Grand Rapids Public Museum

They did an amazing job helping me set up my proposal. Monica came up with a couple great ideas, and she set a a very small display I brought in. The streets of old Grand Rapids exhibit was the perfect set for what I wanted. My fiancee was overwhelmed and surprised by the set up and can not thank Monica and the Museum enough!!

Our wedding at the museum was absolutely amazing. I don't have enough wonderful things to say about the staff at the museum, especially those who we worked with (Liz, Monica, Mikaela, Tori, & Jim). Every time I emailed them to check-in or ask a question, the response was prompt, which was amazing for this crazy bride. I even emailed Monica & Mikaela the night before & they got back to me first thing on the morning of wedding! During/after the reception, all any of our guests could talk about was how unique and beautiful the museum was. Not to mention the carousel, which was a huge hit with not only the kids, but our adult guests as well. If you're looking for a really cool way to showcase Grand Rapids to out of town wedding guests, I HIGHLY recommend GRPM!

We had our wedding at the public museum and it was absolutely perfect - I would give this venue 10 stars if I could. Liz is the best at what she does and was an absolute pleasure to work with. She was responsive, organized, flexible, detail-oriented, and kind. She thought of absolutely everything during the planning process and ensured that we did not overlook any detail of our day. We planned our whole wedding from another state, and Liz bent over backwards to accommodate our schedules during the planning process (by staying late at work for phone calls with us, scheduling logistics meetings on the weekend when we could travel into town, etc). On the day of our wedding, Liz and Chylie made sure everything worked like clockwork. They managed the vendor deliveries, set up the entire reception space and managed to make sure our bridal party and family were where they needed to be for pictures. Liz also made sure our reception stayed on schedule and that we had everything we needed throughout the night. They made sure that we had to think of nothing on the day of the wedding besides enjoying ourselves!! Not only was Liz awesome to work with, but Jim also provided us with the perfect bar package and Emily and John provided perfect lighting and sound for our unique planetarium ceremony.

Our wedding at the museum was perfect. The carousel ran most of the night and there were a few volunteers available to run the three shops. We received so many compliments from our guests about the venue and Liz and her team were so great to work with. Liz was extremely responsive and open to our ideas. The night was definitely everything we could have asked for!

Wow, what an incredible unique venue for a wedding reception! Liz, Kari and all the staff at the museum were wonderful to work with. The bride and groom and all our guests were so enchanted with the evening, from the entrance down the staircase, to the volunteers in the exhibits, the carousel and a great dance floor. We had about 150 guests and it was a great setting and I would highly recommend to others!

Our wedding at the Grand Rapids public museum was an absolute dream. The staff at the museum especially Elizabeth Wallace the events coordinator was wonderful to work with. They were so helpful and went out of their way to make sure our night was what we dreamed from beginning to end. Every detail was organized from setting up the venue to communicating with our vendors to communicating with us throughout the evening. They were fantastic, professional, set up and took down the venue so it was minimal work and stress for my husband and I. We had a live band that was also fantastic in the venue and the Grand Rapids public museum staff was so accommodating to the band and all of our vendors. We cannot thank them enough for making our day so perfect.

This was not our first choice in reception venues, but once I saw it, I HAD to have my reception here! Our guests were so impressed by the GRPM and it looked AMAZING! Everyone was so entertained by the carousel & just the ambience of the museum. It was truly a night to remember. Emmie, the coordinator at the museum is incredible! She made sure everything went so smoothly, I truly didn't have to worry. Only downside that I can share, you can only have a 4 or 5 hour reception, which is good for your pocketbook if you have an open bar like we did, but stinks because you never want the night to end!

Emmie was amazing! I did not have to do anything the week of my wedding and my whole reception experience was stress free. We received so many compliments on our reception, I highly recommend this location!

We had an absolute blast at our wedding and so did all the guests. One of the comments we heard throughout the night and for weeks after was how amazing the museum was. It was as beautiful as it was fun! The staff were very professional, especially Emmie, the event coordinator. She had everything taken care of and really did a great job bringing together all of the vendors. She had my trust the instant the planning began, and trust me Brides, having confidence in your event coordinator is a MUST if you want to make it through the wedding without having a meltdown :). They have ceremony venues too. Outside in front of the cityscape and blue bridge, as well as an indoor option. We ended up using the indoor option because of rain but it was still very beautiful. The only bad thing about the museum is the chairs that they provide for the reception are not very attractive (maroon molded plastic...yuck), I ended up renting chairs. The beverage service is done through the museum and they do not do kegs, You are allowed to choose 4 varieties of beer as long as it is available in bottles or cans. This was great because we were able to serve a variety of craft beers (we did all michigan craft beers :)) which is something both my husband and I really enjoy. They had no problem getting in any of the beer that we selected. All in all, the museum was great to work with and provided an amazing atmosphere for our reception. My husband and I are hoping someone else we know will get married there just so we can go there again. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

The Grand Rapids Public Museum was the most amazing venue for our wedding and reception. We got married under a tent just outside the museum next to the river and had the reception inside the museum on the first floor. Emmie, the event coordinator for the museum, and her staff are awesome. They took care of every decoration we brought in and provided prompt and friendly service. The entire museum staff was a pleasure to work with and their help was very appreciated on such a big day. I'd recommend this venue to anyone!!

I looked at various locations in downtown Grand Rapids. All were good, but sold themselves as just the venue (understandably). It was different with GRPM - not only do they have a fantastic venue (includes the carousel, and the museum's "streets of Grand Rapids"), but their staff did so much of the set up and tear down. Emmie, the event coordinator, is very professional, quick to help, and so accommodating. She alone sold this venue for me. They put the linens on the tables, set up my center pieces, and set up everything on all other tables! They even packed up our gifts onto a cart at the end of the night to be transferred to a car or across the street to the Holiday Inn. No other venue will offer you that much help in downtown Grand Rapids. They have a list of preferred caters to chose from, and bar services are catered through the museum itself. Jim Ackerman was awesome about supplying any special requests they didn't include the beverage package I selected. You only pay for what you drink, so you either get money back after your big night, or you have a bill waiting for you. I found this very fair. Definitely recommend this for any couples wanting a different atmosphere!

They were absolutely wonderful! Our coordinator ended up having to be out of town prior to the wedding but she made sure I met and was in contact with her fill-ins prior and during the wedding. They listened to all of my requests and did a fantastic job!

We lived up north but we had our hearts set on having our reception at the GRPM. Once we were given a tour of this truly unique and awe-inspiring venue there was no looking back. We had to plan everything from TC, so we relied on the help of the Events Coordinator, Emmie. I still can't get over how helpful, positive, professional & hard working she was! She gave me so many wonderful options, recommended the top local vendors and I trusted her with every detail. She was able to guide me through my catering, dessert and beverage options and made even the smallest personal touches stand out to my guests, by setting the room according to our dream wedding. Everything was divine, and she led and amazing staff. The Carousel lights lit up the sky, over the Grand River and our guests were blown away by the venue.

We used the Museum as the venue for our ceremony and reception. Our wedding could not have been more perfect. We had our ceremony indoors in the auditorium. Emmie, the events coordinator at the musuem, made sure our wedding was perfect. We met with her several times to go over details. She organized our rehersal and went through the ceremony step by step. She picked up our linens, set up all of the tables and decorations and ensured everything followed the correct timeline during the reception. She also coordinated and spoke with all of our vendors. Our guests had so much fun looking at exhibits and going on the carousel. Again, our wedding was perfect and it was all thanks to Emmie at the museum. I would definitely recommend this venue for an unforgettable wedding! Just a side note: In the past, you had to use the caterer provided by the museum. You are NOW allowed to bring in any caterer you choose! You only have to use their beverage services since they have the liquor license.

Emmie was fantastic. I had misinformation come from Jim (bar), nasty attitude from their accounting person (Peggy or pat?) and their employee running the carousel was rude to the groom. Ran out of beer, specialty cocktail, and wine. Emmie saved the day and she is their only saving grace.

We had our wedding at the Public Museum and they have their own caterer that does their food. I was SO happy with Jim, who is in charge of their catering. He was so helpful with everything. Although it is very hard to find amazing food for a wedding, we were very happy with our selections.