Great Hall At Green Lake

My husband and I got married at the Great Hall at Green Lake last summer and our experience could not have been better. Nelda was absolutely as kind, thoughtful, and attentive as she could be, and the space was ideal.
We had just over 100 guests at the wedding, and in spite of a record heat wave, the space was very comfortable. We set up chairs facing the stage for the ceremony, then asked guests to drift into the smaller adjoining room while the bridesmaids and groomsmen pulled out the tables (which we had pre-​set and pushed to the back of the room) and set the chairs around the tables. When it came time for dancing we broke down a couple of the tables nearest the stage to make room. We had worried initially about the flow of people and the time required for this changeover, but it worked perfectly.
The space never felt crowded – we could easily have accommodated another 20 people with the same arrangement. The building itself is so elegant that very little decoration was required – but since we had the space starting at 1:00pm for our 5:00pm wedding, there was plenty of time to get everything done.
A beautiful, versatile space, very reasonably priced, and close to the lake, should guests want to escape for some air! We were so so happy with our choice. Thank you, Nelda!

My husband and I got married here July of 2015. I have nothing but positive things to say about this venue and its manager, Nelda. It is a beautiful venue and was the perfect space for our wedding. We had a food truck, which worked very well. We had about 80 guests, and that seemed like the perfect amount of people for the space. A jazz combo played from the stage during cocktail hour.
I highly recommend this venue for weddings!

I would highly recommend this venue for an affordable wedding venue.
My husband and I had our wedding reception here and were thrilled with how everything went. The woman who helps coordinate is very pleasant, and easy to work with. The space itself is very beautiful, so you don’t need to do much at all for decorations. The venue also has strands of globe lights that they can zig zag from wall to wall, creating even more atmosphere.
The kitchen is small, but we went with a food truck (Veracci pizza), so that wasn’t an issue for us. You can save a ton of $$$ here because you can bring in all of your own alcohol. They also have tables and chairs that are totally adequate that you can use free of charge.
You could certainly have both your ceremony and reception in this space as long as you didn’t have too many people. We had 140 people seated in the main room and that felt like a good size, full but not squished.
While the venue is a bit kitschy from the outside (I wish they would update the green trim), guests will forget that once they are inside. I’m sure parking can be a pain, but we got married in January, so there weren’t many people utilizing Greenlake.

Not sure why my review was filtered. Hmmm… It was not solicited from the venue, and I think it’s accurate. Whatevs.

Now that my wedding day has come and gone, it’s time for an updated review on the Great Hall at Green Lake.
The Good:
— Just as beautiful as I remembered!
— Provided all of the chairs and tables that I needed. Even added a few extra banquet tables to their inventory since I first viewed the space.
— Venue staff removed all the things I asked them to (area rug, scattered pieces of furniture, etc.), and left all the chairs/​tables just as I requested.
— My wedding day went very smoothly and as planned, and if anything went awry I had no clue (as no bride should). Not until the very end was I made aware of any issues at the venue.
The Bad:
— As aforementioned, I had no knowledge of any mishaps until the very end of the evening when I was actually tracked down at a nearby bar. Seriously, who goes to tell the BRIDE ON HER WEDDING NIGHT that there’s a problem — especially when there are clearly 20+ friends and family members to step in and help? Needless to say, I was irritated.
— The parking. Just. Sucks. All said and done, the lack of parking really was an enormous drawback in the scheme of things and part of me wishes I had just found a venue that offered its own private (and free!) parking. Transporting décor (and later, bags of garbage) for set-​up and tear-​down was the biggest pain in the ass, only worsened by the serious lack of nearby parking. If you’re like us and have lots of elderly guests and/​or wedding guests who dislike huffing it three blocks in stilettos, then opt for a venue with its own parking lot!
— The «kitchen space» is a bit of a joke. There is a fridge, sink, and counter space, but that’s about it. When I did a walk-​through with our caterer, I could tell they were very concerned about the lack of appliances and small work space. Even though you can supply your own food and/​or caterer, be aware that there is NOT a way to cook, bake, or heat your food on site. My caterers were amazing, but even I noticed that some dishes were not kept as hot as they could have/​should have been.
— In our contract, it stated that the management would let us know of any additional fees incurred and return our damage deposit within a week of the event’s end. It has taken them more than a month to respond to us, and even now we still don’t have our damage deposit.
— Also, not many places to hide or tuck away for some wedding photos away from guests. Huge bummer there. I tried to do as many wedding party photos before the ceremony, but as guests arrived almost an hour early (because, of course, they were concerned they wouldn’t find parking!), I had to rush off and hide in the bride’s room before all my guests saw me. What a waste of precious photo-​op time!

During GeekGirlCon, I was fortunate to attend a concert here. There’s ample space for an event or a wedding, I’m sure. The acoustics were good and nothing at the venue detracted from the performing musicians. I’d go so far to say that the space itself was like a huge blank canvas ready for your event! There’s stairs to reach the larger room upstairs and a lift if you cannot manage them. I easily found parking on the street in front but I imagine on nicer days, it might be tricky with its proximity to Green Lake.

The venue itself deserves 5 stars. The space has tons of light, vaulted ceilings, is spacious and private, while still being warm and intimate. The space is definitely affordable if you’re okay with the two points below.
*The manager Nelda has been friendly, professional, and very accommodating so I added two stars. I can’t imagine working with another vendor.* plus 2 stars
*No parking options* minus 1 star
*Does not accept credit cards* minus 1 star