Venue Review: Genesys Banquet Center, Grand Blanc, MI

Sometimes I get tempted to post a review right away because of the way an event turned out.  I realize that's not always a good idea and sometimes you just have to let a few weeks pass before you talk about it again.

That is certainly the case with a wedding I did at Genesys Banquet Center back in June.

Upon arrival, I noticed that the dance floor was completely surrounded by tables, none of them planned for my use.  The second thing I noticed was the abundance of extra space in the room.  The manager then instructed me to setup in front of one of the exits which is a fire code violation.  This also meant that I would be nearly 25 feet from the dance floor and  have to project sound directly through two of the tables placed in front of me.  I asked nicely, if they would relocate the two tables so that they wouldn't be placed in front of me (PLENTY of room to do this by the way) and she stated "No". 

(During Setup - You can see how much extra space is available)

I asked several more times to no avail.  When guests began to arrive, I made sure to approach everyone trying to sit at those two tables and let them know about the hall's refusal to cooperate.  I certainly didn't want to be the one to blame for blasting music right at them.  This wasn't the couple's choice either, it's simply how they do things at this hall.

 

As you can see from the picture above, lighting doesn't look as good from a distance either.  It was a challenge to get people to dance the whole night.  The speakers were too far from the dance floor, the lighting wasn't up to my standards and I was placed too far away to have any interaction with the guests.

To make matters worse, one of the staff members came up to me and said that the DJ in the next room over had walked out on their party!  She asked me if I knew anyone that could come up and finish the night off for them, but being 8 PM and nearly an hour from home, I couldn't help them.

So just as we're doing their first dance, the overhead speakers come on and start blasting rap with foul language.  They apparently decided to plug in an ipod to the speakers, but didn't bother turning off the speakers in our room.  This completely ruined their first dance and we had to stop and I had to hunt down someone from the staff to fix the issue.  This took nearly 10 minutes!

In addition to all these issues, the food was sub-par and the service was just as bad.

I wouldn't recommend Genesys Banquet Center to anyone.  You could do better without trying in your own home.  Their refusal to accommodate a simple request when there was no reason not to, the fact that they willing violate fire code, destroying a couple's first dance, poor service and lack luster food is enough to steer clear of this place.

I felt bad for the couple and even with all the chaos, they still thanked me and tipped me at the end of the night.  I'm glad they realized that I did the best I could with the circumstances.

On the bright side, they had a beautiful ceremony on a picture perfect day.

Not every wedding day goes according to plan, but I promise that I will ALWAYS do everything in my power and more to make it the best day possible.  I believe the customer comes first and I'll help you with your planning and offer suggestions to eliminate issues like this.

Venue Review: Joy Manor in Westland

I've been a bit behind on venue reviews this summer.  Putting together a high quality photo booth and getting the word out takes a LOT of time and energy.  That being said, the photo booth is going strong now and I need get some reviews up, so expect to see a bunch of them over the next few weeks.

Joy Manor in Westland is one of the very first venues I worked in.  I believe it has changed owners a few times since then, but not a whole lot has changed.  I've been here at least 25 times over the years.

It's still in a slightly run down area, located behind a rock bar with seedy patrons.

 

The food is questionable at best. A prime example would be packaged ham slices with who knows what, rolled up inside and a white cream of some sort on top... veggies that have been cooking for 6 hours and are nothing more than mush... I have had a few "day after" situations that I don't care to discuss online.  While the food doesn't look too bad, most of the time, you aren't even sure what it is you're eating.

 (from a wedding in early 2013)

The hall has two rooms upstairs and one downstairs (that I have never seen). The room on the left is smaller and less ornate than the larger room on the right.

 (from a wedding in early 2013)

In July, I did a wedding reception for a really great couple in the larger room. The food was on the better end of their spectrum and the couple were celebrating their marriage (and more) a year late, as the groom is in the military. (I have the highest respect for those that serve our country and offer a discount to active military members as a thank you to them)

One of the problems I have with this room is the setup. As you've seen from my previous post on room setup, this is NOT an ideal situation for sound. The dance floor is located in the middle of the room with no power outlets near it. This leaves the DJ no choice, but to setup along the wall, placing tables between the speakers, lighting and dance floor.

The couple had a surprise in store for their guests and family as you'll see in the video...

 
Overall, Joy Manor is an average venue at best, with below average food and dated decor.  I'm sure that pricing for this venue is very reasonable as it is always busy with various events, but the poor layout of the larger room makes it one of my least favorite places to hold a wedding reception. That being said, it's still not the worst.  http://www.joymanor.com/

 

My comments are strictly my opinion based on experiences I have had here and are meant to help couples find a location that best fits their needs and budget.