Monterey Ballroom

e.

ive ten is not an option. My family and I flew across the country for a wedding and reception at the Monterey. When we got to the Monterey, which our daughter was the maid of honor in, we had quite some time before the wedding started. While I walked around the inside of the building, it was dark, dank and in the bar area it smelled like a homeless encampment had just moved out. The smell of urine was overwhelming. It was hot as Hades outside and the air conditioning didn’t seem to have the stamina to keep up with the heat. This was before guests started arriving. It didn’t get any better for the rest of the day and into the night. Once the wedding happened, in the beating down sun, everyone moved inside for the reception. Things seemed to be going fine, but the drink service was atrocious! There were two bartenders, one of whom had the worst attitude I’ve seen in some time, that could not keep up with the crowd. As I sat and watched the bar saga start, I observed them pouring drinks with hardly any alcohol in them. Mike, the owner, actually admitted that he instructed his bartenders to do so when he met with the bride two days later. At some point, Mike made the decision to throw the wedding party out about an hour before the venue was booked until. At no point during the evening did Mike come to any of the family and say he was having a problem with anything. He just decided that the party was over and we were all going to have to leave. The bride did meet with him on Monday and rather that give her some of her money back, Mike decided that he would tell her that he would throw her a free party to make it up to her, but only if she convinced her friends to write Mike some “five-star reviews”, the more reviews the better he would treat her! Look at the reviews for this place. The ones with five stars and nothing to say are probably the previous parties he is extorting! This might be alright with some people, but this bride does not live in Minnesota any more. Mike, if you read this I’d like to tell you that you are a horrible person and that the way you conduct business is even worse. You can make any statement you want on here and I guarantee I’ll have a cogent response. Folks, if you read this, I’d highly suggest you run for the hills and find another venue for what is supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life.

ommunication and outstanding service. This venue is totally gorgeous, the reception hall is spacious. We were able to have our separate cocktail hour area, large bar and guest seating all in one room without feeling cramped. I could not speak anymore highly about the Monterey Ballroom!

ing unexpectedly at the Monterey. The day of our daughters wedding that was in our back yard it started to down pour 20 minutes before the service was ready to start. We called the Monterey and Mike said come on down without any hesitation. Let me say, not once did I feel overwhelmed with the details of two different personalities and styles in my daughters wedding visions. One wanted up lit cocktail tables and centerpieces with club dancing and lighting. The other wanted a rustic wood feel the with slabs of wood with candles and babies breath and oars as a guest book and line dancing, the Monterey staff accommodated our requests and had the dance floor packed!

ow good it was. We went with the house DJ and there sound system was awesome. The DJ was very entertaining, played all of our requests and played great music. The staff was outstanding and made our day the best.

in entree was fine, but the kids meals were cold and inedible. Pop was $2 a cup and wait staff would come around and clear off table while people were out dancing, taking a half full cup of pop. Mike allowed people to take cups on the dance floor, which was soon gross - he announced it's OK to take glasses on the floor, just don't spill. As we were cleaning up, Mike came over and started yelling at parents for using aluminum foil tins for carrying the leftover cupcakes out - there were never served by the wait staff - he complained we were 10 meals over, which we paid for. The DJ that was paid for didn't show up. On the plus side, the venue is large enough to accommodate a large group and it is decorated nicely.

pider crap all over the outside entrance. Then, the toilets weren't working and they were out of water. They did serve some water from the place during dinner while it was still available and it was yellow and tasted metallic. Floors felt like they were going to collapse. The ceiling where the buffet was had loose paint and water damage all over. IMO, this place needs some serious renovations. It could be beautiful but looks like the owner(s) don't care.

they leave up year round, but they look great and add to the feel of the ballroom. I'd definitely recommend doing the chair covers, it helps the ballroom blend together as a whole and look unified. The majority of the compliments we received was on how great the ballroom looked. The food was absolutely delicious! We had several compliments strictly on the quality food. Due to the size of our reception, we had a buffet which I was nervous about but it moved quickly and they did serve 4 tables (Grandmas, Grandpas, Photographers, etc.) which was very helpful. The price per plate was comparable to other venues (both buffet and plated). They also served sandwiches at 9:00pm which was a hit for both the kids and adults! I would recommend doing that to everyone! We were allowed to bring in a DJ (not their option), but they couldn't use the sound system at the Monterey so the back of the ballroom couldn't hear any of the speeches. That was the biggest downfall for us that we weren't expecting. Denyse is very easy to work with and gets back to you right away. She works within your time frame to meet and go over what they have for you. I would recommend the Monterey to anyone looking for a ballroom for any event!

her DJ that she has there, he was so good at keeping the crowd until they couldn't no more! So glad to have had our Reception here.