I was never sure if I was someone who wanted to have a real wedding. I was so worried about what…read moreneeded to be done. I've focused on my career and had no idea about how to plan a wedding and my family does not live in the area to help out. I knew that I would need a wedding planner if we were to have a real wedding. And I couldn't have made a better choice than Elegant Events of West Michigan. Nicole is amazing. There are very few people in this world who are equally organized and creative and she is one of them. I had the platinum package of full planning and I am SO glad I did. My husband and I continue to say it was one of the best decisions we have made. She walked us through every detail and really got to know us as a couple. The vendors she recommended were perfect for us. She was there for every panicked phone call from me. When I had an entire flower meeting and then I got home and completely changed my mind...she set up another meeting without making me feel like a crazy person. She really cares about what you want. AND she kept us on budget. This was important as we paid for the wedding ourselves. I would have never known what to expect to pay for what things, she helped us prioritize our budget so we could afford the things that were most important to us. She also planned our rehearsal dinner which was at an art gallery and was amazing. She even took pictures of me and my family during the rehearsal dinner. She was there to handle every little thing that came up on the day of the wedding including sewing my belt for my dress back together after I tried to alter it. I felt like I was in a movie when she said, "Oh, I can fix that" and started sewing! The wedding was beautiful, more beautiful than I could have expected. The food and dessert table was amazing which was very important to us. I was worried that no one would dance and the dance floor was full all night thanks to the DJ she recommended. Everything was very professional and personal. Her assistant, Caitlyn who helped on the day was also very professional. She even handled a during event switch from Pepsi to Coke by my dad's request without me even knowing about it. We have been to many weddings over the years and of course we think that ours was great, but it has been over a month and we still have people calling us to tell us that it was the most amazing night. If you think about planning a wedding on your own, consider all the vendors and the coordination. You can't figure everything out from Pinterest! Do you want to spend time with your family for your wedding, or do you want to be setting up and breaking everything down? Do you want to spend months researching vendors or do you want to celebrate with your family, friends and fiance? I would highly encourage anyone to use Elegant Events of West Michigan to plan your wedding or event. I wouldn't have believed how great everything looked, but it turns out, she got me a great photographer...so I have the pictures to prove it!

My husband and I did the long distance thing through most of our relationship, including the months…read moreleading up to our wedding, so he didn't contribute a whole lot to the planning process just because he was so far away. The one thing that he did contribute however, was the idea of a wedding coordinator, and then finding Elegant Events and convincing me to have a preliminary meeting with Nicole. I didn't think we needed a coordinator, especially at the extra cost, but looking back, our wedding day would have been a complete disaster without Elegant Events. She helped me every single step of the way, having never been really into weddings, I was unsure of the way things were "supposed" to go or what was traditional, professional, etc. She never once made me feel stupid for asking what I'm sure were some really dumb questions. Our decorations in our reception tent were beautiful and I'm not sure I can take any of the credit for it. Nicole has a great eye, and helped me pull everything together for the look I wanted on our big day. She kept everything on track for the rehearsal and was in touch with all of the vendors the week of the wedding; everyone knew where they were supposed to be and when. It took a huge load off of my shoulders. On the wedding day, Nicole and her team spent the majority of the day setting up the reception tent in the 90 degree heat. When the bartenders didn't come with the mixers, she fixed it. When the pizza ovens weren't working and we were behind schedule, she took care of it, while I was pretty much oblivious. She even arranged transportation for my wedding party and anyone else who needed it back to the hotel when the cab service I had contacted didn't work out. Elegant Events is no less than amazing, easy to work with and will make any event a hit :)

Words cannot express how amazing our wedding was and we owe it all to Kelsey! We had multiple…read moreguests and vendors tell us it was the smoothest wedding day they've experienced and Kelsey deserves all the credit! From the beginning of the wedding planning process to the end of the night, Kelsey was professional, sweet and thorough. No task too big or too small, no detail gone unnoticed. Kelsey did everything from help recommend first-look photo locations to set-up and tear-down of ceremony, cocktail hour and reception decor, and everything in between. She was so amazing there are probably 100 things that she did without the groom and I even realizing! I couldn't recommend a vendor more!!

We had such a wonderful experience at the Waddell Center for our wedding! From start to finish,…read moreeveryone was incredibly kind, helpful, and easy to work with. The pricing was very reasonable, especially for everything that was included. Only thing I wish was included was a space to get ready. We really appreciated being able to decorate and rehearse the night before -- it made the whole wedding weekend feel much less stressful and more organized. Having both the ceremony and reception in the same building was also so convenient for us and our guests. The bar service was excellent. The bartenders were fast and friendly, the coordinator and staff was amazing to work with, and Distinctive Catering did a fantastic job. Great food and Drinks, and even helpful service with buffet. We also loved the DJ they recommended through Complete Wedding + Events. The day-of coordinators were especially wonderful -- they did such a great job converting the ceremony space into a lounge area during cocktail hour while incorporating all of my decor used in the ceremony to the reception perfectly. All the little details were handled without having to ask. Overall, we couldn't have asked for a better experience and would absolutely recommend the Waddell Center to other couples looking for a beautiful, affordable, and well-organized venue!

My daughter's wedding was held at The Waddell Center a couple days ago and the overall experience…read morewas exceptional. This review is related to the bartenders. The two white, male bartenders assigned to her event were not friendly to the guests, creating an off-putting atmosphere right from the start. To make matters worse, several guests overheard the bartenders making racial comments about probably not receiving any tips. This behavior is utterly unacceptable, disgusting and was clearly racially motivated. Given that their wedding was attended primarily by Black and Brown guests we knew exactly why they said it! Absolutely a racist trope that we don't tip or tip well. Multiple guests complained to the bride, groom and/or someone in wedding party about this. It is deeply troubling that a venue they entrusted with such a special occasion would employ individuals who clearly harbor racial bias. All I will say is that minority couples need to be aware. No one should have to worry or deal with this bs on their special day nor should their guests.

Wow, their tents must be made of gold, very pricey. Quoted 10x as much as a local competitor with a…read moreslightly smaller size, and triple a comparable size from another. Nice staff though.

We rented a bouncy house for my son's birthday last year and the staff was great. They loaded and…read moreunloaded it and were super friendly. The price was great and the whole experience was easier than I had expected. We are looking forward to renting again this year.

Always love their bouquets One of your Wonderful kindness…read morebouquet was gifted to me from a dear friend. She knew I had lost my sister recently and it truly lifted my spirits. What a thoughtful idea to spread kindness that way through your customers. Thank you !!

Garden House Floral, and specifically Donna. who took our urgent phone order for some sympathy…read moreplants and knocked it out of the park for my wife and me yesterday. Our earlier order with FTD was rejected even though the floral spray we selected was available for 'same day delivery'. Yeah, not so much. We ended up calling the Van Zantwick Chapel (where the 5 P.M. service was going to be held that evening and asked for suggestions. And they referred us to Garden House. And what a great referral it was! Donna took our order with only 90 minutes to spare and delivered two beautiful potted plants (pictures attached) for us to Van Zantwick about a 1/2 mile away (by her friend) just in time for the memorial service for my late Aunt. Well played by Donna and her team there at Garden House Floral. Again, thank you for your awesome service and willingness to hustle for us in our 'hour of need.' We appreciate that very much (and thanks to Van Zantwick Chapel for the referral!) Five Stars for excellent and responsive customer service!

I came here for a conference that I go to every single year and this time, it was here in Grand…read moreRapids! Walking in, it's part of GVSU's campus and attached to the Engineering building. It's also located immediately behind the Grand Rapids public museum which I've been to in the past! The conference area isn't huge, but can handle a decent amount of people. It's primarily on the second floor only, so that's where we spend most of our time. They have a large meeting room where we ate our meals and sat as a large group for some of our guest speakers. I included some photos so people can get an idea of what it looks like. There's also two lecture hall type meeting areas right next to each other at the other end of the second floor where speakers will present their information with some using flat screen TV's. There's a divider wall present, so I'm sure that could be removed if necessary. I deducted one star for the following reasons. First, the bathrooms are at the far end of the hall, so when you're in the lecture rooms you have to walk far far away to do this. They aren't centrally located whatsoever. It got rather annoying at times and we all kind of found it rather annoying. Secondly, they have a set of stairs immediately when you walk in, but if you need an elevator, you have to walk clear across the entire first floor to find it. Not well planned at all. I had to use it a few times because I was carrying a lot of items around like a heavy backpack with my items in it and eventually a small bag of stuff. I know you can't just move an elevator, but whomever designed this really didn't do a great job. On the flip side, they do have a nice parking counter area to the right when you enter the building. We didn't need it because we were staying at the hotel, but you can get your parking validated at the counter. Overall it's a nice space, and aside from a few quirks, it does work well. Just get ready for a lot of walking up and down the stairs!

Heritage Hill Strings played at my wife and I's wedding this Fall. They were wonderful! They were…read morepersonable, showed up early, played WONDERFULLY, and were very professional for a very affordable price. If you are considering live strings for an event in Southwest Michigan I would for sure recommend Heritage Hills String Quartet. Thank you for making our day that much more magical Natalie!

The Heritage Hill String Quartet played for our daughter's wedding for 4 hours at the Meijer…read moreGardens great room and was FABULOUS! Their musicality, preparation, repertoire, professionalism and attention to detail was impressive. AND, they were so kind to boot! They learned The Ländler Dance from The Sound of Music especially for the couple's first dance and it sounded exquisite. FYI - I am a lifelong amateur church musician and am extremely particular when it comes to live performances - and the HHSQ far exceeded my expectations. If I could give you 10 stars I would! Thank you HHSQ for making this day so very special!

I love working with Jessica and Details ETC Photography. She is truly a professional and is…read moreexcellent at what she does. I am a full time florist and Jessica and I have done a number of wedding together, She provides excellent photos for my port folio. Jessica is very customer service oriented and definitely has an eye for the details!. I would highly recommend Jessica for your next photo event, be it a birth of a baby, 'wedding or high school graduation. Bob Brewer, owner Brew's Creations in Floral 1148 60th St. SE Kentwood, MI 49508 616-283-3132