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The Union Pavilion at Railside

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4.5
(20)

2500 76th Street SW, Byron Center, MI

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About This Vendor

West Michigan's Premier Indoor & Outdoor Venue

Newly built on the grounds of Railside Golf Club in Byron Center, The Union Pavilion is our one-of-a-kind indoor and outdoor wedding venue accommodating up to 300 guests. The Union features a stunning indoor reception area with exposed wood beams, chandelier lighting, stone fireplace, and floor-to-ceiling glass doors opening to panoramic views. Our hand-crafted cedar pergola is situated nearby on the lawn, completing the perfect setting for the perfect day.

Amenities + Details

Ceremony Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
On-Site Accommodations
Ceremony Types
Interfaith Ceremony, Non-Religious Ceremony, Religious Ceremony, Vow Renewal Ceremony
Guest Capacity
300+
Settings
Backyard, Ballroom, Country Club, Garden, Trees
Venue Service Offerings
Bar & Drinks, Bar Rental, Cakes & Desserts, Food & Catering, Planning, Rentals & Equipment, Service Staff

The Union Pavilion at Railside Reviews

Share your thoughts with other couples
Reviewed On 11/05/2020 by Rachael K
The Union Pavilion at Railside is a DREAM!! It is absolutely gorgeous! Their outdoor ceremony is the picture perfect place to get married. If you want outdoors + air conditioning (because you LOVE to dance... like me😛) this is the place for yo...
u. An entire wall can open to the outdoors. Most importantly, Donna is AMAZING to work with! She is insanely fast at responding to emails and/or phone calls. She will make sure your day runs smoothly and is happy to help in any way. If I could give Donna, her staff, and the Union Pavilion 10 stars I would! They are hands down the BEST venue to work with when planning your special day!
Reviewed On 3/13/2020 by Chelby O
Very clean and updated venue! Food and drinks were great. Communication could be worked on, but overall was a great venue. I liked that its not decorated super trendy and the outside would be beautiful to have your reception at if you get ma...
rried in a season that allowed it.
Reviewed On 12/12/2019 by Amanda S
We had the PERFECT wedding day at The Union! The team was fabulous from start to finish. Donna was a pleasure to work with, very quick to respond to emails and so helpful planning along the way. Their onsite team was great as well! The food was...
AMAZING, we received so many compliments about our wedding from food, venue & staff.
Reviewed On 11/09/2019 by Elise H
We fell in love with The Union Pavilion before it was even built, and it did not disappoint on our big day! Donna and her team were so helpful during the months of planning, and the day ran SO smoothly. This space fit our wedding aesthetic perf...
ectly (honestly even without your own decor it'd be beautiful), our guests raved about the food, and we loved being able to open the "garage" doors. Honestly, it was everything we dreamed it would be! Highly recommend!
Response from the Vendor on 05/08/2020
Thank You! Glad you enjoyed your day
Reviewed On 10/24/2019 by Abby N
We couldn't have asked for a better experience. Railside did such an amazing job. Donna was always so accommodating - she gave us multiple tours as they were completing Union Pavilion, answered many emails in a timely manner, and worked so hard...
to make sure the day of the wedding went so smoothly. Everyone was so profession and everything was very well put together. I strongly recommend this venue. We were one of the first weddings at the new Union Pavilion it was so beautiful and just so unique. Our guests had so many amazing things to say as well.
Reviewed On 8/23/2019 by Megan H
I got to have the wedding of my dreams at Railside! We were one of the first weddings at the Union Pavilion, and it was absolutely gorgeous! The staff made the whole wedding process easy and effortless, which is a huge blessing when there are s...
o many details that need to be in place. I would highly recommend having your wedding and reception at Railside, you won't regret it.
Reviewed On 9/21/2018 by Christena G
Railside was great the whole time I was planning my wedding! Donna was awesome every step of the way and took care of all our questions and needs. So much is included too for what you are paying for! I highly recommend railside as a venue for y...
our wedding!!
Reviewed On 11/07/2017 by Alisha V
Beautiful location for an outdoor tented reception! Room to get ready, great photo spots, get to take out the golf carts, awesome food!
Reviewed On 6/14/2017 by Jenelle E
Railside helps take the stress out of planning! They took care of everything and Donna Dokl is an expert on all things wedding. We were very pleased with how smoothly everything went!
Reviewed On 6/01/2017 by Gilbert C
The Railside Golf Club is truly a dream come true venue. We had our reception in the outdoor tent in May and it was still a great venue. The heaters kept all of us toasty and the lighting is very romantic. Staff was professional and helpful. Do...
nna was our coordinator and she did a fantastic job at answering questions and making sure everything ran smoothly. She is quick to respond and flexible with any request. My husband and I could not have asked for a more beautiful venue or a more wonderful staff.
Reviewed On 9/25/2016 by Natasha L
This venue was great! The prep work from Donna was good- she always responded to my questions timely. The day of, Corine was with us and I got SO many complements on how amazing she was working the event and keeping things going. Thank you for ...
making our day so special!
Reviewed On 9/21/2016 by Erin K
The venue is beautiful and the people were easy to work with and friendly. They accommodated our needs and wants and helped make the night beautiful.
Reviewed On 9/14/2016 by Adelyn C
We had our absolute dream wedding at Railside this September. Donna was a pleasure to work with, she was very prompt and helpful in responses as we planned and sent many emails along the way. The day of the wedding she and her assistant Marisa ...
did a great job keeping everything in order. The food was delicious given price point, everyone was extremely professional and courteous. We couldn't have been happier! Thank you Railside!
Reviewed On 7/12/2016 by Megan N
Our day was fantastic and almost flawless thanks to Railside. The event organizer assistant was fantastic and made our big date wonderful. WARNING: They double booked our date and didn't tell us until several months later and we had to reschedu...
le. We stuck with Railside but were very frustrated by the experience and the main event planner. No matter where you have your wedding, make sure you quadruple check everything. They paid the room fee because of the misunderstanding, but regardless it was frustrating. We were frustrated by the organization of the main event planner so make sure to stay on top of things and ask lots of questions. I would also ask what she needs from you for the day of way ahead of time because she was very last minute asking for things and was also frustrating. Despite some frustrations, the day of made up for everything because it was truly fabulous. They took care of problems that we had, helped up with anything we needed, waited on us amazingly while getting ready and made the event go great. The food was great. The day went so smoothly. Railside was awesome, just stay on top of your planning and advocate for yourself, which you should do anyway while wedding planning. We did the Friday night package and I highly recommend it!
Reviewed On 9/03/2015 by Jilynn L
I used Railside for a reception venue. They had really great service all the way through the planning stages and on our wedding day. They were very helpful with any questions I had. They also were very up front about costs and there were no add...
ed extra costs for things like colored linens. They were very easy to work with and very accommodating. They let us use a lot of their supplies as well. All our guests thought the venue was beautiful and the service was great. A great place all around!
Reviewed On 7/12/2014 by Jamie D
Railside did an amazing job with our wedding. The food was amazing and the golf course is beautiful for pictures. We also did our ceremony there and the gazebo is beautiful with or without decorations. Donna and Hailey were always available to ...
answer any questions that we had. Our wedding day turned out beautiful and was completely stress free!!! We would recommend Railside to anyone getting married.
Reviewed On 10/06/2013 by Katie L
Overall, we were exceptionally satisfied with Railside and their services. They were very accommodating and willing to meet our needs and desires. There were little to no issues or misunderstandings between the staff and my husband and me. The ...
golf course is beautiful inside and out and I would highly recommend this venue to anyone! We thoroughly enjoyed taking pictures out on the course and away from the wedding site. The tent where we had the reception was wonderful and had plenty of space for our guests to dance and walk around. The food was delicious and brought out to tables promptly. I would definitely recommend purchasing plated dinners so guests do not have to wait an incredibly long time! We also really enjoyed the course letting us light off chinese lanterns at night before we left. It was a perfect ending!
Response from the Vendor on 10/07/2013
Congratulations once again. Thank you for the review it was a pleasure working with you Donna
Reviewed On 10/23/2012 by Kelli K
Some miscommunications planning and being switched to Joan half way through the planning and having to re-plan several things. There were a few minor details that were disappointing, however overall it was great and the food was great as well!
Reviewed On 10/18/2012 by Aleisha B
I was very disappointed in EVERYTHING that Railside provided. Where do I start-the food umm....not even the same stuff we tasted. Some pork portions was not done and it was served to my guests. The beef was over cooked and unedible. Only half t...
he vegetarian orders were actually served. The birdal party and I got locked out of the locker rooms-where we were suppose to get ready--and they new that--it was in the contract. Many other things that were in the contract didn't happen-I was soooo disappointed!!!
Reviewed On 10/14/2012 by Lindsey S
We had our ceremony & reception at Railside. I relied on reviews to make decisions when planning our wedding & felt that I should provide an honest review of our experience. We signed up w/ Allyson who soon after went on maternity leave & we en...
ded up working w/ Jason & Joan. From the beginning working w/ Joan was difficult & we were surprised with the lack of quality customer service from someone in a customer service based industry. We set up a time to meet w/ Joan & she didn’t show (after making it seem like we were inconveniencing her b/c we couldn’t meet before 6 pm). She did apologize but followed this up by not being responsive to our emails or phone calls & I often felt like I had to chase her down to get info. Eventually Jason said to use him as a contact b/c we were having issues w/ the level of service from Joan. He was helpful & attentive & we felt much more comfortable w/ his help. One week before the wedding we talked to Joan & she mentioned that a local noise ordinance wouldn’t allow music to be played past 11 (in our contract we were told we could play music until 12). While we understood this wasn’t their decision we couldn’t believe they didn’t tell us earlier so we could contact our DJ to make schedule changes. A major change like this should be communicated to a customer asap! We tried to pay the majority of the balance a week before the wedding (w/ the remainder to be paid closer to the date). We had to follow-up multiple times with Jason trying to get a payment taken. Finally, the morning of the big day the payment was completed which left the balance & arrangements were discussed w/ Jason. 30 minutes into our reception, Joan interrupted & asked the groom for the rest of the payment! The whole situation was offensive considering it was our reception & the hoops we jumped through to resolve the issue earlier. The ceremony took place on the driving range & it was a beautiful location. However, there was a golfer using it during the ceremony. (Jason later explained that the range was closed but that no one enforces the rule). As a selling point to booking, we were also told we could use the locker room for our belongings & we found out on the wedding day that we couldn’t leave our things in the locker room (another unmentioned policy change). The reception went well. The outdoor tent is large & spacious w/ great views. The buffet dinner was well-received by guests & the food was good. However, the wait staff was a little overzealous & many guests had food taken away prematurely w/out being asked if we were finished. We also had several complaints about Joan being rude to guests! Sorry for the lengthy review but I wanted to give an honest summary of our experience. We can neither recommend for or against having your wedding at Railside. The venue itself was gorgeous but the last-minute changes & staff interactions w/ guests were subpar. If you have a lot of time or a wedding planner that can keep up w/all the details ensuring they don't blindside you w/anything last minture-the venue is a good option. But if you're trying to plan your own wedding & have little freetime I would suggest looking for a venue that is a bit more experienced & can help you feel confident in your planning! (We did follow-up w/ Jason to share our concerns prior to posting this review & felt that we were given a lot of excuses...but they did say they'll be making some changes so hopefully they'll be a better venue in the future).

Contact Info for The Union Pavilion at Railside

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2500 76th Street SW, Byron Center, MI
(616) 878-1140 ext. 211
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Meet the Team

meet the owner
Donna Dokl
Coordinator
Donna has over 20 years of event planning experience in Grand Rapids and throughout the Midwest. She has served as an event planner for the Public Museum of Grand Rapids and Fairfield Golf and Country Club. Her vast experience allows her to visualize every facet of an event incorporating overall design, food, beverage, and unique event details. Donna believes all events – regardless of size – are important. She works with brides and their families to ensure all aspects of their very special day are perfect.

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