About this vendor
The Dayton Art Institute in Dayton, OH, offers its stunning grounds as a venue for weddings and events. This art museum features a variety of eye-catching architecture and backdrops to give your big day an elevated aesthetic. Whether you're planning a romantic elopement or a large, lavish reception, the in-house team will work diligently to turn your nuptial vision into the main attraction.
First established in 1919, The Dayton Art Institute served as an art school, music venue, and bird and animal collection. With over 100 years of history at its base, the grounds serve as a breathtaking setting for couples to host their big day. The museum and gallery offer multiple event spaces that can host various events, from intimate 30-person luncheons to 600-person cocktail receptions. You will be welcome to host your ceremony in The Great Hall, which offers classically elegant backdrops throughout the space, from the grand staircase to the detailed pillars. Right beside this hall is the Shaw Gothic Cloister, where up to 300 guests can be comfortably seated underneath the stunning, glass-domed cathedral ceiling. Exposed brick walls and Gothic architecture will ensure that your big day has a majestic backdrop. If you prefer an outdoor setting, the Hale Cloister is a lush, open-air courtyard to host celebrations with up to 200 guests. Inspired by the Italian Renaissance, this grassy area features stone statues and walkways, landscaped trees and gardens, and a magnificent fountain in the center of it all.
The Dayton Art Institute features a skilled events team who will be ready to bring your wedding vision to life. Rental packages can be customized to suit your needs, wants, and budget. The team will happily provide you with a list of trusted vendors to match your desired theme.
Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
On-Site Accommodations
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Settings
- Ballroom
- Garden
- Historic Venue
- Museum
- Park
Venue Service Offerings
- Planning
- Rentals & Equipment
Awards and Affiliations
2020 'Best of Weddings'
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
Reviews
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4.8
out of 5.046 reviews
Having my daughter’s wedding reception at the DAI was a wonderful experience -we worked with Blake, who guided us through the process and helped coordinate linens and catering. His...
attention to detail was so helpful! The Gothic cloister was a beautiful space for the reception and our guests enjoyed being able to walk through the art galleries prior to the reception starting. FYI after 5pm guest access to the European wing closes apart from the bridal couple being able to have photos there. Highly recommend!
The space is beautiful, but the event coordinator, Donna Young, can be challenging to communicate with. She also was not detail oriented and failed to do many of the things we aske...
d for. If you are able to go through this venue, again it's gorgeous, but request Cayla Teeters if you can, otherwise it's almost not worth the hassle.
You couldn’t ask for a more beautiful venue than the Dayton Art Institute. Absolutely perfect location. HOWEVER, because it is an art museum, there are some very strict rules about...
decor and things that you need to be aware of BEFORE booking. For example, no decor is allowed taller than 8 feet, no loose flowers petals or glitter, etc. The other issue is that you cannot start setting up your wedding decor until the day of the wedding at 11:00 am when the museum opens. It doesn’t give a lot of time for set up especially if you have a lot of DIY decor. They also may restrict some setup until the museum has closed (which we discussed with the venue coordinator and worked it out). Bag checks are required as well, especially for vendors with large equipment bags.
I loved having my wedding at the Dayton Art Institute. I had the perfect day thanks to Cayla and the staff at DAI. Communication was excellent and so helpful, I was never worried a...
bout asking too many questions, and we made my wedding exactly what I had dreamed. The day off went so smoothly, and if there were problems I never heard about them. I wasn’t stressed at all because I knew the team had it under control. Cayla really went above and beyond. The venue itself was also just stunning- my pictures turned out incredible and all my guests commented on how beautiful the museum was. The art was perfect entertainment in between the wedding and reception. I would definitely recommend this venue!!
The Dayton Art Institute was an amazing venue for our cocktail hour and reception. There are so many great places for photos. The Gothic Cloister is beautiful on its own and requir...
es little decorating. Donna was wonderful to work with. She helped us organize our event and allowed us to see the space set up for other weddings to get an idea of what we’d like to do for ours. The venue ended up being one of the least stressful parts about planning thanks to Donna’s help and how beautiful the DAI is!
The Dayton Art Institute allowed me to have the fairytale wedding of my dreams! We could not have picked a better venue for our ceremony and reception. Our guests raved about the...
beauty of the building and the art contained therein. It was stunning. Cayla, our event planner, truly cared about our special day and bent over backwards to make our vision a reality. When the rains hit, preventing our outdoor ceremony in the Hale Cloister, Cayla created a perfect ceremony spot in the Grand Hall. She made everything easy!
The Dayton Art Institute is the ideal place to get married, including during the COVID-19 pandemic! Donna serves as the on-site wedding coordinator and is incredibly competent and ...
helpful during the entire planning process. She is attentive to detail and made the wedding day schedule run so smoothly. She was able to accommodate both the ceremony and reception in one room and made the layout so beautiful. The venue is inherently beautiful, so we didn’t have to plan for a lot of decorations. Donna was able to leave up strings of lights from the ceiling from a previous wedding for us, which we hadn’t thought of but would highly recommend! Additionally, guests will have a tremendous experience of the art institute by attending the wedding. We would recommend getting married at the Dayton Art Institute to anyone!
DAI was the perfect venue for our wedding reception! We got married in October 2020 which was in the middle of the COVID pandemic. DAI was very helpful and eager to work with us ev...
en through all of the new restrictions. Diane was a dream wedding coordinator and right by my side every step of the way. Our guests couldn't stop gushing about how beautiful and unique the venue is for a wedding reception. My only complaint would be the security team - they take their jobs a little too seriously. However, I try to be understanding since they are protecting very valuable art :) I would recommend all of my friends and family get married at DAI!!
An absolutely beautiful place to celebrate your big day! The entire events team was a pleasure to work with and were all so helpful in making my husband and I's day go as smoothly ...
as possible. We couldn't have asked for a better place to celebrate our wedding day!
The most gorgeous venue and friendly staff!
We worked closely with Donna on planning our wedding. She went above and beyond to help make our special day go smoothly. The DAI staff...
even helped us load everything in our cars after the reception. Would recommend this venue to anyone!
DAI is, in my opinion, the best & most unique wedding venue in Dayton. When I was about 10 years old, I went to the Princess Diana Exhibit that the Dayton Art put on, and my parent...
s said I twirled around in my dress, saying 'WOW, I want to get married here someday!' Fast forward to November 2019, and that little dream never really changed.
The venue itself has so much to offer, from the exhibit walk-through for your guests as they enter to the marble and brick detail and pieces of art throughout the place... it is simply spectacular! Really gives those closest to you a special night out. If you've never seen it in person -- it reminds me of a building you'd see in Rome.
Side Note: you can go as all-out or minimal as you'd like as far as florals/decor/details... the place completely sparkles by itself.
I worked directly with Kevin -- he helped make every detail run smoothly throughout all of the planning months (as well as day-of!). We met multiple times, and he was always down to assist me with my (sometimes crazy) requests. I will forever recommend DAI and their staff! It was a wonderful night that surpassed my wildest wedding dreams... Thank you, Kevin & the rest of the team at DAI!
The Dayton Art Institute was absolutely beautiful at night especially with the Bistro lighting! Our guests were in awe at how stunning the venue was! Donna Young was our coordinato...
r there and made everything so easy! She contacted all of our vendors before the wedding to double check everything was set for the big day. She was easy to communicate with and extremely knowledgeable. She is a great resource to reference during planning and was beyond helpful throughout the whole process. We had the best experience and loved our big day!
The Dayton Art Institute did a fabulous job in ever step of the way for our wedding reception: from the meetings, setting up, organization, and the day of event; it all went so smo...
othly and so so beautifully done, it was like a fairy tale wedding for our daughter and her new husband! We had so many comments that evening that this was the most beautiful wedding anyone has ever attended because of the planning of ever detail was phenomenal.. We wish we could do it all over again and would highly recommend the Dayton Art Institute to anyone for the perfect wedding venue!!! Thank-you for all you did to make our daughters and her new husbands day so special and now we will have those beautiful memories to cherish forever!!
Kevin and his team at the Dayton Art Institute were absolutely amazing. Kevin knew all the vendors and helped us pick what was right for us. We love Dayton and the Dayton Art Insti...
tute is just such a beautiful and unique place to get married. All of our guest's couldn't stop talking about how beautiful it all was. Thank you for a magical evening!!
The Dayton Art Institute provided a space and an experience that was better than any we could had ever dreamed up ourselves. Not only was it the most beautiful venue we looked at,...
but it also had the most helpful and friendly staff of any we worked with. We can't overstate how helpful Donna, the staff member with whom we worked with at DAI, was for us in planning the wedding and in completely removing the intimidation factor. She is an expert in making sure all the right boxes are checked at the right time, and she was great with communication. There isn't a single detail about our day that we were unhappy with. We couldn't recommend this venue (and Donna) more!
The staff (Beth) was great at coordinating with vendors and ironing out details all during our planning process. The venue is so beautiful that all you need are flowers to complet...
e your decorating! You can rent their votives and they also have table numbers that you can use. The day of the wedding the staff was very attentive and accommodating.
Both my wife and I are UD alumni and knew all about the wonderful reputation of the DAI and hosting weddings. We were actually hesitant to use them because our Facebook feeds were ...
filled with pictures of friends of ours who were in/at weddings hosted there, and we didn't want to do the same old event. What a mistake that would have been. Kevin and the Dayton Art Institute did an amazing job! We signed on with them without a visit because of that aforementioned reputation and being out of towners. When we did visit a few months later, we were so happy with our choice. Pictures don't do the spaces justice. Kevin was even able to provide suggestions for other vendors because of all his connections in the Dayton area. On the day of, everything ran smoothly, and we received so many compliments from our guests!
I absolutely loved DAI as our wedding ceremony and reception venue!!!! Not only is it a truly unique and one-of-a-kind space, but the service was fantastic! Kevin - the museum’s ev...
ent director - knew every vendor in town, gave us excellent recommendations/feedback and truly became a part of our wedding planning team! He helped with every aspect to ensure our special day was absolutely perfect. We used the Great Hall and Gothic Cloister for our events. Both were grandiose and unbelievably elegant. Our guests were blow away!
We splurged on the lighting, and it was absolutely worth it. Our photos turned out so amazing. The space is gorgeous on its own, but with the addition of bistro lighting and architectural uplighting, we completely transformed the Cloister into something magical.
For a wedding experience your guests will never forget, I strongly recommend choosing DAI!
Kevin and his entire team at DAI were incredible to work with. Every step of the planning process was easy and organized. Kevin was amazing at helping us make small detail decision...
s such as table settings/decor and also helped guide us with some of the bigger decisions like band, day/week-of wedding coordinator, lighting, and photography (all of which we took his recommendations and could not have been happier!). The whole planning process was as stress free as possible due to Kevin and his team.
He contacted us and kept us on top of when we had to make decisions and gave us plenty of time to make those decisions. He was ALWAYS so easy going and never at all was stressed or pressured. Even the week leading to the wedding, we had several last minute changes in our table arrangements and he was extremely accommodating and understanding. The wedding was absolutely perfect and everyone involved (groom, MOB, FOB, etc) all agreed that Kevin and the DAI team were a HUGE part of that.
This has been my dream venue and I was still overwhelmed by the team going above and beyond to help us create the perfect day. Would recommend TO EVERYONE!!!!
The DAI is the very best venue in Dayton to get married and have a wedding reception! My husband and I could not be happier with our experience. The DAI has the very best venders i...
n the city and is a classy and sophisticated venue for an elegant wedding. Beth was an absolute angel and ensured every detail of our wedding was planned out and executed. The venue itself is absolutely stunning. We were able to take beautiful venue, add some flowers and lighting and make the most stunning reception I have ever seen! Thank you to everyone at DAI for making our wedding night absolutely magical!
DAI was the PERFECT place for our wedding! Beth DeVilbiss was the coordinator for our day and she was so prompt with email and text replies. On the day of I gave her all my decorat...
ions and told her where to put them and she did so beautifully. The whole event staff made my night perfect! The list of required vendors for catering and lighting were all highly qualified and had a good variation in price packages. The night of was an absolute dream. I can't believe I actually got married here, my husband and I are so grateful and will cherish our day forever, thanks DAI for your part in that! If you're looking to get married, go talk to them ASAP, they book up quickly :)
DAI was a dream for our wedding day. We originally were going to just hold our reception there, but changed it to reception + ceremony after seeing how accommodating and beautiful ...
this location was. We worked with Kevin and he was basically our 'wedding planner,' as he called to check up on us, answered all of our questions over the year and a half of planning and had a Plan A, B and C for absolutely everything, which we loved. I would not have known what to do if it wasn't for the DAI staff being so easy-going and accommodating. They seamlessly worked with all of our vendors, so we didn't have to worry about anything when the day came. I HIGHLY recommend DAI!
My beloved daughter and her beloved just got married this past month at the Dayton Art Institute. I would like to write a sonnet to the Dayton Art Institute, and our charming conta...
ct there, Donna Young.
We met early on in the wedding planning, and it was obvious that Donna was not only going to plan a most perfect and gorgeous setting, it was also obvious that she should be IN the wedding. Donna is a most engaging, hilarious and embracing woman. She made every detail one that was just so much fun to think through- and she described each chapter and verse of the day in a way that you understood exactly how that was going to work. There was no stress, there was no worry, there was just the knowledge that Donna knew what she was doing, and if there were to be any kind of glitch, Donna had you. Every meeting with Donna was like a day in the sun- full of the fun of new stories and a smile a mile wide.
The day of the wedding, Donna was just so there. There was a split second where much was going on, and I didn’t know exactly where to put my focus. Donna did. She made every aspect of the day so easy, so embraced. It was a pure day of acknowledging how effortless it is to breathe in the good. It was all just so good. I will miss Donna in my every day schedule. She is someone you should know in your life.
And so to you, Donna, my heart is full. To the DAI- you are legendary in your beauty. Thank you for giving us a backdrop of magnificent proportions. The gorgeous pictures you boast are only dwarfed by the beauty that is reflected in our newlywed children gazing upon them in the many pictures that tell the story of their night at the Dayton Art Institute.
Writing this on my daughter Kristin M.'s page - Beth M.
If you want a beautiful venue, the most amazing wedding planner (shout out to Kevin), and a night to remember, than DAI is the place the for. Kevin was phenomenal and ensured that ...
every detail was thought of and taken care of. This venue was spectacular and the guests could not say enough about how much they loved the space .
I have dreamt of getting married at The Dayton Art Institute since I was in high school. I never thought my dreams would actually become a realty because I knew that the DAI booked...
up way in advance and I did not desire a long engagement. But when my fiancé proposed and told me that he had already booked the Dayton Art Institute, I was speechless. The venue provides you with a day of coordinator who you work with throughout the entire planning process. No detail was left untouched. They have an amazing planning site, Allseated, where we were able to see the layout of each room, input our guest list, keep track of RSVP's, AND arrange our seating chart. It was amazing and helped relieve so much stress. After many years of dreaming, months of planning, and days of hoping it all would come together, I had my dream wedding in my dream venue.
The minute I walked into the DAI, I knew I was going to get married there and I am so glad I did. This is the most beautiful place to have a wedding and Donna was awesome to work w...
ith. We held our ceremony in the Great Hall and the cocktail hour/reception in the Gothic Cloister. They also have another beautiful outdoor space if you are interested in getting married outside. We actually had our first look outside and took a lot of pictures in that area.
We worked with Donna and she was so great ( I can't say it enough!). She helped with everything!! After we booked this venue, she provided us with the DAI recommended vendor list which was incredibly helpful because we were able to pick great vendors that we knew we could rely on. Donna also kept us up to date on when we needed to pick things like linens and coordinated all the day of vendor drop offs and set up. Donna also helped with the rehearsal and throughout the ceremony to make sure everyone was in the right place at the right time. We did not have a wedding planner and ended up emailing Donna with questions all the time, she always responded quickly and with helpful advice.
I am so happy that we chose to get married at DAI and we had so many guests come up to us and tell us how awesome the venue was. The space is so beautiful and you will not be disappointed if you get married here.
We had the most amazing wedding day ever. The venue is incredible. Kevin was amazing to work with. Every detail was taken care of and made perfect. I highly recommend this facility...
for your reception, you will love it!!!
All of the spaces at the Dayton Art Institute were gorgeous. We used the great hall for our ceremony, the hale cloister for our first look, and the gothic cloister for our cocktail...
hour and reception. Our guests keep telling us what a beautiful wedding and amazing venue it was. Beth, our event coordinator, was wonderful to work with. We couldn't have been happier with this venue. It was perfect for us.
We booked the Dayton Art Institute two years in advance for our daughter and son-in-law's summer wedding, so we had plenty of time to plan! We worked with Kevin, who made our exper...
ience as close to flawless as it could get. The ceremony was held in the Great Hall and the reception was in the Gothic Cloister. The bride and her attendants arrived early on the day of the wedding, having their make-up and hair done on-site. Ted was in charge of the set-up and did an absolutely wonderful job. By choosing the DAI for the venue for our daughter and son-in-law's wedding, we were able to give them the wedding that they had dreamed of!
The DAI was a stunning place for my husband and I to have our ceremony and reception :) Kevin was simply wonderful and worked with us and helped us pick the perfect vendors for our...
wedding. DAI actually has a preferred list of vendors which makes life very easy for the bride to pick and choose and go down the list! Kevin was always available for questions and accommodated my requests accordingly and was always kind and professional! Although the DAI is a bit on the pricey side of things, it is well worth it and the end result with everything in place on the wedding day will leave your guests breathless :) HIGHLY recommended.
My husband and I had both our ceremony and reception at the Dayton Art Institute. We used the Great Hall for the ceremony, the Hale Cloister for the cocktail hour and the Gothic Cl...
oister for the reception. All three spaces were absolutely beautiful. Our guests loved the venue and we had the wedding of our dreams.
We worked with Kevin Tunstall who was always responsive to our calls and emails. He was always willing to meet with us in person, too. Kevin was great to work with - we could tell he cared about making the day of run smoothly. He even contacted our other vendors to arrange set up times and day of details so that we didn't have to.
We HIGHLY recommend the DAI for couples who are looking for a venue that is unique and speaks for itself.
DAI is a GORGEOUS place to hold your wedding! We worked with Diane to plan our wedding and she was wonderful. Many guests commented on the beautiful location. It can be a little ...
pricey, but we were able to save money on decorations because the museum was already so beautiful. Also, the security for our event went all out, allowing us access to some beautiful locations for photos. I LOVED having our wedding here!
The minute we walked through the DAI, I knew I wanted to get married there. It is such a unique venue and provides a gorgeous setting for both a ceremony and reception. Kevin did...
an amazing job of organizing and setting up the event. He was very accommodating, allowing us to drop items off prior to the wedding, and pick items up the day after the wedding. The staff did all of the set-up and tear-down, allowing us to just show up and enjoy the day. The entire staff of the DAI works to ensure the event runs smoothly and that all of the guests are happy. All of our guests are still talking about how beautiful the venue was and how fantastic the staff was. We had a minor setback when another wedding party showed up and intruded into our space while taking pictures. However, the DAI security was already working to resolve the situation and everything worked out perfectly. I could not have been happier with our decision to hold our wedding at the Dayton Art Institute, and I promise that you won't be either!
The Dayton Art Institute couldn't have been a more beautiful venue. Chuck, Kevin, and staff were always willing to help and were most professional. Thank you DAI for making our wed...
ding day perfect!
The Art Institute is a beautiful location for a wedding. There was a change in event coordinators a few months before our wedding which caused us some anxiety but in the end, ever...
ything was great and the staff was wonderful. We didn't have a single issue during set-up or the day of the event.
The Dayton Art Institute is an incredible venue for a reception...we had so many compliments on how lovely and unique the place was. The staff at the DAI was great- very accomodat...
ing!
I had my reception at the DAI and would recommend this venue to anyone. Chuck, the coordinator, was knowledgable, helpful, and very easy to work with. The space is stunning (I'd hi...
ghly recommend splurging and getting the swag that hangs from the ceiling!) and the unique experience your guests get by walking through the art gallery on the way to the event is priceless. My guests are still raving about my wedding!
The first time I saw the DAI set up for a wedding, it literally gave me chills! It's one of the most beautiful reception locations in Dayton. We loved everything about having our r...
eception there--the class, the culture, the uniqueness. Our guests loved walking through the galleries to get to the Gothic Cloisture. We had so many compliments on the reception! To be honest, it is on the pricey side, but we felt like we got every penny's worthy of value.
The Dayton Art Institute was an incredible place to have my wedding. Elegant Fare (The caterer you must use if you have an event there) is fantastic and not at all typical bland we...
dding food. The staff (I worked with Renee) is extremely helpful and accommodating. Chuck, the even coordinator at the DAI is wonderful. He took care of so many details that I never even thought about and he and his partner set everything up beautifully. Chuck was great to work with and had a lot of great ideas and was incredibly helpful. The DAI also provided a day-of liaison that made sure everything ran smoothly and according to the timeline I provided them (Based on a timeline Chuck gave me to help me with my own). The venue itself is so gorgeous that it requires very little decor. There are so many great locations inside and outside of the DAI that lend themselves to beautiful photographs. The servers and bartenders were completely on-point and extremely professional and courteous. I cannot say enough good things about this venue and the staff that come with it!
poor location and building for weddimng
Everything went so great at the DAI! I had my ceremony and reception there and the staff was great. Chuck is always helpful and his assistant was great too! Of course the DAI is al...
so a phenomenal venue for pictures too.
When you book the DAI for a reception you have to use their caterer, Elegant Fare. At first, I did not like the idea that I do not have caterer options, but Elegant Fare turned out to be so wonderful!
Book your wedding in the winter and you get a great discount on the price too!
The venue was gorgeous! Chuck was wonderful to work with and everything was a breeze working with them. I would highly recommend to others!!!!
Chuck Barnett is ON IT. He was always punctual with our meetings and knew exactly what was going on with my wedding at all times. The venue is breathtaking. It went so smoothly....
BEAUTIFUL.
All of my guests loved walking through the museum. The gothic cloister where the reception was held was breathtaking.;The contact at the museum for organizing the event seemed ...
overoccupied by the other events that he was organizing. I would have liked more individualized attention from someone who had time to reach out and contact me at least once a month to check on the progress.
Gorgeous atmosphere. We were able to rent out the entire museum for guests to enjoy the exhibits during cocktail hour, then the reception was held in a courtyard covered with a hu...
ge skylight. Magical!;Many couples like to come to the outside of the museum and take their photos, even if their reception is somewhere else in Dayton.
Contact
456 Belmonte Park North, Dayton, OH
The Dayton Art Institute