Wedding Photographers & Videographers at The Columns Downtown, Altoona

A wedding at The Columns Downtown in Altoona happens inside a grand old bank. Tall columns face 11th Avenue, and inside, a coffered ceiling rises 40 feet over a Tennessee marble dance floor. For wedding photos and film, a room like this does a lot of the work: the height, the plasterwork and the marble give your photographer and videographer a backdrop that looks good from every angle.

Both weddings and receptions are held here, with tables and chairs to seat up to 250 guests. Ask the events coordinator about holding your wedding ceremony in the ballroom and turning the room for dinner, or keeping your ceremony elsewhere and arriving here for the party. The front of the building, with its columns, is a natural place for a picture of the whole wedding party. A tall room with a stone floor carries sound, so a wedding videographer will want to plan microphones for the vows and the toasts.

You can use the venue's caterer or bring your own. Rentals such as tents, linens, dinnerware and decor come through a sister company, so much of your planning can stay with one team. The events coordinator works with you from your first call through your wedding day. The basement still holds the original bank vault from the building's days as a bank.

• Schedule a walkthrough and bring your photographer if you can.
• Ask whether a ceremony and reception can share the ballroom and how long the turnover takes.
• Ask about photo and video guidelines and parking downtown.

A little about The Columns Downtown

The Columns was built in 1924 and 1925 as the First National Bank of Altoona, when the Pennsylvania Railroad made the city prosper. It had fallen into disrepair by 2021, when new owners bought it and restored it in about ten months.