Wedding Venues: 5 Metro Detroit Wedding Venues The Modern Bride Can’t Miss

If you’re recently engaged and looking for the perfect wedding venue to fit your unique love and personality, you definitely need to check out these 5 venues in the Metro Detroit area. Each venue offers a style that not only sparks intrigue for guests, but also looks damn-good in your wedding photos. 

2GatherMore – Inclusive wedding venue in Auburn Hills, Michigan

This wedding venue is set back in a private, but easy-to-access area near the campus of Oakland University. Surrounded by trees and gorgeous pines, this venue gives you the ease of having both ceremony and reception at the same site with the freedom of choosing your own vendors for food and drink. 

The staff at 2GatherMore are incredibly friendly and helpful. As a photographer, I was thrilled to work with the staff closely in order to maintain a seamless wedding timeline at Amanda and Doug’s fall wedding. Guests were led into the ceremony area and the wedding party was guided down the aisle by the venue coordinator. 

If you’re looking for some flexibility in your ceremony and reception sites, 2GatherMore has a unique set of options. The ceremony site has wide glass doors that open to a patio with an arbor. You can have the best of both worlds while your guests remain indoors, out of the sun, and you are married under the sky. Alternatively, close up those doors and you have the perfect location for a winter wedding. The reception area also boasts a choice – enjoy hanging opulent chandeliers or opt for modern industrial singular hanging bulbs. The bright open space was perfect for capturing amazing moments. 

The 5th of Novi – A unique wedding venue in Novi, Michigan

Love the look of dark brick? This is your place. Right in downtown Novi, The 5th of Novi is a newer wedding venue. You’re welcomed into the venue by a large bar surrounded by pool tables, but walking up the stairs (which are beautiful when lined with candles!) and you enter one of the coolest wedding venues I’ve been to. 

Choose from a ceremony on the rooftop or within the brick walls of the historic building. The paned windows add that uniquely industrial touch that is popular now – and I hope it sticks around! There are so many ways that you can make the space your own – I was simply in love with this candle-lined aisle like at Ashley and Ryan’s wedding. Photos taken at this venue are rich with color and mood. 

The dining area is intimate yet spacious and guests are able to use the patio to chat, smoke and drink. The bar spans almost the entire length of the reception space and the staff is on top of their game at all times. And when your wedding comes to an end? Share a fun afterparty with your closest friends and family at the downstairs bar where you can play pool and hang out. 

The Bavarian Inn Lodge – A Michigan tradition wedding venue in Frankenmuth, Michigan

Michiganders love the convenience and novelty of Frankenmuth. If you are looking for an all-in-one venue that includes a charming ceremony spot, food and beverages included in your reception package, and cute areas all around town for photos, The Bavarian Inn Lodge might just be the answer you’re seeking. 

With expansive views of the Cass River, the Inn offers an outdoor ceremony spot in the back of the building beneath mature trees and under an arbor. Also offered is an indoor ceremony location with wide windows overlooking the river. Weddings at this location give wedding parties the opportunity to have photos taken in prime Frankenmuth locations like on the banks of the river and in front of the famous Frankenmuth covered bridge. We had tons of fun at Heather and Jake’s wedding, popping champagne in celebration at the bridge. 

The reception halls are accommodating for both large weddings and smaller ones. And the best part? Famous Frankenmuth chicken dinner, right at your wedding! Served buffet style, it’s everyone’s favorite part of the night, hands-down. 

Bonus Frankenmuth Wedding Venue: The Frankenmuth Brewery

Planning a smaller wedding? Check out The Frankenmuth Brewery, just over the bridge and down the road from the Inn. This venue is right on the river with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the water and an industrial vibe. You can walk right down the outside stairs of the building for photos right on the river or head up to the rooftop for a wide view of both river and downtown Frankenmuth. Katherine and Cory’s intimate wedding was the perfect fit for this venue.

Studio Studio – An artsy wedding venue Ann Arbor, Michigan

If you’re planning on hosting a smaller wedding (think 25-75 guests) and are looking for an artsy vibe, Studio Studio is the perfect location. Located near downtown Ann Arbor, Studio Studio is just that – a blank studio primed for your vision. 

A white walled entrance space is perfect for unique wall hangings or a make-shift lounge area. This smaller area can be used for a ceremony space as well as for mingling and dancing. Caryn and Brian chose to use unique furniture and a hanging flower wall to set the tone for their laid back wedding. Heading into the larger space, there’s plenty of room for long tables for guests. The venue has a kitchen in the back for your choice of caterer as well as room for your choice of bar and bartenders. 

The blank slate studio is often rented out for photoshoots and so is primed with ample window light in the front entrance area, white walls, and rolling room separators to make the studio as large or closed off as you please. 

Bonus Ann Arbor Wedding Venue: The Matthaei Botanical Gardens

If you’re hoping to be surrounded by a variety of lush greenery on your wedding day, the Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor might be the perfect space for your ceremony. Stay warm in colder months in their tropical greenhouse while you say your vows surrounded by plants of every shape and size. 

Not to mention the photo opportunities – the inside of the greenhouse will be free for you and your photographer to roam for photos with deep greens. You can also head outside to the courtyard area and catch a photo in front of the glass ceiling of the greenhouse. Stunning. For wedding venues, this one is a photographer’s dream.

Goldner Walsh Garden and Home – An industrial and natural wedding venue in Pontiac, Michigan

Again, if you are looking for an industrial and natural feel for your wedding day, the wedding venues at Goldner Walsh are one of those locations that just scream – VIBE. With your choice of reception area, spanning from the bright white of the Cedar House to the more industrial Bocce Court, you cannot go wrong. Ceremonies can be held in the Gardens and Amphitheater an absolute fairy tale location. Rachel and Alex took advantage of the Bocce Court and the Amphitheater on their big day.

The rooms available for getting ready for the day have their own charm and are brightly lit with natural light for those perfect shots of bride getting ready for the big day. As a photographer, this venue has everything you could want and more. For me specifically, the mixture of industrial and natural is all that I need. 

Whether you are looking to book right away, or just browsing, these wedding venues are a great start. Remember – the two first bookings you should make for your big day are your wedding venue and your photographer!