A non-traditional wedding venue in NJ: Montclair Art Museum

There are lots of wedding halls in New Jersey (and we mean LOTS!) But what if you’re looking for something different, something that has real history and artistic flair? One non-traditional wedding venue we recommend is the Montclair Art Museum.

With landscaped grounds, a stately building opened originally in 1914, and a pioneering art collection (it was one of the first museums in the United States to specialize in American art), it offers an elegant backdrop for a wedding reception. And one of the best things about it is that your guests can have fun viewing the galleries before the reception, too.

Below are some highlights from Sara and Jamie’s reception at the Montclair Art Museum, with food and decor by one of our favorite caterers in New Jersey, Food Company Catering and Special Events.

Depending on when you book your wedding, the featured exhibit will be different. You can find out from the museum what exhibit will be running during your wedding and mention it on your wedding website to pique your guests’ interest beforehand.

Private events at the museum take place in Leir Hall, a three story space with a giant skylight overhead. The space looks dramatically different depending on what lighting, decor, and colors you use. Sara and Jamie’s wedding colors were white and various shades of purple, and Tricia from Food Company Catering strung white and lavender paper lanterns across the room:

The food by Food Company Catering was seasonal and delicious — and photogenic! (Check out the edible flower on the homemade ravioli):

The cake was by pastry chef Beth Karam-Putt at Sweet Sisters Bakery – make sure you read Sara’s description of it below. All I can say is, YUM.

The music by DJ Ollie from Scratch Weddings kept everybody on the dance floor (including the great-grandparents, so you know it was infectious).

Uplighting was provided by JB Lighting Production.

Here’s what Sara had to say about their wedding experience:

“[The Montclair Art Museum] venue was special for so many reasons: it provided our international guests with a great collection of American art to enjoy, it allowed my husband and me to support our love of art and culture, and, most importantly, it allowed us to design and create our reception the way we wanted to. Our caterer, the Food Company, served food that reflected my family’s Italian heritage, including a gorgeous salad with burrata cheese and the most delicious ravioli. Our dessert table even included custom made espresso and cappuccinos and an amazing cannoli cake! Of course, that still was not enough dessert, and we served our guests a heavenly cake made by Sweet Sisters bakery that had a chocolate and chantilly cream-flavored tier and a pistachio apricot-flavored tier. Finally, the night ended with one of our favorite memories: our newly united family, both my side and his side, picked the two of us up, and we danced the last dance on the shoulders of all of those who have and will continue to be our support and our strength.”