took all of the stress out of the small details of planning, and had everything covered for us. We saved so much money on our bar with the way TCA has you preorder all alcohol. The food was great and we even got to meet the chef who helped us in our selections. We were so lucky our original venue closed because nothing could ever compare to the reception we had at the Athenaeum!

Gina and the staff at The Columbus Athenaeum went above and beyond our expectations when we pictured our wedding venue. From the moment we toured, we knew that this was the place for us! We got married in the Priory and our reception was in the Large Theater. The staff was very... Read More professional and Gina did an outstanding job making all of my visions come to life with how I wanted our wedding & reception to be. They literally handle everything for you in regards to set up, which makes wedding day stress minimal! Our friends and family can't stop telling us what an amazing time they had. Everything from the food to the linens was perfect. This is by far the perfect wedding venue because it has multiple rooms depending on your price range and guest count. You can't go wrong! The food was delicious and above our expectations, we chose the Ruby buffet with a few upgrades to allow more options for guests and it was easier on us to not have to keep track of who wanted which entree! If we had one complaint it was that the night went too quickly! You can't go wrong with this venue!

My fiancé (now husband) and I wanted to find the perfect venue for our dream vintage, downtown Columbus wedding, and from the moment we toured the Olympian Ballroom at the Columbus Athenaeum, we knew we had found the perfect venue for our reception!! Ann was our event... Read More coordinator and she was absolutely incredible! I am a very Type A person, and she was so organized, always responding to my emails within hours, answering any and all of my questions, and going above and beyond and match our vision of what we wanted our reception to be! When the day of the wedding came, Ann was right there, making sure that everything went smoothly and seamlessly, and it did! With her helping me plan the reception, there was no need for an outside wedding planner/coordinator. Our reception was absolutely stunning – our guests could not stop telling us how beautiful the ballroom looked! It perfectly fit our vintage, classic theme. The pricing is very reasonable as well! TCA has a pretty long and detailed contract, and they have many rules about anything and everything you could think of, so just make sure you read through everything prior to signing the contract and ask as many questions as you can think of!! We never had an issue, but only because we always asked Ann about décor, our cookie table, flowers, etc. beforehand! The best part of booking our reception at TCA was its location – our ceremony was at the Columbus Museum of Art (maybe 6 blocks down the street from TCA) and our hotel room block was at the Renaissance Hotel, which was right across the street! There was no need for shuttle service before/after the reception because everyone was able to walk to and from. It was so convenient! Also, the food was outstanding. Every single person who came to our wedding told us how delicious the food was!! My only complaint was their time restrictions. Our reception ended at 11:00 pm, and we had to be out (and by we, I mean every single person, vendor, decoration, etc.) by 11:30 pm or else we would be charged $100 for every 15 minutes you go over (which I think is absolutely ridiculous). We were able to make it out by 11:20 pm, but that wasn’t the type of stress I wanted at the end of my wedding day! We couldn’t book any later than 11 pm or else I would have just added an additional hour from the get-go. Regardless of this, TCA helped my husband and I create the perfect reception and one unforgettable night! I would definitely recommend this venue to anyone planning a wedding!!

Beautiful venue

We loved our New Year's Eve wedding at the Columbus Athenaeum. Gina was our wedding coordinator and incredibly helpful. She worked with our budget and made great recommendations on cutting costs and where to spend money. The food was AMAZING and everyone had a blast at our... Read More wedding and reception! The venue is gorgeous (we chose the large theatre for both the wedding and the reception) and everyone was commenting on how beautiful and unique the setting was.

Beautiful Space, Great Food, Sub-Par Service for the $

We went with the Athenaeum much like other people due to the "one stop shop" they offer doing the decor, set up/tear down, and provide the linens, centerpieces, lighting, food, and staff. We live two hours away and loved that we had a coordinator, Gina, to handle all the little... Read More details. We used the Macedonian Room for our ceremony and it was beautiful and fit all of our 180 guests. We invited 275 and the room holds 200 and is the largest ceremony room they have besides doing both ceremony and reception in the same larger reception space together. You only get 30 minutes to rehearse and the time is given to you (typically 3-3:30pm on Friday for a Saturday ceremony so party members had to take off work) and have strict time constraints and in the contract it states you will be charged $100 for every 15 minutes you go over on both rehearsal and reception times so just be leery and plan ahead. We had no issues with this and the vendors for the reception that are on their list know about this and plan accordingly as well. Our reception was in the ballroom. It was gorgeous and the food was delicious. We had ice cream sundaes and hot chocolate for our cocktail hour and everyone loved it. My only complaint was that it was pre-scooped and it was all melted, and there was a great variety of toppings. The guests loved this sweet treat and our "eat dessert first" mentality. The captain didn't seem to know that there were drinks pre-selected to have at the head table for toasts right away and came out to ask before we walked in what we wanted to drink. I told her those arrangements had already been made and there should be drinks there for the whole party. There was a lull and miscommunication between when speeches were going to be done and when dinner would be started. 10-15 minutes passed and no one was eating or talking so I said lets start eating but it didn't seem like the food was ready to be served. There were no attendants at the mashed potato martini bar (an upgraded cost) and people had no idea what the glasses were there for and just put the potatoes on their plates instead. We had a sparkler exit arranged with lighters and sparklers dropped off with our decor and my husband went to the coordinator to find them because they weren't anywhere around the reception space under a table or anything and they were locked up in the office and the lighters were still packaged and not ready, so he spent time on that. People didn't get cake as it took so long to get it served after our cutting. We also had a family member who has epilepsy have a seizure at the reception due in part to the heat of the ceremony room. Our family had it handled and the staff asked if they needed to do anything. We asked for a chair and water and never got them or any other check to see if he was okay and they seemed very unprepared for anything like this to happen. Luckily it wasn't a bad seizure and he was able to enjoy the rest of the evening but I was not impressed how the staff handled the situation. We also had memory photos of loved ones at the ceremony that were supposed to go to the reception and no one got them and my MOH set it up instead. Gina was fabulous with her communication and planning. It's a pretty venue with great food, but I don't think for the thousands of dollars we spent the service was what it should have been & staff was not up to par and my husband and I should not have had to lift a finger for the $$ spent.

Everything was perfect!

We worked with Gina for our wedding and she was great! Not living in columbus while planning the wedding but Gina was super responsive to all emails and very accommodating. The food was AMAZING and I only wish I could have had more time to enjoy it! We had both of ceremony and... Read More reception there and both rooms were beautiful! Thank you Gina!

Wonderful People

I am so glad that my coworker recommended that I book the Athenaeum for my wedding. The prices were fair, especially for the quality of service and product, and the food was amazing. I had guests coming up to me during the reception and commenting that it was the best food they... Read More had ever had at a wedding - the station package with the mashed potato bar is a must! We had our ceremony in the Priory with the reception in the Small Theater - definitely great to have them right across the hall from each other, given that the majority of our guests were from out of town, so almost zero travel time between ceremony and reception. Also, if you ask, they can give you wi-fi for the day if you need to Skype the wedding to those who can't be there (we had to for my mother-in-law, who was in the hospital). Would definitely recommend!