  Goon463 Member Username: Goon463 Post Number: 1 Registered: 07-2007 |
Hey all, I am new to the forum and need some advice on locations in Detroit to have a wedding ceremony and reception. We are anticipating around one hundred people and are looking to do a tapas style menu. Any recommendations would be appreciated. | ||
Urbanoutdoors Member Username: Urbanoutdoors Post Number: 540 Registered: 11-2005 |
Welcome to the forum goon, I am also in a similar market and am looking into a reception at the Belle Isle conservatory courtyard for only two hundred dollars to reserve that venue and it is also a great place for pictures. Haven't figured out a spot for a reception but the ballroom at the Masonic is great for a reception, I had a friend who had one there. Also my dad had his reception at the scarab club it was pretty cool third option I would give would be the DYC. Also if it is by the time the book cad opens I am sure that would make for an awesome venue. (Message edited by Urbanoutdoors on August 19, 2007) | ||
Urbanoutdoors Member Username: Urbanoutdoors Post Number: 541 Registered: 11-2005 |
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Leland_palmer Member Username: Leland_palmer Post Number: 345 Registered: 08-2004 |
Try the Century Club, there was a wedding rehearsal there on Saturday. | ||
Dan Member Username: Dan Post Number: 1429 Registered: 10-2003 |
Lobby of the http://www.guardianbuilding.co m/ | ||
Digitalvision Member Username: Digitalvision Post Number: 285 Registered: 11-2003 |
DYC - If you know a member, I think a great place if not a little pricey. I've seen quite a few weddings do the conservatory at Belle Isle, and at that price, it's a steal in my book. Beautiful pictures If/when I do a wedding, it's going to be a Detroit affair... does anyone have any idea about the quality/availability of the Belle Isle Casino for something like that? I have a friend who's starting to do planning. Considering how many people I've heard about wanting to do Belle Isle/Detroit weddings, I totally think there could be some serious money made that could go back into the island there. | ||
Urbanoutdoors Member Username: Urbanoutdoors Post Number: 543 Registered: 11-2005 |
I had a friend who had his reception there a year or two ago it seemed to go pretty well I wasn't at the reception though but everyone said it was great. | ||
Defendbrooklyn Member Username: Defendbrooklyn Post Number: 410 Registered: 11-2005 |
the booby trap on 8 mile would go over well...hahahahah just kidding. good luck. | ||
Urbanoutdoors Member Username: Urbanoutdoors Post Number: 544 Registered: 11-2005 |
It is like cheers only topless!  Thats my favorite sign in the city. On a serious note maybe try Tricentenial, or any of the historic churches depending on your religion. (Message edited by Urbanoutdoors on August 20, 2007) | ||
Craig Member Username: Craig Post Number: 232 Registered: 02-2007 |
^Ditto "historic churches." Some of the old places are so gothic and beautiful that you'd think that they invented Catholicism in Detroit. Probably safe to pick anything named "Saint-anybody" and not be disappointed. | ||
Adamjab19 Member Username: Adamjab19 Post Number: 803 Registered: 11-2003 |
I looked at Detroit locations for receptions and kept coming across places that were a little above my price range or couldn't comfortably fit the amount of guests we were inviting/expecting. So we decided to have the ceremony a little private in the Detroit Zoo Butterfly House and the reception at St. Josaphat in Warren. | ||
Kjwick Member Username: Kjwick Post Number: 41 Registered: 11-2003 |
Try the skillman (sp?) branch of the Detroit Library behind compuware. they have a large room that can be rented for events on the second floor...extremely nice and price is great (I'm thinking ~$800 for room, security, etc). It will hold around 150 people. You should also check into the Players Club on Jefferson ave. Reasonably $ and holds around 150. | ||
Higgs1634 Member Username: Higgs1634 Post Number: 155 Registered: 10-2005 |
I have to echo the Players Club. I attended a reception there a couple of years ago. Great space and a unique location. Several of the players will be on hand to answer questions about the place and its history. They'll also take you on tours. After years of driving by it and only "kinda" knowing what it was, hanging out in there was really a treat. | ||
Fury13 Member Username: Fury13 Post Number: 2021 Registered: 10-2003 |
I suggest that you "keep it real"...  | ||
Lowereast Member Username: Lowereast Post Number: 9 Registered: 08-2007 |
I would recommend the Roostertail. You cant beat the view! | ||
E_hemingway Member Username: E_hemingway Post Number: 1304 Registered: 11-2004 |
My fiancee and I are getting married at Sts Peter & Paul (our church) in downtown next year. The church is attached to the University of Detroit Mercy Law School campus on Jefferson. It's a Roman Catholic church in one of the most historic buildings in the city run by the Jesuit order, one of the most progressive orders in the Catholic Church. It absolutely gorgeous for the ceremony, as is any other church in the downtown area for that matter. As far as reception, we are going with the Detroit Yacht Club. Of all of the places we looked at in the city, such as Masonic Temple and Roostertail, it gave us the best bang for our buck price and facility wise. The wedding planner there definitely had all of her stuff together and seemed the most competent of all the ones we met. So far, we highly recommend the DYC. | ||
Hornist9 Member Username: Hornist9 Post Number: 42 Registered: 05-2005 |
E_hemingway, if you're still looking for musicians, I am part of a professional Brass Quintet, and we do weddings. If your interested, contact me at Lewhorn9@yahoo.com. I can arrange to send you a demo CD of our work. | ||
Cartoonguy Member Username: Cartoonguy Post Number: 95 Registered: 10-2003 |
I had my wedding reception at the Gem Theatre last year and everybody had a great time. Their banquet room in the basement is nice. You can also have the ceremony there but i think that costs an extra $800 or so. THe gem is not cheap but the food was excellent and the service was exquisite. They have all of the pricing on their website www.gemdetroit.com | ||
Jazzstage Member Username: Jazzstage Post Number: 70 Registered: 08-2007 |
I have recently started playing piano at the Detroit Golf Club. I don't know if you have to be a member there for a reception or wedding but it is a beautiful spot. The executive chef is very good and could easily pull of what you need. The DGC is my top pick. The members treat the employees (mostly African American) with real respect and friendship. If it is a smaller wedding, the scarab club has nice facilities. If you can believe it, I have even played a wedding inside the main branch of the Detroit Public Library. The bride and groom both worked there. The old favorite place to play was called the Castle. It was near the Manoogian mansion but I believe it is a bed and breakfast now. It was a great room. Hornist9, you have probably played some great rooms. Share your favorite Detroit ones. Good luck! | ||
Eric_c Member Username: Eric_c Post Number: 1029 Registered: 11-2003 |
My wife and I were married at the Belle Isle Casino in May of 2004. We had about 75 people and could have accommodated more. The ceremony was held on the veranda and the reception was held inside. The first floor of the building is divided into three sections. We had tables on the west side, the bar in the entrance foyer in the middle and the DJ/dance floor on the east end. We took pictures by the fountain and had everything catered. Stayed at the Omni afterwards. A great facility, extremely affordable; made for an incredible memory! | ||
Goldensunshine Member Username: Goldensunshine Post Number: 6 Registered: 11-2005 |
Once, in the summer of 1998 while visiting Belle Isle, I witnessed a couple get married right at the fountain, it was a gorgeous ceremony. Anyone I tell about this, usually has a mediocre reaction ... I guess you had to be there to see it, but even from a distance this wedding looked EXQUISITE. I don't know if it's the City of Detroit website, or if Belle Isle has its own site, but when I was planning my wedding, and looking for venues, they had rental prices available online. . .I will try and post the link here. . . | ||
Hornist9 Member Username: Hornist9 Post Number: 43 Registered: 05-2005 |
Jazzstage, Many years ago I used to photograph weddings. The most unusual location I've ever shot a wedding was the Redford Theater. The bride and groom were members of the Motor City Organ Society... I played my niece's wedding out at Addison Oaks Park, north of Rochester. They had an outdoor wedding. With the ceremony being outdoors, the Quintet's sound carried beautifully. | ||
Mdoyle Member Username: Mdoyle Post Number: 176 Registered: 10-2006 |
I know some people that are interested in the lobby of the Train Station. I wonder if anyone would notice 100+ people in suits and dresses scaling barbed wire fences. | ||
Crash67 Member Username: Crash67 Post Number: 26 Registered: 05-2007 |
The Detroit Historical Museum's Streets of Old Detroit is becoming a hot spot for receptions ... a totally unique venue for any type of party. I'm DJing a wedding there this fall. | ||
Rsa Member Username: Rsa Post Number: 1227 Registered: 10-2003 |
mrs. rsa and i had our ceremony at the mcgregor memorial conference center on the campus of wayne state. it's a beautiful mid-century building designed by minoru yamasaki. the lobby is double height and made of white marble. it combined her alma matter with my love for architecture. we took our photos at the scott fountain on belle isle. they turned out great. it seems to be very popular for wedding pictures: another wedding party was leaving when we got there and one showed up when we were leaving. we had our reception at the detroit club. this seemed to stand out for everyone. we got to use the entire club and utilized almost all of it: cocktails in the library, dinner in the main dining room, desert in the secondary dining room, dancing in the living room, and irish songs at the end in the pub room. very memorable. it's a long story as to why we used both, but you can rent out either place for both the ceremony and the reception; they can accomodate both (logistically). our first choices were the guardian building and the fox theatre, but were priced out very quickly: both are minimum $10,000 just to rent out. our second choice was the masonic temple: it was priced well but a little off the "beaten trail" for some of our out of town guests. i can second the DYC and player's club. both are great, but we wanted to keep the reception downtown so people could walk to where ever they were staying. scarab club is nice, but has a fairly limited capacity. the gem is nice, but seemed a little pricey (but not as bad as the fox). i've been to a reception at the tiger's club in comerica park; that was fun, but you're limited to non game days. the omni is nice, but is more preferable in the summertime to utilize the riverfront. the ren cen works well; they have both the ballrooms and the winter garden. i have been to a wedding and reception at the opera house; very cool but very theatre oriented. you could try looking into the new jazz cafe in music hall; i seem to remember hearing that they rent out for weddings. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5139 Registered: 08-2004 |
Another nice place for a Wedding is the Grosse Pointe War Memorial (former Russell Alger mansion). They have added banquet facilities to the original mansion, and the lakefront views from the terrace and formal gardens are spectacular and make for a great photo backdrop (as does the courtyard in front of the mansion). Not sure about prices, but they do allow outside catering. | ||
Goldensunshine Member Username: Goldensunshine Post Number: 7 Registered: 11-2005 |
More unique locations- other than churches, I have seen in the Detroit Area for weddings and receptions are: The Henry Ford / Greenfield Village Comerica Park / Tiger Club The Gem Theater The Charles H Wright African American Museum (where I was about to tie the knot before we decided on a destination wedding)Contact Rochelle McMillon- she books events for the museum, and she runs an event coordination business of her own called "In Essence Events" - she is a FABULOUS wedding coordinator even if you DON'T get married or have an event at this museum.) The Detroit Zoo Golf & Country clubs in and around Detroit Infinity Yachts OMG - I saw a couple have a gorgeous wedding right on the water on the green lawn behind the Omni Riverfront Hotel. Afterward they had a reception under one of those pretty white tents, adjacent to the site of their wedding. If you haven't already, purchase one of those wedding magazines that is exclusive to Michigan. Everything from the advertisements, to the profiles of newly married couples is LOCAL! Also, register yourself at TheKnot.Com. They have information & links on their site about all types of local venders, ceremony sites, and more. You can also converse with other Michigan brides, and hear rants & raves before you sign contracts or purchase anything for your big day | ||
Lizaanne Member Username: Lizaanne Post Number: 109 Registered: 06-2007 |
We were just married last September and had our luncheon reception at the RiverCafe at the RenCen. On a Saturday they hardly have any business at all during the day so we had the entire place to ourselves (they closed to the public during our reception) and the food and service was fantastic!!!! I'm sure it would be a gorgeous location for an evening event with the lights and freighters on the river. We could not have been more pleased, and all of our guests were impressed with the food and location. ~Liza | ||
Urbanoutdoors Member Username: Urbanoutdoors Post Number: 548 Registered: 11-2005 |
As long as its not a super hot day Marygrove is really a great place for a wedding. I highly recommend it not sure the price but I don't think its to pricey though. | ||
Bussey Member Username: Bussey Post Number: 566 Registered: 12-2003 |
wedding @ Campus Martius 500 reception @ McGregor 10000 Honeymoon @ Munich, Berlin & Frankfurt 5000 Getting photos with Tyree Guyton @ the Heidelberg Project, an Abbey Road redo in front of the Packard, our faux rock band/wedding party photos in front of the MCS on our Wedding Day...Priceless | ||
Jazzstage Member Username: Jazzstage Post Number: 80 Registered: 08-2007 |
Speaking of Tyree, his birthday is tomorrow. | ||
Djelcc Member Username: Djelcc Post Number: 1 Registered: 08-2007 |
I am looking at having a wedding at Masonic Temple but have heard they are having some financial issues-is this true as I am looking at a wedding next summer and don't want to get left without a place... How's the opera house for a wedding.. we need a spot for about 300.... | ||
Islandman Member Username: Islandman Post Number: 833 Registered: 08-2004 |
Gistok, I second the Grosse Pointe War Memorial. Family friends were married out there a few years back. Beautiful grounds and building, right on the water. Roostertail would be great as well. | ||
Stecks77 Member Username: Stecks77 Post Number: 351 Registered: 08-2006 |
My wife and I were married and held our reception in the Guardian Building lobby on June 2nd this year. It was fantastic and the Rowland Cafe provided exceptional service during the event and coordinating the event with Union Street who did the catering. Most of our guests had never even been in the Guardian Building so it was quite a surprise location. I highly recommend it. | ||
Djelcc Member Username: Djelcc Post Number: 2 Registered: 08-2007 |
How many people can the Guardian building accomodate??? | ||
Detroitprincess Member Username: Detroitprincess Post Number: 12 Registered: 07-2007 |
A great reception place is the Roostertail off Jefferson on the water. They have stellar weddings. If you want tapas style food. Have Small Plates cater it. I believe Vincentes(sp) also has tapas. | ||
Peter Member Username: Peter Post Number: 105 Registered: 02-2007 |
I just came back from a reception at the Roostertail. We were on the second floor, this would be a great place for your wedding. Apart from the slow valet service everything went very smoothly. |
