Planning an event in Center City means juggling a lot at once. The venue, the food, the staff, the timeline, and the small details that pull a day together. When all of that lives under one roof, the list gets shorter, and the stress drops with it. At Arts Ballroom on Locust Street, we hear the same questions from couples and planners every week, and most of them come down to a single thing. What should an all-inclusive package actually cover before you sign?
Here is how we think about it, and what we would want you to check at any venue you tour in Philadelphia.
The Things That Separate a True All-Inclusive Venue From the Rest
Not every venue that uses the words all inclusive means the same thing by them. Some hand you a room and a short list of vendors to chase. Others, like us, fold the catering, staff, rentals, and coordination into one package so you are not signing a dozen separate contracts. The difference shows up in your planning hours and in your final bill. These are the areas worth pressing on before you commit.
One Space That Can Hold the Whole Day
We sit inside a 10,000 square foot venue with exclusive use, which means the building is yours for the event. Our Grand Ballroom carries hardwood floors, mahogany doors, a French acoustic ceiling, a marble fireplace, and a granite staircase, and it seats formal weddings up to 230 with cocktail receptions up to 250. Right beside it, the Sylvania Room holds crystal chandeliers, mirrored décor, and a backlit marble bar, with space for cocktail receptions up to 300 or plated dinners up to 100. When you can move from ceremony to cocktails to dinner without leaving the building, the day flows, and your guests never feel shuffled around.
Staff Who Run the Night, Not Just the Kitchen
A real package covers people, not only plates. Our team includes a bridal attendant, an event specialist, a maître d’, doormen, a captain, and a full catering staff. We set servers at one per ten guests and bartenders at one per seventy-five, so the bar keeps moving, and no table waits long. Ask any venue who will actually be in the room on the day of your event. The answer tells you a lot about how the night will feel.
Food, Bar, and the Details That Add Up
Catering and beverage service come built in here, from butlered hors d’oeuvres and attended cocktail stations to a top-shelf open bar and a plated dinner served tableside with white-glove service. Dessert and a custom wedding cake are part of it, along with a cake-cutting service. We also include tables, chairs, linens, napkins, silverware, flatware, and glassware, plus full setup and breakdown. When these line items already sit inside the package, you are not pricing out rentals one by one as the date gets closer.
Coordination and the Small Print Worth Reading
On-site coordination with an event coordinator keeps your timeline on track, and we offer weekday rehearsal availability in the reception hall so your party can walk the space ahead of time. One detail couples often miss is tax and gratuity. Ours are included, which keeps your quote close to your final number. We also fold in a bride and groom suite for getting ready, along with custom lighting like uplighting, spotlights, and party lights to set the mood. Always ask a venue what is outside the package, because that is where surprise costs tend to hide.
Location and Photos Without the Travel
Being in the Avenue of the Arts district puts you near City Hall and the Pennsylvania Convention Center, which makes the venue easy for out-of-town guests to reach. For photos, Broad Street, Love Park, Dilworth Park, Washington Square, and Rittenhouse Square all sit close by, so your wedding party is not spending half the day in a car between locations.
An all-inclusive venue should save you time, hold your whole celebration in one place, and leave very little for you to source on your own. Those are the boxes we would check at any space in the city, and the ones we built our own packages around. If you are weighing options in Center City, come walk the Grand Ballroom and the Sylvania Room and picture your day inside them.
Book a tour with us, request the pricing guide, or contact us at 215-621-8561 to talk through your date. We would love to show you around.
FAQs
What is included in an all-inclusive package at Arts Ballroom?
Our packages cover catering and beverage service, staffing, tables, chairs, linens, napkins, silverware, flatware, and glassware, full setup and breakdown, on-site coordination, a bride and groom suite, cake cutting service, and a custom wedding cake. Tax and gratuity are included as well, so your quote stays close to your final cost.
Can we hold both the ceremony and reception in one place?
Yes. With 10,000 square feet of exclusive use space across the Grand Ballroom and the Sylvania Room, you can move from ceremony to cocktails to dinner without leaving the building.
How many guests can the venue hold?
The venue accommodates up to 250 seated for a formal wedding and up to 550 for a cocktail-style event. Room by room, the Grand Ballroom seats formal weddings up to 230 with cocktails up to 250, and the Sylvania Room holds cocktail receptions up to 300 or plated dinners up to 100.
Is there a space for the wedding party to get ready?
Yes. We include a bride and groom suite, and our Mezzanine has two private suites with private restrooms that work well for getting ready before the event.