Sanctuary At Admiral

Sanctuary at Admiral and Davi made our wedding the most amazing experience one could imagine, seriously. What a gem! We had a thoroughly positive experience for what was one of the most memorable days of our life. When I asked guests if they enjoyed themselves, the first thing out of their mouths was…“Oh my god, what an incredible venue”. We looked at one other potential location for our wedding, the Edgewater Hotel, but found it had a bit of the «corporate, banquet-​room feel» that is common with so many other wedding venues, then we stumbled onto the Sanctuary.
The moment we walked in, we fell in love with it. What character. We knew that we could take over the place and make it our own… and that is what we did, with Davi’s expert guidance, creative ideas and superb customer service. Davi listens very well. Being a same sex couple and admittedly ignorant of the many rituals associated with a wedding ceremony and reception, Davi patiently walked us through the many options to consider at every juncture. She would also give us tips on how we can stay within our budget, which was refreshing and built a level of trust. I never found Davi anything but helpful and she often went out of her way to respond to our needs, at night and on weekends, etc.
The building itself, with its vintagey art nouveau/​art deco touches and jewel tones, set the aesthetic theme for our wedding. It really did most of the work for us, décor-​wise which allowed us to focus on the meaningful touches and personal statements that we wanted to make.
The food from the in-​house Foodz Catering also was also delicious… sooooo many people commented on it. They were surprised. I suspect wedding food is usually hit or miss but what Chef Lindsay came up with was truly tasty.
I really can’t say enough positive things about this experience, the staff, the venue, the food. I only regret that I don’t plan on getting married again anytime soon:-).

I got married there in August and it was the most elegant, beautiful place. My wedding was the best day. I wanted to say Helen helped us with our wedding day and was really amazing. I would suggest this place to anyone.

Our July wedding at the Sanctuary at Admiral was truly exceptional. We enjoyed an event that was carefree and full of joy and laughter thanks to the meticulous planning, execution, and attention to detail by Foodz Catering and our fabulous coordinator, Davi Sabotta.
It was love at first sight with the Sanctuary at Admiral venue. It’s handsome features and abundant amenities made it an easy choice– little additional décor was needed, the bride and groom suites were comfortable and necessary, the Speakeasy was the perfect spot for an epic dance party, and each photo was as beautiful as the next– from the outside lawn and patio to the interior rich in colors and texture. We were happy to find it was competitively priced and provided our guests ease on critical points like parking and accessibility that made it our first choice.
The quality of food and service from Foodz Catering was simply outstanding. Our food was delicious, our drinks, courtesy of the talented and charming Max, were superb, and, was served with great care, professionalism, and well-​orchestrated coordination.
Best of all, we felt calm and well-​informed from start to finish– all 10 months of planning– under the care and guidance of Davi Sabotta as our coordinator. Davi was responsive and invested in our event from Day One. We benefitted greatly from her expertise and felt at ease having our questions answered, details organized, and needs tended to as we met with Davi regularly over those months of planning. On the day of the wedding, everything ran smoothly, just as we had planned together with Davi, and she tended to our guests and us with the utmost professionalism and sincere care.
We had a wonderful wedding at the Sanctuary at Admiral– one we wouldn’t trade for anything. We are grateful for all that was abundantly provided to us in making it an exceptional experience.

I visited the Sanctuary at Admiral in September to tour as a potential wedding venue. My fiancé and I had just gotten engaged a couple of weeks prior to our visit, so we were still new to the wedding planning process and figuring out the details of what we really wanted for our special day. The Sanctuary was the second venue we looked at, and as soon as we walked in, we were in love with the place. After spending just five minutes there, I turned to my fiancé and said, «I can actually *see* our wedding here.» I was convinced we’d found «THE place» for our wedding eight months away.
After our tour, we sat down and talked with Davi about details for our wedding day. First, she assured us that our preferred date was available on their calendar. Then she provided some guidance as far as how many guests the Sanctuary could accommodate, potential dinner menus to consider, and other logistics for the day. (Foodz does the catering, Davi could serve as the day-​of coordinator and was also ordained, so could perform the ceremony — the Sanctuary was practically a one-​package deal!) I gave her my contact information and she said she would take the details we gave her and create an estimate for us, which she would send in a day or two. We left feeling excited that we’d found the perfect place for our wedding in May.
A few days later, I hadn’t received anything from Davi, so I sent a quick note to reiterate how much we enjoyed the Sanctuary and that we were excited to see her budget proposal for our wedding. Two days after that, on a Friday, she sent a reply saying that she had a wedding that night and the following day, but that she would send me something the following Monday.
The next time I heard from Davi was over two weeks later. Her email to me said that they’d had a problem with their server and some of their emails hadn’t reached their destinations, including (apparently) the proposal she’d sent to me. She said that since she hadn’t heard from me, she was checking in to make sure I’d actually received it. I responded within a few minutes and said that I’d never received a proposal, and requested that she re-​send it. She never did.
Fast forward to nearly five months later (three months before my wedding date), and I receive an email from Davi saying she was «sorry we hadn’t been able to connect» and that she would «love to talk with me about my plans and be able to create a proposal for me.»
So, to sum up, Davi promised to send a proposal to us promptly, ignored us when we asked for it again (twice), then came back five months later to ask us to reconsider her business, and in the end took zero responsibility for her lack of communication. I don’t know if she just didn’t like us, or if she is just so inept at technology that she couldn’t successfully attach a proposal to an email, but either way, I’m glad I ended up booking another venue. I couldn’t imagine trusting someone like her to manage all of the little details that make up a wedding.
I know of one other couple who had a positive experience in working with Davi and found her to be very helpful and organized, but I’m sorry to say that was not my experience.

This is a beautiful venue, very cozy, which could be nice for a smaller wedding (under 100 guests).
My (now) wife and I toured it and had a nice conversation with Davi, who listened to what we wanted and said our preferred date was totally available, so she’d follow up soon and send us a more detailed estimate. She never followed through, and when we checked in ourselves she acted as if she didn’t realize we were waiting on anything. We clarified the misunderstanding, and she said she’d send us requested info «by Monday», but again she failed to do so. In fact, we never heard from her again.
If she had just said she was too busy to handle the business, or that our date was unavailable, that would have been fine (even if she just didn’t like us and wanted us to leave; perhaps she doesn’t like mixed race couples?), but she repeatedly assured us she’d contact us soon then did not.
In the end we were uncomfortable putting our wedding’s fate in the hands of someone with such poor communication skills, so we booked elsewhere [note that the beautiful Salty’s on Alki turned out to be surprisingly affordable!].
To be fair, I have another friend who got married here and he said that after things were rolling, Davi was great to work with, so perhaps my experience was unique. I’m only reporting my personal experience.

Our wedding at the Sanctuary was incredible. Without a doubt, the Sanctuary was the perfect place for us to have our wedding of 100 guests. We received so many compliments during and after wedding about the fantastic venue. My husband and I loved the space from the beginning, but it was transformed into something truly magical for our wedding day. The staff were friendly, professional, and totally accommodating — the level of service was simply outstanding. We felt so well taken care of that is was immediately apparent that I could just kick back and the enjoy the day — which we did!
We also used Davi as our wedding coordinator and celebrant. She was absolutely fantastic and worked with us to come up with a ceremony that truly reflected us as a couple. She was fun to work with during the planning phase and was fantastic on the actual day and at the ceremony. Totally took control in the best kind of way. She represented us perfectly and played a huge part in making the ceremony as special as it was.
I should note that we used an outside caterer, so this review pertains only to the bartending staff, Davi and her assistants, and the venue itself. I highly recommend the Sanctuary as a venue and Davi as a coordinator and celebrant.

I was recently at a wedding here and loved the space and set up.
Weather permitting, there’s an awesome outside area for drinks and appetizers. This outside area also gives a great view of the art deco style exterior, which is absolutely gorgeous. Paired with lots of trees and plants, candles, and twinkling lights this outdoor space was perfect at dusk and even late into the evening.
The wedding ceremony was in a large, tall, open space and the Tiffany (maybe Tiffany style) lightings were very nice and tasteful. After the ceremony we were invited to their downstairs «speakeasy,» which was a decent sized room with a bar, plenty of tables, and a dance floor. While we were downstairs in the speakeasy the upstairs room where the ceremony was held was quickly turned over into the dinning area, with large circular tables and a buffet being set up.
While my experience is limited to only being a wedding guest (no clue about logistics of setting up an event, etc.), I thought the venue was pretty awesome. Definitely worth checking out.

With the wedding said and done (It was September 2013 so, yeah… this is a long overdue update!) I can now share we in fact did end up booking this place for our wedding!
As I previously mentioned, my favorite aspect of this place was the décor! I loved the vintage feel to it, and it felt really quaint, which essentially was what we were aiming to have with our wedding. And there were many aspects of this venue that really fit the look we were going for with our wedding style.
Parking is ample around the venue. I don’t recall our guests mentioning any problems besides traffic (we had our wedding on a Friday. Lesson learned: you just can’t make everyone happy!) Our guest count did not end up being very large, however, it felt very cozy and toasty. I do remember being a bit hot while getting ready in the bridal suite and spent a good amount of time in front of the fan, haha. So if you have a beautiful, full dress, keep that in mind! ;)
From day one of touring the venue, I was in contact with Davi. As a couple other reviews noted, there were times I didn’t get responses as quickly as I would have preferred, but she did end up following up regardless which I appreciated. Davi was always super friendly with me, helpful and enthusiastic, so I was very happy she ended up being our Day of Coordinator for our wedding. Day of, I let her take the reins and to me, it felt as though everything went by smoothly. Everything from set up to saying goodbye was taken care of which really is the last thing a bride or groom should worry about on that day!
All in all, I would most certainly recommend this place for your event! There really isn’t much you have to do décor wise (unless you wanted to of course) and they help you out and provide the essentials: tables, chairs, furnishings and audio visual needs. The cost may seem high, but everything is right there for you, and hey, for a special event where you don’t want to stress about anything, I’m for spending that little extra.

We have been going to a lot of tasting events for our wedding, and sanctuary admiral was the venue for FOODZ catering event.
It was one of the most nice venues we have visited so far. Personally, I felt that the venues in Sodo area are very well decorated inside, but parking and nearby area isn’t so romantic.
The SA had reasonable parking spots and is located within a quiet neighborhoods. The inside was gorgeous as well, and it had vintage feel to it. I really liked the high ceiling and the balcony. It also has huge room downstairs possibly for reception, and has brides get-​ready-​room upstairs. It would be really special to have the bride and groom introduced on balcony where rest of the guests are seated on main floo.
If you are into vintage atmosphere, check this place out for your wedding/​event.

We had our wedding at SAA in September 2013, everything was perfect! The venue is gorgeous, the perfect «classy» space for our 115 guest wedding. The venue has a downstairs Speakeasy, a great space for dancing and drinking after the wedding. It includes a private 2 room «suite» and bathroom for the couple, either together or having separate rooms, and a separate room for the wedding party downstairs. Plenty of other rooms for gifts, photo booth/​studio etc. to suite anyones needs. Also has a great outdoor space if weather permits.
We had both the ceremony and reception at SAA, with a flip of the main space. It was a perfect Sept day so the outdoor space was perfect for wine/​beer/​soda, appetizers, and group pictures. The flip took a little longer than expected, between 1:30 to 2 hours.
Our wedding was in the middle of the SAA and Foodz catering merger, so this review features them both. Note that their policies might have changed. We got a very nice deal.
We found that the venue has very flexible policies regarding labor and food compared to the other places we looked at. For example, there are many different beverages packages. Sodas, hard alcohol mixers, flavored waters, coffee etc. We could have brought anything we wanted or had them do it. We chose to pick out and bring our own wine. No corking fee.
We noticed that it was a little tight with 115 people, it took a long time for everyone to get their food from the buffet. I would recommend keeping it to 100 (we originally had 100, but upped it to 115)
Davi is the best, very accommodating and very detail orientated. She has done tones of weddings and her experience shows well. Having her as the Day of Coordinator is a must, she knows how to work the space. Davi is hard to get in contact with over the phone and scanning/​faxing documents with her is impossible. This was several months before the wedding and were able to get everything figured out in the end.
You’ll find it a little hard to secure enough rooms for guests in West Seattle. Really there is only one hotel/​inn in the city.

After trying to get this room booked, I am not a fan. First let me tell you what I loved about this space and why we wanted to book it for our wedding. The Sanctuary at Admiral (SAA) is gorgeous; it has a beautiful kitchen, a lovely bridal suite complete with a jet bathtub, and definitely feels quaint. In theory, you can bring in your own catering, and overall, it was a very usable, welcoming space.
We wanted to use our own caterer – a close friend who is seasoned, licensed, insured, and very affordable for our budget; however, SAA made it difficult to use her by requiring her to have a full-​service staff (we are planning desserts and heavy hors d’oeuvres) with class 12/​mixologist licenses – even though we were *required* by SAA to use and pay hourly rates for SAA bartenders. (Huh!?) On top of that, SAA would charge us five Benjamins to bring in our caterer because she was not in their «preferred vendor» list. Overall, my fiancé, our caterer and I agreed that it felt like SAA was flat out making it difficult to bring in our own catering (mainly because of the redundant class 12 license requirement for her staff), so that we would instead hire its catering company at thousands of dollars more than we wanted or could afford to pay. And when I tried to get clarification from Davi on this, she stopped responding back. So, that brings me to:
Agreeing with another poster who said it was challenging to get in touch with Davi. She was supposed to send me documents via e-​mail and never did. I followed up and, like I said, no response. The last thing I need is a vendor creating more stress and work for me. I am extremely laid back, and if Davi would have responded or agreed to work something out with our catering situation (which is the only aspect of the wedding I would not budge on — even our date and time was flexible) – or at least clarified the situation, then maybe this review would have been different and I would be going on and on about how wonderful my wedding will be in March. Who knows.
I’m disappointed. Bottom line: I think my fiancé and I both just kind of felt like we would be nickeled and dimed if we booked with SAA, and that perhaps the communication wouldn’t be that great. That’s just an added stress I do not want to deal with.
We booked elsewhere.

I had a vintage, prohibition era wedding here, and it was absolutely beautiful. Everything turned out perfectly. All of my guests had a blast. A lot of my family and friends say this was the best wedding they’ve been to. I really feel like it had a lot to do with the venue.
The venue is priced slightly higher than what is advertised on the website, and the event coordinator Davi, can be hard to reach, but other than that I would recommend this venue to anyone considering a vintage wedding.

This place is BEAUTIFUL!!! I was only at the location for a little while doing on site wedding hair for the bride — but the instant I walked in I was in awe of the old school charm it had. The wedding was right before Christmas so it was decked out with lit up garlands, bright christmas trees and full of cheer. The bridal suite is the greatest area for any bride and her maids to get ready in. With a balcony that looks over the first floor of the venue and a long bathroom that cuts through two separate areas of the room gives a great amount of space for any sized bridal party. A lot of great photo ops as well. I didn’t get a chance to the see the bottom floor of the venue the «speak easy» but with the looks of everything else, I’m sure it was charming and amazing. I would consider this place mostly definitely for any special occasion or event!

I attended a Casablanca-​themed dinner party/​murder mystery style event here last night, and I have to say the venue did a great job of really selling the setting. It was beautiful and classy, with a bit of charm that heralded back to earlier days that was fantastic.
The layout was great, with plenty of room for our group of about 100 to mix and mingle comfortably. Also the woman who works here (I unfortunately did not catch her name) was so friendly and enthusiastic, going around to everyone telling them how nice they looked and how happy she was to have us there.
I can absolutely see how this would be a good place for a wedding, all in all a super-​charming venue!

We attended a friend’s wedding held at this venue. What a lovely, unique place this is. I loved the atmosphere. I asked my daughter to think about this location for her wedding.

We had our wedding reception at the Sanctuary at Admiral and it was absolutely perfect! Davi was extremely helpful in finding the perfect vendors for our special day did everything she could to make it perfect. I highly recommend for anyone with a wedding in the Seattle area!

Amazingly nice space! I came here for a promo event for industry folks, and loved the space, its décor, and the high open ceilings. Highly recommend for your next wedding or graduation party, whatever!

I’ve heard this place used to be someone’s home, a church, and a theater. I find it positively charming!
Our friends got married here last week and it’s the most perfect little venue! Black wrot iron patio sets sprinkles the courtyard in the front of the building, and is a perfect place to sit to cool off during the summer. Just add twinkling lights in the trees, gates, and umbrellas and the romance clings to the air under the starry night.
The bridal party’s changing area upstairs was very roomy. Two rooms seperated by a beautiful bathroom in the middle. There’s a little fireplace for the colder months. The only problem is that the room isn’t very ventilated. When it’s holding more than a few people, the air becomes stagnant and makes the room feel uncomfortably clostrophobic. The French doors leading to the balcony overlooking the venue helps circulates fresh air when opened-​but just a little.
The kitchen is not hidden like in most banquet facilities, but rather beautifully laid out as an open kitchen with a long serving counter, that can be used for buffets. The appliances blend in with the décor, so they’re not an eyesore.
I would definitely consider this place for a birthday party or anniversary party!

We got married at the Sanctuary in August and it was an absolutely perfect wedding. The space is incredible and has the coolest art, high ceilings, art deco chandeliers, oak walls. It is really amazing. The staff was so incredibly helpful and walked me through every step of the wedding: flowers, food, cake, guests, etc. My family and friends are still talking about the food, the flowers, the atmosphere. Really! It is a magical venue and I highly recommend checking it out for your event.