The John E.N. Howard Bandshell was perfect for our wedding! The city made it very easy to rent, and we lucked out and had beautiful weather. The blue things that actually sit on the bandshell are very rusty, but we covered them with some tulle using industrial sized magnets and it worked great. We also used tulle to rope off the last 8 pews to people would fill in towards the front of the venue. We rented a trolley through Suncoast Trolley, and did our photos beforehand, so the trolley dropped the photographers and groomsmen off 15 minutes before our ceremony, and then myself (bride) and my bridesmaids did a few laps around town and came back right before the ceremony started. We walked off the trolley and down the aisle, which was perfect to keep hidden from guests before existing the trolley. After we were done with the ceremony we hopped back on the trolley to sign our marriage license. It was the perfect way to add a little hidden "room" at the back of the venue. We got married May 18 and it was the perfect temperature outside, a bit warm and it drizzled a bit after the ceremony. There isn't anyone from the city onsite for the event, but it's super easy to pick up the key beforehand (which is really just to use the bathroom). We didn't have any problems logistically. We used Tim Sewyck from Music Unlimited for music and mics for the ceremony and he was great. Tom Hamel from My West Michigan Wedding was our officiant and he was also fantastic. read more