Cleveland Museum of Art Wedding

Today we’re continuing to chat about something that I love talking about. Some of our very favorite venues in the greater Cleveland area. We broke down a list of the Best Wedding Venues in Cleveland Ohio here if you’re wedding planning and need an overview of some of our favorites that’s a great place to start. But a Cleveland Museum of Art Wedding for sure ranks at the top of the list.

The reality is that the choice of your wedding venue is going to do more for the look and tone of your wedding day than pretty much anything else. Not to mention it can have a massive effect on your stress levels based on how well you are taken care of surrounding your wedding day, what the logistics are like, etc.

I’m going to layout a little more information on what it looks like to have a Cleveland Museum of Art wedding and what you can expect from that wedding venue.

Hiring a Planner

First things first, when you’re planning a Cleveland Museum of Art wedding you need to know that they require you work with a wedding planner. This is fantastic news for you for a number of reasons. The reality is that having a wedding at a venue of the caliber of the museum of art just isn’t something you can pull off without a planner, so it’s perfect that they don’t give you the option. If by chance you don’t have a planner in mind to work with, we have a list of our very favorites we can recommend (whether you’re our couple or not) please feel free to send us an email and we’re happy to pass them along. Planners are AMAZING and from personal experience, I can guarantee you’re going to have a completely different experience working with a wonderful team.

Location

The Cleveland Museum of Art is located in Wade Oval, just outside of downtown Cleveland in University Circle. It’s surrounded by everything you could possibly need. As far as a centralized location you probably can’t get any better than the Cleveland Museum of Art. Nearly anything you could possibly want is going to be a 10 or 15-minute drive from your main location. during the main portion of your wedding day, there are so many things within a two or three-minute walk you’re not going to need to navigate far from the museum at all.

Plus you have the overall surroundings of the museum, just below the museum itself is Wade Lagoon. A beautiful little Pond, surrounded by idyllic trees and walking path benches, a perfect setting. During the springtime cherry blossoms explode, giving you a Washington DC vibe without the crazy crowds to diminish the experience.

In the front of the museum, you have the Cleveland Botanical Gardens as well as the actual Wade oval Park, which hosts concerts and family fun in the summer ice skating rinks in the winter. The entire area is barely picture-perfect for a wedding.

Planning a Cleveland Museum of Art Wedding

One of the cautions that you will hear me talk about in particular is that when you choose a wedding venue you really need to think through your choice carefully. Your wedding venue is going to set the stage for the entire look and feel of your wedding day. But aside from that, your wedding day is going to set the stage for the overall feel of your service. If you happen to find a venue that doesn’t prioritize taking care of their couples you will feel it on your wedding day, and unfortunately, I’ve seen that happen and it is somewhat tragic. On your wedding day, you deserve to be taken care of like absolute royalty. You’re investing heavily, and the day should be as close to perfect as possible so that you can focus on the people and the moments that matter so much.

The Cleveland Museum of Art is one of those venues that just plain knows what they’re doing. They know how to serve couples well, they consistently work with very high caliber events. because of that, they can move quickly and efficiently. They handle what comes out of them and keep your day feeling entirely stress-free. I mean, besides being an absolutely gorgeous venue, this is a huge, huge, plus for wedding menu.

Cleveland Museum of Art Wedding Photos

As a wedding photographer, it’s hard not to be massively in love with this venue. Good thing that I love the most about the Cleveland Museum of Art as far as wedding photos is that there’s so much diversity in what you have to choose from. The absolute regalness of the back of the museum lends itself so fantastically you have oh, such beautiful marble which bounces the light so incredibly and become so flattering to all different skin types. You have the beautiful Wade Lagoon which can give us a much more relaxed and nature-filled vibe. but then you also have the Cleveland Botanical Gardens literally steps away, you have Case Western directly across the street. There is the Fine Art’s Garden, Severance Hall, and even more incredible architecture truly just moments away.

One of my favorite things about doing photos at the Museum of Art is that they don’t have to look the same. It’s not one of those wedding venues were everybody who gets photos they’re sort of has the same look and feel to them. You truly could take photos there every single day and have each one reflects the overall feel of the couple which to me as a photographer is massively important. Because of my beautiful venue is important of course but ultimately no matter how beautiful the venue is it needs to reflect something within you both as a couple otherwise the portrait simply isn’t as strong. So having the freedom to be able to flex where we’re doing portraits based on your story and who you are as a couple is just phenomenal and something that makes this a true favorite for me as a photographer.

Cleveland Museum of Art Engagement Photos

The Museum is a huge favorite for engagement photos very much for the reasons that I just listed for wedding photos. It’s such a diverse location when it comes to backdrops and inspiration. It makes it absolutely fantastic for photographing engagement sessions as well.

Multiple Ceremony Spaces

The museum of art has multiple ceremony spaces and has indoor and outdoor options which I think is essential with the unknowns of weather in the Cleveland area.

Receptions are always planned indoors, but there are beautiful ceremony options outdoors which can either overlook the back of the museum or Wade Lagoon depending on which way you want to face. Knowing that there’s a fantastic backup plan in the main atrium of the museum (out of the weather). It helps keep things stress-free.

Although most people use the outdoor terrace and main atrium there are a number of choices when it comes to renting space in the museum for your wedding.

Main atrium (seating for 650)
Outdoor terrace (seating for 650)
Private dining room (seating for 100)
Provenance
Banquet room (seating for 128)
Key Bank Lobby
Gartner Auditorium
Small auditoriums

The Cleveland Museum of Art has more than 44,000 square feet of special event spaces and of course, you’ll be celebrating surrounded by world-class art.

Reception

The other huge differentiator with the Cleveland Museum of Art is its ability to accommodate a massive number of guests. It can be difficult to find wedding venues that work for large guest counts in the Cleveland area. The Museum of Art can actually accommodate up to 650 guests in its Main Atrium area.

Another plus in favor of the Museum of Art is its on-site catering. Provenance is Cleveland Museum of Art’s exclusive company which constantly gets rave reviews and is well known for its commitment to socially responsible practices.

Cleveland Museum of Art Wedding Cost

Your museum wedding cost is going to vary greatly by the details you chose to include on your wedding day. What type of food will you be serving? How many guests will you be having? The larger the number the lower the per guest cost goes down, but the bigger the overall number is.

In general, however, you can expect to spend between about $260 per person and $280 per person for your Cleveland Museum of Art Wedding. There is of course a food and beverage minimum applied to all events, please reach out to the museum for pricing specifics, Elizabeth will take amazing care of you. Or better yet, ask your planner to walk you through this!

You’ll also want to note that the museum books out about a year and a half in advance sometimes more so as soon as you’re engaged you’ll want to start looking at those “big three” (planner, venue, photographer) to make sure you’re able to secure your first choices when it comes to such important pieces of your wedding day.

What I love about it

I think there are a lot of reasons to love a Cleveland Museum of Art wedding. If I had to pick a downfall I would say the obvious one is that your guests can’t stay at the venue, but that could be said with a lot of different venues, and considering where the museum is located it’s really not at all hard to pick a beautiful hotel probably no more than 12 minutes away. Personally, I’m a huge fan of museum weddings. I think they’re stunning and truly timeless. Because of that, it’s not hard for me to say this is a true stand-out among the venues in the Cleveland area.

I think that it’s got a mix of everything that you want in a venue, exceptional service, beautiful architecture, world-class art, and fantastic food. Because what is a wedding without really great food? 😉 I don’t think you can go wrong with this venue and I think there’s truly so much that can go right.