The Franklin Institute

We got married at the Franklin Institute in November. The event coordinator, Tara Harrison, went above and beyond! She was so kind, answered all our questions, and was extremely responsive. The day of staff also could not have been nicer and really helped put us at ease. Catering was fantastic and the food was delicious. It was a gorgeous, unique venue that I would highly recommend.

My daughter’s wedding was last week at the Franklin Institute. It was amazing ! I highly recommend this venue. Tara Harrison is so wonderful to work with . She was so helpful and responsive through the whole process . The wedding day was so organized and perfect! Thank-you also to Samira for all of the catering details. The Franklin is a beautiful venue

The Franklin Institute is a gorgeous, somewhat non-traditional venue in the heart of Philadelphia’s museum district. Its stately halls make for gorgeous photos, the planetarium and exhibits make for a truly out-of-this-world ceremony and cocktail hour, and the lighting and backdrop of Franklin Hall make for a memorable, bespoke reception space. The staff at The Franklin Institute worked with us and our coordinator to schedule a perfect day. They welcomed us in, fielded a number of questions throughout the process, and made sure every last detail was taken care of. Plus, their in house catering team was phenomenal—our friends still haven’t stopped talking about the cheesesteak station at cocktail hour and the sit-down portion of the meal was exquisite. We truly had so much fun getting married here, and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a beautiful, unique wedding venue in Philly.

My daughter had her wedding at Franklin Institute on 6/2/2023. It was beyond magical. So many guests used “perfect” to describe. I agree and I have high standards. Constance was a joy to work with; the service inside the planetarium with the light show was unique and the dinner in the rotunda surrounded by Big Ben was extraordinary. And kudos to a very professional wait staff as well. My daughter and her fiancé wanted a special event space. Franklin Institute delivered magic.

The Franklin Institute has always been my dream venue for as long as I can remember. The Franklin Institute is flat out gorgeous. It’s in the city that is near and dear to my heart. Everything about having my wedding at the Franklin Institute was perfect. Also, It was not hard to convince my husband to book this venue. My husband and I are Drexel University engineer alumni and what better place to celebrate our wedding then the best science museum in the country. Our wedding revolved around the availability the Franklin Institute. End of August it was and luckily the weekend before the “Made in America” festival. My husband and I booked both ceremony and cocktail hour/reception services. The two main ceremony locations are the FELS planetarium and the rooftop deck. At first, we considered the rooftop deck, but after considering potential weather concerns and overall guest count, we booked the FELS planetarium. During pre wedding walk throughs, my husband and I worked with Gina and Simon on lighting options in the Planetarium from the prelude, processional, ceremony, and recessional. Massive kudos to Simon for assisting us on using custom images for our ceremony in the planetarium. In terms of the cocktail hour, the changing earth, heart, and electricity permanent exhibits were a HUGE hit. There is nothing like being able to eat, drink, and mingle among the exhibits in a private event. My husband and I can’t express how perfect the reception was in the Franklin Hall as the Ben Franklin statue sat watch. Purchase the lighting package for the reception! Gina helped us customize the color scheme for the entire reception. We had different color configurations for dinner, dancing, and speeches. The stars projected on the marble floor for our first dance was probably our favorite part of the lighting package. My husband and I booked the luxury catering package with Levy catering (in house catering group) which allowed us to use the chivari chairs. These chairs were so worth it. Connie helped us with everything catering wise. We were able to make substitutions with alcohol, appetizers, and entrees. If we asked for something, Connie got it for us. My husband and I are so grateful for all of the organization and flexibility Gina and Connie had during this entire process. The clear communication amongst all parties created a stress free day where we could focus on creating beautiful memories, dance the night away, and stuff our faces with delicious food. We HIGHY HIGHLY recommend booking The Franklin Institute for your reception and/or ceremony venue.

DEFINITELY RECOMMEND! The Franklin Institute was so accommodating from the very beginning! I had to reschedule this wedding 3 times because of COVID, finally deciding to give up on Florida in 2021. I was looking for a venue with less than a year to go, and TFI was so responsive to my emails and inquiries that I was immediately sold. While waiting for another venue, I lost 2 other vendors, but once I found TFI, I felt like everything would work out - and it did! Gina DeGiovanni is phenomenal - she will be there for your every need, and knows weddings well! Connie, Samira, and the Levy catering team produced a customized menu including signature cocktails to celebrate my father and our dogs! The food was delicious and gorgeous, they listened to what we wanted (a brunch wedding) and made it happen. The decor was perfect, they even remembered everyone who doesn't drink and put sparkling champagne down for them without us having to say anything. The wedding team stayed with us and our guests, moving everyone through this complex museum in an expeditious way, taking care of older relatives and finding the best routes for them, and guiding us through the most efficient photo plan. I am so grateful for all of the help from this team!

The venue was gorgeous and our guests are still talking about how beautiful the event space was. Our contact was Gina who was present throughout the evening. Leading to our wedding it was very easy to coordinate and discuss what our vision was. My wife and I were extremely happy to have chosen the Franklin Institute. Not only was it a fantastic venue but they gave us no problems moving our date due to covid. It says a lot on how they treat their clients as I hear many horror stories of moving dates and losing deposits. Would 100% recommend the Franklin Institute and definitely add the lighting package.

Our wedding at the Franklin Institute was perfect and STUNNING! My husband and I knew we wanted our wedding to be in Philly because it represents us as a couple since we spend so much time out and about in the city. We have no regrets with choosing the Franklin Institute as our reception venue. It was an amazing night that our guests and we will never forget! My Mom and I booked tours at 9 different reception venues in Philly. The Franklin Institute was the first of our 9 visits. As a teacher that has had field trips at the FI, I just wasn't sure that I wanted to have my wedding at the same location that I've brought kindergarteners to for a field trip. Boy am I glad I gave it a chance. After seeing the Franklin Institute on the first day of our first visits, it was clear that every other venue paled in comparison. Sure, there were some beautiful venues but none of them came close to the unique and breathtaking elements that the FI had to offer. You can have your cocktail hour in the brain which is so unique. We loved that our guests could have an interactive experience! It was really neat for out-of-towners as well as people that just haven't been to the FI in ages. The light and sound package can't be beat! As your guests enter the main dining room, the lights change, a video plays and the whole reception experience transforms right before your eyes. You choose all of your light settings ahead of time and you are able to project any logos, photos or videos that you want! There are engineers on site the night of your wedding to ensure everything is running smoothly. We got lots of compliments on the slideshow we had running throughout the length of the reception. Even more amazing than the light and sound package?! The GINORMOUS statue of Ben overlooking the most amazing night of your life. You can't get a better dance floor than a true marble floor. We were able to line the stairs with candlelight which looked gorgeous. The chiavari chairs unfortunately aren't included but they are absolutely worth it and will make your room look amazing! We had a representative from the FI and one from the catering company that worked together to help us plan our event. On the night of our wedding, we had a bridal attendant that was amazing! She was there for everything we needed the entire night! We loved that there can only be one wedding per night so everyone was focused on our event and not multitasking with other weddings. They validate parking for $7 per car which is amazing considering it's Philly. Trolleys will drop your guests off at the front steps which makes for an epic entrance! The bathrooms are pretty ugly since they aren't a fancy venue but you can do things on your own to give them a personal touch. There are soooooo many amazing photo opportunities throughout the FI and they give the bride/groom and photographer full access. Lots of options as far as where you put your bars, your food stations, photo booth, etc. The food is all made from scratch from the Frog Commissary. We had a few bumps in the road during our two year planning process but overall everything was great; our wedding day was everything we dreamed of and so much more! The Franklin Institute is an amazingly unique venue that you and your guests will rave about. Thank you to Gina, Beth and everyone else that helped make our wedding reception the most special, amazing night of our lives. We will never forget it!!!

Our wedding at the Franklin Institute on November 10, 2019 was spectacular. People are still talking about it being the most beautiful wedding ceremony and dinner/party they had attended. The entire staff was attentive, knowledgeable, totally supportive and we didn't have to worry about a single detail from the moment of our arrival until our departure at the end of the night. I can't say enough about the entire staff and the wonderful Frog Commisary.

Our wedding (I am the mother of the groom) was held at the Franklin Institute on 09/01/19. The venue is just so cool!!! The chuppah at the planetarium looked amazing with all the lighting!!! The location is great! Many guests said that it was the most unique place they ever attended for a wedding. We had a lot going on with setup: personalized picture frames, bathroom baskets, table numbers, a personalized gift for the bride for the cocktail hour, a couple of fun stations for the guests. All these needed to be setup and arranged by the event team in a very short period of time. Everything was done to our fullest satisfaction and also everything was packed back for us upon leaving the venue. We also had a movie that we made to play on the TV in the Changing Earth room. Gina and the event team were accommodating for us to bring it in and try it ahead of the time. At the time of the trial I asked if we could have another TV in the Electricity room – the answer was no problem, we will get it all setup for you. And they did! The movie played in both rooms where all of our guests were able to enjoy them. Connie and the Frog Commissary team were accommodating also to setup the gift for the bride on the table for everyone to enjoy during the cocktail hour. The food was very delicious and very nicely presented. The fish and beef were amazing! The tables were decorated beautifully and tables arranged well so that there was plenty of room for guests to sit comfortable and to dance. The lighting in the room was fabulous! Acoustics were also great! Family pictures were taken up on the roof and they came out beautifully The wedding was held during the weekend of the “Made In America” concert, which made us all nervous preparing for it. Gina (the event coordinator) made sure we had directions, street closures and accommodating parking to assure everyone got in on time. Everything worked out just fine, all vendors and guests made it on time without any troubles.

Overall we had a beautiful wedding reception! We wanted something unique, but still elegant and we were definitely pleased. It does seem that weddings are not their "forte". There was some disorganization that probably would not have happened at a more typical wedding venue- simple things like: they forgot to ask me until 10 minutes before the reception if we had any tables that had more than 10 people (we did and I had to scramble to pull up my seating chart on my phone when I could've been enjoying the cocktail hour), they didn't light all the candles on half of the tables in the room until I mentioned it, they had bread plates with pats of butter but no bread available, and some of the items that we had dropped off to decorate in clearly labeled boxes were not put out at all. We also had guests that were not told many things- like where to exit and enter in order to receive our wedding take home treat at the end of the night, or that there was a dessert/cake table in Key Hallway. During our cocktail hour, our guests also did not immediately know that there for more food/drink stations throughout the exhibits, not just at the front- staff could have mentioned this as our guests entered. These were all small things that guests did not notice but as the hosts of the affair we did. In the planning process, we often had different points of contact which was confusing, and in the two days before the wedding we had a planned meeting with Gina in which she was late and tried to send two interns. No offense to the interns but it this is a once in a lifetime event and we needed to meet with the person we were planning with for the past year. Gina did reschedule with us and we eventually had our meeting and were able to drop off our items- however as previously mentioned some of those items never made it out for our guests to enjoy. We definitely enjoyed the unique atmosphere and we can't say enough kind things about the young men and women who helped us that night, and without them our night would not have been nearly as smooth! As a future bride and groom booking this venue, know that you are not booking a typical wedding venue and be prepared to ask for things to been done. Otherwise the venue is a spectacular space and our pictures are beautiful.

Started off with Olivia as our contact. She helped us book the venue and gave us our first tour of it when looking at venues. We were so captured by the tour we booked almost immediately after. Then we started hearing from Gina, who was the event manager? It got a little confusing who we were supposed to be talking to to coordinate everything. When we returned for our tasting, we also spoke with Gina about lighting. She was kind, but seemed annoyed at my husband's questions. We asked if she would be with us at our wedding, and she said for half of it. We didn't like that we wouldn't be with her the whole night, but I guess people can't work 24/7. We wanted our rehearsal 2 days before the wedding to avoid the city traffic and couldn't have it in the planetarium due to the fact that they had another event there that evening, which definitely made it more confusing for the wedding party the day of the wedding. (No fault of The FI). Sarah was our coordinator the evening of the rehearsal and half of the wedding. She was annoyed the entire time during the rehearsal, as we had a big family who was slightly difficult to corral. Our wedding party was only 8 people (not including us), I feel like you can't expect to move 20 people in a 3 minute time frame. I was very meticulous about bringing all of the supplies to The FI in boxes, labeled the night of the rehearsal. We were rushed to get the boxes from the car, and Sarah was not interested in what was in them or where the things should go. The day of the wedding, our bridal party and parents were clueless most of the time that my groom and I were out taking pictures. They were not given any direction of where to go and were meandering around a lot. We were told we could get pictures on the roof and given push back when we asked to go up there because there was about 0.5" of snow that needed to be shoveled. For the amount of money you pay to get married there, you shouldn't have to fight for this "luxury". At the end of the day the whole event was BEAUTIFUL and perfect. We even were gifted a one year subscription to the museum which was awesome. Overall, amazing experience. Loved the venue, loved the food. We paid for our guests' parking which was worth it. We got married in the planetarium and had the reception in the Ben rotunda. We added the lighting package, which was worth it. We also added the bourbon cherries and liquid nitrogen ice cream, which everyone enjoyed. I can't wait to see how spectacular the pictures turn out!

What a showstopper! The venue was the very first thing we searched for in preparations for our big day. Our guests were wowed with panoramic views, great location, top notch service, an amazing light show, & the coolest cocktail hour a wedding has ever seen! Weather moved our rooftop ceremony inside to the stunning Pepper Hall. We absolutely loved the beautiful bookshelves lined with votive candles for our ceremony he gigantic dark wood doors at the end of the room made for a spectacular entrance down the aisle. Beautiful views of our beloved city were visible from every window. After the ceremony, our guests were escorted to cocktail hour in Wisdom Hall & the Brain Exhibit. In the Brain, guests could climb through the two-story neural structure with lighting & sound features. A huge wow factor & perfect spot for some quick bridal party pictures! The optional lighting package in Franklin Hall is a must! It added so much color & fun to the space & the stars displayed on the floor during our first dance were magical. With the lighting package, we could indicate which colors we wanted at which intervals throughout the night as well as display a monogram on the pillars throughout the night. Completely customizable & very much worth it! Every step along the way we worked with very professional & helpful staff. Gina helped us organize everything- she is on top of it! We were very comfortable & felt as though we were spending our wedding budget wisely to invest in a venue that would be so memorable (& that we could visit in the future without it being weird haha). Pairing Frog Commissary catering with the Franklin is a perfect fit. They are very skilled at working together & know how to put a one of a kind event unique to each couple. The complimentary surprises we received in the mail a month after the wedding was such a treat! We look forward to visiting the Franklin Institute for many years to come to enjoy the museum as well as to remember our special day.

Most of the staff that we worked with were an absolute pleasure and did an amazing job. We loved getting married in Pepper Hall and having the exhibits open during the cocktail hour and... Franklin Hall for the reception!! It was so fun and everyone had a great time! There just was a little tooth pulling because the wedding was Jewish and we were doing things somewhat according to tradition. For the most part, things worked out, but I could have done without the stress of the constant back and forth during planning with the event manager.. who at the end said "now you can enjoy your first Christmas together". Well, we had a great time anyway.

We wanted to have our wedding in Philly, but somewhere special with Philadelphia style, but classy, and not the typical ballroom/banquet hall. So happy with our decision! So unique and gorgeous, eveyone loved the 20 foot Ben statue, huge ceiling and walls, and of course the interactive cocktail hour rooms! Also got many compliments on the lighting, it's worth it to splurge for the package. So happy with our choice and wouldn't change a thing :)

We had our wedding here in March 2017. Both of us are from out of town, so wanted to show our guests a classic Philly location for the wedding and this was an ideal place to do it. We had everything in the building - our ceremony under the stars in the planetarium, our cocktail hour in the brain exhibit, and our reception in Franklin Hall with Ben Franklin watching over the dance floor. We got tons of compliments from our guests for the beautiful, unique venue and the delicious food provided by their exclusive vendor, Frog Catering. The team from the Franklin Institute was also so easy to work with and accommodating.

The Franklin Institute was the perfect venue, and their entire team was extremely professional and helped to make sure our wedding night was spectacular! Everyone love the ambience from the dramatic starry planetarium to the fun science exhibits to the grand Franklin Hall, which made a great dance floor. Thanks to Gina, all our vendors and wedding party members worked seamlessly together and everyone knew exactly where they needed to be. Alli and Jill and the rest of the Frog Commissary Catering crew were wonderful throughout the planning process and the night of the wedding, making sure the dinner was delicious while fitting all of our dietary requests. All our family and friends loved the food, and they loved the feeling of the venue which is unlike any other wedding or celebration we had experienced. The venue is definitely on the pricey side, but it was absolutely worth it. The lighting in Franklin Hall, the sky in the planetarium, and the ambience of the whole museum made our night beyond amazing. My now wife and I are so happy with how everything went! Thank you to all the staff at the Franklin Institute and the Frog Commissary for assembling a wonderful evening!

Best Wedding Ever!!!! Gina was our wedding planner with the venue. She is so amazing. She brought my vision for the day into reality! Whatever she gets paid, it should be doubled! The entire staff is excellent. This was the coolest wedding venue ever! I didn't want the night to end. We had our ceremony in the planetarium too. I loved every second of working with The Franklin! The Frog Commissary was excellent too. The food was so delicious! I can't say enough about the service all around. If you are looking for a unique venue... look no further!!! I'm still smiling a week later.

Every guest had an awe inspiring moment when the doors opened and our reception room was revealed! We were able to access the brain as well which was really neat experience.

Everyone who came to our wedding said it was the coolest venue they had been to! And it really was. It was magic. Def spend the $1000 on the lighting package. We changed the room colors throughout the night to create different vibes, started with amber/pink, moved to deeper pink/purple, and during the last hour and a half, a very clubby purple, blue and pinks. Unreal and as far as all the stuff you shell at money for for the wedding, the best value. Frog, the caterer was awesome! The food was so great and the chef and Connie were super flexible and helpful, as we work to create our own entrees and appetizer. They, Connie and the chef, were just so great at coordinating. Everything was perfect and I am very fastidious so that means a lot. I would totally recommend this place! Also, I remember when searching for venues, I always wondered why no one put cost in. It's a $5000 rental fee for the place. The caterer with tax etc was about $200/ person. If you get married in the off season, I think the rental is more negotiable. Seriously, worth every cent.

First and foremost, the staff was VERY friendly and accommodating, but when it came to the day of the wedding, it was a complete circus! You would think that my wedding was the first one they ever did. Guests didn't know where to go, my people setting up the planetarium were locked out until 5:45pm when we were told we would have access at 5pm to set up. My husband, the groom, had to set up the room to speed things up! The coordinators were sending guests up to the bridal suite before the ceremony, people were yelling at me because they kept getting told different things form the staff there. There's nothing worse than being the bride and getting yelled at, at your own wedding by guests! My friend is a cellist and performs at wedding ceremonies and has been to over 1000 weddings, and said that it was hands down, the most unorganized event that she's ever been too. Although it was gorgeous and unique, I have to say, I'm not sure I would go the same route after spending all that money. It was extremely stressful to say the least.

The Franklin Institute was not only the best venue and location for our "Downtown Philly" themed wedding, but they had the best service as well. From planning months in advance to the actual big day, the care and attention to detail from each staff member, made our wedding the most special day of each of our lives. All of our guests agreed, it seriously was "The Best Wedding Ever!"

Our daughter got married this summer at the Franklin Institute. She didn't want to get married at the typical venues like a country club or a hotel but wanted a venue with character and uniqueness. We as parents wanted that too, but also something that fit our budget. After looking at farms (which were mostly badly maintained country clubs), private mansions, barns etc., we settled on The Franklin Institute because of: 1. The other worldly ambience of the planetarium, where the wedding was held; 2. the expansive area of the exhibit rooms; 3. the grandeur of the Franklin Hall with its beautiful lighting arrangements and the four floor-to-ceilings screens for projecting slides; 4. the innovative yet affordable cuisine provided by The Frog Commissary. During the planning for the wedding, the event coordinator staff gave us valuable guidance and were also very responsive to some of our unique needs. The planetarium projectionist spent hours with us to get just the right scenery and lighting conditions; the audio-visual staff moved up their maintenance schedule and replaced the bulbs of the projection system so that our slides of family pictures could be projected properly and also spent hours with us as we fine-tuned the equipment. On the big day we were, of course, still worried but the Institute and Frog Commissary staff were superb in their execution. So many of the guests took special trouble to mention to us how the venue made the event one which they would always remember and how flawlessly the entire evening was orchestrated. All in all, though, I think the Institute received its most important compliment when, our daughter said to me: "Dad, this is an awesome wedding!"

We held our cocktail hour on the rooftop deck of the Franklin Institute- the rooftop overlooked Philadelphia- the city skyscrapers. Our reception was amazing- with ben franklin's statue in our room, and 85 foot ceilings with beautiful columns.;We needed more lighting on the rooftop deck.