A Guide to Wedding Welcome Parties in Grand Rapids

With its unique blend of big-city amenities, distinctive venues and affordable pricing, Grand Rapids serves as the ideal Midwest destination for an unforgettable wedding weekend – including the weekend’s kickoff event, the welcome party.

A wedding welcome party is a casual pre-wedding gathering that kicks off the weekend celebration and gives all your guests a chance to mix and mingle in a relaxed setting before the big day. It’s a great icebreaker, enabling guests who don’t know each other to meet beforehand, so that your actual wedding day feels like a warm gathering of friends. It can serve as a fun preview of the weekend and let you show off your personality as well as local food and drinks. An opening festivity can make travel more worthwhile for out-of-town guests making a significant trip, delivering a true vacation feel alongside your dream wedding. And it gives you an opportunity to personally greet and thank each guest for coming.

The welcome party is typically held day one of a four-day wedding weekend, the day before the rehearsal dinner. (See our Weddings in Grand Rapids page for a complete wedding weekend itinerary.) It should be timed to begin shortly after most out-of-town guests arrive and have checked into the hotel.

The Hotel Hub

 You can host the welcome party at your hotel to simplify logistics and enable guests who may be tired from travel to go up to their rooms and rest after the event. (After all, it’s a big day of group activities and a rehearsal dinner tomorrow.) A number of downtown Grand Rapids hotels offer singular spaces for a welcome party – including the elegant Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, whose 10 onsite “dine & sip” destinations include a sky-high Spanish restaurant and duckpin bowling alley; JW Marriott Grand Rapids, home to French bistro Margaux and year-round outdoor patio Jdek; and Canopy by Hilton, with its Knoop Rooftop Bar offering scenic views of the city.

The Gourmet Market Mixer

For a distinctly Grand Rapids experience, consider hosting your kickoff event at the Grand Rapids Downtown Market – one of America’s Top 13 Must-Visit Food Halls. You can rent out the stunning second-floor Greenhouse for private cocktails and nibbles. The lush, botanical atmosphere requires minimal additional décor, and guests have the freedom to roam the first floor below, exploring 20+ artisan food vendors and restaurants.

The Brewery Bash

Make Grand Rapids’ renowned craft beer scene the centerpiece of your welcome party. There are 35+ breweries in town, and any one of them would be happy to host you, depending on the size of your guest list. You can guarantee space by booking a private room complete with its own bar at Founders Brewing Co., the city’s largest and most acclaimed brewery – it can accommodate 65 seated guests in its Centennial Room with additional space for 45 seats on the adjacent patio. City Bult Brewing Co. offers a private space off its main taproom that accommodates up to 35 guests seated or 50 standing. Both are located downtown, steps from downtown hotels and attractions.

The Beer Garden Party

 If you want an outdoor element without stressing over Midwest weather unpredictability, book the four-season beer garden at New Holland Brewing - The Knickerbocker. Located in downtown’s Bridge Street Entertainment District, this expansive venue allows you to host a large cocktail party featuring handcrafted beer, cider and spirits paired with wood-fired pizzas in a relaxed, open-air environment. Guests can explore other Bridge Street bars on their walk back to their hotel – and even grab a drink from 11 of them (including The Knickerbocker) to enjoy on their stroll. The Downtown Outdoor Refreshment Area allows your adult guests to purchase alcoholic beverages from participating vendors and drink them on pedestrian paths.

The Flight Tasting

 Keep the travel theme alive for your arriving guests by organizing a "flight tasting." Gather your friends and family at Thornapple Brewing Company on 28th Street – just 10 minutes from Gerald R. Ford International Airport – which offers customizable flights of house-brewed craft beers, ciders and spirits alongside pizza and dips. It is a highly interactive, casual way to introduce out-of-town guests to the city’s renowned craft beverage scene. Get the Flights of Flavor digital pass to find 25+ other flight locations – from Rockford Brewing Co. (serving taco-and-beer flights) to Beltline Bar (margarita flights) to DreamScape Desserts (cupcakes).

The Rooftop Revel

 Book the third-floor rooftop deck at Rapid River Stillhouse in the Bridge Street Entertainment District for awesome views of the city along with craft cocktails and Southern-style cuisine. The rooftop patio at Friesian Gastro Pub offers views of downtown from the opposite direction, facing west. The Sky Deck at Bobarino’s is a second-floor outdoor patio in the heart of downtown, situated at a busy intersection but seclude by a “live wall” of flowers and greenery. Check out other local rooftop bars.

The Artful Affair

Rent an event space at the Grand Rapids Art Museum for cocktails and appetizers in a stunning architectural space surrounded by ever-changing art installations. Take a private “paint & sip” group class at downtown’s Brush Studio. Embark on a self-guided group walking tour of outdoor murals, sculptures, painted ticket booths or RAD Women electrical boxes – it’s a great way to introduce your guests to downtown Grand Rapids, and you can enjoy an alcoholic beverage as you stroll, thanks to the Downtown Outdoor Refreshment Area.

The Seasonal Celebration

 Grand Rapids shines in every season. Getting married in spring? Consider a welcome party at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, surrounded by flowers in bloom. Summer wedding? Party on the beach at The Score Restaurant & Sports Bar, complete with an outdoor bar, live music and palm trees. Get into the spirit of fall with a welcome party at Robinette’s Apple Haus & Winery, a 100-year-old family fruit orchard with a cider mill, bakery, dining area and wine tasting room. Host your winter welcome party at the Grand Rapids Downtown Market to experience the magic of the Christkindl Markt, a European-style Christmas village (open from mid-November-December) or anywhere downtown to enjoy easy access to World of Winter, America’s largest free winter festival, which runs through most of January and February.

Free Planning Assistance for Your Wedding Weekend

Need more ideas? Contact the Experience Grand Rapids Wedding Team with your approximate guest count, budget and desired vibe/theme – and we’ll come up with additional alternatives. It’s just part of our complimentary planning assistance for couples bringing their celebrations to the city.

As you’re planning your welcome party – and every other element of your Grand Rapids wedding weekend – be sure to use our online venue finder to identify Grand Rapids hotels, restaurants and other spaces that suit your vision, and our service provider database to find vetted local caterers, florists, photographers and other vendors.

We can also help you secure hotel rooms for your wedding guests. You can use our Request for Proposal (RFP) process to share specific details with us – such as estimated guest count, desired date/season and preferred venue style – and we’ll distribute the information to local hotels. We’ll gather their responses into an easy-to-review-and compare format for you. That saves you the time and stress of contacting individual hotels and tracking their proposals yourself. You have enough other wedding details to manage!

Click here for details and a contact form to engage our free services.