The Drexelbrook Catering & Event Center — Restaurant in Upper Darby

I'm very disgusted by the way I was spoken to and treated by the older gentlemen that works there who handles contracts and paperwork with vendors when I was 38 weeks pregnant photographing a wedding.

I'm a professional photographer and I've worked here multiple times. I do not necessarily agree with their liability waiver, so I've never signed it; again I have worked there multiple times for private weddings and NEVER had any issues with not signing this waiver. I carry my own form of insurance for my equipment only, as I do not agree with venues piggy backing off of liability insurances of their vendors or requiring us to waive our rights if something happens, so I never sign any waiver no matter the venue. This has never been an issue with any property or event as I am respectful of all properties and people during my work.

As someone who hosts special events which posess anywhere from a few hundred to a thousand people I understand most special event general liability insurance policies and how they work. Thus being said I always recommend that my clients purchase their own special event general liability insurance for their weddings that additionally covers certain aspects of their vendors working for them. Which should satisfy the venues insurance and liability concerns for outside vendors. It should not be the vendors responsibility to provide required additional general liability insurance for the venue to piggy back off of.

Regardless, after never signing this waiver of my rights and after multiple times of working there, for some odd reason this last time I was there this older gentlemen hunted me down and scolded me for refusing to sign the waiver.

Now from working with many legal teams for special events I've gained the trait of not signing paperwork the day of an event I'm working as due to peer pressure. When firstly approached by this older gentleman I was asked if I had recieved the paperwork. In all honesty I had not, but from previous experience from working there I immediately knew what he was asking about. I honestly answered and said that I did not recieve any paperwork this time around. The gentleman than handed me a paper and told me to sign it. I explained to him that I do not sign paperwork the day of an event, especially not when I am on the job. He attempted to blackmail me stating that he was going to throw me off the property midway through my client's wedding, so I said politely to the man once more that I was not comfortable with signing the paperwork and that I wouldn't sign it due to me being on the job and it being the day of. I walked across the room and the man followed me attempting to push me into signing something I already declined. I passively ignored the man's actions as I have anxiety with men acting how he was. I have been abused by men who acted like him, so I did my best to avoid him. I finally walked directly over to my assistant and explained what was happening and how the man was making me feel incredibly uncomfortable as I was only a week away from having a baby and he wasn't accepting my declination as to the circumstances. As I was speaking to my assistant again the man walked over to me attempting to force this piece of paper onto me. By the time the gentleman had walked over to us I had told my assistant to record a video of the man as he was not understanding my declination of paperwork. We recorded the man stating to us that he should throw us off of the property. He explained to me that I would not be welcomed back onto the property unless I signed this piece of paper right then and there. I explained to the man that I had worked there prior and there had never been an issue with us not signing as we had always been incredibly respectful vendors. He continued onward to tell me how he would lie to people about me ever working there all while on recording.

I feel this is incredibly improper behavior for handling of contracts/waivers and it saddens me to say I will never recommend this venue to any of my...

We had our wedding reception at the Drexelbrook and there are so many wonderful things we can say about it!

Let’s start with the venue itself: gorgeous! The pictures we found online didn’t do it justice. It’s a beautiful, clean, and tastefully ornate facility. And it’s huge! During COVID, they were able to accommodate all of our guests (~200) comfortably and still follow state guidelines. The complimentary uplighting and table settings created a lovely ambience, and the layout was perfect. We had a live band who had plenty of space to work and the dance floor had ample space.

Next, the food: delicious! Honestly, wedding food has no business being this good. The flavors were amazing, from the hors d'oeuvres and stations to the main courses (they even were able to accommodate a custom sea bass dish we requested!) to the desserts. We’re still dreaming about the stuffed chicken and strip steak. There are so many options and they were very accommodating with food allergies, preferences, and intolerances. It’s hard to go wrong with all the choices. Also, the staff went out of their way to ensure that we were adequately fed and had time to ourselves! We can’t begin to tell you how clutch that was.

Then, the staff: helpful and accommodating! We had exactly 3 WEEKS to replan our reception as COVID forced the original reception out of Philadelphia, and everyone at the Drexelbrook did their best to make sure our “special day” was truly special. Christina, Anthony, Jeannie, and Bill hit the ground running and facilitated all of our last-minute needs. They responded quickly to our questions and didn’t balk at any reasonable requests. They had so many recommendations we didn’t even think of! They also worked so well with our vendors, making this as stress-free as possible!

Lastly, the quick turnaround: wow! While Pennsylvania was easing many event restrictions in March of 2021, Philadelphia did not follow suit. Our original reception venue very graciously allowed us out of the commitment to their venue, so we had a few days to find something else. After being very impressed with a tour of the facility, we landed on the Drexelbrook and they got to work immediately. Months of planning was able to be condensed in a few weeks. Our guests universally loved the venue and were shocked that all of it could be done in such a short period of time!

10/10 would recommend it...

From the moment I became engaged, I knew that I wanted to host the reception at Drexelbrook. I have worked with them before on school events, and I knew they would see my vision. I did my due diligence and visited other venues, but once my parents, my fiancé, and his parents walked in, we knew that this was the one. One of the first things I loved is that we got so much more for the price, most venues offered 4 -5 appetizers, we had double - PLUS STATIONS! The dessert bar was top-tier - not just cake, but also ice cream, cannoli, and the list goes on. What Drexelbrook offered us in physical space, food, plates, napkins, etc, did not hold a torch to how myself, my fiance, and our families were treated. I know they do this for a living and, as I said before, I've worked with them on school events; however, from the moment I signed the contract, I felt as though I was the ONLY bride that establishment was working with in that moment. They understood what this event meant to me. This event was not only important to me as a bride, but also as a daughter trying to honor my mother and the vision she had for my wedding before she passed a few years ago. They eased every fear, walked me off every ledge, gave me patience, kindness, advice, guidance, and so much more. The day of my wedding when my fiance and I did the sneak peek of our reception room during cocktail hour, I could not hold tears back. Somehow they made my vision MORE beautiful than I could imagine. Again, throughout cocktail hour, first dances, speeches, dinner, dancing, and dessert, I felt like I was a princess and royalty. No favor was too big or too small, the entire staff smiled, laughed with us, and were genuinely happy for myself and my husband. I cannot sing their praises enough. I wish I could do it over again just so I could soak in the love, laughter, and fun of that night. Everyone talks about how stressful planning a wedding is, but I felt none of that in deal with Hannah, Kim, Domenick and the rest of the Drexelbrook staff. Thank you Drexelbrook for making every single thing I dreamed of for a wedding come true. You were all amazing and I will gladly sing your praises for...