Dayton Art Institute • Dayton, Ohio
The room is art.The night is yours.
The Gothic Cloister is a pretty incredible place for a wedding reception. Everything feels elegant and a little over the top. That does not mean the party has to be formal all night.
About 15 weddings here, and counting
The Gothic Cloister
is the reason.
There are plenty of ways to put a wedding together at the Dayton Art Institute. For me, the Gothic Cloister is the standout. The whole room feels like an art piece, not just a space you rented and decorated.
My favorite version of the day uses three different spaces: the Grand Hall for the ceremony, the Hale Cloister for cocktail hour and the Gothic Cloister for the reception. Each part gets its own setting.
My favorite wedding-day flow
Three spaces.
One wedding.
- 01 / CEREMONY
The Grand Hall
A beautiful place to start the day. I use a separate ceremony sound system here.
- 02 / COCKTAIL HOUR
The Hale Cloister
Move outside for cocktails, with another system handling the music in this space.
- 03 / RECEPTION
The Gothic Cloister
Dinner, speeches and dancing move into the reception room. The couple usually makes their entrance from the Grand Hall.
This is my favorite arrangement, not the only option. Work with DAI to choose the spaces and weather plan for your wedding.
The detail you should not have to think about
My booth stays in one spot.
The sound does not.
The DJ position is usually to the right of the main entrance, beside the staircase. But putting all the speakers in that corner is not how I cover this room.
I spread the speakers across the Gothic Cloister. Everyone can hear the speeches and announcements without the guests sitting right in front of me getting blasted. With that setup, the space sounds amazing.
It is the same thinking behind bringing a separate system for each part of the day. Ceremony, cocktails and reception each need sound that fits the space, not a one-size-fits-all setup.
Elegant does not mean quiet
After dark,
the room changes.
Lighting makes a huge difference here once it gets dark. Lights fading with the music, moving heads and dance-floor lighting can turn that elegant art piece of a room into a party.
The dance floor is in the center, surrounded by the guest tables. The celebration is right in the middle of the reception, not tucked away somewhere else.
Two things to talk through
Leave room
for the night you want.
Your guest count and floor plan
In my experience, 250 guests can push the Gothic Cloister toward feeling cramped. That is my perspective from working receptions here, not an official capacity. Talk through your seating layout and dance-floor space with DAI before locking in the guest list.
The reception handoff
The staff is great. They help the couple through the earlier part of the wedding day, then trust me to do my thing at the reception. I handle the MC side and keep the evening moving so you can enjoy it.
Visit Dayton Art InstituteGetting married at Dayton Art Institute?
A beautiful room.
A party that feels like you.
Tell me your wedding date and what you have in mind. I will respond personally.