Considering Noto's for our ceremony & reception venue. Feedback welcome!

DetroitBride10

I live in the Detroit area and we are strongly considering hosting our small wedding ceremony & reception at Noto's Old World in Grand Rapids this Fall. We are working with a tight budget so maximizing every dollar while  trying to create a memoriable experience is important to us. 
 I have spoke with a few of my collegues and friends that live in the area and they have said that it was great.  Good value,  nice ceremony location onsite, lots of great photo ops etc... 

Since I am not from the area I would appreciate input from brides that are familar with Noto's Old World.  

AmoroAgain

I considered Noto's, but went with Bistro Bella Vita instead, and was extremely happy with their service and the food.

blu2green77

I have been to a wedding reception there & wasn't impressed. There weren't enough appetizers to feed the hungry crowd then we had to wait a long time for our actual dinner. I didn't care for the food so I was excited to have the cake but when it was time to eat some cake I couldn't believe how nasty it was - first of all my cousin & his wife should have taken into account that not everyone likes the taste of coffee, so to have that flavor hit my tongue I wanted to spit it right back out - of course I didn't, I swallowed that bite & that was it - I went home hungry that night.

Have also read alot of horror stories about Noto's from brides on here, so be patient & you should get plenty of responses - maybe not the kind of responses you want but at least you will be able to make a better decision after reading some.

Good Luck to ya!

andyandhillary

I looked there and decided against it.  The coordinator there I felt was rude.  Andy and I went and looked and she essentialy wrote us off because we looked too young to afford the place.  We told her that we were having around 250 people and that we would like to see the rooms and she showed us the room but then she also wasted 30 minutes of our time showing us all the other ones that wouldn't work and how great they are.  Yawn.

My FSIL looked there a few years ago and she also decided against it.  Neither of us thought it was a great deal.  Nice, yes, but not a deal.  I may be wrong, but from what I recall there were some pretty steep price requirements.  They didn't strike me as flexible at all. 

How many people would be at your ceremony?  I can't think of a space around there that is particularly nice for an outdoor ceremony.  The restaurant is right on the busiest street in the Grand Rapids area and you would hear constant traffic.

Also, we used to go there for their Easter brunches and every year the food gets worse.  I used to really love the food there but with the economy it's pretty obvious they are cutting corners. 

Sorry to be Debbie Downer but I wish you the best of luck! 

lindz221

We are having our reception there on Saturday, so I will be able to tell you more after that! So far I've had a good experience - the coordinator is probably not the friendliest person ever but I'm pretty laid back so it hasn't bothered me. I know people who have done other events (not weddings) there and they have loved the food. Send me a PM if you want to know more in a couple weeks!

I'm trying to ignore all of the brides above who are saying bad things, especially since it is only 5 days away....

AmoroAgain

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_michigan-grand-rapids_considering-notos-ceremony-reception-venue-feedback-welcome?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:95Discussion:557d490c-bcf7-4d43-bd89-79cae4b1dc48Post:b37cc7d7-5f7f-461a-9263-2484d675c357">Re: Considering Noto's for our ceremony & reception venue. Feedback welcome!</a>:
[QUOTE]We are having our reception there on Saturday, so I will be able to tell you more after that! So far I've had a good experience - the coordinator is probably not the friendliest person ever but I'm pretty laid back so it hasn't bothered me. I know people who have done other events (not weddings) there and they have loved the food. Send me a PM if you want to know more in a couple weeks! I'm trying to ignore all of the brides above who are saying bad things, especially since it is only 5 days away....
Posted by lindz221[/QUOTE]
Aww.. sorry lindz!  Even though you've just hearsd some bad things, that doesn't mean that yours is going to be bad either! For the bad comments, I'm sure there are others, not on theknot who had a fine experience. 

blu2green77

Lindz221, I in no way shape or form wish for you to have a bad experience, I was just responding with what I knew from personal experience.

Have a wonderful beautiful wedding & congrats!

DetroitBride10

That is very nice of you all to respond.  You provided a lot to think about. I appreciate your feedback as requested and understand that your experiences may vary.  Forums and reviews all of kinds are very situational so you have to weigh out the pros & the cons for yourself.

lindz221 I am sure your wedding will be awesome! No worries! You're happy, you're in love and that's all that matters  Enjoy!
Send me a PM when you have info to share.

Thanks to all!

DetroitBride10

Update:
Noto's Old World did not work the way we intended...So we decided to change our venue and location all together. This added a little stress but I am pleased with the recovery options.... I guess it is true what they say........
 There's No Place Like Home!!!