By far the best concert venue in Buffalo. Â A beautiful old church that has been restored and renovated by none other than the musician Ani DiFranco. Â The interior is warm and welcoming and retains the charm of a historic church but without all the cobwebs and creaking floorboards. Â The bathrooms are clean with plenty of stalls for the ladies! I didn't have to wait to use the bathroom at any point.
Downstairs the cellar has been turned into another small venue perfect for comedy shows and small concerts. Â Yet again, everything is clean and cozy and not at all what you would expect when you hear "cellar."
The acoustics are fantastic in either the hall or the cellar and the lighting is equally as impressive. Â The ONLY downside to this venue is there aren't enough events! I would go out of my way to see concerts here. Â Absolutely fantastic.
Asbury Hall is owned by Ani Difranco. It's a gorgeous venue with an interesting and warm color scheme of light greens and peaches and whites with hardwood floors, stage, and balcony. The acoustics are absolutely amazing for any kind of event. You walk in and instantly feel like you are somewhere special. My husband and I fell in love with this place and we had our wedding here. Â Our ceremony was done on the main floor and we had Balloon Masters hang string lights from balcony to balcony over the main floor making everything look sparkly and magical. Cocktail hour was in the basement with a deep mahogany bar and natural stone all around. The room where all the girls got ready was totally rockstar with vintage couches, poster walls, and more natural stone all around. SO many opportunities for amazing photo opportunities, my photographer was in heaven!
We were catered to like any bride and groom hope to be and then some. It was wonderful. Austin Scaccia is an amazing event coordinator. He made sure that everything and I mean EVERYTHING was perfect for our big day. He helped calm many bridal nerves by staying calm and collected and helping me put together my perfect wedding. Nothing was too much for his staff either. I had an attendant almost all night that seemed to always appear when I needed her. When I was feeling really anxious she was there to offer juice or crackers to settle my stomach. She was always asking if there was anything I needed. I felt like a queen. The rest of the staff was courteous, attentive, and incredibly professional. Both my husband and I had an attendant for dinner where they made our plates for us, poured our wine and got us anything we needed so we didn't have to do anything but enjoy.
The catering for Asbury is done exclusively by Exquisite Catering, the same company as the likes of Bacchus in downtown Buffalo. The food was exceptional and far beyond normal "wedding food." The bar was awesome and Austin even threw in an extra hour free of charge and we had 2 signature drinks! Every part of Asbury Hall exceeded our wildest expectations for such an important day.
And honestly, the place and catering weren't cheap but for everything we got for our money- it was worth every penny. And your venue, food, and bar should be about half your budget anyway. I would pay it over and over again for this kind of service. We still get compliments about the evening almost a year later.
If you need to know anything else about Asbury please feel free to message me for an additional personal rec. I cannot say enough about this amazing venue. Worth every penny and one of the best decisions I made regarding our wedding plans. Amazing amazing amazing. I wish I could give it 92384928349298798 stars.
Babeville rocks, for so many reasons!
Babeville was erected as a church back in the 19th century, and although the function of the space is no longer the same, the magnificent steeple remains one of the most unique markings on the skyline of downtown Buffalo. You know who bought this old church to preserve it and keep it rocking as a record label headquarters, event/performance venue, and gallery? None other than the righteous babe herself, Ani Difranco. Awesome!
Gorgeous original architecture on the outside. Modern, unique event space on the inside. I attended a wedding held at Babeville's Asbury Hall, which is housed in the original sanctuary space and still includes the original dark wood detailing and beautiful stained glass windows. I got the inside scoop from my friend, the groom, about how awesome the Babeville staff was in helping them get their ceremony and reception (both done in Asbury Hall) planned down to their specifications. It wasn't cheap apparently, but damn they sure got what they paid for!
I was in the wedding party, and from the rehearsal the night before, to pictures and chill time before the ceremony, they attended to our every need, including starting the open bar for us 2 hrs before the ceremony. We chilled downstairs in the "green room" which was decorated floor to ceiling with every Ani Difranco concert poster and album cover - very cool.
Immediately after the ceremony ended, the Babeville staff swarmed the crowd with hor'duerves trays, and the open bar was open for business. The food, from appetizers to dessert, was top notch. Hor'duerves included tables set up with premium (for real - PREMIUM) cheeses, crackers, meats and fruits. Being passed on trays were seasoned chicken skewers, lobster cakes with a tangy dipping sauce, and steak bruscetta. Entree selections included a stuffed chicken breast, cheese tortellini, or fillet with potatoes and veggies. I went with the fillet - along with, it looked like, the majority of the other guests. I'm not even usually a huge red meat eater, but damn this was a fillet done RIGHT. So tender, flavorful, juicy. I cannot give Babeville credit for the cake because it was brought from an outside bakery (but this was delicious as well). The open bar was staffed by 2-3 bartenders at all times, which meant no long waits. By the end of the night, they all knew my drink and had it prepared for me as I approached the bar (although perhaps that says more for my drinking problem than it does for their service?). The booze was top shelf, but again, I know this was also a preference that my friend and his wife paid for.
Overall, a perfect ceremony. We were impeccably served in an amazing, unique space - made for a very memorable night. I personally have no ties to Buffalo, but Babeville almost makes me wish that I did, so I'd have an excuse to party in style at Asbury Hall if I ever get married.
I didn't get to see the rest of Babeville, but it is also the headquarters for Ani's record label, and during the planning stages of the wedding, my friend got a viewing of her Grammy on display upstairs in the offices. Pretty sweet.
(Bonus: when I drunkenly engaged a staff member in a convo about if he has ever actually met Ani Difranco, he told me an amusing story about the time some of them tried to kick her out of her own place because she showed up in true Ani style - dreadlocked, bohemian dress - and they mistook her for a homeless woman. Ha!)
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