The Backstage Event Center

All-Inclusive Loft Style Venue

Holds ceremonies and receptions

5.0

Praised by couples for:

Amenities

Quality catering

Helpful staff

Tiffany and the entire staff were incredible. They truly made our wedding reception special. We had some fun ideas and everything was executed perfectly. Our guests raved about the food and the service. It was also extremely convenient just having to drop off boxes of decor the week prior and pick up our boxes the week after. The Baxkstage Event Center handled set up ans tear down of all our decor. Could not have made for a more seamless event.

Nicole S.

5.0

We had our rehearsal dinner at the Nicholson’s. It was in the garden room and it was absolutely fantastic. I could not recommend the back stage event center / Nicholson’s more. We had 30 guests which fit really well in the space. The service and food was fantastic! The price is very very reasonable for the experience. They were great leading up to the event as well answering all questions!

Lindsey S.

5.0

Maren Guzzo

WEDDING EVENTS MANAGER

Typically responds within 24h

AWARD WINNER (6X)

Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot

Located in downtown Cincinnati, OH, The Backstage Event Center is a loft-style wedding venue. An all-inclusive property, it blends rustic charm with a sleek, modern approach for a versatile setting for your big day. You are invited to host both your ceremony and reception here, although the space can also accommodate elopements and vow renewals. Event specialists at the Backstage Event Center work closely with every couple who hosts their day here. With years of industry experience, they love helping to-be-weds bring their vision for their day to life. The spaces here have been designed with events in mind, with hardwood floors and exposed brick offering a versatile backdrop for all celebrations. An Art Deco-style elevator adds a dash of glamor to the setting. Welcoming up to 300 guests, The Backstage Event Center has a range of spaces you can choose from. This includes two outdoor terraces, with seating for added comfort while your guests take in the views of the surrounding city. Should you choose to celebrate outside, a tent can be supplied for shelter in the case of inclement weather. The second-level area is fitted with audio-visual equipment to enhance your gathering. Beverage and catering services can be taken care of by the experienced, hard-working on-site team. Servers and other staff are also available, to help your event run smoothly. The staff at this center is happy to help you with planning, so you can keep your stress levels as low as possible. Check out the gallery for an exclusive 360° Virtual Tour, and picture yourself at The Backstage Event Center today!

11+ years in business

Amenities + details

Amenities

Ceremony Area

Handicap Accessible

Indoor Event Space

Liability Insurance

Outdoor Event Space

Reception Area

Wireless Internet

Ceremony Types

Civil Union

Commitment Ceremony

Elopement

Interfaith Ceremony

Non-Religious Ceremony

Religious Ceremony

Second Wedding

Vow Renewal Ceremony

Settings

Loft

Rooftop

Venue Service Offerings

Bar & Drinks

Cakes & Desserts

Other Desserts

Food & Catering

Planning

Rentals & Equipment

Tents

Service Staff

Awards and Affiliations

6-Time 'Best of Weddings'

2026.2025.2024.+3 more.

Hall of Fame

Earned by winning 'Best of Weddings' four or more times.

Join couples who chose award-winning vendors for their wedding

Meet the team

Tiffany Combs
Corporate Events Manager
✨ Meet Tiffany! ✨ Tiffany is passionate about event planning and loves bringing special moments to life. Her favorite part of any event is seeing the joy on the guests’ and host’s faces—nothing makes her happier than creating memorable experiences! When she's not organizing unforgettable events, you’ll likely find Tiffany at the gym or out exploring the town. She thrives on staying active and discovering new places and activities. A true people-person, Tiffany also enjoys spending quality time with her family, attending church, and soaking up the outdoors whenever she can. Get in touch with Tiffany at tcombs@dinetrg.com or (513) 587-5018 for your wedding planning needs!
Maren Guzzo
Wedding Events Manager
I am an Event Sales Coordinator, I have been in the industry for more than 8 years specializing in culinary and pastry arts, fine dinning and special events and love what I do! In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family, traveling and going on adventures with my dog! I cannot wait to help you plan your event! Get in touch with Maren at mguzzo@dinetrg.com or (513) 587-5017 for your wedding planning needs!

5.0

out of 5.0

99 reviews

Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Review Summary

This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.

The Backstage Event Center is a warm, flexible downtown venue with exposed brick, string lights and terraces that work well for both small and large celebrations. Guests praised the attentive, organized staff who handled planning, setup/tear-down and vendor coordination. Many raved about the restaurant-quality food and reasonable pricing, with only a few minor hiccups noted.

Search reviews

Nicole S

Tiffany and the entire staff were incredible. They truly made our wedding reception special. We had some fun ideas and everything was executed perfectly. Our guests raved about the...

food and the service. It was also extremely convenient just having to drop off boxes of decor the week prior and pick up our boxes the week after. The Baxkstage Event Center handled set up ans tear down of all our decor. Could not have made for a more seamless event.

Lindsey S

We had our rehearsal dinner at the Nicholson’s. It was in the garden room and it was absolutely fantastic. I could not recommend the back stage event center / Nicholson’s more. We ...

had 30 guests which fit really well in the space. The service and food was fantastic! The price is very very reasonable for the experience. They were great leading up to the event as well answering all questions!

Any questions?

Jennie P

We had an amazing experience with the Backstage. They hosted our rehearsal dinner which transitioned into welcome drinks. They handled a two-part event so well and helped us create...

a proposal that reflected meals for a small group and drinks for a much larger group. At the event the staff was incredible friendly and helpful, and the space was gorgeous!

Kelly T

We had the best wedding at the Backstage Event Center! The food was wonderful. The whole staff, particularly Maren, was so helpful and accommodating. They really handled so many of...

the details and made our day worry free! They set up/took down all decor and made sure the night ran smoothly. We had several planning meetings throughout the process. The space is super cool and unique, and our guests loved going on the balcony overlooking the city. Could not recommend this venue more!

Barry S

The service was great. Bartenders did a great job. Venue had a very good vibe. One small complaint was that the ice cream table was off to the side and people weren't aware of i...

Kathryn S

We had an amazing night celebrating our wedding reception at Nicholson's. We hosted about 30 people in the Garden Room / Patio and it was PERFECT - comfortable, cheerful, and the s...

ervice was top notch. They made everything easy and delightful.

Dana H

It was very organized and professional. The food was excellent

Rebecca T

We used the Backstage Event Center as our Rehearsal Dinner location and couldn’t have been more impressed with the experience. The food was fantastic, the event was organized, and ...

the entire team and coordinators were great to work with. They answered all of our questions and addressed concerns to ensure we had a smooth event. We utilized the room in the back of Nicholson’s for ~35 people and it worked great

Jennie C

We had my son's rehearsal dinner in The Garden Room. The entire experience was incredible. Maren, the Sales Manager, that we worked with was terrific. She made the whole process so...

easy. From helping with decoration ideas to the food/drink selections, she was top notch. I felt like I was planning the event with a friend. Her communication and follow up was great. It definitely was the best decision we made to have our event there! I highly recommend them and will use them when needed!

Stephanie W

The Garden Room was the perfect size for our rehearsal dinner. Maren was excellent to work with throughout the planning process and helped finalize every detail to ensure everythin...

g went perfectly. The food was delicious and served in a timely manner. My one recommendation would be to improve the open bar service. Although we had an open bar package, servers were not consistently available to serve guests or ask what they would like to drink. Overall, we had a wonderful experience and would highly recommend this space.

Julie D

We loved our wedding venue — it was beautiful, cozy, and very reasonably priced. The wood and brick gave it so much warmth, and the terrace was a great bonus. We had a very small w...

edding, and the team was wonderfully flexible, helping us plan out the space, meals, and drinks in a way that felt just right for our tiny celebration. While clearer communication during the planning process would have made things even smoother, we were thrilled with the space itself and how perfect it felt for our wedding day.

Lynn R

Nicholson's was the perfect place to hold our rehearsal dinner! The planning was made easy by our event coordinator, the party space with classy, the staff at the event was amazin...

g, and the food was excellent! Highly recommend!

Patricia C

We held a day-after wedding brunch for the wedding party and 40 out of town guests in the private Garden Room of Nicholson's Pub. We also had use of the enclosed outdoor patio whi...

ch was lovely. We chose to have a breakfast buffet instead of a sit-down meal which worked great as guests could come and go as needed and it provided a casual atmosphere for mingling. Floral centerpieces from the wedding added to the ambiance. The staff was great and attentive, beverages were ordered at a small bar and delivered promptly to guests and food was displayed nicely. Communication was great from the event managers, the payment process was simple, there were no hidden costs and everyone was very warm but professional. I highly recommend the Backstage Event Center,

Lauryn P

We chose Backstage Event Center for our rehearsal dinner and it was perfect! We had a crowd of about 35 people and it was the perfect space. Maren and her team were so helpful and ...

patient with us as we made selections on the menu and decor and we loved working with them. The food is delicious, the onsite team was wonderful and the setup of the event was flawless! I highly recommend this venue if you are looking for a space for a larger group dinner!

Ann R

Great venue and team! We hosted a welcome brunch for our son’s wedding here and were very happy with the ambiance, food, warm service and the mimosa bar. Maren and the staff was ve...

ry responsive and easy to work with. They quickly pivoted at the last minute to rearrange some of the decor. The venue was a quick walk from our hotel. Highly recommend Backstage Events!

Hope W

Our experience was absolutely wonderful. We hosted my son's Rehearsal Dinner for 70 people and all the food and drinks were great. The event planning staff were super flexible an...

d easy to work with; making suggestions based on past events. I would highly recommend hosting your special event at Backstage!

Molly B

We had an absolutely incredible experience having our wedding at the Backstage Event Center. Maren was a dream to work with throughout the planning process. She was super responsiv...

e, flexible, and went above and beyond to help us customize our menu and the overall event. We did a cocktail-style wedding with food stations for about 160 guests. We were a little nervous about the non-traditional setup, but everything flowed so smoothly and our guests raved about how much fun the night was. The food and drinks were amazing (many guests told me it was the best wedding food they've had in a long time). Our guests were using the outdoor patios all night, despite the chilly March evening (it was super pleasant out there thanks to the heaters). Maren and crew helped set up and tear down, making that part of the process a breeze. We planned our wedding from out of town, and Backstage made the process as seamless as possible with their inclusive services and coordination assistance, saving me a ton of stress and headache. Based on my research, the pricing is also very reasonable for the location, venue, and quality of food/service. I truly could not recommend this venue enough for the perfect downtown Cincinnati wedding.

Samantha R

The Backstage Event Center is a beautiful space, especially for a fall wedding- which is what we booked it for. The string lights that hang throughout the venue give it a charming ...

and romantic feel. And although the venue is downtown, there are still 2 terraces available to step outside and enjoy the fresh air/ views of the city. The staff were absolutely wonderful and the food is AMAZING! We got so many compliments on the food, which I feel is difficult to say about most wedding food. One of the reasons we chose the Backstage is because of the food- the fact that it's made by the restaurant means it's restaurant quality- and it was just that. Working with Elenya the Sales & Event Manager made the planning process very clear cut/ helped us stay on track. Elenya was always timely and helpful with her responses. On the night of our wedding- the serving staff treated my husband and I like King and Queen. Everything turned out beautifully and we would do it all over again! Thank you to everyone there that made our night special. Highly recommend booking The Backstage Event Center!

Michelle C

Backstage Event Center was nothing short of magical for our daughter and son-in-law's wedding. It was the perfect backdrop for our celebration. The staff was incredibly helpful and...

attentive, ensuring every detail was taken care of. The food was absolutely delicious, and our guests enjoyed the location amid the fun of an exciting Blink weekend in downtown Cincinnati. We couldn't have asked for a better place to celebrate our very special family event. Thank you, Backstage!

Caroline C

I booked Backstage for my rehearsal dinner. Between the fantastic communication (you’re amazing Elenya!), beautiful space, and fantastic food and service I wish I had hosted my who...

le wedding here! Everything was so perfect and Elenya made my life easy from start to finish. I don’t have the words to describe how easy and amazing it was to host an event with Backstage and I couldn’t recommend them more. So grateful!!!

Juliana D

We had a great experience having our wedding at The Backstage Event Center. It’s a great location in the heart of downtown Cincy with a cozy romantic vibe. Communication was good f...

rom our day of coordinator and everything day of went incredibly smoothly. We were impressed by their wait staff. At the end of the night, they even packed up all of our stuff for us which made it so smooth the next day to pick it up. I wouldn’t have changed anything about our experience at Backstage.

Olivia F

The Backstage Event Center was an absolute dream to work with for our wedding. From our very first interaction, the staff was friendly, helpful, and responsive, making the planning...

process stress-free. Prior to the wedding they worked with us to plan the order of events and helped us plan our vision for decorations. On the day of, they executed our vision flawlessly and made the set up and rehearsal process so easy. Elenya and her team even improvised when we lost the cord to our neon name sign before drop off and they searched everywhere until they found a backup. The Backstage's combination of stunning exposed brick, warm lighting, and flexible layout allowed us to create the perfect ambiance for our special day. The celebration was perfect from start to finish and everyone was on the floor dancing all night. The entire time the event team was there to help, and they even boxed all of our decorations up for an easy pick up the next day. We couldn't have asked for a better venue or team to bring our wedding dreams to life.

Carley W

What a fantastic venue! We are so happy we chose them for our wedding. The coordinator Elenya was very friendly, honest, and easy to communicate with and the food was great. Everyt...

hing was great and happened without a hitch!

Susan S

Amazing experience from the Backstage Event Center. Elenya accommodated us like we were her family and she wanted it to be perfect. We were from out of town and they helped us in e...

very way possible. Beginning with the food selection, cocktails, music, flowers, floor plan. Everything was on time, the food was delicious and presented beautifully. Cleanup was a breeze. They even helped us with our personal belongings after the event. The dessert literally flew off of the dessert table. It was incredible. I wished we lived closer to enjoy it all the time.

Tracey H

Everyone at Backstage Event Center was amazing from planning our event to the conclusion of our rehearsal dinner. Food and staff are wonderful!

Erika I

Elenya was fantastic to work with! They made the whole process so easy and fun. The room was set up beautifully and everyone loved the food!

Michele J

We loved The Backstage Event Center! Everyone was very nice and accommodating! We worked with Elenya the most and she answered all our questions quickly and made sure everything we...

nt smoothly. The place is beautiful-rustic/industrial. The appetizers were great and the flaming donuts were amazing! We went with the Cincinnati experience with Larosa’s pizza and Skyline Cheese Coney’s stations. The pizza was a little disappointing but I know its hard to feed a lot of people all at once. Excellent experience and would highly recommend!

Meg D

The Backstage Event Center went above and beyond for our wedding day. Elenya and Shannen were incredible to work with and made us feel so supported when it came to the planning pro...

cess and actual day of celebration. The venue itself was absolutely gorgeous for our afternoon reception and the food was fantastic. All of our guests were gushing about the food! The wedding day went super smooth and we could not recommend the staff and venue enough.

Sheri A

Elenya Stephani was an absolute dream to work with for our son's rehearsal dinner! The Backstage was beautifully decorated for Christmas and provided a gorgeous, intimate setting...

for family and friends! The food was next level from the appetizers to dessert! The bartender and staff were attentive and extremely nice! Overall I would rate our experience a 100! My only issue now is trying to come up with another reason to throw a party for 33 people at this venue!

Jane M

The staff was absolutely wonderful to work with from initial visit, booking, finalizing and the night of the event. They helped with with all my questions. I give this place 5 st...

ars.

Emily T

We had an incredible experience with Elenya at Backstage Event Center for our wedding reception. She was our event contact and day of coordinator. All of our questions were readily...

answered, and the whole process was simple and streamlined. The online portal made it very easy to contact Elenya, look at our documents, and make changes to our banquet order. The venue is spacious, romantic, and filled with gorgeous wooden flooring and decor. After our initial tour, we returned closer to our event for our food tasting and to finalize day of details. The BEC team both set-up and tore down our decor. They made my vision come to life. The day of the reception, we had an incredible kitchen and serving staff ensuring our group was fed and hydrated. The walk-up bar never had a long line, and we felt very catered to the entire night. Elenya organized our other vendors such as florist and DJ which was so helpful. We had a nice night, so the balcony was opened up for our guests to enjoy the city lights. The BEC team went above and beyond for us, and we couldn't have had a better night. Thank you all so much <3.

Katie B

The Backstage Event Center went above and beyond to make our wedding day special and run smoothly. It was one of the more affordable options we looked at, which sometimes means com...

promising in other categories. But not here. The staff was welcoming, helpful and kind every step of the way. The food was fantastic (you could re-visit Nicholsons on your anniversary/eat similar dishes). The location is neat. You're downtown and get great views with the two balconies. Their space is also very accommodating if you plan to do both a ceremony and reception. I could go on for hours. Our guests still rave about this venue and we do too. Couldn't be happier with our choice!

Erica V

We had our welcome drinks and rehearsal dinner at BEC and couldn't recommend it more! Amazing, attentive staff, great food and drinks, and a smooth + wonderful experience.

Niki R

The Backstage was an absolutely incredible vendor to work with!! I can’t say enough good things about the space and the team. They were extremely responsive, accommodating and fun ...

to work with! I had a some last minute changes and questions and they were on top of it all. The reception went so smoothly, if there were any issues we didn’t know about it! We had multiple people come up to us during and after the reception say that it was the best reception they’ve been to! People raved about how beautiful the space was, and how good the food was. I highly recommend The Backstage and their team to host your next event!

Sam K

Excellent food and service night of the event! Communication was poor at times but may have been due to changing staff. In the end, the event was exactly what we wanted it to be,...

the team was able to accommodate all of our requests, and the venue was a great place to kick off our wedding weekend!

Vicki C

We used The Backstage Event Center for my son's rehearsal dinner. It was a smooth process from start to finish. The staff was very accommodating when it came to scheduling those f...

irst appointments when we were deciding on the venue. Once booked, the great service continued. Shannen and Natalie were wonderful-they were patient, personable, answered all our questions, and made suggestions when we needed them. They were even able to get us a special bottle of bourbon that we requested. The night of the event was wonderful! The room as so pretty, the kid zone was a hit with the kids, and the weather was perfect, so we were able to take advantage of the outdoor patio. The meal was delicious and the flaming donut station was a hit! Service from the servers and bartender were top notch. I would highly recommend this venue!

Kelli R

I could not recommend the Backstage Event Center enough! The venue is beautiful, with large windows and balconies, and the staff was exceptional! They went above and beyond communi...

cating with me throughout the planning process and on the day of the rehearsal and wedding. The food was fantastic! A month later people are still commenting on the food and venue. Thanks to Backstage!!

Andrew B

We worked with Cara and her staff to plan a rehearsal dinner at Backstage from out of town. They could not have made the process easier and the final result was perfect. They were...

super attentive to detail and the food was delicious!!

Leah H

The Backstage Event Center was such a terrific venue. From the tour, my fiancé (now husband) and I loved that we could have both the ceremony and reception in the same location. Af...

ter the tour, we canceled all our other venue tours as we already knew BEC was the venue for us. Kudos to Cara and her team as they did an outstanding job! On the day of the rehearsal, Cara was so accommodating and helped make sure our rehearsal went smoothly. She even let us start setting up some of the décors early. On our wedding day, Cara and her team were ready for us; the rest of the décor looked amazing and she really captured my vision. The food was delicious; highly recommend the crab cakes as an appetizer and the caramelized brussels sprouts as a side dish. We got a lot of compliments on our choice of venue and everyone was super happy with the wait staff and bartenders’ exceptional work. BEC and Cara exceeded our expectations and I highly recommend this venue!

Paige H

I am honestly still in awe of how great of an experience we had at our wedding. The entire night was perfect from the ceremony all the way through the last dance. Our guests loved ...

the set up and flow of the evening, the food, and the ambiance. All of that was because of this venue. I am a very inexperienced party planner, but Cara was so amazing in helping us plan our wedding. She did a great job of following up and checking in, which really helped ease my worries. No questions were too small. She made everything so easy, and for that, I am super grateful. On the day of the wedding, I truly felt like I didn’t need to worry about anything, and I had such a fun time. Th staff during the event were also amazing. They were very attentive and made sure to check to see if I or my husband needed anything (special shout-out to Ethan! He was so great). They were very polite, and the service was excellent. I seriously feel like my wedding was perfect, and this venue and the staff were a big part of that.

Patrick K

Cara was easily one of the best vendors and most communication forward one that I worked with all planning. One thing we had planned and talked about and changed was the layout o...

f the room. I based my tables off the seating arrangements we had agreed upon but when I arrived to the venue there was no seating chart. (they told us they would provide/only provide place cards for those with dietary restrictions which we did but no one else knew where to go) However when we arrived the tables were not arranged in the way we agreed upon however in the way we initially were looking at but as far as I knew we had changed it. if I would have known the tables were going to be the old way I would have sent the original table layout. Other than that however the location, especially during blink, was absolutely 1/1 other than the parking. the pictures we got down in the alley will truly be one of a kind. the food from the appetizers (highly recommend the chicken and waffles) we're absolutely incredible. The coney bar was actually Skyline and that was a huge bonus. The bartenders and staff made sure my wife and I never had an empty hand. our guests raved about the venue and food and you could not ask for better lighting. The balcony's, dance floor and kings and queens chairs made for incredible photo ops that we will cherish forever. Giving Cara and her team a 5 star rating because despite the few mishaps they truly delivered on an unforgettable night. Everyone was well fed, well taken care of and happy. My Grandma got a front seat to the dance floor and that was the most important thing.

Lori E

Cara and her staff at the BEC truly were exceptional. I was coordinating a rehearsal dinner (for the first time) from out of town and I couldn't have been more pleased with Cara's...

patience with my questions (I was very green), her promptness, attention detail, and flexibility. That evening that staff was exceptional with their service and little details that arose. They went beyond my expectations adding beautiful candlelight and other touches to enhance the decor which made it even more special. All of our guests commented on how good the food was. I am happy to give them our highest recommendation!!

Natalie A

I cannot recommend this venue enough! My husband and I had our reception here last week after our Florida wedding earlier in the year. Cara, the event planner was amazing and atten...

tive. The week of the event, she called vendors for me which took a ton of stress off. The day of the wedding, she set up all the decor and made sure everything was ready to go. It looked amazing and she captured my vision perfectly. It was a dream come true! The bartenders were also amazing. We have received so many compliments on their service and everyone thought they were hilarious! Anytime they saw my husband in line for the bar they served him first, and we also had another bar tender assigned directly to us who had a new drink in our hands before we finished the last ones. The food was also to die for, especially the chicken & waffles and goetta balls from the late night bites station. When we left, the bar tenders had a to go bag for us with cake, left over food, utensils and water bottles. It was much needed. We picked up all our decorations and left over cake on the Monday after the reception, and they had everything together for us and put away nicely. Cara came down the elevator with a cart and helped me load everything into my car. I didn’t even have to go inside. I am reliving this day over and over in my head because it was so perfect and it was all because of the backstage staff!! You will not regret booking this venue for your big day!

Susan O

The Backstage Event Center was absolutely wonderful! We had our rehearsal dinner from 6-8pm and then opened up the venue for a welcome party from 8-10pm - it was the perfect amount...

of space and setting for both! The venue is so beautiful in and of itself that we only needed a few decorations/flowers to make it absolutely perfect for us. Cara was amazing to coordinate with! So professional, knowledgeable and helpful. We highly recommend book the Backstage Event Center for any event you have!

Susan D

A big thank you to you and your wonderful team for a lovely rehearsal dinner. Kudos to the chef and the kitchen crew. I heard so many comments that the food was absolutely delici...

ous and I personal loved the chicken and waffle bites. The bartenders were so friendly and very efficient. The logistics of the event were seamless and everything came off right on schedule. We can’t thank you enough for a beautiful venue and an evening that exceeded our expectations.

Response from The Backstage Event Center

Thank you so much for the 5-star review, Susan! We will share this with our team. It was ...

an honor to host your rehearsal dinner.

Halee B

I recently got married at the Backstage Event Center and couldn't have picked a better venue! My husband proposed in April 2021 and we both knew BEC was the place for us as soon as...

we ended the tour! We had both our ceremony and reception here which made it very convenient for our guests. Cara was absolutley amazing! She answered all of our questions and was so very helpful for recommendations. I don't know how Cara does it, but she remembers every little detail! We opted for food stations and did a taco bar, bbq slider bar, and mac & cheese bar. For the cocktail hour, we did a cheese plate, goetta balls, bacon wrapped bangers and chicken & waffle bites. For the drinks, you get so much options! 4-5 craft beers, great liqour options and they were more than happy to provide Guinness cans (my favorite beer). Our guests cannot stop talking about how good the food was! There are debates which appetizers or station was better with the aunts and uncles, lol! When I was doing my research, other reviews mention great food but it's 100% true! Our guests also cannot get over how pretty it was inside and because we had great weather, the outdoor patios where fully used! But for the most important review, our guests and us cannot stress enough how great the staff was during the whole event. They really run a tight ship and were just on top of everything! We seriously cannot be happier with BEC and would do it all again if we could! If you are thinking about booking (which you should!), try to stick around 150 for ceremony but reception can hold much more. Cara is so flexible and can help manage the crowd! Ugh, can I just relive our wedding? Such a perfect day and BEC helped make it happen!

Nancy E

I highly recommend The Backstage Event Center! We had a rehearsal dinner for about 150 guests (wedding party, immediate family and out of town guests) and it could not have been b...

etter!! Cara Shipp and her team at The Backstage Event Center went "above and beyond" and didn't miss a detail. They are willing to do anything and everything it takes to make an event special and memorable... they had great recommendations and were such a pleasure to work with!! Cara & team wanted our event to be as perfect as we wanted it to be... and it was PERFECT!!! Delicious food, outstanding service, beautiful room set-up... it was even better than I expected!!!!

Erica D

I have had several events at the Backstage Event Center and every event Cara and Katie have gone above and beyond my expectations! Their attentiveness to detail and ensuring the ev...

ening goes as planned does not go unnoticed!

Eileen F

We had our son’s rehearsal dinner at The Backstage. Katie was very helpful and responsive to all our needs. She made it very easy to work with her and also to stay within our bud...

get. She was also very accommodating when we made last minute changes to the time of the event. Katie and Adam were there to assist us in any way when we arrived to set up for the event. It was overall a very pleasant and enjoyable night. My only suggestion would be to have either weekend or later hours during the week to tour the event center. Thanks for everything! Mike and Eileen

Susan M

If you are looking for urban elegance with some rustic charm, this is your venue! Directly across the street from the Aronoff Theatre, it has a distinct Cincinnati flavor. K...

atie, the event planner, is an absolute joy to work with. My daughter had to postpone her 2020 wedding, and Katie and the staff made sure her wedding in 2021 was absolutely perfect. Not only is the venue beautiful, but the food is TO DIE FOR!!! Everything is prepared on site. We served salmon and filet mignon and our guests raved about the food. The chicken & waffle appetizers, along with their bacon-wrapped bangers and the bruschetta were a huge hit. And the service during dinner was AMAZING! I cannot say enough about Backstage - it definitely flies under the radar. Our guests were blown away and everyone was so complimentary. We are SO grateful to Katie and the entire staff at Backstage for making our celebration most memorable and absolutely PERFECT in every way.

Service area & Contact info

625 Walnut St, Cincicnnati, OH

Open map

(513) 550-1869

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The Backstage Event Center

Maren Guzzo

Wedding Events Manager

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The Backstage Event Center

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