The Grand on Foster is an event space located in a historic 120+ year old building in downtown…read moreDothan. I attended an October wedding here and it was beautiful.
I'm not sure what this place used to be, but the courtyard in the back looks like it was once a part of the inside of the building. All of the walls are brick (some of the exposed variety) with cement columns. The wedding ceremony took place in the courtyard. The courtyard is walled in with brick that extends two stories high. There's a fountain, plants, string lighting, spiral staircases that lead to overlooks above, and a couple neat little nooks and crannies. The atmosphere is rustic yet refined.
The wedding was intimate with I guesstimate about 50 guests. I believe this venue can handle at least 125, however. Due to the small nature of the wedding and the walled-in courtyard, no mics were necessary for the ceremony. As guests, we could hear every word spoken by the pastor and the bride and groom.
The reception took place inside in The Grand's two ground-level ballrooms, the Orleans Ballroom and the St. Charles Ballroom. The Orleans Ballroom is where the dinner, DJ, and dance floor were located. The St. Charles Ballroom is where the dinner buffet, drinks, and wedding cake were located.
I don't recall who catered the food, but the menu consisted of pork loin with pineapple habanero sauce, baked chicken in a light lemon butter sauce, mashed potato bake, mixed roasted vegetables, spring mix salad, and rolls. Beverages included water, sweet tea, ginger ale, and Coke. The food was A-OK. The cake was phenomenal. I got seconds and was stuffed silly by the end of the night.
The wedding was short and sweet, but still traditional and elegant in every way. I had a good time and consider this a terrific, simple, and classic-looking venue for medium to large sized events.
Though there isn't a dedicated parking lot for The Grand, there is plenty of free public parking on downtown streets and in various lots. I parallel parked on Foster next to the Federal Building. Check out the directions page on The Grand's website for a helpful parking map: http://thegrandonfoster.com/directions/.