The Grand Event Center

They hosted my wedding (I'm the groom) and reception there in May 2017. Keep in mind I write this review after my honeymoon and I've had a chance to breathe and meditate on my opinions of the place. So, I can approach talking about this place with an even, clear head.1 - For months we expected to be able to decorate the night before, and at the last minute they scheduled some sort of dinner and our prep-time became the day of, mere hours before the wedding itself. They didn't tell us this until the two days prior.2 - While both sides of the family were there decorating, one of the owners insisted on touring another group through the venue. I can't say I was very happy with this, nor with them taking photos and video of my family during set up while exploring the place. Nor with their loud conference calls about the upcoming wedding they were planning on throwing. We had to talk loudly over them to direct people in our wedding party to get things done where and when they were supposed to. It was intrusive and infuriating. I thought WE had the building for the day, no one else!3 - The parking lot is tiny, and the number of spaces were cut in half by in-active construction equipment parked there, outdated (police-posted) "no parking" signs from months previous, and stacks of raw building materials. Yes. Entire PALLETS of wood and stone just taking up space. We missed out on 6-8 parking places in an already small lot. A hand-full of my relatives had to park out in the freaking street!4 - The marquee was not changed to reflect the event of my wedding (as promised to be part of the package) until 90 minutes before the ceremony itself started. We REALLY could've used that early in the morning while all the relatives from out of state were arriving and looking for the venue itself. I (the groom), the maid of honor AND the bride badgered one of the owners endlessly about this and it was not done until 90 minutes before the ceremony began.But all is not doom and gloom! Now the good stuff!1 - When it came for meal time the food was positively excellent. (Yes, they cater as well) The servers had the timing between courses (salad to main course to dessert) down to an art, and we were never left waiting for the next bit of bread or water to come out. Those folks deserve special recognition, and the chef along with them!2 - The building itself is wonderful, clean and certainly well-stocked with staff, seating and lighting. We were never without a breath-taking view of the stage, the enormous windows, and above-average clean state of the place. Their custodial staff must be very dedicated, as I know marines that don't keep such a clean house! (I was raised in a navy household, so I have a critical eye for this sort of thing) Given the age of the place I expected a sort of rustic, musty smell or at least an outdated bathroom or two. Nope! This place was great, scentless, up-to-date and above standard in the area of cleanliness! Gold star there!3. The pit/dance floor is a nice size, well-maintained and snug to the stage so everyone can be near the DJ or whatever happens to be up on stage. The layout of the room itself is amazing. As it was originally intended for plays and films, the columns are nicely placed and the tables are un-intrusive when it comes time to share that first dance. I could not ask for better.So all in all it was a very mixed experience. Their "amazing venue" trophies line the walls and the place is not without its long list of merits. However, it was not a perfect experience and frankly touring another group through on our special day to keep their bookings up left a seriously bad taste in my mouth. My bride made me promise not to yell at anyone the day of or make any scenes, but it doesn't keep my from voicing my opinions here.

I had a lovely time at this venue for my cousins wedding. Everything went very smoothly and on time. What a wonderful wedding venue.

I have to apologize for my 1 star review last month of this place! I went again with friends and realized that the reason I didn't get to sing last time was due to that fact that I didn't correctly sign up on their app! It had nothing to do with the KJ's!! I feel awful and apologize to the karaoke staff as well as the Grand Event Center for my prior negative review! We ended up having a great time and I got to sing my heart out! So if you are look for a new fun activity to do on a Wednesday night, please stop by the Grand! The drinks are great and reasonable, the food is excellent, the audience is very supportive of one another and the rotation is more than fair!

My wedding was hosted here this past weekend, and it was absolutely amazing. My husband and I were planning this wedding from Florida as we are both in the military, and Bonnie was incredible, and so accommodating throughout the entire experience. The day of the wedding, everyone was so impressed with the venue, and there was tons of room for everyone without a bad view in the building (we were able to fit all of our guests on the first level.) We had space for all the kids to run around and play, and the bartenders and servers were all kind and so helpful. There was nothing that I would have changed, and if I had to do it all over, I definitely would choose the Grand again.

This is the most amazing venue for a wedding reception EVER! We hosted my daughter 's wedding reception here this last August and were very impressed and more than satisfied. The Grand is a beautiful, nostalgic, and very classy venue. We were taken care of by Bonnie with such kindness and respect. From the very beginning, it was a totally fun and painless process. They were incredibly accommodating and upfront about everything. (No surprises!)The food was excellent and so was the service.Being located so conveniently close to the Twin Cities, The Grand in Northfield is a perfect and economical choice for a very upscale event.I can't thank Bonnie and her crew enough for making this special evening magical.