I had my wedding here on May 8. Crystal Gardens did an outstanding job hosting my wedding in the outdoor air chapel and celebrity ballroom. It was exceptional service and everything was well delivered. John was amazing overseeing the event and checking up on us often. Which was greatly appreciated. Barb was spot on for coordinating the ceremony and helped me when my bridemaids were struggling with my bustle. Valerie was great with answering every question that I could think of to ask. Since pandemic wedding is insanely stressful and sometimes you need someone to bounce ideas off of to make sure your making the right decisions in terms of how the wedding will go. I definitely had a blast. The ceremony was beautiful. Country lane flowers pairs really well with crystal gardens since Edward knows the venue quite well. The celebrity ballroom is beautiful it is well spaced for about 100 people and it has a nice bar inside of it and bathrooms. Blue uplighting and personalized decor seem to be nice touches that you could make to it. I also loved the gold chairs in here. They served nice plated appetizers. We upgraded the bar highly recommend that. We got champagne for toasts which was yummy. I was able to request my favorite wine. The dinner we chose prime rib, herb chicken and vegetarian lasagna plated. It was so good. We got green beans and roasted red potatoes with it. We also got their standard cake they served with their packages that was good I liked it served with the dessert shooters those were a hit. The entree also included salad that was good too. We had pizza served as a late night snack that was delicious as well. If people had issues with their food it was addressed right away and replacements were made. I was impressed with that. I liked that they moved extra tables for their outdoor patio so people could sit out there instead of all inside too. I bought to go containers that I gave to the bar to use for those that did not feel comfortable eating there. So that's another good idea to consider. Music was great and paired nicely with mobile rhythm entertainment for the reception. Everything was wonderful and happy Crystal gardens was able to make my dream wedding a reality. read more

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We just had our wedding here and it was an excellent experience. Our guests said the food was some of the best they have had at a banquet center. Staff was excellent and did an amazing job. I would definitely recommend this venue. read more

While the room for the reception we went to was nice and decorated very pretty, the only good food was the appetizers ! The salad was full of brown rotten lettuce (no one at the table ate it), the chicken piece was wafer thin and way overcooked, the beef was kind of ok but very small. The loaded baked potato was unrecognizable as a potato and tasted terrible....vegtables, meh. Chocolate cake dry and the beer was so watered down, it didn't taste like beer. Just glad I didn't pay for that reception ! read more

We attended a lovely wedding reception here. I hadn't been here since over 10 years ago, and it was no slouch of a place then, but it's even classier and lovelier now. My recollection was of it being a shade on the shabby side years ago, but there was no trace of that feeling now. The carpet and chairs were stylish and in good condition. The elegant high ceilings and gorgeous staircase are quite stunning. The food was excellent, which is important. There was plenty of space for dancing, though it was at one end of the room, near the bar, and not in the center/near the bridal party table, which I prefer because the evening seems to stay popping when more tables can see the couples and also more readily participate. Our party room had a beautiful private patio, which is a mixed blessing: it was fresh and lovely, and also convenient for smokers, but it also separates the party, so people can "miss" reception events and happenings if they decide to hang out there. It's a large building, with the potential to hold a few events simultaneously. Our wedding was on a Friday night, and I think there was only one other even there at the same time, so it never felt crowded. FYI, if you are attending a reception after a wedding, know what time it actually starts, as in "open the room". They will not let you in your party room even a little early. Our party met up here and then had to wait. The dark paneled bar wasn't a bad scene, but drinks were on the pricey side, though at a reception hall that's probably to be expected. There are limited seating options in the lobby in front, too. There were a lot more seating options down the hall outside our reception room, which was nice to grab a quiet moment if you wanted it later in the evening. Maybe we didn't see it, but I don't think that area was opened to us when we arrived. Overall they represent quite well, especially for a smaller town like Howell, and it is a great choice of venue! We had a beautiful evening. read more

Gorgeous outdoor spaces! Loved the private patio off the smaller banquet rooms, plus the large bathrooms right in the space. My only gripe was the lack of diaper changing facilities. Both women's bathrooms were quite spacious, but no changing station was to found. Ended up using a couch, which is not ideal for other guests. They did have high chairs, which was nice. read more

A beautiful venue right off of Grand River, between Brighton & Howell. I don't know why, but I was expecting something more dated but it fact is is a nearly new building! I attended a baby shower in one of the spacious event rooms but noticed a couple of weddings being set up as well. They have a lot going on! That tells me that the staff has to be very organized! The food was fantastic, mimosas and coffee were flowing, thanks to the attentive staff. They have an enormous parking lot and I can imagine being so close to Brighton & Howell, it makes setting up accommodations a breeze if you have guests coming in for your event. There is not a ton of scenery surrounding the venue, because you are in the middle of town, but still a few pretty photo opportunities!! Overall a great experience! Would recommend to anyone local looking to hold a big event. read more

Had my wedding this past weekend. I cannot say enough great things about them. Planning was easy, thank you Val and Erica! Our day of coordinator, Barb, was fantastic. Terri was just wonderful and so helpful during dinner and cake cutting. Colleen, our bartender, did an amazing job all night. The food was phenomenal! Thank you to all the staff who helped make our night magical. It was perfect in every way! read more

I hired in last year November, at first I Loved my job, I worked the coat room, and lobby. I thought I had found a really good job. But the Furnace in the lobby broke, It was in single-digit it was in single digits weather, worked up front freezing, Because the owner because the owner didn't Want to pay to have it fixed, Then suddenly I then suddenly I realized he simply didn't care. Working the coat working the: was a good job the only complaint is there is nowhere near enough room for the employees to hang the customers coats, you would think to buy, or get an employee another coat rack that is probably no more than $100 ( much less I'm sure ).. to make our jobs so much less stressful, but no such luck. If I had a problem most often many managers would ' disappear ', like they simply didn't want to hear it. Made me very sad , lack of communication, and horrible screwed up hours. read more

Crystal Gardens Banquet Center - The coat room, when I had Ran out of hangers. This is unfair to us employees, AND customers ! - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Howell, Michigan

I was just here for a wedding reception on March 3rd.. and it was awesome. The building itself is gorgeous. We got there about a half hour before the reception started so we hung out in the bar. A very, very nice bar. With an awesome array of alcohol, lots of Three Olives and Pinnacle, plus Effen cucumber. So many drinks to figure out, but I ended up with Watermelon Three Olives and sprite, it rocked, just like jello/a jolly rancher. Once we got our drinks, we were told we had to stay in the bar, which was a bit of a bummer. The reception room itself was dry for the evening because the bride and groom had some older family who didn't approve of drinking, which is fine. Anywho, onto the reception hall itself. I don't know if they decorate or someone else does, but it was gorgeous. They have giant chandeliers that sparkle and shine. The chairs had a white chair cover with a pale blue bow that perfectly matched the wedding. It was quite lovely. And the food was amazing. It was family style, which was good because we were hungry. We had salad, then a light alfredo, then chicken parmigiana, beef, garlic mashed potatoes (So Good), steamed veggies, followed by a cupcake bar that was fabulous (though I don't know where the cupcakes came from). Our waitress was also awesome, since we had quite a few refill/more sauce requests. She took very, very good care of us. So, to sum up, the bar was great, the building and rooms gorgeous, the food delicious, and the bathrooms very clean. It's a great place for an event and much more awesome than I expected. read more

Two days after my wedding I'm still receiving phone calls and text messages from my guests letting me know how perfect the day was. Of course I graciously accept the compliment and selfishly say it was no big deal planning every last detail. The truth is, it was not at all stressful to me because the staff at Crystal Gardens handled everything and made my wedding day their number one priority, absolutely beautiful and 100% stress free. Let's talk about Laura in the sales office for a second, she has been dealing with me and my " wedding planning committee" for over a year. My "wedding planning committee" consists of my mother as well as my mother in law and we all know that the mothers have their own ideas of how the day should be. Laura handled each and every occasion with grace and the upmost respect for their opinions. Every email and phone call was responded to almost immediately and she always made sure that I knew I could count on her for anything I needed for the wedding. She would even email me and let me know if she was going to be away from the office for a few days and would provide me with an alternate contact if I needed anything (shout out to Kari for all her help). By far, Laura was a pleasure to work with and made my entire experience at crystal gardens amazing. Barb, the wedding coordinator made sure everyone was on point and perfectly communicated with my wedding party about the direction of the ceremony. During the early morning hours, while I was getting ready I received a call from Terri who was in charge of setting up the reception. We made our centerpieces and provided direction on how the table tops should be arranged. Something was missing and the directions provided (by my mother in law weren't 100% clear) Terri asked me if I knew where the specific items were and asked me to call her back once I figured it out. I never called her back but she took care of it, located the items and made sure they were exactly where they needed to be. The wedding reception went off without a hitch and if there were any other problems the team at crystal gardens took care of it without me knowing anything was wrong. All of the servers were AMAZING. Jayne took care of the sweetheart table that my husband and I were at and plated our food, made sure we had enough and did whatever we needed, with a smile! She was absolutely incredible and on top of her game. Now, I bartended for ten years and I was very concerned when I was told that we would have one bartender to take care of the entire wedding reception. I didn't want my guests to have to wait for a drink and though I didn't doubt Dan's abilities... I didn't think he would be able to keep up (no offense, Dan ... I just know that I had a bunch of drinkers in attendance and I wanted to make sure that they were all taken care of). My man! Slinging drinks faster than people could order them. Dan was great throughout the entire evening and made sure that no one ever had to wait and that I never had an empty glass. I would 100% recommend Crystal Gardens to anyone thinking about having their wedding there. Laura, Barb, Kari, Terri, Jayne, Dan and everyone else (I wish I had your names because I'd call you out right now) that was working on Sunday 5/24/15 - you were ABSOLUTELY AMAZING and made my wedding day incredible, perfect and memorable for all the right reasons. read more

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The staff is great. Valerie and Laura both did a great job. Would recommend trying the food privately. We went to the bridal show first and were unsatisfied with the food. After telling Valerie this she was happy to set up another appointment and add more seasoning and spice to our food. We got the chicken parm and roast beef. We also ended up grading since we had less guest than anticipated. Had a great wedding night! read more

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Fantastic beautiful venue - friendly, responsive, attentive and professional staff. Great value for a wedding! I would recommend this venue for any upcoming weddings - at least meet with them and see what they can offer you. Dinner service, open bar, DJ and a 2-tier cake are all included. They can add chair covers, chargers, etc - EVERYTHING can be handled by them except the photographer. Had a fantastic vow renewal/wedding reception here this past Saturday. Just a wonderful time! And they just re-did their entire parking lot so it looks classy and very sharp. The entire venue is timeless and beautifully decorated. read more

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Beautiful venue to have a wedding. Plenty of parking. The outdoor space is lovely. The ceiling fans were a great touch. The banquet room was spacious and the tables were beautiful. The room was set up very well and not crowded at all. The food was delicious and the servers were very attentive. The bar tenders were very nice and seemed to really enjoy their jobs. My only complaint was someone should have kept an eye on the bathroom. Overflowing trash. Some empty paper towel dispensers. read more

Attended a wedding & reception here. Large place where multiple events can be held at the same tine. There is a nice bar / killing time area within. Certain things like their piano in the lobby could have used a good dusting and bathroom stall walls/doors could've used a little extra wipe down attention in the event room we were in. My nitpicking on these things may be because I have been watching too much Hotel Impossible lately, plus I've done janitorial work in the past. Staff / servers could've been a little bit friendlier (a smile won't break your face people). read more

Came for a meeting. Parking is ample. Location convenient right off of hwy 96. The hall is easy to find your way around. The food was served buffet style and was adequate. The pasta salad was tasty & simple, the fish didn't have much flavor but did retain its moisture, the chicken was buttery good, the beef was average, and the raspberry sorbet was surprisingly good. The decor is a bit drab. For a meeting it's fine but I wouldn't hold a special event here. read more

Wedding Chapel is a Wedding Factory. They had four weddings day of our wedding. They get you in and out with no flexibility because next wedding coming. This includes bridal dressing room. Barb, the wedding coordinator, refers to herself as the wedding dictator. Her way or the highway. Paid way too much not to have a say on how front is set up, how bridal party enters/exits. Bossy with our pastor/officiant. Too many brides...had to wait for photos on. stairs and in patio garden. Sent email to general mgr after wedding and never got response. read more

When we plan events, it's not always easy because Livingston County is notorious for last minute RSVPs. They work with us and adjust meals when they can to accommodate us. The food is good. The hall is big enough to accommodate a large crowd. The service is excellent. read more

Crystal gardens is a cookie cutter ,get in ,get out hall. Yes it is pretty but it is like a crappy book with a beautiful cover. There were so many things tacky I just don't know where to start. So I will address each item bullet point style CHAPEL Let's face it, you are in a parking lot! You can here all the traffic on Grand River, if there is another wedding going on , and there will be, you can here them partying on the other side of the bushes. The sound system is sub par You an see the cars parked in the lot. God forbid it rains because you have to walk outside to get to the chapel. Then they escort you with multi color golf umbrellas. They couldn't get a bunch of solid black umbrellas? They end up in your pictures. What a disaster that was. HALL. It is very pretty. Except must we look at the 12 foot portrait of the men who own it on the wall. Egomaniacs , who cares about them at my wedding! The dance floor is an odd shape and we had two halls with one bar. It was a pain to get a drink. The bathrooms were cleanish but you share your bathroom with all the other weddings and they are very narrow between the toilets and sink for ladies to get by on the way to the stalls. I also feel the bride should never ever have to use these bathrooms with her big dress. There should be a separate brides bathroom in the bridal dressing area. That was terrible planning. FOOD. A NIGHTMARE!!!! This was the worst food ever! It is obvious that they just buy mass quantities of crap from Gordon's and put it in a drying warmer. Family style is the way we were served and there was not enough food to even make it half way around the table. These were not even big eaters! Then we would have to ask for more and sit there and wait. Lance was our server and he was very nice but the kitchen not giving him enough food made his job tough! Not that we really wanted more food after we tasted it. The balsamic salad dressing was tasty but the salad was so overdressed with it that it caused the lettuce to wilt. The fettuccine Alfredo had NO flavor. It might has well been paste! DO NOT ORDER THE BEEF!!! Or should I say shoe leather. I could not believe it was sooooo dry and tough. They must just keep this stuff in warming ovens to keep it warm and to dry out. The potatoes were decent but of course they give you one small bowl for a table , find the waiter we need more! The rolls were cold and very dry , at least the little butter cubes were soft. Chicken parmigian was just little Gordon food chicken patties (if you are 3 they are yummy) with a slice of cheese melted on and some very weak marinara. The vegetables are hard and cold with absolutely no seasoning and a metallic flavor. They did look good , such a disappointment. In the later part of the evening they bought out pans of pizza. I think it was pizza , it was raw dough on the bottom and undercooked cheese with the same weak marinara sauce that was on the chicken. It was gross. This was the worst wedding food I had ever had So embarrassing for the family. And all that money they spent. A crime. Crystal Gardens should have been ashamed. But this is nothing but a huge cookie cutter operation. Why would they care. It looks pretty and gets you in. Shuttle service to Holiday Inn express: What shuttle service? Thank god my husband had to drive back to the hotel at the last minute for a forgotten item because when he got there he found guests stranded with no way to the ceremony. At the end of the night people had to wait forever to get back. Unacceptable WORKERS: They offer many services , such as photographers , DJ . The photographer showed up in a t shirt and capri jeans and tennis shoes with a bright yellow bag around her waist. It was so unprofessional looking. She ran around the chapel and reception in full view of everyone dressed inappropriate. Could she not just had black pants and a solid colored blouse so she would just blend and still be comfortable? That is a no brainer! DJ. Was horrible. I could not believe the lame music. Celebration , old time rock and roll , louie Louie.? What a joke. Then he played only two slow songs to dance to. Be very careful brides. Hand pick your DJ because you are giving them the reins to control your party and set the tone. Later in the evening the cleaning crew was out cleaning the hallway areas and lobby. These girls all were bent over with their thongs and tattoos hanging out. if this sounds attractive I promise you these were no Heidi Klums. It was repulsive. The staff is there to help but they want you out as soon as possible and make you feel very rushed. Do not be sucked into this place for your wedding. Find a different venue with edible food. The pretty will be tarnished quickly when the amenities they deliver make there appearance!!!!! Shame on Crystal Gardens A rip off. read more

This is the cutest wedding chapel! We got married here on 4/28/18 and Tiffany was so wonderful. She coordinated the entire event and took care of all the important stuff so we could relax and enjoy our wedding day! It's beautifully decorated and small and intimate but it seats so many people! It also has an outdoor gazebo so you can use that or the chapel. We wanted an outdoor wedding but in Michigan we can never predict the weather so we used the chapel and had pictures taken out in the gazebo! If you're looking for cute, intimate, friendly staff and you want to enjoy your day, call Tiffany! We have made a friend as well and she is the sweetest person and made our special day wonderful and stress free. I would highly recommend this venue read more

Sorry I don't intend this to be mean but I hope the meal I was provided last night isn't like the meals that they do for Weddings or other formal events. It was a fundraiser banquet so I get it's all about raising money but I'm sorry who serves Tilapia these days. The green beans were the best part of the meal. Please inform the waitstaff who were very pleasant that they cannot serve and clear dishes at the same time without washing their hands first. It's a fundamental mistake that I see often but is very unsanitary. Like I said I'm sure the organizers didn't order top shelf but that meal wasn't good. read more

We absolutely loved our experience at Crystal Gardens! The venue was so elegant and the food was great! Our guests complimented the food many times. We had the Friday night package with buffet, and included DJ, chair covers and the cake. The cake was so good too. Everything was so easy and the venue took care of everything. Working with Kari helped everything go smoothly and she thought of every detail! The night of the reception all of the staff was exceptional! I would highly recommend this venue - they made our night a very special one to remember! We loved it! read more

absolutely loved our experience at Crystal Gardens. From the moment we set up our appointment to meet with Valerie to the moment we left out reception at the end of the wedding everything was perfect. They went above and beyond for us and we would highly recommend them to anyone in the future. read more

I am SO incredibly happy that we chose to go with Crystal Gardens for our wedding on 10/21/2017! The service was stellar, the food was fantastic (the prime rib was one of the best I've ever had!), and the venue was beautiful! We worked primarily with Valerie leading up to our big day and she was so patient and helpful in answering all of our questions and concerns. Our coordinator, Barb, was also super helpful in making sure the day went smoothly. The servers in our reception hall were fast and efficient. As the bride and groom we had our own "go-to" person that was so attentive to anything we asked for. The bartender remembered my drink order every time I went for a refill and being the only bartender in a room full of people I was quite impressed! An employee even helped to remove a bead from my nephews ear during our ceremony! (Apparently our nuptials were not entertaining enough to a 6 year old!) They truly go above and beyond here to make your day perfect! As for the price, we looked at a couple of venues where we would have paid the some that we had paid at Crystal Gardens for ONLY the venue. At Crystal Gardens, this included the venue, food, open bar, the open air chapel for our ceremony (this was actually a small amount extra but the total price was still less than we would have spent anywhere else), and we got to choose three things to include in our price. They give you a list when you first inquire including things like DJ, cake, invitations, etc. that you can add without paying extra but they also let you substitute. We went with cake, chair covers, and a bar upgrade. We also got our invitations through them at a discounted rate because we had booked there. There is a financial minimum for the size room we chose, meaning we had to pay for a minimum number of people even if fewer people RSVP'd. However, they let you take that money you pay to make up the difference to reach your financial minimum and apply it towards something else so we were also able to add a fall dessert table that included pumpkin and apple pie and cider and donuts and a champagne toast for the entire room (rather than just the head table). There are truly not enough good things to say about Crystal Gardens! read more

Crystal gardens was amazing, beautiful and created memories that I will never forget! From the first meeting to the day of the wedding I was lucky enough to have Valerie Keough as my consultant. At that first meeting she explained every possible thing to me and really put me at ease. I had only been to 3 weddings in my lifetime and when I was young so I really had no idea how everything worked. Even as questions came up after the meeting I was able to email her and she was always so quick responding to my emails. Valerie went above and beyond constantly with her service and help. She was incredibly knowledgeable and there wasn't a question I asked that she didn't know the answer. She was here when I dropped off my things to be set up and helped me get everything where it needed to be. The individuals that were supposed to come to the wedding and to tear down my receptions did not show up and the Crystal Garden staff stepped in and said they would help me. They took pity on me as this is something they generally do not do. At the end I was so exhausted that I left my bouquet there that had a brooch on it. I was so upset and when I called looking for the brooch they had already saved it and had it at the front desk for me to pick up. The whole experience was just perfect and I couldn't ask for more. I would recommend Crystal Gardens to EVERYONE around. The outside chapel was so amazing and exactly what I wanted. also Thank you so much to Crystal Gardens for making my wedding one of the most wonderful memory in my life. read more