I rely quite heavily on Yelp for making decisions about businesses, but like so many others, I…read moredon't contribute nearly enough to the community with my own reviews. After my wedding this past weekend, I felt I had to come on here and share my experience with our venue, Riverside Receptions. My wife and I were intent on having a unique wedding. We wanted something outdoorsy, and within a 200 mile radius of Detroit. We were also intent on finding a venue that would let us do things the way we wanted. So often, you see that the best venues make you use their caterer, place restrictions on how long the bar can be open, etc, and we wanted to avoid that to make sure we could throw the best party possible. We scoured the internet, and found virtually no options that met these criteria. When we came upon RR's website, we were obviously impressed by the pictures. However, we always assume that pictures are deceiving. So, when we visited the venue for the first time, we were astounded. Seriously, this is the most beautiful place you can imagine. The precision and care that went into the design of RR is mind blowing. Every detail is perfect - it's like Disney. John, the owner, was absolutely wonderful to work with. He let us do whatever we wanted, and provided tons of support in terms of pulling everything together. We had our set up at 10am, started the cocktail hour at 3pm, and didn't have to be out of the venue until midnight. How often can you find a wedding venue where the party is 9 hours long? And, since we were allowed to bring in our own bar and our own caterer, we were able to save thousands when compared to other venues. I've read other reviews online saying that RR is expensive. These reviewers are *insane*. You couldn't possibly find a venue as beautiful as this and spend less money. In the end, the comments from the guests ranged from "How the hell did you find this place?" to "This can't be real". Our goal was to wow people, and RR made that possible. Now, there's always a catch. For RR, it's that the venue is in the middle of absolutely nowhere. This is kind of cool, because you're totally isolated, but it does add headaches to the planning process. The closest hotels to the venue are in the middle of Three Rivers, about 10 miles away. I strongly recommend using the Super 8. I know what you're thinking: "Super 8? Sounds gross". But, it's actually quite nice, and much closer than some other hotels down in the Sturgis area. It's also very reasonable, as one would expect from a Super 8. Now, if your guests are drinking, you really need to have a solution for getting everyone to and from the venue safely. So, you'll have to spend some money to hire shuttles. The closet vendor we could find was in Kalamazoo. This added some cost to the event, but this was more than offset by the savings we realized on the caterer and bar. Moral of the story: For us, having our wedding at Riverside Receptions was the best decision we've ever made. Just visit the venue, and you'll understand why.

Riverside Receptions is by far one of the best wedding venues in Southwest Michigan. If you see a…read morebad review of this venue, contact the owners and they will assure you that these reviews have many false statements in them. You will not be disappointed having your wedding here.

Amazing food & well of course atmosphere Flat bread Bread itself is sooo good truly fresh freshly…read moremade

We enjoyed our time here. We grabbed a couple beers on tap and sat outside soaking up the scenery…read more The service was good. We didn't eat here, but the food smelled amazing. We will definitely be back and try some of that food next time.

We had our wedding ceremony (in the loft area) and reception (main floor & bar) here on January 1,…read more2016. We planned our wedding from Los Angeles and Keith was amazing throughout the whole process. We rented the tables, chairs, and linens from The Brick--it was all beautiful! The venue was a reasonable price. Everything was laid out very clearly in the contract and the FAQs. Anything I needed help with, Keith was available by e-mail and responded very quickly. Our vendors were easily able to access the venue to set up catering (The Landing) and the cake (C'est La Vie). It was a stress free and beautiful day. I couldn't ask for anything better! Thank you for such a great day/night!

I was attending a wedding at The armory in South Bend, Indiana, and the wedding party was provided…read morewith a complimentary happy hour drink. Around 7:30 PM, I went to the bar to receive mine, but the bartender acted as though giving me the drink was coming out of her own pocket. She told me that someone else should have already gotten it for me instead of simply honoring what was included for the wedding guests. As a member of the wedding party, I should have received the same complimentary drink as everyone else. The interaction felt dismissive and unwelcoming, and it left a poor impression of the customer service. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend using this venue if this is how guests are treated. Customer service is an important part of any event, especially a wedding, and unfortunately this experience fell well below expectations.

Absolutely beautiful rustic venue for a wedding. This isn't on Google maps or listed anywhere but…read morefor the lucky couple that finds this place, you'll love it. The bathrooms and dressing rooms are so cute. The setup is perfect. The grounds are beautiful. Bar, catering area, dance floor, etc - all was perfect. The setup with guests upstairs and down, gave a perfect view to everyone, while able to keep distanced. The upstairs was a little warm but windows and fans circulated the air just fine. I cannot recommend this venue enough. It's in the middle of nowhere but you won't be disappointed.

Beautiful location and setting! Quiet, secluded and nestled in the woods at the edge of 3 ponds…read more We're here, obviously, for a wedding.

We just got married at ancestral acres and it was the best wedding experience. We had access to the…read moregrounds the whole weekend making set up and take down smooth. During our wedding, Nikki was so kind as to ask us if we need anything multiple times, helping during photos, capturing small photos and videos throughout the day to share with us, and bringing us drinks from the bar during our busy day so we could still find time to celebrate! The whole process leading up to the wedding was also wonderful with the help of William and Melvin! I highly would recommend this venue!

Took my family to the Off Road park and had a blast today!! We had never been there but heard…read moregreat things, so we tried it out. Loved that they had a gas grill and a big tent set up to use for chilling out and having diner.

We had bought 2 atv's in march and decided that this would be the first place we would take them…read moreto. We have 2 commander 200's and a few minutes after we started on the trails, our atv's could NOT handle these trails. These are NOT beginner trails, not even intermediate. I broke a few parts off my bike, and my mother tipped her bike over twice. The only place we had fun at was the playground in the back which is a big sand/gravel pit but it was more of a mud pit since it rained the day before and we did enjoy getting completely filthy. unfortunately, we won't be returning any time within the next few years.

Fun out of the way stop for lunch. Best ham and melted cheese sub I've ever had. The ham was…read moreamazing. Wonder how it was cooked. Tasted like bacon. The one-person staff was cook, server and local historian. Forgot to ask her name. A very interesting stop overall. The chicago couple.

Let me begin by saying, I was really hopeful my for the best. Based on the reviews I was sure we…read morewould be using this cute little place as a "meet in the middle" for our family. However. Our evening turned out like this. It was 5:30pm we entered the restaurant and stood patiently in the family dining area . No one came. We sent a scout to the bar upstairs. He came down and told us that we could bring the 8 year old up if we sat in the hallway but it seated 4. Our scout carried a chair upstairs for our 5th party. We waited another 8 min. No one came . After 10 min. We prepared to leave . A server said, " are you leaving?". Yes! And we left. This was a Friday night experience. The server was there by herself. She was intending to cook-serve and bar tend. I wish this place the best. It's adorable. Since I can't judge the food or really the service, my suggestion is to call ahead and see if they are staffed and ready.

This place is such a gem! We had my daughter's open house here, and it was perfect. The setting is…read morean old school that's been updated but its architecture is still sympathetic to the 1940s. It's spacious, clean, and the A/C in the hot months is a must! We were given a large kitchen space for food prep, and there's a nice bar space with ice machine, too. The owners are incredibly communicative, and they are in the building during the event. They stopped by a couple times to take care of the garbage and check in. It would also be a great spit for a wedding! I can't recommend it enough!

A total vibe! Highly recommend for the experience; such an impressive concept!…read more Although in a remote location, you are transported once you step foot on this beautiful and expansive property. Every where your eyes look, they will be greeted with an esthetically pleasing sight. We decided to dine with a guest chef that spoke to our hearts. His story was phenomenal and his take on family favorite recipes was inspiring and heartwarming. Looking forward to trying another event/chef in the very near future! Thank you for providing this gem!

Unique dining experience. I have visited on a weekday and a weekend. Most recently, chef Paul V.,…read morefrom Chicago. Highly recommend Farrand Hall I can't wait to try their Bakery. Ps. They sell balery items at the conclusion of dinner.

We had Black Creek provide flowers for my daughters wedding. Susan has a definite talent for…read moredesigning beautiful and memorable arrangements. She knows her flowers and the process to grow, cut and arrange them to meet your expectations. My wife and daughter meet at Black Ridge a couple times to discuss the brides ideas and develop a plan to meet her wants. Susan also held a final meeting a couple weeks prior to the wedding to make sure everyone was on the same page and agree on last minute things. On the big day Susan and Tom were right on time to deliver the flowers. They went right to work putting things in the right spot and cleaning up after themselves. Now for the flowers...my wife and daughter were over the top pleased with the freshness, color, arrangement and overall beauty of the designs. The brides bouquet was a perfect size and just beautiful. The bouquet held up through all the handling and toss. The table flowers were simple and attractive. They didn't detract from the social interactions by being over sized, wide spread or in your face. They just blended nicely. The lapel flowers were very attractive as the were designed to be simple, worn close/flat to the lapel and masculine looking. The design was very innovative and attractive plus simple to pin on. The wrist corsages were simple, not fluffy or dangling, and beautiful of course. The flower girls had very attractive flower rings that were easy to manage and secure on a 5-8 year olds head. Susan also created a pair of flower arrangements that were attached to the arch behind the minister. These flowers were artificial but you would never know it. They were very attractive and blended with all the other flowers and color schemes. I would definitely recommend Black Creek for your flower needs. Susan is very talented. She listens well and works passionately to make your ideas come to life. Her husband Tom is a wonderful helper and behind the scenes guy. You will find both Susan and Tom to be very professional, friendly and customer service oriented!

what a beautiful setting with delightful & helpful hosts! perfect place for a bridal showe!read more