Bissell Tree House at John Ball Zoo

Beautiful.. stunning… amazing views to say the least!! We had to postpone our original 2020 date due to covid and the venue without hesitation helped us pick a new date for 2021 WITH ZERO DIFFICULTIES involved. I can’t tell you how many brides I know who were in this same position due to covid and lost thousands of dollars trying to cancel and reschedule. Mariah was our coordinator assigned by the venue and she did a wonderful job/ was very knowledgeable and quick to respond to any questions. Our wedding at Bissell was pure perfection.

This venue blew us away. We looked at dozens of venues before we found this one and booked it the next day. We ended up having to have it all outdoors due to COVID which we were bummed about at first until we saw the set up the day of and it was absolutely incredible. Our guests loved the funicular, the views down to the city at night were stunning, and the style of the venue itself was exactly what we were looking for. We used the patio between the tree house and funicular for photos so you get a bit of the tree house in the back drop and they turned out better than we could have imagined. I was shocked at the number of staff they had assisting us the day of. Our coordinator (Darci) was phenomenal and was always very easy to reach. They were extremely attentive and made sure the evening ran smoothly. Our ceremony started about 45 minutes before the zoo closed so we were nervous about zoo guests wandering into our space or loud background noise during the ceremony but neither of those ended up being an issue at all. We were happy that guests could leave their vehicles there over night and come get them early the next morning which was not the case at a lot of venues we looked at. They locked the gates after we all left and re-opened them by about 6am if I remember correctly. Our ceremony and reception was all outdoors and our guest count was limited to 50. There was plenty of room for about 50-60 guests to sit comfortably during dinner outside.

This venue is beautiful! I loved everything about the experience of working with them as well. My fiance and I worked mostly with Skye and she was beyond helpful. Not a lot of venues will have your "day-of" person be your main contact throughout the whole process and that definitely put my mind at ease. I met with Skye twice before our wedding day and she was there day of making sure everything went perfectly. I personally give them 5 stars and would give them more if I could!

I am SO grateful that I was able to have my wedding reception in this space. It is absolutely stunning and provided us with exactly the vibe that we wanted. It has a beautiful outdoors feel to it, has massive windows with a lot of natural light, and the wood walls are beautiful. I really loved that it had two separate outdoor deck areas for guests who wanted to be outdoors or to socialize without having to yell over loud music. The view of downtown Grand Rapids is AMAZING. We received several comments about how beautiful and unique our reception venue was. The funicular was a huge hit and really gave the guests a fun and unique experience. We also got some stunning photos at the zoo (waterfall pictures, plenty of natural greenery, etc.). Overall, I couldn’t imagine anything better. It was the PERFECT venue for us and my wedding was an absolute dream. The only thing to keep in mind is that the venue works for small to mid-sized weddings. If you have a large guest count, you’ll (sadly!) have to look elsewhere. The alcohol package was through the zoo as well and I am very happy with those services – our guests had a great time. Our coordinator, Darci, was wonderful. It was also very helpful for our guests to have plenty of free parking. Highly recommend!

We had our wedding reception at the Bissell Treehouse at the John Ball Zoo on June 21, 2019. We went with this venue because we are both architects/designers and the architecture is absolutely beautiful, plus riding the funicular to the top is a one of a kind experience! We had booked a venue in Detroit previously and it all went wrong, so when we decided to rebook somewhere else we were nervous about the same thing happening. That was not the case at all, the staff here are wonderful. They are responsive, knowledgeable, and great to work with. They have all the information you need and call all your vendors to make sure everything is in place for you. I would say the only downside to this venue is that there is only 2 hours before the start time that are available for set up, so if you are thinking of a DIY wedding you may want to rethink that. We had vendors for everything that needed to be set up, including a day of coordinator for our decorations. Overall I was very pleased with this venue and got so many compliments on how beautiful it was, i would definitely recommend.

The staff at JBZ were absolutely phenomenal to work with. Not only is the Tree House absolutely stunning, we had no worries or concerns going into our wedding as our coordinator, Skye, helped to answer all of our questions and ensure our day ran smoothly. Even though it rained, we still had our ceremony on the deck, and our guests were covered. I was planning our day from out of state, but no one would have known with how helpful everyone we had contact with to plan our wedding and reception. The bartenders were a BLAST, kept all of our guests extremely happy, and were incredibly friendly. I cannot recommend JBZ and the Bissell Tree House enough! Thank you for helping us pull off the most epic and spectacular party!

Gorgeous venue and the staff is wonderful! They are so easy to work with, answer questions and concerns promptly and overall worked so well at making it the perfect day. The venue could be empty and still be beautiful! Absolutely recommend!

this venue is so gorgeous. It was so perfect for us. we loved our animal ambassadors and going through the zoo to get pictures.

Love it. So unique. Our coordinator was Darci and she was on top of everything. Only thing that I would’ve changed is time allowed to set up and clean up, it makes for a stressful day.

My husband and I were recently married at the tree house! What a beautiful and unique venue. The floor to ceiling windows were breathtaking and allowed our guests to enjoy both the indoor and outdoor settings available. We worked closely with Skye, the venue coordinator, and she was so amazingly helpful. Not only was she quick to respond, but very knowledgeable. We planned this wedding from out-of-state, and her advice and layouts were essential. Thank you for making our wedding a day we will always remember fondly!

This venue offers everything. A unique way to arrive in style with the funicular, a gorgeous view of the downtown skyline, and a venue that is art in and of itself. We hosted around 150 guests and this venue is ideal for that amount or less. I was blown away by the bar service, kindness of staff, and how easily they communicated throughout the process. No need for a wedding planner the staff are brilliant and execute flawlessly by working with all vendors. This venue is ideal year-round with ample indoor and outdoor space. Witg our Michigan weather, the view and ambiance would be perfection any time of year. Bissell Tree House excelled in every way possible.

We had a wonderful experience with the Bissell Tree House. The venue is stunning, simply stunning. And you don't need much to decorate. We are from Seattle and only visited once before our wedding. The staff was very accommodating with our schedule and managed everything from a distance. The day of was smooth and perfect. The staff was friendly and responsive if anything was needed day of. Definitely recommend having your event at the Tree House, you won't regret it!!

If you have a wedding on the smaller side this venue is AMAZING. Absolutely gorgeous for anyone looking for a wedding in nature while being protected if it rains (roof over deck) along with a romantic night city view. Wedding went so smoothly and everyone loved the atmosphere and funicular of course. The vendor even acted as a day of coordinator for the rehearsal and ceremony which was very helpful since we did not have a wedding planner. Few things to be aware of - You must buy alcohol thru the venue which isn't the cheapest. And there was some confusion choosing one of the beers we wanted. We chose Bells Oberon from their list and then were told it wasn't in season so we asked what the replacement was and then were told anything else would be an additional charge. After a lot of back and forth finally we were told it would be a Bells seasonal. Which was perfectly fine and would have saved a lot of hassle if they had just listed that from the start. Then we were hoping to have an animal ambassador during cocktail hour but they wanted to lock us in and collect payment while not being able to say what animal we would get and there were too many on the list we didn't care about so we passed which was a shame. Last complaint is that they will not schedule your rehearsal time until 2 weeks before the wedding. Which if you have any bridal party traveling like we did that could not find a cheap flight to get in if we needed a Thursday rehearsal had us worried. It ended up the only availability Friday was from 10-11am so we had to ask everyone to get that day off work. Had a lot of family complain about not being able to have that planned sooner. So other than those couple bumps I still could not have found a more amazing place for my wedding and am extremely happy with how everything turned out.

We could not have chose a more perfect venue for our wedding ceremony and reception. The treehouse is absolutely gorgeous and the views of downtown are stunning. The venue provides a scenic and quiet setting. Heather and her staff were so easy to work with. They were very prompt to answer emails, communicated everything very clearly, and provided guidance during the rehearsal walk through and the day of the wedding. If I were to make one suggestion, I would say that if an event is being held on any given day, guests of that event should become priority for rides up to the treehouse on their funicular. That aside, I would highly recommend this venue to anyone planning to have their wedding in Grand Rapids.

Absolutely beautiful! The tree house was a perfect venue for our reception. Our guests absolutely loved it too. The staff was incredibly friendly and so willing to work with us. We could not have imagined a better venue. The tree house had a beautiful wrap-around porch and a spectacular view of downtown Grand Rapids. Would recommend to anyone!

The Tree House was beautiful! And the staff was so helpful and kind through the whole process! The wedding went so smooth and everything was exactly how I pictured it! The funicular wasn't working the day of the wedding but they provided alternate transportation that worked great!

We loved the Tree House. Heather was so helpful and coordinated everything beautifully and made the whole process easy and fun. Our guests loved the venue and we could not have asked for a better night!

My sister had her reception here and it was beautiful. The views were amazing and all the guests had amazing things to say about it. It was a truly perfect night. The cater company was amazing and the food was delicious. I definitely recommend this venue! Both my sister and I (maid of honor) are so thankful for the event coordinator Chelsea. She helped so much during the whole process. She was on top of everything and was able to answer all and any questions immediately so there were no surprises. She did everything she could to accommodate our needs and took so much stress of both me and the bride. She went above and beyond anything we expected and the reception was perfect thanks to all her help!

Let me start by saying my wedding was PERFECT. That was because my food was amazing, the band was incredible, my wedding planner was the best, my friends and family were all in one place, and I married the man of my dreams. This venue is gorgeous, no doubt about it. But our event coordinator assigned to us at the treehouse (Chelsea) was very unaccommodating and I got MULTIPLE complaints about her from my wedding planner, my FAMILY, the band, and the caterer. Aside from the complaints I received from others, there were also times leading up to the wedding where we noticed some red flags. At one point we asked her if we could set up some things during the rehearsal - she told me we had to pay $600 more to set up earlier on the wedding day because there was an event the night before. When my husband asked a couple weeks later - all of the sudden there was not an event the night before after we were not interested in paying the extra fee. Also, the venue enforces a very strict 10:30PM bar closes and 11PM everyone out. Which is pretty early and will not even consider adding more time at the end for their guests. I do events for a living and I can honestly say that I would not hire Chelsea and would encourage anyone looking to book their wedding here to ask for a different person to handle their event.

It's an awesome and unique venue and the guests all had great things to say about it. A couple things to consider; it's a smaller space, we had 130 and it was very full, the other is if your heart is set on the funicular ride to the top (it's like a very cool tram ride) that it breaks down often-it was down for most of our event so we had to walk up for rehearsal and guests rode in on a trolley. Coordinator was great, and the views are amazing!

A little over a year ago I suggested the Bissell Tree House as a reception venue to my sister for her wedding. I love the John Ball Zoo organization and the Bissell Tree house is stunning. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that she would end up feeling embarrassed and taken advantage of. A month before the wedding there was trouble regarding the alcohol pricing. After thinking that everything had been ironed out, also know as forking out more money. We were expecting that the event would go smoothly. Instead the drinks were subpar, very very weak, people were getting "cut off" two hours into the reception, and were refused a last call announcement. Now mind you the contract states "no last call will be made." Don't let this confuse you because this does not mean that last call will not be made by the bar, it means that the father of the bride, the bride and groom, the masters of ceremony, the DJ, and the wedding party will all be refused from making a last call announcement too. At the end of the night my sister and her husband felt embarrassed by the entire situation. It's a shame that such a beautiful location would use such blatantly misleading verbiage and embarrass the bride and groom on their wedding day.

Our May 2015 wedding at the Treehouse was perfect. The staff was marvelous helping us switch some plans within the last week due to rain. They were on hand and made sure set up went flawlessly, and were perfect with tear down as well. During the planning process their staff was responsive, optimistic, friendly and thorough. Not only was the staff great, but the space itself is beautiful. All our guests raved about how cool it was to be up in the trees in this off-the-beaten path venue. I'd highly, highly recommend the Treehouse for your event!

The staff is so helpful and answer e-mails promptly. The location is beautiful, we couldn't have asked for a better reception location. Sadly, the funicular was down for our wedding, but the alternative was a cute trolley that took the guests up in a similar time-frame. The staff contacts all of your vendors for you to organize drop off times and details like that, taking so much stress away from the bride! I recommend this venue to anyone looking for something that is elegant with a natural, laid-back feel. Perfect.

It was such a beautiful venue

We absolutely loved everything about our wedding at the Bissell Tree House and our guests raved about it too. The building is amazing, the view is gorgeous, the funicular is fun for everyone. We had our ceremony on the porch and the reception inside; it couldn't have been more perfect and the staff made a really quick switch between the ceremony and reception so that people could enjoy the view of Grand Rapids during the reception without ceremony chairs/decorations in the way. We worked with Kristen and she was phenomenal: she is so sweet and helpful, makes the process so easy and she was so accommodating of any requests we made while we were planning. On the day of the wedding, she went out of her way to make sure everyone was comfortable and had access to whatever they needed. I can't say enough good things about Kristen and the Bissell Tree House!

We absolutely loved our reception at the zoo. Anthony Dennis was so helpful through the whole process.