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Reception venues in Kalamazoo area?

alyssaanddanalyssaanddan
First Comment
in Michigan-Grand Rapids
Hello!
I've been looking into reception venues in the Kalamazoo area and have been having trouble finding ones that allow the use of an outside caterer or have reasonably priced inside catering. I'm on a tight budget (I'd like to keep my reception under $3,000-$4,000) and would love any suggestions. I'd be willing to use a location outside Kalamazoo, as long as it's no more than a 20 to 30 min drive. Thanks!
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Re: Reception venues in Kalamazoo area?

  • SnippylynnSnippylynn member
    2500 Comments Second Anniversary 5 Love Its Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    How big is your guest list? I looked into using the Black Swan's private dining room. There's a serious lack of good venues in the Kzoo area, for sure.
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  • amandaswisher1amandaswisher1 member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Lawton Community Center looked reasonable when I checked. I'm pretty sure they let you pick the caterer. It's a bit outside Kzoo but is really pretty inside.

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  • jenkrum316jenkrum316
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I'm using Scott's Community Center. It's about 20 minutes outside of Kalamazoo and it's a more casual atmosphere but will hold 300 people. They also allow you to use your own caterer or bring your own food.
    Photobucket Ron & Sara July 30, 2011 Wedding Countdown Ticker http://www.mywedding.com/ronandsara
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  • alyssaanddanalyssaanddan
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks!!
    We are planning to have about 150-180 guests.
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  • Tarabrook1Tarabrook1 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    The issue (always) of finding someplace (and this is everywhere, not just Kalamazoo) that you can bring in outside food vendors is that the food and alcohol are where reception venues make their money.
    Check with township halls, VFW halls, etc.
    These places should be in the phone book:
    Vinyards Rental Hall Paw Paw
    Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Kalamazoo
    Bart Hall at St. Mary's Church Kalamazoo
    Antwerp Township Hall Mattawan
    Gun River Conservation Club Plainwell
    Keep in mind that most regular reception venues provide all of your linens, bartenders table service set up and clean up, etc.,and all of the staff. Not to mention how the space actually looks, and if you would feel that you needed to decorate. All of these things really add up when you need to rent them yourself, and it takes a lot of time to pick up, set up, and take rental items back, plus a lot of manpower and additional time to clean up afterward. So just make sure that you take everything in to consideration when you're planning your reception. Not doing so can turn something that should be fun and a wonderful memory could become a nightmare. Good luck with your planning! I'm sure that you can make it happen. You may be able to find someone else that did the same type of thing and learn from their experience.
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  • gator5450gator5450 member
    Fourth Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Eesley Place in Plainwell is nice!
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