Wedding Photographers & Videographers at Erie Art Museum, Erie

A wedding at the Erie Art Museum means getting married among works of art in downtown Erie, on East Fifth Street. The museum invites couples looking for a unique wedding venue, and its galleries and patio give your photographer and videographer something no banquet hall has: art on every wall, plus the museum's historic Customs House with its marble staircase and Doric columns of Vermont marble.

You can choose one space or take over the whole museum. The Holstein Gallery holds up to 250 standing, 190 in theater-style rows or 130 at banquet tables, enough for a wedding ceremony and dinner for a good-sized crowd. The Hagen Gallery holds 150 standing, 80 in rows or 50 at tables, a nice size for a smaller wedding. The Dana and Pete Zaphiris Family Patio takes 150 standing or 75 seated, which makes it a natural place for cocktail hour in warm weather. A full-facility rental is also offered.

Planning help comes from a special events coordinator on staff, who works with you on the day, from layout to timing. Galleries are working museum spaces, so ask early about catering, candles, decor and where your videographer can set up a camera for the vows and toasts. The museum also has a media policy, so ask how it applies to wedding photos taken in the galleries.

• Submit a rental request through the museum's facilities page.
• Tour the galleries and patio with your photographer and videographer.
• Ask about photo and video guidelines and plan your wedding day schedule with the events coordinator.

A little about the Erie Art Museum

The Customs House was built in 1839 as a branch of the Bank of Pennsylvania and later held a U.S. Customs House, which gave it its name. It was one of the first buildings in America built with native marble, and the Erie Art Museum acquired it in 1983.