6 Outside-the-Box Wedding Venues in NYC

One of the most exciting parts of planning your wedding is choosing a venue that really reflects you and your partner. Here in New York, your options could range from a luxury penthouse on Central Park to a rose garden in the Bronx with a flock of peacocks in attendance. You name it, New York can almost always make it happen. But it’s easy to limit your possibilities to the places you already know and love.  Today, we rounded up six NYC venues you may have never thought of as the perfect spot to say “I do”…

1) Museum of the Moving Image – Astoria, Queens

Sure, it might look a little off the beaten path, (though truly it’s minutes from Manhattan via the Queensboro Bridge) but the moment you walk in to the Museum of the Moving Image, you’re transported to a slick, sexy, futuristic wonderland.  Galleries remain open during private events, so your guests can tour the hundreds of interactive experiences, film artifacts, video games, and the uber-modern, all-white courtyard.  Plus, custom content designed by you and your partner can be projected on the walls throughout the space, or straight onto the big screen.

 

Photos by Chellise Michael / More on this wedding here.

2) New York City Fire Museum – Soho, Manhattan

The beautiful third floor loft of the New York City Fire Museum is probably the most  affordable wedding venue in Soho, at a flat rate of $3,500 for 8 hours, or $450 hourly.  With hardwood floors, sweeping walls of exposed brick, and 12-foot ceilings, the NYCFM is the perfect spot for a simple, timeless celebration in the heart of Downtown Manhattan.

 

Photos by Kristina Hill / More on this wedding here.

3) New York Hall of Science – Corona, Queens

With cathedral-high walls of undulating concrete, gridded with 2 x 3 ft plates of glowing blue glass, it’s no wonder The New Yorker has named The Great Hall at NYHS “one of the grandest, eeriest, and least seen spaces in all New York.”  The hall was originally constructed for the 1964-65 World’s Fair, at the time the largest poured-in-place concrete structure of its kind.  It has since hosted hundreds of weddings, parties, concerts and paper airplane competitions.  Specifically designed to evoke the feeling of leaving planet Earth, this venue is as one-of-a-kind as it gets – plus the nearby Unisphere makes for a perfect photo op for you and your wedding party.

 

Photos by Yun Gen Yang Photography / More on this wedding here.

4) Metropolitan Building – Long Island City, Queens

Owner and Founder Eleanor Ambos first bought this 1909 former electrical parts factory in 1980 to use as a storage and studio space for her successful antique furniture business in Manhattan. Photographers and wedding planners alike flocked to the venue immediately, mesmerized by its four floors of elegant design and abundance of charming details.  Couples have access to multiple floors and are free to use the building’s wide range of props and furniture to decorate the space to their liking.

 

Photos by Elvira Kalviste / More on this wedding here.

5) Museum of the City of New York – Upper East Side, Manhattan

Stepping into the Museum of the City of New York’s Fifth Avenue entrance, guests are greeted by a stunning marble staircase in the Georgian-style Rotunda winding up to the second floor, where floor-to-ceiling French doors open on to the Marble Court reception hall, illuminated by a stunning a contemporary art installation aptly named Starlight.  The Museum features three (yes, three!) outdoor spaces overlooking Central Park, two of which can seat up to 350 guests for dinner, cocktails, or ceremony.  Guests are also welcome to explore the museum’s multiple galleries, and a spacious bridal lounge is provided for ultimate comfort.

 

Photos by Ira Lippke / More on this wedding here.

6) Brooklyn Grange Farm – at The Brooklyn Navy Yard

In addition to being the world’s largest rooftop farm, generating over 50,000 lbs of organic produce a year, and providing urban farming consultation to hundreds of clients across the globe, Brooklyn Grange Farm hosts breathtaking events that seamlessly merge agrarian greenery with 360 degree views overlooking the Manhattan skyline.

 

Photos by Les Loups Photography / More on this wedding here.