We offer indoor and outdoor venues for weddings, corporate and nonprofit events, social events of any occasion, and photo shoots.
Atlanta History Center is the ideal venue for any event—complete with gardens, a grand ballroom, outdoor terraces, and a museum with rotating exhibitions. Complete this form or reach out to us at 404.814.4090 or privateevents@atlantahistorycenter.com to schedule a site tour or book your event.
Envision Your Event
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Host an unforgettable social gathering or have a memorable wedding ceremony at the historic venue setting.
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Enjoy a spectacular evening in the Grand Overlook ballroom featuring a barrel vaulted ceiling, Brazilian cherry-wood floors and floor to ceiling windows overlooking the illuminated wooded Quarry Garden.
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Host your event in our museum atrium, ballroom, or terraces; and explore our award-winning exhibitions and grounds.
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McElreath Hall is one of our most versatile spaces where a sky-lit atrium creates a welcoming entrance for the Members Room, our boutique ballroom and the 400 seat Woodruff Auditorium.
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Whether you are looking for an intimate space to host a reception or rehearsal dinner, the Cox Room does not disappoint.
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Battle of Atlanta Cyclorama and Texas Locomotive offer an incredible experience for you and your guests.
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Add on these hidden gems to any Atlanta History Center venue for a secluded cocktail hour or ceremony.
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Wedding FAQ
These are questions we often get from couples that book their wedding here. You may find that it answers a lot of your questions. Please feel free to also ask your salesperson for further clarity. We realize this is your first wedding you are planning and there are a lot of unknowns. We are happy to help, and no question is silly, always ask!
Wedding Planning
Please call or email us to check availability. We allow bookings up to two years in advance. Most Saturdays book up about fifteen months out. We do host weddings Sunday through Friday as well
As one of the largest event properties in Atlanta, it can take a village to pull off a wedding here – a beautiful and very memorable wedding at that. Numerous vendors, lots of locations, throw in a historic site (Swan House) with all our guidelines, and it can be a headache to coordinate anything. That is why you hire a professional to manage and run the show. We are happy to help recommend planners who are tried and true. Or we can give advice if you can’t decide between a few you found on your own.
The wedding planner must be a licensed planner not related to the family. We want to make sure the wedding planner is focused completely on coordination of the event with no distractions. You will also want your sister, family, or friend to be focused on you, and celebrating the occasion, not working.
We include a rehearsal in advance of the wedding at a time we do not already have an event booked. We can’t guarantee availability of the time or space you want until three weeks in advance of the wedding. Most Friday and Saturday rehearsals are in the morning due to a wedding loading in that afternoon.
A check or wire transfer is preferred. There is an additional 3% fee for any credit card transaction.
We only host one wedding per day. We may have another non-wedding event in a space you haven’t rented if there is enough parking and the guests’ paths will not cross.
Vendors
Catering must come from one of our approved caterers in our brochure. We do not allow caterers to come here who are not on our list. We want to ensure the highest level of standards are met and we know the caterers on our list will do that from years of experience working with them. Through our caterers we can offer all types of cuisine, including but not limited to, Caribbean, Halal, Kosher, Latin, Nigerian, Persian, South Asian, Vegan, etc.
You can bring in rented furniture from any licensed and insured company. Everything must load in and out within your contracted load in and load out time.
We highly recommend www.AtlantaPartyRentals.com or www.LuxuryLoungeATL.com for staging and furniture. We have a special relationship with these two companies that allows them to load in prior to your contracted time. This can be helpful and potentially money saving.
Your band or DJ can provide minimal lighting to light up their stage and the dancefloor. Uplights may be provided by your DJ, caterer, planner, or decorator.
Additional lighting, including but not limited to, pin spotting on tables or cake, monogram gobo projection, special effects lighting on the ceiling (stars, night sky, etc.), must come from one of our exclusive AV and lighting companies. Those companies include Jaros Production, Spectrum, and SiFi Entertainment. If you, the planner, or decorator hires another lighting company, there is an additional $1,000 fee.
Due to the sensitive nature of our historic buildings, outdoor receptions must use one of our AV companies for all lighting, sound, and other AV needs.
Beverage Service
This History Center holds the liquor license and per Georgia liquor laws, all alcoholic beverages must be served and provided by us. If any alcohol is brought on site, we will ask for it to be thrown away or stored in the method of transportation that you arrived in.
We are happy to provide champagne, beer, and wine for the wedding party prior to the ceremony at our client’s request. These beverages are billed based on consumption and added to the final invoice following completion of the event. We of course can provide water as well - hydration is key!
All of these are nice features you can offer to elevate your guests’ experience. Since we will go through more bar product, there is an additional $4.00 per person fee for any one of those options. If you offer all three, it would be $12.00 per person. We would provide the product, but your catering staff would do the passing.
Passed drinks at the cocktail hour is a great way to alleviate lines at the bar right after the ceremony. For toasts, we find that most guests prefer to do a “toast in hand” with whatever drink they already have. Champagne is also available at the bar for anyone who requests it.
All beverage service has tax, service charge, and gratuity in addition to the base price. There may be an additional fee from your caterer for glassware and wine stewards.
All events have an automatic 15% gratuity that is added to beverage service. 100% of that gratuity goes to the staff who work your event.
Miscellaneous
Atlanta History Center with 130 West Paces Ferry as the address is what should be used on your invitations, not Swan House.
The Swan Coach House restaurant is located nearby and is where Uber/Lyfts/GPS would bring your guests if “Swan House” is used as the location. This causes great confusion for guests and often results in them being late for your ceremony.
We do not have a bridal suite. Hair and makeup will need to be done offsite. When you arrive here, we will have a casual holding space in the museum building for you and the wedding party to relax in before the ceremony. It will be something simple like an office, small lobby, or classroom. We have separate spaces for the groomsmen and bridal party if requested.
We will have a casual private holding room for your band or entertainer that is included with your booking. We do not guarantee in advance what or where that space will be. It may be a classroom, office, etc. A bathroom will be nearby. We can provide soft drinks and we bill the client based on consumption. We do not set out alcoholic drinks for entertainers or event staff. Meals, coffee, and hot tea can be arranged for the band through your caterer.
All our outdoor spaces require an indoor space to be rented with them in case of inclement weather. This space could depend on your guest count or date of your event.
Most of our weddings will host their indoor ceremony in the Allen Atrium of the History Museum and cocktail hour in the Exhibit Hall of the History Museum.
A tent does not suffice as a weather plan. If there is anything more than a light drizzle it will not be safe for your guests and event staff to make their way to and remain in the Swan Gardens.
Tenting is only permitted on the column side lawn of the Swan Gardens. We have a $6,500 tenting fee that reserves the lawn the day before for load in, and morning after the event for load out. The ability to set up a tent is subject to availability and typically needs to be booked and paid for at the time of reserving your wedding date. Tents can only be provided by Atlanta Party Rentals.
For outdoor open-air receptions, the Grand Overlook ballroom would be the weather plan.
Indoor events must end by midnight. Outdoor events must end by 10:30pm with any horns in a band stopping by 10:00pm.
Yes. We lock the gates that lead to the parking deck after all vendors have left, about two hours after a wedding ends. It will be unlocked around 7:00 am the next day.
The naturally occurring aging on the foundation, surrounding walls, and stairs of the Swan House are from lichens and moss. While some may want it to be pressure washed, it is intentional and historically accurate based on the architect’s (Philip Shutze) design. The stucco on the Swan House had buttermilk added to it so the house would have an aged appearance without waiting 100 years for it to occur. The family’s architect wanted to design a home that looked timeworn from day one. The Inman’s were avid collectors of antiques and wanted their house to feel like it was from the old world too.
There are a handful of ways you can save money here and there for an Atlanta History Center wedding. It is good to be sure you get a rough estimate for all vendors before selecting a venue, just to be sure everything will meet your budget.
- Select a Friday or Sunday to save between $1,000 and $3,500 on the rental fee.
- Use a DJ instead of a band. DJs generally cost less, and you have less entertainers to cater drinks and dinner to. We also include a small DJ stage vs. you having to rent a larger stage for a band. Bands will need our power distribution unit that they plug their equipment into so circuits are not blown - that is a $300 rental fee from us.
- Choose the House brands bar. The House level bar is not a bad selection. The cost savings is minimal, but every bit adds up.
- Host the cocktail hour inside the Atlanta History Museum. All outdoor furniture must be rented. Inside, we include some furniture. Also, you don’t have the Swan beverage setup fee for a cocktail hour in the museum, and the guests love touring the exhibits.
- Go for a small bite dessert display instead of an elaborate cake.
- Minimal décor in the ballroom looks nice. The ballroom is beautiful on its own with linen and centerpieces. Don’t feel like you need to make it look like something you saw a picture of. Greenery and lots of candles can go a long way for saving some money vs. lots of blooms, hanging florals, and a flower wall.
Please reference this guide for hosting a dinner reception outside.