Packard Proving Grounds

We were married at Packard on 7/22/22. My husband and I didn’t want a traditional venue, and we wanted our wending funds to go toward organizations and people we liked and trusted. We knew Packard was the right place for us on our first tour in 2021. Mary Ann was wonderful to work with and we loved knowing that our venue fees were going toward supporting the preservation and maintenance of the historic grounds. We also liked that they had a Facebook group for couples, hosted wedding garage sales, and were at a convenient location for us. The space also fit well in our vision of a vintage-themed wedding, melding my work as a librarian with my husband’s work as an automotive engineer. The space was beautiful. Our out-of-town guests stayed at the Cambria Hotel, which offered a shuttle to Packard, and we got ready on the Packard grounds, which helped the day feel more relaxed. It also helped that the ceremony and reception space were close together but there was still space to spread out. One thing that surprised us was that few guests stayed to dance despite our fantastic band; most of our guests wanted to wander the grounds or tour the museum (or leave altogether) instead. That might have more to do with our friends/family than the venue, but it’s worth thinking about! We had some confusion on a couple points the day of the wedding. We had attended a handful of other Packard events before our wedding day, so I was accustomed to seeing the reception hall’s large garage doors open in the warmer season—especially during these pandemic years. We envisioned our floor plan with the doors wide open, but our wedding planner had to quickly adjust when the venue staff informed us that we would not be allowed to open the reception hall’s large garage doors during cocktail hour because of the heat that day. It turned out to be a very hot day, so it made sense to spare their A/C systems, but this change ran counter to the floor plan we’d constructed around traffic flows and effectively trapped the band’s music in the reception space, so I wish I’d known about it sooner! We had also been told that we could walk through the Packard house for the ceremony, so we left some things (phones, water bottles) there. My wedding planner moved the belongings shortly after the ceremony when a staff member noted that our belongings could not be left in the house, which took us by surprise in the whirlwind of activity following the ceremony. However, aside from these minor snafus the day of our event, everything went beautifully! Our guests loved the venue and still talk about the space, and everything looked like how we dreamed it would.

Growing up close to the venue, I always loved driving by it and the history behind it. When I got engaged, I just knew I had to have my wedding at PPG. I looked at other venues, but none of them compared to this beautiful place. Mary Anne and Rene were amazing to work with and always answered any of my questions. I LOVE that this venue is a blank canvas for any bride to bring her wedding vision to life. I am so happy I got married here and cannot wait to receive my professional photos & video back to relive the best day ever. If you are looking for a rustic but elegant venue, I HIGHLY recommend Packard Proving Grounds

The PPG was the best place for our wedding reception! The Repair Garage is beautiful and honestly doesn't need much decor as it's beautiful on its own. Mary Anne and Rene' are so helpful and even honored our odd request of letting us have skeletons in the static car inside of the garage as part of our 'Til Death theme. Our guests loved our venue, especially the tours that the PPG volunteers led during the reception, at one point the dance floor was empty as everyone was on the tour! My only word of advice is that it's a build-your-own wedding venue which is totally worth it in the end and is completely customizable. There's a lot of decisions to make and if you want an all-in-one venue the PPG isn't for you.

COVID changed our wedding plans twice. My maid of honor suggested touring PPG and I am so glad she did. They were organized, helpful and I had the most beautiful wedding there. All the guests loved cocktail hour in the courtyard. Thank you to PPG for making my wedding the most beautiful day that I’ll never forget.

Staff members were very helpful and friendly. Easy to work with and very organized. Loved having two separate spaces - used the historic lodge for appetizers and the garage for reception. Easily hosted 220 people with plenty of room to spare and a large dance floor. Also provided the opportunity to really customize as much as you want. Beautiful and very fun venue.

We knew that PPG was the perfect place for our wedding reception as soon as we walked in. Mary Anne and Rene were both amazing to work with, and the venue was absolutely beautiful. Our guests loved the tours (seeing the cars and boat), and I am positive that our pictures turned out amazing because of how cool PPG looks. We loved it there!

I am so happy we chose to have our wedding reception at PPG. Mary Anne and Renee went above and beyond to make our day run smoothly, both day of and during the planning process. I had so much fun with the blank slate and loved the flexibility to chose our vendors and the space itself was absolutely beautiful!

Packard is truly a one of a kind type of venue! We had the most beautiful nye wedding here. If you are looking for a vintage venue that is essentially a blank canvas, this is your place. I will admit that the planning was overwhelming at times because you provide every little detail on your own, but it was so worth it. The grounds are taken care of nicely, and the staff of volunteers are an amazing help through out the process. We were sad that it rained our entire wedding day, but the garage of restored cars made for the most incredible first look and wedding photos! We also loved that we could do our ceremony and reception in one location. If had to do it all again, I will definitely still choose packard!

The venue was beautiful! A few hiccups here and there, as expected. But overall wonderful experience

Packard proving grounds gives you the perfect opportunity to make the space yours and virtually go with any theme. Mary Anne has plenty of ideas to make your dreams come true. It is a lot of work to have a wedding here but the end result is so worth it. Everyone wanted and raves about how beautiful this place was during and after our wedding. We are SO happy we had our wedding here.

Packard was spectacular. Great and easy communication with the events coordinators there. Wonderful location for a wedding. Indoor and outdoor options available for ceremony!

Beautiful venue, but somewhat expensive considering they only supply the building, grounds and some tables. The response time from event managers is also unpredictable .

The PPG was an absolute show stopper. Not only is the venue beautiful, but couples have as much flexibility as they can imagine selecting vendors, decorations, floor layout etc. This is a DIY venue, you select and bring in/rent EVERYTHING. The PPG does have tables on site, but outside of that, it's up to you to choose. The staff assists in connecting couples with vendors and each other for ideas/rentals/sharing, they are responsive, helpful, caring, and will do what they can to help make your day perfect The historic charm is beautifully showcased throughout the grounds and buildings without being suffocating and restricting. To top it off, you can even have classic Packard vehicles on display in the building! Finally the PPG team is a wonderful group of people including many volunteers. I wish I could do our day over again, exactly the same way! I can't recommend this venue enough! I'd give it 10 stars if I could

The Packard Proving Grounds was a dream venue. Mary Anne was the busiest bee and never let us down. She will help start the process (and looking at it now I would jump to the venue ASAP) and help with whatever you need to. She is always there and answers emails and texts so quick. My husband and I wanted an unconventional venue - something that we could make our own. We are not banquet hall types. If it wasn't for family we would have had a backyard bash so the Packard filled every box. You can choose to set up everything yourself. We had a Friday wedding and rented the Thursday before hand. While we got closer we realized that it might be less stressful to just hire a coordinator to help set up and fix any issues we would have. It sucked to pay more, but man was it worth it. Our coordinator was one of the first to do a wedding at the Packard so she knew Mary Anne and all of the background on Packard. We never had her plan for us she just helped us make the Packard beautiful for us. It sucks to have to move so quickly to get everything in and out, but that's just how it is with weddings every weekend. If there isn't one I know Mary Anne would help to make something else work. You do have to do everything yourself at this venue. Caterer, DJ, Bar, tables, chairs, but honestly we wouldn't of had it any other way. We also wanted our dog to be apart of the day, but worried about what guests would think. He was definitely part of our ceremony which was on the Packard Boulevard and then when we arrived the Packard volunteers convinced us that it was our day and to keep him the whole night. This would never have happened elsewhere. That was so special for us and the volunteers made us feel so important. They are all there to just help out and are the nicest people. Our wedding was in July so it was hot, but comfortable. We were able to have half our guests outside and half him, it was great! Our guests still still us how different and fun the venue & wedding was. We were able to fit about 300 guests, decorate exactly how we want, have everything a normal venue would have and have it just how we wanted. We had a DJ, Bar, caterer buffet setup, Photo Booth, candy bar, dessert bar, popcorn bar , outside games and of course enough room to dance. The only downside would be that we had to be done earlier than most venues, but that wasn't a drawback at all. We wished we could do it over and over again. Maybe for a different event!!

Packard Proving Grounds is the perfect wedding venue! As a bride I was able to have so much creative freedom! We were so glad we chose this venue. Our guests raved about how unique and fun Packard Proving Grounds was to see. They loved the tour given by Bruce and Mary Anne was so wonderful to work with - everyone here is so great and genuine. My husband and I were blown away by how beautiful the place looked on the day of our wedding!

Amazing venue. We had so many compliments about how neat it was. It is perfect for a car lover like my husband. The best part was the tour. My two year old son could not stop talking about all of the engines he seen! The venue can easily be casual or formal and leaves so much space to be creative!

Our wedding was everything I dreamed and more!!! Not only did I have full creative freedom, Mary Anne and the staff were so accommodating and gave the BEST recommendations for our other vendors!!!! The greatest part was the tours the Packard volunteer gave!!!! I had no idea he was going to offer that and it made my day more than he will ever know!!! Him and his wife inspired love in my husband and I and we will hold them and the Packard dear to our hearts forever!

This venue was great in so many ways. I love the history of the place and the volunteers love it as much as I do. Their passion for the location, the vehicles, and the history of everything really shone through. My guests were able to get a tour and check out the classic vehicles on site. We even rented a classic Packard to drive us and our guests around the grounds. It was amazing to finish our ceremony and be able to jump into a 1925 Packard for our "escape." Also, throughout the entire process, Mary Anne was extremely helpful and accommodating. She made sure everything was handled seamlessly. Finally, I love that this venue came with no "required" vendors that I was forced to use. I was able to hand pick each vendor on my own. I did utilize some of the rentals that are available and everything was amazing and beautiful.

The Good: The grounds are beautiful and they have a very large space to work with. They also reinvest the money from their events back into restoring the grounds and building a museum. The Bad: One reason we chose the Packard Proving Grounds (PPG) is because they promised to let us clean up the day after our event. We discussed this with the ground’s representatives and were told verbally and through email that they would honor next day cleanup. At some point during our reception, we were told that we had to clean up that night, which we were not at all prepared for. We spent two hours DURING OUR RECEPTION trying to sort through old emails, rereading our contract, and speaking with family and friends to figure out how we would possibly clean up that night. Two hours that we didn’t get to spend celebrating with our friends and family. Two hours, I might add, that we paid an additional hourly rate for on top of the regular rental rate. After we finally found the email that stated we could clean up the next day, we showed it to the volunteer on site. The volunteer stated that he didn’t know why we were told we could clean up the next day and that we still had to clean up that night because the PPG had an event the following day. In addition to this, we sent the PPG manager the email, but we never received a response. Furthermore, there was no running water in the catering area, the venue still had items left out from PPG and a past event that we had to clean up, and tours of the garages were being given that got in our way and invaded the private space that we paid for. Also, PPG provides few accommodations considering their price. With all of that being said, if you choose the Packard Proving Grounds for your event, get everything that you want to be spelled out in your contract; don’t trust their verbal agreements or emails. Also, ensure that the venue is clean and ready for set-up and that the utilities are in working order.

We LOVED this venue for our wedding! Our friends and family could not get over how cool the garage was for a wedding venue and loved the classic cars and rustic feel of it all. The buildings and the grounds are absolutely STUNNING, especially in the fall. Such a great spot for pictures!! It was A LOT of work & planning having to bring in all of your own vendors (you are just renting the space with nothing included here), but totally worth it in the end to see your unique vision come together & make a lasting memory for yourself & your guests. This venue really started getting more popular as of lately and the only "complaint" (if you can even call it that) is that Mary Anne who runs the bookings just has A LOT on her plate and sometimes we felt like she was a bit scattered (rightfully so) doing it all herself. You just have to stay organized and on top of what they tell you because she has a lot going on with a lot of different couples. So glad we found this cool, historical venue. The staff/volunteers were always so friendly too! It really was everything we envisioned & so cool!!

I can't imagine getting married anywhere else. The venue itself is beautiful in its own historic way and then you have the option to implement whatever your imagination can come up with. We chose to do the ceremony and the reception here. The ceremony took place in the middle of two lines of trees and the reception followed in the repair garage. We used 3 of their classic Packard cars as displays in the garage and then also had a 4th car for the ceremony which drove us around. The staff was very nice and helpful. It was really a great experience.

We couldn't ask for a more unique venue! The place was a blank slate and is such a far cry from a standard hall! Everyone had such fun touring the grounds and looking at all of the history this AMAZING venue has to offer! Everyone at PPG was great to work with and I would urge ANYONE looking to have a UNIQUE and SPECIAL wedding venue to check out PPG!!! YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY!!!

Low cost to rent the space and you can do WHATEVER you want here! Bring in your own vendors for anything and everything including food, alcohol, table/chair rental. Guests loved checking out the old cars. Event coordinator, Mary Anne, is easy to work with and so friendly. She does everything she can to make a great experience for you and will go out of her way to help. The "staff" are volunteers and are very nice and give a homey feel to the place. LOVED it. Guests LOVED it. Unique. Inspiring. Fun!