The Grand Opera House Banquet Center

ecause he wants to keep the place nice. It also would have been nice if we could get into the place before 1:00 the day of, but there is no storage. So if it is a wedding, be prepared to have someone put it all together for you.

he Grand Opera House and spoke with Greg - and we are so glad we did. Not only was it the absolute best deal (catering service/plated dinner, open bar, chairs/tables/table clothes/color-choice napkins, lighting and some draping, door service, vendor coordination ALL included), but the building itself has great charm, class, and history. Greg was admittedly a little hard to get a hold of sometimes, but we were also doing all of the planning ourselves - so anyone who didn't return phone calls within 24 hours tweaked my brain a little. ;) All in all though, Greg was really great to work with - he truly made us feel special during our wedding evening, and his own father was the door man! No question was a dumb question, and he usually had a compromise or direct answer immediately to any detail that came up. The catered food was provided by Tornatore's, which The Grand Opera House uses exclusively to cater receptions -- and it was DELICIOUS. Some of the best food I've ever eaten at a wedding - and I'm not just saying that because I was starving and it was my wedding! Truly yummy. The catering staff were very professional as well, and took very good care of us. Also, the space is located in historic downtown Saint Charles, which is along a street full of adorable shops and other bars/eateries that your guests can venture to before or after your reception, all within walking distance. Plus, the airport and surrounding hotels aren't so far that hotel shuttles can most likely provide courtesy shuttle service to/from for any of your guests staying with them. BIG plus there. The Grand Opera House Banquet Center might not be the biggest, fanciest option in the Saint Charles/St. Louis area, but it was certainly the perfect option for us. We had a lovely evening, and all of our guests complimented on the setting and the fact that it felt more intimate and special than many other weddings they had been to. If intimate, special, and warm are buzz words for your wedding planning process, then please consider Greg and The Grand Opera House -- your budget will thank you too!

ttentive himself. I am so happy with everything so wouldn't have changed a thing about our reception. It was such an easy smooth process. We were on a budget & didn't feel that we broke the bank to have such an amazing reception. I HIGHLY recommend this venue. The location is prime & it's just beautiful inside & out!

t the food, in fact we had numerous compliments on it. Greg had an excellent staff and the open bar was well stocked. The venue is so extremely beautiful. The building is stunning and it was a perfect setting for the wedding and it was the perfect end to a perfect day.

ing. A couple of weeks later when I came to visit we drove by and looked in and I knew it was the right place. I was in contact with Greg via email and text. He was SO incredible and always got back to me quickly. We met with him to discuss the setup and pick out our linens and he was so helpful. Our friends commented on how great Greg was the day of the wedding - for setup and at the reception. He took great care of everyone! His dad even gave me a present at the end of the night. He said he's been doing it for years. I won't say what it is so that it will be special for the next bride!! Very sweet and thoughtful! The catering is with Tornatore's. The food is AMAZING! We had so many family and friends comment on how great the food was.

ties, corking fees, etc. Incrediblly stress free when you know those things are already taken care of. Price is very fair and Greg walks you through the receipt. There are NO hidden or addition add-ones/fees. Greg also helps with local vendors if you need. The venue is small - we had about 150 guest. However it had plenty of room for a decent dance floor - it was big enough for some Irish jigs towards the end of the evening. Hardwood floors and bar are beautiful and all then servers/ bar tenders were wonderful. Overall the experience was great. On a personal note: my husband and myself started wedding planning after every deciding to move to Oregon and needed a ton of support with vendors on a excellarated timeline. We experience a career change that forced the wedding back by almost a year. With no contract change or price increase Greg accommodated. During a stressful time it was a great relief to have a concrete cost of venue, food, and bar.

nitial tour. Any questions I had for him throughout the planning process he was always quick to respond. My mother and mother-in-law decorated the tables (linens provided) the morning of the wedding and both said Greg was very friendly and helpful with suggestions. The food is catered in by Tornatore's and is EXCELLENT! After the wedding I had several people comment about how good it was. During the reception, Greg's dad (forgot to catch his name!) works as a door man and was very friendly to our guests, and he even told us that he stopped a couple wedding crashers from getting in because they didn't know our names! Our one and only complaint is that we weren't warned beforehand that drinks couldn't be taken outside when smoking, which is probably common knowledge to them, but would have been nice to know. Greg's dad was quick to educate us though, much to my groom's displeasure. Overall, I would definitely recommend the Opera House and Greg. We had a great time, and so did our guests!

mily got there the day of around noon, the tables were not set up with linens like he had promised 2 weeks before. Luckily, he was quick to set up once they arrived. During the reception, he was tentative to the empty glasses, plates, and needs of our guests. However, he was also interested in the plethora of beautiful, single women. It seemed to me he needed to focus a little less on picking up a date and a little more on his bride and groom. In the end, the night was wonderful, and the venue was beautiful! If you are a laid back person, I think you will be okay working with Greg as long as you keep on him. However, if you are a particular, "controlling" person, I would suggest you use another venue. Some personalities just don't mix!

We were able to pick out the packages and menu that suited us and the price was outstanding for the value we received.

aying for the open bar as well.

ood, drinks, staff, tables, chairs, and linens). And the food, provided by Tornatore's (their caterers) was fantastic! The Grand Opera House manager, Greg Upchurch, was always quick to respond to my emails. The staff the night our reception was very accommodating and helpful. Everyone had a great time, and we couldn't be happier with how everything turned out!

to begin decorating. For example; he did not have the tables and chairs set up, which he said he would when we met with him two weeks prior to our event. Also, we gave our guests sugar cookies as their gift and after we got them on the tables, we had a some extra cookies. My mother in law began passing them out to the few of us that were there to sample and Greg yelled at us and told us that we could not eat cookies because we would get crumbs everywhere. At this time I confronted him about his attitude and he informed me that he was not feeling well. I do not find that reasonable enough excuse to be rude to people who just gave you thousands of dollars, if you are sick STAY HOME!!! These are just a few examples of how we were treated. When it came time for our event Greg did not hold up his end of the bargin. He kept guests waiting to open the bar and also shut our bar down early, we had arranged and paid for the bar to be open for 4 hours. Furthermore, at the end of our reception guests were up dancing, mingling and if they left their gift that we gave them on the table, he threw them away. The Tonatore's (the Opera House Caterers) were extremely nice and the food was fabulous. As for the Opera House staff (including Greg's dad) they were very nice and I could tell that they were embarassed by Greg's behavior and attitude. The Opera House venue is in a great location and has that historic Main Street feel. If I knew a year ago what I know now about Greg Upchurch and the way he treats his guests, I probably would have chosen to do something different.

xicated and Greg helped load me up in the vehicle. priceless

m my guests. We had around 150 people at my wedding and they fit perfectly into the reception venue. The Grand Opera House was beautiful!! I had an all around perfect night!! I highly recommend this venue to anyone in the St. Louis/St. Charles area!!