Museum of the Moving Image

If you are looking to give your guests a good time, this is the venue for you. This is not your regular catering hall. I got ready there, had pictures there, had the ceremony, and had the reception there. It was so convenient to be able to do everything in one place. There was something for everyone of all ages, guaranteeing that no one would be bored. All of my guests raved about how much fun they had for weeks after the wedding!

If you want to skip the cookie-cutter hotel ballroom, gaudy catering hall, or are burnt out on barn weddings, this is the place for you. I just got married over the weekend, and it was everything we had hoped for and more. BG Hacker, who handles all special events for the museum, is the most organized, calming and detail-oriented person I've ever worked with. I am so thankful to have had him working with us every step of the way. The museum is a clean slate, and really allows you to get as inventive as you'd like with your ceremony and reception. We had a galaxy-inspired wedding complete with twinkling stars, glowing orbs, and cosmic decor. We even made our own mini-movie, which guests got to watch in the Egyptian-themed Tut's Fever theater. The best part is knowing that we can go back to our wedding venue at any time to relive some of the magic. There was plenty of room for our full buffet dinner and open bar, and it was nice enough for some guests to enjoy the beautiful outdoor courtyard. Our guests are still talking about all of the exhibits, especially the custom flipbooks they made. Where else can you play Donkey Kong, see Freddy Kruger, and voiceover "Babe: Pig in the City"? As a long-time muesum member, and a proud Astoria resident, I'm so glad we chose MOMI as our venue.

My husband Chris and I were married this past January at the MOMI. Chris and I wanted a venue that was unique to both of us and economical for our budget, and the MOMI was both. BG Hacker was by far the most generous, supportive, and understanding person in our entire process. He answered every question, email and phone call with utmost professionalism and and kindness. We absolutely love him! The MOMI itself is a beautiful space. It was modern, clean, and open. Our guests loved wandering through the exhibits, making stop motion animations and learning about film and television behind the cameras. We had a guest list of 125 people of all ages from 88 down to 1 and a half years old. And despite the snow and cold blustery weather, 90 guests showed up looking dapper and were transported to a magical place of fantasy, nostalgia, and fun. For $10,000 we were able to buy out the use of the museum for our five hour wedding and reception. And for the additional $1,000, we had the unlimited usage of the flip book machine, which was our guests' favorite feature! We were able to create a custom hand-drawn cover for the flip books and our guests spent the night using the props we provided to let the hilarity ensue. Although there was a glitch with the computer and not all of our flip books were able to be printed, the staff at MOMI were amazing in helping us. They were able to print the books the next day and we were able to mail them to our guests later that week! All of the staff was super friendly and helpful the whole night. And even though we were a little late getting out of the museum, we were treated with courtesy and kindness! I highly recommend the MOMI to anyone looking for a fun, unique, and thoughtful venue for their wedding. I cannot say enough about this amazing place that has a special home in our hearts!

We had the BEST wedding EVER EVER EVER. All of our friends and family tell us that all the time - and I know that's what you’re supposed to say to people after they get married - but we really believe it. The two things that were non-negotiables when we began planning our wedding were that we wanted it to be unique and personalized. The Museum of the Moving Image gave us everything we wanted - AND MORE! It was the first venue we looked at, and when we left that meeting with BG (the Museum's Event Planner) I said to my fiance, "This is it, this is where we are getting married." We looked at a few other possible venues, but nothing compared. We knew the museum was the perfect place for us. I mean, it’s obvious that the space is just awesome (you should go to the museum just for fun to check it out) - the space is so beautiful and modern, and the interactive exhibits are SO cool. What we were able to do there for our wedding was over the top. We were able to use any of the museum’s projectors to put our videos or stills up and truly personalize our wedding. We held our ceremony in the main movie theater, and had slides and videos projected onto the screen above us as our guests were being seated, and during the ceremony too. We had the 'save the date' video we made on loop in the back lounge, we had a home video montage of our family and wedding party playing in Tut's Theater, and our program/timeline of the evening's events was up on the screens in the cafe/entrance. We even printed out pictures of ourselves to include in the stop-motion video activity in the exhibits. To top it all off - as favors, our guests got to make their own flip-books of themselves at one of the activity centers in the museum! The best thing was seeing how all of our guests were surprised and amazed at every turn. And for us, as we looked around that night, we felt the museum was 'ours'. It reflected us in every way possible. The way the evening played out was that after the ceremony, we had our cocktail style dinner with passed food and food stations - the museum has the space for a formal sit-down dinner, but my fiance and our caterer convinced me and our families to have a cocktail style wedding (with tons of food). Cocktail hour is the best part of a wedding anyway - and it turned out to be the best decision because it gave us more time to have fun and take advantage of the unique venue we chose. After eating, we all explored the museum exhibits and activities, and then came back down to the main floor for dessert and a full on dance party. Best of all was BG. We must have asked him about a thousand questions as we went through all of the different options and decisions - and he was always there with a patient answer for us. This is no wedding factory - having your wedding there takes some work to create, but with BG to help with anything you need it’s so much easier than you think, and trust me it is so worth it. We owe him and the staff there big time. Our day turned out to be something I never could have pictured in a million years, but now I couldn't picture it any other way.

I, my husband & our guests still can't stop talking about the incredible experience we had at our wedding which was hosted at the Museum of the Moving Image in November 2012. Even now, people are still impressed by seeing the photographs against the museum backdrop (the white flooring and walls is truly breathtaking) or by knowing you can use the museum as a venue (and it won't blow your budget out of the water). The museum is located in Astoria, NY and I had always enjoyed visiting. Anyone who has a love for film, media or modern spaces will enjoy what it has to offer and my musician now-husband found fun there too. We decided on a Monday afternoon event & our special events coordinator, BG Hacker, was one of the most attentive, kind & knowledgable people we had met in this process. From our initial meeting to scope out the venue to the final goodbye when it was all over, he answered all of our questions clearly and promptly. He truly made us feel like he was "on our team". That was proven clear to us, when about a month before the wedding, after numerous meetings and a final menu formed, the museum's preferred caterer (Astor Room) misled and took advantage of our situation, forcing us to seek another caterer with just weeks to go. BG - along with many of the other museum staff - stepped up to make it right, even though they had no obligation to as they themselves didn't do anything wrong! However, their generosity helped soothe many a bride-to-be's tears and we ended up finding a great resolution. It was our intention to create an event that showcased the foundations of why we were joining as one, but also our personalities - as most of our guests were from out-of-state/traveling internationally and meeting our other half for the first time. We were so thankful people came from so far that we wanted to give back - and we felt the museum was our way of saying "thank you". Our wedding ceremony took place on the stage of the Main Theater which hosts movie screenings throughout the week. Since the rental includes use of the audio/video equipment - we used the big screen to show our "Wedding Slideshow". Guests loved being able to sit in the movie theater seats and watch something on the big screen! After the ceremony, guests were free to wander the exhibits which were open for them to experience and interact with. We created custom paper dolls for guests to play with in the "Stop Motion Animation" exhibit and we encouraged them to make "Flip Books" which were short little movies they could film of themselves and then print downstairs in the gift shop as a souvenir. It was great seeing how creative our guests could be! Other things to note: There is a "bridal room" (green room) for the women to get ready in as well as a "groom's chambers" for the men (a large conference room). Public restrooms are easily accessible, as well as handicap access to the theater and elevators to the exhibits. There is a coat check if needed and a preferred parking vendor you can work with around the block. If there is food in the venue, it needs to be pre-approved by the museum and no red wines or sauces as it could stain the floor - which is totally understandable. All-in-all, we had a wonderful time that went off without a hitch. Since the museum is still nearby, and we are now members, my husband and I often drop-in to enjoy the new exhibits and reminisce about one of the best and most memorable days of our lives.