The Newark Museum of Art Reviews
Reviews
4.7 out of 5 rating
4.7 out of 5 rating
10 Reviews
94% recommend it
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![Kathleen]()
Kathlee Sent on 09/06/2023Unique Wedding Venue
The Newark Museum of Art is a not so hidden gem in Downtown Newark. I attended an event there when I first moved to Newark and immediately fell in love with it. The museum was the first venue we visited and we immediately said yes due to its affordability as well as the opportunity it provided for us to have a unique wedding experience. The museum hosts many events and has a team that will support you throughout the planning process. We had our ceremony in their beautiful outdoor courtyard and our reception was indoors. Our guests loved being able to view art exhibits during cocktail hour and we got so many compliments on the venue! The only thing that poses a challenge is that you can only host after museum hours, which means that you only get 5.5 hours for your event. We had so much fun that we wished we could stay there longer! This did not take away from our event but is something to consider. I highly recommend! -
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User1352173 Sent on 09/27/2013We had such a positive experience choosing the Newark Museum as our reception venue (and with their terrific staff!) and wanted to share! I happened to know about the museum because I went to graduate school in the area, but because they are a non-profit, the museum is not allowed to advertise it's services publicly -this place is such a best kept secret! So many guests were buzzing about how excited they were to come to an art museum for the wedding and were blown away by how beautiful the space was on the reception day with all the dramatic uplighting and table arrangements in place -breathtaking (I don't think pictures could do it justice)! The Museum will also open up a gallery for wedding guests to walk through during cocktail hour, which many of our guests took advantage of and also loved. In addition to the gallery being open, they gave each of our guests a complimentary free re-entry ticket to come back and visit the museum another day. Our cocktail hour was in the sculpture garden lawn and the reception was in Englehard Court -we were really happy with both spaces. The icing on the cake with all of this beauty and delightfully unique reception space is the staff -I hope Carol and Erin see this review -you guys did such an amazing job on the wedding day! On the weeks leading up to the wedding, Carol was so responsive with every email and inquiry that we sent and got back to us right away. She is extremely thorough and really went out of her way to make sure everything was in order leading up to our event. On the day of, Carol came into the museum (on her off day) just to make sure things were running smoothly & stayed through the cocktail hour; Erin was there for the entire event and was also beyond spectacular! My parents, brother and bridal party members all came up to my husband & I after the event and commented on how great Carol and Erin were throughout the night - (Thanks so much to you both :)). Amazing experience -highly recommend! -
![Emily]()
Emily Sent on 07/27/2019Amazing Wedding Experience at Newark Museum
I cannot say enough good things about this amazing venue. I am so glad we picked it for our wedding. I highly recommend it.
The details:
The staff
Carol (the museum’s special events coordinator) was so organized and detail-conscious from the second we sat down with her. It’s clear this isn’t her first rodeo and she had the flow of the event entirely thought through. Her planning sheets really helped guide me through the planning process. She was very responsive throughout the process as well.
The staff member in charge for the day of the wedding, Shalaina, was a dream to work with. She actually was hired by the museum part of the way through our planning process, but she is the absolute best. She radiates calming energy and she took care every detail from big, like figuring out what to do when our florist had car trouble and didn’t come on time, to small, like finding a comb for my father-in-law’s unruly hair without worrying me.
The venue
The museum allows you to get ready (no hair or makeup) in the Trustee’s Room of the Old Ballantine mansion. We didn’t actually get dressed there but had food and drinks. It was a beautiful uniquely decorated space with antique décor.
We lucked out with amazing weather in June (not too hot) and had our ceremony in the sculpture garden, which was beautiful. There are lots of different ways the ceremony space can be set up because it is such a large space.
The cocktail hour was held outside as well. Because it was so nice out, not many of our guests actually went to the exhibit that was open at that time but had it rained or been hot, I’m sure people would have enjoyed it. The museum has a great collection.
The Englehardt Sculpture court was the highlight for me. High ceilings, built-in up lighting, marble floors, simple chandeliers that are a beautiful departure from tacky ballroom lighting…it was absolutely perfect for dinner and dancing. The murals on the back wall looked stunning in the photographs and were so unique. The check-in desk turn into a bar and there was a second floor for guests to go up to and hang out if they didn’t want to dance.
The food
Food is by far the biggest cost with this venue, as the museum works with a list of 10 caterers, but you can figure out different options. What I really appreciated was that when I reached out to several caterers and mentioned I was looking for more budget-conscious options, they told me upfront that they work with higher-end clients. No one’s time was wasted. We ended up using Lighten Up Caterers and had an amazing experience. So many guests told me it was the best wedding food they had ever had. Grace (the caterer) customized the food to fit our theme and made several dishes that were new to her that turned out absolutely amazing. Also, we were able to bring in our own alcohol, which saved us a fortune with our heavy drinking crowd.
The cost
For what’s included (essentially, a day of coordinator, a stunning venue, entertainment in the form of open galleries, day of staff, lighting, tech for the ceremony, etc.) the museum is very affordable by Northern New Jersey standards.
Highly recommend it!
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