Fresh blood/Belle Isle

heysupnatalie

Hi there, I am new to this board, I am mostly on the bump boards because I am expecting in two months-yikes! 

I am 22 and getting married in May 2012, hopefully-it all depends on the venue we want. My FI and I have been friends since our freshman year in high school and started dating in August of 2010. We are just bought a house and are currently expecting our first baby in May [:)] We are pretty busy people these days.

I have been trying to find information on weddings at the Belle Isle Conservatory/Casino. I haven't been very successful except for finding mostly negative reviews on the people and stuff. I was wondering if any of you ladies are planning weddings/had your wedding here and could help me out. 

I know you have to cater there which is fine, I think we are going with 2 Unique catering based out of Royal Oak, but we haven't made any final decisions. 
Actually the only real decision we've made is our color scheme and I bought my dress already, I found the perfect one and couldn't not get it. Haha.

Anyway, nice to meet all of you!

emilynnp

Hi, I'm also pretty new (at least to posting, not to lurking)! 

My best friend had her reception here in mid-October 2009. It got down to the low 30's once the sun went down and the building had NO HEAT! If it was my reception I would have been in tears, all the pictures of us have us with our coats on in the reception hall and most people, unfortunately, left quite early because of the cold. Also consider that the bathrooms are all upstairs, so if you have anyone with mobility issues, that is going to be a problem. The sinks and toilets were leaking in the bathrooms and by the end of the night the bathroom floors were covered in water and the bottom of my dress was wet. They did not get any money back for any of these issues either. So, in my opinion, the Casino is kind of a gamble (lol). If the weather is beautiful, it would be really unique and affordable and you could get some really nice pictures at the fountain and outside the building. This could come at quite a cost in terms of the comfort of your guests, however.

Hope this helps!  

klreese0213

i'm not familar with the venues on belle isle.. however, if you're read a ton of bad reviews and emily also has a bad review to give- to me thatd be red flag enough

I would shoot for finding somewhere else.

Congrats on your baby and new house! how exciting!!

rcj2rcd

Ditto PPs. When it comes to vendors/venues, there are plenty of fish in the sea. IMO, a bad review = a no go. No need to invite extra worry to your wedding (haha, no pun intended). I'm not sure of your budget, but the DYC is a nice venue and is still on Belle Isle. I think you use their caterer though.

ksmith719

I went lurking for info on the Belle Isle Casino and saw the horrible reviews as well. I still checked into it though.  I called the number they had listed for the parks and rec department-(313) 628-2081 and NO ONE returned my call.  SO I called again and again.  I then went online to check out more about it.  It seems that there is a certain date that you can begin reserving the Casino.  You must call beginning that date (I forgot the date, sorry). 
Also, know that you can only get into the Casino 2 hours before your event...which for me would be VERY close to the actual wedding...so if you don't have a planner or a friend/family member willing to miss out on your wedding and set-up the Casino, this may not be an option for you!  I really would look elsewhere! I am getting marries at the DYC and they are GREAT! They have packages which include valet parking, cake cutting, food, champagne, linens, colored napkins and more between $65-$80 per person (this includes tax and gratuity). 

flyingflamingo

There are also other venues on Belle Isle- Check out http://www.yelp.com/biz/dossin-great-lakes-museum-detroit

Glambride09

Hi and Welcome.

If you're set on Belle Isle, consider the Dossin Museum.  It's pretty affordable and is a nice location as long as you don't mind dinner and dancing being in separate rooms. 

Good luck.

rubyred0100

Belle Isle can be beautiful, but last time I was there there was garbage all over the grounds. I take some reviews with a grain of salt, but if you are getting lots of them I would look somewhere else.