Reading Public Museum

m made it work! (trust them they are the professionals!!) From working with Stephanie initially, to working with Michaela leading up to the wedding weekend, all of the museum staff were friendly and communicative throughout the process! If we had any questions, we knew we'd get quick, informative answers. The rehearsal run by Michaela was very well organized and the day of ran seamlessly. There's always going to be a few things that don't quite go as planned, but the stress levels the day of were lowered by the trust we had established with the museum staff. We received so many compliments on the beauty of the venue and friendliness of staff. One of our favorite parts about the museum is that we are able to go back and visit the beauty of the gardens and relive the magical day at any time! Could not recommend the Reading Public Museum more highly.

her vendors like our Caterer, DJ, Photographer, Videographer, Florist and Minister. We initially planned to have our ceremony outside the in the gorgeous arboretum, but weather forced us inside into the Founder's Gallery. Despite the change we hadn't planned on, the inside venue was gorgeous and we had non-stop compliments from guests who hadn't realized we had intended on our ceremony being outside! The Tent at the Stone Terrace was the PERFECT reception venue with an intimate feel that also allowed space and movement that our guests needed. We would recommend the museum to anyone looking for a romantic, elegant wedding in Reading!

m photos that the gardens and grounds are gorgeous and the museum is striking as well. BUT - the service provided by Stephanie and her team was fantastic. I came to Stephanie in October 2020 looking to move my postponed wedding to a venue with an outdoor option. Communication with Stephanie (from day one) was stellar. She was kind, organized and helpful. I had my entire wedding planned but had to postpone due to the pandemic. Stephanie worked directly with me, and my already hired vendors, to get everyone onboarded and on the same page. Leading up to wedding day, Stephanie was always prompt to answer each and every question. We had a full walkthrough and then a rehearsal at the museum to ensure all the details were sorted out, which was wonderful for me, the type-A bride. It was on my wedding day that Stephanie and the RPM team went above and beyond. We arrived at RPM, saw the gorgeous set up of the chairs in the garden, and then it started to RAIN! We checked the weather doppler and after a deep breath, Stephanie and her team sprung into action and re set-up the ENTIRE ceremony (175 chairs) inside of the 2nd floor gallery. None of the guests even realized that it was our back up plan to be inside and I was so thankful that she was willing to pivot and accommodate me and my guests on such a short notice. THANK YOU to Stephanie and the entire RPM team - you made me one happy bride! :)

but the museum staff, specifically Stephanie made the process so easy and stress-free!  Once upon a time, we had dreamt of the perfect day hosted in the upstairs galleries with the gold gilded frames but due to restrictions and the date change we had to change to the outside tent. I am so happy that the change happened, we could not have imagined our day any differently. The tent even on a hot August evening, remained cool and comfortable for our guests! Throughout the process, especially after the date change the staff was SO responsive to questions, concerns, and plans! The rehearsal and wedding day was so well organized I did not have to worry about making sure the vendors were there in time, decorating the space, or even worrying that my bridal party would miss a queue during the ceremony. The staff moved quickly and efficiently, they were always one step ahead of me!  With all of the changes, we even had to change the ceremony area with just a few weeks notice. The day of, the team was able to create a beautiful space in the garden and make it comfortable for our guests and our wedding party!  We would recommend the Reading Public Museum to anyone getting married or even hosting a corporate event or personal party! There are so many key elements that make this venue the best; the attentive staff, the beautiful location and spaces, between all of these things your event will truly be remembered!

! We will never forget dancing under the stars in the planetarium, and our guests loved cocktail hour in the museum exhibits!

is great to work with and the venue is great for the value. We would definitely recommend to others!

. We had several children in our wedding party (including our own), so booking an additional gallery of the museum for the children to play in during the reception was truly the icing on the cake. Our ceremony backdrop was the Founder's Gallery's stained glass windows and a "fountain" adorned with Chihuly glass sculptures. A string quartet provided our prelude, postlude and marches and was perfect for this setting with no microphones for our guests to hear vows and music (although a sound system was available). We also had access to the Museum's truly beautiful painting galleries for a lovely, formal reception - cocktail hour with an classy open bar, with round-table seating for our banquet and even a small installed dance floor fitting our 100 guests comfortably, but intimately. We used a iPod with their sound system for our music, and it worked out wonderfully. The only stipulations of the museum were that no plants (because of organics in the dirt) no live candles (can we say INSURANCE) and no flash photography (ONLY in the painting galleries - it was fine during the ceremony, on the marble staircase, etc.). But I have to say that we did NON-floral centerpieces (plantable paper on sticks as "flowers" a few LED color-changing votive candles (actually, a cool effect) and posed our pictures out in the open areas. Despite these limitations, we would have done it there all over again! Small dressing room provided for the bride, and outdoor photography is an option in the lovely arboretum (our wedding was in early March, so it was not so much for us - but an option for warm-weather events.) Fantastic staff were helpful and supportive and a great organization to support!

place to have it. Some of the flowers were bloomed (just enough for beautiful pictures), we had security so no one could interfere with our ceremony, and the lady that was in charge of scheduling the weddings was very nice and she was able to work around with our financial payments. I couldn't asked for a more perfect wedding at the most perfect place in Reading, PA. We are extremely satisfied with everything!

posted and a guard was present, he did not stop pedestrians from walking through the area while we took pictures. Our photographer and my family had to stop people from getting in the way while the guard watched. Then, during the ceremony, the guard was so close to me and my husband that he is in every picture and had to be photoshopped out. Our family repeatedly asked him to step out of the way and he would not move. Although we had a great time, the stress of keeping people out and having him in the pictures was a let down - make sure you address that with the museum event coordinator if you use this location!