Grand Rapids Downtown Market

it's all inside / enclosed but you still get that outside feel with the greenhouse and all of the amazing windows! It's the perfect solution to wanting an outdoor wedding but not wanting to worry about the weather. You don't have to decorate the greenhouse at all—it comes perfect with its foliage and natural beauty. The photos turned out so beautifully and the staff was amazing to work with too! Highly recommend!

sts that will add up, and this venue definitely uses that to their advantage. Before booking be aware that: you can only choose between 6 catering options (these options quickly fill up so don’t book venue without catering pretty close to being locked in), you have to go through the DTM for drink packages (also very pricey), if you want a guaranteed place for your guests to park you have to PAY for it (they tripled their parking voucher rates after we signed the contract), staffing fees that aren’t clearly listed in the contract, and they will NOT give you ample time to decorate the venue. This last one caused us the most issues and is 100% a money grab. They made it clear to us that the venue was NOT being used earlier in the day and would not let us decorate until 2 hours before the reception started (while we were getting married) UNLESS we wanted to pay an additional fee to have extended access to the venue (most venues let you in the day/night before or the morning of). This caused us a lot of stress trying to find a day planner or another group of people to decorate for us… again - they made it so clear the room was open and available to rent, they just wanted more money for it. I did not run into this issue at any other venue we were looking at, and almost everyone I spoke to was appalled to hear about this, so definitely beware of that. With all the money grab things out of the way, this venue is definitely lovely and picture perfect! The city is a gorgeous back drop and the catering company we worked with was perfect (tacos el Cuñado). The catering company definitely helped make our experience great and the food was fantastic! We worked with Sarah at the Downtown Market and she did a wonderful job responding to any and all of our questions and making our day flow seamlessly. This is a nice venue for a wedding, but beware that the venue cost will be about double (maybe even triple) of what is advertised.

st.

ep of the way. I hired a wedding planner that was familiar with GRDM and everything went smoothly. I was planning my wedding three states away and I knew that Katie and her team would pull through with all the bells and whistles! I had a BUNCH of questions since I'm not from the area, but everyone responded quickly and thoroughly. The place is clean with lots of space to accommodate your guests. Parking onsite and nearby hotels were a plus. I also liked all of the catering and bar packages they offered. My ceremony was in the Greenhouse and my reception was in the Banquet hall. The food was simply amazing and everyone had a TON of fun. They were very honest about their policies and prices, which was a great benefit for my husband and me. Thank you Katie and Alex for all your hard work!

ady. Photos turned out amazing here.

e ceremony and reception. They had portable air ducts that kept it cool and I did not hear of any people complaining of being warm, there were actually a few people seated near the air ducts who were on the colder side. We had a cocktail hour on the terrace which was absolutely beautiful. When it got dark, the greenhouse was so dreamy with bistro lighting strung above. I will echo other reviews that the time constraints can be stressful-we did not have access to the greenhouse until 5pm and had a 5:30pm ceremony. This would absolutely NOT have been possible for setup without paying our florist extra money to setup and a day of coordinator to keep things moving. Same goes for "flipping" the space between the ceremony and reception, we absolutely needed the hired outside help of the florist and day of coordinators. Everything went extremely smoothly thanks to them and I didn't have to worry about a thing, but I would not recommend booking this venue without a day of coordinator, which requires additional money. I also agree with others on communication, we went through a total of 4 event coordinators at DM between booking and wedding date (1 year). The turnover was troublesome and stressful having to review our preferences, and the most recent event coordinator at DM started 2 weeks before our wedding. Our external day of coordinator swooped in and communicated with them, but I definitely would have been stressed without them reaching out on my behalf that close to our wedding. Going along with that, we had some issues with the bar service that I believe are the result of their staff turnover and things slipping through the cracks. We had special requests for drinks and it was included on every email from DM, but were not present at the bar on the day of. We did reach out to them afterwards to address the bar situation and they tried to make it right as best as they could. Overall, I still recommend DM for a wedding venue due to the unique and gorgeous space, but 1000% recommend hiring outside help to assist with setup and timeline as I do not think I would have had a positive experience without them.

on. Our guests loved the yard games we brought for the patio.

breathtaking but will take some time to get all of the coordination and planning into place. We worked with Alex and she was quick to respond, super knowledgeable and happy to meet/do walk-through's of the space whenever we requested. We had a smaller wedding of ~80 guests and had our ceremony in the garden room followed by a reception in the greenhouse space. Our guests are STILL talking about how stunning the venue was and were in complete awe of the ambiance. We had one of the in-house caterer's JuJu Bird and the spread was remarkable. They kept the food coming and no one was left hungry. The ceremony space was a little warm during set up but we got it quickly cooled down before starting anything. This venue will ring up cost quickly so be sure to budget for your day before consideration, but it was honestly worth every penny to us. The only downside was the parking, we had requested 50 parking tickets to offer guests but they weren't available for the day which ended in a long process for guests to leave but it ended up getting sorted out by Alex. They are happy to accommodate and have awesome vendor recommendations. We got our DJ, Videographer, Coordinator recommendation from them and they did not disappoint! Our pictures turned out better than we could have expected, definitely consider them for your big day!

e to Covid (The DTM was great at helping us postpone- no problems there). The problems began when we actually started reaching out to them with questions, to work on a timeline, and coordinate virtual meetings with staff (my husband and I live out of the country). Emails would go unanswered for weeks, we had over 4 points of contact, two of whom quit within a 6 month time period (huge red flag), and one staff member who was rude and hard to work with. We began to get very nervous about our relationship with the staff at DTM and ended up hiring a day of coordinator who had worked there before and who began to work with us and communicate to them on our behalf. I think this is key if you want to have a wedding at the DTM. As a recent bride, here are a few red flags you should know about before booking with them: 1. set up time, most venues let you get ready and set up starting from the morning of your wedding, at the DTM you don't have access to the venue until 4 pm for a 5pm ceremony (we ended up paying for extra time so vendors could arrive at 3pm) . If you are doing a DIY wedding, that means you need someone to set up for you because you will likely be taking photos/ getting ready. 2. Added prices- Alcohol prices are way more expensive than average alcohol prices for the state of Michigan. The DTM does not give you parking (which means your guests have to pay for parking unless you do so for them). The chairs are plastic white conference chairs, it is likely that you will need to rent new chairs for your dinner. Bottom line- a wedding at the DTM becomes very expensive quickly. 3. They are not easy to work with, and it is likely you will have to hire a day of coordinator to help support you. 4. Communication- Two days before the wedding the DTM sent a wildly incorrect timeline (our first draft from 2021) to all of our vendors without double checking with our coordinator or myself before doing so. Our coordinator had to scramble to correct their mistake. As mentioned before, emails would go weeks without a response until we hired a coordinator. 5. This is a business transaction for them. They lack the acknowledgement and empathy of knowing that this is a wedding for their clients. During our final dance (which was well before midnight and we had the venue until 1 am), they sent in the cleaning crew to start tearing things down. So while we were trying to have one last romantic moment to ourselves we hear chairs being collapsed and dropped to the ground. Positives: - The greenhouse is beautiful. It is whimsical picturesque and our photos look gorgeous. - The DTM did a good job or making sure the greenhouse was a reasonable temperature throughout the day. - Alex was our final point of contact (a week before our wedding). She was super helpful.

house were quite limited. But we were able to make it work & the entire day was just lovely. Big shout out to Alex & the entire DTM team! They were all such a big help throughout the planning process. Highly, highly recommend! (You’ll thank me later once you see your photos!)

l nickel and dime you for everything once you've booked with them, down to a room to store bags and purses. They charged us $250 to access the space 30 minutes earlier even though there were no other events in the space that day. Their reservation windows are very limited, adding an extreme level of stress to whoever is helping you set up your space. We had to beg to adjust our reservation window to allow us to start accessing the space starting at 4pm, when guests start arriving at 5pm, giving our set up team only 1 hour to decorate for an entire wedding. That's where we had to pay the additional fee to give them just a small amount of extra time. I'm just not sure how all these couples are having their weddings here and not being forced to eat dinner at 9pm given how late this venue has you accessing the space. They also require you to choose one of their limited caterers (none of which we were excited about) and require all your vendors to be licensed. It all adds up. I will say that the staff are very nice and responsive, but this venue is so strict and restrictive and unforgiving in what it will allow you to do that I'm not sure I would recommend anyone to book with them (unless you have a large budget and a wedding planner taking on all this stress for you). I bet our pictures will look great though!

de and outside. The reception area is also great because it has a balcony, so any people who need a break from the noise can easily step outside for a moment without going far. Overall awesome venue.

o beautiful and I can’t say enough good things about the market! Everyone talked all night about how beautiful the wedding and greenhouse was! 12/10 recommend!

ar night you can see the sunset over all your guests. The greenery is incredible, and lights/setup are just awesome. The fact that they coordinate well with so many vendors makes it a breeze too. Planning was so easy with their support! I can’t recommend downtown market enough.

There is more than enough room for dancing and tables. The venue itself is gorgeous and we couldn’t ask for more helpful and accommodating staff. If we could do it all over we wouldn’t change a thing!

ckly responsive whenever we needed them, and most importantly, always upbeat and excited for the event. It was a warm early September day and we were able to keep the room cool and comfortable. The ceremony didn’t start until 5:30, which helped. The space is so beautiful, didn’t require much decorating. We had Love’s Ice Cream cart for the dessert instead of cake. So delicious and everyone loved it. Bar tending staff did a really nice job Juju did a buffet for the food. Flavors were good, presentation was just ok. Highly recommend

! Thanks to Alex for being awesome for my big day

ans due to Covid, were we’re unable to make this happen. Everyone came together to get Om our guests accommodated to the Terrace - and then it was calling for rain! The Shed outside ended up being so beyond perfect and changing plans multiple times was surprisingly easy, because of the wonderful staff. They are awesome, the venue is beautiful and you will not be disappointed!

e twinkle lights, the plants, and the elegant set up, the wedding was everything we could wish for. Amazing customer service, great price, and delicious food - they have everything you need and want in a wedding! Highly recommend! Our family and friends still talk about this being the most beautiful wedding they've been to.

ess. Madison was a dream to work with - she was always very responsive to my various questions. The pictures were absolutely beautiful. It was great to have the downstairs market available for my out-of-town guests to have an activity between the ceremony and reception. Great experience.

he real star here. Kimberly, Katie, and Madison made the planning process so incredibly easy, I don't think our wedding would have been such a success without them. The team and process the Market has in place is great for any bride that isn't trying to do every little thing herself. I couldn't recommend this venue more for a wedding.

t I did literally no decorating of my own in this space! No flowers, no sashes, no runners, no nothing, this space shined all on its own which was great. I also loved the circle set up that was offered, it felt very unique and we got tons of compliments on it. The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly, they answered all of our questions and responded quickly. There were two downsides, we couldn't schedule our rehearsal until very close to the wedding which made it difficult to plan the rehearsal dinner, and the space was very warm. While the do have A/C they cannot turn it up because it will harm the plants. My husband and I don't recall the heat at all on the day of, however our guests said it was a bit toasty, but that comes with the territory of a greenhouse in the summer in the afternoon so it was expected. Overall I would recommend the greenhouse and a beautiful venue that you don't have to accessorize.

anything but comfortable. In fact it was unsafe for human occupancy by the time you factored in humidity. The thermometer in the greenhouse showed 92 degrees, evidence that the AC was very inadequate to keep the room comfortable. It was embarrassing to have to ask our guests to enter such an atmosphere. There is no doubt that the setting is lovely, BUT we were miserable in there. They brought in a couple of large fans which helped move the hot air a bit, but then fan noise made it difficult for some to hear the pastor and the vows. We questioned them before booking and were told "We do have air conditioning in the greenhouse that works to keep the space comfortable... We have 4 air conditioning units that we pump as much cool air in as possible... We do all we can to maintain a comfortable temp for your guests in the space." It was anything but a comfortable temp. After booking, and having heard another wedding was too hot, we emailed the market again, their response: "I understand your concerns based on your friend's experience this past weekend. We will do everything we can to keep the room as comfortable for your guests as possible." We are left to wonder what they consider comfortable? The weather report for Grand Rapids (July 19 and 20, 2019) is "Severe Excessive Heat Warning" and 92 degrees with high humidity and heat indices 100+. Which was exactly what we had for our wedding - inside the Downtown Market! The national weather service calls these temperatures unsafe and dangerous. The Downtown Market calls it "comfortable".

r questions were answered in a timely manner throughout the whole process and they made us feel like family in a way. The venue itself was so beautiful and we got several compliments from people afterward telling us how unique and awesome the Market is. We would highly, highly recommend anyone have their event here. The only other thing worth noting is that we had our ceremony in the greenhouse and our reception in the banquet room. We had a short ceremony and it got a little warm at one point, but we provided hand fans to our guests, which was a huge hit. The banquet hall was incredible though and food catered by Slow's BBQ was top notch. Thank you all!

to emails or if I wanted to meet in person. The space is incredibly beautiful, it needs almost no decoration. What we loved was giving the guests $5 gift cards to use at the market between the ceremony and the reception!

ghting was perfect, the perks of having the greenery/plants already in there made it very easy for decoration since we didn’t need to do anything. It was a little warm in there but that’s to be expected in a greenhouse. We also had our first look in the gardenroom which I’m very excited to see our pictures and how they turned out! All of the event staff was very helpful and accommodating through the entire planning which made it very easy for us to plan our wedding without a wedding planner. We had our reception in the banquet room which also turned out perfect. Having to use all vendors for the food and beverage that were within the market worked out very well and made us not stress about anything since they know the space. If you are looking for a space for your wedding I would highly recommend checking out the Downtown Market Grand Rapids! This was the first and only venue we looked at for our wedding and it all turned out perfect!

rfect. The whole event team was so hopeful and made the day perfect. Our family kept commenting how beautiful and unique the venue was.

hotos there was absolutely beautiful, even in the frigid winter. We had about 170 people, with about 20 of those in the wedding party and were able to set up the room in a traditional aisle format comfortably, but not much extra room. They do offer a different layout for larger groups, however. The sound system worked well and we had the officiant mic’d up without any issues and played the music we wanted from a phone for an interlude, our entrance, and exit. We also had a handheld mic for reading our vows, it all worked perfectly! The Downtown Market is a public building, which is a pro/con depending on how you look at things. It was nice being able to grab a drink at Slow’s and food in the market, but that also means there’s plenty of random people around. Didn’t bother us, but something to keep in mind. The actual ceremony itself was private and closed to the public, so you don’t have to worry abut them dropping in on the ceremony. We had to direct guests up stairs as it wasn’t immediately clear where to go, but that wasn’t a big issue. Parking is free for the first half hour, but otherwise a small fee. We advised guests to carpool to mitigate this, especially if your big day happens to be a big one at the market and parking is particularly limited. This also makes it easy to visit whenever you want before/after and a place to go back and visit in the years to come. Unfortunately, our original coordinator left for another job in between booking everything and the big day. So, there was a definite disconnect with the new coordinator. There was no one to meet the bridal party in the morning when they arrived to finish getting ready, nor any contact until about a half an hour before they arrived in the weeks leading up to the event. Because of this, she was trying to “coordinate” the ceremony without any idea of how it was supposed to go. Whereas the wedding party knew what they were supposed to do, we went to rehearsal. This wasn’t a big issue, we pushed through it. But it made my entrance with my mother come with a stern face as I prevented her from forcing us to enter before the officiant called the room to order and made opening remarks. She was also dressed very casually, not an issue she’s not in photos, but if you’re going to represent the downtown market for a formal wedding, business casual is at least appropriate. I don’t want to give the impression that any of this ruined our day in the slightest. Just little frustrations. Since this coordinator was new, and we may have been her first wedding since starting it’s understandable and I’m sure she’ll improve. The venue is otherwise regardless very beautiful and a superb place for a ceremony (probably a reception, too, if you can afford it). We’d recommend it to anyone looking for a beautiful place to get married!

ng. They also have caterers downstairs for food that is fresh and hot. All in all, I highly recommend for an amazing experience that will awe your guests!

lly lush venue in a prime location - do not wait to book this! They book up incredibly fast. Their event coordinators were very friendly and easy to get in touch with. The tables, chairs and linens were exactly where we had discussed in meetings. The only negative I can say about the market is you are limited on food vendors (they have 4 exclusive vendors that you have to choose from within the market, however, Vault Catering was delicious!) All of our guests were blown away by the vibe and views of Downtown Market. There isn`t a venue that is even comparable to this one on the West side of the state!!

uests to the banquet space across the hall for dinner and dancing. We fell in love with the natural light and outdoor space, but we still are getting compliments about how cool, unique, and modern the venue was for a wedding reception. The DTM team was incredibly easy to work with too, such a pleasure!

getting flipped into seating, but overall we’re very glad we chose to have our wedding at the market!

he was always on top of everything on the day of my rehearsal and wedding. The only reason I gave 4 stars was because I was not super happy with the communication between the events team. It seemed like they didn't communicate with each other, which at times was frustrating.

gorgeous! Shanna and the DT Market crew were wonderful. My wedding day was perfect!

the market was very helpful and accommodating along the way as we were planning. The one thing that I wished for is that we could choose from a larger caterer list--we had trouble picking one from the list provided, but everything worked out well.

event coordinator was super responsive and answered all of my questions (I had a lot), however, our account changed hands at some point and that wasn't communicated so as the day got closer, I was passed around a bit. The beverage manager was fantastic. She was very patient and accommodating and even had drinks waiting for us at the head table when we arrived! Overall, this venue is one of the best options downtown, you can't go wrong!

before our wedding day and in those 8 months we were passed around to 3 different event coordinators. Each time it seemed like the old coordinators hadn't given any of our information to our new coordinator and in two cases we were emailed information meant for another wedding. For the bar tab, we set a maximum price with an open bar and the bar coordinator assured us that for our size wedding it would be more than enough and the bartenders would stop serving if we were close to the maximum we had set. Yet, we still received a bill for over the price we had agreed upon. In the end, our day ended up running flawlessly and everyone on the day of was great but I do wish they would have been more communicative throughout the planning process.

ke we knew it would be...the wood accents and floor-to-ceiling windows fit our modern rustic theme perfectly. All the staff was incredibly attentive and timely in their communication throughout the night and the process of planning the wedding itself. They were receptive to our ideas and willing to help with whatever we needed. We had the most incredible wedding ever, and a huge part of that is thanks to the Market and its staff.

mmer wedding. Reception was across the hall in clean, modern room with tons of windows and hardwood floors, balcony for cocktail hour use. There were 3 different coordinators since we booked and the main one we worked with left a few weeks before our wedding. Not ideal but we made it work. All were very nice. this is a very no frills place you have to do everything from run your own dress rehearsal to make the hooks to hang things on the walls. They do not even provide table number stands. The coordinator left right after the ceremony so our caterer was basically managing the venue Overall would do it again because it was so beautiful just wish they would provide a little more support.

ick answer for any questions we had. Without a doubt, the best part about using Downtown Market for our event (or any event!) is how seamlessly integrated the vendors are within the Market. We had Slow's cater our dinner and Love's brought an ice cream cart up for dessert, both of which were excellent. The bar is managed through DM with plenty of options, and bar manager Katie made coordination of that very easy. Since all of the vendors are located in the same building, Chantell was easily able to ensure we were all on the same page - this was a huge time and stress saver! The Market also supplied a sound cart with a speaker, microphone, and iPad for music which was perfect for our needs. All of this was a bonus on top of what sold us on the Downtown Market in the first place - the beautiful and unique greenhouse venue. With the floor-to-ceiling windows, downtown GR views, private outdoor terrace for socializing, awesome ambiance created by strung lights at dusk, and the beautiful plants and flowers throughout the room, the Downtown Market greenhouse definitely surpassed our expectations and made an impression on our guests!

our other vendors, including DJ, caterer, dessert provider, florist, etc. to ensure everyone knew what to do and where to go. We really appreciated that the DM used local Grand Rapids products whenever possible. We decided to have our cocktail hour in the greenhouse space after they added air conditioning to that room this past summer. However, our guests reported that it was still quite warm in the greenhouse, so many people chose to enjoy their drinks and appetizers in the atrium. The banquet room at DM is absolutely stunning--great view of the city and the terrace offered a great place for guests to get fresh air and play some lawn games for those not interested in dancing. One concern we had when deciding to book the space was parking; however, we did not find this to be a problem. Street parking is free on weekends and our guests did not mention any difficulties. We did get a few parking vouchers for relatives to park in the DM lot so they did not have to pay. Our room rental did not begin until 3 PM, which meant that we had to send a few relatives over to the DM before our ceremony to set up decorations. This didn't prove to be terribly difficult as we had very little decor (the space itself is so pretty, we felt like any decor would have looks chinsy).