NOOR hosts weddings, corporate dinners, seminars and galas for up to 320 seated guests or 600 at a cocktail reception in its largest ballroom, with a second ballroom for smaller groups. The venue is a family-owned event space at 300 East Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California, run since 2010 with catering, bar, furniture and staff all handled in-house.
Seminars and company events
Corporate clients book NOOR for meetings, seminars, award dinners, holiday parties and fundraising galas. Floor plans for the Sofia Ballroom show a meeting layout for 240 people, and the Ella Ballroom has plans from 100 to 142 guests for meetings and receptions. Both ballrooms are equipped for presentations. Sofia has two 85-inch 4K screens and a 15-foot 4K video wall, and Ella has a 4K projector with a large projection screen and a sound system. LED accent lighting can be set to a company's colors, and a spotlight can project a logo onto the dance floor.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings are the core of the business. The Terrace, an outdoor garden courtyard, is used for ceremonies and comes with full draping, and receptions follow in one of the ballrooms. The venue also hosts LGBTQ weddings, engagement parties, showers, quinceañeras, bar and bat mitzvahs and milestone birthdays. Reception packages cover room rental, banquet tables and chairs, linens and banquet staff, along with the food and bar.
Rooms and capacities
- Sofia Ballroom: up to 320 for a seated banquet and 600 for a cocktail reception; wedding plans from 170 to 352, banquet 336, meeting 240. Art nouveau decor with chandeliers from Prague.
- Sofia Foyer: a 1920s-style foyer and bar, included with Sofia events or booked on its own.
- Sofia Balcony: an open-air lounge that can also be booked separately.
- Ella Ballroom: up to 120 for a formal reception with dance floor and 250 cocktail style; art deco design.
- Ella Foyer and Ella Patio: included with the Ella Ballroom.
- Terrace: garden courtyard for ceremonies.
Catering
Catering is full service and prepared in-house, with full bar packages. The kitchen and the event team work under one roof, so organisers deal with a single team for food, drink, furniture and staffing.
History and setting
Robert Shahnazarian, a music producer, and his wife Maggie founded NOOR as a boutique venue with a strong focus on food and personal service. It opened on September 10, 2010, with a brunch for supporters of the public radio station LAist 89.3. The venue says it has hosted thousands of weddings and celebrations since and has been voted among Pasadena's best for 14 years running. The two ballrooms take their styles from two periods: art nouveau in Sofia and art deco in Ella.
Getting there
NOOR is on East Colorado Boulevard in central Pasadena, about 10 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The Memorial Park station on the Metro A Line is a short walk away, and Hollywood Burbank Airport is the nearest airport.
