Venue Advice

jlouzon7

My sister recently got engaged and made me (her sister) maid-of-honor.  I've been trying to help her with our first step: finding a venue.  She's becoming very stressed with all the options, and with finding places available for 2015.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Budget: She's not yet sure on the budget.  I'm sure our parents will help out, but no one's putting out exact figures (my sister's a bit shy about things like that).  Obviously, cheaper is better, especially if my sister and her fiance end up paying.

Food: My sister and her fiance would prefer a place that allowed external catering, as they would like a more relaxed BBQ style dinner (they'd love a pig-roast).  Of course, if you know of a venue with this sort of catering, that would be good too.

Ceremony: My sister would like to have an outdoor ceremony, with a bad-weather back-up plan.  This limits the times of year, as MI can be pretty cold Oct to Apr.

Reception: My sister would like an indoor reception, but would love one with an outdoor area (especially if they're roasting a pig).  She's been looking at many barn-style weddings, but doesn't care if it's at a barn so long as it has patio or something similar.

If anyone knows of any places that would meet these requests (and aren't booked for 2015), we would greatly appreciate your help!  Let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you,

J Ryan

Tiffany101015

I'm getting married at lake nepessing boat club in lapeer. I'm not sure how far you are from Lapeer but I love it out here. Also check at your local knights of colombus or VFW.

jlouzon7

Thanks for the suggestions.  That place looks great and is very reasonably priced.

I've also suggested VFW-like places to them.  I got married in a VFW hall a few years ago.

Jenn

cbessonen15

I'm holding my reception at the Detroit Historical Museum in June. They allow you to bring in your own catering, and have different rooms you can use, that accomodate different budgets. It's a really cool space. We're using the Gallery of Culture, which has doors to outside that they may allow your caterer to use as far as roasting goes.

No suggestions for a ceremony though. We wanted an outdoor space that has an indoor option as well, but couldn't find somewhere that just did the ceremony, so we opted for a church wedding instead.

marie2785

A number of years ago Bloomfield Hills Schools allowed people to rent out spaces at their farm (http://www.bloomfield.org/departments/charles-l-bowers-school-farm/) for use. Might be worth checking, although I have no idea if it's an option anymore (I haven't lived near there in 10 years). 

They have a building off to the side (Sq Lake and Adams) that was used, and it has a good amount of open space near it for outdoor activities.