Event FAQs

Can I schedule a tour?
How do I book my event?
What is the Service Fee I see on my Estimate?
What are the payment terms?
Can I bring my own food/use the kitchen?
Can I bring my own alcohol/beverages?
What are the minimums?
What is included with my event?
Is the venue handicapped accessible?
Host bar or Cash bar? What’s the difference?

Are there hotels & restaurants close by?
Is there an additional cost for tables & chairs?
When would my wedding rehearsal take place?
Is there a rain plan for my wedding ceremony?
Is there a bridal suite or dressing room?
Can I come in early to decorate?
Do you allow candles?
Do you allow animals?
What are your decorating guidelines?
Do we have to clean up after the event?

Can I schedule a tour?

We’d love to show you our venue! Contact Jill Jones, Event Administrator, by filling out our Get a Quote form or by emailing her directly at jjones@aladdinshrine.org. Tours are scheduled by appointment during business hours from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm, Monday through Friday, or by appointment in the late afternoon, early evening, or on the weekends. Tour availability times depend on already scheduled events that may be occurring at our venue. NOTE: Please make an appointment for your tour. While we do appreciate that you’re in the area and want to pop in to take a look, the frequency of events occurring daily in our building means that we cannot accommodate walk-ins.

How do I book my event?

A non-refundable deposit of 50% of the room rental fee is required to hold a date for any day and time of the week. Deposit is due upon receipt of the signed Rental Agreement (Contract). Once the deposit, along with the signed Contract, is received by the Aladdin Event Center, you are confirmed for the agreed date. The deposit is fully applied toward the total cost of the event. In the case of cancellation, the deposit is non-refundable.

What is the Service Fee I see on my Estimate?

There is a service fee of 25% of the venue rental fee applied to the final event balance. This fee covers all associated labor, such as security personnel, use of our catering kitchen, trash removal, and after-event cleaning crew.

What are the Payment Terms?

After the deposit is made to secure your date, the remaining balance will be due 2 weeks prior to your event. Host bar beverages are invoiced after the event.

Can I bring in my own food/use the kitchen?

All food must be provided by one of the following:

• one of our recommended caterers
• a licensed caterer of your choosing that isn’t on our list
• an established and fully licensed restaurant
• an established and fully licensed grocery store

If using a caterer not on our list, you must provide us with the catering license of that caterer at least two weeks in advance of your event.

If using an established restaurant or grocery store, their good standing status must be verifiable by Franklin County Public Health.

If you are bringing in buffet food yourself from an established restaurant or grocery store, or if a restaurant is dropping off your food and then leaving, you will NOT have access to the catering kitchen other than for the temporary storage of food in the refrigerator. NO ONE is permitted to cook, reheat, or prep in the kitchen without Food Handler Certification, Person-in-Charge Certification, or Kitchen Manager Certification. Food Handler Certification also requires that someone with Person-in-Charge Certification is also present in the kitchen. The certificate of each person working in the kitchen must be provided to us before the kitchen can be opened.

We DO NOT allow food to be brought in that has been prepared in a home kitchen. Unfortunately, that means no home-cooked potlucks, no home-baked cookies, etc. We do understand that homemade food is a great way to offset costs (not to mention that it is really delicious!), but due to liability concerns, our insurance policy won’t let us allow it.

Can I bring my own alcohol or non-alcoholic beverages?

ALCOHOL
The Aladdin Event Center holds a State of Ohio liquor license which requires that all alcohol must be purchased through Aladdin and served by Aladdin bartenders. This is not just our policy, it is State Law and is required in order to maintain our liquor license.

You may NOT, under any circumstances, bring your own alcohol onto our premises. This is strictly enforced! If it is discovered that you brought in your own alcohol, your event will immediately be shut down, you will be asked to leave, and you will be banned from future rentals. We definitely don’t want to be mean, but we just can’t take the risk to our liquor license.

NON-ALCOHOL (bottled water, sodas, coffee, tea, etc.)
If your event will not be serving alcohol and you do not wish to have bar service, canned sodas and bottled water can be purchased through us and placed in self-serve coolers for your event.

Additionally, you or your caterer may provide non-alcoholic beverages that are served in drink dispensers, including coffee, lemonade, iced tea, iced water, etc. Your caterer may also provide water glasses filled with water at each place setting for a plated dinner. No caterer may provide alcoholic beverages of any sort, whether in a dispenser or not.

Please note: WE CARD! In accordance with the law, your guests must be able to show valid ID as proof of age 21 in order to be served alcoholic beverages.

What are the minimums?

The Aladdin Shrine Event Center does not require any food or beverage minimums for your event.

What is included with my event?

All wedding and/or reception rentals include: tables & chairs and their setup and teardown (we DO NOT put on or remove linens for you), LED lighting in the Grand Ballroom (in your choice of color), a built-in dance floor, chandelier and ceiling draping in the Grand Ballroom, Gazebo, Bistro Lighting on the Patio (May through October), free WiFi, and free parking. Ceremony & Reception packages include 5.5 hours of event time, and Reception Only packages include 4 hours of event time.

All meetings and corporate events include: tables and chairs and their setup and teardown, up to 2 easels, free parking, and free WiFi. A podium, projectors and projection screens, microphones, and a 70-volt surround sound system can also be rented on request.

All social events include: tables and chairs and their setup and teardown, up to 2 easels, free parking, and free WiFi. If renting the Grand Ballroom, you also get a 24′ x 24′ dance floor, elevated stage, chandelier, LED splash lighting (in your choice of color), and fairy-lit ceiling draping.

Is the venue handicapped accessible?

Yes! We are completely ADA certified, and everything is easily located on one level.

Host bar or Cash bar? What’s the difference?

With a Host bar, you agree to pay for your guests’ beverages up to a dollar amount that you set in advance (your “cap”). Our bartenders keep track of all beverages served. You are charged for those beverages after the day of the event. You will only be charged for the beverages that are ordered and an 18% gratuity.

A Cash bar is just like any normal bar experience, where your guests will pay for their own drinks as they order them, and they are responsible for all bartender gratuities.

Are there hotels & restaurants close by?

There are plenty of hotels, restaurants, and entertainment nearby.

Is there an additional cost for tables and chairs?

No. We include 60′ round banquet tables, 6′ rectangular tables, and banquet chairs at no additional charge, and we set them up for you. If you would like a different type of chair, it is up to you to rent them, have them delivered, and place and remove them. Please notify us of the date and time of any chair delivery.

When does my wedding rehearsal take place?

If you are renting for a wedding ceremony, you are guaranteed a one-hour rehearsal on the day before the wedding. Your Event Administrator will request from you a desired day and time approximately 30 days prior to your wedding. 

Is there a rain plan for my wedding ceremony?

Yes, our Gallery will seat 200+ in the event of rain or inclement weather.

Is there a bridal suite or dressing room?

Yes! For weddings, the Bridal Suite is a dedicated space where you and your bridal party can get ready for your big day. It’s also private, so you can store personal items during your event. Makeup artists and hairstylists love the LED lighting, as well as the large mirror, sinks and counter space. The private bathroom comes in handy too! We also have a separate Groom’s Room (the Oak Room) furnished with comfortable seating, full-length mirror, and a TV.

Can I come in early to decorate?

You are allowed access into the building 2 hours prior to your event. We will have all of your tables & chairs set so the room will be ready for you or your vendors to decorate. (Note that we DO NOT dress your tables. You are responsible for putting on table linens and remove them.) Need more time than 2 hours? Talk to the Event Administrator!

Do you allow candles?

No, we do not. With the sole exception of a unity candle to be used during your indoor or outdoor wedding ceremony, only battery-operated candles are allowed.

Do you allow animals?

With the exception of service dogs, we do not allow animals. However, we do understand the trend of hiring an experienced pet handler to bring your dog(s) to the venue for your wedding ceremony or photo sessions. And we do love dogs!

To include your dog(s), we must be notified at least 30 days in advance of your intent to have your dog(s) present. A waiver will be provided and must be signed in advance of your event, a $50 non-refundable surcharge per dog will be added to your bill, and we require that the dog(s) be leashed and with you or the hired handler at all times. We also require that you or your hired handler properly clean up after your dog(s).

Please note that we reserve the right to deny permission to bring your dog(s), or to ask you to remove your dog from the premises once on-site, if we feel it is necessary.

What are your decorating guidelines?

• Sparklers may be used outside only, but you are responsible for ensuring that expended sparklers are cleaned up and placed in a trash receptacle after they have cooled. Please DO NOT place spent sparklers in the cigarette butt cans!
• Cold sparks fireworks specifically labelled for indoor use may be used. These are the only type accepted for use in our facility. If you are planning to use these, you are required to let us know in advance.
• All other fireworks, whether indoor or outdoor, are NOT permitted in accordance with Grove City Code 1519 Fireworks (click here to read the code).
• Bubbles may only be used outdoors.
• We DO NOT allow confetti, rice, fake flower petals, hay or glitter inside or outside.
• We DO allow real flower petals, but only outside.

Do we have to clean up after the event?

As written in our Rental Agreement, you are responsible for returning the space to us in the same condition that it was given to you. We will invoice for any damages and any cleaning above normal. What does that mean? It means you are responsible for doing the following:

• Make sure that all trash is placed in a trash receptacle, both indoor and outdoor. This includes anything on the floor that cannot be picked up by a vacuum! You are not responsible for vacuuming; our cleaning staff does that.
• Make sure you have removed everything you brought in with you. If you need to store anything with us for pickup a few days later, please inform the security guard and he will show you where to store it.
  Anything left in the building after your event, without arranging for short-term storage with the guard or Event Administrator, becomes the property of Aladdin Shrine Center.
  Any items not picked up on the pre-arranged day without communication of a delay becomes the property of Aladdin Shrine Event Center.
  Note: This does not include lost and found items.
• FOOD CLEAN-UP. All food and serving items brought in by you or your caterer must leave with you. Anything left behind becomes the property of Aladdin Shrine Center. No food is to be left in the sinks, refrigerator, freezer, or ovens, or on the prep table. The prep table must be wiped off. We will mop the floors and sanitize the surfaces, including the prep table.
• Every renter is required to sign a Decorating/Cleaning Addendum when signing your Contract. Please do not rush through when applying your initials to each item in this Addendum. It contains valuable information about our policies on both decorating and cleaning.