Dayton Masonic Center Wedding Photos Venue Information
July 29, 2024
Dayton Masonic Center Wedding Photos and Information
The Dayton Masonic Center is a historic wedding venue on Riverview Avenue overlooking downtown Dayton, Ohio. Located next to the Dayton Art Institute, the building has impressive columns, historic architecture, and several large indoor spaces for wedding ceremonies, receptions, and other events.
I photograph a wedding at the Dayton Masonic Center about once a year, and I have photographed weddings here several times over the years. The venue works especially well for medium and large weddings where you want a large reception room, plenty of space for guests, and excellent air conditioning during the summer.
There are several different spaces to consider, and they photograph very differently. Here is what I have learned from photographing weddings at the Dayton Masonic Center.
Dayton Masonic Center Wedding Ceremony Spaces
The Dayton Masonic Center has several rooms that can be used for wedding ceremonies. The most notable is the Scottish Rite Cathedral.
Scottish Rite Cathedral
The Scottish Rite Cathedral is a beautiful historic room, but it is one of my least favorite spaces at the Dayton Masonic Center for wedding photography.
The room has dark wood, high ceilings, and very limited natural light. That combination makes it challenging to photograph. When a ceremony takes place here, I use additional lighting and work with the conditions as they are.
The room can also get extremely warm during the summer. At one wedding I photographed here, the air conditioning was not working properly and industrial fans were being used to move air through the room. It was brutally hot.
The room has plenty of character, but couples should understand that the dark interior creates some challenges for wedding photography.
Dayton Masonic Center Ballroom Wedding Receptions
The Dayton Masonic Center ballroom is one of my favorite indoor wedding reception spaces in Dayton.
The ballroom is large enough for dinner tables, a head table, DJ, cake table, and a substantial dance floor without making the room feel cramped. The room itself does not require a lot of decoration because the chandeliers and architecture provide plenty of visual interest.
Buffet dinners are typically set up in one of the side wings, keeping the main reception area open for guests.
Dayton Masonic Center Balcony and Cocktail Hour
The second-floor balcony surrounding the ballroom is a great location for cocktail hour.
Guests can enjoy the balcony while looking into the reception room below. The venue staff generally keeps guests in this area before the reception begins, then directs everyone downstairs when it is time for dinner and the reception.
It is also a useful space for wedding photography because it gives me another location to work with without taking the couple or wedding party far away from the reception.
Dayton Masonic Center Wedding Getting Ready Spaces
The Dayton Masonic Center has several areas that can be used while the wedding party gets ready.
The bridal suite is spacious enough for a bride and her bridesmaids and provides plenty of room for getting ready photos. There is also a large lounge where the wedding party can relax before the ceremony.
The lounge has couches, tables, televisions, and plenty of space for everyone to hang out before the wedding.
Having these different spaces under one roof makes the wedding day easier to manage. You do not have to spend a lot of time traveling between locations before the ceremony.
The Best Thing About a Dayton Masonic Center Wedding
For a summer wedding, the air conditioning in the Dayton Masonic Center reception area is hard to beat.
In my experience, the Masonic Center has some of the best air conditioning of any Dayton wedding reception venue. That might not sound like the most exciting feature when you are touring wedding venues, but you will appreciate it when you have a full reception room packed with people on a hot Ohio summer day.
Dayton Masonic Center Wedding Photography Locations
One of my favorite parts of photographing a wedding here is actually outside the building.
The front of the Dayton Masonic Center has massive columns and wide steps that create a strong backdrop for wedding portraits. The building overlooks downtown Dayton, and the skyline can be incorporated into photos from the front of the venue.
With the right camera position and composition, I can also minimize the view of I-75 and create a cleaner background.
The exterior is easy to overlook because so much of the wedding day happens inside, but it is one of the best places at the venue for portraits.
Dayton Masonic Center Wedding Photos on the Steps
The front steps are particularly useful for wedding portraits.
After the ceremony and reception, I like taking the couple outside for a few minutes to use the architecture of the building. The columns, steps, and downtown Dayton backdrop give the photos a completely different look from the indoor reception photos.
On one wedding day, I also had a few minutes to photograph the couple from the second-floor balcony with downtown Dayton behind them. These short opportunities can produce some of the most distinctive photos from the wedding.
Dayton Masonic Center Wedding Tips
Arrive Early for Parking
Parking can be limited around the Dayton Masonic Center, especially when multiple events are happening in the area.
I recommend arriving early rather than assuming you will find a convenient parking spot right before the ceremony.
There is some street parking available, but it can fill up quickly.
Do Not Park at the Dayton Art Institute
Make sure your wedding guests know where they can and cannot park.
The Dayton Art Institute is directly next to the Masonic Center, and guests should not assume that its parking lot is available for a Masonic Center wedding. There is signage, but having a car towed is an easy way to turn a great wedding night into a major headache.
Include parking information with your wedding-day details so your guests know where to go.
Use the Exterior for Wedding Portraits
Don’t spend the entire wedding day inside.
The front steps and columns of the Dayton Masonic Center provide a great opportunity for wedding portraits. I recommend setting aside a few minutes during the day to get outside with the couple.
The exterior also works well for smaller groups and wedding-party photos.
Dayton Masonic Center Engagement Photos
The exterior of the Dayton Masonic Center can also work for an engagement session.
The steps, columns, architecture, and downtown Dayton surroundings provide several different backgrounds without requiring a long walk between locations.
If you are considering the Masonic Center for your wedding and want engagement photos with an architectural or urban look, the exterior is worth considering.
You can also find more ideas in my guide to popular engagement session locations in Dayton.
Dayton Masonic Center Wedding Venue Review
The Dayton Masonic Center is a strong option for couples planning a medium to large wedding in Dayton.
The building has a lot of history and character, while the ballroom provides the space needed for a large reception. The getting-ready rooms are useful, the balcony gives you another area for cocktail hour, and the exterior offers some excellent opportunities for wedding portraits.
The biggest photography challenge is the dark interior of some of the historic ceremony spaces. The ballroom, however, is a completely different story and is one of my favorite indoor reception spaces in Dayton.
If you are planning a summer wedding, the excellent air conditioning is another major advantage.
Dayton Masonic Center Wedding Photography
I have photographed weddings at the Dayton Masonic Center as part of my Dayton wedding photography work since 2007. I enjoy venues that give me different options throughout the day, and the Masonic Center gives me plenty to work with.
The historic interior provides one look, the ballroom gives you a large and elegant reception space, and the exterior steps and columns provide a completely different setting for portraits.
That variety allows me to create a wedding gallery that does not look like every photo was taken in the same room.
I photograph weddings throughout Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus, Ohio, and I include a complimentary engagement session with every wedding photography package.
For more information, see my Dayton wedding photography packages and pricing.
Dayton Masonic Center Wedding Photos
Below are some of my Dayton Masonic Center wedding photos, including the ballroom, ceremony spaces, getting-ready areas, exterior architecture, wedding portraits, and reception.
These photos will give you a better idea of what the venue looks like on an actual wedding day and how I use the different spaces throughout the day.
A Dayton Masonic Center Wedding I Photographed
One of the weddings I photographed at the Dayton Masonic Center included a ceremony in one of the building’s darker historic rooms followed by a reception in the ballroom.
For the formal portraits, we used the exterior of the building rather than relying entirely on the dark ceremony room. The front steps and columns provided a much brighter and more dramatic setting.
We also had a short opportunity to use the second-floor balcony, giving me another perspective with downtown Dayton in the background.
The reception featured a full dance floor and plenty of energy throughout the evening. It was a great example of how I can use different parts of the Masonic Center to create variety in a wedding gallery.
Dayton Masonic Center Wedding Photography Client Review
“Kevin did such an amazing job photographing our wedding at the Masonic Center and with our free engagement session!! We couldn’t be more grateful! The photos were all beautiful and we have so many options to choose from! I was very determined to have two photographers to make sure that nothing got missed, but after seeing Kevin’s work and meeting with him, I was confident in his ability, and he didn’t disappoint. He didn’t miss a single shot, there’s nothing that I wish was done differently, or anything that we felt was missing. With Kevin’s amazing attention to detail so there’s really no reason to worry about small details because he sees and notices them all.
We received our engagement photos the next day and we got all of our wedding photos 6 days after the wedding. I don’t know if any reviews can even do him justice, I would 100% recommend Kevin to anyone looking for an amazing photographer!!!”
Joselyn E.
Key Takeaways For Dayton Masonic Center Weddings
- The Dayton Masonic Center is a historic wedding venue with stunning architecture and various unique event spaces.
- The Scottish Rite Cathedral offers a beautiful but challenging photography experience due to dim lighting and heat.
- The Elegant Ballroom serves as a spacious reception area, ideal for dinner and dancing, with excellent A/C.
- The venue provides multiple getting-ready spaces for the wedding party, including a large bridal suite and a lounge.
- Couples should arrive early for parking and avoid the Dayton Art Institute lot to prevent towing issues.