Sterling Expression Photography

Mariah did our engagement session and wedding in May 2019 and she is INCREDIBLE to work with. She is funny and creative and great with instruction, which really helped us loosen up as we were quite nervous at first. It all resulted in incredible photos from our engagement shoot and we can't wait to see our wedding day pics! She and her assistant, Swails, were so great on our wedding day- professional and kind and always there, capturing every moment. We couldn't recommend Mariah more and absolutely plan to book her for any future photo needs! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

We held our wedding at the Sanctuary last weekend and it was so incredible that I'm writing this review from my honeymoon because you all NEED TO KNOW! Scott did our initial meeting and I could tell he is so passionate about the space and the events they host. Evan was our planner and let me tell you something, that man is one of the best humans on the face of the earth! He was so great in organizing us and keeping us going with our to-do list, helping/doing everything he could to help us. They were so attentive to our budget and helping us tailor the "dream sheet" to what was important to us. We utilized their "all inclusive" DJ- Don Masters, photographer- Mariah Handlon and florist- Post Road English Garden and could not have been happier with their products. The day of our wedding was so well organized- we got ready there, did a ceremony with quick flip of the room for the reception (Thanks Swails!). It went off without a hitch- well except for us! haha. The team at SOP care so incredibly much and go above and beyond to make your event what YOU want it to be. I can't imagine our wedding any where else. Thank you Scott, Evan, Swails, Don, Nancy/Post Road and Mariah! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We decided to change photographers halfway through our wedding planning and decided to go with Mariah. It was one of the best decisions we made. Leading up to the wedding, Mariah helped my clueless self to make a timeline and logistics for the photos before and after the wedding and was impressively quick to respond. She helped to make everything run smoothly on the day of and was flexible with the schedule when I was ready too and getting antsy. Her and her 2nd photographer were so nice and went above and beyond to get great shots. Throughout the whole day - from getting ready to the end of the reception - they were constantly clicking away, but they were never annoying or in the way. They caught so many shots that truly captured our personalities and silliness. The icing on the cake was how enthusiastic they were to have a photoshoot with my dog :) More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

The Sanctuary on Penn was an absolute dream of a wedding venue. We held our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception there. Scott and Evan could not have been more helpful throughout the planning process and ran things so smoothly on our wedding day . There is nothing more you can ask for that to have absolutely no issues on your wedding day and for things to run like a well oiled machine. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

I was at The Sanctuary last Friday night for the Harry Potter brew fest! First of all, they really went all out! the decor was great! Floating "candles," smoke machine, sorting hat ceremony, harry potter themed bands and beverages. It was crowded, but the lines moved quickly. It was little dicey getting up and down the stairs because they are narrow. Bathroom situation leaves a bit to be desired for the ladies. Two stalls means a long slow moving line. They did have port-o-pottys outside but who wants to use those in the dark, and when it's cold? Overall, I was very happy with my experience! Would recommend this space for weddings or professional events as well! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We were married here on Feb 23rd, 2019. This was the second venue I looked at and was sold from day one. My husband and I could not be happier with everything from start to finish. Scott made me feel so comfortable every time we met. Not only is the venue absolutely beautiful but they know how to seamlessly put on an event. Every detail was perfect. The flowers, the DJ, the food (phenomenal) and the day of help/coordination. Scott and Evan orchestrated everything and I barely noticed them all night. I was pretty busy on the dance floor but nonetheless. Our ceremony was in the small room. They took the ideas in my head and brought it to life in the most amazing unique way. Even with a rowdy crowd they had me feeling at ease the entire time. I COULD NOT recommend this place more. On top of weddings they put on so many cool events. We are so happy we made the choice to get married here. I want to do it all over again. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Were here for a wedding and the space is beyond beautiful- everything just feels like it has a story & looks so warm and inviting. The only downsides I've seen is the bar areas are a little small for an event and the stairs are a bit killer.I would for sure check  it out for an event if you want a classic feel More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Mariah was polite, professional, and energetic. During the chaos she was calm and collected and knew exactly what to do to help out. The photos are phenominal and have all turned out perfect. Mariah, thank you. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

We got married at Sanctuary on Penn last month. We had THE BEST NIGHT! My husband and I met in New York and this building reminds us of the old churches in Manhattan. It was as close as we were going to get to a real chruch - his family is Italian Catholic and my family is Jewish, so a religious venue was out of the question.
Everything ran smoothly (with one bump in the road of not having coffee brewed for my husbands very italian family), but everything was absolutely perfect. We scheduled our wedding 10 months in advance and met with Scott whenever we needed to. I'm an event planner for a living, so I did a lot of the planning myself. Scott gave us all the vendors they work with and we used almost all of them. Everyone was an absolute dream to work with! Kai was a terrific banquet captain and made sure everything was up to my (ridiculously high) standard. I can't say enough good things about this place! I will say that you have to be pretty self motivated to have your wedding here, but they make it easy and beautiful. I would HIGHLY recommend this venue to anyone getting married. Our wedding was an absolute dream. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

I attended a fashion show here and OMG it's gorgeous! I've been wanting to see the space for a while, cos I've heard great things about it. It's dark and Gothic and so moody and beautiful, I wanted to curl up in a ball of bliss! I really want to have an event here someday! Very cool vibe! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We couldn’t have asked for a better venue for our reception. Besides the amazing staff, caterer, and dj we really loved the fact that we could choose every aspect of our evening through their a la cart system. They were so helpful in keeping us organized and assisting with anything and everything we needed. Their flexibility in allowing us to get items and decor into the facility the week of our wedding, to accepting our flower deliveries, and allowing our reservation of the venue for the entire day was a huge plus. We received so many compliments about character of the venue, food, and the dj. My favorite comment was, “I’ve never been to a wedding full of life and love where the guests didn’t want to stop dancing!” Thank you Sanctuary on Penn for the most memorable evening yet! We love you guys and will tell everyone about our special night! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

This venue is incredible. We loved the whole experience working with them and having a multi-room venue with outdoor access, was such a bonus for the value of hosting an event here. We have so many great things to say about The Sanctuary on Penn.

The staff is great - several of our family members told me how friendly and helpful everyone was and we appreciated the speed and accuracy of all the setting up and preparation of the various points of the night. Scott and Evan made everything such an easy process and we appreciated their efforts to make our entire day perfect.
The food - we loved it and our guests have raved about our selection of options an how good they were so we are more than thrilled that we were given the opportunity to customize our meal to our specifics! It was a memorable meal and the quality of the food was above and beyond so many catered wedding buffets - I believe the quality comes in the fact that it is made in house by The Sanctuary's own staff of chefs.
Bar Staff was well-loved by our bar-visitors. Overall, our crew enjoyed interacting with the bartenders which was a great plus on the night.
Our one complaint was in the Bathrooms - they do have one bathroom near the stage upstairs which worked for handicapped access, however most guests need to use the restrooms which are located in the basement where the wedding party gets ready and keeps their things nearby. Many of our guests drove 40 min to 2 hours directly to the venue for the ceremony and so it seemed, EVERYONE was going to the bathroom beforehand and thus walking down to the basement, seeing me and the rest of the bridal party, which I did not prefer. It would have been nice if the bathrooms could have been partitioned from the rest of the basement to maintain the suspense before the wedding. It was nice, however for the guys to have the ability to go outside and use the little back yard space to hang out, play cornhole and get some fresh air before getting ready.

We highly recommend The Sanctuary on Penn for a wedding of up to about 220 - much more than that and it gets to be pretty full during the reception, although we expected 232 and had seating for that many and it fit, just a little more snug than I would have liked.

Finally, the All- Inclusive Payment plan - that was the best - made it so easy to feel like the wedding of our dreams was possible and easier to save for knowing there wasn't going to be a lump sum to pay at the end. We decided to use the prefered vendors of the Sanctuary for Florals, DJ, and Videography, so we paid all of them through The Sanctuary as part of our payment plan. We loved how simple it was to work with the vendors and they were all incredibly professional and did such a great job. You can't go wrong with partnering with this venue for your most special events. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

My husband and I got married at The Sanctuary on Penn this past Saturday. It really was a fairytale. I don’t have the right words to describe just how amazing everything about this venue and the staff are! The Sanctuary is masculine and feminine all at the same time, and the stained glass is exactly what I dreamed of since I was a little girl. I cannot thank Scott and Evan and their team enough for making our wedding day run smoothly, and for always checking in to make sure we were okay and had everything we needed. Scott is the best guy to have there on such a big day, because trust me, he has the answers! I am still on a high thinking back on how wonderful and beautiful our wedding day was. Thank you, thank you, thank you Scott and Evan! 10/10 would recommend! P.S. THEY ARE PET FRIENDLY! I couldn’t have imagined getting ready without my handsome Bane and Bruce! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

It was literally a dream! I couldn’t have picked somewhere better for our big day! Thank you Scott and Evan!

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Mariah was great to work with! She made a picture schedule and we adjusted as the day went on. She has a great eye for picking backgrounds and how to make every picture beautiful. Would work with her again!

Reviewed on WeddingWire

We met Mariah at a Bridal Expo in Indy. Being newer to the area and not knowing anyone, my now husband and I were leery about choosing the perfect photographer. We wanted someone who would do an excellent job, was reasonably priced, but most importantly, who made it easy and enjoyable. We found all of that with Mariah. We were impressed with her work and her keen eye. She made the engagement session fun and the wedding photos flowed so easy with her. She became a friend to us. If we could go back and do it all again, we would choose Mariah again and again, hands down! We highly recommend Mariah for all your photography needs! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Came here for a wedding, and it's a beautiful, old historic building with a lot of character.  They had the ceremony and then cleared out the space for us to have dinner and dancing.  There are two bar areas, one in the adjacent room and one in the basement.  The serving staff was very friendly, and I met a bartender who's originally from West Hollywood, so we bonded over being California transplants together.  The only negative thing is that it was very cold inside--to the point I actually didn't spend that much time on the dance floor because it was way too cold in the room. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Mariah is a great blend of professionalism and discipline with creativity and flexibility. We got every shot we asked for and far beyond. She captured the day's emotions and experiences beautifully. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

The sanctuary is beautiful.. and it's event staff are top flight

Reviewed on Google Maps

The most beautiful photos I could ask for!!!

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Wow!! We booked Mariah for both our engagment and wedding pictures. (And coming from someone who typically hates pictures of themself) let me tell you, they are AMAZING! Not only are her staged pictures incredible, but she has a wonderful eye for those real-emotion cadid shots as well. Professional, dedicated, and courteous. You will not be disappointed! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

We attended a wedding there and it was the perfect venue! I highly recommend this place for your special event!

Reviewed on Facebook

My wife and I love this place. Scott and everyone are awesome!!!!! We will see you again...soon ish !! We'll make a reason up to come back!!!!!!

Reviewed on Google Maps

Absolutely fantastic, everything turned out even better then my expectations. The quality was astonishing. The turn around time after was phenominal. Very quick. We even enjoyed some of the creative touches in photos that really brought out the feeling and captured the real essence of the moment. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Love the atmosphere of this place from the stucco walls and the decor, the penny floors, nice rekaxing place to have an event at downstairs and up

Reviewed on Google Maps

Needs to be put into a more safe atmosphere,,, the building needs work interior especially

Reviewed on Google Maps

Absolutely beautiful venue and the most amazing staff! They are so nice and asked several times if there's anything we need! These pictures do not do this venue justice! This is an old church that has a European feel to it with exposed brick and real stained glass windows! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Really cool place for a wedding or a small concert

Reviewed on Google Maps

We cannot believe how lucky we are!! The Sanctuary on Penn ABSOLUTELY gave us the best day of our lives!! From the beyond beautiful building to the amazing staff, don’t go any where else! !! I cannot say enough great things about them! Scott and Marcia make it such a priority to give you everything you want!! They even BREWED my husband sweet tea because he doesn’t drink. Also make sure to use their photographers and videographer, they are the BEST that you can find. We cannot thank you enough for our perfect day, Sanctuary on Penn family!! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

My partner Aaron and I got married on May 13, this year. Working with Scott and Marcia was an absolute dream for our wedding. Scott owns and operates The Sanctuary on Penn, and is a kind, gentle spirit with a task master attitude. Scott's compassion for people and sound moral compass attracts kind hearted, hard working individuals. Every interaction we had with an employee or recommended vendors was incredible. We felt as if we had an extension of our family helping us along the way. We can only hope to work with them again in the future! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

We celebrated our daughter's wedding there last night 11/11/17From start to finish Scott & Marcia made planning a life changing event go very smoothly and not so overwhelming. Over the top helpful, always a positive and excited attitude. The recommendations they made as far as venders worked out perfectly. From food to photos we were happy with everyone. As for the day of.. when nerves and emotions are high.. we never worried about a thing! Scott & Sam kept the day flowing perfectly with smiles on their faces the whole night.The room was breathtakingly beautiful. Felt like we walked into a fairytale. Our guests could not stop talking about it. Made our event an unforgettable magical night. Can't say enough, we highly recommend it More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Mariah and Aireauna were amazing to work with for our wedding! I would highly recommend :)

Reviewed on WeddingWire

I wish I had words for how much fun we had planning our wedding with Scott! I can’t imagine using any other venue for one of the biggest days of our lives. Scott takes pride in his work and ensures a one of a kind experience not only for the bride and groom, but also for guests. My husband and I had our wedding at The Sanctuary 2 weeks ago and it was an absolute dream come true and went off without a single glitch (at least from my perspective, and that’s what matters,right?! �) Two of our favorite parts of having our wedding at The Sanctuary were the in house catering (the chef is amazing!!) and Don the DJ! Both nailed all of our requests and were worth every penny! If you’re considering The Sanctuary, take the time set up a discovery meeting and chat with Scott; you won’t be disappointed! Thanks, Sanctuary team! I wish we could do it a million times over! � � More...

Reviewed on Facebook

My wife Amanda and I were married at the Sanctuary on September 23rd of this year. The morning after, I couldn't help but think how magical the night before had been. Surely, I must wait some time for that magical feeling to fade, before writing a proper review.Now, exactly one month later, that magical feeling remains. Everything about the venue -- the ambiance, the amenities, the service -- is still as magical in my heart and mind as it was that evening, and the days that followed.Let me start with Scott, the owner and wedding planner. When he first gave us a tour of the place, we were struck with its historic charm and beauty. Initially, we were a little unsure of him. We liked the guy, sure, but how much of his tour was just an act to get us to sign on, versus a genuine enthusiasm for his job, and genuine care and concern for the bride & groom?Well, turns out Scott is exactly who he made himself out to be -- a great wedding planner, an incredible day-of coordinator, and a man who cares very deeply about the experience that the bride and groom have. In the months leading up to our wedding, Scott and Marcia (his assistant) weaved us through all the intricacies of the day with the grace and precision of an Olympic figure skater. What might have been a complicated process turned out to be fairly simple. The Sanctuary comes with their set of preferred vendors, and each one of them hit the mark! Post Road English Garden for flowers? Elegant to a fault, down to the petals lining the aisle.Heavenly Sweets for cake? Multiple guests told us it was the best cake they've ever had!DJ Don Masters for entertainment? He knew how to get people out on the dance floor, and keep 'em there.Since the Sanctuary's preferred photographer had a conflict, we went with our own -- the incomparable Nate Crouch, who supplied us with beautiful memories to last a lifetime.Needless to say, the wedding day went off without a hitch. It was even better than we pictured it in our wildest dreams.Oh sure, there were minor problems. But when there were? Scott was there to solve them. Batteries in the Wii controller die? Scott is there 30 seconds later with some spare batteries. Bride wants a stick of gum? Scott is there, and he doesn't have gum, but will mints do Every interaction we've had with Scott -- before, during, and after our wedding day -- has been a complete affirmation that we made the right decision to go with him, and the Sanctuary, for the big day.(There was one other, minor issue. We had requested late-night grilled cheese bites from the kitchen, but they were never brought out. It got lost in the shuffle during the final week of planning, which admittedly was a whirlwind. As soon as we notified Scott and Marcia the day after, they apologized profusely and refunded us the cost of the food, and then some! So, in the end their commitment to service and customer satisfaction shined through yet again!) More...

Reviewed on Yelp

My wife Amanda and I were married at the Sanctuary on September 23rd of this year. The morning after, I couldn't help but think how magical the night before had been. Surely, I must wait some time for that magical feeling to fade, before writing a proper review. Now, exactly one month later, that magical feeling remains. Everything about the venue -- the ambiance, the amenities, the service -- is still as magical in my heart and mind as it was that evening, and the days that followed. Let me start with Scott, the owner and wedding planner. When he first gave us a tour of the place, we were struck with its historic charm and beauty. Initially, we were a little unsure of him. We liked the guy, sure, but how much of his tour was just an act to get us to sign on, versus a genuine enthusiasm for his job, and genuine care and concern for the bride & groom? Well, turns out Scott is exactly who he made himself out to be -- a great wedding planner, an incredible day-of coordinator, and a man who cares very deeply about the experience that the bride and groom have. In the months leading up to our wedding, Scott and Marcia (his assistant) weaved us through all the intricacies of the day with the grace and precision of an Olympic figure skater. What might have been a complicated process turned out to be fairly simple. The Sanctuary comes with their set of preferred vendors, and each one of them hit the mark! Post Road English Garden for flowers? Elegant to a fault, down to the petals lining the aisle. Heavenly Sweets for cake? Multiple guests told us it was the best cake they've ever had! DJ Don Masters for entertainment? He knew how to get people out on the dance floor, and keep 'em there. Since the Sanctuary's preferred photographer had a conflict, we went with our own -- the incomparable Nate Crouch, who supplied us with beautiful memories to last a lifetime. Needless to say, the wedding day went off without a hitch. It was even better than we pictured it in our wildest dreams. Oh sure, there were minor problems. But when there were? Scott was there to solve them. Batteries in the Wii controller die? Scott is there 30 seconds later with some spare batteries. Bride wants a stick of gum? Scott is there, and he doesn't have gum, but will mints do Every interaction we've had with Scott -- before, during, and after our wedding day -- has been a complete affirmation that we made the right decision to go with him, and the Sanctuary, for the big day. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Couldn’t be happier with the quality of the photos. Mariah was easy to work with and made the whole picture taking experience a great one.

Reviewed on WeddingWire

My wife Amanda and I were married at the Sanctuary on September 23rd of this year. The morning after, I couldn't help but think how magical the night before had been. Surely, I must wait some time for that magical feeling to fade, before writing a proper review.
Now, exactly one month later, that magical feeling remains. Everything about the venue -- the ambiance, the amenities, the service -- is still as magical in my heart and mind as it was that evening, and the days that followed.
Let me start with Scott, the owner and wedding planner. When he first gave us a tour of the place, we were struck with its historic charm and beauty. Initially, we were a little unsure of him. We liked the guy, sure, but how much of his tour was just an act to get us to sign on, versus a genuine enthusiasm for his job, and genuine care and concern for the bride & groom?
Well, turns out Scott is exactly who he made himself out to be -- a great wedding planner, an incredible day-of coordinator, and a man who cares very deeply about the experience that the bride and groom have.
In the months leading up to our wedding, Scott and Marcia (his assistant) weaved us through all the intricacies of the day with the grace and precision of an Olympic figure skater. What might have been a complicated process turned out to be fairly simple. The Sanctuary comes with their set of preferred vendors, and each one of them hit the mark!
Post Road English Garden for flowers? Elegant to a fault, down to the petals lining the aisle.
Heavenly Sweets for cake? Multiple guests told us it was the best cake they've ever had!
DJ Don Masters for entertainment? He knew how to get people out on the dance floor, and keep 'em there.
Oh sure, there were minor problems. But when there were? Scott was there to solve them.
Needless to say, the wedding day went off without a hitch. It was even better than we pictured it in our wildest dreams. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

She was a doll and worked two full days at our wedding in Destin, FL! She was wonderful to be around and made taking pictures super fun! We absolutely love our photos and would highly recommend! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

I simply cannot say enough great things about The Sanctuary! Aside from the venue being absolutely gorgeous, Scott and his staff are simply amazing. ..from the help with the planning, to the rehearsal and day of coordination—everything went flawlessly. We had around 200 people for both the ceremony and reception, and the staff was able to quickly move everyone and everything to keep the evening flowing. I swear they flipped the room from the ceremony to the reception in 30 mins! I have received so many compliments about the venue and just the overall flow/feel of our wedding since, and would highly recommend booking with them. I told Scott that I did not want to refer friends because I did not want anyone else to have as great of a wedding as we did :) More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Mariah was great. I am so happy with how our photos turned out. She was great to work with and had a lot of great ideas for photos. She had a quick turnaround for photos even though it was a busy season. I highly recommend Sterling Expression. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

She was wonderful! The pictures came out gorgeous. She was great with posing and getting pictures that were cute but not cliche or kitschy. She was very flexible with timing and day of ideas. More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

Mariah and her assistant were AMAZING. I didn't really know what to expect when we first started talking, but she asked enough questions to know exactly what our style was and was really great at giving us direction along the way. I never thought someone could make it look easy to corral my side of the family when it was time for photos. They're usually so rowdy and loud! :-D My pictures are beautiful and I'm going to love them forever. THANK YOU, MARIAH!!! More...

Reviewed on WeddingWire

We visited so many venues for our wedding and decided on The Sanctuary on Penn. We are super excited to hold our December wedding here (will update after the wedding! ) and everything has been seamless so far. We love the character of the building and the numerous options they have to offer. It is kind of like an all inclusive style wedding, where you choose what you want and they have vendors for almost everything. It has really made it easy and taken a lot of stress out of planning I am sure! We have truly been impressed with all of the vendors we have met with to date and have no desire to find anyone else! Scott and his team has been easily accessible whenever we need something or have a question and great to work with! Definitely check out this hidden gem if you are looking for a wedding or event venue near downtown! We found it to be a beautiful option, love the church style since we aren't getting married at a formal church and it is allowing us to have so much more for the money! And things we never even thought of! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

My best friends wedding was here last weekend, and it was phenomenal. Everything went so smoothly, thanks to The fantastic staff. Scott in particular is great, very efficient, invisibly coordinating all the details of the wedding so the guests can enjoy themselves. It is a picturesque, authentic vintage venue. The food was great, and the bar ROCKS. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I was the bride in a wedding last weekend and I have to say my husband and I, without a doubt, made the right choice in choosing this venue. I cannot stress enough the professionalism, patience, and understanding that each and every staff member showed us during the planning process as well as during the wedding itself. More...

Reviewed on Facebook