Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum — Attraction in Pittsburgh

Before I dive in to all the details, let me start by saying IF YOU WANT THE WEDDING OF YOUR DREAMS – LOOK NO FURTHER THAN SOLDIERS AND SAILORS.

I have tried to write this review so many times in a quick hit summary that is easy for future brides to read, but it is simply impossible to explain our amazing experience in just a few sentences. Obviously, weddings are a big deal – so I think it is important all future couples have a true insight to other experiences before making a decision.

A little background, when I got engaged to my now husband, I had only been to Pittsburgh once in my life. At the time, we lived states away and I essentially knew nothing about the city in general, let alone the wedding scene. Back in 2023, I made the (big) mistake of contracting a different venue for our reception. Fast forward 20 months, and I received word less than 2 months before our big day that our venue would be undergoing construction. Immediately, I reached out to Soldiers and Sailors, and by the grace of God, they had one date available left, and it was our date… Amber (THE BEST wedding coordinator who can be dubbed a miracle worker) responded to my note moments after I reached out, and we ended up on a Zoom the next day. Not only was Amber extremely empathetic to our situation, but she also showed up to our call with a plan for how she would be able to execute the wedding of our dreams on such short notice. What had originally been an extremely overwhelming, gut-wrenching experience, quickly turned into something I was excited about. Amber seamlessly restored my trust in the wedding planning process and essentially took the reigns as she navigated the transition of all my vendors to Soldiers and Sailors. My husband and I were blown away by how she traversed this tricky situation with such grace and professionalism.

I could go on and on about how incredible Amber and the team at Soldiers and Sailors were – but I will leave you with this. Amber was supposed to be out of town the weekend of my wedding; she and her partner changed their vacation plans to make sure she could be there for our big day…. If that doesn’t show you how deeply the team at S&S cares, I do not know what will.

I am sure some of you reading this review probably think that my view is skewed because Amber/S&S literally saved our wedding… but as someone who has a background in events/operations, I can confidently say that I am able to separate the two. Yes – Amber/S&S have a special place in my heart for what they did in our time of chaos.. but Soldiers and Sailors is truly a BEAUTIFUL venue that provides great flexibility and can make any vision come to life.

Our guests absolutely raved about our cocktail hour in the lobby. It was beautiful, timeless, grand, and our guests really enjoyed having the opportunity to take in the exhibits while they waited for our wedding party to arrive. We had a 3-piece band playing, and a bar on each end. The space was fluid, the bartenders were efficient, the acoustics were perfect, and the transition upstairs to the ballroom was seamless.

The board room – which we used as our staging room/an area for my Husband and I to have a moment during cocktail hour, was incredible. It was spacious enough for our large wedding party (23 people!), and just a unique space. The pictures we have from there are awesome...

Now, the best for last. The Ballroom is truly unbelievable!! We brought in string lights, a band, flipped the bars so they were facing inside the space, and positioned the tables to make such a large space feel warm and comfortable for a smaller wedding (128 people). The pictures of the space don’t do nearly enough justice, as it truly transforms when you bring in the tables, bars, lighting, etc.. Our guests had the best time, and we would not have changed a thing.

Honestly – we are so thankful that we ended up at Soldiers and Sailors and would strongly encourage everyone to...

I cannot say enough about this venue and the staff there. Aly and Angela were very responsive, knowledgeable, and energetic. They were so easy to work with and they do this ALL THE TIME, so they have seen it all and know what's best if asked for recommendations. The venue is GORGEOUS and excellent value for the price. They have a list of preferred vendors, but multiple of each, so you can work with a range of price points and tastes to find one that fits. This has to be one of the premier venues in the city and I'm so glad I chose S&S. We also had our ceremony out in front of the building, which was beautiful and highly convenient for guests. When we toured venues in September 2016 for a spring-summer-fall 2017 wedding (we were open to most dates!), almost all venues we saw had plenty of availability except for S&S, which was almost booked solid on Saturdays. We got in only because of a cancellation. That speaks to its popularity and reputation!

Things S&S doesn't brag about but should: They let us come in starting the TUESDAY before my Saturday wedding to drop things off, and we had through Monday to clean up. I can't say enough about how much stress and hassle that saved us and our parents. No last-minute rushing or late-night cleanup for us! We got to walk in Saturday with everything already done and walk out at the end to go to our afterparty without a second thought! The bathrooms are huge! Ten stalls in the ladies' room meant no one spent my wedding waiting in line to use the bathroom. The balcony! It's open during the cocktail hour and reception, and is a place to take a breather and have a quieter conversation or watch the action from above. Parking: easy-peasy with a huge university-run lot underneath...

Soldiers & Sailors was the perfect centerpiece to plan our wedding around! We were postponed due to COVID, so it had been a rollercoaster of planning and flexibility, but could not have done it without the amazing staff at S&S. I especially would like to give thanks and praise to Katie, our event coordinator from day one and so grateful to have been able to work with her throughout this process. She was so kind, friendly, and her attention to detail, follow-up, industry knowledge, and guidance at every turn was invaluable and truly made the experience a joy.

During the wedding week, the whole staff at S&S was so helpful – from Katie, to the maintenance staff, to Cindy at the front desk, the level of customer service was so impressive and a breath of fresh air during a difficult year. Every detail was perfectly thought out – from load-in, access to storage, access to the Founders Room for getting ready, the balcony space, all the preferred vendors, bar staff – everything went off without a hitch. They provide a very helpful list of preferred vendors and have experience working with many other vendors within the Pittsburgh community and also provided us many iterations of floor plans and setup options.

All of our guests were in awe of the beauty, grandeur, and history of S&S as an event space and museum. It made for a beautiful backdrop for photos, videography, and central location in Oakland made it very convenient for hotels and...