Overview
The Birmingham Museum of Art has been one of the most sought-after wedding venues in Birmingham for the past 15 years. With its colorful Dale Chihuly blown glass adorning the walls of the 8th Avenue Lobby, to the three-story windows and dramatic staircase in Oscar’s Café, the Museum is the perfect setting for any sophisticated, modern wedding.
When choosing the Museum for your wedding, you have access to all of our event spaces and galleries. We only book one event per evening, so you are guaranteed to have the entire Museum for you and your guests to enjoy. Our event manager and catering staff work to ensure your special day is everything you wish it to be and can assist in all your wedding planning needs.
At the Museum, we offer two wedding options.
1. Wedding Ceremony and Reception
2. Wedding Reception Only (with the wedding ceremony happening offsite)
What is included in the rental fees?
We offer an inventory of tables that can be used for guest seating and food service. Additional tables can be rented through our preferred rental company. We offer the following tables:
(20) 60” round tables – seats 8 to 10 guests
(18) 8’ rectangle tables – great for food stations, buffets, or seating for 6 to 8 guests
(7) 36” round tables – seats 4 to 5 guests
(18) 36” square tables – seats 4 guests
What is not included in the rental fees?
- Linens
- Chairs
- Floral Decor
Wedding Ceremony and Reception
When renting the Museum for your wedding ceremony and reception, you have several options for your ceremony locations depending on your guest count.
1. For 25 or fewer guests, your wedding ceremony can take place in our beautiful Red Mountain Garden Club Memorial Garden. This intimate space is surrounded by natural beauty, reflecting pools, and various pieces of art.
2. For 160 or fewer guests, your wedding ceremony can take place in 8th Avenue Lobby. This indoor space is framed by several galleries and is home to the well-known Dale Chihuly’s Birmingham Persian Wall.
3. For 300 or fewer guests, your wedding ceremony can take place in our largest space, Oscar’s Café. When choosing the Café for your wedding ceremony, it is a good idea to plan a cocktail hour in either the gardens or 8th Avenue Lobby so that our professional and efficient staff can flip the space into your reception area.
For your wedding reception, you may utilize all spaces: the Red Mountain Garden Club Memorial Garden, Oscar’s Café, and the 8th Avenue Lobby to allow you and your guests to experience all the Museum has to offer. We do not rent these spaces separately for weddings; rather, all spaces and galleries are included in the rental fee (see below).
Rental Fees for Wedding Ceremonies and Receptions
To have your wedding ceremony and reception at the Birmingham Museum of Art, we charge two fees:
1. $6,000 contribution fee
This fee covers all of the event spaces and includes all galleries open during the wedding. We consider a portion of this fee as a “tax-deductible contribution” to the Museum. To determine this tax-deductible amount, we subtract the rental value of the individual event spaces that you actually use from the total fee paid ($6,000). The individual rental values are below:
Oscar’s Café – $700
Red Mountain Memorial Garden – $700
8th Avenue Lobby – $500
While you have all event spaces available for your use, many weddings end up only using 2 of the 3 spaces. (We define “using” a space as actually setting up tables, chairs, a bar, etc. in the space.) For example, let’s say the ceremony takes place in the 8th Avenue Lobby (a rental value of $500), and the reception takes place in the Café (a rental value of $700), and while the gardens are open and available for your enjoyment you do not set up a bar or seating outside. To determine your tax-deductible contribution amount, we would deduct the $700 value and $500 value from the $6,000 fee, leaving you with a $4,800 tax-deductible contribution to the Museum. The Special Events Manager provides the client with a receipt of this contribution.
2. $400 per hour
This hourly fee covers the security personnel and maintenance staff that are required during after-hour private events. The fee begins at 5:00pm, our normal closing time, and ends after the event is completely broken down, which can take an hour or more based on how extensive the décor setup is.
Wedding Reception Only
Rental Fees for Reception Only
To have your wedding reception at the Birmingham Museum of Art, we charge two fees:
1. $5,000 contribution fee
This fee covers all of the event spaces and includes all galleries open during the wedding. We consider a portion of this fee as a “tax-deductible contribution” to the Museum. To determine this tax-deductible amount, we subtract the rental value of the individual event spaces that you actually use from the total fee paid ($6,000). The individual rental values are below:
Oscar’s Café – $700
Red Mountain Memorial Garden – $700
8th Avenue Lobby – $500
While you have all event spaces available for your use, many wedding weddings end up only using 2 of the 3 spaces. (We define “using” a space as actually setting up tables, chairs, a bar, etc. in the space.) For example, let’s say the ceremony takes place in the 8th Avenue Lobby (a rental value of $500), and the reception takes place in the Café (a rental value of $700), and while the gardens are open and available for your enjoyment you do not set up a bar or seating outside. To determine your tax-deductible contribution amount, we would deduct the $700 value and $500 value from the $6,000 fee, leaving you with a $4,800 tax-deductible contribution to the Museum. The Special Events Manager provides the client with a receipt of this contribution.
2. $400 per hour
This hourly fee covers the security personnel and maintenance staff that are required during after-hour private events. The fee begins at 5:00pm, our normal closing time, and ends one hour after the designated end time. This end time will be included in the wedding contract and agreed upon with both the client and the Special Events Manager. For example, if a wedding started at 6:30pm and ended at 11:00pm, the $400 hourly fee would run from 5:00pm until 12:00am.