If the vision and vibe you and your fiance have in mind for your wedding day is far from cookie-cutter, you might want to set the tone early, starting with an unexpected or unconventional wedding venue! You know, the kind of place that makes your wedding a unique and memorable experience rather than simply an event. 

Well, if you’re getting married in NYC, we’ve done some of the research for you! Here is a short (but great) list of some of the most unique, storied and jaw dropping venues in NYC!

The Beekman

If you’re any kind of a history buff, you’ll likely be amazed to know that at one time the site where The Beekman sits was home to NYC’s original theater district, and more specifically, The Chapel Street Theatre, where William Shakespeare’s Hamlet debuted in NYC in 1761!  5 Beekman Street went through several other reinventions over the years, before the Temple Court Building was erected between 1881 and 1883. The Queen Anne and Renaissance Revival style of the original section of The Beekman, along with the stunning 9 story atrium will add a dramatic atmosphere for your once in a lifetime celebration! 

Seriously, the atrium boasts tile-mosaic floors and gorgeous ornate iron railings, held up by cast-iron brackets shaped like dragons. The ambience is sumptuous and welcoming, and no detail is spared in the rest of the hotel either. The luxurious vibe continues with The Bar room, then into the award winning Temple Court Restaurant, and straight into pure French elegance at Le Gratin by Chef Daniel Boulud. 

The Beekman is able to host micro-weddings of up to 50, or able to host up to 90 guests for a more formal reception, with a large collection of event spaces, both  intimate and more grand, and indoor and out, creating a truly bespoke affair. 

The Angel Orensanz Foundation

The Angel Orensanz Foundation prides itself in maintaining the former Ansche Chesed Synagogue as a historical landmark. The former synagogue was built in 1849 and is the oldest Reform Synagogue in the US. Its distinctive neo-gothic architecture comes from the inclusive vision of the German Reform Movement, and more specifically from the synagogue’s architect,  Alexander Saeltzer. The building’s design borrows extensively from the Cathedral of Cologne, the Friederichwerdeschekirche in the Mitte in Berlin, as well as most heavily from the Sistine Chapel in Rome.

What I’m saying is that this venue is gorgeous, expansive, dramatic and historic! It might be just the place to host your out-of-this-world wedding! Just look at their gallery to see what’s possible with decor lighting in this space! Incredible! And, the vibe extends beyond the exterior, when you learn more about the Foundation that curates this space. 

The Angel Orensanz Foundation for the Arts was established in 1992 as an artistic and cultural resource that is open to artists, writers, thinkers and leaders from all over the world, and to the community all around us. Over the years the foundation has welcomed and been inspired by Philip Glass, Spike Lee, Arthur Miller, Alexander McQueen, Salman Rushdie, Maya Angelou, Alexander Borovsky, Elie Wiesel and Chuck Close.

And, if you have your heart set on a big wedding, The Foundations Event space can host formal receptions for up to 260 guests, so your guestlist can be just as epic as your reception space! 

Stay turned in the coming weeks for parts 2 and 3 of our Absolutely Unique Wedding Venues in NYC list!