Columbia University Faculty House Reviews

My husband and I had our wedding at Faculty House this past weekend. Faculty House is a stunning venue, right on the Columbia University Campus. Emerald, the Assist. General Manager, was amazing to work with and so organized. She was incredibly helpful in determining the event timeline, coordinating with the all vendors, and ensuring that every step went smoothly. The other staff who helped out that day were such professionals and provided wonderful service. I highly recommend - you will not be disappointed!

I can’t say enough good things about our experience with the Faculty House. Yvette and Scott carried our day with such grace and made sure the space was fully prepped with what we needed. I’d trust them one hundred times over. Don’t hesitate to book here! They were wildly considerate with our budget and helped us customize the perfect day.

Emerald, Leslie, and the staff were wonderful! We worked closely with Emerald, who communicated with us throughout the entire process, provided multiple drafts of table set-ups, and always inquired internally when we had a question or specific request. I did not have to worry about anything the day of the wedding. Emerald took care of all the details, and followed the schedule and my notes to make sure everyone was where they had to be!

We loved our wedding reception at the Columbia Faculty House! The staff were incredibly thoughtful and accommodating throughout our planning process and on the event day. They let us store our decorations and serve our own homemade beer (!), set everything up perfectly, had plenty of snacks for us while we got ready in the morning, and thoughtfully packed up our cake, flowers and gifts before the end of the night. We never had to worry about the details. The tall windows, natural lighting and terrace on the 4th Floor were spectacular and let us have the best of both worlds with indoor and outdoor space. We chose the stations option for our dinner, which allowed for a flexible menu that catered to everyone's tastes and dietary restrictions. The entrees, passed hors d'oeuvres and drinks were all superb. We had a total of 80 guests which felt perfect on the 4th floor, though it could easily have fit a few more.

TALK TO EMERALD!!! SHE IS THE BEST IN CHARGE OF EVERYTHING IN MY WEDDING!!!!!!!

beautiful rooms, amazing views, lovely staff- worth the money.

I had my wedding at Columbia University Faculty House in July. Leslie, Emerald, and the rest of the staff were amazing to work with. I could not have asked for a better staff to work with during the stressful process of wedding planning. They were very prompt and patient with my endless questions and ongoing email chains. I had worked with them over a year since my parents live in California and had planned a trip solely to look at wedding and reception venues in New York City. We had first met Leslie and her staff in May 2013 and we were very impressed by the space. We loved the building and different options we could use for the different events throughout the day.

We had our ceremony at Saint Paul’s Chapel, also on Columbia University’s campus, but the wedding party met that morning at the Faculty House to get ready. The setup of both the bride and groom’s suites were beyond measure. Not only did the staff set up the tables, but went above and beyond to set up all our favors and escort cards. They also set up all the extra signage and nontraditional table numbers to the proper tables without direction. I could not have been more impressed.

Leslie and her staff were amazing during our cocktail hour and dinner reception. The food was amazing; all our guests could not stop complimenting the food both during the cocktail hour and sit down dinner. The staff were also great and brought platters of hors d’oeuvres to the wedding party as we took a break in the groom’s suite during cocktail hour. The very attentive staff served my husband and I first during dinner so that we could finish early and make our rounds to the other tables. Their service was impeccable.

I cannot thank Leslie and her staff enough for the amazing job they did for us on our wedding day. We were

I had my wedding at Columbia Faculty House. The setting there was perfect for a small and intimate wedding. The event planning officer there was very helpful and worked with my wedding planner to create a perfect wedding for me.

The catering was absolutely wonderful. My wedding planner came to the food tasting with me, and she said out of all the weddings she helped planned in NYC, this place has the best food and service. The cake was also covered with the catering service.

The price is very reasonable for the quality of services and quality of catering.

Highly recommend this place for a wedding ceremony and reception.

Leslie and the staff at faculty house are amazing. They were always responsive and flexible. They were professional throughout the process, and the event ran smoothly the day of the event. I would highly recommend.

The Presidential Ballroom was the perfect size for our 110 guest wedding. Set up for the reception and ceremony were superb- fast and efficient. The staff were extremely courteous and professional. Everything was done according to what was discussed. Food and drink in the bridal and grooms suits exceeded our expectations- we never had to ask for any refills. Food was excellent- better than what we expected for wedding catering. The cake was set up so beautifully and served fast. We were given the option of storing our wedding things in the bridal suite and manager's office, which helped us to no end with set up. The cost of everything was reasonable, especially considering we were holding a wedding in Manhattan.

We will definitely be recommending Faculty House as a wedding venue for all the reasons listed above, but mainly for Louise Castellano, our contact person. She was amazing beyond words. Louise was always courteous, professional, and timely in her responses. She took detailed notes every time we asked for anything and was extremely accommodating with our requests. On the day of, everything (yes, everything!) was done according to plan. For example, we had wanted the chairs set up with smaller rows the reception and decided not to go with a small table at the front of the ceremony for the efficient. We told Louise at the rehearsal. Next day, ceremony setup was exactly as we talked about.

We had given Louise an itinerary of the ceremony and reception, and she had that in her hand the whole day. She knew where everyone and everything should be and was always easy to find when we needed her. She was always present but not overbearing or in the way. We will DEFINITELY be recommending Faculty House to all our engaged friends. We will tell them to request Louise. We are supremely grateful for everything she did for us.

The Columbia Faculty House was a fantastic venue for us. We had to plan the wedding from California and their fixed-price plan made things easy for us. All we had to add was the music and flowers.

The venue was just beautiful. The organizer, Louise, was incredibly helpful and patient throughout the whole process. The staff was friendly and the food and drink were excellent. We were relaxed and happy once the wedding began because we didn't have to worry about anything!

If you're looking for a venue in NYC you can't do much better than this in my opinion. Objectively it was really a lovely experience, and an even better value.

I cannot say enough great things about Faculty House. From our earliest interactions during the planning stages to when the last guest left, everything was magnificent and professionally done. The entire team at Faculty House was a pleasure to work with. From the moment we arrived that Sunday morning, every detail was looked after and their management team personally supervised everything. All of our special requests were handled with a smile. The venue was gorgeous, and we continue to get a flood of comments from our guests telling us how impressed they were. The food and was absolutely delicious, and the bars were well-stocked. The waitstaff was friendly and efficient -- they were not a bunch of teenage cater-waiters. They truly created a memorable event for us!

Faculty House is a fabulous reception venue. Great service, wonderful attentive staff. The space is light and airy. We loved the skyline room with its terrace and views.
The food was delicious and plentiful. The menu choices were varied and the event manager and chef were open and responsive to our specific requests. The premium open bar was a big hit with our guests. This is a five star venue that is affordable. We were extremely pleased and if we had to do it again would choose Faculty House at Columbia University hands down.

We absolutely love our reception. The Faculty House was the perfect venue for us. The entire ambiance was exactly what we wanted. It was elegant, and romantic. The food was amazing. All of our guests commented on the food from cocktail hour. The also spoke very highly of the food from the reception. My husband and I are Jamaican and we wanted to have some Jamaican influence at our reception. We asked Leslie if it was possible to make a sorrel martini and have a jerk chicken sate. They delivered our requests with flying colors. Everyone raved about the sorrel martini.

Also the view from the skyroom was amazing and the staff at the Faculty House was very accommodating, warm, understanding and patient. We would definitely recommend the Faculty House. Leslie Robinson and her staff were amazing!!!!

- Why did you choose Faculty House: Anthony's an alumni of Columbia's Master program in Africana Studies. The venue was close to Riverside Church. We're both scholars and it seemed fitting. The space was versatile, food was good and the coordinator, Leslie Robinson addressed each and every one of our needs with efficiency, empathy and a great sense of humor. First, I was impressed by Leslie's ability to manage big personalities including demanding relatives, last-minute changes and general master of chaos! But more, Leslie added the human element to what she provided, from an orchid on the pinafore plates to laughing at my mother's jokes. Unlike some mangers, Leslie can actually communicate. If you are looking for a venue that is organized and experienced, book with Faculty House and ask for Leslie. Not to mention, Miss Robinson has style (note her accessories:)) So if you need an eye on how things will appear, she won't steer you wrong. Also, and this is key, Leslie worked with our budget. A lot of event places will push you to overspend beyond your original budget, and of course in some ways, you expect that you will go over, but there's a difference between working with a venue that you feel wants your money as opposed to your business.Faculty House, as represented by Leslie wanted our business, and that means future business, and glowing reviews like this. We never felt bullied into buying more than we wanted, or forced to compromise our vision in any emotional kind of way.

- What’s your favorite memory from the event: The wooden dance floor and windows are lovely. It's hard to pinpoint a favorite memory, but regarding the venue, I appreciated that there was a bridal suite, stocked with drinks, snacks and peace of mind, in the midst of the big performance. I loved that my family and friends felt welcome, full of good food, music and love. Oh my goodness- and I didn't mention the cake! This was a huge highlight and honor to work with Ron-Ben Israel! Our cake looked was delicious, magical, couture.

- Other vendors you’d recommend: Ayano Hisa was our photographer, and was very professional and affordable price points. We also worked with her recommendation for film, Yusuke Shibata . Both were wonderful to work with, and Ayano was familiar with the venue so if you do book with Faculty House, Ayano would know where to take photos.

My husband and I met while going to graduate school at Columbia, thus the school had a great deal of significance in both of our lives. As a result, when we decided to pick a venue for our wedding, we immediately knew that Columbia was our first choice.

First, the St. Paul's Chapel is gorgeous. This historic building is not only on the beautiful Columbia campus but the interior is truly something. The photos from the chapel were amazing.

Second, Faculty House is a wonderful place to get married. The staff is very helpful and responsive and the process leading to the wedding went very smoothly. In addition, the wedding package was great value for the money. The venue's offering was of high quality and everyone had a great time at the wedding. Needless to say, the wedding was a success and we are super happy that we got to get married at St. Paul's and have the reception at Faculty House!

Fantastic service - it was great working with The Faculty House. My guests enjoyed the food, the space was great, they even gave us access to the lower level for my bridal party and myself to get dressed/get ready for the wedding. I had a phenomenal wedding reception and truly felt at ease with The Faculty House Staff. Would highly recommend them to all.

FYI: We used the faculty house for the reception only.

The Faculty House was not the site of our ceremony, yet it was where we had our wonderful reception. The staff was extremely accomodating and attentive during the entire event. The food was delicious, and there was more than enough for everyone to have as much as they wished (we did a buffet style). The layout of the 4th floor was perfect, and the terrace provided an extra bonus space for guests to mingle. Our wedding had 100 guests, yet the space could have held more.

Faculty House at Columbia University was great! Farrah and the staff there were so flexible and helpful. They truly helped us capture the kind of wedding we wanted. The venue is beautiful and bright. We were able to use all 4 floors on our special day and the staff there was attentive to all our needs and made sure we were taken care of. Perfect location for us and great value for a NYC venue!

Leslie, the wedding coordinator, is a dream to work with! She holds your hand and guides you through the whole process, and has such a wide array of knowledge of all sorts of wedding customs from various cultures. She makes great recommendations. We loved working with them!

The Faculty House is a lovely venue for a wedding in the city. The view from the 4th Floor terrace (over Morningside Park) is to die-for, and the guests at our wedding couldn't stop raving about it. The food was also excellent, and the Faculty House partners with a phenomenal cake-baker as part of its standard wedding package. Be aware that you need to rent a dance floor for the 4th Floor, if you want to have dancing, in addition to paying an extra fee to rent that floor, but the view is well worth it.

The management staff did a great job executing all the details and working with our other vendors on the day of the wedding. The planning process during the year leading up to the wedding was not always so smooth. We got a fair bit of mis-information from the Faculty House (e.g. about how many guests we could fit in the room for dinner and dancing, about the typical layout of the room, etc.) and the sales staff/coordinator we worked with was often not responsive to our inquiries. In the end, we went with our own assessment of the place and the advice of other vendors (e.g. the florist), and things turned out beautifully on the day-of. We will always have wonderful memories of our wedding here!