I had my reception at the Concordian Club in Oakland. It's a beautiful club with plenty of space and above excellent service and attention to detail. Unfortunately, you have to be a member or be sponsered by a member to hold a reception there. If you can find a sponser, it is a wonderful choice, but the service does come with a high price. Another good locations are the Twentieth Century Club in Oakland, you do not need to be a member or be sponsered for this club. There is a Comfort Inn on Rodi Road in Penn Hills that has become very popular for receptions. It has very nice reception rooms at a reasonable price. If you are looking for unique, Jay Verno Studio in South Side is a good location. It's actually a photography studio, but it does rent out for parties and receptions. It is a smaller location though, so if you are having a larger wedding, it may not work for a sit down dinner. If you are having a very small wedding, the Inn at Oakmont is beautiful! But, the guest list has to be limited. But, whomever is sponsering a bridal shower may want to look into this location. The downtown hotels are nice, but being in August, some festivals may interfere with traffic and availibilty. Plus parking may not be included. Here is a good site for wedding reception venues in the area. I'm sure this will be a lot more useful to you.http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/recep...Venues.htmGood Luck and Congratulations on your engagement!