Kept wondering what this was, and today saw a show here. It used to be a Masonic temple. Big, with several different rooms for different events. We were in a big theater on the third floor. Acoustics were good, sight lines were good, easy entry and exit for our big group. Beautiful decor. Downstairs I saw another room that could be used for dinners or weddings. Some street parking, some lots. A spot out front for drop offs. A bit rough in back corners, etc., but kept up pretty well. No drinking fountains I could find, on our floor or the one below- figured they would be by the bathrooms there, but no. Definitely a nice spot to see a show or have an event. read more

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Decent concert venue. Signs weren't super clear on where to enter, but enough people ahead of us popped into a side door that we were able to figure it out. Once inside, plenty of security employees guided us through the different hallways up to the third floor. The space itself is clearly pretty old -- the seats have seen a lot, but it's really cool that there ARE seats in addition to the general admission floor area. As a tall person, it was uncomfortable to turn and face the stage because all of the chairs are aimed toward the center of the floor rather than the stage. For this show (maybe not all shows) the merch tables were inside the venue instead of out in the hallway, which was an interesting choice - it's nice that you don't have to miss any of the show to stand in line, but at one point it gets to be unclear of where the merch line is and where the crowd is just enjoying the show. Since this was my first time, I'm not sure if it's the acoustics of the room or just the mix of this particular show but it was a little difficult to hear, particularly at the beginning of the show. It got a little better further into the show (which makes me lean toward a mix issue, or at least learning the room) but it took me out of some of my favorite songs at the top of the set list. I'd probably go again, but this isn't at the top of my favorite venues list. read more

The Athenaeum was a complete secret to me until we went to see the Vindys. This is a pretty cool venue in the downtown area that's just unassuming. We had no idea what the building was or the purpose it served. Turns out the place has a couple of historical theaters for receptions, concerts etc. we were in the small theater and watched the concert from the balcony. My only complaint- super hot inside. read more

I visited the Athenaeum to see the layout of the banquet hall for a wedding reception photography shoot. I called ahead and made arrangements with a pleasant young woman who met and gave me a tour. She allowed me to stay as long as I needed to take preliminary shots and do lighting tests. Our location was quite spacey with good depth to see the front without obstruction. There is a small stage to suit many of your needs and dim lighting, which I assume to be adjustable (see my photos). When I returned the day of the reception, both she and her team of caterers and hosts were nothing but kind to me and the guests for the duration of the evening, going above and beyond to meet my/our needs (despite the fact that I was having a nightmare shooting experience, through no one's fault but fate. Still, they helped me salvage the evening, for which I'm forever grateful). I'll be sure to look them up when/if my kids ever get married (hopefully not before one of them moves out!). read more

The Columbus Athenaeum - Checking out the location before my wedding reception shoot. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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We were there for a music concert. The seats were very old and uncomfortable. The whole no cell phone policy before the open act evening started was ridiculous. The staff was all over people who tried to use them. Very overzealous. The venue is old and needs updated. The railings were not all in place. It didn't seem ADA friendly. I wouldn't recommend this venue for concerts. read more

Saw a show there last night. When I bought tickets the email said doors open an hour before the show which would have been 7pm. 2 days before the show they sent out an email saying will call opened at 5, it didnt (when we bought tickets the only option was will call). So everyone lined up for 5pm. The confusion left ppl out in the cold for over an hour. The building had no heat and I mean absolutely freezing. The band even complained several times. The "security" were on power trips and had attitude problems. One came up for no reason at all and gave me crap about seats next to me. 3 ppl who I was NOT with put there coats on the seats and left to go buy food at the bar. Some how this was my problem according to the little lady in the security Tshirt who told me "if you get up to go to the bathroom and someone wants your seat you're out of luck" and was lecturing me about the seats with coats which again were NOT MINE. She was trying to create problems where there were none. You have to climb up a good amount of stairs to get to the actual theater, like 4 flights. The experience I had with staff and instructions put out by them was probably the worst I have had for a show but the theater itself is pretty good for seeing a band. There isn't a bad seat in there but my advice is bring a blanket. read more

Handicap accessible door was locked and had no doorbell! Restrooms we were directed to by signage outside venue room (restrooms were on different floor) had no accessible stalls. Toilets were practically child level and no grab bars or room for wheelchairs or walkers. Shockingly poor accessibility! read more

If you are looking for a venue that has video screens audio and video equipment, service for dining, excellent food (chef), and professional management you need to book Columbus Athenaeum. Natasha was the event coordinator for my event and she was involved from the beginning to the end. This historical building is so beautiful on the inside you will not need decorations. I highly recommend this event hall you will not be disappointed. Deborah Winters read more

We signed with them for our daughters wedding. Lori has been a pleasure to work with. She is right on top of things and has suggestions as well. The food tasting was delicious and plan on the wedding dinner to be just as delicious! I will add more to this post as our daughter is getting married this weekend! Our daughter married and the service and dinner was everything we imagined! The food was delicious and the service outstanding. Our reception area was spacious for dining and dancing! This was the perfect place to host our event! Lori was wonderful to work with! read more

First time here; didn't know there were concerts held here but I jumped at the chance to see John Waite's show, which was last night. It was in the small theatre on the 4th floor. It is lovely here. I know there are high school proms, and weddings at this venue, obviously in larger rooms. They had large round tables with chairs arranged for the show and I thought, this is how to see a show. It was comfortable and cushy, and although you could go to the bar for a drink, they also had table service. Everyone was very friendly and efficient. The sound was decent. The ladies room was very nice. There was a balcony and I was glad they were allowing people to sit up there too. read more

This is the perfect venue. So pretty. The people are so nice. The food is wonderful. Absolutely the best space in town to plan your event. Close to everything downtown for a true Columbus feel. So far the staff has been easy to work with to plan my wedding. read more

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I highly recommend the Athenaeum. They are patient, kind, professional and knowledgeable. I did extensive research, received many quotes and decided on the Athenaeum. With my chaotic work life, a hip replacement, and re-planning the same wedding 3x due to covid... I could not have asked for better people to work with. Always prompt responses and did everything in their power to make my day special. I am very thankful for their flexibility and support. I had my ceremony and reception there. Everything was perfect. I am so grateful for Gina, for all that her and her staff did for me. Thank you Thank you Thank you! read more

Very cool venue. I could easily see a big band on stage and flappers dancing on floor. Or a wonderful service

I was a bridesmaid for a wedding held here this summer (Summer '18). I understand the pricing was great and having the ceremony and reception in the same building is always very nice. The wedding planner we interacted with before the ceremony was very nice and helpful, but either told us things that weren't true or was unsure of the venue standards. I know how frustrating the service industry can be and they had many weddings going on this weekend. However, it felt the staff was almost daring someone to fight with them. We originally had been told the bridesmaid's bags would be carted to the reception after the ceremony. When I asked if they needed help moving the bags I was informed that we can move our own belongings and they weren't responsible for them. Again, I assume it was a miscommunication between the woman helping us and other employees. Not that big of a deal, but the attitude in which I was corrected was a little unnerving. Two things ruined this place for me. 1 - the most judgey bartender I have ever had the pleasure of trying to order from works here. I had attempted to order shots upon arrival at the wedding for the bridal party upon the bride's request. Rather than being told no we don't do that, can't do that etc. I got lectured about how I didn't want to be that girl at the wedding. It was condescending and I got a good mansplaining for five minutes how i needed to watch my drinking for the evening. This was the very first drink I ordered. I wrote this off and just asked the lady for a different drink instead and figured that'd be the end. I also checked with the bride to see if they had requested the bartender keep the drinking low-key. They had not. Later, another bridesmaid ordered a double and she received the response "It's only 9:30" and was given a barely alcoholic beverage instead. If you want to pass this much judgement on young women, don't be a bartender. 2- A bridesmaid was helping clean up (we were indeed out by 11:30 pm) and she had placed her personal belongings and bag on a table by the door for easy access. It "went missing". Without her keys, phone, ID, or plane ticket she contacted all bridesmaids and as many party goers as she could in search of the missing bag hoping someone had grabbed it. The staff asked her to leave because they needed to lock up and she did. She returned later after checking the hotel and with other party-goers and begged them to please check the reception one more time. She was told it was late, they wanted to go home and she could come back Monday. That would have been great, except she was flying out for Colorado the next day. The stress this caused was unnecessary and it completely ruined this bridesmaids night as well as created a lot of tension trying to find this bag with all of her information in it. Monday she called the venue, one of the employees had moved it into a box in a room that was staff only. She had not misplaced it - they had moved it, then refused to help and apparently communicating with each other to solve this problem was just too much effort. Overall - decent food (very midwestern), unprofessional and rude staff that ruined this venue for me. I know the service industry can really test you and bad days happen, but damn ladies... Hopefully it was just a bad night and this isn't the usual experience. read more

I was a special sort of bride when working with the Athenaeum... like most of us I and my now husband have champagne taste on a beer budget. I also have had personal experience with event planning and working many high end parties for NYC elite. I knew what I wanted: a vintage inspired wedding in the large theatre, drooping romantic flowers, and stellar food. The Athenaeum and specifically Anne Clark, Chef, and team delivered their part. As I had mentioned before I was a special sort of bride, and wanted everything a particular way. I went back and fourth with Anne on a lot of things, from the linens, to the napkin fold, to which chairs would be in the cocktail space... My husband and I were very particular about the cheese display and what food we wanted served then. A few months before our wedding we "dropped in" on a set up for another wedding in the space we were using. We noticed the cheese display, in our opinion it was very casual, and propped with silk flowers and rope light. This was not the look we were going for. We discussed various options with Anne, I sent her images of how I wanted the display to look and we finally settled on ordering special artisan cheese from Whole foods to be displayed with cascading fruit, nuts, broken open pomegranates, figs, and herbs. The final display was beautiful and exactly what I wanted. I can not comment on the actual food off of the buffet unfortunately because I really didn't eat... but people commented that it was good. The other concern that the Athenaeum addressed was the light focus on the proscenium of the theatre. My husband is a lighting specialist for Broadway and every time we went in to the theatre the lighting was out of focus or slipping position and not hitting its target. This would be embarrassing to show our professional theatre friends. The Athenaeum did address this and hired a few people to adjust the lighting the day before our event. Based off of the responsiveness of Anne I really wanted to give the Athenaeum an A... but there were a few things built into their policy that I did not like. The few things that made me give the Athenaeum a B was the crazy food tasting policy. Once you've booked, you and your fiance are allowed to come to the venue and pick up one "to go" bag of the food that is being served that night for parties that evening. This "to go" bag is filled with samples of the food - and is a "chef's choice" assortment the (copying from the information and policies page) "purpose of the tasting is not to sample each specific menu item, but rather, to sample the quality of food in order to gauge TCA's techniques in flavoring, preparation, and style." I feel that this policy is absolutely wrong especially for the money that we are paying, and I hope it changes in the future. While at the tasting there were things that I did not like to things that were pretty good, I found nothing stellar because, well, the food was reheated... Again, the Athenaeum worked with us to get a good menu. The other thing that I did not appreciate was the $200-$300 charge for them to set up a table so my family could bring in cookies... What I thought was strange was that if I had a DJ I got this table for free, but since I had a band (and paid an extra fee for the band) the table was taken away. (shrug) Over all my experience was good with the Athenaeum, the setting is beautiful and the building is stunning. We had a perfect wedding and reception. read more

Nickle and Dimed.... i agree with the previous 2 posters that the Athenaeum takes great pains to charge you for whatever they can, and when they can't they find some late fee or another to throw in. But you can't fault a business for acting like well, a business. My biggest complaint is how I was treated when I had a legitimate gripe. We contracted to have butlered drinks during the cocktail hour. They flat out just didn't do it. When I brought this to the Athenaeum's attention, they offered a meger 45 dollar refund since that's what the butler service is 'a la carte' The way I see it, what I contracted for was not 45 dollars worth of butler service, but rather the immense value of my guests not having to wait in line for a long time for their first drink. Especially since we had dropped thousands of dollars on this place. This is not grandma's backyard, I should get exactly everything I paid for when making that kind of investment. After I contacted them by email, I received a very long voicemail from a male employee that I had not previously worked with who basically told me that I was incorrect to be upset. Overall, however I was happy with the service during the actual wedding, and with the planning beforehand. The Athenaeum is certainly 'brisk' with their clients, don't expect warm customer service. But it is a beautiful location, so maybe that can be overlooked. read more

It is said that a classic or re-purposed building carries a certain patina. Let's just call the masonry and stone exterior old, weathered and in need of restoring. Originally built as a Masonic lodge, the original square and compass logo of the order appears in stone near the rooftop. Inside you'll see impressive original woodwork the likes never to be seen in modern times. However much of the building is in need of modern facility upgrading, like lighting (quite dim) and audio (non-existant). We attended a wedding as guests in the Macedonian Room, a bit larger than a shoebox. Lighting over the room is incandescent single fixture chandelier with a dimmer switch and there was no lectern or podium provided. If a person will be doing a reading, expect to hold a wireless microphone in one hand and juggle the script with the other. Hopefully you'll be able to see the script. The Macedonian room acoustics are essentially an echo chamber. We were pleased with the Olympian Ballroom which held the wedding reception. Plenty of room, comfortable banquet table seating and a huge dance floor. The acoustics were much better here and the deejay had no issues. We were here as invited guests. Brides should be aware that the facility has pluses and minuses, so do your due diligence and determine your needs before you book your event here. read more

Unlike the other posts I am not a bride. I had the privilege of attending a wedding at the Columbus Athenaeum this past weekend. I was looking forward to the wedding because the pictures on the venue website looked spectacular. Move to the day of the wedding. Due to a huge traffic jam getting into Columbus my boyfriend and I were running late. My first reaction to the inside? Creepy. We entered from the 4th St entrance and I thought we were entering a courthouse. (It probably also didn't help that everyone was already in the theater). We followed signs and headed up to the large theater. Luckily we ran into some staff members that were great and told us how to sneak into the ceremony since we were 20 minutes late. HOWEVER....ladies be warned: if you arrive late to a wedding at the Columbus Athenaeum your footsteps will be heard and echoed. When we entered the theater I had to slip my adorable heels off to deafened our entrance. While I was happy with the food choices, I was disappointed by the venue's atmosphere and overall appearance. Once the music started and the lights were dimmed I was immediately transported back to my high school homecoming. read more

The Athenaeum is a truly remarkable place. I first discovered this venue when I attended an Underoath concert there, and I saw that they were advertising that they also hosted weddings. My then-fiancé and I went back for multiple tours and fell in love with the venue. It's full of history, and beauty, and I have not seen anything like it before. I love the Athenaeum. We booked with them last year, and our coordinator was Jackie. Jackie was very attentive, helpful, kind, and responsive. I cannot thank Jackie enough for all of the effort that she put into our wedding. She truly was such a joy to work with. The staff are all kind, and easy to work with. It makes me sad for multiple reasons that our wedding was canceled (not because of the Athenaeum), and I did not get to see all of our efforts unfold. But I can vouch that the Athenaeum is an amazing venue, and hAs amazing people working for them. read more

Hubby and I attended a wedding at this venue on Saturday and it was beautiful! The room where the ceremony took place was every bit as special as a wedding chapel in Italy. The frescoes were very nice and the décor perfect for the occasion. The reception room was the right size for the 150 guests and the LARGE wedding party--seated on stage. Having the bride and groom introduced and then appearing in one of the upper balconies was perfect. Lots of room for dancing and displaying the cake. Totally recommend this unique venue for any special occasion. (Re the parking, we stayed at the Marriott Renaissance and walked the 2 blocks to the wedding.) read more

When I went to the pine room that's open weekdays from 11 to 230 it was AMAZING great service but the most amazing thing is the cook when I asked for the cooks name they said it was Amanda . read more

First let me say the food was fabulous-NO complaints. The management and running of the place is something else. The low points "short" list: -I have talked to 2 other people who had the same problem as me: our cake topper was never put on the cake. It was clearly marked with the last name in a bag to our cake person. It was in the box along with all our other decorations. Wouldn't you think a company that does this MANY times a month would get this right? BTW-we have never seen our cake topper since. -make sure you go over EXACTLY how many oeople are sitting at each table. And sign your room diagram CAREFULLY. I went over the # of people at each table over the phone and when I came in to sign off the "room diagram" was told I just needed to sign for the arrangement of the tables. HUGE mistake! The night of my reception I am greeted by a riled employee who states "there aren't enough places for people to sit at tables 5 and 8 and they are mad". I have no idea who is sitting at the wrong tables...and isn't that YOUR job to take care of-not the bride!! -also at the end of the night, we were ready to take some of the cake home. We were told there was no cake box left. I checked with the baker-she stated there was a box left right next to the kichen cake. -they also tried to charge me for 3 more people (LONGER story) and it took me 2 months to finally get a refund. I don't know if they are understaffed, just doing too many events or what the problem is. The facility is nice, however you might want to look elsewhere. read more

This place is a joke! This maintenance guy maybe owner I don't know because he would not identify himself was rude as hell. The place even smelled like sewer gas inside. Must be a cheap place to rent for an event. Good luck. read more

Be sure to have written into your contract with anyone not on the "preferred vendor" list the Athenaeum provides that the vendor only has 30 mins to load up and get out after the ceremony. Even though they give 2 hours for the load in, we lost our non-preferred vendor deposit of $300 b/c one of our vendors was 10 mins late getting out. After such great service from the Athenaeum it just felt like a cheap way for them to make a buck at the end of it all, when my wife and I weren't anywhere around to prevent it and it was our $$. In retrospect 30 mins is crazy to get everything out that you bring in and we should have had it in our outside vendors contract. read more

To the Columbus Athenaeum and Gina our wedding planner: Thank you for making Jess and Larry's wedding very special. They both loved the event, and the guests had a great time. We were able to pick the food from many selections and it was all great, including the appetizers and the variety of desserts. We used the venue's baker and had multiple flavors of cake plus cake pops, macaroons, truffles, and whoopie pies that was a real hit with the guests. We also used a florist from TCA recommended florist list. This was Tracey Zody from Z Creative. She was very imaginative and creative, and fit the flowers to the theme of the wedding. The flowers were beautiful! I liked the beautiful look of the venue and we got many, many compliments on the Priory Chapel and Small Theatre reception areas. We had a wedding of about 150 so we picked the size of rooms to fit our wedding. It is amazing to have 130 of their friends there for support, plus our families. We had a band for the reception and a violinist for the wedding. Gina really worked with both of these vendors to get all of the details set. The program timeline was perfect. Gina was great to work with, explained details, asked the right questions, and remained very calm throughout the wedding planning period. Her staff was great as well, and very helpful in the setup and break down of the wedding. I would definitely recommend TCA to anyone interested in a Columbus wedding. read more

COLUMBUS ARCHITECTURAL GEM! I have always been super impressed with this venue. After attending a handful of weddings and corporate functions in several of their spaces I can review their food as consistently exiting and it gets better... they have concerts there now!!! The original builders from the 1800s would be happy to know that this gem is being used for celebrating life's high points and attracting great musical talent and all their adoring fans! Can't wait to see Justin Furstenfeld in August. THANKS TCA!!!! read more

I was reading all of these recent reviews about The Athenaeum and thought "there's no way they could be talking about the same place I went to a wedding at". I wasn't a bride but I've been a guest at two weddings and both were AMAZING! I've been in the hospitality industry for years and have a very high standard and am more critical on food, service, etc. than the average guest. First, the venue is absolutely stunning. If you're looking for a cookie cutter hotel ballroom or stale banquet hall than this is NOT YOUR PLACE! There is no other venue in Columbus like this. The architecture is stunning and so unique. A lot of reviews on here were complaining about the parking, which I honestly just don't understand. We were able to park in a lot that was a block away from The Athenaeum with no problem. Sure it's a little bit of a walk but if you take into consideration that you're downtown than it's really not that bad. The food at both weddings was so delicious!! The meatball bar as an hors d'oeurves was so yummy! They're like the meatballs you get at Marcella's and I seriously could have eaten a plate of those for dinner. At the first wedding we went to I had the pork which was carved by a chef who was super friendly and kept the lines really moving. As I mentioned earlier, I've been in hospitality and when my friend told me she was having a buffet I cringed a little because I was worried about waiting in line. The second wedding I went to we had the prime rib, again carved by a chef. The prime rib was comparable to what you might get at any decent steak house and was perfectly cooked (not over cooked like so many chefs do). I was most surprised by the food because when you think "wedding food" you think gross rubbery chicken, which this definitely was NOT. The servers were very friendly and efficient. During the dinner someone came over to our table to check on everything (I'm assuming she was a manager) and I commented on how impressed I was with their service and food. Both weddings I went to had full bars and I really can't remember there being a line at either. I wasn't a bride, and I can't speak for them throughout the planning process but the end result was absolutely amazing! We had such a good time and I'm hoping we have more friends choose them as a venue so I can eat more meatballs :) !! read more

A great event space. The Olympian Ballroom is gorgeous and the theatre is a very unique space as well. The staff is extremely accommodating and easy to work with for events. The food is all done in house and is exceptional! Stop in to check it out and you might be able to try a meatball or a chocolate buckeyes as they usually had samples when I popped in. The location is great, in a desirable end of Downtown Columbus that puts you near hotels and some of the better restaurants in Downtown Columbus (Gay and Pearl St). read more

Nice venue, but they serve people who are well past drunk and don't have security for concerts. Ruined a lovely evening when a drunk repeatedly slammed into me and despite gesturing for help, got no assistance form the people supposedly monitoring the crowd. read more

We recently had our son's wedding ceremony and reception at the Columbus Athenaeum. We were on a tight budget and I researched MANY venues in the Columbus area before we picked the Athenaeum. It was two years in the planning and now our big day is over. I wanted to write to make sure all of you planning your events know that the CA was AMAZING in every capacity. They are efficient, affordable, flexible, friendly, helpful and on the day of the event were extremely attentive. My husband was so impressed how every time we turned around and needed something that one of the two attendants were there to get us whatever we needed. We had many comments from guests on how delicious the food was. We HIGHLY recommend the CA for any event and would use them again in the future. read more

I love the Columbus Athenaeum! I had my wedding reception in the ballroom on St Patrick's Day, and to this day my family and friends say that it was one of the best wedding receptions that they have ever attended. The atmosphere is very elegant and there are lots of fantastic photo opportunities inside the building. In addition, the food was amazing. The chef is a genius! As a bride, you have a lot of emotions and concerns that seem to multiply as the big day gets closer. The staff was very knowledgeable and courteous. Gina Cristofani was very approachable and answered my questions with amazing timeliness. She took my crazy bride brain in stride. Receptions can be expensive, but they are expensive everywhere. I truly believe that you get what you pay for, and I don't regret any of the money I spent on my wedding, The staff at the Columbus Athenaeum provided me with a fabulous wedding reception and I thank them for it. read more

Having been to the Athenaeum for weddings and holiday parties, I was surprised to read the concert I'd bought tickets for in Feb 2017 would be held at the Athenaeum. Since, I've been again for a concert. Each times a different room, size crowd and experience. Beautiful details and classic antiques. read more

I had the honor to attend a wedding reception at the Athenaeum on Dec. 31 2017. The place was beautiful. The meal was prepared well. I was satisfied with my meal. But, the staff was very unprofessional. First of all it was very cold and icy that evening, unfortunately the staff did NOT apply salt to the front entrance. They were aware of the situation but did nothing about it. I witnessed four ladies fall as they were leaving the building. I heard that others fell as well and many others slipped and held onto the railing for dear life to prevent a fall. They ran out of some alcohol before 9:00 pm. Totally unacceptable for a wedding and especially for New years eve! How can you be unprepared for alcohol on New years eve? Since they provide the booze there should be no excuses. There is a formula for this type of thing but obviously it was not followed. I really think they ran out on purpose so they could gouge the bride and groom and charge what they want for more alcohol! Also, they only supplied two bartenders and the wait for a drink was quite long. Again, totally unacceptable! Staff was very rude and used foul language. I could go on and on but i won't. I would not recommend this place for a wedding only because of a rude and incompetent staff! Do your due dillagence. read more

Pros: Our wedding was gorgeous, beautiful and elegant. Our wedding coordinator was wonderful and I loved working with her! She was prompt in responses and always tried to be available when I came to town as I was an out of town bride. The food tasting was delicious and very well done. We had a cookie table, which is not the most convenient addition to a reception. The coordinator worked really hard to give us what we were looking for, and the cookie table was the highlight of the evening! The food was delicious, and we heard wonderful comments from all of our guests about how beautiful our reception was. Cons: We were one of the "unlucky" ones who booked The Athenaeum before they acquired a liquor license. When we met with them initially they raved about how cost effective it was to be able to get alcohol outside the venue. We booked with them with this in mind with our budget. A few months down the road we hear they had acquired a liquor license and we were now legally bound to order through them. We had already found another vendor for our alcohol, but still had to use them. It seems strange they had no idea they were getting a liquor license when we signed the contract. When we met with our coordinator we found out that management was not going to provide any additional "accommodations" for the inconvenience of the change. We then learned that we would not be able to keep OR sell back any unopened liquor we hadn't drank but had already paid for. This seems very unethical to keep liquor WE PAID FOR and sell it at a higher cost to other wedding parties at another date. We also were not able to take home any of the DELCIOUS food left over from our wedding. I know many couples who were able to do this after their reception with other venues. Again, another way The Columbus Athenaeum failed on customer service. My father had spoken to management at one point during the alcohol issue and the man was defensive from the beginning of the conversation and wouldn't listen to his comments. We weren't looking for free alcohol, just additional services for the inconvenience of changing the policy after we signed a contract. Overall, the Athenaeum is a beautiful venue, serves amazing food and we had an amazing time. Their policies are fairly extreme, and management is a pain, but their staff are wonderful and accommodating as much as they can be. Brides, just know the policies WELL before you sign any contracts! read more

Beware! In the end all they care about is the money. Be sure to read over your contract. Because following the wedding they will take your deposit without you even knowing amd pretend like they never knew you. This place is a scam! So sad ... read more

BUYER BEWARE!!! The Columbus athenaeum has the WORST customer service I have ever experienced. We had many issues and then the mail lost our deposit refund and TCA made us pay the stop payment fee of $35. I feel that since they issued the check they should have waived that fee. Customer service was cold at the wedding and lacking throughout planning. Myself, and my mother felt like we were just another event, and while TCA may put on numeorous events in a week, I only get married once. Never once throughout the day did Ann ask if we needed anything, or if we had any concerns. Unfortunatly the lack of flexibility and misleading statements from TCA have caused me to refrain from having anymore events there and also spread the word at the poor service we recieved. We really got sucked in by the beauty. I wanted my bridal party to have appetizers, but to have some plated for them would have been $50, but Ann assured me they would be able to get some during pictures ( she said pics would only take 15 min),but who wants their bridal party to go into the reception before introductions? it didnt matter cause there was no time. We were so rushed to get out of the bridal suite we could barely get pictures at all after the ceremony.(I offered to pay extra to keep the bridal suite all night but TCA does not do that. The bridal party had to put all of our things in a cart and then dig through when we wanted something. TACKY. Also there were points in the night when I really needed a breather and had no where to just have a minuite alone with my husband. (I was in a wedding at Pinnacle and the bridal suite was open the entire time and they brought us hor d'ouerves during pics for no extra cost) . The hor d'oeuvres should have been butlered but that was not the case so there was a huge line anyway which the bridal party would have never made it through. When I mentioned this to Ann she looked at her paperwork, told me I was correct but "it's no big deal , we will refund you the money!" I was hoping for any apology too, but it really was "no big deal" to her. I was paying for a service for my guests. It wasn't about the money. TCA had plated some apps for us (the bride and groom) which were cold by the time we came in. Three of my guests told me the hor d'oeuvres were taken away by 5:30 pm, since I was not in there though I can not verify this. Also we had strawberries and buckeyes coming out at 8pm. However they were set out much earlier with the cake and when that was told to Ann she just said "I know" and walked away. Once again there was no apology. Which brings me to my next point. I had to ASK them to cut the cake. The cake should have been taken back right after my husband and I cut it so it would be served when dinner was over. Our photo booth vendor was not allowed to bring in his props. This was upsetting because we were told by Ann that photo booths were fun and everyone loves props. If we knew certain props were not allowed we would have just told the guy to bring hats or something. TCA needs to add the candy table option to the menu. It was not on the menu we got in Sept. 2011. So, I bought all the supplies to have my candy table, then I learned TCA DOES offer this after I talked to Ann about renting an extra table for the candy. I opted not to have the candy table because Ann said I would still have pay $250 even though I had all the supplies, because TCA has to clean up candy mess. Why are there service fees on room rental?? My mother went in to pay $4500 towards our balance and asked for a couple chocolate buckeyes and was told no, they weren't allowed to give them away. Having to use a vendor from TCA list or be charged an extra deposit is frustrating. How does a vendor even get on the list? I felt like the room was very hot the entire night and several of my guests asked me if the AC was working properly. Over all I was unable to relax and enjoy a most of the night. Worrying about what time we had to be out of a room, and if someone was bringing in alcohol, and if our vendors would be getting out on time etc makes it hard to think about the beauty of the day. Aside from all of that, a man and a woman came into our reception at one point. Even though they had drinks in hand and appeared to be from another event, they walked right up the bar. When we asked them to leave, they said Ann told them to meet her there so she could show them the Priory. That was unacceptable. If tours need to be given, they should be initiated in the lobby and not in someones reception. I keep telling myself that everyone had a good time and the only way my guests knew anything went "wrong" was if I was to tell them. I got to marry my husband which was the reason for the day. But when you spend $20,000 on one day you expect the place you pay the bulk of it to, to deliver what they promise, because as the customer if we don't follow the contract there are fees for eve read more

The Columbus Athenaeum did a great job with our wedding! They have a variety of rooms to choose from to suit every personality. Every room has loads of character as well. We chose The Priory for our ceremony and the Small Theater for our reception. These rooms were gorgeous. We had multiple meetings before our wedding to work on timing and work out the details. The event manager that helped the day of our wedding helped everything run so smoothly that if anything did go wrong I did not know about it. The food was excellent; the only downside was some people's prime rib was a little over cooked. I would definitely recommend this venue to anyone else wanting to book their wedding there. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. read more

They do not care about you, or your food allergies. I was at a wedding this past weekend at the athenaeum. The place was gorgeous for a wedding reception! However, the staff was lacking in knowledge, professionalism, and class and the food you will be eating has no quality to it whatsoever! It's served in bulk to four receptions at one time. As a person who struggles going anywhere for dinner due to food allergies, I emailed the event manager prior to the wedding to check if I had any options. The event manager told me the options I had, but to double check with the chef at the reception. Usually at weddings, I have no problems. In the past, the chefs were all knowledgeable about the food they were serving, as any food professional should be. At the athenaeum, this is NOT the case. Everything is store bought and no professional chef is preparing the food--just another person who they could pay low wages (it seemed). They took me in circles at the reception, having me ask one person after another, and waiting and waiting for the chef. The chef never came to talk to me. When it was time to eat, the chef came and did a 30 second "eat this, not that" jig. Being a little skeptical, I asked what they made their dressing with and what oils they used on the vegetables. In no way, shape, or form is store-bought salad dressing or margarine allergy friendly. Was the food good otherwise? I heard one positive review at the table about the chicken. As for the red meat (not sure of the kind), it was "so chewy and salty." The potatoes were "bland" and the salt shaker got passed around the entire table. Overall, the wedding reception was perfect minus the food and staff. I wish they could have been honest with me that they are not experienced in working with food allergies, and I could have brought a meal for myself. What would they have done for a person with allergies that are fatally severe? read more

Over the weekend I attended a wedding here. Let me just say the space is beautiful! The ceremony took place in a room that looked like it was straight out of old Italy with beautiful paintings on the wall and old oil lamps. Stunning! The reception space was also quite nice, well decorated, plenty of space for the amount of guest there and also had a old time feel while looking like it's pretty well kept. The food and service were excellent. Can't say I've ever eaten mashed potatoes out of a martini glass before, but now I can! I'm usually a little hesitant on buffet dinners but this one did not disappoint. Clearly they have a good Chef working for them. The bartenders were also very good. Very friendly, easy to make conversation, all smiles and indulged us with specially made drinks of their own creation when we couldn't decided what to have that were all very good. The only reason I am giving less than a 5 star review is because of a couple things I witnessed at the end of the night. Everything was winding down, the bartenders began to load up the remaining alcohol and the DJ was still playing. Next thing I know I hear someone slamming things. I turn around to see the manager pounding his hand on the bar as he screams at the bartenders and threatens to fire them. Both girls looked as if they wished they could walk away from him but had no choice but to stand there and be yelled at. I could not believe my eyes! How incredibly unprofessional and within view and ear shot of multiple guests! Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse and the man had walked away. He came back not 3 minuets later to do the same exact thing again! I couldn't stop myself I had to go up to them after that and make sure they were okay. Both girls were visibly shaken by this whole experience but tried to put on a good face about it in front of us. I later found out from another guest who heard more than I did that he was upset the girls had let someone take wine from one of our opened bottles though the bar was "closed". Now to my understanding we got to take home anything non liquor that was unopened and everything that was opened either had to be finished before the event concluded or was going to be poured out by the staff. At this time the DJ was still playing, the lights hadn't been brought up, and many of us still had drinks to be finished. There was no reason for the manager to scream at and threaten the bartenders for allowing someone to finish alcohol that had been paid for by the hosts before the event even started! I've worked in restaurants before, I know that their liquor license covers the event until conclusion and it's not like they had sold anything past bar close since it was already paid for. All that aside it is completely unprofessional and repulsive for a manager to yell at employees in front of guests like that. Those are conversations to be had in private and not in a threatening manner. All in all it left a bad taste in mine and many of the other guest mouths and he is the sole reason I am giving a 2 star review. I wouldn't want to work for a manager like that and it says a lot when your bartenders are more professional than the management. If I was the GM I would be considering a new event manager who can control their temper in front of paying guests or I wouldn't be surprised if you start seeing more bad reviews like mine. read more

We celebrated our daughter's wedding this past weekend may 16 2009.We are still in awe from the experience that we had. The ceremony room in the priory was so beautiful as was the reception in the small theater.Our guests are still calling saying what a great time they had and that the food was fantastic. The staff went way beyond our expectations catering to our every need. We loved our barmaid--very professional and curtious. A heartfelt thanks to our event coordinator Ann, we could not have accomplished this without her guidance. If you are looking for a venue and you stop here you need look no further, we didn't and we will cherish the memories that The Athenaeum help create for a lifetime.Thank you a million times over to the wonderful staff!!! Marita Eichensehr read more