In need of a reception venue - help!!!

MissJ83 · June 2011

We are getting married at the Alumni Chapel in July 2012. We knew they booked up fast and we had a general time frame in mind but we pretty much picked our date arbitrarily. And now we are having a really difficult time finding a reception venue! We have a LOT of out of state guests so its really important to us that the reception have a hotel attached. The ballrooms at the Kellogg Center are being remodeled next summer so those are not available. There's a boyscout convention in town that weekend that is using all the banquet space at the Marriott. The weekend MBA program starts that weekend at the Henry Center so the Atrium there is unavailable, as well as the hotel rooms at Candlewood Suites. We looked at Eagle Eye/Hawk Hollow, Brookshire golf course in Williamston, Lakeview banquet center at Round Lake, the Spartan Club, the University Club, etc. and these were all either too far away from East Lansing or too expensive. I'm trying not to be too picky but I did not think it would be so difficult to find a reception venue! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

emarston1 · June 2011

Not to be a debbie downer but I think you'll either have to adjust your distance or your budget. Distance would be the easiest of the two since it seems like you've looked into just about every location in the area.

Have you checked out the MSU Union?

mccaneme · June 2011

I had a friend get married at the Radisson downtown and she had nothing but good things to say. I'm not sure if that is too far. Also there is the Lexington hotel and the Quality Inn. Im not sure if this will be any help. I will try and think of more! Good Luck!

michgreene · June 2011

I second the Radisson in Lansing, my work has alot of conferences there and we get great reviews from attendees. You might also want to check out Timber Ridge.

karynkas · June 2011

I have a friend who is using the Quality Inn near Frandor I believe, and I have heard good things about the Radisson in Lansing, I think the Lansing Center does weddings as well and that is right across the street from the Radisson

gailpete · June 2011

Check out Walnut HIlls Country Club. You don't have to be a member to have a reception there. DD is getting married at the Chapel and having her reception there. We are having a trolley take guests from the hotel (Courtyard by Marriott) to the chapel and from the chapel to the reception. then we are running shuttles back to the hotel after the reception.

ToniandD · June 2011

I am getting married at the Alumni Chapel next June and if you book at the Alumni Chapel, you get the Union for free. We are doing our reception at Eagle Eye, but we did look at the Union and it was really nice! So, that's a cheap option as well as close to the chapel! We ended up booking our wedding for a Friday night, which is why we were able to do the reception at Eagle Eye (it's cheaper on Fridays), but definitely check out the Union!

emarston1 · June 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_michigan-lansing_need-of-reception-venue?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:96Discussion:6bc8d2e1-96ff-492c-9f34-cc4f4522264bPost:a8262f82-9b58-49ee-846e-d454d2368e98">Re: In need of a reception venue - help!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]I am getting married at the Alumni Chapel next June and if you book at the Alumni Chapel, you get the Union for free. We are doing our reception at Eagle Eye, but we did look at the Union and it was really nice! So, that's a cheap option as well as close to the chapel! We ended up booking our wedding for a Friday night, which is why we were able to do the reception at Eagle Eye (it's cheaper on Fridays), but definitely check out the Union!
Posted by ToniandD[/QUOTE]
To clarify, you don't get it free, you get the room rental fee waived.

ToniandD · June 2011

Yep, whether you book just the Chapel or the Chapel and the Union, it is the same price.

My1andOnlyxoxo · June 2011

Have you tried the Art Museum that is being built on campus, it is supposed to be finished and open in April of 2012.

kmwingluvr · June 2011

I would say, we checked out the union and while it's nice it's definitely not cheap! The Lexington is nice but also not cheap. I thought Walnut Hills was nice when we looked there (can't remember prices).

How far is too far? Most places I'm thinking of are 10-15 minutes from the chapel. Also, if you are date flexible I'm pretty sure the chapel will let you move your date without penalty - you might just need to pay a little more if it's a more expensive time slot.

lebast · June 2011

Check out the Okemos Conference Center. It's cost effective and there are two hotels that share a parking lot to the center.

irishangieb · July 2011

I'm having my reception at Fountain Hall in St. Johns. Sounds incredibly far away but its only about 20 min, its super easy to get to because its right on old 27. You use whatever caterers, florists, bartenders, etc you want which is nice. The problem we had was hotels for out of town guests, but solved that issue with having transportation arranged for the day for guests to from the hotel to ceremony to reception and to hotel, just shuttling back and forth, and there are two hotels within 10 minutes of the hall. With the money we saved on a great rate for the reception site, flexibility of vendors it made it really affordable and practical to offer transportation. Not to mention it really sets my mind at ease to know not one person will have to drive from the reception after maybe too many drinks.

good luck!

In need of a reception venue - help!!!

Re: In need of a reception venue - help!!!

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