Mona and I are having a very difficult time figuring out our wedding plans, so we figured that writing a few things down might help clarify our thoughts.
We had fairly specific criteria for our wedding:
- Since we’re Indian, needed a venue that allowed Indian food, preferably from a place like Shalimar or Ronguli
- We love being outside, and prefer to have an outdoor ceremony.
- Because Michigan is known for awful erratic (Mona edit) weather, there’s a good chance that our outdoor ceremony will be moved indoors. In the very likely chance of rain, we don’t want an inferior indoor option for our wedding ceremony.
- I get to ride into the wedding on a horse. The venue needs to be okay with this.
- Size – We’re looking at around 300 person capacity.
- Location – I’m from Minnesota, so my people will be traveling in. Mona is from Ann Arbor, so we need to keep it reasonably close to Ann Arbor. Let’s say a 35-40 mile radius of AA.
Before going to Michigan, we did our research online, and eliminated a lot of places that didn’t fit our criteria. With a much more manageable list in hand, we rented a car and make the trek to Detroit and Ann Arbor. After driving around and striking venues for various reasons, we left Detroit with the Dearborn Inn at the top of our list.
Without further adu, the pictures:
- Outdoor Ceremony Grounds
As you can see, the Dearborn Inn has some beautiful grounds. A nicely manicured lawn, lots of space, and a few rowhouses (not pictured) complete the scene.
The Outdoor Cocktail Hour
Indoor Cocktail Hour Area
- Reception Hall
The Reception Hall was setup for a Prom, so it didn’t completely “wow” us. This room would also serve as an indoor ceremony location, in the event of rain. Its a fairly standard Marriott Ballroom, very nice, but nothing to write home about.
After much discussion, here are the Pros to hosting our event at the Dearborn Inn:
- The outdoor grounds are the best for an outdoor wedding in the Detroit area. We’ve seen tons of places, and this one was the nicest.
- Its a hotel, so the Dearborn Inn would be the most comfortable for our guests.
- The outdoor cocktail hour is very nice, and I think our guests would enjoy it.
- Its a Marriott, so we’d earn points. This is a very small consideration, but it might make our honeymoon a bit more affordable. So, its a Pro.
Sadly, the Dearborn Inn has its drawbacks as well. Here are some of the Cons:
- As mentioned above, the Reception Hall is a standard Marriott Ballroom. We’d have to put a lot of time and effort dressing it up. Also, did you see the carpet??
- Our rain/indoor ceremony option is the same room as our wedding reception.
Does anybody have any experience with the Dearborn Inn? Any tips or ideas for us? We’d love to hear your thoughts!
link to the Dearborn Inn website
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Tags: Dearborn Inn, wedding
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