Graduate Ann Arbor
Recently updated
This vendor updated their storefront within the last 15 days.
Holds ceremonies and receptions
Brittany Muirhead
CATERING SALES MANAGER
AWARD WINNER (1X)
Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot
Located in the beating heart of Ann Arbor, MI, lies a picture-perfect and invitingly refined wedding venue where your dreams can come to glorious life, the Graduate by Hilton Ann Arbor. From bridal showers to rehearsal dinners and wedding receptions, we have the ideal space to host your special day and all the festivities leading up to it. We also offer discounted blocks of our nostalgic guestrooms.
Our classically elegant ballrooms can be rented partially for intimate receptions or in full for over-the-top events. For couples who wish to incorporate an outdoor element in Ann Arbor, we offer a private third-floor terrace to continue the celebrations outside. Topped off by our award-winning catering, our creative culinary team will work with you to create a custom menu that perfectly reflects the soon-to-be-wed couple.
Amenities + details
Amenities
Ceremony Area
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Ceremony Types
Civil Union
Commitment Ceremony
Elopement
Interfaith Ceremony
Non-Religious Ceremony
Religious Ceremony
Second Wedding
Vow Renewal Ceremony
Settings
Ballroom
Hotel
Restaurant
Venue Service Offerings
Bar & Drinks
Cakes & Desserts
Food & Catering
Rentals & Equipment
Service Staff
Awards and Affiliations
Any questions?
Meet the team
Brittany Muirhead
Catering Sales Manager
Brittany loves seeing a well-executed event. With over 10 years in the industry, she will be with you every step to plan your perfect event. If you are looking to host meetings, weddings, galas, team meals, or other events inquire now!
Reviews
4.9
out of 5.026 reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
Jessica R
Highlighted review.
5.0
8/06/2024
The Graduate was a great venue if you are looking for the ability to have all of your guests in one place for the entire weekend. We hosted our rehearsal dinner, ceremony, and rece...
ption at the hotel, and also utilized the discounted block of rooms. The Graduate has a restaurant and cafe onsite, and plenty of spaces to use as get ready rooms. The price for the premium package was less than a few other venues we toured in Ann Arbor. The event coordinator, Maggie, was the best to work with.
Caroline K
5.0
7/29/2024
We had our wedding reception at the Graduate and we couldn’t have asked for a better venue! We had a room block there as well, so it was convenient for our guests to have their hot...
el room right in the same location as the party. We also loved being right in downtown Ann Arbor.
The Graduate made it so seamless to have several weekend event in one place. We had a getting ready room right next to the ballroom and the Graduate delivered breakfast and champagne there. We also had excellent dinner service with great food. Our guests LOVED the outdoor terrace next to the ballroom. 100% recommend!
Any questions?
Jason G
5.0
5/14/2023
We had a room block at the Graduate Ann Arbor, and stayed their ourselves, for our wedding. The Graduate isn't the cheapest option in town, but they really deliver on the experienc...
e! Our guests loved their stay here and so did we (they upgraded us to a suite and left some champagne and chocolates in our room when we checked in!).
Sarah S
4.0
7/20/2022
the GOOD: the venue is beautiful, they were accomadating towards my micro-wedding (25 ppl) and never made us feel less important for being a small event. The banquet staff was phen...
omenal and super attentive. The food was incredible.
the less good: booking and planing was a little rough. They switched catering sales managers on us twice and communication was not the best. The first person we talked to told us a particular room was available and listed that particular room on our contract, but then the next person said that room had been double booked and moved us to a different space. It turned out to be an acceptable alternative, but they didn't inform us of the change until well after the invitations had been printed and sent, which was frustrating.
Nichelle S
5.0
7/31/2021
The Graduate Ann Arbor proved to be the absolute best venue my husband and I could have possibly chosen to host our wedding reception! Everything was perfect for our special day.
...
The initial planning was process was incredibly seamless. Our favorite aspect of planing was definitely conducting the tasting. There were so many options from which to select. Even the quests we invited with food sensitivities were accommodated.
If you are fortunate enough to work with Patti, just know that everything will be OK. She is truly a consummate professional and a credit to Graduate Ann Arbor. Her hard work and meticulous attention to detail made all the difference in even the smallest of matters.
We cannot say quite enough how much we genuinely enjoyed ourselves and how grateful we are for having done business with Graduate Ann Arbor. Beyond highly recommend!
Kathy B
5.0
7/21/2021
I'd give this place 10 stars if it was possible! They were so easy to work with. Patti is so extremely helpful, and so great to work with. Everything was absolute perfection! O...
ur guests were blown away over the overall atmosphere of the venue. The accommodations were wonderful. That Presidential Suite is the best!! The staff were beyond expectation. The food was so delicious! Our guests were still raving about everything days later! I HIGHLY recommend this venue for your wedding!!
Olivia C
5.0
7/17/2021
The Graduate Ann Arbor was such a wonderful venue for our wedding!! Patti was so helpful and thoughtful throughout the whole process (so was Karalee!), with lots of guidance and ad...
vice as we planned it all out. The way she set up the flowers and decorations on the day of really took my breath away as well, she has experience and it shows!
The hotel itself is such a beautiful, eclectic place. I can't wait to see our pictures, especially from the lobby, patio, and cocktail lounge! We had our ceremony on the Terrace Patio, and reception in the Terrace Ballroom, with a flipped patio during the reception which was a pretty and quieter place for guests to hang out.
In addition to our ceremony and reception, we got ready here as well (ladies in the Dahlmann Boardroom and fellas in a guest room). So convenient having everything in one place. I absolutely recommend the Graduate Ann Arbor!
Emily B
5.0
7/29/2020
Our wedding reception at The Graduate Ann Arbor was absolutely a dream come true! We loved being able to step outside from the ballroom and mingle with our guests out on the roofto...
p terrace! Several guests went out of their way to compliment the excellent service and delicious food! The sales and catering manager was a pleasure to collaborate with and helped us make sure the planning process went as smoothly as possible. The professionalism and attention to details was everything we hoped for and more! We highly recommend the Graduate Ann Arbor to our friends, family, and anyone who is hoping to have a beautiful and quintessential Ann Arbor celebration!
Megan S
5.0
1/26/2020
We loved having our wedding at the Graduate Hotel! Patti and the team were great to work with throughout our planning process and helped make everything beautiful. It was a winter ...
wedding so we wanted the ease of having everything in one place. Plus it's a dog friendly hotel which fulfilled my husband's one request of having our dog be the ring bearer. For get ready rooms, the guys were in the Dahlmann Boardroom which they loved. The ladies were in the Presidential Suite. It was a good size for the 7 of us and 3 hair/makeup artists but it would be tight to have more than that unless you move around the couches/tables. Our photographer got some great shots in lots of different locations throughout the hotel. Overall, we had a great time working with the Graduate and are very happy with how it all turned out.
LJ B
4.0
1/07/2020
All of our guests stayed at the Graduate Ann Arbor. Everyone loved their rooms. Originally, we were going to spend our wedding night at a separate venue; but it was utterly disappo...
inting. On the day of our wedding, I asked our team at the Graduate for any room, and they gave us one of their wonderful King suites with the discount used for our original room block. We ended up getting to spend the evening after the wedding spending a little more time with our wonderful cousins and friends (the drinks weren't the best ever, but the hospitality made up for it!). The room was quite, clean, comfortable. The next morning we had a relaxed breakfast in bed from the cafe downstairs. Thank you to the Graduate team for making us and our family feel comfortable!
Kaitlyn G
5.0
1/03/2020
Patti at Graduate Ann Arbor was the best to work with! Everything exceeded our expectations. We used both the Regency and Terrace ballrooms for our ceremony and reception, and rece...
ived so many compliments from our guests! Our photographer loved the rooms as well!
The food was amazing! We especially loved our cake and the late night food! I highly recommend Graduate Ann Arbor!
Elaine M
5.0
12/17/2019
The Graduate went above and beyond with making sure our wedding went smoothly. From first contact, they made sure to point out everything we needed to think about, while remaining ...
flexible to give us room to make it personal. As gamers, we wanted to incorporate our love of video games during the reception. They made it so easy for us to bring in our personal equipment and set up a great spot for guests to play games, while still leaving room for the dancing. We held both our ceremony and reception at the hotel, and most of our guests stayed overnight. Logistically it was fantastic for our guests to be able to come to a single location for the entire event! The location is conveniently located downtown so guests were able to wander into the city to explore, but on top of that, The Graduate has such a charm to it that many of our guests even just enjoyed the amenities (coffee bar, restaurant) that the lobby has to offer or stayed in their cozy rooms to relax. Patti and Chandler were amazing coordinators and constantly checked in on us to make sure we had fun and ate! The staff went out of their way to make sure our guests with allergies received the correct meals, and made our parents feel special as well. We brought in our own decorations, which the staff set up, but realized during the reception that the staff had added extra garland and some of their own decorations which nicely complemented ours. Our winter wedding at the Graduate was so amazing and special! We could not imagine a better venue and highly recommend them to any couple that may be starting to plan their own wedding!
Margy B
5.0
10/25/2019
We had an all around fabulous experience at Graduate Ann Arbor! All Graduate staff we worked with, including sales, catering, front desk reception, servers, valet, etc., were know...
ledgeable, helpful and resourceful from day one, keeping us organized and responding to our questions in a timely manner. We received many compliments from our guests about the beautiful venue, delicious food/drinks, and comfortable rooms. We also loved taking photographs in the lobby with the grand staircase and whimsical artwork. The Terrace Ballroom was an ideal size for our 130 guests, with plenty of room for eating, mingling, and dancing; the outdoor terrace with cocktail tables and patio heaters was an added bonus.
My husband and I highly recommend this as a wedding or event venue- you will not be disappointed!
Diane D
5.0
8/21/2019
A wonderful big Thank You to The Graduate Hotel, Patti Hourani and the entire staff for the beautiful Wedding Reception on August 17, 2019 for my Son and Daughter-in-law! The servi...
ce was fabulous and professional, the Ballroom along with the Terrace for Cocktail Hour were beautiful. The perfect location for two U of M Grads and former Marching Band members to celebrate their Wedding Day with Family and Friends. How wonderful it was to have access to our very comfortable Hotel rooms before and after the Wedding! It was a pleasure to celebrate this special day at The Graduate in Ann Arbor!
Mandi M
5.0
7/16/2019
Everything turned out better than I could have imagined. I can't count how many people complimented the food (filet and salmon--mouthwatering good)!! When I go to weddings, I never...
expect the food to be all that great just because of the amount that needs to be cooked, BUT, ours was truly incredible. I worked closely with Patti and she was awesome to work with--incredibly helpful and communicated so well with us. We loved our venue and it was special to have our guests come in from out of town to a place like the Graduate Ann Arbor. If I were to do it all over, I would pick the Graduate over and over again.
Julianne S
5.0
6/25/2019
Every level of service at the Graduate Hotel in Ann Arbor was absolutely excellent this past weekend for our daughter's wedding. Patti Hourani, event coordinator was professiona...
l, detail oriented and kind and warm..easy to work with in what can be a stressful process. Chef Kevin's recommendations at our initial meeting reflected our visions for an important meal. He personally checked on our satisfaction during the wedding, as well as the phenomenal brunch we had the following day. The front desk personnel, valet, waitstaff and bartenders were all especially courteous and concerned with all of our guests well being. The snacks served to the bridal party and groomsmen in the get ready room were fresh and creative. The hotel decor is so charming, perfect for our University of Michigan alumni family. During the wedding the outdoor terrace was a great space for kids and adults alike. Reservations were especially patient with our room requests. The attention to detail and excellent service really made our daughter's wedding a beautiful and memorable event. Thank you to the entire Graduate Hotel team and a special thank you to Patti Hourani for her organization and desire to make this a personal and special celebration.
Jenni P
5.0
1/23/2019
The Graduate Ann Arbor did a fantastic job with our wedding. We live in California, 2000 miles away, and did all of our planning remotely. Patti at The Graduate worked with us vi...
a email and phone to make sure we had everything planned just the way we wanted it. We arrived the day before the wedding and her and her staff met with us and went over last minute details. On our wedding day, everything went exactly as planned, to the T. It was unbelievable! Their staff was amazing and the venue was charming, elegant, yet cozy, and exactly what we were looking for! We also reserved their Allen Rumsey Cocktail lounge for our welcome reception on Friday night and that was also perfect! Excellent service from their servers who kept everyone stocked up on drinks and did a great job with the cheesecake bar. They even had gluten-free options for me! Overall it was a fantastic weekend at The Graduate and we couldn't have asked for anything better. I HIGHLY recommend them for your event!
Response from Graduate by Hilton Ann Arbor on 01/23/2019
It was such a lovely wedding, Jenni! We were really honored to have been a part of it. Tha...
nk you for choosing Graduate Ann Arbor, and for taking the time to share your experience on the Knot=) Best to you both!!!
Nancy B
5.0
1/18/2019
Our daughter's wedding ceremony and reception were held at the Graduate. The ballrooms were just beautiful and the staff could not have been more accommodating! Their attention t...
o detail and their 'we've got it handled' attitude made the day carefree and easy-flowing so that we could concentrate on the people. The entire process from beginning planning through the eco-confetti send-off went off without a hitch. And I can't fail to mention that the food was outstanding! Thank you so much to Patti who we credit for making the day amazing!
Response from Graduate by Hilton Ann Arbor on 01/18/2019
Nancy,
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback. It was such an AMAZING day, and we ar...
e so honored to have been a part of it! Wishing you all the best!
Julie D
5.0
1/03/2019
The Graduate helped host our daughter's December wedding reception. Patti and her team at the Graduate helped us sort through the details like pros! Patti has great suggestions and...
it was so helpful as we do not live int he area so we had to lean on her often! She suggested we have the cocktail hour on the second floor (Regency Room?)and the dinner and dancing on the 3rd and I will say it made for a beautiful celebration - our guests raved!
All the employees at the hotel were friendly, helpful and ready to assist - I HIGHLY recommend the Graduate for your upcoming wedding!
Response from Graduate by Hilton Ann Arbor on 01/08/2019
Thank you for sharing your comments, Julie. It was certainly a pleasure to work with you a...
ll, and hope many wonderful memories were made here!
Colin T
5.0
10/12/2018
We had our wedding at The Graduate. Every detail about the hotel has a character that you just don't find in other locations. We specifically wanted a location where everything wou...
ld be under one roof, as we had several families members with limited mobility. The Graduate staff took excellent care of those guests. Getting to work with Patti was the high point for us. Every detail was attended. We even had a groomsman forget to book a hotel room until the week of and with one phone call to Patti, a room was found and booked. On the day of the wedding, everything was setup and ready to go, exactly as agreed to hours early. The food was fantastic, nothing dry, and everyone with special dietary concerns, got what they needed on the first try. A friend showed up two hours late after getting stuck in Chicago traffic, in the amount of time it took for him to come and apologize for being late, his meal had been set out at this place. Towards the end of the evening, the late night snack options amazing. Weddings are traditionally formal, but at 9:30pm with the dance floor and open bar hopping, a nacho and tater tot bar really hits the spot. If we ever need to book a space for a future event in Ann Arbor, Patti and The Graduate will be our first and probably only call.
Response from Graduate by Hilton Ann Arbor on 01/18/2019
Colin,
THANK YOU! We were all so happy to be able to host your wedding day and hope that ...
you and your guests have wonderful memories from that weekend! Best wishes to you both=)
Caitlin M
5.0
6/23/2018
We loved everything about this venue! Patti is amazing to work with and was very responsive to all of our questions and ideas. We never had to wait longer than a day to hear back f...
rom her which is extremely helpful through the stresses of planning a wedding. She helped us tremendously throughout the planning process making great suggestions when we needed it and proving all information we needed and asked for. The entire catering staff during our reception went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect and all of our needs as well as our guests’ were met. They were extremely professional and friendly. The food and drinks were absolutely amazing! Many of our guests commented on how delicious the food was and the chef was very accommodating to the dietary restrictions of a few of our guests. Unfortunately it was raining the majority of the day so we didn’t get to use the outside terrace as much as we had hoped but the terrace ballroom was a fantastic space. We used their linens, cake stand/table, and centerpieces which were all great quality. We truly can’t say enough good things about The Graduate and would recommend it to anyone! Thank you to the entire Graduate staff for your wonderful hospitality! We couldn’t have picked a better place for our reception!
Response from Graduate by Hilton Ann Arbor on 01/23/2019
We were so happy to be a part of your amazing wedding weekend, Caitlyn! Thank you for choo...
sing us. You were both so great to work with and we're so happy to see you two married;) Best wishes!!!!
Courtney C
5.0
9/16/2017
We had a great experience with our wedding reception at the Graduate. Patti was great to work with and really went above and beyond to make our wedding day special! We loved the Te...
rrace ballroom and our guests commented on how great the space was! We did an outdoor cocktail hour which was really beautiful with the sunset and terrace greenery. Our food was delicious and the chef made multiple meals with special dietary accommodations. We loved the unique vibe of the hotel and our guests enjoyed staying at the same location as our reception. The location of the hotel is right downtown Ann Arbor, which is perfect for wedding festivities and convenience for guests. We felt like the quality of the service staff, linens, cocktail tables, etc was great and especially recommend Patti for planning your event! We loved having our wedding reception at a memorable venue and would highly recommend it to others!
Response from Graduate by Hilton Ann Arbor on 09/22/2017
Hello! Thank you for sharing your feedback. It was so nice working with you over the plann...
ing stages and seeing it all come together just like you wanted=) We wish you two all the best!!!!
Rebecca W
5.0
8/08/2017
Wedding manager was very helpful and organized. We were also able to customize our menu which made our day even more special. Beautiful venue in the heart of Ann Arbor.
Response from Graduate by Hilton Ann Arbor on 09/22/2017
Thank you for sharing your comments! We were so honored to be a part of your amazing day. ...
Best wishes to you both!
Shaowen J
5.0
8/06/2017
After taking a look at the Graduate, my fiancé and I knew it was where we wanted to have our wedding. The Graduate Hotel was absolutely stunning and picture perfect. This place was...
full of character and in balance with delicate modern design and vintage art. We had our wedding this past June in the Terrace patio and ballroom. The rooftop patio was beautifully set up and everyone was amazed by the city view. The food was delicious and the bar service was exceptional. Patti was a pleasure to work with. She was very accommodating and attentive. She instantly understood our different requirements and helped come up with resolutions to any special requests we made. As the wedding date arrived, she kept all the plans in place and organized - we didn't have to worry about a thing! The entire staff in the wedding was very friendly and helpful. I cannot speak highly enough about them. All our experience with the Graduate far exceeded our expectations. We love this place and would highly recommend this venue to anyone!
Response from Graduate by Hilton Ann Arbor on 08/08/2017
Thank you for sharing your experience! We are thrilled to have hosted you and so happy to ...
have had you and your guests with us for such a beautiful occasion. Best wishes to you both!
Caitlin D
5.0
7/27/2017
The terrace ballroom was the perfect venue for our wedding reception. The food and catering staff were amazing and made my husband and I feel extremely special. Throughout the plan...
ning process, our coordinator kept us on task and helped us make all of our major decisions and also kept us on task and provided plenty of guidance related to all things even the timeline of our reception. There wasn't a single thing we would have changed about choosing The Graduate!
Response from Graduate by Hilton Ann Arbor on 08/02/2017
Thank you for your feedback and for opting for the Graduate Ann Arbor to host your wedding...
and your guests. We wish you both all the best!
Cheryl S
5.0
7/21/2017
The Graduate is a beautiful place for a reception! It's convenient to have a reception in a hotel, but The Graduate was so much more than just having a party in a conference room. ...
The staff was SO GREAT to work with, particularly Patti. She really oversaw everything and made everything so easy for us. She and everything there was helpful, accommodating and the Terrace Ballroom was beautifully decorated. Everything went so smoothly and all of our guests, both those staying at the Graduate and those there only for the reception, said it was a great choice of a place to have a wedding reception.
Response from Graduate by Hilton Ann Arbor on 07/24/2017
Thank you for choosing the Graduate Ann Arbor. We were thrilled to host your event with us...
and be such a big part of your special day!
Best wishes to you both=)
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Graduate by Hilton Ann Arbor
Brittany Muirhead
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Catering Sales Manager
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Graduate by Hilton Ann Arbor
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