Ceremony/Reception Venues Akron/Canton Area

LDW0225

I'm newly engaged, and just starting my planning. We are planning for a May 2012 wedding. I prefer an outdoor wedding and the reception at the same site. The sites I've found during my research that I liked are Conrad Botzum Farmstead and Springlake Party Center. We are planning from afar (NC) so its hard to go look at every place to make a decision. Our guest list is about 120 and would like to keep it at around $30/pp. I was wondering if anybody has used these sites and  if anybody had any other ideas where to hold our wedding and reception? Thanks in advance!

shannamariet

I am using the Metropolitan Center in downtown Canton.  The venue has a rooftop terrace where the ceremony and cocktail hour will be. You get the entire 2nd floor which includes a room with the bar which holds about 50-75 ppl and the ballroom. It is nice because everything is right there so there is no travel involved.  The ballroom is awesome because it has wood floors and white walls, perfect for any type of decor!  As far as food is concerned we went with Catering by Design and couldn't be happier.  You will definitely be able to stay under your $30 per person.  We actually chose our own menu (not what was offered off the standard menu) and told him a price range we wanted to be within and he was able to give us the meal choices we wanted under what we wanted to pay.  Along with being great to work with the food actually tasted amazing too! If you want any more info on either place pm me, hope this helps!

danielle.eardley

I am using the Club at Hillbrook for my June 2012 wedding/reception.  They are a little more expensive but the venue is gorgeous.  It is closer to the east side of Cleveland than Akron.

You could also try The Oaks at Chippewa Lake.  It is near Medina, OH and looks awesome.  I don't know their pricing but I'm sure you could inquire.  They have a gazebo in front of the lake that you could be married at.

I don't know if you are from the Cleveland area but just a warning about May weather here, it is VERY unpredictable and often isn't warm until the very last weekend (if at all).  It sounds like you are just starting planning.  If you have ANY flexibility in your date, I would try to push it into June at least (Just my opinion though, as a native Clevelander)

If you do stick with the May date, be sure to have an indoor or tented with heater alternative just in case 2012 doesn't decide to warm up until later in the season

LDW0225

Thanks for the advice! I am just starting to plan. I am orginally from  the Akron/Canton area have been living out of state for a few years now. I am pretty flexible and have considered a June wedding if the venues are already booked. I was thinking May because travel should be cheaper for guests because its before Memorial Day (and for us for our honeymoon!!) but its still possible I'll end up a June bride! Thanks again, I'll check both those venues out.

acousticallig8r

I visited Springlake Party Center when I was looking for my hall. It's absolutely beautiful there and the lady that runs the banquets is extremely organized and knows what she's doing. She would be a great person to work with from afar because she is so knowledgeable. The gazebo and lake out back are every bit as beautiful as they look in the pictures. The prices there are also very reasonable.

We did ask about having the reception outside and what happens in the event of rain. She said this does happen sometimes and they simply rearrange the hall to accomodate the wedding and then the reception. She explained the entire process they go through and it sounded like it's very smooth.

The negatives, for us, was that they seem pretty strict there with their rules. They have a lot of drinking policies such as no shots, cut people off,  no drinks outside on the patio, etc. This isn't necessarily bad for everyone, but well, my fiance and I have pretty crazy families so we wanted a more laid back setting.

Overall, I think it's a really great location and I would definitely suggest it even more so because of the distance you will be working accross.

KellyS01

Walsh University has an outdoor pavilion.  I am not 100% sure on the name of it, but if you contact the lady for the Barrett Center there (an indoor reception hall they have) she could help you out.  We were going to look there, but the date was already filled.  Good luck!

Shwabbles1

What's the cost of The Club at Hillbrook? Is there a large venue fee?

July2012bride

@Schwabbles The venue fees are pretty high for Hillbrook...I think it is 1200 for the ceremony and about 3000-4000 just for the reception rental.  I took a look at your username information and it looks like you have June 16, 2012 as your picked date.  I'm the user who posted about Hillbrook previously (changed my screen name).  When I went to book in January for June 2012, they were pretty booked up.  We ended up having to book in July instead.  I would give them a call though and see if they had any dates open up.