The Ballroom at McKay

classic- we received many compliments on how pretty it was

was wonderful and vital to helping us make the decision to book our wedding with McKay Tower. Then we were handed off to Madison who did an amazing job with creating a timeline, communicating, answering any questions we had in detail, and she was so organized- it made wedding planning a breeze! The staff did a wonderful job the day-of the wedding and were very professional! Thank you to everyone!!

was very beautiful and our guests loved it. All in all my day here was not stellar but not completely disappointing. I still got to see all of my family and take great photos but thats all I really enjoyed. We did have a lot more problems than I would have liked unfortunately. When we came in to set up at around noon there were people vacuuming and they were in the way of getting things set up and we accidentally unplugged one of the vacuums. We couldn't set up certain decor until they were done which gave me less time to get ready and as a result my hair didn't look the way I wanted it to, which was also reflected in my pictures. I was rushing to get things done and I fractured my toe in the process, which put a damper on things from the start. During the reception staff threw away some of the favors that my guests had left on the tables while they were mingling and they were kind of sad about it. Our schedule was also a little messed up toward the first dance and we didn't realize we had to tell them we wanted to start the dance so it didn't happen for about 10 minutes, which ran our photographer into overtime. Our cake also wasn't put out for dinner so during cake cutting time was the cake was freezing cold. Our event also ended early (8pm) since it was a monday and guests needed to work or brings kids to school the next day, which was understandable. We still had a few people stay behind to enjoy the rest of the night. We still had about an hour left before the bar closed and I felt pressured to give them my drink even though I wasn't done with it. They would come by every 5 minutes asking if I was done with it, which was frustrating to the point where I just gave the rest of my drink up. I only had one drink too. They also started cleaning up tables and stacking chairs when we still had guests present, which kind of made me sad and I also thought was really rude. I wish I could have enjoyed my set up a little longer especially since clean up was scheduled for 10 pm and not 8 pm. They were very accommodating when it came to my toe being fractured though and the staff was very friendly in general. They gave me plenty of ice for my toe and even helped my grandfather walk out of the bathroom. I tried my best to let go and enjoy my day even though it was cut short. I put on a smile for my pictures even though in reality I just wanted to cry. I worked so hard to plan this entire thing and I didnt even get to really enjoy it. I appreciate all the help and planning for my wedding from the staff. I think if the staff hadn't cleaned my event up several hours early I may have felt happier about my day. It felt rushed to be completed and I felt more like a burden than a bride. Im a happy to be married to my husband, but I wish I could have better memories of this day. :( To all the other people that had a wonderful experience... I truly envy you. I wanted this to be amazing.

. The day of team was also great helping in any way that they could. I would highly recommend this venue. The only downside was the restriction hours.

available for some stunning skyline photos and a place to take a breather, just the bride and groom. On top of that, the staff are well experienced and were able to help and guide through the planning process as needed. Myself, I am more of a do-it-myself, so having a team so responsive to my detail oriented questions was a must. The team worked very hard on our day to make it look effortless, and checked in to make sure nothing slipped through the cracks. It made for the evening we dreamed of

redible!

ul and elevated with the lighting options and color choices! The staff was incredible to work with. They made every bit of my dream come true and helped cater to all my wishes and needs. The whole planning process was quite easy and filled with no nonsense, I couldn’t be happier with how everything came together and worked out! I highly recommend the Mckay Ballroom to anyone wanting an elegant and stunning venue that people will never forget! It gives such a feeling of fanciness and glamour that makes you almost feel like royalty or at least as close as you can get in west Michigan. The ballroom really is something to behold! Also the bridal suite and rooftop room were so convenient and cool looking, just an additional element of wonder and ease. Overall a spectacular venue and wonderful staff! 11/10 would recommend

rop ins she was right there to help us and be attentive as could be. Could not have asked for a better wedding venue. Not to mention the ballroom is STUNNING!

hing!!!! :) :)

e of, easy, professional, and reasonably priced. The Ballroom includes beautiful chairs at no upgraded cost, and multiple different lighting options for various portions of the night, again at no additional cost. Additional decor needed is minimal due to the overall elegance and beauty with the massive columns and chandeliers. Finally, located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, out of town guests get to experience the downtown atmosphere, with multiple nearby hotel options, all within walking distance. You definitely won't regret having your wedding at this venue! Have fun planning!

are reasonable and come with plenty of extras. The only downside is there is no alternative area for guests to gather between a ceremony and reception if you select a full "flip" between events-- you just have to think outside the box. Thank you again for making our wedding great!

ts or complaints and would recommend all future brides to get married here!!

ocess and helped the reception go smoothly, I would highly recommend having your event here.

e same space, we already planned for church ceremony.

her way to help us fulfill some special touches we wanted at our wedding, and I was so pleased. Abby, our day-of coordinator, was fantastic. She was the perfect blend of behind the scenes and available when we needed her. I saw some negative reviews on here leading up to my wedding (it appears there was some sort of snafu at one specific wedding and many people commented on it ), which made me a little nervous, but our day was absolutely, 100% perfection. I could not have been happier with how wonderful our wedding was. Abby was pleasant and professional not only to me&the groom, but also to everyone else who went to her with questions. The day went off flawlessly and we 100% would return to use their venue again. It was the perfect day, and Nicole (and Abby!) played a huge part in that. Thank you so much for making the day of our dreams happen :) I HIGHLY recommend using Ballroom at McKay!!

o respond to any communication and very thorough. We were able to get in early the day of the wedding to set up, things ran smoothly through the entire night, and the pictures that we were able to get on the rooftop were the icing on the cake. Our guests still talk about how beautiful, classic, and unique our venue was and we could not be happier that this is where we chose to start this chapter of our lives together.

at the time and was only home about a week every two months. They squeezed in our insane schedule for a viewing and did not skimp on the details. The lighting as this venue is incredible and undeniably unique. I believe Kelly was there at the time of our reception and helped us coordinate the timing of the lights to go down during our first dance. You also cannot go wrong with their selection of caterers, and I still dream about the food we had. If I could rent this venue a million times over I absolutely would. We had 100 guests, but every single one of them still talks about our wedding like it just happened yesterday. My friends all say they want a reception like ours when they get married as well. We know we couldn't have made such an impression on them without this venue!

ould not speak more highly of the experience they provided. The ceremony was perfect. The stage really allowed the Bride and Groom to be the focus of the evening like they should be. The Reception that followed was nothing short of Amazing. The decorations were beautiful, the staff was very friendly, efficient and helpful. If your looking for a place to hold your reception, I highly recommend the Ballroom at McKay. Being a bride myself, the entire evening was flawless. I don’t think my cousin could have picked a better venue.

en they were confronted about it started to threaten to shut down the reception. They then claimed that someone was smoking inside and went around smelling guests and threatened my mom about it, even though no one was smoking inside and everyone went outside for that. Before the end of the night their staff started swearing and threatening the DJ because he didn't make an announcement over a missing phone. He had already given the phone back to it's owner and solved the issue but they still decided it was worth starting a fight over. Overall, I would suggest finding a different venue for your wedding because the hassle of this place is not worth it. They will try to ruin your wedding. When I sent them an email with all the issues and met with them, their response was "we fulfilled our contract"...

were exceptional and detailed oriented every step of the way. The venue was set up just the way we had envisioned. Even day of we were able to communicate a few changes that they made possible. Would highly recommend if you are looking for a wedding venue in the heart of downtown GR!

I have ever seen. The staff insisted that the bride was too drunk upon arrival because she was “in tears and stumbled into the elevator”. My friend realized seconds before walking into the venue that a very special pin had fallen off her bouquet, so she was distraught and in tears. She was also wearing a huge ball gown and had been tripping all day so her stumbling had less to do with the one beer we had on the party bus and more to do with the dress. The staff threatened to shut the entire bar down for all guests. I understand they need to cover themselves and make sure they don’t over serve but that isn’t how they handled it. The coordinator made it well known that something was happening and it was obvious to all guests. After the reception ended the entire staff verbally abused the bride and her father. They were swearing and threatening to call the police. The bar manager even told the father of the bride that his daughter “needed mental help”. Having worked in customer service and being a manager at a previous job I can’t imagine acting this way and still having a job the next day. I definitely don’t recommend this venue to anyone who is wanting a stress free day with a staff who is caring and understanding.

e bride and bride to feel verbally attacked, you’ve found your place at home.

person in this industry on a nightly basis I understand protecting yourself. But how you protected yourself was out in front of 200 people. You made a spectacle of the situation at hand. You attacked a Father of a Bride, and Bride verbally. I have never had to separate a venue and person from the wedding. It goes beyond the alcohol issue at the event. It goes to the abrasive nature of the event coordinator out on the side walk when the Bride lost a pendant off her bouquet. The attitude I received when I arrived 2 hours before the event and your comments were so negative because you didn't think that was early enough. It was a plated dinner taking 45 minutes to get everyone's meal out. And then the bartender blaming me for changing the schedule, when both schedules had dinner at the same time. Please understand I am not writing this to feud with you. I am writing this so you improve. All situations Saturday night could have been handled better, and seemingly could have been avoided. They needed to be handled better.

dding with all of the little details, and she kept in contact with the vendors to make sure they knew what time to come and set up, etc. Brea was awesome on the day of! She was around making sure the day ran smoothly, timing was right, giving advice on when different events should be, and making sure it was perfect! Thank you both! Our day was perfect!

he GR area, but we kept coming back to McKay due to its charm, convenient location and beauty. Barry and Nicole made our experience so wonderful! They were both very thorough and helpful throughout the planing process and always made themselves available. The variety of vendors that they work with are the best in the area. We hosted both our ceremony and reception in the ballroom and it fit 215 guests very comfortably. One of our favorite parts about this venue was the access to the rooftop for sunset photos! The view of the city is stunning and it was a special spot for my husband and I to sneak away to to soak everything in. I would highly recommend the Ballroom at McKay to anyone looking for a classic, romantic and unique venue in downtown Grand Rapids. It truly is one of a kind and we are so happy with our decision!

a wonderful time and enjoyed the space.

feel for our wedding and the ballroom absolutely was perfect for it, it fit our vision so well! IT was an absolutely elegant, beautiful reception venue and I cannot think of a venue more perfect in Grand Rapids than the ballroom at McKay! Thank you so much to Nicole and the ballroom at McKay staff for allowing our vision to come to life, you deserve much more than 5 stars!

mless. The venue itself is gorgeous and you really don't have to do much to make the night beautiful. They have weddings down to a science and made the night of the reception so wonderful and fun and I didn't have to handle anything that whole night (which after planning for a while feels great too). I can't recommend them enough!

answered all my emails very promptly. Barry was an amazing bartender and such a joy to have at our wedding! Everything went so smooth and I would highly recommend anyone to use this venue.

omizable lighting that comes with the venue rental really helps transform the space throughout the evening. It was easy coordinating with Nicole, the McKay staff, and our vendors who were 'regulars' to manage the flip between the ceremony and reception. This was our biggest stress point for the weekend, and (to our knowledge) everything went smoothly and in the allotted timeframe. The bar manager Barry is also very fun and easy to work with. We chose to do a consumption bar, and Barry's estimate was practically spot-on, which was a very pleasant surprise! Make sure to ask who your day of contact will be in advance and start looping them into the communications early. We also really liked that they had an approved caterer list. This gave us flexibility to choose a caterer to match our style, but we knew the selection would be comfortable and familiar operating in the venue. We highly recommend Kangaroo Kitchen!

usband’s family is from New York and most had never been to Michigan. I wanted a location in Grand Rapids that was elegante but also central so that our many out of town guests could experience Grand Rapids on foot. The ballroom staff made the process very easy. Both my husband and I live abroad and Nicole was prompt about answering emails and setting up meetings when we were in town. Day of Jackie was there to greet us and make sure everything ran smoothly. Barry the bar manager was fun to work with. He and his crew did a great job and were in high spirits for the whole evening. The only disappointment was we used Martha’s catering from the ballroom’s preferred catering list and they did not live up to the service and quality expected from a company that earned “best caterers of the year.” Overall I would not hesitate to recommend The Ballroom at McKay for your event!

about how beautiful it was! Nicole was easy to work with. I really liked that the space didn't feel cramped for 200 people and it was easy for others to move around. I would highly recommend this venue.

lpful. Our guests are still talking about what a beautiful reception it was. Loved the approved caterer list, too. Thank you for helping make our wedding an event to remember!

The space was beautiful, there were many lighting options that were included in the rental and the location was ideal. That is where the good things about the McKay Ballroom end. I was planning my wedding from another state and was very happy that I could email the McKay to reserve and ask questions, Nicole was good about getting back to me through email and sending me other samples of linens as their options are very limited. She never answered her phone during the planning process. I would recommend getting everything in writing as what we were told during our walk through's did not happen. When my mother and I went to do a final walk through we were told by Nicole that we just had to take pictures of the tables and they would set everything up and then Thursday before the wedding after sending pictures, Nicole informed me that they do not do that and we would have to do all the set up. After finding people to set up and changing plans we were able to go to the McKay Saturday morning to set up. When everyone got there nothing was set up, we were told we could set up the tables before hand and they would be hidden behind a curtain and then pulled out after the ceremony. There were no curtains and no tables to set up. The maintenance man was very helpful and he was trying to get us what we needed. Nicole was no where to be found on Saturday and did not answer her phone so no one could get a hold of her. We were also told that part of the ballroom would be blocked off so the guests wouldn't see everything during the ceremony, this also did not happen. When the groomsmen walked into the McKay early to be ready to seat guests they noticed the stage was way too small, so with their tux's on they were moving the stage so that everyone could fit. Then we were also told that there would be a microphone for the bride, groom and officiant to talk into so everyone could hear, there was no mic and so for the ceremony and saying our own vows no one could hear what we were saying. Another issue was that the layout that I had sent Nicole was the not exact layout that I walked into, I was worried that with a small guest list (~100) that the space would be too big but that she would arrange the room so that there was not as much space in between the dance floor and the bar as it was a long way. The bar was pushed back against the wall and a very large space was in between the tables and the bar which was not was we discussed and was not like the layout I sent her. The McKay also sends a website called AllSeated to work on the layout, this is not a user friendly layout and after the layout was not what I had wanted I don't know why I even bothered with the headache. I am a very organized bride and sent Nicole all the info needed months in advance, the week of the wedding I started getting emails in which she needed documents in which I had sent months before. Overall, the space is beautiful but if I had the choice to pick another venue I would, the stress from the McKay was not worth it, from having issues and phone calls starting the morning of the wedding because nothing was as we were told, to stressing over if the reception would be able to be flipped in time with enough help, then stressing over the clean up. I would NOT recommend the McKay to future brides.

e the July 2014 wedding. McKay had SO MANY luxuries....the windows, tables, chairs, bar, rich colors and awesome lighting!! I loved the chandeliers! The marble columns and bank table outside the elevators and vault were beautiful. Even the bathrooms...clean and bright. The staff were very helpful, courteous, patient and looking to fulfill requests and answer questions. We felt very cared for. McKay coordinated with other venues to ensure a no flaws evening. (Martha's Vineyard, Posh Petals, Music Host Entertainment-Joel, Gilmore Catering, Cakes by Lori). It was a humid evening and the air conditioning was on high! We would recommend this Venue without hesitation.

equence of events was perfect. It was a pleasure working with the event coordinators and they made sure everything was just how we wanted it to be. I would recommend this venue to ANYONE who is still looking. You will take one look inside and you won't want to hold your event anywhere else. It creates such a dreamy and romantic atmosphere :] Loved it!!