Crystal Gardens

rience! Both the ceremony and reception went smoothly - mostly due to the event coordinator being on top of everything and handling all problems for us. We chose a package deal which was a great deal for us - the Celebrity Ballroom was beautiful, and I highly recommend that room. The package included buffet, open bar, linens, DJ, and cake - all great! The DJ we chose was through TJ Monte (Mark) and I separately booked with Shutterbooth for a photobooth (better price for what you receive when you book them not through a package). The cake designs were limited, however, this was not a deal breaker for us. The food tasting was great and everyone at the reception loved the buffet! They were very accommodating for extra tables for memory table, gift table, entrance table, and sign in/message table for shutterbooth. The open bar was a hit and was handled very well. Having an outdoor area connected to the celebrity ballroom was ideal and kept everyone in good spirits! Very affordable for everything you can get!!!

st wonderful and so helpful during dinner and cake cutting. Colleen, our bartender, did an amazing job all night. The food was phenomenal! Thank you to all the staff who helped make our night magical. It was perfect in every way!

ersal to day of run so smoothly and she even mailed off our marriage license. Valerie was so helpful all throughout the process leading up to the day of. for our food tasting the chicken was a little dry which I kindly mentioned, but day of the chicken was amazing! literally everything was so perfect and I couldn't picture my day with any other venue. thank you so much to crystal gardens.

d Crystal Gardens was very accomedating and made the whole process as painless as possible. The package that they offer for their receptions made it easy to plan our wedding as we didn't have to book a DJ, caterer, etc. On the day of the reception the entire staff was fantastic to work with. The chef on site was especially excellent he was constantly checking in with us and our guests to make sure all our needs were met. I would highly recommend Crystal Gardens to anyone!

ostponing and transferring our package to a new date . Val was very attentive and knowledgable throughout the process but nearing the big day, some things were a bit off putting. They won't guarantee when you are allowed in to decorate until the week of the wedding which was extremely stressful since I live out of state and had a set itinerary for the wedding week once I was in town. Our final invoice included a $500 room fee for using "2 rooms" but it wasn't disclosed in the contract as two rooms and we weren't told it gets charged as two rooms when we looked at the venue either. I was also a little disappointed with Val's demeanor nearing our wedding. Some of her emails to myself and my wedding planner were a bit rude and included comments about how much they (Crystal Gardens) had done for us during covid and how moving our date and size of the wedding was an inconvenience for the venue and that they "allowed" us to still have our wedding at their venue even though with the reduced guest count, we o longer met the supposed financial minimum of $13,000+. (Our final bill or 128 guests was $11,072 so we were still up there in cost). Also, Val was not at all flexible when it came to doing a food tasting. I live in Wisconsin and there was absolutely no way to come back to Michigan during the week (Mon-Wed) for a tasting so I never even got to try the food that was going to be served at my wedding. That was very disappointing. When the wedding day came, though very beautiful, Crystal Gardens really fell through on some key elements. The DJ we had was soooo rude (DJ provided by Crystal Gardens, it's one of the package items) and shut down our cocktail hour 30 min early and tried rushing people to their seats to begin dinner. Neither the bridal party or the parents or even the bride and groom had even arrived at the reception yet! The DJ also thought he was running the show and completely disregarded my wedding planner's direction and then mocked her by saying in a baby voice "Do I need to wait for your permission?" When she confronted me about this, I spoke to DJ Joe and requested he follow her direction and timeline, he rolled his eyes and walked away from me, the bride!! I was floored by how rude he was and that he was the preferred DJ for the venue! Another big disappointment was that they were incredibly short staffed for dinner service. We had 16 guest tables of 8 and our sweetheart table and only 2-3 waitstaff helping to serve dinner. Again, food was incredible but dinner was 30 min late. Everyone finished their salads and kind of just sat there waiting for the main course. We chose family style and normally the servers make a comment when serving the food, " If you need refills of anything, please just let us know." Well that was never said, and multiple tables ran out of food and refills of shared dishes were not provided, which kind of defeats the purpose of family style. The servers were very polite but the service was stretched thin due to there being so few staff. The reception was truly beautiful and the venue was clean and staff was lovely but I expected more from Crystal Gardens, especially since it was one of the higher priced venues we looked at. Not a horrible experience by any means, but definitely not everything I had hoped it to be.

ave that includes cake and DJ really helps plan a wedding quickly. I would recommend to anyone!

but everyone at Crystal Gardens was so helpful and accommodating with our situation! We worked with Valerie for getting all of the details set for the day of and she was always very quick, responsive, and so helpful with all of our questions. On the day of the wedding, the entire staff (head captain, wait staff, bartenders, chef, etc.) was so kind and made sure that everything ran so smoothly without us or any of our guests having to worry about anything. I would definitely recommend Crystal Gardens to anyone who is looking to have an event!

ng went completely smoothly and without a hitch. I never felt an ounce of stress that day and the staff was so helpful and nice. They really took care of us and our families and made sure we had everything we needed. I cannot recommend them enough!

vious conversations with Valerie (one of their wedding coordinators), it appears they don’t care about complying with that. When we expressed our concerns over our guest count a while back, Valerie mentioned that we needed to have a minimum of 50 guests since Saturday was a prime wedding day. It sounds like Crystal Gardens cares more about making money than the safety of the guests. When we inquired about an outdoor wedding, we were told the venue didn’t have a tent at the moment, and if they got one, it would literally be a tent in their parking lot. I didn’t put thousands of dollars down in deposits and want to pay thousands more for a parking lot wedding. As for the wedding in the Southgate location with 9 positive COVID cases, all news articles mention the wedding had well over the 10 guests allowed indoors. I understand that this is a different location, but I assume the Howell location is affiliated. Worst decision ever deciding to book with this venue... go elsewhere, it isn’t worth the headache!

oked and the photos looked gorgeous–this was right when quarantine started and we couldn't visit any places in person. We're so thankful we chose CG! Valerie gracefully handled SEVERAL phone calls from me, my parents, and my in-laws as we wanted to make sure that everything would be safe for our guests. Sometimes we didn't get the straight answers we were hoping for on how much they enforced safety measures with guests, which could be a bit frustrating, but at the end of the day it was their license on the line and they seemed pretty relaxed about everything. They do have plenty of hand sanitizer and social-distancing floor stickers at the bar. They prefer if mask-wearing expectations come straight from the bride and groom rather than their staff, which we shared via email and ceremony signage, and everybody was totally fine with it. If they weren't, they stayed home. The chapel coordinator, Barbara, is fantastic! She's been in the business for a decade, also happens to be a seamstress and master boutonnière-pinner (she saved my husband from having his on the wrong side of his jacket AND me when a button on my dress fell off), and she RAN THE SHOW expertly and efficiently at our rehearsal time and on game day. Our wedding was August 1. At that point our 250-person dream wedding had a guest count of just under 100. We were holding our breath the month before, hoping nothing the Governor decided would effect our plans. Everything looked great until the DAY BEFORE, Valerie called me at 3pm because Gov. Whitmer had specifically mentioned wedding venues and banquet halls on her most recent executive order (some were able to get away with operating at the 50% capacity rule under a restaurant license if they had one, before these types of businesses got specifically called out in an order that took effect the day before our wedding, even though it had just been released one day prior). I definitely felt stressed after she told me, but a few phone calls later and Valerie had come up with a solution. They let our wedding go almost exactly as planned, but we did everything in the open-air chapel--guests sat at the reception tables the whole night long. I'm not sure we would've been nearly as lucky if another wedding had been scheduled that day, or if we had picked a different venue without the outdoor component. We had to fit more guests per table than we would've liked, but maybe it ended up being safer since it was all outside--hard to say what safety measures go farther than others. We also just did open seating since people know who they're comfortable sitting with. It rained a little that day but everyone was comfortable inside the chapel with options to visit in the adjoining patio area or the spacious bar indoors. We loved the Traverse City Chicken, their bruschetta and antipasto appetizers, and their cake (REAL tiered cakes made by their pastry chef--my husband loved it and he usually can't stand cake). DJ Joe of Mobile Rhythms was fabulous and professional. The manager for our reception was very kind and made sure we were well taken care of. Overall it was a MIRACLE that our wedding went as well as it did and we are SO GRATEFUL to CG staff for making our wedding dreams come true! Highly recommended even during these crazy times!

enue was very windy (candle was blown off repeatedly) with very noisy by passing cars. Sound system for wedding ceremony and reception center are really poor (Guests' compliant) Please prepare own sound system if you choose this place. The locking system of women's restrooms did not work (Guests's complaint). Prime rib was not cooked well (almost raw - Guest's complaint) Guests's umbrellas were moved and left without information. All guests returned home without it on rainy night.

ay. The wedding day went so smoothly and the food is fantastic. I highly recommend Crystal Gardens for your reception venue.

ay prior to our wedding which helped take pressure off for the “day of.” Barbra, the day of coordinator was on top of every last detail of the ceremony and made sure it went off without a hitch. We did a family style dinner and the food was great and served in a timely manner.

n to telling the wedding party when to start walking. The reception was perfect. If something was spilled they where on top of it. The even went as far as to fill my plate(we had buffet style) and bring it back to my spot so I wouldn't spill anything on my dress. I am still in awe at how great they where and the reasonable price.

o set up the wedding timelines, food, and all the other logistics. She made the process simple and is very prompt on emails. The day of the wedding I worked with Barbra. SHE IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST. She helped sew a groomsmen button back on, fix a bridesmaid dress, and kept everyone informed on what to expect. The food and service was something every guest commented on. It was delicious and prompt. I would recommend this venue to everyone looking for beautiful and stress free wedding day.

d made sure that our ceremony ran perfectly. We had such a great time at the reception as well! The food was excellent and many of our guests were raving about it. We had special bar and food requests, and they were very accommodating and made sure everything was perfect for us! Overall, we would highly recommend Crystal Gardens for anyone who is looking for a beautiful wedding!

thtaking, and an ideal compromise between an indoor and outdoor wedding. Another big thing for us was that we could have the ceremony and reception at the same location, and that everything was included in the price; bar, food and wait staff. We didn't want to have to go through the trouble of hiring a lot of different vendors, and Crystal Gardens made that easy for us. The day of the wedding, everything went off without a hitch, and I truly felt that my day was in good hands thanks to the meticulous planning of the staff members. The food was incredible. We had many guests tell us it was the best they ever had at a wedding. The ballroom was beautiful, and we had our own personal patio which everybody loved. It was an overall amazing day and experience. I would recommend this venue to anyone looking for a beautiful, elegant, hassle-free wedding for a great price.

Every single staff member we worked with was fantastic. They were polite, friendly, and knowledgeable. Our coordinator had left CG halfway through the planning process, but the transition to our new point of contact, Valerie, was completely seamless. She was so helpful and had great recommendations and advice for the planning process. She answered emails and phone calls so promptly and always followed through with what we asked of her. CG has an entire pamphlet of optional vendors that they work with regularly, and every single one that we used was fabulous. The day of the event, things went so smoothly. The ceremony coordinator, Barbara, was fantastic. She made everything run seamlessly from keeping me hidden from the groom to adjusting a necklace to hide the clasp before I walked down. The reception was perfect and ran smoothly and efficiently. The food was served quickly and it was delicious. At the end of the day, we could not name a single thing that went wrong because the staff at CG was so on top of things. I would absolutely recommend having your wedding/event here. The team at Crystal Gardens truly knows what they’re doing. Thank you so much for making our big day everything we could have hoped for.

the day of the wedding. Barb our ceremony coordinator was wonderful to work with, you can tell she really knows what she is doing and that she really enjoys what she does. We would recommend Crystal Gardens to everyone for a wedding venue, we could not have asked for a better group of people to work with from start to finish! Also, we had our reception in the celebrity room and I would highly recommend that room for a wedding!

lerie was always super accommodating to everything we needed! Barb went above and beyond the day of, she really knows how to make sure things get done! Super helpful and so sweet! We went with a package, and it included our chair covers, appetizers, and cake. EVERYBODY loved the cake!!!!!! Overall, I cannot say enough about Crystal Gardens, so happy! They truly made our night perfect!

ge deal. It's been 2 months and I still get compliments on the venue (and the cake)!

corated perfect, so we only had to worry about setting up decorations in the reception banquet room. We had an end room and a lot of guests loved that we had access to the nice outside patio area. We went with the Supreme package and were really pleased with the price compared to other venues I checked out when I first got engaged. Our package made it easy to get in touch with all the vendors and the ones we chose were all wonderful to work with. At the reception, the FOOD WAS AWESOME! I’m still getting compliments from guests on how good all the food was. We went with prime rib, chicken, and vegetable lasagna for entrees. The staff at Crystal Gardens came up to my husband and I multiple times throughout the night to check in with us and make sure we had everything we needed. Our bartender, Andrea, was absolutely amazing and went above and beyond helping us out the day of and helping to clean up after our reception that night. It feels really good to have so many people tell me that they had so much fun at my wedding and continue to tell me how nice it was. I would recommend Crystal Gardens to anyone getting married.

tion offered at the venue.

Crystal Gardens. The best part was the BEAUTIFUL outdoor chapel!

manor. I cannot thank them enough for making our special night great.

I've ever had!), and the venue was beautiful! We worked primarily with Valerie leading up to our big day and she was so patient and helpful in answering all of our questions and concerns. Our coordinator, Barb, was also super helpful in making sure the day went smoothly. The servers in our reception hall were fast and efficient. As the bride and groom we had our own "go-to" person that was so attentive to anything we asked for. The bartender remembered my drink order every time I went for a refill and being the only bartender in a room full of people I was quite impressed! An employee even helped to remove a bead from my nephews ear during our ceremony! (Apparently our nuptials were not entertaining enough to a 6 year old!) They truly go above and beyond here to make your day perfect! As for the price, we looked at a couple of venues where we would have paid the some that we had paid at Crystal Gardens for ONLY the venue. At Crystal Gardens, this included the venue, food, open bar, the open air chapel for our ceremony (this was actually a small amount extra but the total price was still less than we would have spent anywhere else), and we got to choose three things to include in our price. They give you a list when you first inquire including things like DJ, cake, invitations, etc. that you can add without paying extra but they also let you substitute. We went with cake, chair covers, and a bar upgrade. We also got our invitations through them at a discounted rate because we had booked there. There is a financial minimum for the size room we chose, meaning we had to pay for a minimum number of people even if fewer people RSVP'd. However, they let you take that money you pay to make up the difference to reach your financial minimum and apply it towards something else so we were also able to add a fall dessert table that included pumpkin and apple pie and cider and donuts and a champagne toast for the entire room (rather than just the head table). There are truly not enough good things to say about Crystal Gardens!

h and absolutely everything was perfect! The wait staff and bartenders were super responsive and helpful in making sure it was a perfect day for us and that our guests were happy. I would highly recommend Crystal Gardens to any bride.

y recommend this venue to anyone looking for a beautiful venue to host their wedding and/or reception!

zing to work with throughout the entire process. She quickly responded to all of my emails and questions. The food and atmosphere was amazing. All of my guests loved the food and the ballroom. The only compliant we had was that after the groom and I left our reception, they started cleaning up and putting chairs away while the majority of our guests were still there. I get that the night ended at 11:00 but it seemed a little premature and awkward to start cleaning up at 10:50 in front of guests. I was not there to witness that so for me, as the bride, it was perfect and I wouldn't change a thing.

to go in to the lobby) and a private patio for your guests (which was a big hit). We had a photobooth, which was also in the room, and I think it made a big difference in how many people used it. The staff could not have been more helpful or willing to accommodate. Any time I had a question, I received a response to my email within a couple of hours (usually less). We planned our wedding from another state, but it never felt that way due to how quickly they answer questions. The food was good, the bartenders were friendly and attentive. This is a great deal for the quality and level of service received.

5-star restaurant. The wait staff made sure that everyone at the wedding was taken care of. I would absolutely recommend Crystal Gardens to anyone!

old us it was the best wedding they have ever been to. Beautiful venue and great staff!

ess and was always available and helpful with any and all questions I had leading up to the big day. She always promptly responded to me and went out of her way to get the necessary answers I sought out. She also had great ideas and suggestions for things that I didn't even consider. We held our rehearsal dinner in the Lobby Bar and everything was excellent. Barb was our ceremony coordinator and she made my whole wedding party at ease the night of the rehearsal. Barb was also prepared and able to help the day of with a few wardrobe malfunctions and made everything work. The staff during our reception was wonderful and the bartenders remembered what everyone was drinking. As the bride, I didn't have to handle my own plate and had a staff member plate my food for me so I wouldn't get anything on my dress. Overall Crystal Gardens was a great banquet center for our wedding, we have heard nothing but good things from all of our guests who attended. Thank you!

uestions we had along. She was so organized I knew that no detail would be missed. On the day of our wedding Brian was our head banquet server. He made sure everyone was taken care of and things ran smoothly. The highlight of our wedding was the food!!! Chef Ty made every single entree perfectly. Every guest at our wedding came up to us and said it was by far some of the best food they have EVER eaten. Every single server and bartender were excellent. We cannot say enough good things about Crystal Gardens!!! Thank you for making our dream wedding come true!

We got the wedding package which allows you to choose items to be included (such as DJ, chair covers, photo booth, invitations, wedding cake, etc) and we loved how most everything was then taken care of. You really don't have to worry about much because they coordinate everything, even the ceremony had a coordinator, Barb, that was awesome! They responded quickly with any questions we had and handled everyone during the ceremony and reception. Our special day went better than I had envisioned!

e had was with the day-of ceremony coordinator. She was a bit pushy - our reverend was also our ceremony coordinator but the one from Crystal Gardens had a hard time letting go of the reigns. I realize she had a tight schedule to stick to and her own system of running things down, but we were aware of the strict timeline and perfectly fine with our reverend running things. In the end, she let us do it our way and it turned out perfectly. Our reception coordinator was fantastic. He always made sure we were happy with everything, and if not he was willing to change it. We would definitely recommend this venue.

r service, dinner, table linens and beautiful chair covers, invitation options, and their wonderful list of preferred vendors (DJ Joe from mobile rhythms was the best!). They made the planning much less stressful and everyone there was easy to communicate with throughout the whole process. Also hotel & shuttle services nearby (within 10minutes of the venue) as well as hair & makeup (Tribute Salon & Spa), and beautiful scenery for photos (Mill Pond Park bridges & gazebo).

s couldn't stop complimenting the food and atmosphere that was there. Valerie was so helpful the whole way, answering any and every email and question I had. They were very accommodating. Brian was my event captain, and he, too, was absolutely wonderful. He would give a play by play of the events of the evening and would always run something by me before taking action. We had a wonderful experience here, and I am so happy.