Introducing....CONCOURSE HALL!

It makes my day when I find a new wedding ceremony and/or reception venue in Ann Arbor.  It seems like there can never be enough spaces for all of our wonderful brides, grooms, their friends and families.  My good friend Donnie from The Produce Station (a FABULOUS caterer) pointed me in the direction of Concourse Hall.  Located right off I-94 just past the intersection of State Street & Ellsworth, it is a big, open, blank slate of space waiting to be decorated just the way you want!

Here are the details:

- parking available right on-site for 88 cars
- Seats 160 people with room for dancing
- includes 20 sixty inch round tables & 160 navy blue plastic chairs
- use of kitchen area and all dishes, pitchers, silverware, mugs, glasses in the kitchen
- coat closet (coat check is separate and would have to brought in from outside)
- loft area perfect for pictures, cocktail hour, lounge area, or extra reception area
- includes stage, piano and sound system ($25 extra for podium and $150 extra for tech to run sound system)
- PRICE: 
**you will want to rent the space for the full day for a wedding reception to allow ample time for set up!**

              Fridays: 8 am - whenever = $700
                           5 pm - whenever = $450

          Saturdays: 8 am - whenever = $800
                           5 pm - whenever = $500

           Sundays:   8 am - whenever = $400
                           5 pm - whenever = $200

**you are reading correctly - there is no specific end time...you can use the space until as LATE as you want!**



View from the loft area

table and chairs that are included with price of facility rental

the stage



 gretchen, the owner, highly encourages recycling...which I LOVE!!!!

What I love about this space is that it is a blank slate.  You can bring in any lighting, draping, tables, linens, decor that you want and make this space your own :)

Feel free to call or email me with any questions you have about the space!  They also have an online calendar you can check for availability at http://www.aactmad.org/ - contact at Concourse Hall is Gretchen Preston - gretchen.preston@gretchenshouse.com

 

courtney@petalsplanningco.com

http://www.petalsplanningco.com/

The Venue Search...Part II

I am thrilled to follow up Wednesday's post with the news that Megan has chosen her reception venue!  Out of all the possibilites (which are quite numerous), she has chosen the Gandy Dancer, Ann Arbor's first class dining establishment, as the venue for her wedding reception!

Megan and I met with Kristina, the events coordinator, a couple weeks ago and she was great!  The Gandy Dancer is a really affordable venue in Ann Arbor.  Wedding receptions typically take place outside in their courtyard, which is tented.  They provide tables, chairs, white linens (including napkins), and all dinnerware and glassware.  You can fit up to 120 people comfortably by seating them at round tables of 8.  Your primary costs when you choose the Gandy Dancer are:  food & beverage, alcohol, tax, service charge, and dance floor.

 They charge 20% service charge and standard 6% Michigan sales tax.  Their most inexpensive dinner offering is $39.95 and includes a soup OR salad, choice of one of four entrees including chicken, shrimp, fish, or steak, and creme brulee for dessert.  Each entree is served with a vegetable and a starch, and water, iced tea and soft drinks are included as part of the meal charge.  If you do not want the dessert included with the package, and would like to bring in your own dessert, they will take $3 off the price - so this particular meal would cost $36.95 (plus tax & service charge).  They do have pricier options that are more inclusive - I encourage you to check these out!

The dance floor costs $250 and you can bring in whichever DJ you prefer.  There is no charge for having a private bar, you just have to pay for the alcohol (which you can set a ceiling on).  The reception area comes with uplighting, including twinkle lights strung around the beams, and they also offer round paper lanterns that hang from the ceiling if it suits your decor style (free of charge).

Kristina at the Gandy Dancer takes care of the set-up, you just need to drop your items off to her.  They are very flexible, and very willing to work with each individual situation.  They require a $250 deposit on a credit card to hold the date.  You have until 90 days prior to the event to cancel, and you can rebook for any date within the year to avoid losing your $250.  If you cancel within the 90 day window of your event you lose your $250 deposit.

You may email Kristina at gandbq@ldry.com to receive availability and specific pricing information.

Click here to view the Gandy Dancer's dinner menu

courtney@petalsplanningco.com
http://www.petalsplanningco.com/

Real Wedding 2010 ~ Vanessa & Derek

Photo Credit

Vanessa & Derek's wedding was full of personal touches - from the pictures hanging in the tent for all the guests to admire (and laugh at), to the kids tables with butcher paper, crayons, and markers, every detail was thought of and provided by Vanessa; including the invitations, the programs, the signage for the welcome table, food, the runners for the tables in the lounge (pictured below).  She is AMAZING!

Photo Credit

Their wedding and reception venue was the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti, Michigan.  The wedding took place outside in the Beer Garden and the latter part of the reception took place inside in the lounge. 

When we met a few days before the wedding we were all a little nervous that it could rain (50% chance).  However, the day of the wedding it was a beautiful, beautiful day, clearly meant just for Vanessa & Derek.

CONGRATULATIONS Vanessa & Derek!  Thank you for letting us assist in your special day!

Event Management:  Courtney, Kate & Lyndsay of Petals Planning Company

Wedding & Reception:  Corner Brewery

Tent:  Andrew at Classic Tent

Catering: Aubrees Pizza & Tavern

Wedding cakes: Sweet Heather Anne

Flowers:  Lisa at Pot and Box

DJ:  Ben Ludy

Photographer:  Mirak Habbiyyieh

Kennedy's 1st Birthday!!!

This blog post is more personal than business related...you get a peek into my life as a mother, wife, sister, and daughter and not just as the owner of Petals Planning Company.  The picture above is my daughter, Kennedy McDonald about ready to dive into her cupcake at her 1st birthday party.  She is the light of my life and I love her more every day.

The party was on June 5th, 2010 (her actual birthday is June 4th).  We were very fortunate that the rain held off all day.  The party was from 12 pm - 4 pm so we had perfect weather for set up starting at 10 am and clean-up until 6 pm.  As soon as we pulled into our neighborhood (the party was at my parents house) it started pouring - we were truly blessed to have had no rain all day!!!

The theme of this party was "princess."  I bought "princess" plates and napkins that were pink, purple, and yellow and went with it.  I bought ballons for the tables as you can see in the pictures above.  The balloons were tied to glass jars filled with starbursts, and the jars were taped down to the tablecloths in order to avoid a windy disaster.  I also put picture frames in the center of each table.  Each picture frame held a picture of Kennedy in a different time in her life, from newborn to 12 months old.  My main thought process when deciding what to do for the tables was concern for my guests.  I didn't want the tables to be too busy, and I didn't want there to be anything standing between my guests conversing with each other over lunch.  The balloons were perfect because they were high enough so they were not in the way of guests being able to see each other, and the picture frames were so low that they did not cause a problem either.

We rented a tent, table, and chairs to put up in my parents backyard in Ann Arbor.  Our tent size was 20 x 20, which can fit six 6' banquet tables, however we rented 5 tables along with 50 chairs (in hindsight, we rented way too many chairs).   

My cousin and I had our children on the same day last year, just a couple hours apart, so here is a picture of Evan and Kennedy loving on each other...they were so sweet. 

We had such a great day, full of great friends and family who made it an unforgettable 1st birthday for our sweet girl.  I thank God every day for an amazing support network.  I am so blessed.  Below is a picture of some of my supporters in life...

My sister (Trisha), My "sister" (Kate), and ME!

For those of you in Ann Arbor, here are some resources and vendors I used for the party:

Catering - Katherine's Catering

Balloons - Kroger

Rentals - Your Event Party Rental

"Princess" Plates & Napkins - Dollar Store

Cupcakes - Made my yours truly!!! :)

courtney@petalsplanningco.com

http://www.petalsplanningco.com/