I was married at the Sanctuary on Penn in October 2013 and would not recommend this space for a wedding under any circumstances. It is highly disorganized and unprofessional and we regret that we had our wedding there. General environment: One of the reasons we booked at the Sanctuary was that it is a gorgeous old building with character. That does not excuse some of the general disrepair of the venue. First off, way back on November 25th, 2012 when I saw the venue for the 1st time, I asked one of the multiple wedding coordinators we dealt with over the year about the air conditioning. It was cold that day and she joked that the AC worked a lot better than the heat. Granted, our wedding day was an unseasonably warm day (low 80s), but the venue was NOT at a comfortable temperature for us or our guests. I can’t imagine how they can book summer weddings in good conscience with the lack of climate control. Had I known that the venue would have been so uncomfortable, I would have booked elsewhere. Additionally, it was a rainy day and the leaking roof was out of control. There were major leaks in the bar room, the main hall and over the steps to the loft (presenting quite a safety hazard). One of our tables full of my older relatives had to physically move their table during dinner to avoid being rained on. This is absolutely ridiculous and very embarrassing. I certainly was not expecting our guests to have to avoid the rain WHILE INSIDE. Food: Where do I begin? First and foremost, the chef did not show up to our event. I literally spoke to the chef the week of the wedding, so imagine my surprise when he was nowhere to be found that day. His mother (!!!) was running the kitchen and no one bothered to tell us until she introduced herself as we were preparing for the ceremony. This is not the kind of information that a bride and groom want to find out from someone they have never met moments before walking down the aisle. We booked a professional, had coordinated the menu and food service with a professional, did a tasting with a professional and that is who we expected to show up the day of the wedding. Frankly, the food was one of the few things that we felt very confident about going into the wedding day, and it turned out to be a total disaster. Issues with the food: -We ordered/ paid for buttled appetizers at the cocktail hour. All apps were set on a table and not passed. -Dinner was cold. -Dinner service was highly disorganized. -We did “family style” dining and a “home cooking” theme. Some dishes were served without serving spoons/ forks/ etc.and then people were waiting quite a long time to get serving utensils delivered…letting food get even colder. -The portions made no sense. People got a vat of greens, but not enough fried chicken to serve the table. -We requested (and the chef agreed to) a squash medley on the menu, but there was not one. -The table that my sister (a bridesmaid) and my cousin and their families were at had chicken ONLY for the better part of the dinner hour. This table had 4 children under the age of 5 (2 of which were the ringbearers and had been there for hours) at it. These were the ONLY children at the wedding and they did not get served until the rest of the room was done eating. Imagine how antsy the poor kids were getting. -At the chef’s suggestion, we provided a count for vegetarian entrees and gave clear direction as to what tables the vegetarians would be at. None of them received their veg entree. This was all so embarrassing as we had been bragging on the food, and then it was a total let down. General Issues: -We paid for top shelf bar and specifically requested Maker’s Mark whisky, which they did not serve at the wedding . -Multiple times we requested that tables be set with a bottle of red wine, a bottle of white wine, wine glasses and water glasses.Tables were set with water glasses and champagne glasses, when we weren’t even planning a champagne toast. This looked ridiculous and caused confusion. I even confirmed with the owner the week of the wedding that tables would be set with wine bottles and glasses, yet this did not happen. -We provided the venue with clear table numbers and guest counts, the number of chairs per table was not correct. There wasn’t even a chair/ place setting for ME until seconds before we reached the table. -I got my pictures back from the photobooth and there are multiple pictures of the staff using it. SO UNPROFESSIONAL. This is only a sampling of our issues and all said, I would not recommend this venue for any couple’s reception. The only things that we were happy with were the ceremony (which was lovely), the bar (in general), and the outside vendors that we used. We still had a ball and had a great day with friends and family but continue to be disappointed in the sloppy execution of our event. I have given the owner multiple chances to work towards a resolution and he has not cooperated.